48th FW participates in POINTBLANK

Courtesy Photo | A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon assigned to the RAF 1 Squadron takes off at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, in support of Exercise POINTBLANK May 24, 2018. The objective is to prepare Coalition warfighters for a highly contested fight against near-peer adversaries by providing a multi-dimensional battle-space to conduct advanced training in support of U.S. and U.K. national interests. (Courtesy photo/ Crown Copyright)  

BRANDON, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM

05.24.2018

Story by Airman 1st Class Christopher Sparks 

48th Fighter Wing

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England – The Liberty Wing participated in Exercise POINTBLANK, a recurring large force exercise cohosted by the Royal Air Force and the 48th Fighter Wing, here, May 24.

The exercise draws its title from Operation POINTBLANK, the code name for the primary portion of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive in World War II. POINTBLANK builds on lessons learned from Exercise RAZOR TALON, a similar LFE initiative operated out of Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina.

The objective for this iteration is to prepare Coalition warfighters, consisting of 10 F-15E Strike Eagles, 10 F-15C Eagles from the Liberty Wing and four RAF Eurofighter Typhoons for a highly contested fight against near-peer adversaries by providing a multi-dimensional battle-space to conduct advanced training in support of U.S. and U.K. national interests.

“Exercise POINTBLANK will provide 1 Squadron pilots with a superb opportunity to train alongside our U.S. Air Force brethren based here in the U.K.,” said Squadron Leader Chris Wright, Royal Air Force 1 Squadron Executive Officer. “The main aim of the exercise is to further develop fighter tactics and procedures, common to both air forces, in order to ensure we get the very best from our people and the Typhoon.”

The exercise provides a cost-effective environment to train today’s warriors by facilitating bilateral integration using realistic training areas available in the North Sea, and distributed exercise planning, briefing, and debriefing.

“The missions will see large packages of fighters training in both offensive and defensive operations against systems simulating a potent adversary,” Wright said. “Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth will also conduct air to air refueling from U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft, an everyday occurrence during ongoing operations, and vital to so much we do.”

Since 2016, the U.S. and U.K. allies have planned and executed 20 POINTBLANK exercises with more than 400 participating aircraft.

“POINTBLANK is essential to interoperability and to our mission. We understand the different strengths every Airman and aircraft bring to the fight and use that knowledge to maximize our capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Zachary Bartoe, 48th Operations Group deputy commander. “Our ability to operate as a seamless team is a critical component of what we do. It's the reason we're prepared to defend our nation and allies against any adversary.”

• Date Taken: 05.24.2018
• Date Posted: 05.24.2018 12:06
• Story ID: 278282
• Location: BRANDON, SFK, GB