Photo By Staff Sgt. Gerald Willis | A U.S. Air Force pilot assigned to the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson Air Force...... read more read more
Subscribe
Donning Cold War era engine covers with the Soviet Union hammer and sickle decals on F-16C/D Fighting Falcons, the aggressors fly crucial sorties portraying enemy air craft during the aerial combat portion of Cope North 2017. The sorties offer an uncommon way for pilots to train in a dog fight, ultimately refining warfighter integration between participating U.S., Japan and Australian militaries.
“Our role is to provide the most realistic scenarios possible,” said 1st Lt. Alexander Lovejoy, acting Officer in Charge of the 18th aircraft maintenance unit, Eielson AFB, Alaska. “We prepare pilots by testing them against real tactics they would commonly see. This increases the overall readiness of everyone.”
The 18th AS has been using dissimilar aircraft for training since 2007. They need to know, teach and replicate the threat better than anyone else to ensure the unique training is fully taken advantage of. The camouflaged fighting falcons are the leading adversary and will take part in over 200 sorties flown during the exercise.
“We utilize former Soviet Union era, Mig and Chinese systems to train coalition fighters during Cope North 2017,” said Lt. Col. Julio Rodriguez, director of operations 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska. “During missions we can attack and defend targets in support of the blue training portion. Our goal is to train pilots and we do win certain training exercises but that is not how we calculate success. If coalition pilots are learning and gaining valuable skills then our training is a success.”
The tactics and systems used are as realistic as possible. Jet markings even closely resemble what coalition pilots may face, such as the Soviet decals.
“The primary enemy we try to replicate is the former Soviet Union. We pull from their tactics, along with many other former adversaries. We use the hammer and sickle decals on our jets to create the overall feel of our enemy.”
Doing everything an enemy may do, except perhaps speaking a different language, paired with a full flight log means jet repairs and downtime must be kept at a minimum. Over 120 maintainers deployed with the aggressors work around the clock to keep the jets in the air.
“We fly the oldest jets on active duty and it takes us longest to get the necessary parts for repairs,” said Lovejoy. “The maintainers are very skilled and will get the job done no matter the cost. During exercises like Cope North, many jets will go out and come back needing repairs and the night shift will work through the night to ensure the jets are ready to go in the morning.”
Dedication from the Airmen assigned to the 18th AS during exercises like Cope North 2017 is essential to mission success. Cope North began in 1978 with the goal of improving integration with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and has grown to include the Royal Australian air force. The exercise aims at building interoperability with regional allies. The squadron’s key aggressor role helps to ensure the goals of the exercise are met.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2017 19:29 |
| Story ID: | 239550 |
| Location: | ANDERSEN AFB, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Best bad guys in the world play crucial role in Cope North 2017, by SSgt Gerald Willis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
