programmes in the US. One example was in
August 2015, when the RNLAF flew fourth- and
fifth-generation combat aircraft integration trials
out of Edwards AFB, California, for a couple
of weeks. Besides the RNLAF’s two F-35A
Lightning IIs – delivered in 2013 and currently
operated by the Dutch 323 Test and Evaluation
Squadron (TES) as part of the multinational
F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)
programme at Edwards – participating aircraft
included 148th FS F-16s, a KDC-10 tanker/
transport from Eindhoven-based 334 Squadron
and TA/A-4K and A-4N Skyhawks of Draken
International. The Tucson-based detachment
also occasionally ‘lends’ aircraft to the
Kantoor Testvliegen (KTV, the RNLAF Flight
Test Office at Leeuwarden) for US-based trials
with newly introduced weapons or sensors.
In February/March last year, four 148th FS
jets were involved in a seven-week training
programme in the US for operational RNLAF
pilots, including four weeks of intense flying
from nearby Davis-Monthan AFB (dubbed
Exercise CONUS 2017) and participation in
Exercise Red Flag 17-2 at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
The Tucson-based aircraft supplemented six
F-16s that had come over from the Netherlands.
Niki explained: “During CONUS, our aircraft
kept flying out of Tucson and took part only
in the first wave each day. The jets remained
available for the IQT in the second wave, and
therefore participation of our jets did not hamper
the IQT programme. For Red Flag we sent
over four jets and 60 Arizona ANG maintainers
to Nellis, so we lost three weeks of flying
there. But this is not a common occurrence.”
IQT syllabus
IQT classes stay at Tucson for nine months.
Ideally, a class consists of four students. That
was the case with class 17A, the most recent
one to graduate, in June last year. The current
class (18A) has five students. Niki explained
why: “There are again four Dutch students in
18A, but we
decided to
add a
Norwegian student pilot, which is unique. The
reason for this is the current shortage of combat
pilots in the US Air Force: the Americans now
claim training slots they normally sell to foreign
air forces. As a result, the Royal Norwegian Air
Force cannot train the number of pilots they want
to. In return for the Red Air support provided
and paid for by Norway during FWIT 2017
[Fighter Weapons Instructor Training, see ‘Viper’
university, January, p60-63], we train one of
their ENJJPT [Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training
Program] graduates to become an F-16 pilot.”
The IQT syllabus kicks off with the transition
phase, during which students fly almost 20
hours while learning to fly the F-16. Instrument
flying is also introduced at this point, but it’s
also included in the other two stages as well.
Students tend to fly the F-16 solo for the first
time during their fifth sortie in the transition
period. Next is the air-to-air phase. In 28
sorties and a little more than 30 flying hours, the
student learns about basic fighter manoeuvres
(BFM) and air combat tactics (ACT), including
1-v-1 dogfights, 1-v-1 intercepts, 1-v-1
visual engagements, 2-v-1 intercepts and
2-v-2 intercepts. “This part of the syllabus
requires relatively many flying hours, as we
need the instructors in the air for support and
opponent missions as well. So, in this part
of the course, a single mission can easily see
up to four aircraft taking off,” explained Niki.
The third and final part is the air-to-surface
phase. Students fly 19 sorties and just over
25 hours to understand the basics of attacking
ground targets, using a variety of weapons.
This cycle includes low-altitude step-down
training, range sorties, basic surface attack,
plus specific surface attack missions to learn
how to work with laser-guided and GPS-guided
weapons. Attention is also paid to close air
support (CAS) and it incorporates a tactical
mission to eliminate a target on the ground
while facing both air and ground threats.
Throughout the IQT syllabus, students carry
out ten night-time sorties, totalling 14 hours,
as well as three aerial refuelling training
sorties with USAF tankers – including one at
night. In all, the students fly almost 90 hours
in 68 missions during IQT, split between 39
rides in an F-16BM with an IP in the back
seat and another 29 in an F-16AM. For each
student, the IPs fly 70 support sorties, which
amounts to 85 instructor flying hours.
During their stay at Tucson the students haveA head-on view of F-16AM J-010 over the Arizona
desert. Dutch pilots join the IQT at Tucson after
the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF)
course at Sheppard AFB, where they fly T-38Cs of
the 88th Flying Training Squadron ‘Lucky Devils’.
Rich Cooper via 148th FShttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #361 APRIL 2018 // 83