Mountain Home Airmen participate in Korea exercise

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Korea (ACCNS) --  Airmen and aircraft from units across the Pacific Air Forces and Air Combat Command descended on Kunsan Air Base June 16 through 20, to participate in Max Thunder.

Hosted at Kunsan, Max Thunder is a bilateral training exercise intended to increase interoperability between Republic of Korea and U.S. Air Force Airmen.

"We live here together ... we will go together. It's important that we exercise together," said Col. J. Bryan "Wolf" Bearden, 8th Fighter Wing commander. "There's so much that we have to learn by working together, that's what makes this week so very important."

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, B-52 Stratofortresses, E-3 Sentries and KC-135 Stratotankers, flew multiple training missions alongside Republic of Korea Air Force F-15Ks, KF-16s and (R)F-4s, designed to replicate the scenarios and planning cycles of the Red Flag ahead of the ROKAF's participation in the exercise held annually at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

In addition to the 8th FW and ROKAF aircraft normally stationed here, Kunsan also hosted F-15Es from Mountain Home Air Force Base's 389th Fighter Squadron along with approximately 90 Airmen. Maj. Matt Baugh from Mountain Home's 389th Fighter Squadron highlighted the challenges involved with so many aircraft in the air.

"One of the challenges of an exercise of this size is integrating with so many different airframes," he said. "In normal training missions we fly with four jets together, sometimes eight. [During Max Thunder] we're talking upwards of 50 or 60 jets and aircrew all working together, which is challenging."

"It also prepares them (ROKAF) for the style of briefing, de-briefing and training that they'll get at Red Flag," added 1st Lt. Sriram Krishnan, an F-15 weapons systems officer with the 389th FS. "This is the first time they'll get to see that, on a smaller scale."

"No matter what our future holds, what we can guarantee today is that, through this exercise, we'll be able to operate together better," concluded Colonel Bearden.