An aerial view of combat in ‘Fighter’

Aviation enthusiasts and military buffs will enjoy the new large-format documentary “Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag,” an insightful but otherwise routine behind-the-scenes look at the intense aerial battle exercises conducted by the U.S. military and its allies in the Nevada desert.

For two weeks, the aerial forces of all four U.S. services, NATO members and other countries gather in the shadow of Las Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base to test their mettle in training sequences that are described as often more challenging than actual combat. The film focuses on U.S. Air Force Capt. John Stratton, a 30-year-old F-15 Eagle pilot whose grandfather was a distinguished fighter pilot during World War II, as he endures the rigors of Red Flag.

The large-screen format, with its vertical orientation, is ideal for capturing the vertiginous climbs and dives of Stratton’s F-15 Eagle as it shears the fluffy white clouds and maneuvers through the tight, arid canyons of Nellis’ expansive bombing and gunnery ranges. Though at times the film feels like a recruiting video, writer-director Stephen Low steers clear of outright jingoism in fashioning an interesting overview of the unique-in-its-scope training exercise.

*

‘Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag’

MPAA rating: Unrated

Times guidelines: Some stomach-churning roller-coaster drops and simulated combat violence

A Stephen Low Co. and K2 Communications presentation. Producer-director Stephen Low. Producer Pietro Serapiglia. Executive producers Jan Baird. Director of photography William Reeve. Running time: 48 minutes. At the Bridge: Cinema de lux, 6081 Center Drive, West L.A., (310) 568-3375; Edwards Spectrum Imax, 65 Fortune Drive, Irvine, (949) 450-4920; Edwards Palace 22 IMAX, 4900 E. 4th St., Ontario, (909) 476-1525.