By Taryn Pedler
THE United States held the world’s biggest “elephant walk” in a spectacular show of strength to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
Over 4,000 airmen shared the runway with 80 aircraft in single file, nose-to-tail take-off positions, which is said to resemble elephants walking.
The United States held the worlds biggest ‘elephant walk’ as a display of strength to Putin and Xi[/caption]
80 warplanes shared the runway in the incredible demonstration[/caption]
The scenes at Sheppard Air Force Base highlighted the importance of Air Force training and partnerships with allies[/caption]
The event was planned as a message to friends and competitors that the U.S. and its allies remain committed to the legacy of unequalled training[/caption]
The incredible scenes at Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita County, Texas, highlighted the importance of Air Force training and partnerships with allies.
“The key to airpower is exceptional Airmen, and the key to exceptional Airmen is exceptional training,” said General Lyle K Drew.
“That’s what we do here at Sheppard, and this elephant walk was our message to the world that the U.S. and its international partners remain committed to delivering the best-trained Airmen in the world,” he added.
It comes as America sailed a massive warship through the Taiwan Strait in a display of power towards China.
The US Navy described the journey as a “routine transit”, which took place only days after China stopped it’s massive drills around Taiwan.
And US nuclear B-52 bombers were flanked by NATO fighters in V-formation to deliver a similar message to Vladimir Putin last month.
The warning to the tyrant came as jets intercepted a pair of the bombers over the Baltic.
The US demonstrated another ‘elephant walk’ back in December 2020 when a fleet of 30 fighter jets showcased their combat readiness.
Another was held earlier this month as the US fighter jets carried out an “elephant walk” at an airbase in Japan as Washington displayed its military might.
That was held after Chinese and Russian bombers flew over the Pacific in a joint patrol mission – signalling increasingly strong military ties between Beijing and Moscow.
On the most recent flex of the United State’s military muscles, Colonel Brad Orgeron said: “No other base could bring this many training aircraft and student Airmen to bear like this.
“The fundamental technical and pilot training missions that happen here every day affect literally every base and every combat sortie in the Air Force – not to mention the impact on our global partners.”
Leaders from the two wings planned the event as a message to friends and competitors that the US and its allies remain committed to the legacy of unequalled training as the foundation of combat power.
“We want our allies to know that we are committed to and value our shared training experience with them, and we want our potential adversaries to know that we are bound together with our friends and partners from the very beginning of our military careers as we train side by side to defend our way of life,” Orgeron said.
“It’s also a way to highlight the immense strategic impact Sheppard AFB has on the Air Force and our partner nations”, Drew added.
“A picture is worth a thousand words, and this elephant walk really illustrates the scope and magnitude of what we do here,” he said.
The spectacular footage of the flanking was shared following Russia’s warning to Britain over plans to potentially arm Ukraine with tank shells containing depleted uranium.
The U.S. Air Force are calling it ‘possibly the largest and most unique ‘elephant walk’ in Air Force history’[/caption]
4,000 airmen also took part in the spectacular show of military might[/caption]
The formation is known as an ‘elephant walk’ as the single file, nose-to-tail take-off positions are said to resemble elephants walking[/caption]
Category: News, World News, Nuclear Weapons
