Page 8 - Aerotech News 7-3-15

Raptors bring intimidation to exercise Northern Edge

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JB Elmendord-Richardson, Alaska

Its wide muzzle, short black broad Air Force photographs by SSgt. William Banton
nose with large nostrils and deep-set,
dark eyes grimace intimidation across An F-22 Raptor from the 525 Fighter Squadron, returns from a mission during exercise Northern Edge 2015 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska,
the patch on the right shoulder of the pi- June 18, 2015. Northern Edge is Alaska’s premier joint training exercise designed to practice operations, techniques and procedures, as well as enhance
lot boarding his aircraft while preparing interoperability among the services. Thousands of participants from all services and components were involved.
to engage an enemy in the joint interop-
erability environment that is Northern Crewmembers work on an F-22 Raptor from the 525 Fighter Squadron, after it returns from a mission during exercise Northern Edge 2015 at Joint Base
Edge 2015. Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, June 18, 2015. Northern Edge is Alaska’s premier joint training exercise designed to practice operations, techniques and
procedures, as well as enhance interoperability among the services.
The intimidation the 525th Fighter
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matched by the powerful capabilities of
an aircraft adept at ensuring lethality www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview
against all advanced air threats.

The F-22 Raptor is able to support the
mission through its ability to establish air
superiority quickly and hold it through
the duration of the missions, said Capt.
Richard Williams, a 525th FS F-22 pilot.

“Our job is to gain control of the air-
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platforms and discourage anybody who
may try to seek, engage and destroy one
of our friendly forces,” he said. “We are
protecting them by making sure enemy
aircraft aren’t operating in the area in a
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potentially destroy one of our aircraft.”

The role of the F-22 during Northern
Edge is to work alongside other aircraft
with missions as varied as dropping
bombs to providing airlift and airdrops
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joint environments.

“If we were to deploy in a Northern
Edge scenario, we are obviously going
to deploy with the Navy,” said 1st Lt.
Michael Blahut, a 525th FS F-22 pilot.
“It’s important to practice like you play.
You cannot play and do the real thing
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one will be on the same page.”

Blahut said it’s rare for 525th FS pi-
lots to have the opportunity to train be-
side the Navy, which means Northern
Edge helps provide important insight
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other services’ aircraft.

Blahut, a former F-15C Eagle crew
chief prior to becoming a pilot, has an
interesting perspective on what joint
exercises can provide to the interoper-
ability of working with other services.

“From a maintainer’s perspective it’s
about helping the Navy use our facilities
to maintain their aircraft,” he said.

Different service branches do busi-
ness differently; the branches get the
opportunity to watch these processes
and trade ideas, Blahut said.

Now participating in Northern Edge
as a pilot, Blahut has a better understand-
ing of the air mission and appreciates his
maintainer’s perspective.

“You see pilots running because they
might have had to ground abort a jet, like
I did today,” he said. “He is supposed
to be somewhere at a particular time
and at a particular location, to adhere to
a strike package, or whatever it might
be, the mission commander might have
made for the day. As a crew chief you
have no idea.”

“Looking back if I could I would tell
myself, ‘look dude there is a reason this
dudes running from one jet to another,’”
Blahut said. “‘He has a takeoff time to
meet, so if you could have little patience
with the dude that would be great.’”

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