Warrior exercise integrates Air Force, Marine search and rescue mission

Air Force Capt. Steve Keck, a 336th Fighter Squadron pilot, attempts to establish communications with a rescue team during a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel exercise, Jan. 31, 2017, in Kinston, N.C. The joint-service exercise combined Air Force and Marine Corps assets to rescue a simulated downed aircrew behind enemy lines. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Miranda A. Loera)

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Warrior exercise integrates Air Force, Marine search and rescue mission

Air Force Capt. Cody Williams, a 336th Fighter Squadron pilot and weapons systems officer, and Capt. Steve Keck, a 336th FS pilot, are located by a rescue team in an AH-1W Super Cobra assigned to the Marine Light Aircraft Helicopter Squadron 269 from Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, N.C., during a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel exercise, Jan. 31, 2017, in Kinston, N.C. Williams and Keck successfully evaded simulated enemy forces and coordinated rescue during the scenario. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Miranda A. Loera)

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Warrior exercise integrates Air Force, Marine search and rescue mission

Marine Corps Capts. William Wiggins and Cody Barton, both UH-1Y Venom pilots with the Marine Light Aircraft Helicopter Squadron 269 from Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, N.C., navigate to the location of a simulated downed aircrew during a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel exercise, Jan. 31, 2017, in Kinston, N.C. Two of the squadron’s aircraft, combined with F-15E Strike Eagles from the 336th Fighter Squadron, responded to the downed aircrew call and provided air support for the crew to successfully egress from simulated enemy territory. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brittain Crolley)

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Warrior exercise integrates Air Force, Marine search and rescue mission

Marine Corps 1st Lt. Richard Leung, a UH-1Y crew member with the Marine Light Aircraft Helicopter Squadron 269 from Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, N.C., watches an AH-1W Super Cobra fly alongside him during a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel exercise, Jan. 31, 2017, in Kinston, N.C. During the exercise, the crew was able to suppress enemy forces and extract the downed aircrew from hostile territory. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brittain Crolley)

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Warrior exercise integrates Air Force, Marine search and rescue mission

Published Feb. 3, 2017
By Airman Miranda A. Loera
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFNS) -- Exercise Coronet Warrior 17-01 was a two-day event that tested the abilities of the 4th Fighter Wing members to complete contingency operations at an overseas location in our current area of responsibility.

Members of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina and Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, North Carolina, completed a simulated rescue mission during CW 17-01.

The scenario consisted of a simulated crash of an F-15E Strike Eagle. Capt. Steve Keck, a 336th Fighter Squadron pilot, and Capt. Cody Williams, a 336th FS pilot and weapon systems officer, acted as the downed aircrew from the simulated crash.

Their goal was to give rescue crews a precise location to conduct rescue procedures. The aircrew were able to utilize a field for cover while awaiting help. They were rescued within an hour.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Krape, a 4th Operational Support Squadron survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialist, was the lead organizer for the mission.

“The objective for this exercise was to test (the aircrew member’s) SERE skills,” Krape said. “We wanted to see if the members knew what to do after a crash, and if they could get the proper rescue from the allied team. Also, we were throwing opposing forces at them and seeing if they could stay hidden while waiting for help to arrive.”

Two F-15E’s from Seymour Johnson AFB, a UH-1Y Venom and an AH-1W Super Cobra from MCAS New River, were tasked to find the downed aircrew. In addition, the aircraft worked together to neutralize simulated threats as part of the combat, search and rescue team.

Communication played a key part in the exercise. The team on the ground coordinated with all aircraft to ensure a successful rescue. After the members were found, it was the rescue team’s job to authenticate the rescued participant’s identity.

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Daniel Fitzgerald, a crew chief with the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, was one of the participants in the rescue portion of the training exercise. The scenario tested SERE capabilities of the downed aircrew and also provided an opportunity for joint training between the sister services.

“The scenario involved an F-15E crew go down over enemy territory and our unit was on-call for tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, or TRAP,” Fitzgerald said. “When we got the call that an aircraft went down, we started our planning process and prepared our aircraft and from there we took off and executed the mission.”

According to Fitzgerald, training in a joint environment allows them to not only practice proper procedures and gain confidence and familiarization with those procedures and equipment, but it also helps work out the minor differences between the services so they can make sure everything works well if a real-world situation arises.

“It’s important to have training scenarios like this, especially for our young Marines who are getting to practice TRAP for the first time,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve been able to practice internally, but it’s never as effective as when we get to train with other (branches). This one went way better than any other training mission I’ve done before.”