Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
F-22 and F-35A fighters teamed up for the first time to take on F-16s in Hawaii
F-22 and F-35A fighters teamed up for the first time to take on F-16s in Hawaii
Senior Airman John Linzmeier, US Air ForceFeb 11, 2020, 01:17 IST
The first iteration of Pacific Raptor took place in January and February, with some 600 US airmen, F-22s, F-35s, and F-16s gathering in Hawaii.
The F-22s and F-35s took off twice daily to square off against the F-16s, which played the role of adversaries during air-to-air and air-to-surface combat training.
More than 600 US Air Force guardsmen, reservists and active-duty airmen completed a new fighter exercise February 7 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, featuring the integration of the world's most advanced, fifth-generation airframes.
Advertisement
This first iteration of Pacific Raptor began on January 23, and entailed twice-daily takeoffs of F-22 Raptors and F-35A Lightening IIs, followed by F-16 Fighting Falcons, which took on the notional role as adversaries during each training mission.
Designated as Pacific Raptor 20-1, the exercise's training activities focused on simulating air-to-air and air-to-surface combat sorties.
"The most exciting and beneficial parts of Pacific Raptor were the ability to integrate with the F-22 and train to an advanced threat, replicated by F-16s," said Maj. Justin Miller, 63rd Fighter Squadron pilot and exercise planner.
"It was a fantastic opportunity to add multiple layers of complexity and degraded operations to our training and work to bring together 'fifth-gen' fighter assets to solve an advanced tactical problem."
The F-16 aviators, also called "Aggressors" from the 18th Aggressor Squadron, based out of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, prepare pilots to face a variety of new combat scenarios.
Not only do they specialize in emulating tactics which are likely to be faced in a real battle space, but their aircraft set apart by a coat of foreign-styled paint schemes.
While Hawaii-based Raptor pilots, comprised of Air National Guard and active duty Airmen from the 199th and 19th Fighter Squadrons, normally train alongside other more traditional airframes, this is the first time they combined their capabilities with other Air Force stealth fighters while on island.
"We designed the exercise so that everyone will walk away with a better understanding of the way their mission-design-series (fifth-generation aircraft) will integrate and complement the other," said Miller, "as well as a common understanding of tactics, limitations and advantages of our respective platforms."
Similar to the Hawaiian Raptors, the F-35As, assigned to Luke AFB, Ariz., are maintained and operated by total-force Airmen, to include reservists from the 944th Fighter Wing and active duty Airmen from the 56th FW.
All participating fighter airframes received in-air refueling from KC-135 Stratotankers from the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron to help pilots achieve critical training objectives.
Replenishing fuel while flying is a fundamental necessity for fighter aircraft, as it extends range and flying time indefinitely.
Throughout the training, the 169th Air Defense Squadron provided additional layers of planning, tactics and command and control. Battle managers in the ADS have a unique capability to monitor the air space around the Hawaiian islands at all times, helping to shed shed light within the designated battle space. At a moment's notice, they can relay all available information to an on-scene commander and channel orders to pilots in the air.
Pacific Raptor is designed to build off the pre-established momentum and infrastructure of a similar and long-standing exercise, Sentry Aloha, which concluded one week before Pacific Raptor began.
By scheduling Pacific Raptor directly after Sentry Aloha, mission planners reduced travel and logistics expenses while maximizing progress toward annual training requirements.
Unlike the Sentry Aloha, which has been led by the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing, Pacific Raptor is planned and carried out by representatives from each participating fighter squadron.
