Falcon Strike 2022 is an exercise that joined the United States, Italy, and the Netherlands in the skies over the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Sardinia Channel, and the Gulf of Taranto. It concluded Nov. 25 after two weeks of operations that provided these allies with an opportunity to demonstrate their cohesiveness as NATO partners. The Russia - Ukraine war greatly emphasizes the value of air supremacy. The F-35 will allow its partners to maintain a military edge with their fleets.  

The air forces operated out of Amendola Air Base in southeastern Italy. The exercise saw the participation of F-35s and U.S. F-16s in the offensive Blue Forces, while almost all assets of the Italian Air Force were available for the Red Air. The Italian F-35s, both in the A and B variants, acted as adversaries during the exercise. The Ukrainian crisis influenced the scenarios generated to make Falcon Strike 2022 more realistic and relevant. 

The exercise also focused on the integration between fifth- and fourth-generation aircraft. Building strong lines of communication is essential between the two aircraft because the fourth- generation are present in greater numbers than the fifth- generation in the various air forces. They participated in mock battles with and against the F-35s, allowing pilots to learn how best to utilize their fourth- generation aircraft in accordance with the latest airpower technology. 

Accompanying the exercises, the F-35 European Air Chief Meeting also met in Italy and brought together representatives from the surging number of F-35 customers including Finland, Poland, Belgium, Israel, the U.S., Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, the U.K. and Canada. The F-35 leaders were able to “crosstalk” ways to employ the fighter and to give updates on how each nation is using its aircraft. 

Air Force Advancing ACE in Italian-Hosted F-35 Exercise | Air & Space Forces Magazine (airandspaceforces.com)