Page 4 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt – April 2025

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F-16
April 4, 2025 News www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb
Thunderbolt http://www.luke.af.mil
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ready Airmen, now with the unmatched capabilities of the F-35. This transition el- evates our lethality as a base, strengthens the Air Force’s dominance, and reinforces our deterrence and warfighting edge for the conflicts of today.
BAMBoo
While the F-16’s chapter at Luke AFB comes to a close, our mission remains un- changed. Luke will continue to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat-
South Dakota, and McConnell AFB, Kansas, together make up the 13th CABS. This triad has been training together throughout the Air Force Force Generation cycle.
“The success of this exercise stems directly from the unit of action initiative,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Justin Rees, 13th CABS direc- tor of operations. “Every Airmen involved has been training together throughout the entire AFFORGEN Prepare Phase, and this exercise proves that cohesive training leads to lethality.”
Tyndall AFB was selected as a training location for Bamboo Eagle for its ability to simulate realistic execution of crate repair, strengthening critical airfield recovery skills. Airmen from numerous career fields worked together to complete the mission at hand, not only being efficient, but also effective.
“At Tyndall, our airmen lived in deployed conditions, sleeping in tents and eating MREs,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Olufemi Owolabi, 13th CABS first sergeant. “Training included working in Mission- Oriented Protective Posture gear from levels one through four. We did our best to make the environment as real as possible to strengthen our airmen’s capability in combat.”
Exercises like Bamboo Eagle mimic realis- tic, high-pressure environments that enhance readiness, strengthen teamwork, and build the skills needed for rapid deployment. By sharpening these capabilities, they directly contribute to the Air Force’s mission success, ensuring our forces are prepared to deter threats and dominate the skies anytime, anywhere.
U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Katelynn Jackson
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Ress, 309th Fighter Squadron commander, walks out of the 309th FS to pilot the final U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon flight out of Luke Air Force Base, March 24, 2025, delivering it to the 16th Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB. Luke AFB began transitioning F-16 squadrons into F-35 squadrons in the early 2000s, the 309th being the last to transition out of the six fighter squadrons on base.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Ress, 309th Fighter Squadron commander, climbs into the cockpit of an F-16 Fighting Falcon to pilot the final U.S. F-16 flight out of Luke Air Force Base, March 24, 2025, delivering it to the 16th Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB. The final class of F-16 student pilots graduated from the 309th FS
in September 2024, and the last local training sortie was in February of 2025.
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