TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - In order to maintain a high state of readiness and ensure continued American air dominance, Airmen need to train to stay sharp for real-world operations.
In that effort, nearly 200 members of the 104th Fighter Wing from the Massachusetts Air National Guard are participating in Checkered Flag 18-1, a two-week large-scale total force exercise that brings together legacy and fifth-generation aircraft to train in a realistic aerial combat environment near Panama City, Florida.
"This exercise is focused on air superiority," said Capt. Martin "Heklr" Clark, 104th Fighter Wing project officer. "Our aircraft are simulating protecting points on the ground and high-value airborne assets."
During Checkered Flag 18-1 pilots practice air to air combat maneuvers with up to 100 "red" adversary aircraft positioned against several dozen "blue" friendly aircraft in airspace over the Gulf of Mexico.
"In this exercise, we have F-15E's, F-15C's, F-16's, F-35's and F-22's," Clark explained. "One thing we've been doing a lot of is fighter integration, working with fourth and fifth generation platforms together on the same mission."
Checkered Flag 18-1 satisfies required training necessary for upcoming operations. "We have a Theater Security Package that we'll be a part of in the future," said Clark. "This training is in preparation for that."
Master Sgt. Jason Ballou, 104th Fighter Wing Support Section said, "There's been a lot of training opportunities here to learn the tricks of the trade. We've been working closely with Ops. The pilots have been great briefing the maintainers on what is going on up in the air as far as the missions are concerned."
"Normally we fly a group of F-15s together, whereas here we're all intermingled with other bases and other aircraft," said Ballou. "We had an aircraft we had to troubleshoot, and the timing of it on the ground came into play. We had to be expeditious and work safely within a smaller timeframe window than what we're normally used to. This exercise has given us insight into our readiness, highlighting how much is required of us with the number of people that we're bringing. Everyone has to do their part. The whole "wingman' concept has really been highlighted."
The mission of the 104th Fighter Wing is to provide equipment and highly trained personnel for dedicated service to the community, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the nation.
The 104th Fighter Wing, 131st Fighter Squadron, provides operationally ready combat units, combat support units, and qualified personnel for active duty and supports Air Force wartime contingency requirements performing a variety of peacetime missions required by the Air Force.
"The 131st Fighter Squadron supports Air Dominance in both its Homeland Defense (ACA) and AEF roles," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Beckel, 131st Fighter Squadron commander. "There have been several times in the past that we have filled both of these roles concurrently. Without the 131st Fighter Squadron performing their ACA mission, the entire northeast coast from the Canadian border to Washington, D.C., would go unprotected. The 131st has deployed multiple times over the past several years in support of named operations, easing the burden across the CAF of deploy-to-dwell times."
The Air National Guard is the proven choice for overseas operations, the first choice for domestic response and an enduring choice for building partnerships and security cooperations globally.
Checkered Flag 18-1 has drawn units from around the United States. In addition to the 131st Fighter Squadron from Barnes Air National Guard Base, participating units include the 525th Fighter Squadron from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; the 393rd Fighter Squadron from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; the 79th Fighter Squadron, from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; the 552nd Air Control Wing from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; the 116th ACW, from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; and the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.