Nellis Creech NTTR Bullseye, Feb. 3 2017

Vol. 67 No. 3 February 3, 2017
F-35A Lightning maintenance sparks Red Flag 17-1
By Airman 1st class nathan Byrnes
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — The debut of the F-35A Lightning II at Red
Flag has afforded the pilots and maintain- ers of the aircraft a chance to be a part of the Air Force’s premier air-to-air combat training exercise.
For Airmen involved with the F-35,
Red Flag 17-1 provides a unique type of training that prepares them to be fully mission ready.
“It’s been great coming here and doing something that some of us haven’t neces-
sarily done before,” said Senior Airman John Girtman, an F-35A avionics systems specialist assigned to the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. “It gives us the ability to ex- ercise our strength. Being able to work in an environment like Red Flag and seeing all of our training and hard work from back home come to fruition is extremely beneficial.”
A major part of the success so far of the F-35 aircrew can be contributed to the planning and training that went into getting prepared for Red Flag 17-1.
“Before we came out to the exercise we sat down and came up with a game plan as to what we may encounter or any issues we might face and how we can overcome those challenges,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Bailey, 388th AMXS crew chief.
“Now that we are here, the challenges we face during Red Flag helps us see what kind of challenges we might be faced with in a deployed environment and how we can overcome those,” said Bailey. “The things we learn during this exercise will allow us to progress and get better.”
Red Flag exercises are fast paced and provide aircrews the experience of mul- tiple, intensive air combat sorties in the safety of a training environment.
See f-35a, on page 9
ing familiar with the terrain of the town. “As we were scanning we noticed a vehicle [in the] the corner of the screen that was moving toward the friendly forces location,” Matthew said. “We knew this was not a normal action for
See airstrike, on page 6 contents
Commentary ............................ 2 News ....................................... 3-11 Nellis Living ............................ 17 Lighter Side ............................ 18
Maintainers from the 419th and 388th Fighter Wings, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, conduct preflight checks on an F-35A Lightning II from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 24. The F-35s multi-role capabilities allows it to perform missions which traditionally required numerous specialized aircraft.
MQ-1 Predator airstrike stops car bomb
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes
By senior Airman christian clausen
432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — The MQ-1 Predator aircrew sat in the ground control station focused intently on their screens. Tension filled the air as they assessed the situation and began calculat-
ing the risks of destroying an armored vehicle suspected of carrying explosives. The remotely piloted aircraft crew
started their shift the same as any other, attending the crew brief before flight. As they arrived in the GCS, the battle envi- ronment was changing, thrusting them into a life-or-death situation.
“When we first got in the seat we checked in with our coalition forces on the ground and received an update on where they were,” said 1st Lt. Matthew, 15th At- tack Squadron MQ-1 pilot. “Keeping them safe was our primary focus.”
The crew began scanning the local area, gathering intelligence and becom-
F-35A
Taking part in Red Flag
12 & 13
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