The Texas Air Nationwide Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing is internet hosting a big pressure train with an F-16 unit from Fort Price right here at JBSA-Lackland Might 21, 2022. The train might be incorporating modernized ways of fourth and fifth technology plane in superior aerial fight and also will present a platform for enhanced cooperation between the 2 fighter items. The fleet of fighter jets arriving to coach with the 182nd Fighter Squadron, a sub-unit of the 149th, is from the 457th FS, hooked up to Fort Price’s Air Pressure Reserve 301st FW.

“It’s practically unattainable to copy the numbers of threats you’ll see in a significant fight operation with a single squadron flying,” mentioned Maj Michael Malone, 182nd F-16 teacher pilot. “By bringing in one other squadron, we’re in a position to present a extra practical state of affairs for air fight.”

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“An annual contest of fight prowess will make everybody taking part higher,” Malone mentioned. “As the one fighter unit within the Texas Guard, we attempt to be the very best fighter pilots on this planet. To be the very best, it’s necessary to coach towards the very best, and it ought to be numerous enjoyable.”

Every squadron is being assigned a 30-minute window to “defend the Alamo” in the course of the train, including a contest-like aptitude, the place every four-ship staff should defend the Alamo from adversarial motion. The winner of the problem is to be esteemed “The Best Fighter Squadron within the South” till the next yr, the place the profitable staff will as soon as once more compete to maintain their hard-earned title.

The train additionally gives a possibility to interrupt within the 149th FW’s newly revamped reside mission operation middle as a “struggle room” of types, the place plane monitoring techniques and digital radios might be positioned to trace every staff’s ways and maneuvers. Residents residing in areas close to 1604 and Freeway 90 and the Sea World space might hear some elevated plane exercise between 8 a.m. and a pair of p.m. Saturday as our pilots hone their fight abilities whereas using extra fashionable and practical coaching.

An F-16 from the 457th Fighter Squadron, at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Price, Texas prepares to refuel with a KC-135 from Tinker Air Pressure Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Pressure images by 2nd Lt. Mary Begy)