Tag: F-15 McDonnell Douglas

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USAF announces winners of William Tell 2023 competition

The Air Force wrapped up its first William Tell Air-to-Air Competition in 19 years on Sept. 15, at the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia.
Airmen from across active and guard wings participated in William Tell 2023, which tested aircrew performance in air superiority, weapons and tactics use, weapons loading, maintenance, command and control, intelligence and weapons director competitions.

“Rule number one for fierce competitors is when the competition is over, you celebrate and congratulate the winners,” said Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command.

The week-long event showcased the air-to-air capabilities of the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II and F-15 Eagle and Strike Eagle units representing various Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Force and Air National Guard units.

The winners were announced at the William Tell 2023 Closing Ceremonies Friday night.

2023 Winners:

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William Tell competition is back

SAVANNAH AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ga.– The Air Dominance Center, also known as the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center, located here, will be the host venue for this year’s William Tell competition in coordination with Air Combat Command from Sept. 11-15, 2023, after a 19-year hiatus.

Nine different units, from active-duty, Air National Guard, and the Reserves will come together in a total force integrated environment to compete for both individual and team awards. For example, pilots will be tested on their offensive and defensive skills in maneuvers against enemy aircraft, and the best group will be hailed as the top “fighter integration team” in the Air Force’s very own version of “Top Gun”.

Units Participating:

AIR COMBAT COMMAND:
F-15E STRIKE EAGLE
4th Fighter Wing, Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC
366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, ID

F-22 RAPTOR
1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA

F-35 LIGHTNING II
388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, UT

PACIFIC AIR FORCES:
F-22 RAPTOR
3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK
154th Fighter Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI

F-35 LIGHTNING II
354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, AK

AIR NATIONAL GUARD:
F-15 C/D EAGLE
104th Fighter Wing, Barnes ANGB, MA

F-35 LIGHTNING II
158th Fighter Wing, Burlington ANGB, VT

C2 CAPABILITIES:
3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK
18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
552 Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, OK

“If you’re into football, this is the Super Bowl, if you’re into baseball, this is the World Series and if you’re into golf, this is the Masters Tournament,” said Lt. Col. Stephen “Tracker” Thomas, the Air Dominance Center commander. “The airspace we have here on our coast is a national treasure and will allow the competing pilots the ability to operate to their absolute full potential to show who is truly the best of the best.”

The Air Dominance Center is conveniently located near several ideal training areas, including the Townsend Bombing Range and a military operations airspace ranging from Charleston, South Carolina to Orlando, Florida that makes it a one-of-a-kind training location for warfighters across the Department of Defense.

“We are a center that brings in units from across the country and provides a training venue like no other,” said Thomas. “We give Airmen the opportunity to train to their full operational level and that is exactly what these nine units attending the William Tell meet are going to do here in September,” said Thomas.

The historic competition, which has not been held since its 50th anniversary in 2004 due to the War on Terror, will simulate a multitude of air combat scenarios with 4th and 5th generation fighter aircraft acting as enemy “red teams” to prepare Airmen for real-life combat.

Thomas said there will be two events per day, with one launch starting around 8:00 a.m. and a second beginning in the afternoon around 1:00 p.m. each day. There will be a scoreboard announcement each evening that will be posted on social media and other channels that will be officially announced near the start of the competition.

“We want our community to be excited about this upcoming event and include them as much as possible,” said Thomas. “Although this event will not be open to the public, there will be plenty of jet sighting opportunities in the local area as well as photo and video coverage of the event published for public viewing.”

If members of the local community would like to learn more about the event, they can visit williamtell2023.com or check out the Air Dominance Center on Facebook or Instagram for further updates.

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Legendary F-15 (86-0156) arrives at the Air Force Museum

(U.S. Air Force photo by Ty Greenlees)

Lt.Col. Matthew “Beast” Tanis, Director of Operations, 131st Fighter Squadron, 104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts ANG, flew this F-15C Eagle 86-0156 to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on April 25, 2023 where it will become a part of the permanent collection.
For 78 days in 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) conducted an aerial bombing campaign over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, known as Operation Allied Force. On March 26, Captain Jeff “Claw” Hwang piloted this F-15C as the Mission Commander for an air support mission. Nearing the Bosnian/Serbian border, he acquired a single radar contact. While he and his wingman tracked the bogey, Capt Hwang identified it as two targets in an enemy formation. Within ninety seconds of detecting the second aircraft, Capt Hwang fired two AIM-120 missiles in rapid succession from a distance of sixteen miles and achieved the F-15’s first double MiG-29 Fulcrum kill in the same engagement. For his heroic actions in
the March 26, 1999, Operation Allied Force sortie, Capt Hwang was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and named the 1999 Mackay Trophy recipient.

This F-15C is a significant addition to the collection because the F-15 has more air-to-air victories than any other U.S. fighter since the Vietnam War. The F-15C model accounts for all USAF aerial victories achieved by F-15s (except for anF-15E that destroyed a low-flying Mi-24 helicopter with a laser guided bomb during
Desert Storm). NMUSAF is bringing in this aircraft to preserve and display an F-15C with aerial victories.

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one of the last to cross 2,000 flight hours in the F-15C

By Tech. Sgt. Alexander Frank

PORTLAND, Ore. —
Portland, Ore.– On March 22nd, 2023, Lt. Col. Jonathan Friedman, a pilot with the 123rd Fighter Squadron, took off from Portland Air National Guard Base (PANGB) flying an F-15C as he’s done dozens of times before. But this flight was a special one, as it would mark the 2,000th hour Friedman has spent flying the F-15C. While it’s not entirely uncommon for pilots to reach this milestone, this is likely the last time it will be reached in this airframe by an Oregon Guardsman.

Lt. Col. Jonathon Friedman, 123rd Fighter Squadron, poses in front of an F-15C prior to takeoff from Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore. on March 22nd, 2023. Friedman recently reached 2,000 flight hours in the F-15C, and will likely be one of the last Oregon guardsman to do so. With the upcoming arrival of the F-15EX within the net year, Friedman’s accomplishment serves as a capstone to over 30 year legacy of the F-15 in Oregon. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander Frank)
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550th FS Silver Eagles

story by 1st Class Jakob Hambright, 56 FW/PA

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – For the Airmen at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, the mission to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots revolves around two aircraft; the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II. Geo-separated, the 550th Fighter Squadron based at Kingsley Field, Oregon, and assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, extends the mission to include the F-15C Eagle.

Attached to the 173rd FW, the 550th FS serves as the U.S. Air Force’s only formal F-15 training unit and is the largest total force integrated active association in the Air Education and Training Command.

“Our mission is to train the world’s greatest F-15C fighter pilots,” said Lt. Col. Paul Baker, commander of the 550th FS. “We also focus on developing and training our multi-capable enlisted support force of the 550th.”

As the active duty F-15C Formal Training Unit mission transitioned to the Kingsley Field, the 550th FS was activated.

(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Shirar)

“The 550th executes the TFI construct to a high degree of success,” said Baker. “We’re able to provide valuable insight and knowledge to the 56th FW on something that is ingrained in how the U.S. Air Force operates as a total force.”

While operating at Kingsley Field, the 550th FS has seamlessly integrated with various units in the 173rd FW, allowing the 550th FS to maintain itself while being separated from the 56th FW.

“The 550th Fighter Squadron is an integral piece of the 173rd Fighter Wing,” said Col. Lee Bouma, 173rd FW commander. “When you look across our wing, it is impossible to tell who is a guardsman and who is active duty.”

The 550th FS works closely with the 56th FW to accomplish the mission.

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