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Allied Air Forces execute fifth-generation Agile Combat Employment during Ramstein Flag 25

NATO Allied Air Command

Apr 7 2025

LEEUWARDEN, Netherlands -- On April 4, 2025, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) demonstrated advanced fifth-generation interoperability during an F-35 Lightning II training event.

The dynamic construct of Allied Air Command's exercise Ramstein Flag 25 enables participating nations unique opportunities to further enhance NATO's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concepts.

During a cross-servicing and joint training event at Leeuwarden Air Base, Netherlands, two F-35s assigned to the 495th Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, and two RNLAF Air Combat Command F-35s were launched by crew chiefs from the opposite nations to fly Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial (C-A2/AD) training missions.

Cross-servicing is a skill cultivated when one nation's maintenance crew performs aircraft servicing to another nation's aircraft. "I feel confident in cross-servicing since we have the same procedures for the most part," said RNLAF Sergeant, 1st Class Rick de Jong, Air Combat Command avionics technician and F-35 crew chief. "Of course, it's always great to learn from each other." Sergeant, 1st Class de Jong, has cross serviced Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35s in his career and noted how seamless cross-servicing is within NATO.

Once the F-35s completed their mission; logistics and maintenance crews from both Allied nations reciprocally recovered, refueled and inspected the other nation's aircraft, successfully completing their training objectives. "It was a really good experience", said United States Air Force Staff Sergeant David Espinoza-Barrantes, 495th Fighter Generation Squadron dedicated crew chief. "Overall, it went really smoothly, and it was humbling to be working side by side with my NATO counterparts to get the mission done."

The Ramstein Flag series exercise leverages all opportunities for Allied integration and collaberation, during RAFL25 the ground refueling of the French Rafale was completed using a Dutch fuel vehicle enabling the French assets to rapidly redeploy, In addition, Danish and Italian technicians perform pre-flight checks on the Italian E550A, at Skrydstrup Air Base, Denmark.

The successful cross-servicing is an example of the importance of integrating logistics and maintenance that enhances Allied readiness to deploy, sustain, and project capabilities across NATO airspace. Enabling Allied forces to share resources and infrastructure increases collective lethality, reduces operational risk, and ensures mission continuity in contested environments.

Story by Allied Air Command Public Affairs Office