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Hundreds of international troops are filling the skies at Cold Lake Air Weapons Range for Exercise Maple Flag.

The annual exercise brings together Canadian and allied air force and army members for four weeks of training on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, a 1.17-million hectare airspace with more than 90 target complexes and threat simulators. The airspace allows pilots to fly with few restrictions.

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This year’s exercise, which ends June 24, brings together more than 1,300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel and more than 400 members of allied and partner nations.

Maple Flag changes from year to year to adapt to new weapons and tactics. It has been conducted annually since 1978, and has only been cancelled four times, most recently in 2015 due to Canada’s battle against ISIS over Iraq and Syria.

Several international allies are joining their Canadian counterparts, including the US Air Force, the Kentucky Air National Guard, the US Marine Corps, the British Royal Air Force, the French Air Force and both the German and Belgian armies.