Of course, the Nevada Test and Training
Range (NTTR), stretching out to the
north of Nellis, is a key enabler for the
Weapons School training. ‘The NTTR is
vital for us to execute the course,’ says
Huebinger. ‘Just being at Nellis with all
the Air Force capabilities that are here is
vital. The NTTR is one of the few places in
the world with a unique combination of
capabilities on the ground in terms of
surface threats, plus the air adversary
threat that is unique to Nellis. We can y
against all of that with minimal
restrictions, we can y supersonic, and
we can use cha and are. We put a high
emphasis on having real threat emitters
on the range. Being at Nellis is one of the
rare opportunities for our students to
ght against the most realistic threat
representative environment in the world
short of real combat.’NEW CAPABILITIES, NEW
ROLES
One of the other really valuable parts of
the Nellis environment is the operational
test and development work that goes on
here. While the Weapons School
squadrons tend to concentrate on
elded capabilities, the 433rd WPS for
example shares jets with the resident
422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron
(TES). It means the 433rd WPS pilots get
to y the latest standard aircraft that are
in operational test. ‘We do work with the
four-two-two [422nd TES],’ says
Huebinger. ‘They develop initial tactics
but we work hand-in-hand with them on
re ning those. We are focused on
graduating the best Weapons O cers
but we can also focus on the near term
new capabilities — what’s going to beBelow: A 422nd
TES ‘OT’ F-22A
blasts out
of Nellis for
a mission in
support of the
Weapons School.
Jamie Hunter
Above: The last
four weeks of the
WPS course are
tailored towards
integration,
bringing
together all the
assets of the
USAF.
Jamie Hunter
Right: An F-22A
pitches out
during a mission
over the Nevada
Test and Training
Range (NTTR).
Jamie Hunteravailable in the next year or two. It means
that the students get to train with
capabilities that will be out there when
they join their squadrons.’
The 433rd WPS currently ies F-22s that
are at Increment 3.2 standard. It means
they have the latest capabilities in terms
of AIM-9X and GBU-39 Small Diameter
Bomb (SDB), the ability to create a
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) map and
to generate target co-ordinates. ‘We have
always had an air-to-ground phase in the
WIC,’ says Huebinger. ‘We have a dynamic
targeting phase and we train to all the
skill sets for down range, but it’s not a
primary focus for us, but we exercise all
of the Increment 3 capabilities.’
‘In our syllabus we have 28 missions
and the dynamic targeting phase is three
missions, so you can see the focus. Four
of the missions are dedicated to
integration and they can call on any of
our skill sets. For example, it may make
sense to include one of our air-to-groundroles that will then enable someone else
to complete their task.’
All eyes are currently on the F-35A
Lightning II WIC, which starts in 2018.
Class 18A is when the rst students will
go through the F-35 course. The school
has employed a lot of the lessons learned
from standing up the F-22 WIC and is
applying those to the F-35.
Lt Col Huebinger says: ‘We are
re-writing our syllabus to encapsulate
how we are going to train with the F-35s.
There’s missions where F-22s and F-35s
will work together on a straightforward
strike, right up to an all fth-generation
assault on a large scale strategic target.’
What is clear is that assets are
becoming scarcer and the problems
facing the USAF’s high-end platforms are
only getting harder. It’s the role of the
patch wearers to meet those challenges
and solve the problems, keeping the
Raptor community at the forefront of
USAF air supremacy.(^80) RAPTOR
72-81 Weapons School C.indd 80 28/09/2017 15:01