Military Aircraft Seen Near Southern Utah Thanks to Red Flag 23-3

Residents of Southern Utah have been reporting sightings of military aircraft in the skies. Well, I’m here to tell you not to worry, everything is fine. It’s just a part of Red Flag 23-3.

What is Red Flag 23-3? It’s a joint training exercise occurring at the Nellis Air Force Base with various aircraft launches every day from July 17 to August 4.

While the Nellis Air Force Base is not in Southern Utah (it’s actually located in Southern Nevada), many of the exercises and training maneuvers will bleed into St. George and other Southern Utah areas.

According to the Nellis Air Force Base website: “Red Flag 23-3 aligns with the National Defense Strategy and will focus on training joint force operations and command and control. The large-scale exercise maximizes collaboration and synergy among joint and interagency partners, making our nation’s forces more lethal.”

What does that mean for Southern Utah residents?

It means they’re going to hear and see some unexpected things for the next couple of weeks.

Some typical events you can expect to see and hear include things like loud booming noises from jets. As I mentioned before, helicopters and other military aircrafts will be seen in the skies above Southern Utah for the next few weeks.

So, if you hear a loud noise in the middle of the day coming from the west, it’s probably coming from Nellis Air Force Base. If you see a bunch of helicopters or jets of the military variety, you guessed it, it’s from the Nellis Air Force Base.