News From USJFCOM: Aggressors putting pilots through paces

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.

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."