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F-22 pilots fire live missiles at Combat Archer

  • Published
  • By 2d Lt Savanah Bray
  • 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) --  More than 200 pilots, maintainers and operations support staff from the 1st Fighter Wing are gaining firsthand experience in loading and firing live missiles at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, from July 6-20, 2018.

During these two weeks, the 1st FW from Joint Base Langley Eustis participated in Combat Archer as part of the Weapons System Evaluation Program, in conjunction with Checkered Flag 18-2. The goal of these combined exercises is to train and evaluate the F-22 Raptor and other weapons systems under simulated combat environments, to include firing live missiles against remotely piloted targets. While many units and military aircraft come together for major exercises a few times a year, Combat Archer is unique because it’s one of the few opportunities pilots have to fire live missiles in training.

“Outside of combat missions and operational or developmental test flights, the 1st FW doesn’t train with live missiles,” said Capt. Robert Pupilis, 1st FW project officer for Combat Archer/Checkered Flag 18-2. “It’s an opportunity that is not taken for granted, and for some pilots, this exercise is the first time they have ever fired a live missile. “

Pupilis said, the experience of firing a live missile is difficult to explain.

“You prepare yourself, study your shot profile and every possible thing that could go wrong,” Pupilis said. “When flying (in position to take the shot), you are soda straw-focused, and you tend to experience temporal distortion. When you hit the button (that fires the missile), it takes only a few moments for the missile to leave the jet and launch in a smoke trail across your nose. For my first shot, those few seconds seemed like 100, but once you catch up to reality, the feeling of awe is hard to forget.”

According to a welcome letter from the host unit, the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, Combat Archer is not just a training event; it is a formal evaluation of the total weapon system, man, machine, and missile and a squadron's ability to conduct air-to-air missions. It is a rare opportunity for squadrons to load live weapons and shoot them at threat-realistic targets. The goal is to maximize live-fire experience throughout the combat Air Force, so priority is given to first-time shooters.

This training and live-fire experience is critical to Raptor pilots, as air superiority is the primary mission for the F-22. In addition to the experience pilots and maintainers gain from loading and launching live missiles during Combat Archer, Checkered Flag provides the opportunity to work alongside multiple weapons systems and services.

“In one fight, more than 50 aircraft may participate from multiple services, including fourth and fifth generation fighter jets, bomber platforms, refueling aircraft, and command and control aircraft,” Pupilis said. “At Langley, typical training consists of only F-22s and T-38 Talons. Being able to integrate with the other fighters on the same side of the fight, and fight against different platforms on the enemy side provides great training for all involved.”

In total, the JB Langley-Eustis’s F-22s and T-38s were scheduled to fly 300 sorties. The F-22 shot 20 missiles: five AIM-120 medium range missiles and 15 AIM-9 heat seeking missiles.

According to Pupilis, a lot of work and planning goes into launching that many jets and firing 20 missiles, but Combat Archer provides unparalleled live-fire experience for the pilots and maintainers of the 1st FW, as the F-22 Raptor continues to be the most dominant air superiority fighter in the world.