Swedish Air Force travels to Alaska for exercise

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SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  In a journey that would span more than five days, seven Gripen fighters traveled from Sweden to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for the multinational exercise, Cooperative Cope Thunder.

When they arrived at the Alaskan base, the Swedish pilots and 23 technicians from the ground crew had reached a significant milestone -- the distance flown from Sweden was 5,495 nautical miles.

Lt. Col. Ken Lindberg, commanding officer for Tango Red, is proud of the Swedish team's execution of the first phase of this exercise.

"I am very pleased that we arrived at Eielson on time according to our schedule. The personnel have done an excellent job, both in the planning phase and the execution," he said.

"This is the first time we have taken the Gripen to the U.S. for an exercise and we are looking forward to be a part in this. It will give us a lot of important experiences for future deployment outside Sweden," he said.

Click on the video link to learn more about the Tango Red Swedes.