happen. Our tactics [in the Raptor] are
very important — it’s all about being a
team. It’s very much about how we share
information within the formation. The way
we y is not just about protecting each
other’s ank, it’s also the fact that another
Raptor that is stood o from me might be
able to provide me with information that
I don’t have. The jet tells me what all the
others are doing, and displays it to me in an
easy-to-process format.’
‘During ACM [air combat manoeuvres]
we are trying to kill and survive without
being detected’, says ‘Bullet’. Enemies have
increasing ways to sni out a Raptor, so
mission planning is vitally important. ‘We
are currently Link 16 receive-only and our
IFDL [Intra-Flight Data Link — pronounced
‘eye- ddle’] is our information link to one
another, so we can see what each other is
doing. This information is fused on to our
RAP [recognised air picture], which is a
God’s eye view of the battlespace. We are
able to develop a higher-level situational
awareness of the formation with this RAP.
We can see if we’re being ‘spiked’, we can
see our missile, and fuel states. We are able
to work with command and control assets,
which further increases our situational
awareness. With these inputs, we are able
to develop a tactically sound plan based on
the picture we see and kill the enemy.
‘That clear situational awareness, the
combat identi cation, the total assuredness
of what is going on at long range, allows
the Raptor pilot to literally drag and drop
a cursor on a target to deliver a killer blow.
When others talk about the F-22 and it
being easy to y, it’s really not. The business
of air dominance is not easy by any means
and we can’t a ord to not be ready’,
assures ‘Bullet’.
Maintaining the high end of training
required to keep these perishable skills
honed is vitally important for the Raptor
community. ‘We can’t let down our guard
on training for that high-end, anti-access,
denied-environment air dominance’, adds
Lt Col ‘Lobo’. ‘People are depending on us.’
STAYING SHARP
In its heyday, the USAF had over 1,000
Eagles on its books. While incoming F-35A
numbers remain high, these are essentially
F-16 replacements. The service lives of
around 235 F-15C/Ds are now being
extended out to 2045, and with relatively
few Raptors it’s important that the USAF
avoids burning out its precious F-22s
before their time. The annual readiness
aircrew plan dictates a certain number
of sorties that are required to maintain
readiness — for the Raptor this is a mix of
missions including defensive counter-air
and o ensive counter-air, as well as the
pilot upgrades, which are performance-
based. Meeting these training plans to
ful ll wider Air Force goals is a carefully
planned business.
‘We don’t y for an hour and go to the
bar and high ve’, jokes Lt Col ‘Lobo’. ‘For
the pilots it’s a minimum 10-hour day, and
that’s just to prepare, brief, y and debrief.
We are a little like a football team. They
play once a week and spend the majority
of their time preparing and watching their
plays. There’s a disproportionate amount of
time in the preparation and debrie ng. For
every hour we y there’s probably 10 to 15
hours spent preparing for, then analyzing
that ight. We owe it to the taxpayers and I
can guarantee we do that every single day.
Fortunately I’ve got some exceptionally
talented people, both in and out of the jet.
Our mantra is: know your mission, know
your role, do your job.’
The realistic simulators that today provide
a key element of fast-jet ghter training
are a major supplement to the expensive
live ying. The simulators are employed as
cleverly as the aircraft, with some ingenious
applications used to meet needs. For
example, there was a realisation that the
Langley pilots weren’t getting enough
dissimilar air combat training (DACT).
This led to the development of a new
simulator scenario with distributed mission
operations — essentially linking the
Langley simulators to other bases in order
to get that high-level training.
The live ying complements this
groundwork. ‘The Weapons School allows
you to operate at a high level and against
tools that you don’t have at your home
station’, explains Maj ‘Bullet’. ‘At Nellis,
there are ground and air threats from the
64th Aggressor Squadron, whereas here
at Langley we have to generate our own
‘Red Air’ in-house combined with the T-38
adversary support.’
‘IRONMEN’ ‘RED AIR’ ON TAP
‘Our number one goal is providing ‘Red
Air’ support for the Raptors’. So says Lt
Col Charles ‘Stab’ Hebert, commander of
the 71st FTS ‘Ironmen’. With 14 tired but
pristine gloss-black T-38A Talons on the
Langley ight line, this diverse squadron
is all about supporting the Raptors here.
Unlike the T-38s at Beale and Whiteman
AFBs, the ‘Ironmen’ jets are not companion
trainers. They don’t provide cheap ight
time for Raptor pilots — they are dedicated
to providing adversary support to exercise
those four-ship teams.
Capt ‘Single’ is a pilot here, fresh out of
training. Unlike some of the more seasoned
hands at the 71st, she is one of a number of
young pilots who are able to come here as
a stepping-stone to the Raptor.
‘Our squadron is a hybrid in terms of
who is here’, explains ‘Stab’. ‘We have our
A spectacular
break by four
94th FS ‘Hat
in the Ring’
Raptors near
Langley.
Below left
to right:
The Raptor
community is
able to pick
the cream of
the crop when
it comes to
young pilots.
A pair of
Raptors
gang up on
an ‘Ironmen’
T-38A in the
training area
near Langley.
A 71st FTS
T-38A on the
‘last chance’
check area
during exercise
‘Atlantic
Trident’ in
spring 2017.
Capt ‘Single’
pre- ights a
T-38A on the
‘Ironmen’
ramp.
RAPTOR^57
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