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INDIAN OCEAN (July 16, 2015)Eleven of the ships that participated in Talisman Sabre 2015 steam in formation off the western coast of Australia.
The ships [from left to right] are HMAS Launceston (ACPB 94), HMNZS Te Kaha, (F111), USS Chaffee (DDG 90), HMAS Choules (L100), amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), HMAS Perth (FFH 157) [Center], amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) , forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), guided missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88 ) and HMAS Albany (ACPB 86).
The final photo shows the guided missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 90) steams off the western coast of Australia as the sun rises.
Preble is seen in the Indian Ocean participating in Talisman Sabre 2015.
Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations.
Bonhomme Richard is the lead ship of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (BHRESG) and is seen conducting amphibious operations off the coast of Australia as part of bilateral exercise Talisman Sabre 2015.
(U.S Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ty C. Connors/ Released)
2015-08-29 Second Line of Defense has visited Williamtown in 2014 and we have done interviews with the Wedgetail squadron; and in 2015 for meetings with the Surveillance and Response Group.
The Royal Australian Air Force is proud to have been a part of the Hunter since the late 1930s when the Defence Practice Area was first designated at Williamtown. Defence looks forward to continuing its positive relationship with the local community.
It is Air Force’s intent that RAAF Base Williamtown remain as the nation’s main fighter pilot training base, and it will house most of the planned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning aircraft.
RAAF Base Williamtown is the home base for the tactical fighter element of the Air Combat Group (ACG) and the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) element of Surveillance and Response Group (SRG).
The following squadrons are based at Williamtown:
No 453 Squadron (453SQN) Williamtown Flight
No 3 Squadron (3SQN) operating F/A-18 Hornet aircraft
No 77 Squadron (77SQN) operating F/A-18 Hornet aircraft
No 2 Operational Conversion Unit (2OCU) operating F/A-18 Hornet aircraft
No 76 Squadron (76SQN) operating Hawk Mk127 aircraft
No 4 Squadron (4SQN) operating PC-9/A Forward Air Control aircraft
No 2 Squadron (2SQN) operating AEW&C Wedgetail aircraft
No 2 Expeditionary Health Squadron, Headquarters
1 CCS (Combat Support Squadron) Detachment Williamtown
No 453 Squadron (453SQN) Headquarters
No 26 (City of Newcastle) Squadron – Airbase Operations
No 381 Squadron – Contigency Response
No 1 Security Force Squadron, Headquarters
The photos in the slideshow highlight aircraft based in Williamtown, or in the case of the KC-30A working with aircraft based at Williamtown.
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An F/A-18 Hornet conducts an aerial display over RAAF Base Williamtown in preparation for the Wings over Illawarra Air Show.
F/A-18A Hornets based at RAAF Williamtown, NSW, participate in Exercise Aces North which was conducted in the Northern Territory. Exercise Aces North 2015 is the culmination of Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course held at RAAF Base Tindal and Darwin over the period 28 May-25 June 2015.
Exercise Aces North is supported by personnel and assets from Number 1 Squadron and Number 2 Operational Conversion Unit.
Two F/A-18A Hornets take off in formation from RAAF Base Williamtown during Exercise DAWN STRIKE. Dawn Strike represents the final mission of the Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) Course held at RAAF Base Williamtown.
FCI course was run from 12 January to 26 June 2015 at Number 2 Operational Conversion Unit (2OCU). The aim of FCI course is to graduate expert leaders and instructors capable of tactics development, validation and instruction and is run every two years.
KC-30A MRTT and E-7A Wedgetail conduct Air to Air refueling testing in the airspace near RAAF Williamtown. From 1-13 June 2015, air-to-air refueling (AAR) trials were conducted between a RAAF KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft.
A Royal Australian Air Force No. 2 Squadron E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft completes a night-time air-to-air refuel from a United States military KC-10 Extender Air-to-Air Refueling Tanker Aircraft.
Australian F-35A flying out of Luke Air Force Base, USA (credit Lockheed Martin)
The first squadron of ten F-35B Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) are operational after the United States Marine Corps (USMC) declared Initial Operating Capability (IOC) on 31 July 2015.
RAAF personnel working with JSF will be tapped into an international support network and will have the opportunity to work alongside Defence industry to sustain the JSF fleet.
Australia is scheduled to achieve IOC for its first Squadron of F-35s to be based at Williamtown in 2020.
No 76 Squadron Hawk-127 aircraft return to Squadron lines after conducting an aerial display during the No 76 Squadron Family day at RAAF Base Williamtown.
F-16 C aircraft from the 132nd Fighter Wing (132FW), Des Moines, IA are seen operating from the Williamtown Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base in preparation to launch during a Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) mission at the Williamtown RAAF Base, Australia on February 23, 2011.
The 132FW is seen conducting DACT mission “Sentry Down Under.”
All but the F-16 photos are credited to the Australian Ministry of Defence; the others to the USAF.
In my last piece based on my time with MARFORPAC and PACFLEET, I want to highlight some perspectives gained from talking with four members of the PACFLEET staff.
I had a chance to talk with an learn for four senior members of the PACFLEET staff in addition to the earlier interviews published recently.
Captain Mark “JP” Sousa is PACFLEET Liason to PACAF and focuses on C2 issues in working the evolution of the force. He operates from the 613th Air Operations Center at Hickam.
Captain Sousa is a former Tomcat pilot, and given the key role which the F-14s played in the chain saw strategy for the carrier battle groups, it is not surprising that the F-14 pilots are playing a key role in the Navy’s transition to distributed operations.
The head of Naval Air Warfare as well as the head of PACFLEET operations are both former F-14 pilots.
The Pacific from the Arctic to Australia Credit Image: Bigstock
It is important to underscore how the F-14 operational experience anticipates in some ways the coming of the F-35 to the fleet and its impact on C2, ISR and strike.
As Ed Timperlake puts it:
“The USAF had real early experience with stealth with the F-117 Nigh Hawk leading the way. Concurrently the Navy had excellent experience with their F-14 fighter community in developing technology, a state-of-the art radar and a missile Aim-54, that could reach out and touch someone.
After the Vietnam War, the US Navy introduced the F-14 and began again the never ending process of always evolving the training, tactics and command and control to push the threat from a reactive enemy out as far as possible from a Carrier Battle Group (CBG).
The CBG could then conduct combat strikes against all targets, land air and sea.
This evolution of reach and range technology and cockpit enhanced situational awareness driving training and tactics will be soon be seen in the nature of changing command and control relationships as the F-35 enters the Sea Services inventory.”
Captain Kevin Melody works ballistic missile and air defense issues for PACFLEET and has significant experience with the surface fleet, including Aegis.
Captain Patrick Walsh is director of Deliberate Planning for PACFLEET and as the title suggests is focused upon the planning process in dealing with current and evolving threats.
And finally Captain Patrick Molenda is the Operations Deputy, Staff of the Commander, Pacific Fleet and steered me through the PACFLEET interview process during my time in Honolulu.
What clearly comes across is that PACFLEET is clearly aware of the various challenges facing the Navy, the Marine Cops and the joint force in the Pacific, including the Chinese reaching out into the Pacific.
They are stepping up to the challenges, and are focused on shaping a more effective force, one which can operate over an extended battlespace, with distributed C2 and a more integrated joint and coalition sensor set from which warfighting solutions can be informed.
The Pacific Strategic Quadrangle. Credit: SLD
The effort to shape a new combat approach will not be easy; and will take technology investments, training, operational experience and shaping lessons learned from that experience as well as shaping the combat skill necessary to execute in a 21st century Pacific security and defense environment.
The shift from the preoccupation with the land wars in an area of the world far from the Pacific to Pacific operations is not an easy one.
Many skills learned there need to be shed and new skills learned.
Operating in a slow moving war with air dominance to a theater with the tyranny of distance, allies shaping new capabilities which need to be worked with those of the American forces, and forging ways to operate in contested areas in higher tempo operations is a challenging shift.
An aspect of the change is clearly with regard to C2.
The C2 revolution is clearly an important one inherent in some of the new platforms and technologies which have come or are coming to the Pacific, such as the P-8, the Global Hawk and the F-35.
Forging ways to do distributed C2 in contested areas is the challenge; this means learning how to aggregate and disaggregate force given disruptions adversaries will try to create with deployed US and allied forces.
Captain Sousa highlighted two significant C2 challenges for the joint force.
The first is as the appropriate force mix is shaped, who is the supported and supporting force commander and how to establish the proper C2 relationship so that the proper force mix can operate effectively?
WATERS TO THE WEST OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA (March 17, 2013) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), front, the Republic of Korea Navy Aegis-class destroyer ROKS Seoae-Yu-Seong-Ryong (DDG 993), middle, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) move into formation during exercise Foal Eagle 2013. McCampbell and McCain are members of Destroyer Squadron 15, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and are underway to conduct exercise Foal Eagle 2013 with allied nation Republic of Korea in support of regional security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Declan Barnes/Released)
The second is dealing with disrupted communications for a deployed distributed force. During the most recent Unified Engagement exercise, the challenge of disrupted communications was a key element, and the Navy-Air Force team worked the problem of shaping an effective deployed operation in the face of communications disruptions.
In effect, the ability of the joint force to aggregate and disaggregate forces enabled by a robust communications system is the way ahead within which a honeycomb force – one in which force packages can operate as discrete packages – or be combined across the battlespace is the way ahead.
Captain Melody focused on the importance of shaping a more integrated approach to combining sensors informing operations.
As one created what we have called the 21st century “big blue blanket” of Pacific wide sensors, those sensors can be tapped into to shape more effective mission performance.
Melody underscored that the integration of sensors should not be confused with the integration of missions. “Air and missile defense are very different missions.
Shaping more effective integration of sensors is beneficial to both, but does not lead to the integration of the very different missions.”
All four Naval officers underscored the importance of training for 21st century operations and are concerned with training shortfalls, whether due to the continuing combat rhythm in the Middle East or resource shortfalls.
It was pointed out that carrier time in the Pacific is too often transit time somewhere else and is not about providing support for the kind of 21st century training and exercises crucial for a deterrence in depth strategy in the Pacific.
Whether it be training for deconfliction of forces, more effective aggregation of forces, more effective disaggregation of resources, all of this is different in higher tempo operations than has been the coin of the realm in the Middle East wars ongoing and in the past decade.
Both Walsh and Molenda highlighted the importance of getting the training and exercise commitments to enable the force to implement effective plans appropriate for higher tempo 21st century operations.
Ed Timperlake often makes the point (he is a Naval Academy graduate) that the fighting Marine Corps and the Navy in the Pacific is more than up to meeting Pacific challenges.
Clearly, the USN-USMC team needs the intellectual and financial support from Washington to do the job.
But the trajectory to mission success is clearly underway. Visiting PACFLEET and MARORPAC only reinforced Timperlake’s point.
Editor’s Note:
For additional insights from Captain Molenda, see the following:
The “Admiral Turner Revolution” of the 1970s reinvigorated the Naval War College. Today, a similar transformation in the approach to officer education is needed.
A contributing factor to the problem of relevancy is that although the Naval War College is widely recognized throughout the Navy, joint community, inter-agency, and academia as an educational organization of the highest caliber, oddly enough, the Navy typically does not send its best and brightest to Newport, either as students or instructors.
Assignment to the Naval War College does not rise to a level of prominence compared to Navy enterprise, OPNAV, or even joint billets.
Though there are exceptions, hot runners from all warfare specialties are most often advised that they do not have time in their career progression to “waste a year” in Newport . . . and so they don’t go.
And in a recent presentation on the Hill, Timperlake underscored the significant gap between the USN and joint forces approach in the Pacific to able to deal with Chinese efforts at anti-access and area denial and the tendency among some inside Washington to ascribe capabilities to the Chinese, which they simply aspire to but do not have.
08/16/2015: 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base accepting its first two F-35 aircraft. There will be 18 total F-35s joining the squadron over the next year.
The jets will be flown by instructor pilots preparing for the first class of students in March 2016. The 62nd FS will include pilots and aircraft from partner nations Italy and Norway.
In a piece by Eric Hehns about the F-35 at Luke, the role of the 26nd Fighter Squadron was discussed:
Luke AFB “ has been designated as the primary F-35A training base for the US Air Force as well as for eight international partner air forces and several other countries purchasing F-35s under Foreign Military Sales, or FMS, programs….
The first twenty-five aircraft fill the wing’s first training squadron, the 61st Fighter Squadron. Subsequent F-35s arriving in 2015 will populate the second training unit, the 62nd FS. Eventually, the 56th Wing will have six F-35 training squadrons flying 144 F-35s.
The progress leading up to this point has been swift. The 61st FS and its associated 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit formally stood up in October 2013. The first F-35s arrived in March 2014.
The wing completed its 100th F-35 sortie in August 2014. The academic training center that contains classrooms and simulators essential for F-35 pilot training opened in October 2014. The first international partner aircraft, two Royal Australian Air Force F-35As, arrived in December 2014.
The progress continued in March 2015 with the first student pilot sortie, F-35 transition training for Pleus himself. The first substantial deployment of F-35s from Luke to another operating location came in April 2015 when ten aircraft were sent to Nellis AFB in Nevada. The 1,000th sortie was flown that April as well.
The first pilot training class began in May 2015. The first international student, an Australian pilot, flew in August 2015 as part of the second class of future F-35 pilots to be trained at Luke.
The F-35s at Luke are maintained by a combination of military and contractor support personnel. Lockheed Martin is responsible for maintaining partner country F-35s, which as of July 2015, consist of the first two RAAF F-35s at the base.
In a unique government/industry arrangement, the company will be responsible for initially maintaining all the F-35s of the 62nd Fighter Squadron. These aircraft start arriving in late summer 2015…..
The international aspects of F-35 training at Luke make operations at the base much different from other F-35 bases. Here, international partner countries train and fly with their US Air Force counterparts. And F-35s belonging to these partner nations will eventually account for about half of the F-35s in each of the six training squadrons at the base. FMS countries will also provide their own F-35s.
Instructor pilots for FMS pilot training will come from the US Air Force Reserve Command unit at the base, the 944th Fighter Wing, and its flying unit, the 69th Fighter Squadron. FMS F-35s will also be contractor maintained, though some on-the-job training for initial FMS maintenance personnel is likely as well…..
2015-08-08 Recently an Italian 767 Tanker refueled an F-35 in the United States.
This was the first time a foreign tanker has refueled an F-35.
The Italian tanker also operates as part of the European Air Transport Command and can look forward to tanking not only Italian and US F-35s but many other nations F-35s as well.
At the end of 2014, the Italians announced their decision to join the EATC and to dedicate their air lifters and tankers to the European command.
Italy joined officially on December 4, 2014.
According to the Italian Ministry of Defense, Italy will enhance its contribution to European defense and enhance cost effectiveness by joining the EATC.
The Note of Participation ratifies Italy’s accession to the European Air Transport Command (EATC), the military air transport coordination center that, since 2010, has employed aircraft contributed by participating countries to implement, among others, air-to-air refueling and aeromedical evacuation activities.
For the first time the event was broadcast live via streaming from Palazzo Baracchini, seat of the Ministry of Defence.
“Today’s signature is a success of the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union: a concrete substantial result marking Italy’s accession to a flexible structure that allows us to ensure greater security”. Minister Pinotti said today on the occasion of Italy’s signature of EATC’s Note of Participation.
“Thinking beyond, thinking anew”, the Minister added, “means rethinking our national vision to achieve a broader vision on a European scale”.
The Note of Participation was signed by Chief of the Italian Air Force, Lt Gen Pasquale Preziosa, EATC Commander, Gen Christian Badia, and military representatives of the project’s six other participating nations: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Spain.
In brief, by joining the European Air Transport Command, Italy will be able to:
– Implement the guidelines of the Council of the European Union during the Italian Presidency;
– Make our national military air transport system more efficient, reducing costs currently incurred for the same activities.
According to an August 7, 2015 press release from the Joint Program Office about the KC-767 and F-35 tanker test:
In addition to USMC declaring IOC … more F-35 history was made last week when AF-4 performed the first aerial refueling from an Italian KC-767 Tanker.
This test flight marked the first international tanker not operated by the U. S. Air Force to undergo refueling certification trials with a U.S. aircraft.
During the flight, the KC-767A and its Italian military aircrew completed 25 boom contacts with the F-35A and successfully offloaded 16,000 pounds of fuel.
The mission took place at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and testing is planned to continue there until the end of August.
Both the Italian Air Force and Navy will operate F-35s, recapitalizing their existing fleets of Tornados, AMX and AV-8 Harrier aircraft.
The KC-767 F-35 refueling qualifications will further enhance the operational capability of Italy’s F-35 fleet and broadens Italy’s capabilities to support other countries’ F-35s in multi-national security operations.
The Italian Air Force detachment at Edwards AFB is working on the certification of the KC-767 for refueling the F-35.
To do so requires 15 flights and will occur over a two month period.
The certification will be issued by the end of 2015 and will then permit Italy to fly its first F-35A from Italy to the United States in the first quarter of 2016.
The certification of the KC-767 with the F-35B will follow
2015-08-03 According to an August 3, 2015, DoD story written by Thomas Perry, the role of the Defense Contract Management Agency team working on the F-35 roll out was the focus of attention.
FORT WORTH, Texas – “First off I would like to thank Col. Staphol, Col. Stathlo, Col. Staful … Snuffy, for allowing me the privilege of recognizing his folks,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Wendy Masiello, Defense Contract Management Agency director. “Every time we walk down the hallway he says, ‘I love these guys; I love these guys.’ And, I know you know that it’s evident in everything he says and does.”
Air Force Col. Alex Stathopoulos, the agency’s Lockheed Martin Fort Worth commander, is referred to as “Snuffy” by many in his command — a term of both respect and convenience. As demonstrated above, the energetic leader takes great pride in his team and isn’t shy about saying so. Born to an Air Force father, the Port Jefferson, New York, native discovered at an early age that a military life reliant on service before self and teamwork suited his nature.
His current team plays the vital Department of Defense role of administering contracts for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, which is the department’s largest and most ambitious weapon system program ever in terms of total cost, number of customers, partners and capabilities.
Air Force Col. Alex Stathopoulos, Defense Contract Management Agency Lockheed Martin Fort Worth commander, discusses the current state of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program with Air Force Lt. Gen. Wendy Masiello (right), DCMA director, and Air Force Lt. Col. Summer Clovis, the agency’s executive officer, during a recent command visit to the agency’s LM Fort Worth facility.
As the backbone of U.S. air combat superiority for generations to come, the F-35 fifth generation multi-role, multi-service, single seat and single engine strike fighter features three variants and a massive supply chain involving companies from across the globe. Its current customer list includes three U.S. services, eight international partners and three foreign military sales countries.
Unprecedented in size and complexity, the global program invites criticism as budgets are announced, domestic and international pressures build, and deadlines approach. However, understanding today’s resource-constrained world, the program actively leverages key global resources to ensure economies of scale, facilitate industrial partnerships, advance science and technology worldwide, and achieve critical cost sharing. Undaunted by the program’s scope, Stathopoulos, who said making a difference in the F-35 program is a career highlight, welcomes the challenge.
“The F-35 program is the major leagues, and pressure is part of the job when you’re in the majors,” said Stathopoulos, whose F-35 familiarity stems from two previous program assignments. “One of the things that is very important is working with the press to ensure the facts get out. The American people have a stake in the program and the press has a responsibility to get the word out. I enjoy the press. The challenge, on a program like F-35, is to ensure people are getting the facts. Sometimes journalists can be a bit zealous in getting something out there, and it may contain inaccuracies. I enjoy bringing clarity and accuracy to the dialogue.”
When he first received orders to Fort Worth, Stathopoulos said he was “enthusiastic about working inside industry as a part of DCMA, an organization supported by talented people who truly make a difference for the warfighter and the taxpayer.”
His excitement only grew as he developed an appreciation for his Fort Worth team members and the program’s customers.
“The men and women here have great passion for what they do,” said the 23-year veteran. “They come to work every day thinking of our customers and trying to make life better or easier for them. Our customers deserve our best, and we focus on trying our best. Our customers are the program office, the operational units we deliver aircraft and systems to, the taxpayer, and even DCMA. We have great customers.”
In the coming years, the F-35 program will sustain a production build-up. In 2015, Lockheed Martin is working to deliver 45 aircraft. Projections forecast an annual production rate of 170 aircraft by 2020.
“It is going to be big,” said Stathopoulos. “From a DCMA perspective, I am excited about our growth as it represents the potential for innovation and fresh ideas. As we grow, we have opportunities to really improve our processes with diversity in our people, perspectives, experiences and ways of doing business.”
Even as the program enters an exciting evolution, the realities of military service mean Stathopoulos will eventually move on to a new assignment. He is confident in the F-35’s future however, and believes communication will be crucial moving forward.
F-35 Fleet Snapshot: As of July 1, the F-35 Lightning II has surpassed 36,000 combined flight hours between F-35 military fleet aircraft and System Development and Demonstration test aircraft.
“It is always important for DCMA to remember our customers,” he said. “We need to communicate with our program offices, our operational users and our industrial counterparts candidly and often. When you provide services — such as we do — you need to keep your customers front and center. The work we do touches the world’s flight lines and the American taxpayers. We support both.”
His family’s support network has included the Air Force for decades, and Stathopoulos credits the service for tremendous and rewarding life opportunities. His father still tells his “Air Force stories,” and remembers his service fondly.
“Snuffy” will someday join him, sharing recollections of glory days when he spent time on the F-35 program, which he predicts will be dominating the global skies. More than likely, the anecdotes will focus on his team and the difference they made together. “It is amazingly rewarding to come to work every day and work with these professionals to make such an ambitious and important program a reality. It is truly a highlight I enjoy every day.”
As of July 1, the F-35 Lightning II has surpassed 36,000 combined flight hours between F-35 military fleet aircraft and System Development and Demonstration test aircraft.
The F-35 Operational Fleet features 112 aircraft (105 U.S. and seven international partner aircraft) and the F-35 Test Fleet features 18 aircraft (six F-35A, seven F-35B, and five F-35C).
Currently, 172 F-35 pilots and 1,810 maintainers from U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have been qualified through the aircraft’s training system.
The F-35 has completed multiple weapons tests as well as F-35B and F-35C first-life durability testing.
Additionally, the program has conducted two F-35B developmental test shipboard trials aboard the USS WASP; the Marine Corps conducted its F-35B first operational test aboard USS Wasp in May 2015; and the F-35C will conduct its second developmental test event in late 2015.
2015-07-25 Lt. Col. Todd Houchins, 53rd Test Support Squadron commander, pilots the last 82nd Aerial Target Squadron QF-4 Phantom on Tyndall Air Force Base during the final take off, July 24.
The QF-4 Phantom will travel to Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Javier Cruz/Released).
And a story by Brian Everstine from Air Force Times published on May 30, 2015, described the end of the mission for the F-4s:
The mission for the QF-4 targeting drone is over, with the last of the converted F-4 Phantom IIs destroyed over the Gulf of Mexico.
Since 1997, the Air Force has flown 315 QF-4 drones as targets for training and weapons testing. On Wednesday, the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron operated the last of the fleet on a training mission out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The jet was destroyed during a live weapons testing flight, according to base public affairs.
The Air Force’s new fleet of QF-16s, converted Fighting Falcons, will now take over the unmanned targeting drone role. The aircraft, converted block 15, 20 and 30 variants of the F-16, first began unmanned test flights in 2013, with the first production model arriving at the Florida base in March 2015. The service expects to field 210 of the converted jets.
QF-4s, and QF-16s, are outfitted with electronic and infrared countermeasures to fully mimic an adversarial aircraft in training, according to the Air Force.
The aircraft are outfitted with explosive devices to destroy them over a designated area of the sea, should they become uncontrollable during targeting missions.
A pilot operates the aircraft from a ground station, and the drone is followed by a trailing aircraft.
F-4 Supports Mission. Courtesy Video | Defense Media Activity – Air Force | Date: 06.25.2008.
This edition features a story on the retired F-4 Phantom seen assisting the military by using them as an unmanned remote drone to shoot experimental live missiles at for training.
And this 2008 piece written by Ralph Wetterhahn and published in Air and Space Magazine answered the question: Where have all the phantoms gone?
In 1996 the aircraft was retired from the U.S. fleet. But the venerable McDonnell design has one last mission to perform for the military: to go down in flames.
Since 1991, 254 Phantoms have served as unpiloted flying targets for missile and gun tests conducted near Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The use of F-4 drones (designated QF-4s) is expected to continue until 2014.
When an airframe is needed for target duty, one is pulled from storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in the Arizona desert. The airframe is given refurbished engines and instruments, then sent to Mojave Airport in California. There, BAE Systems turns the aircraft into remote-controlled drones, installing radio antennas and modifying the flight controls, throttles, landing gear, and flaps.
QF-4 production test pilot Bob Kay is responsible for testing the converted aircraft, then flying them from Mojave to Tyndall and Holloman. Kay has been captivated by the F-4 since the age of seven, when his father took him to an airshow. “I saw a Navy A-3 refueling two Phantoms as they flew over so low and with that noise,” he says. “That’s all I remember of that airshow, but I knew I wanted to fly that fighter.”
I ask if he has any second thoughts about being part of a system that destroys an airplane he loves, an aviation legend.
He thinks for a moment, then says, “What better way is there for a warrior to end its life than to go down in a blaze of glory?…..”
Most Phantoms wind up in the Gulf of Mexico within one to three missions. But not all: One, nicknamed “Christine,” after the Stephen King book and film about a crazed car with a mind of its own, had survived 10 missions. Another, “Son of Christine,” has come back from 12 sorties, the current record.
Some drone missions are not meant to be shootdowns: The Phantom is loaded with missile jammers, and missiles without warheads are fired against the craft to test how well the jamming works. Other Phantoms are spruced up with Vietnam War-era camouflage and flown to airshows.
One Phantom was saved by its former pilot. On April 16, 1972, Dan Cherry, flying an F-4D, had scored a victory over a North Vietnamese Mig-21. Thirty-two years later, during a trip with friends to the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, Cherry encountered the aircraft he had flown that day. It was on display in the little town of Enon, outside Dayton.
“In spite of her flat tires, weeds growing up all around, bird droppings everywhere, and faded gray paint, she was beautiful,” he recalls. “Walking around her and answering my friend’s questions made me realize how much I loved her and how much I owed her for taking such good care of me. Suddenly all those things that seemed like negatives before paled in comparison to the strong bond I felt at that moment.”
Cherry took on the task of relocating the aircraft to the Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where it was restored and is now displayed. Then he decided to learn about the pilot of the MiG he had shot down.
At Tyndall, the heat and humidity hit my face like a wet washcloth. The van driver took us from Death Row to the end of the runway, where F-4E tail number 73-1165 was positioned about 20 feet to the right of the runway centerline.
I asked if I could approach the aircraft. My unit escort, Major Kevin Brackin, obtained permission. I got out of the van and walked across the concrete. When I reached the aircraft, I placed my hand on the radome. Because of the cloud cover, the nose was warm to the touch, not the usual egg-frying hot. The Phantom felt alive.
I felt a wave of dread. Within minutes this magnificent machine might be in pieces at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
A photo was taken, and I headed back to the van to listen to the radio chatter.
Lee says it cost the Air Force $2.6 million to get the aircraft from the boneyard in Tucson to the runway at Tyndall. Is it worth it? “The F-4E has the built-in ability to launch flares and chaff and can carry an assortment of jamming pods, all of which put our latest weapon systems through their most rigorous tests,” says Lee. Had we taken the time to test our missiles properly in the early 1960s, the Vietnam air war might have turned out like the one over Baghdad: a clean sweep.
We positioned ourselves behind the drone to await the launch order. Both engines were started. The canopy was closed, and the self-destruct bomb was armed for use in case the drone went out of control. Finally, the intake screens in front of the engine inlets were removed.
Then came an ominous ground transmission: The “shooter aircraft have problems,” and a storm cell had slung cloud layers over a wide swath of sky. We sat and waited.
Finally, after a 15-minute delay, the mission was ordered back on.
The drone launch order was soon passed, and the operators got the Phantom rolling. LaCourse made a correction to get the aircraft precisely on centerline as both afterburners lit. Fifteen seconds later, I watched the pilotless aircraft take off.
The F-4 proceeded out over the gulf. The first aircraft fired its missile. The ground controller monitoring the telemetry radioed the air crews: “No hit.”
The Phantom flew on.
My emotions tangled: I wanted the aircraft to survive, but I also wanted it to fulfill its intended mission.
The four F-22 Raptors spread out.
Each launched a missile. Over the radio we heard “Fox-four”—all shooters had fired.
Then: “Splash.” A direct hit.
Brackin and I walked back to the van and got in. Brackin was staring straight ahead.
Then he turned to me. “So now you know,” he said, grinning. “It takes four Raptors to kill an F-4.”
Aug 12, 2008
This is a manned drone practice mission at holloman AFB NM, the drones squadron is based out of Tyndell AFB but operates out of Holloman, the F4 overhead is a chase plane, the remote operated drone is the one touching down.
These are used to test new weapons systems at Holloman.
There is a pilot in the drone for this mission as it is only a practice for the ground opperator.
If it was unmanned we would not be able to be this close due to the drones self destruct explosive mechanism.
2015-07-27 A key aspect of the F-35 global supply chain is suppliers from a variety of nations building parts which become elements of other nations airplanes.
It is not simply about Australia building parts for Australian F-35s; it is about building for the global fleet.
An example are the vertical tails built by Marand Australia.
On July 17, 2015, the first F-35 possessing two vertical tails manufactured by Australian-based engineering company, Marand, took flight.
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The plane which flew was AF-73 and the plane will joint the USAF fleet later this year at Nellis AFB.
“The first flight of this particular F-35A marks a monumental achievement for Marand and our dedicated employees,” said Marand Chief Executive Officer Rohan Stocker.
“It has been an incredible journey from the point where we initially bid for this work with BAE Systems to witnessing the reality of our vertical tails being an integral part of the F-35.
This is a great moment, and we look forward to continuing to build our future as a global supplier to the F-35 program as well as to other advanced manufacturing opportunities in Australia.”
The first flight of AF-73 is an important milestone for Marand, BAE Systems and Australia, demonstrating the significant industrial benefits the F-35 program brings to the growing Australian aerospace industry.
The F-35 vertical tails work is contracted to Marand by BAE Systems.
This is one of the largest manufacturing projects for the Australian F-35 program, with 722 ship sets planned.
During a visit to Australia last year, an interview with David Ellul, Managing Director of Marand, focused on the F-35 in Marand’s technological appraoch.
The intersection between the evolution of the company’s capabilities and their engagement in the program, a two-way street approach, was highlighted throughout the interview.
Ellul indicated that Marand started as a firm supporting the automobile industry in Australia and over time has transitioned into the aerospace and rail businesses.
In fact, they have migrated over the past decade from having approximately 90% of their business in the automotive sector, to now less than 1% in automotive as the company has migrated to work in the other sectors in its portfolio.
Within aerospace, prior to F-35, their main client was Hawker deHaviland (now Boeing Aerostructures Australia) for whom they designed and manufactured Aerospace Tooling.
The initial engagement of Marand in the F-35 program was designing and building a unique trailer for installing the F-135engine into the F-35.
The trailer also removes the engine.
According to Ellul:
The requirement is quite complex.
It has to remove and replace the engine within a tight time frame in all of the environments where engines are changed.
From the production line to ship board and land based sustainment.
It has to do it for all three variants of the plane.
It has been a design and manufacturing job from the beginning.
It is a clever piece of equipment that solves the customer’s requirements.
We are very proud of our design and engineering capability.
Prior to the F-35 program engagement, Marand has not been a global exporter.
This has changed with the F-35 program.
The company has added five clients through the F-35 program, which has allowed it to grow its export business.
Question: Why Australia? Why Marand?
According to Ellul:
Australia has a tradition of innovation and although we are not a large company – we have 250 employees – we have diversified design and manufacturing experience and expertise and are able to solve complex problems and deliver good value, as we have done with the F-35 engine trailer.
The second part of our F-35 work is in design and manufacture of complex Aerospace tooling.
We have used our design and engineering capability to develop production tooling that makes our customers more productive.
Over 1200 tools to all corners of the F-35 world. And the quality of our work has been recognized by Lockheed Martin as well.
In 2009, the CEO of Lockheed Martin, Bob Stevens, visited our company and gave us an award recognizing our role as a leading tooling company in the program.
The performance on the engine trailer and tooling provided the opportunity to be considered by Lockheed and their partner BAE Syestms to provide Vertical Tails for the F-35 program.
According to Ellul:
We recently had a ceremony to celebrate the delivery of the first Australian vertical tail set for the F-35.
Next year we will deliver 4-6 tail sets and by 2019 we will be delivering around 70 per year for the program. As the second source, we will do around 30% of the total production of vertical tail sets.
Once production ramps up, we’ll be looking for other opportunities on Aerospace structural work.
Five years ago, there’s no way we would have proved that we had the capability.
F-35 has done that for us.
But, with the ongoing help and support of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, we’ve created a whole new capability in Australia
And without them giving us the opportunity and trusting us and working with us and training us, okay, it wouldn’t have happened.
