Luke Airmen forge partnership with Marines, improve joint combat ops

  • Published
  • By Capt. Amy Hutchisson
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The residents of Coronado Island, Calif., are used to seeing F-18s and F-5s in their surrounding skies. But recently, they may have noticed a different aircraft in the local area as F-16 Fighting Falcons from Luke Air Force Base participated in joint Air Force and Marine Corps training missions. 

In two separate exercises, the 310th and 308th fighter squadrons packed up and temporarily moved to Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., Aug. 7 through 14, and Aug. 31 through Sept. 12, respectively. Their mission was to train with Marine Corps Air Station Miramar aviators in order to improve joint service interoperability for future combat operations. 

"This was an outstanding opportunity for us to fully employ the air-to-air capabilities of the Viper in dissimilar air combat training with our Marine Corps brethren," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Jenssen, 308th FS commander. 

During these missions, Luke Airmen engaged in dissimilar air combat training matching their skills against Miramar's Marine aviators. According to Maj. Justin Dupuis, 310th FS assistant director of operations and exercise project officer, it also allowed participants to practice joint air-to-air refueling operations. Luke's F-16s flew with MCAS Miramar's F-18s and F-5s in a variety of red and blue air roles. 

"Red air aircraft are the bad guys, while blue air is considered the good guys," Major Dupuis said. "Because we don't have the opportunity as instructors at Luke to fight dissimilar aircraft on a regular basis, this was great training for us to practice with other airframes we don't usually train with." 

This type of exercise is very relevant and improves interoperability, Major Dupuis said.
"Fighting against dissimilar aircraft is imperative because air combat is very fluid, and it requires significant practice," he said. "With today's real-world contingency operations, opportunities like this are limited." 

Capt. Travis Clegg, 308th FS B-flight commander and exercise project officer, echoed Major Dupuis' sentiments. 

"This temporary duty assignment provided unparalleled opportunities for joint operations and off-station training. The chance to employ with and against equally capable, joint aircraft in numerous air-to-air missions was extremely valuable." 

The exercise revealed some challenges that can occur when working in a joint environment. 

"While flying tactics are the same across service lines, the lingo used by Air Force and Marine Corps personnel to refer to them differs," said Major Dupuis. "For example, what the Air Force refers to as air combat maneuvers, the Marines call section attacks. Also, the Air Force defines a two-ship as a flight, while the Marines refer to it as a section. The differences may seem minute; however, in real-world joint combat operations, they could have a significant impact, hindering or thwarting operations. It's exercises like these that prepare Luke Airmen for joint environments." 

The joint exercise that took place in August between the 310th FS and the Marines was a first-time partnership between the two bases, according to Major Dupuis. 

Planning for such an exercise was no simple undertaking with the beddown for an entire squadron's personnel coupled with logistics for the aircraft and associated maintenance equipment. However, Major Dupuis and Captain Clegg agreed it was well worth the work involved. 

"After getting over the interservice challenges, the exercise proved effective and demonstrated just how good we are at what we do," added Major Dupuis.