ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (DRG News) – A military exercise involving various aircraft started Tuesday and will continue through Thursday in the Powder River Training Complex over South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
Col. John Edwards is the Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing and Ellsworth Air Force Base. He says they’ve been doing Combat Raider training in the 35,000-square-mile area for four years.
He says along with local, state and federal partners, farmers and ranchers have a critical role in the practice maneuvers military pilots and planes are able to do.
Edwards says it’s the largest training area over the continental U.S.
He says having such an expansive area to work in allows the Combat Raider training to replicate exact targets they’d see in battle.
Combat Raider training involves several types of military aircraft including bombers, fighters and cargo planes. Edwards says during the maneuvers, people in the PRTC area can expect to see multiple types of aircraft simultaneously.