More than 150 Airmen and twelve F-22 Raptors from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Florida, deployed to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, on 31 July 2010 for the US Air Force's first Exercise Global Gem. During a month of joint training, F-15E Strike Eagle crews from Mountain Home will fly against the F-22 as an adversary, or Red Air, as well as with the Raptors on friendly, or Blue Air, missions. The local area in Idaho provides a chance for specialized training since the airspace and terrain allows the F-22 pilots to employ air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities in mountainous areas, a vast difference from the over water and flat land environments where they usually train.
