389th, 391st Fighter Squadrons complete live fire exercise

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  • By Airman Samantha S. DeVries
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho (ACCNS) --  Aircrews from the 389th and 391st Fighter Squadrons teamed up to hone their aerial combat skills during a live weapons training exercise held recently at the Mountain Home Range Complex and Utah Test and Training Range.

"The exercise was used to validate our tactics and practice our employment of laser guided bombs," said Capt. Bryan E. Middlekauff, 389th FS weapons officer.

It was the first time the 389th FS dropped live or inert weapons since transitioning to F-15E aircraft last month.

Opportunities to practice with live or inert laser-guided bombs don't happen often due to costs of using these precision weapons, the captain added. Most training exercises conducted here use inert bombs or weapons simulated electronically by the aircraft's onboard weapons systems.

Training opportunities like this occur two or three times a year and are usually directed by Air Combat Command officials, Captain Middlekauff added.

"We had the range time and airspace scheduled and the weapons available to us, so we took advantage of the training opportunity," he said.

The captain lauded the efforts of the wing's combined maintenance community and other support troops "who showed tremendous flexibility, pulling together to make this training happen."

"For this type of training, our maintenance troops had to set up shop on the south end of the ramp due to safety considerations and ended up moving a lot of equipment down there before any of the live fire training could begin," he said. "It also required them to make special arrangements to get munitions, fuel and other needed assets down there, and they worked hard to make this all happen without a hitch."

The 336th Equipment Maintenance Squadron built all munitions used during the exercise. The squadron's munitions Airmen train regularly to re-hone skills and stay proficient on the task, said Master Sgt. Robert Staats, 366th EMS.

Exercises like this allow Gunfighters the opportunity to get the feel for what they will be doing in wartime operations. During these training missions, crews actually feel the weapons leave the aircraft, giving them a first-hand look at how they function and how the aircraft reacts when the bombs release, according to the captain.

They also give the Airmen who work on the bombs a chance to see what they can do, the sergeant said.

"Let's face it, nobody likes a war, but when we need to, we rise up and do our business," Sergeant Staats added.

Both fighter squadrons fly F-15E Strike Eagles capable of performing close air support, air interdiction, strategic attack, enemy air defense suppression and defensive counter air missions. These jets can carry a full array of Air Force weapons and onboard systems, including precision-guided and inertial-aided munitions, night vision goggles, fighter data link as well as Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN, targeting pods.

By conducting exercises similar to this, these fighter squadrons remain fully qualified to continue to maintain combat readiness for short notice worldwide operations, Captain Middlekauff said.