Message posted by Joerg (Webmaster) on February 09, 2012 at 11:08:44 PST:
Red Flag exercises have nothing to do with Groom. They use the MOAs surrounding Area 51, but the Groom air space is strictly off-limits for Red Flag participants. We have a whole section on Red Flag. See the buttons on the left. There are two types of flares: Most commonly seen are flares to divert heat seeking missiles. They burn very bright orange for only a few seconds. They are deployed by fighter jets in air-to-air combat exercises who have a (simulated) missile locked onto their tail. Sounds like what you saw were illumination flares. They are used in targeting exercises, and sometimes for S&R to mark a location on the ground below them. They are suspended on small parachutes, and can hang virtually motionless in the sky for several minutes. They are often used in Range 64 which, from Hwy 375, is behind the Groom air space. So they may appear to be over Area 51.
In Reply to: Re: great footage posted by astra7 on February 09, 2012 at 9:59:23 PST:
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