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| An
Aggressor pilot makes his way to the runway for a
Joint Red Flag sortie. The F-16s flown by the Aggressors
are used to replicate the air-combat tactics of potential
threats and are painted to resemble enemy aircraft.
(Click on this image by Airman 1st Class Trina Flannagan
to download a high-quality version of the image) |
Aggressors putting pilots through paces
Top line Air Force pilots challenge their peers on daily
basis during Joint Red Flag 05, a U.S. Joint Forces Command-sponsored
exercise involving more than 10,000 people.
Story
by Air Force Staff Sgt. Allen L. Puckett
JRF05 Joint Information Bureau
(NELLIS
AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. - March 23, 2005) -- Seeing the
MIG-21 Fishbed static display in the parking lot, as
well as
a Soviet
flag hanging from a doorway and a picture of a smiling
Joseph Stalin on a nearby counter top, might make it difficult
for some to believe they are actually in an office on a
U.S. Air Force base.
Things
definitely look and work differently here in MIG Alley,
home to the self proclaimed "bad guys" of
Joint
Red Flag 2005, a U.S. Joint Forces Command-sponsored
exercise held to develop improved joint training and
experimentation capabilities.
The
64th Aggressor (AGRS) Squadrons' mission is to be the
air-to-air threat experts of the Air Force and to replicate
the tactics
used by enemy forces in combat situations, said Air Force
Lt. Col. Paul Huffman, 64th AGRS commander.
"We try to provide our forces with the most valid
and realistic threat representation during exercises like
JRF, to better prepare them for real-world operations," the
colonel said.
This
mission began more than 30 years ago when the 64th AGRS
was activated in 1972 as a result of the high air combat
loss rate suffered by the U.S. during the Vietnam War,
explained Colonel Huffman. The air-to-air kill ratio for
U.S. forces had fallen from 10 to one in the Korean War,
to almost one to one at a low point in Vietnam.
In an effort to minimize the loss of aircraft, Air Force
leadership decided to conduct exercises, during which U.S
pilots would actually employ the tactics of the former
Soviet Union using F-5 Freedom Fighters.
"Those exercises gave new pilots the experience of
their first 10 missions, which was estimated to be the
critical time frame in which most pilots were lost," said
Huffman.
Over the years, the mission of the Aggressors has evolved
to meet the needs of the current combat air forces, and
during JRF, the needs of the joint U.S. and coalition forces
as well.
The
Aggressors now fly F-16 Falcons painted to resemble enemy
aircraft and work with a unique group of weapons
directors known as "baron controllers," said
Huffman. Baron controllers are ground control intercept
directors that simulate what the enemy is capable of in
terms of directing aircraft from the ground or radar scope.
Everything Aggressor pilots do is based on information
provided by the controllers, making them an integral part
of the mission.
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| Lt.
Col. Paul Huffman, 64th Aggressor Squadron commander,
is tasked with providing U.S. and coalition forces
with the most valid and realistic threat representation
during the Joint Red Flag 2005 exercise. The sniper
wings on his flight suit are the Russian equivalent
to pilot wings.Members of the 64th Aggressor Squadron
collect and display memorabilia of the former Soviet
Union, a tradition
started by the first Aggressors. (Click on this
image by Senior Airman Veronica Fullwood to download
a high-quality version of the image.) |
Along
with the tactics of the former Soviet Union, the Aggressors
are now also experts on the hardware and software used
by many other potential threats.
In
addition to their roles as enemy aircraft and GCI directors,
the Aggressors also provide safety of flight for the entire
northern ranges and govern the simulated war to ensure
adherence to the established rules of engagement, said
Air Force Maj. Derek Routt, assistant director of operations,
64th AGRS.
"Each of our pilots go through hundreds of hours
of academic training based on intelligence gathered from
various agencies, as well as a 26-sortie upgrade so we
can provide our guys with the best training," said
Routt. "Basically, there isn't a Soviet aircraft or
tactic out there that we can't replicate."
With all of the expertise the Aggressors bring to the
table, Huffman hopes to ensure that through the JRF exercise,
both U.S. and coalition forces are equipped with the tools
and tactics they need to handle the extreme stress of fighting
enemy aircraft, he said.
This JRF exercise will also help strengthen the joint
war-fighting team of the future, Routt added.
"Whether you're Air Force, Army, Navy or Marine Corps,
we are all one U.S. military force," he said.
"We
need more situations like these where we can see the
capabilities of the other services and at the same
time, show them what we bring to the table. When we combine
all of that knowledge and experience, it makes mission
planning and execution much easier."
With
the hard work and dedication of his Aggressors, and what
he calls "the best group of maintainers in the
world," Huffman plans to continue providing U.S. forces
with the most professional adversary they'll ever see,
he said.
"The
thing we like to hear the most is our pilots coming back
from real-world missions saying that fighting
with us was much harder. That lets us know we did our job."
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