Photo By Katie Archibald | An F-35 Lightning II takes flight at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, Calif.,...... read more read more
More than 2,800 U.S. and allied military personnel converged on a 36,000-square-mile test range off the California coast Sept. 5-19 to evaluate tomorrow's weapons and systems when integrated forces fight as one.
Gray Flag, an annual large-force test event hosted by Naval Test Wing Pacific and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9 at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, combines developmental test, operational test, and tactics development to evaluate advanced capabilities in a joint and multi-domain environment.
"Gray Flag is about sharpening the edge of our warfighting capabilities," said Capt. David Halpern, Naval Test Wing Pacific commodore. "By testing advanced systems and tactics in realistic combat scenarios, we ensure the joint force is ready to dominate in future conflicts."
This year’s event brought together U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force units as well as allied partners from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The intensive testing featured nearly 100 aircraft spanning 35 different types flew more than 500 sorties across two weeks, generating critical data on how next-generation military systems perform when multiple services and nations fight as one force. Surface and unmanned assets, as well as dozens of ground-based systems rounded out the multi-domain effort.
The Point Mugu Sea Range, a 36,000-square-mile instrumented area of sea and airspace operated by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, offers an ideal environment for maritime testing. The Range’s infrastructure and experience with Live, Virtual and Constructive operations enables participants to simulate and evaluate complex warfighting scenarios in an operationally relevant environment at lower risk and reduced costs.
“Gray Flag is where we push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and develop solutions that directly enhance lethality and survivability,” Halpern said. “The lessons we learn here will shape how we fight tomorrow.”
The inclusion of allied forces reinforced the Navy’s approach to warfighting as a coalition effort, at home and on the front lines.
“Our nation’s success in future conflicts depends on how well we integrate and operate alongside our allies and partners,” said Rear Adm. Keith Hash, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division commander and chief of test for Naval Air Systems Command. “Gray Flag gives us the ability to test advanced capabilities in a joint environment and rapidly deliver credible solutions to the Fleet.”
Hash also highlighted how the event helps at an even more fundamental level; it improves how we learn.
“Gray Flag isn’t just about interoperability testing,” Hash said. “We’re testing how we test, how we protect our information and systems, and how we integrate lessons learned quickly and grow. We are shaping the future of integrated warfighting in real time.”
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2025 12:13 |
| Story ID: | 549301 |
| Location: | POINT MUGU NAWC, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 387 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Gray Flag 25: U.S. and allied forces test tomorrow's warfare systems, by Kimberly Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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