Page 18 - Desert Lightning News, D-M Airshow Edition March 2016 Update
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18 March 4, 2016 Desert Lightning News
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United States Air Force Thunderbirds
Mission people programs ground and air, runs about an hour Thunderbirds are part of our com-
The U.S. Air Force Air Demon- - To represent the United and fifteen minutes. The season bat force. If required, the team’s
stration Squadron, the Thunder- lasts from March to November, personnel and aircraft can be rap-
birds, performs precision aerial States and its armed forces to with the winter months used to idly integrated into a fighter unit at
maneuvers demonstrating the ca- foreign nations and to project train new members. Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Since
pabilities of Air Force high perfor- international goodwill the aircraft are only slightly modi-
mance aircraft to people through- Officers serve a two-year assign- fied, they can be made combat-
out the world. The squadron The Team ment with the squadron, while en- ready in less than 72 hours.
exhibits the professional qualities The Thunderbirds squadron is listed personnel serve three to four.
the Air Force develops in the peo- an Air Combat Command unit Replacements must be trained for F-16 Fighting Falcon
ple who fly, maintain and support composed of eight pilots (includ- about half of the team each year, The Lockheed Martin (formerly
these aircraft. ing six demonstration pilots), four providing a constant mix of experi- General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting
Objectives of the squadron are: support officers, three civilians and ence. Falcon represents the full range of
- To support Air Force recruiting more than 130 enlisted personnel capabilities possessed by the Air
and retention programs performing in 25 career fields. The squadron performs no Force’s tactical fighters. This highly
- To reinforce public confidence A Thunderbirds air demonstra- more than 88 air demonstrations maneuverable multi-role fighter
in the Air Force and to demon- tion is a mix of formation flying each year and has never canceled has proven to be one of the world’s
strate to the public the professional and solo routines. The four-aircraft a demonstration due to mainte- best precision tactical bombers and
competence of Air Force members diamond formation demonstrates nance difficulty. More than 280 air-to-air combat aircraft. The only
- To strengthen morale and es- the training and precision of Air million people in all 50 states and modifications needed to prepare
prit de corps among Air Force Force pilots, while the solo aircraft 57 foreign countries have seen the the aircraft for its air demonstra-
members highlight the maximum capabilities red, white and blue jets in more tion role are installing a smoke-
- To support Air Force com- of the F-16. than 3,500 aerial demonstrations. generating system in the space
munity relations and people-to- The pilots perform approxi- normally reserved for the 20mm
mately 30 maneuvers in a demon- In addition to their responsi- cannon, and the painting of the air-
stration. The entire show, including bilities as the official U.S. Air Force
aerial demonstration team, the
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Denise A. Rayder)
