Two California Air National Guard (CAANG) 194th Fighter Squadron, 144th Fighter Wing (FW), Fresno Air National Guard Base (ANGB), California (CA), F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft take off from Eielson Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska (AK), for an afternoon training mission during Exercise COOPERATIVE COPE THUNDER, the largest multinational air combat training exercise in the Pacific. This 15-day exercise simulates wartime combat conditions so that military personnel from 12-nations can sharpen their air fighting skills, exchange air operational tactics, and build closer relations with each other