Airmen
of the 13th Fighter Squadron and the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa AB, Japan, were the top-scoring F-16 operators during the first Combat Air Force-wide Distributed Mission Operations Turkey Shoot late last month, according to an Oct. 15 release. The DMO system links simulators at various Air Force bases around the world. The Air Combat Command-led Turkey Shoot provided “the most dangerous combat mission we would ever see,” said Capt. Lawrence Sullivan, project officer and 13th FS pilot. It pitted F-16s, B-1Bs, and E-3 AWACS battling Su-27, MiG-21, and MiG-29 fighters and surface-to-air missiles systems. The F-16 pilots at Misawa, Shaw AFB, S.C., Spangdahlem AB, Germany, and McEntire ANGB, S.C., worked with the E-3 teams at Tinker AFB, Okla., to escort the B-1s, shooting down enemy fighters and suppressing/destroying SAMs. And, said Sullivan, “since everyone had to face the same threats, they could develop a scoring system that would show who the best in the world actually are.” According to Col. Jay Aanrud, 13th FS commander, “This is a cost-effective method of very realistic training.” (Misawa report by SSgt. Kelly White)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.