Page 8 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt, November 2020
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8      November 2020                                                                                                          http://www.luke.af.mil               Thunderbolt                                                                                                    Facebook.com/LukeThunderbolt  9
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   November 2020
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Two U.S. Air                                                                 One U.S. Air
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Force and                                                                    Force and two
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            two Royal                                                                    Royal Austra-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Australian air                                                               lian air force F-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            force F-35A                                                                  35A Lightning
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Lightning IIs                                                                IIs assigned to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            assigned to                                                                  the 61st Fight-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            the 61st Fight-                                                              er Squadron at
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            er Squadron                                                                  Luke Air Force
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            at Luke Air                                                                  Base, fly in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Force Base,                                                                  formation over
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            break forma-                                                                 Humphrey’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            tion during a                                                                Peak during a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            commemora-                                                                   commemora-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            tion flight Oct.                                                             tion flight Oct.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            8, over Bag-                                                                 8, near Flag-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            dad, Arizona.                                                                staff, Arizona.
                                                                                                                                                     Joint training makes Australia’s








                                                                                                                                                                       F-35 mission operational











                                                                                                                                                     Mission             (from Page 1)  a deployed environment are very   the end of 2020 to use Luke as a   our pilots to get an exchange assign-  The joint pilot-training at Luke
                                                                                                                                                                                      likely, according to Baker.      staging ground for jet deliveries     ment at RAAF Base Williamtown,”   AFB makes RAAF’s F-35 mission
                                                                                                                                                       “Other than the way the aircraft   “Most of the Australian pilots   to be brought back to Australia.”  Hayes said. “They would serve over   fully operational in Australia.
                                                                                                                                                     is painted, they’re all exactly the   that have come through here at   The maintenance training con-  there for two or three years, just   “It’s more than we just wear the
                                                                                                                                                     same, so we have that common plat-  Luke have worked with the U.S. Air   cluded in early 2020 due to CO-  like we have exchange assignments   same patches,” Hayes said. “There’s
                                                                                                                                                     form of flying the F-35,” Hayes said.   Force before in the Middle East,”   VID-19, although pilot training will   with other partners. The Air Force   a deeper meaning to what this part-
                                                                                                                                                     “The common tactic is sharing the   Baker said. “I don’t think you’d   continue to December 2020.  Personnel Center (AFPC) is actively   nership does here at Luke, and it
                                                                                                                                                     same training strategies between   meet many RAAF or U.S. Air Force   Baker explained that the RAAF   seeking applications to send.”  has strategic-level implications.”
                                                                                                                                                     the RAAF and the U.S. Air Force.”  pilots that haven’t interacted with   established one operational and
                                                                                                                                                       Baker said that COVID-19 de-   each other before in some capac-  one training F-35A squadron at
                                                                                                                                                     layed some of the RAAF student   ity, either operationally or in an   RAAF Base Williamtown and plans
                                                                                                                                                     pilot training, but the student pilots   exercise somewhere.”     to establish another operational
                                                                                                                                                     are determined to complete their   The RAAF and U.S. Air Force    squadron in January 2021. As of
                                                                                                                                                     requirements swiftly and efficiently.  student pilots complete the same   October 2020, five RAAF F-35s are
                                                                                                                                                       “I am continually amazed at how   nine-month undergraduate train-  assigned to the 61st FS. The first
                                                                                                                                                     the students learn so quickly,”   ing course where pilots learn how to   F-35 was delivered to RAAF Base
                                                                                                                                                     Baker said. “They come in the    operate and employ the F-35. Aus-  Williamtown in 2018 and the 30th
                                                                                                                                                     door knowing very little or noth-  tralian and U.S. instructor pilots   F-35 is scheduled to return to Aus-
                                                                                                                                                     ing about the F-35 and four or five   lead the training during courses,   tralia by December 2020. Seventy-
                                                                                                                                                     months later, they’re flying high-  Hayes said.                   two F-35s are ordered and the last
                                                                                                                                                     end, large-force-employment exer-  “Our mission, which aligns with   one is projected to be delivered to
                                                                                                                                                     cise missions with multiple aircraft   the 61st mission, is to train the   Australia by 2024.
                                                                                                                                                     involved in a dense surface-to-air   world’s most capable fighter pilots,”   Baker said the RAAF is aiming to
                                                                                                                                                     missile threat scenario.”        Baker said. “For Australia, we   declare Initial Operational Capabil-
                                                                                                                                                       The chances of the RAAF and the   train pilots and maintainers here   ity – when a capability achieves its
                                                                                                                                                     U.S. Air Force working together in   at Luke. We will continue beyond   minimum threshold to support op-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       erations – by December 2020, ahead
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       of the timeline. The RAAF’s first
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       B-course for student pilot training
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       is scheduled to launch in January
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       2021 and will be taught by instruc-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       tor pilots who trained at Luke AFB.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        In 2019, 34 fighter pilots were
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       assigned to the 61st Fighter Squad-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ron and 17 were RAAF pilots. As of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       October 2020, there are five RAAF
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       instructor pilots, seven student
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       pilots and two maintainers who
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       continue to execute the joint train-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ing partnership mission.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Hayes says that Luke will con-                              U.S. Air Force photos by Staff Sgt. Alexander Cook
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       tinue to maintain an alliance with   A U.S. Air Force and two Royal Australian air force F-35A Lightning IIs
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       the RAAF in the future through   assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, fly in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       exchange programs.              formation over Grand Canyon along the Colorado River during a com-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        “To be able to keep those formal   memoration flight Oct. 8. The flight celebrated the partnership between
                                                                                                                                                     A U.S. Air Force and a Royal Australian air force F-35A Lightning II as-  connections we’re heavily looking   the RAAF and U.S. Air Force in their joint efforts in training the world’s
     Staff Sgt. Alexander Cook, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, gets a chance to show off his perspective while capturing the joint flight of RAAF and U.S. Air Force F-  signed to the 61st Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, fly in forma-  into exchange programs, where   most capable fighter pilots at Luke AFB. The flight marked the final sortie
     35A Lightning IIs in the skies over Arizona.                                                                                                    tion over downtown Phoenix during a commemoration flight Oct. 8.   we’re actively trying to get one of   between the two nations before Luke AFB’s Australian partners depart.
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