Adversary Excellence: Red Air’s Role at Sentry North
- James Geer
- Jun 24
- 6 min read
June 2025: Canadian wildfire haze blankets Volk Field as two Top Aces pilots step to their F-16 Advanced Aggressor Fighters (AAF). On the ramp, ground crews stand ready, and within moments, the start-up sequence is underway. Preflight checks confirm all systems are go, and the Vipers taxi to the runway, threading between departing flights of F-35 Lightning IIs. As they line up, throttles advance on their Pratt & Whitney F100 engines, and the takeoff roll begins. Their mission: to provide adversary air support for exercise Sentry North 2025.
Sentry North (formerly known as Northern Lightning) is an annual joint training exercise conducted at Volk Field Air National Guard Base in Wisconsin and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan. Designed to simulate realistic combat scenarios, the exercise brings together U.S. forces from multiple branches—including the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and National Guard units. Participants integrate both fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, training together in complex air combat environments to enhance interoperability and readiness. The exercise provides participants with critical opportunities to refine tactics and enhance mission readiness in a contested battlespace that includes electronic warfare, adversary air, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and dynamic targeting.
This year’s exercise brought together over 1,200 participants and 60 aircraft from numerous flying units, summarized below.
Unit Name | Aircraft Type | Component | Home Base Location |
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) / Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225 | F-35B Lightning II | USMC | MCAS Yuma, CA |
3rd MAW / Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 352 | KC-130J Hercules | USMC | MCAS Miramar, CA |
4th MAW / VMGR-234 | KC-130J Hercules | USMCR | NAS JRB Fort Worth, TX |
33rd Fighter Wing / 58th Fighter Squadron (FS) | F-35A Lightning II | USAF | Eglin AFB, FL |
114th FW / 175th FS | F-16C Fighting Falcon | ANG | Joe Foss Field, SD |
115th FW / 176th FS | F-35A Lightning II | ANG | Truax Field ANGB, WI |
121st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) / 166th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) | KC-135R Stratotanker | ANG | Rickenbacker ANGB, OH |
122nd FW / 163rd FS | F-16C Fighting Falcon | ANG | Fort Wayne ANGB, IN |
127th Wing (WG) / 171st ARS | KC-135R Stratotanker | ANG | Selfridge ANGB, MI |
127th WG / 107th FS | A-10A Warthog | ANG | Selfridge ANGB, MI |
128th ARW / 126th ARS | KC-135R Stratotanker | ANG | General Mitchell ANGB, WI |
133rd Airlift Wing (AW) / 109th Airlift Squadron (AS) | C-130H Hercules | ANG | Minneapolis–Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station, MN |
148th FW / 179th FS | F-16C Fighting Falcon | ANG | Duluth ANGB, MN |
182nd AW / 169th AS | C-130H Hercules | ANG | Peoria ANGB, IL |
187th FW / 100th FS | F-35A Lightning II | ANG | Dannelly Field, AL |
193rd Special Operations Wing (SOW) / 193rd Special Operations Squadron (SOS) | MC-130J Commando II | ANG | Harrisburg ANGB, PA |
419th FW / 466th FS | F-35A Lightning II | AFRC | Hill AFB, UT |
552 Air Control Wing (ACW) / 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron (AACS) | E-3 Sentry Command and Control (AWACS) | USAF | Tinker AFB, OK |
Top Aces | F-16A Fighting Falcon | Private | Eglin AFB, FL |
The implementation of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operational concept has introduced significant changes to the exercise in recent years. ACE focuses on distributing and dispersing units and capabilities across multiple, diverse locations to enhance the survivability and effectiveness of airpower—especially against advanced threats from peer adversaries. Previously, many fighter units participating in the exercise deployed to Volk Field. With the adoption of ACE, however, fewer squadrons deploy and instead operate from their respective home bases during the event. For this iteration of Sentry North, two other units—the 58th FS and VMFA-225—joined the Top Aces team at Volk.
To provide friendly “Blue Air” pilots with realistic air combat training in a hostile environment, Sentry North utilized adversaries as “Red Air” to emulate today’s near-peer threats. The Red Air concept emerged in USAF training after the Aggressor program was established in 1972 at Nellis AFB, a direct response to the high air combat loss rates experienced during the Vietnam War. The Aggressor program aimed to address these losses by forming a professional adversary force that employed tactics, techniques, and procedures modeled on those of the Soviet Union and other potential adversaries. By the mid-1970s, the Aggressors were flying as the nucleus of the Red Air team during Red Flag exercises at Nellis. This model of providing a Red Air enemy threat to oppose friendly Blue Air forces has been a staple of most major USAF exercises ever since.
Serving as the Red Air lead, Top Aces deployed four F-16 AAFs and a team of 28 personnel to Volk Field in support of Sentry North 2025. To bolster the Red Air component, exercise organizers implemented the “Red Air Tax” concept, which required participating Blue Air units to dedicate approximately 25% of their flight hours to flying as adversaries. This model has gained traction amid ongoing budget and resource constraints. While the additional adversary support enhances the realism of combat training, it also challenges units to strike a balance between meeting their own training objectives and supporting the broader goals of the exercise.
To coordinate Red Air efforts, prior-day mission planning sessions were held, bringing together representatives from each contributing unit. During these meetings, participants worked collaboratively to develop mission plans aligned with the training objectives set by the Blue Air mission commander. Typically, two primary mission sets—one Offensive Counter Air (OCA) and one Defensive Counter Air (DCA)—were executed each day, alternating between the morning and afternoon turns. For each set, the Red Air team simulated adversary tactics to challenge and refine Blue Air responses.
The combination of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters serving as Red Air proved highly effective, with the F-16 and F-35 each bringing capabilities to challenge Blue Air. The Top Aces F-16 AAF are equipped with an Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS), which allows the aircraft to replicate near-peer adversary fighter capabilities. Further, their Vipers feature Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, datalink enhancements, and advanced electronic attack and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) pods. The F-35, as an adversary, adds significant value by providing unmatched stealth, advanced sensor fusion, and networked situational awareness, allowing it to realistically replicate the tactics and threat profile of next-generation adversary fighters and expose Blue Air to the complexities of engaging a true fifth-generation opponent.
The majority of Red Air engagements at Sentry North took place at beyond visual range (BVR), reflecting the realities of modern air combat against advanced adversaries. The exercise was designed to simulate high-end, near peer threats using realistic tactics, techniques, and equipment, which included BVR missile employment and electronic warfare. As part of this replication, the Top Aces team employed the highly effective ALQ-188 jamming pod. This advanced electronic warfare training system replicates the electronic signatures and tactics of adversary aircraft, including enemy countermeasures and radar jamming. As Maj Ben “Techno” Mix, an F-35A instructor pilot flying with the 58th FS at Sentry North, noted, “Their jamming pods are really good, so that gives us some great training when they turn those things on.”
A debriefing occurred after each mission, where Blue and Red Air participants reviewed key elements such as tactics, maneuvers, and simulated weapons employment. Shot validity was carefully assessed to determine whether simulated missile shots or weapons use would have been effective in real combat, considering factors like timing, range, and engagement parameters. This thorough review process enabled aircrews to identify both successes and areas for improvement, making the debriefing an essential component of mission learning and development.
For their part, the Top Aces team flew 36 sorties and logged over 60 flight hours while providing adversary support for Sentry North. When asked by Scramble 4 Productions about the value of a professional adversary team, Lt Col James “Scooby” Braudt, Commanding Officer of VMFA-225, explained: “Having someone who is fully prepared and up-to-date on pacing challenge tactics and capabilities does a much better job of simulating the threat than Blue Air can. Furthermore, airborne electronic attack is a huge advantage because it’s often difficult for Blue Air flying as Red Air to accurately replicate that capability".
The enduring value of the adversary mission continues.
Scramble 4 Productions would like to sincerely thank the following individuals for their invaluable assistance and support: Kristen “Rambo” Keehan – Volk Field ANGB Public Affairs; Capt Alex Robertson – VMFA-225; Lt Col James “Scooby” Braudt – Commanding Officer, VMFA-225; Maj Ben “Techno” Mix – 58th FS; Kevin “Shaggy” Wilson – Top Aces; and Howard German.
All photos on this blog are © James Geer/Scramble 4 Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
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