Page 33 - F-35 and Transformation

The F-35 and The Transformation of the Power Projection Forces

around with low awareness and attempt to quickly kill all threats. Just like an old western shootout, except the
Raptor pilot has to contend with three or four gunslingers at once!

Offensive Counter Air (OCA) and Defensive Counter Air (DCA): In these sorties ADAIR flies as a hostile nation
in a scenario that is drawn up by mission planners. ADAIR represents a specific type of aircraft and a
particular threat country. A designated “territory” is defended, or attacked. Engagements that end in kills to
ADAIR send the T-38s back to a specific location to regenerate and reenter the battle. Given the
regeneration those 6 – 8 T-38s might represent a total of 20 – 30 bandits for the F-22s to address during the
sortie.

Both OCA and DCA are “missionized scenarios” so the regeneration threat airfields are identified and
coordinated with intelligence. The Raptors must typically honor a surface to air threat and they will be
penalized if they violate. The surface threats are critical to reflect the A2/AD environment that the Raptor will
be expected to fight and prevail in.

The problem sets created for Raptor pilots are difficult, and represent a significant step up in sophistication
and difficulty from Gen 4 air to air training exercises (that have primarily focused on ACM or specific mission
set served by a given platform).

Hebert addresses the question many are asking, “How is that that a 1960s aircraft challenges a Raptor? By
volume, size, and speed. It’s the fact that Leeroy is well versed in Raptor tactics. We know how to work the
Raptor to the best of our ability, add intelligence and the difficulties associated with their mission sets (such as
their escorting someone you know they have to protect at all costs) -and it gets hard, quick.”

Pride must be taken in the execution of the mission, because it must get old always getting killed! Has Leeroy
ever “killed a Raptor?”

A brief moment of hesitation indicates a reluctance to share, “Yes, I have – it happens from time to time.”

Now before readers and armchair fighter pilots lose their minds, there are a number of reasons why a 1960s
T-38 may get a Raptor kill, and none of them include the Raptor being out flown by a T-38 in a WVR
engagement.

As Hebert explains, it was likely a very hard kill.

While it could have been a mistake (an overlook) by a Raptor pilot, more likely the Raptor was being tasked
to do something very aggressive. We may ask them to achieve the impossible.

We have to push them beyond their limits to effect valid training, to hammer home hard lessons. It is a natural,
if not critical part of the training.

With Leeroy soon to be flying Raptors he reflects on the most impressive things he’s seen from both the
perspective of the F-22 and the T-38.

“With the Raptor – you constantly die without ever seeing it – that’s very impressive” he both smiles and
frowns. “On the other hand, if you do get close, right on the Raptors six and you think you are going to get a
kill, you quickly learn that the maneuverability of the F-22 is incredible.”

The F-22 turns on a dime, and you are another F-22 statistic. And the most impressive thing about the T-38
Talon? Sounding much like I might expect a B-52 pilot would, Leeroy answers, “to fly a 1960s jet in 2016!”

The situation is ripe with paradox.

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