Combat aircraft

Left: The F-15E’s

versatile load is

illustrated well

in this shot. As

well as a full

set of air-to-

air missiles,

both 500lb and

2,000lb GPS-

guided JDAMs

and laser-

guided GBU-12s

are easily

accommodated.

Inset: Lt Col

Jason Taylor,

boss of the

4th Training

Squadron.

Top: Seymour

Johnson’s F-15Es

are true combat

veterans.

Aircraft serial

89-0487, the

flagship of

the 335th FS,

became the

first example to

notch up 12,000

flight hours on

August 16, 2016.

Left: The 4th

FW’s 75th

anniversary

jet flies over

Seymour

Johnson AFB.

into a bomb. I then tell the front-seater

that the bomb is good to go and the pilot

releases it.’

Many operational squadrons are fairly

junior, and new trainees straight out

of the FTU can theoretically go almost

straight into combat. It underscores

the need for high-end and effective

training. ‘On my last deployment I had

the opportunity to drop a weapon for the

first time,’ says Hermanski. ‘There was a lot

of stuff going through my mind: making

sure I had done everything correctly,

knowing the gravity of what I was about

to do, employing a weapon. After we

released the weapon I looked back at

the smoke that was previously a building

and was confident I did everything I was

trained to do.’

The front line

Seymour Johnson’s two operational F-15E

units — the ‘Chiefs’ and the ‘Rocketeers’

are constantly on the hook, as busy as

any active-duty fighter squadron, and

regularly on the road. Just last year

members of the 335th FS returned home

after flying more than 1,200 sorties into

Iraq and Syria in support of Operation

‘Inherent Resolve’ (OIR). While deployed

the squadron dropped in excess of 2,000

bombs on IS targets including oilfields,

oil transportation equipment and cash

reserves. Crews with the 335th FS flew

more than 9,250 combat hours.

‘One of the biggest things was getting

the pilots ready for the seven to 10.5-hour

sorties, compounded with the extreme

heat,’ comments Taylor with regard to a

deployment spin-up. ‘A lot of the new

guys had never been in 130° heat and 85

per cent humidity. Add a g-suit, a harness

and a 30lb combat vest and it really takes

a toll. Once the canopy closes it’s like a

greenhouse. So we were fighting through

a lot of physical restraints before we even

take off. I’ve flown an 11-hour mission

with six aerial refuelings — that can really

take a toll on your body.’

Reflecting on the pace of recent

operations, Taylor adds: ‘I did a lot of great

stuff on my last combat deployment. We

often acted as mission commanders, flying

with B-52s and A-10s as well as F/A-18

Hornets. Sometimes we worked with the

Saudis or the Emiratis.

‘It was a good lesson for the younger

guys who only really know Seymour

Johnson and the airspace around the

base. Now they get out on a deployment

and they are shocked to realize how tough

it is to communicate with a foreign aircraft

in your strike package because of the

language barrier and things are changing

every minute, so it’s a great learning

experience loaded with a lot of stress, but

that’s the nature of combat — things are

just different. You take off with one plan,

and if you execute 25 per cent of that plan

then I would call that a success. Mostly

you take off and by the time you get in-

country, the whole situation has changed.

You might hit one of the targets you were

planning but then maybe a special forces

‘Our goal is

to be able

to integrate

seamlessly

with the F-22s

and F-15Cs in

the air-to-air

arena as well

as being on the

leading edge

on the air-to-

ground front’

COL CHRISTOPHER SAGE

4TH FIGHTER WING | FEATURE ARTICLE

37

January 2018 http://www.combataircraft.net

30-39 4th FW C.indd 37 23/11/2017 11:54