BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing, 190th Fighter Squadron, hosted the Hawgsmoke 2022 A-10 Thunderbolt II "warthog" gunnery competition at Gowen Field in Boise and at ranges south of Mountain Home Sept. 6-8.
Airmen from active-duty U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserve, and the U.S. Air National Guard from 15 squadrons participated in the event, which is special to the warthog community.
“The overall competition is about tactical training,” said Col. Ryan Richardson, the 124th Operations Group commander. “Yet it’s more than that; it’s about the community of pilots and maintainers and about showing our local community who we are and what we do.”
Hawgsmoke was born out of Gunsmoke, an air-to-surface gunnery competition held from 1949 to 1995. Hawgsmoke began in 2000. The biennial event tests the combat capabilities of hawg drivers in bombing, missile, and tactical gunnery tactics, techniques and procedures.
Hawgsmoke is more than a tradition; it’s about why hawg drivers fly the beloved A-10 Thunderbolt II.
“What this event is really about are the guys on the ground,” said Maj. Elijah Culpepper, a pilot from the 190th Fighter Squadron and one of the key planners of Hawgsmoke 2022. “The mission is the people on the ground. That’s what flying the hawg is about.”
The camaraderie among hawg drivers was evident during the closing ceremonies as they yelled in unison without coordination, “Attack!” – a catchphrase of the hawg driver community.
The 190th Fighter Squadron won Hawgsmoke 2021, an event that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 190th FS pilots have won the event three times since 2000, and, leading into the competition, they were tied for the most wins with the 47th Fighter Squadron from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. This year’s competition broke the tie.
The following are the Hawgsmoke 2022 winners:
2022 Top A-10 Overall Team Award
190th Fighter Squadron, 124th Fighter Wing, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho
2022 Top A-10 Overall Attack Pilot
Lt. Col. John Marks, 303rd Fighter Squadron, 442d Fighter Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
2022 Top Strafe Team
303rd Fighter Squadron, 442d Fighter Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
2022 Top Tactical Team
47th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
2022 Top Bombing Team
354th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona