TUCSON, Ariz., - After roughly a decade of F-16 flight and
maintenance training with Arizona Air Guardsmen, personnel from the United
Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defense and the 162nd Fighter Wing
celebrated the successful conclusion of their formal training relationship
and reflected on the bonds of friendship that will remain.
U.S. and Emirati Airmen gathered on the flightline here at Tucson
International Airport Oct. 20 to bid farewell to five UAE-owned F-16E/F
Desert Falcons, or Block 60s, as they took off for home. Eight remaining
fighters and additional support equipment are scheduled to depart by
December.
"It's been an outstanding relationship between the UAE Air Force, the U.S.
Air Force, the Guard, the 162nd Fighter Wing and also Lockheed Martin and
General Electric," said Lt. Col. Dan Grimwood,
F-16 instructor pilot and UAE program manager. "With that team we put
together a great program and we trained over 100 UAE pilots in the process."
The UAE partnership with the 162nd began in 1998 with initial planning and
coordination. Soon after, the first pilots began training in US-owned
fighters with US instructors. In 2004, Lockheed Martin delivered to Tucson
the first UAE-purchased Block 60s, the most advanced F-16s ever built.
The Desert Falcon's most notable characteristics include conformal fuel
tanks mounted on the top of its fuselage, digital color screens in the
cockpit and a powerful engine to compensate for the jet's increase in
weight.
"The F-16E Block 60 is a generation 4.5 fighter," said Grimwood. "Basically,
it's an airplane that was custom made for the UAE. It has the biggest engine
that's in any F-16. It has a glass cockpit and an avionics set up that is a
real joy to fly. I've flown many blocks of the F-16, and this is by far my
favorite version."
As a designated international training wing, members of the 162nd are
accustomed to working in a multi-cultural environment.
Lt. Col. Fausto Padilla, a maintenance officer with the 162nd, said the UAE
program is as much about building a partnership as it is about building
capability.
"For the U.S. maintainer it's been an eye opening experience to see a
different culture and how things work outside the gates in other parts of
the world," he said. "There have been opportunities to learn from them
because they bring so much knowledge and perspective to the table.
"Working with the UAE has given us a better understanding of their culture
and people, and it has also helped them to understand us. I think
understanding is the first step to developing strong partnerships."
UAE Air Force maintenance officer 1st Lt. Ibrahim Almarashda said he made
many friends during his time with the Guard and will miss the camaraderie.
"The pilots are like my brothers," he said. "Over here we work together, eat
together and do everything together. I hope to see them again."
The UAE Air Force will now train its personnel in country with its own cadre
of instructors further proving its capability, which was tested in August
2009 when they successfully participated in their first Red Flag - the
advanced training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. It exposes U.S.
and partner nation air force units to challenging and realistic aerial
combat scenarios.
Wing pilots and maintainers involved with the UAE will soon transition to
training Royal Netherland's Air Force pilots, a new program scheduled to
begin in December.
The Dutch plan to base 14 of their own jets here to participate in basic
F-16 training as well as advanced courses such as flight lead upgrade and
instructor pilot certification.
The incoming Dutch aircraft are essentially early-model F-16A/B's that have
undergone cockpit and avionics upgrades that make them as capable as the
newer C/D-models. In the international F-16 community, they are known as
MLUs, or Mid-Life Update F-16s.
"The conversion from the Block 60 to the MLU will require some training for
us," said Padilla, "but we're ready to welcome our Dutch friends as we say
goodbye to our UAE friends. We wish them well."