'Fightin' Eagles' earn Raytheon Trophy

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jason J. Brown
  • 633d Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  The 27th Fighter Squadron recently received the Raytheon Trophy, identifying them as the most outstanding air superiority squadron in the Air Force and Air National Guard during fiscal year 2010. The award marks the first time a fighter squadron employing the F-22 Raptor received the award, a milestone for America's oldest fighter squadron and fifth-generation airpower.

Originally started by the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1953, the trophy is now sponsored by Raytheon Systems Corporation. Units are judged based on operational mission performance, training exercise participation, operational readiness inspection results, unit and individual achievements and awards, and unit incentive programs.

During fiscal year 2010, the 27 FS, known as the "Fightin' Eagles," deployed more than 200 days in support of combatant commanders from the East China Sea to Southwest Asia. Pilots, maintainers and support personnel pioneered the first-ever F-22 presence in the Middle East through participation in Iron Falcon -- a multinational training exercise hosted at the United Arab Emirates Air Warfare Center.

"Exercise Iron Falcon provided a great opportunity to validate F-22 operations in Southwest Asia and evolve our interoperability with regional allies and NATO partners," said Maj. John Rogers, 27 FS assistant director of operations and project officer for the deployment. "We learned a lot about operating the Raptor in the desert and, thanks to our world-class maintenance team, experienced an unprecedented readiness rate despite the challenging environment."

After returning from Southwest Asia, the 27 FS mobilized to support Air Expeditionary Force 5/6. The squadron's F-22s were an integral part of a continued U.S. presence in the Pacific theater as part of Pacific Command's Theater Security Package. While deployed, the Fightin' Eagles lead the way in accomplishing numerous breakthroughs for deployed fifth-generation fighters.

"We arrived on time and were ready for action from day one and less than 24 hours after the first F-22s landed at Andersen AFB, we were flying local training sorties," said Capt. Blaine Jones, 27 FS assistant director of operations. "The incredible teamwork between ops, maintenance, logistics and countless other departments produced a rapid response posture unlike any I have ever seen before."

During AEF 5/6, the 27 FS executed the first-ever large-scale, intra-theater movement and regeneration of F-22s, validating the combat deployment and regeneration capability of the Raptor. Superior operations, logistics and maintenance planning enabled the F-22s to fight their way in, land and regenerate a combat alert status posture.

The capstone event during AEF 5/6 was Exercise Valiant Shield, a 10-day joint plan validation involving 11 combat units, a carrier strike group and more than 150 joint service fighter aircraft. As the lead fighter unit, 27 FS planners developed exercise-specific regulations, in-flight guides, supervisor of flying regulation and training programs and memorandums of understanding with local Federal Aviation Administration officials. The squadron's planning lead to immeasurable gains in safety and efficiency with no class A or B mishaps occurring across the entire exercise.

Lt. Col. Pete Fesler, 27 FS commander, attributed the squadron's success not only to its personnel, but also to the Virginia ANG's 149 FS and the myriad of support personnel from across Langley.

"We are truly fortunate to have been recognized as the top air superiority squadron of 2010, but the 23 men and women of the 27th Fighter Squadron did not earn this recognition on their own," Colonel Fesler said. "Without the daily contribution of all the Airmen and civilians we worked alongside throughout the year, we would not have been able to accomplish our most basic squadron functions, let alone earn this prestigious award. This was, without a doubt, a team effort."

The Raytheon Trophy will be presented to the 27 FS in May.