http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #359 FEBRUARY 2018 // 53
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Colonel
R Scott Jobe, Captain Samantha B
Morrison, and the entire 35th Fighter Wing
team for their assistance with this article.family’ within the region and will continue
to strengthen the alliance we share.
“Some of the United States’ recent advances
in strengthening alliances while enhancing our
forward presence in Southeast Asia includes
the deployment of the F-35Bs to Iwakuni as
well as Hill Air Force Base’s F-35A deployment
to Kadena AB as part of a Theater Security
Package.” The wing’s 35th Civil Engineer
Squadron (CES) and 35th Security Forces
Squadron in particular have been working
towards the arrival of the JASDF F-35As. “CES
recently completed a complete renovation of
our runway, which will sustain interoperability
of the JASDF F-35A. Our security forces
squadron has buckled down on certain security
measures, preparing personnel for the possible
changes that come along with a new aircraft.”
Fighting Falcon upgrades
Working alongside the Joint Strike Fighter,
whatever markings it might wear, is clearly an
exciting prospect for the F-16 community at
Misawa. However, improvements continue
to be made to the ‘Viper’ fleet, which will
remain the USAF’s ‘go-to’ SEAD asset for
the foreseeable future. The 35th FW Fighting
Falcons underwent a fleet-wide upgrade last
August, updating the Operational Flight Plan
to MMC 7.1 standard. “The upgrade provides
our pilots with a more advanced display, which
directly correlates to our mission execution,”
added Col Jobe. “That upgrade significantly
enhances our ability to ‘fight tonight’, and
our F-16s are ready to fight if called upon.”
Although the HARM remains the ‘signature’
weapon of the Wild Weasels,
Col Jobe explained that the
wing utilises every weapon
in the USAF arsenal that
is applicable to the SEAD
mission, including the GBU-
39 Small Diameter Bomb
(SDB). This weapon is a
popular choice for today’s
close air support (CAS)
missions, but its combination of
precision and standoff range has
a clear utility for SEAD. “Our training
programme includes weapon-target pairing,
analysing and planning weapons effects, and
employment of SDB based on the tactical
situation,” said Col Jobe. “We also apply the
same methodology to JDAM [Joint Direct Attack
Munition] and LGBs [laser-guided bombs] to
our mission set. SDB provides some unique
targeting solutions to provide the effects against
differing target sets and enables the F-16 to
engage more targets without re-arming.”
When asked about the usefulness of the
HARM in the modern defence suppression
environment, the wing commander’s response
reflected some of the changes in the way
today’s SEAD mission is prosecuted: “Layering
the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile with
other kinetic and non-kinetic assets is used
in modern defence suppression, although it
cannot be the sole asset in order to achieve the
desired effects. We always want more speed,
standoff and precision in our weapons but
one is not mutually exclusive of the others – it
is always a trade-off. The complexity of anti-access and area-denial systems
requires multiple technical
and tactical solutions –
including HARMs, stealth,
electronic attack and other
tactical systems – to gain
air superiority. The bottom
line for those responsible
for planning and executing
the penetration of enemy
integrated air defence systems
(IADS) requires the exploitation
of vulnerabilities and weakness
while leveraging your own strengths.”
As well as new weaponry and the potential
benefits offered by teaming with a stealthy
platform like the F-35, the Miniature Air-
Launched Decoy (MALD) is another tool that
is enhancing the Wild Weasel ‘game plan’.
“Similar to the SDB, we use Miniature Air-
Launched Decoys to enhance survivability in
mission scenarios where the capability exploits
a vulnerability. The MALD also adds another
layer to our primary SEAD/DEAD [destruction
of enemy air defences] mission capability.
“The ‘Panthers’ and ‘Samurais’ are
extremely capable units being led by the
most lethal fighter pilots in the world,”
concluded Col Jobe. “We train hard, push
each other to the limit, and are willing and
able to attack to defend. Magnum!”AFM