LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Arizona --
After eight months of intense
training, the students of the 310th and 309th Fighter Squadron Basic F-16
Fighting Falcon Course were put to their final test as they joined forces with
the F-35 and a multitude of other platforms during their capstone Large Force Exercises
April 18-29, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
Students integrated with different
platforms, some from different bases, all fighting in the same air space at
once. They faced up to eight simulated enemy aircraft and utilized air-to-air
and air-to-surface tactics. These capstone missions ensure students are ready
for their future operational tours.
"These LFEs mark the
culmination of eight months of training for the B-Course students,” said Lt.
Col. William McKibban, 309th FS commander. “Our weapons officers plan for
months to make it as realistic as possible with the resources we have
available. Every F-16 instructor pilot realizes that, within months, these
students will likely be using their skills in operational environments. There
is no other option but for each of them to be ready for those
responsibilities."
The students were tasked with
creating and then executing dynamic and multifaceted mission plans.
“We were presented with very
complex problems and with the help of our mission commanders, we were able come up with really good
solutions then go out and execute them,” said 1st Lt. Robert Kouwe, 310th FS B-Course
student. “We planned our mission the day prior to flying the LFE. We had to
answer questions like; how do we get a C-17 into a drop zone so they can drop
off supplies for a simulated special forces team? Learning how to dynamically
solve this problem prepares us for what we’ll
actually be doing while deployed.”
This marks the first time at Luke
that the F-35 Lightning II has been fully integrated into the LFEs, allowing
students to utilize the fighter’s unique and extensive capabilities.
“Our strength here at Luke is that
we have 4th generation and 5th generation assets at the same base, so we can
truly train how we fight,” said Lt. Col. Aaron Jelinek, 61st FS director of
operations. “We’ve been developing this platform and
getting more and more capable as we go on. We were able to contribute to the
fight over the past two weeks and allow, not only the students, but also
instructors to see what this platform is currently capable of right here, right
now.”
This exercise also allowed students
to see first-hand how the F-35 makes solving these dynamic challenges easier.
“The F-35 compliments us with a
whole new capability.” Kouwe said. “It adds so much situational awareness and
the low observability is extremely good.”
One
of the F-35 pilots involved in the exercise spent the first part of his career
mastering the F-16. He now gets to fly next to his old jet and share the
capabilties of his new fighter.
“We’re able to know what’s going
on and then pass that information to the F-16s. We provide a bigger picture,
more situational awareness, while also utilizing unprecedented stealth
capabilities,” said Maj. Joseph Walker, 62nd FS B-Flight commander “We’re able
to go places and take out threats the F-16 traditionally can’t or faces a
higher risk of failure. We’re here to utilize the F-35’s strengths while
enhancing the F-16’s strengths by working together.”
Some of the F-16 students had a
chance to learn what it’s like to execute an LFE with and without the F-35.
“I flew one day with the F-35s and
one day without them and it really showed me the benefits of having them with
us,” Kouwe said. “It gave me confidence knowing that it wasn’t just up to us to
take care of ourselves, but that we had them watching our backs.”
The LFE provided students a
realistic training environment that not only showed them what their wingmen in
other platforms are capable of but also how to communicate and quickly problem
solve when things don’t go according to plan.
“Putting all these moving pieces
together is something you can talk about all day but until you go and do it and
see what can go wrong and then follow up with a solution, there’s no other way
to simulate it but to actually practice it,” Kouwe said. “All pilots think
their platform is the best but when you put all the different communities into
a mission planning room it forces you to take a step back and admit your
limitations and say where and why we need the other platforms.”
The LFE furthered the student’s
development and completed their B-Course training, but it also presented
another milestone for the F-35 program at Luke.
“It’s a big deal for us,” Jelinek
said. “Every time we get to go integrate and show off our capabilities, both
air-to-air and air-to-ground, it really opens eyes. Everyone sees it on the
ramp and they might think it looks pretty cool but it’s a whole new story when
they’re up in the air experiencing what this capability brings.”
The first B-Course F-35 student
was announced in March and soon the F-35 program will be expanding its training
syllabus.
“We’ve
made leaps and bounds since the beginning of the year,” said Capt. Ian
Osterrreicher, 61st FS chief of scheduling. “We’re going to see our syllabus
ramp up and we’ll be starting to do our own LFEs and next time, we’ll be asking
the F-16s to support us.”
Even with all the milestones and
advancements this is just the start for the things to come at Luke and the F-35
program.
“We only have a squadron and a
half training fighter pilots,” Jelinek said. “Eventually, we’re going to have
144 F-35s. If you look out on the ramp and multiply what we have right now by
four, that’s the capability we’re going to have to train tomorrow’s fighters.”
This fall, Hill AFB, Utah, is
going to declare initial operating capability. The extensive training here at
Luke, to include integration exercises like LFEs, allows Hill to be ready for
this next step.
“We fly more sorties in the 61st
FS than any other Air Force fighter squadron,” Jelinek said. “With the number
of hours we put on these jets, the number of sorties we turn per week, we’re able to pass valuable lessons learned to these
other bases. We’re able to pass any findings we have
on how the F-35 performs to operational testers, developmental testers and,
most importantly, back to Hill to get them ready for IOC.”