Page 3 - Nellis AFB Bullseye 7-24-15

BULLSEYE
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Donald Rumsfeld visits Nellis
Former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld interacts with a service member
during a book signing and meet-and-greet at the Base Exchange, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.,
July 16, 2015. Rumsfeld is the youngest and oldest individual ever to sit in the Defense Secretary
position, serving terms under Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.
hill Afb, from page 1
led the squadron when it was deactivated
in 2010.
“This has got to be one of the finest days the first combat squadron to fly the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, the F-35A Lightning II.
of my military career,” he said. “To see this
squadron shut down in 2010 was heart-
breaking, but somebody, somewhere had
the good sense to bring it back to duty.”
Lt. Col. George Watkins, the new
commander of the squadron, said that
while the first operational F-35 is not
slated to arrive at the base until Septem-
ber, the new squadron shouldn’t have
trouble keeping busy until then.
The first group of F-35 maintainers,
which will make up the 34th Aircraft
Maintenance Unit, have been at Hill
AFB for two months, completing mostly
administrative work critical to the up-
coming aircraft transition.
Watkins said the Airmen have been
writing programs on how the unit will
maintain the F-35 in peace and wartime
scenarios and have created a flying hours
program that includes directives for
training, off-station sorties, contingency
scenarios, local flying and any major
modifications to the aircraft.
“There (is) a lot of work to be done
before we get that first jet,” Watkins said.
The initial group of F-35 maintainers
from the 419th FW are in training, and
News
Lt. Col. George R. Watkins addresses the audience and squadron members during the 34th
Fighter Squadron activation ceremony July 17 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The 34th FS will be
the first 419th FW pilot to fly the F-35
will begin training this fall.
When the F-35s begin to arrive at
Hill AFB, they’ll be divided among
three fighter squadrons and flown and
maintained by members of both the
388th FW and its Reserve component,
the 419th FW.
A10, from page 1
an appreciation for what our ground
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Kleinholz forces go through during a Green Flag
rotation.”
Meeting face-to-face gave both
parties a mutual understanding of
what each brings to the fight, what
capabilities each needs to be suc-
cessful, and how to determine the
best way to integrate with each other
during the exercise.
“We’re here to support these guys
and that’s why we deployed the
entire squadron to Nellis Air Force
Base,” said Capt. Erik Gonsalves,
75th Fighter Squadron, Moody Air
Force Base, Georgia, A-10 Thunder-
bolt II instructor pilot. “This helps
show our dedication to them and
making this exercise the best it can
be for both parties involved.”
This austere field landing helped
display the capabilities and integra-
tion the Air Force and Army can offer.
“We have the ability to fight
overhead, land, to refuel, and take
off again to continue the fight,” said
Gonsalves. “This is a unique capa-
bility that we can provide, which
goes along with close air support,
combat search and rescue, and
forward air control. It helps put a
different spin on the A-10.”
For this exercise, an airborne tanker
was used, but having landing capabil-
ity allows the A-10 to land at Bike Lake
and refuel on the ground if necessary.
“This would give the pilots ad-
“There are slated to be a total of 72
F-35s at Hill AFB by 2019, with approxi-
mately 35-40 pilots in each of the three
fighter squadrons.
Hill officials hope to have 15 jets by
August 2016 and reach a status known
as “initial operational capability,” which
means the fighter wings meet the mini-
3July 24, 2015
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ditional time in the area of opera-
tions in order to support the ground
forces,” said Feuring. “The landings
we did last week proved that we
could land, get gas, and launch to
fight some more.”
In a heavily-contested environ-
ment, the threat could potentially be
too high to have an airborne tanker.
“An austere field landing allows
for us to push in and provide close
air support in a heavily-contested
environment and allows for us to
stay over head for longer periods
of time,” said Gonsalves. “By doing
so, it allows us to help those on the
ground out. It also eliminates the
need to have an airborne tanker or
have it close to an area with threats.”
The A-10 was built to land on a
field, which won’t negatively affect
the engine or tires, added Gonsalves.
Meeting face-to-face also allows for
a more personal communication ele-
ment to be added to the exercise, rather
than communicating via email, phone
calls, or video teleconference.
“I don’t think there is a better
medium of communication than
meeting face-to-face and seeing
the actual battlespace and area that
they’re operating in,” said Gonsalves.
“It gives us a chance to visualize what
their conditions are like, see what
they’re dealing with, and understand
their limiting factors. This helps
strengthen the relationship. When
you’re fighting a fight, relation-
ships are what it’s all about.”
U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd mum operational capabilities to use the
jet for normal operations.”
The 34th FS is scheduled to have five
qualified pilots during the first month
of flying, taking turns in what will be
two F-35s on base. The 388th FW is
sending pilots through training at Eglin
AFB, Florida, and Luke AFB, Arizona.
By January 2016, the wing will have 10
pilots qualified to fly the F-35, including
Watkins and Lyons, who both finished
their training earlier this year.
The colonels answered to those who
have criticized the F-35 program for its
expense and apparent lack of perfor-
mance. The most recent cost estimate for
operating and supporting the F-35 fleet
exceeds $1 trillion and a leaked internal
brief written by a test pilot who was fly-
ing the F-35 during a January test run
revealed the jet was losing dogfights to
the F-16.
“Things aren’t perfect, but things are
still in development and you can see the
potential,” Lyons said, adding that the
F-35 flies similarly to the F-16, but by
fusing many different sensors together,
makes the pilot’s job easier in the cockpit.
Fighter wing spokesman Nathan
Simmons said that by the time the F-35
is in full operation at Hill in 2019, the
388th FW will have added more than
260 active-duty positions.