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Summer Emerald Flag draws largest crowd ever

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The 96th Test Wing recently held is largest Emerald Flag event yet here June 12 – 16.

This iteration, named 23-2, showcased advancements in Long Range Kill Chain, and Joint All-Domain Command and Control domains. It attracted military personnel and industry experts demonstrating cutting-edge interoperability and test capabilities.

“As military innovation continues to accelerate, events like Emerald Flag will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of defense, enabling the military to stay one step ahead in an ever-evolving threat landscape,” said Capt. Bradley Radabaugh, Emerald Flag Deputy Director.

The goal of EF, which began in 2020, is to connect different air, ground, sea, space and cyberspace systems to improve the speed and accessibility of information shared in a live and virtual battlefield. The event allowed military branches and industry organizations to experiment, collaborate and validate emerging technologies.

Throughout the week-long event, Eglin was a hub of innovation for participants focused on JADC2 and Long Range Kill Chain demonstration.

 As part of the event, the 46th Test Squadron and MIT Lincoln Labs executed a JADC2 data sharing test. The test effort combined three unique test programs flying 160 hours on six test aircraft and multiple ground locations sharing data.

“This test demonstrated a huge leap for implementing complex network designs to advance warfighter communications," said Lt. Col. Jennifer Massett, 46th TS commander.

Industry-partner, Boeing, also tested a new mission planning software, called Decentralized Collaborative Planner.

DCP represents mission planning on a new level, helping to prevent information overload for operators and allowing them to make faster and better decisions based on the best data available,” said Dan St. Pierre, Boeing’s multi-demonstration team test lead in Phantom Works.

More than 200 (nonlocal) visitors took part in EF 23-2.  The next event is scheduled for October.