U.S. Navy's largest Gray Flag tests allied aircraft and weapons connections across more than 750 sorties before deployment

Gray Flag 2026 concluded at Point Mugu after more than 750 sorties, 2,000 flight hours, and participation by over 3,000 people from more than 150 organizations. The U.S. Navy-led event connected allied aircraft, weapons, sensors, data links, and ground systems across hundreds of multi-domain test objectives. Its purpose was to uncover integration failures and correct them before systems reached operational deployments, rather than simply rehearse established tactics. The unusually large scale provided a realistic environment for assessing interoperability, but individual test results and deficiencies were not fully released.