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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 17

Shaw ‘Shooters’ deploy for Inherent Resolve

THE USAF’s 563rd

Rescue Group (RQG), a

geographically separated

unit at Moody Air Force

Base, Georgia, has been

realigned from the 23rd

Wing to the 355th Fighter

Wing (FW) at Davis-Monthan

AFB, Arizona. The move

was completed on October

1 and brings all the 563rd

RQG’s rescue squadrons

and maintenance units

under the supervision of

the 355th FW – including

other geographically

separated assets located

at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Col Mike Drowley, 355th

FW commander, explained:

“This realignment gives

us unity of command over

a team that we’ve been

working with for years.

This brings us closer to

a ‘one base, one boss’

concept which better helps

us take care of assets

on the installation.”

As a result of the

consolidation, the USAF

now has two installations

with equal capabilities.

Both bases are now home

to HC -130, HH-60 Pave

Hawk and pararescue

squadrons that provide

combat search and

rescue support and

A-10 C fighter squadrons

for close air support.

563rd Rescue Group joins 355th Fighter Wing

AIRMEN AND F-16CMs

from the 20th Fighter

Wing’s 55th Fighter

Squadron (FS) ‘Shooters’

at Shaw Air Force Base,

South Carolina, recently

deployed to Southwest

Asia to take part in

Operation Inherent Resolve

in Iraq and Syria. More

than 20 Fighting Falcons

arrived at an undisclosed

base in Southwest Asia

on October 16 and have

been assigned to the

407th Air Expeditionary

Group. The 55th FS

deployed alongside the

20th Aircraft Maintenance

Squadron, 55th Aircraft

Maintenance Unit and

other supporting units.

Col Derek O’Malley, 20th

FW commander, said: “Our

‘Shooters’ are on their way

to an incredibly important

fight, to ensure that people

who seek to do our nation

and our allies harm, never

get that opportunity.”

F-16CMs assigned to the 55th FS taxi at Shaw AFB on October 10. USAF/Senior Airman Christopher Maldonado

VFA-101 to deactivate

THE US Navy has

announced plans to

disband Strike Fighter

Squadron (VFA) 101 ‘Grim

Reapers’ – one of two

F-35C fleet replacement

training units – on July 1

next year. The decision has

been made to combine

aircraft and personnel

from the ‘schoolhouse’

squadrons within a single

unit: VFA-125 ‘Rough

Raiders’. The decision

was made public in a US

Navy internal directive

dated September 10.

VFA-101 is based at

Eglin Air Force Base,

Florida, and is mainly

involved in training

instructor and test pilots

for the F-35C. VFA-125 is

based at Naval Air Station

Lemoore, California.

According to the directive:

“This will co-locate

the fleet [replacement]

squadron production of

pilots directly into the

operational squadrons

scheduled for transition

to F-35C and meet

testing and evaluation

requirements for initial

operating capability of

VFA-147 as the first [F-35C]

deployer in Fiscal Year

2021.” It added: “The

move of VFA-101 also

supports Naval Aviation

Warfighting Development

Center advanced training

at NAS Fallon, Nevada.”

Justin Ward

Left: Two HC-130J Combat

King IIs from the 563rd

RQG’s 79th Rescue

Squadron prepare to park

on the fl ight line at Davis-

Monthan AFB. USAF/Airman

1st Class Mya M Crosby

US NAVY EP-3E 157326

‘326’ was a recent visitor

to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk,

where it arrived on

October 10. The Fleet Air

Reconnaissance Squadron

One (VQ-1) aircraft arrived

mid-morning using the

callsign ‘VPR 326’.

After an overnight stop,

it departed for the US

the following day.

VQ-1 ‘World Watchers’ is

home-based at Naval Air

Station Whidbey Island,

Washington, but maintains

a permanent detachment

in the Middle East.

Aries II in the UK