Santa Maria, Calif. – Santa Maria and Orcutt residents may notice increased noise from military aircraft as the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center conducts exercise Bamboo Eagle 24-3 from Aug. 5 to Aug. 9.
Over 120 aircraft are scheduled to depart various locations throughout Southern California twice a day and could remain in the air for up to five hours during this large-scale exercise. There will also be night launches to allow air crew to simulate training during nighttime combat operations.
Bamboo Eagle 24-3 will include participants from over 20 units across the USAF, joint services, and allies and partners. The exercise is designed to enhance interoperability, warfighting capabilities, and bolster readiness.
Bamboo Eagle is conducted during what was typically the third week of Red Flag. Red Flag exercises the tactical buildup to the operational exercise of Bamboo Eagle. While Red Flag mainly focuses on training in air dominance, Bamboo Eagle includes robust efforts to ensure total readiness through combat representative training across multiple domains.