Republic Of Singapore Pilots Being Trained In Air-To-Air Combat Techniques

F-16 Fighting Falcons returned to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, recently, and could be seen screaming across the skies above base as red- and blue-force aircraft. Guardsmen from the 162nd Fighter Wing, Arizona Air National Guard, located at Tucson International Airport, are currently visiting Idaho to train Republic of Singapore pilots on air-to-air maneuvers in the F-16.

"We are here training RSAF students because back home it's very hard getting every student the required amount of flying hours so we bring them up here and fly as red-versus-blue air forces.," said Lt. Col. Julian Pacheco, 152nd Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations. "Our mission is to ensure these international students are properly and expertly trained for combat situations in the F-16. Being here gives us the additional sorties needed for their weapons course evaluations."
 
This is a specifically air-to-air exercise, he continued. Blue force is essentially the good guys and red forces are enemy aircraft. We're flying mornings and afternoons to support both squadrons training necessities. More than 30 ANG Airmen and five aircraft are here supporting the students as they earn their qualifications. "These students are involved in a five-month course and are currently finishing up the air-to-air phase of their training," said Pacheco. "They are close to finishing up the weapons-expert portion of their certification.
 
"Many of the sorties require multiple airframes, so being here is a perfect scenario as we can utilize the F-15SG's from the 428th Fighter Squadron," continued Pacheco. "This is a huge benefit because it's their own countrymen they are training and fighting against, who fly a completely different aircraft. Strike Eagles are different in that they have two engines as well as two vertical fins but more importantly they give our students the opportunity to see multiple airframes out in the airspace."

One of the biggest benefits of training here at Mountain Home AFB is fighting against dissimilar aircraft, said Pacheco. "When the only adversary a pilot sees is the same aircraft it limits the amount training which can be accomplished," he continued. "This is a great place for us to train because of the separate airframe, these RSAF pilots can train against their own countrymen, see the different aircraft on the radar, and the airspace is wonderful to fly in here in Idaho."

Despite what color they are, all training happens at mostly medium altitudes, combining intercepts and air-combat tactics. "This is what we love to do--train pilots," said Pacheco. "Our aircraft are not currently combat coded due to our training status, however, our Airmen deploy on a regular basis in order to stay integrated with the Combat Air Force."

(Image provided by the U.S. Air Force)

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