An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Feb. 26, 2024

Wisconsin Airmen Complete First F-35 Training Deployment

By Senior Master Sgt. Paul Gorman and Master Sgt. Mary Greenwood, 115th Fighter Wing

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – More than 150 Airmen assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing completed the Weapons System Evaluation Program’s Combat Archer exercise Feb. 23.

The exercise was the first training deployment of the unit’s F-35A Lightning II aircraft, providing pilots and maintenance personnel with experience handling and firing live air-to-air munitions.

“WSEP is a formal evaluation of a unit’s ability to conduct air-to-air live fire missions,” said Capt. Alexander Abbott, the 115th Fighter Wing project officer for WSEP 24.05. “Beyond evaluation, live-fire air-to-air experience against threat-representative targets boosts confidence and provides critical feedback to the unit and missile engineers.”

Tech. Sgt. Patrick Joyce, a weapons expeditor with the 115th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, saw distinct advantages to training outside Truax Field.

“We learn to think on the fly with our live training exercises. This is the first time that we’re loading live munitions on the airframe,” said Joyce. “We’ve had to work through a number of procedures different from those required on our prior F-16s, but I think those experiences help shape us into better loaders and better technicians.”

The WSEP exercise also allowed Madison based F-35 pilots an opportunity to practice the tactical departure techniques used in high threat environments.

According to Lt. Col. Michael Koob, commander of the 176th Fighter Squadron, high-speed takeoffs are essential to achieve safe ejection altitudes while minimizing ground-to-air threats rapidly.

“We want to get as high as fast as we can and that involves an afterburner takeoff,” said Koob. “In Madison, we don’t practice afterburner takeoffs to minimize noise, resulting in takeoffs that look more like an airline departure.”

Participation in Combat Archer allowed both full-time and traditional guardsmen to complete a deployment simulation from beginning to end.

“This two-week exercise is no different than if we were to go overseas,” said Koob. “We have to exercise that muscle every now and then to make sure we know how to get out the door when tasked to support worldwide contingencies.”

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Airmen assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 128th Air Control Squadron, fascilitate a training mission for airspace control and surveillance specialists from multiple NATO countries March 31, 2025, at Volk Field Air National Guard Base in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. The Air National Guard members hosted the training exercise for their military counterparts from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Hungary March 23 through April 3 as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program. (Elements on monitors obscured for OPSEC)
Wisconsin Airmen Host Training for NATO Counterparts
By Senior Master Sgt. Paul Gorman, | April 11, 2025
CAMP DOUGLAS, WIS. – Airmen assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Air Control Squadron recently conducted airspace control training for members of four NATO partner nations.The training exercise, held March...

Nurses and medical technicians from the 117th Medical Group, Alabama Air National Guard, listen for heart sounds and check the pulse on a high-fidelity simulator at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Birmingham, Ala., March 5, 2025. Air National Guard units across the nation received these training simulators to sharpen the skills they need as mission-ready Airmen.
Tactical Casualty Care Simulators Boost Air Guard Readiness
By Paul Mann, | March 6, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The constantly evolving battlefield requires service members to adapt through continual training. This is especially true for aerospace medical service technicians — Air Force field or combat medics who...

An aircraft maintainer assigned to the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Maintenance Group marshals an F-35A Lightning II aircraft arriving at the wing in Jacksonville, Florida, March 4, 2025. The arrival marks the unit’s transition to the fifth-generation fighter aircraft, enhancing the wing’s 24/7 homeland defense mission and strengthening joint-force integration efforts in Florida.
Florida Air National Guard Wing Welcomes F-35A Lightning II
By Maj. Cammy Alberts, | March 4, 2025
The Florida Air National Guard officially entered the fifth-generation fighter era with the arrival of its first F-35A Lightning II on March 4, 2025. The milestone makes the 125th Fighter Wing, known as ‘the Thunder’, the...