_STORY+VIDEO
Valley Thunder 2021

A major strategic air combat exercise comes to California’s Central Valley.

Video, photos and story by Tech. Sgt. Christian Jadot
144th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

March 1, 2021

FRESNO, Calif. – The personnel of the 144th Fighter Wing have traveled to the far reaches of the world for exercises and real world missions, but recently wings from around the country came to Central California to participate in Valley Thunder.

Taking place in early February, Valley Thunder was a two-week military fighter jet training exercise conducted in training airspaces over the Fresno region, and was hosted by the wing’s 194th Fighter Squadron.

“The Fresno Air National Guard Base is being used as the central location to the participating units and its proximity to the required training air space,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Benjamin Hale, a fighter pilot and Valley Thunder operations project officer. “The major difference in this exercise is that we are going to treat it as closely as we can to a real-world operation where there are daily consequences to your actions.”

Fighter jets and trainers, including F-15s, F-16s, F-35s, F-22s, and T-38s, from Arizona, Oregon and California participated in the air combat training exercise.

“Pilots from various branches and countries will be flying integrated operations with the dissimilar aircraft against a variety of adversaries,” said Hale. “This exercise will provide excellent training for all units involved. Multiple war fighting scenarios will be featured during the exercise delivering a unique competitive experience that requires flexibility and creativity for everyone.”

The scenarios of the war-fighting portion of the training exercise included carry-over effects from each of the day’s previous missions.

“This is a permanent-consequences exercise with a finite number of missiles, pilots, jets, and other resources,” added Hale. “So if we launch with four jets and one is defeated, we only have three jets to work with for the next launch, just like real-world operations.”

The size and pace of the exercise is unusual for the Fresno Air Terminal and the surrounding community.

“We appreciate the communities continued support of the 144th Fighter Wing and of air operations in the Central Valley,” said Hale.

Airmen of the 144th Fighter Wing prepare F-15C Eagle fighter jets for the morning launch to participate in Valley Thunder at the Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, Feb. 5, 2021. Valley Thunder is a two-week military fighter jet training exercise being conducted in training airspaces in the region, and is hosted by the wing’s 194th Fighter Squadron. (U.S. Air National Guard photos by Tech. Sgt. Christian Jadot)

An overview of the dissimilar aircraft combat training exercise, Valley Thunder, hosted by the 144th Fighter Wing at the Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, Feb. 10, 2021. Valley Thunder is a two-week military fighter jet training exercise being conducted in training airspaces in the region. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Tech. Sgt. Christian Jadot)