The Air Force’s premiere Air-to-Air Weapons Meet returns in 2025
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- The Air Force’s premiere Air-to-Air Weapons Meet returns in 2025 where William Tell competitors will once again take to the skies above the Air Dominance Center, Savannah, Georgia, September 9 through 18.
William Tell 2023 saw the return of the Air Force’s best and brightest after a nearly 20-year hiatus. The historic competition, named after the legendary Swiss archer, was a biennial competition that featured the most challenging air-to-air scenarios since 1954. Before its iconic return in 2023, the competition was placed on hold after 2004 due to a rise in military operations tempo and contingency requirements.
Unlike other U.S. Air Force Flag exercises, William Tell is historically proven to have a direct positive impact on combat readiness and Air Superiority unlike anything else in our Air Force. The integrated scenarios enhance the interoperability as the Air Force continually adapts to dynamic operational environments in peer-contested skies.
“As we reoptimize for great power competition, William Tell puts a microscope on the way we achieve and maintain air superiority in a highly contested environment with peer adversaries,” said Gen. Ken Wilsbach, commander of Air Combat Command. “It lets us not only examine the strategic advantages of fighter integration, but it also allows Airmen the opportunity to perform and perfect those skills, making us a more ready Air Force.”
Since 1954, the competition highlighted critical camaraderie as elite teams drove one another to better understand their true limits and capabilities.
“Attending William Tell and flying with the best fighter pilots in the world was one of the highlights of my career. Of all the awards that were presented, I am extremely proud to be a part of the team that received the Richard I. Bong trophy for the best fighter integration team,” said Maj. Matthew “2-Face” Gibson, 525th Fighter Squadron F-22 pilot. “Flying with dissimilar Mission Design Series at William Tell provided an opportunity to test our proficiency as an integrated team in a highly competitive environment. We go to war as a team and William Tell instilled confidence in ourselves and demonstrated to our adversaries that we are going to be an extremely lethal team.”
William Tell 2023 brought 52 fighter jets, 830 personnel, including 112 competitors, from 12 wings across Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, and the Air National Guard together in Savannah for five days of grueling competition. Pilots, maintainers, intelligence professionals, and munitions experts showcased their mettle in competitions ranging from aircrew performance in air superiority, while evaluating weapons use and the tactics employed, weapons loading, and maintenance and weapons’ director competitions.
“The Air Dominance Center is honored that ACC chose to bring William Tell back to Savannah and, capitalizing on the success of 2023, we look forward to an even bigger and better experience in 2025,” said Col. Stephen “Tracker” Thomas, Commander of the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center. “Hosting the largest fighter competition in the world allows the CRTC to showcase what sets us apart as the Air National Guard’s premiere location for training Warfighters.”
In its recent iteration, William Tell showcased the Air Superiority capabilities of the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and F-15 Eagle. In 2025, competition planners will round out the competition teams with the integration of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, often referred to as the Viper, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in service to the U.S. Air Force.
“I think the Viper community is eager to be invited to the next William Tell. Vipers are an integral part of our fighter inventory and fighting force. With the F-16 getting active electronically scanned array radar upgrades, and no plans to phase out current F-16 inventory, the Viper community should, and will, be a part of the Air-to-Air realm for years to come,” said Maj. Ryan “LIT” Gourley, William Tell 2025 competition director. “We aim to foster Air-to-Air excellence across all Air Force MDS platforms. Fighter Integration plays an increasingly more important role in maintaining Air Dominance as we train to fight our peer adversaries.”
With eight awards up for grabs, competitors will have a lot on the line. As some compete to protect their title as “winner” for the first time in 20 years, others will be gunning to dethrone them and be crowned a William Tell champion.
Check out last year’s winners and see who will be fighting to stay ‘top gun.’