Ellsworth’s Combat Raider brings bombers, fighters, and tankers together

ELLSWORTH AFB, S.D. — You may have already heard the roar over Rapid City Tuesday morning – the sound of our military taking flight on day one of Combat Raider.

The increased jet activity, proceeding as expected, as Ellsworth conduct’s it’s annual exercise. Pilots are here from across the United States to put their skills to the test.

Ellsworth B-1B bombers, of course, taking part along with F-15E Strike Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons, KC-135 Stratotankers, and KC-46 Pegasus.

These aircraft and others, participating in the exercise over the Powder River Training Complex, covering portions of South and North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Airmen are put through war-like scenarios, something that’s taken quite some time to put together.

“Our airmen have been planning for over a year to make this happen, whether it was making improvements to our airfield, our forecasters played a role, our intelligence mission planners,” said Lt. Col. Kristina Ellis, 28th Operations Support Squadron Commander. “Across the board, our airmen have been involved in making this a high-quality training event for the 28th Bomb Wing and for our partners.”

The exercise runs through this week, so expect increased jet activity around Ellsworth and near the PRTC.

You can also catch stories each day this week here on NewsCenter1.