The largeste Air National Guard exercise of its kind, Sentry Savannah 14, has begun.

More than 1000 airmen from units across the nation will deploy to Savannah during February "to fight air battles off the coast of Savannah and perform bombing and strafing runs at the unit’s Townsend Bombing Range (Townsend GA)," an Air Guard spokesman says.

The air battles will be conducted during typical business hours with no engagements taking place after dark.

You can expect to see F-22 Raptors from bases in Florida and Hawaii, as well as Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station F-18 Super Hornets, and Air Guard F-16 Falcons and F-15 Strike Eagles from South Carolina, Vermont, and Florida.

The 116th Airlift Wing JSTARS from Warner Robins AFB will provide air reconnaissance for the operation.

The CRTC, an element of the Georgia Air National Guard, is Savannah’s year-round, air and cyber communications training facility. It is the only training facility of its kind capable of supporting the F-22 Raptor and the next follow-on Fifth Generation fighter, the F-35 Lightning II. The unit is headquartered at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, with additional training facilities located at the Townsend Bombing Range, Townsend, GA.