Page 3 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis AFB, July 7 2017

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Weapons School re-activates historic 6th WPS by Senior Airman Joshua Kleinholz
Nellis AFB, Nev.
The United States Air Force Weapons School re- activated one of the service’s historic fighter squadrons during an assumption of command ceremony June 20, 2017, at Lightning Aircraft Maintenance Unit hangar, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
The 6th Weapons Squadron, formerly known as the 6th Aero Squadron, the 6th Pursuit Squadron, and the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, has been inactive since February 1947 when it was subject to force-wide budget consolidations.
In December 1916, the Signal Corps expanded the number of Aero Squadrons from two to seven because of World War I. The 6th Aero Squadron, as it would later be designated, was first organized in December 1916 at the Army Flying School at Rockwell Field, San Diego, Calif., and then sent to Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, to establish a permanent air presence on the islands.
The squadron remained in Hawaii throughout U.S. involvement in World War I, and was working to improve the integration of air defenses over the island before it lost all if its 18 aircraft in the surprise Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. Out of the ashes, the unit was quickly re-equipped with P-40C Warhawk fighter aircraft, re-named the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, and thrust into some of the most harrowing aerial conflict seen anywhere during World War II.
This rich legacy of valor makes the new 6th WPS the ideal home for the Air Force’s newest investment in air dominance; the F-35A Lightning II.
“This squadron has a great history and legacy dating all the way back to World War I,” said Lt. Col. Michael Blauser, 6 WPS commander.
According to Blauser, the squadron will be carrying those time-honored traditions forward as it strives to make some history of its own with the F-35 weapons instructor course curriculum.
The USAFWS currently comprises 18 squadrons and provides the world’s premier postgraduate weap-
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver
Lt. Col. Michael Blauser, (right) 6th Weapons Squadron commander, assumes command of the squadron from Col. Michael Drowley, U.S. Air Force Weapons School commandant, June 20, 2017, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The 6th WPS was inactivated more than 70 years ago due to force-wide budget cuts.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver
Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing commander, listens to Lt. Col. Michael Blouser, 6th Weapons Squadron commander, giving a speech at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., June 20, 2017. The 6th WPS was formerly known as the 6th Aero Squadron, 6th Pursuit Squadron and the 6th Night Fighter Squadron.
Lt. Col. Michael Blauser, 6th The patch has represented spinning propellers.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver
Weapons Squadron commander, displays the 6th WPS patch. the squadron since 1917 and features a skull at the center of
ons and tactics employment training. The rigorous USAFWS curriculum, joined together with the F-35As state-of-the-art capabilities and the deep-rooted history of the 6th WPS, will produce humble, approachable, and credible weapons officers determined to maintain dominance over future battlefields.
“We’re headed into uncharted waters,” said Col.
Michael Drowley, USAFWS commandant. “Every day will require steadfast leadership to ensure our fifth- generation capabilities are as lethal and dominating as possible.”
The 6th WPS is projected to be the USAF Weapons School’s largest squadron by 2023, with 30 instructors and 24 assigned F-35As.
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