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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #358 JANUARY 2018 // 15
Pacifi c Thunder 18-1 at Osan
THE PACIFIC Air Forces
(PACAF) joint combat
search and rescue (CSAR)
exercise Pacific Thunder
18-1 was held at Osan Air
Base, South Korea. The
exercise began on October
23 and involved more than
20 US squadrons and
nine Republic of Korea
Air Force wings, making
it the largest to date.
Pacific Thunder provides
the A-10-equipped 25th
Fighter Squadron (FS)
and the 33rd and 31st
Rescue Squadrons (RQS)
with opportunities to
train in simulated CSAR
missions while working
alongside their South
Korean counterparts.
The first Pacific Thunder
in 2009 was a one-week
exercise between the 25th
FS and the 33rd RQS and
it has since expanded into
a PACAF-level exercise.
HH-60G 89-26207 ‘ZZ’
from the 33rd RQS during
Exercise Pacifi c Thunder 18-
at Osan AB. USAF/Airman 1st
Class Gwendalyn Smith
Raptor
strikes in
Afghanistan
THE US Department of
Defense has publicly
disclosed an F-22A
mission over Afghanistan
for the first time. The
Raptor dropped its
first bombs on the
country during the
night of November 19,
hitting Taliban narcotics
laboratories and other
infrastructure in Musa
Qala with GBU-39B
Small Diameter Bombs
(SDBs). Initial strikes
had been flown the
previous day by Afghan
Air Force A-29s, which
hit two opium-production
facilities in northern
Helmand Province.
The F-22 Raptor “is one
of our most advanced
fighter aircraft,” said
United States Forces-
Afghanistan (USFOR-A)
commander Gen John
Nicholson. “This aircraft
was used because
of its ability to deliver
precision munitions, in
this case a 250lb bomb
that causes the minimal
amount of collateral
damage.” B-52Hs were
also involved in the air
strikes on eight opium-
production facilities, in a
series of raids intended
to target Taliban revenue
streams. The F-22 strike
hit a production facility
in Musa Qala. Video
showed two structures in
the complex destroyed,
and another left standing.
As part of the US
government’s revised
South Asia strategy, new
authorities allow USFOR-A
to strike financial targets
as well as military ones.
THE US Air Force’s
52nd Fighter Wing (FW)
conducted a wing-wide
sortie ‘surge’ exercise at
Spangdahlem Air Base,
Germany, between October
23 and 26, 2017. A sortie
surge involves an increase
in flying in a short time to
test the limits of operations
at the wing and provide
conditions representative
of a wartime tasking. The
aim of the exercise was
to increase the F-16s’
flying schedule to 192
sorties in just four days –
an amount that typically
takes half a month.
Spangdahlem F-
sortie ‘surge’
F-16C Block 50C 91-0352 ‘SP/52 FW’ from the 52nd FW
taxis out after ‘hot pit’ refuelling during the sortie surge
exercise at Spangdahlem. USAF/Senior Airman Preston Cherry
Wisconsin F-16s complete
Kunsan deployment
US AIR Force F-16Cs from
the Wisconsin Air National
Guard’s 115th Fighter
Wing’s 176th Expeditionary
Fighter Squadron (EFS)
‘Badgers’ have completed
a three-month deployment
to Kunsan Air Base, South
Korea. The aircraft and
approximately 270 airmen
from the unit returned
home to Truax Field on
November 8, 2017.
The 115th Fighter Wing
had deployed to the Indo-
Asia-Pacific region to
help maintain a deterrent
to threats to regional
security and stability as
part of the Theater Security
Package (TSP) programme,
which has been a routine
and integral part of US
Pacific Command’s force
posture since March
- The deployment
started on August 8,
when the first three 176th
EFS F-16Cs landed at
Kunsan. Dave Allport
Left: F-16C 87-0234 ‘WI’ from
the 176th EFS ‘Badgers’
along with three 8th Fighter
Wing F-16Cs in ‘fi ngertip’
formation. USAF/Senior
Airman Colby L Hardin
ATAC at Beaufort
THE AIRBORNE Tactical
Advantage Company (ATAC)
spent two weeks at Marine
Corps Air Station Beaufort,
South Carolina in November.
The civilian contractor
provided adversary
training to help train F-35B
transition pilots with Marine
Fighter Attack Training
Squadron (VMFAT) 501.
As part of its training
syllabus, VMFAT-
makes use of ATAC or
Marine Fighter Training
Squadron (VMFT) 401 to
provide simulated Red
Air. ATAC brought Hawker
Hunter Mk58 aircraft and
Kfir aircraft to Beaufort,
together with four pilots
and eight maintainers.
An ATAC Kfi r taxis down
the fl ight line at MCAS
Beaufort on November
- USMC/Cpl Benjamin
McDonald