BACK ONTRACKUS Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
has issued an edict that four key
tactical aircraft need to raise their
mission-capable rates (MCRs)
above 80 per cent by the end
of September 2019. Speci cally
targeted are the F-16, F/A-18,
F-22 and F-35, some of which are
currently well o that mark. The
F-22 languished at 49.01 per cent
in 2017.
In addition, Mattis wants to
see a reduction in operating and
maintenance costs on the
platforms. It’s a huge challenge for
the operators.
A Raptor pilot told Combat Aircraft
that it’s not about throwing more
personnel at the problem, but
getting the correct ratio of manning
with the requisite experience levels.
‘Experience is huge on this airplane
[the F-22],’ he says, noting that a lot
of maintainer expertise has owed
out to the F-35 community to help
bring that jet online.Group (CSG) had left Norfolk on April 11,
and returned on July 21 for an extended
port visit. Then it returned to sea on
August 28 after a brief stay in Norfolk,
Virginia. The latest deployment is the
rst under the navy’s Dynamic Force
Employment concept, which will ensure
that the eet remains exible and ready
to deploy at short notice. CVW-1’s aircraft
and crews went back to sea after a few
weeks at home. ‘We got back in late July
from the eastern Mediterranean, yingon ‘Inherent Resolve’, said Hadler. He went
on to say that the air wing had worked
alongside Lakenheath’s 494th EFS and
the 94th EFS Raptors in CENTCOM during
their summer deployment, and that they
were now back together working as a
team, albeit this time at Lakenheath.
Hadler said his squadron’s latest ‘cruise’
was very much aimed at unscheduled
carrier employment, noting that plans
and events were unfolding in a very
dynamic fashion.our back yard.’ His 493rd FS counterpart
Lt Col Cody Blake added, ‘Most of the
missions are DCA, so it’s right in our
wheelhouse and great to train with
multiple airframes. Any type of dissimilar
ying is a huge bene t.’
Windows of opportunity
Despite being based in Europe with a
vast variety of di erent air forces and
types on the doorstep, Blake said it’s
di cult to schedule joint training on
a day-to-day basis. ‘Everyone has their
own schedules. Here you’d think C and
E-models always y together. We try to
provide support to each other, but
the squadrons are so busy, it’s hard
to schedule.’
CDR E. P. ‘Blue’ Hadler, skipper of
VFA-136 ‘Knighthawks’ — which
is home-based at NAS Lemoore,
California — was the senior US Navy
representative who detached to
Lakenheath for the exercise. He said the
shore detachment was orchestrated by
squadron personnel at unit level. ‘This
is about LFE and a great opportunity to
work with our air force brethren.’
Interestingly, CVW-1 and the USS
Truman only recently completed a
deployment to the US 5th and 6th Fleet
areas of operations. The Carrier Strike
Above right:
Exercise
participants
— from left to
right, KC-135R
pilot Capt
Staudinger from
the 100th Air
Refueling Wing,
VFA-136’s CO
CDR Hadler, 27th
FS commander
Lt Col ‘Rabid’,
493rd FS
commander
Lt Col Blake
and 492nd FS
commander
Lt Col Wooten.
Right: A ‘Red
Rippers’ F/A-18F
crew taxies
back to the
494th FS fl ight
line, where they
operated from.
Below: One of
the six Raptors
at rest outside
a hardened
shelter at
Lakenheath.http://www.combataircraft.net // December 2018 87