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NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – The Vermont F-16s take to the air as they depart for another mission. Working with Nellis AFB and several visiting units, the Vermont Air National Guard (VTANG) crew works sixteen hour days between two shifts as they push to ensure the success of the training missions.
This first-hand experience is crucial not only for the pilots, but also for the Airmen who maintain the aircraft. With two sorties each day, the maintainers are able to see the direct impact of their work both in how the aircraft performed during flight and what needs to be addressed before the next flight.
“It lets them know their mission is important and that their efforts are critical to the success of Red Flag, but also to the VTANG as a whole,” said 1st Lt. Tom Rolicki, an Intelligence Analyst Officer. “We’re very proud of the success of the VTANG, the willingness of the crews to accept debriefs, to learn how we can set the bar higher. Everyone has really stepped up and that could not have happened without the strong crew of airmen.”
With units from Army, Navy and overseas allies, there is a great deal of overlap in roles. The units have been very supportive of one another, assisting with parts, maintenance and communication of tasks. Having a full complement of aircraft also allows for the VTANG pilots and crew to experience a complete mission, with roles assigned to various aircraft; aggressors (enemy aircraft), strikers (responsible for eliminating targets) and escorts (protecting friendly aircraft from attack).
Missions flown at Red Flag have included a variety of trainings ranging from simulated air-to-air combat and defense, dealing with ground defenses and anti-air attacks, communications, cyber-warfare and preventing ground level sabotage. These different exercises fit together to create as many practice combat situations as possible, which provides experience and feedback to the VTANG pilots and crew.
“When we fly missions at home,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Palmer, the Operations Support Squadron Commander, “we are limited to our own jets. So we have to work under the assumption of how we would react to other aircraft. With these exercises, we get to have those craft in the air with us. This gives us invaluable experience that we can take into a real-world situation.”
Knowing how their unit performs and where they fit in the tactical planning will allow the members of the VTANG to execute future trainings with greater success. Working with other units also gives useful insight in how Vermont’s assets will help in mission and how we may be deployed.
“The VTANG had a good foundation to work from,” Palmer said. “We’ve been very busy, making the most of this opportunity. As a unit we have always known how to achieve success and Red Flag will only make us more effective.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2015 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 160018 |
| Location: | NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Vermont aims high, by A1C Dana Alyce-Schwarz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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