A-10C 78-0639 with the 188th Fighter Wing prepares to refuel over the Mojave Desert near Nellis AFB, Nevada, October 14, 2009. The aerial refueling was a small part of training the 188th conducted during a two-week deployment to Green Flag West in preparation for the unit's upcoming Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation in Afghanistan in spring 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Heath Allen, 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
by Capt. Heath Allen
188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Officer
11/2/2009 - NELLIS AFB, Nev. -- The 188th Fighter Wing took the next step toward preparing for its spring 2010 Aerospace Expeditionary Forces (AEF) rotation to Afghanistan with the second portion of its training at Green Flag West Oct. 9-23.
Green Flag West is hosted by the 549th Combat Training Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and the 12th Combat Training Squadron at Fort Irwin, Calif.
Approximately 200 pilots, maintenance and support personnel from the 188th Fighter Wing based in Fort Smith, Ark., deployed to Nellis for training. The 188th deployed 10 of its 21 A-10C Thunderbolt II Warthogs to Green Flag West.
The objective of Green Flag was to build upon the experiences and training logged at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., at Operation Snowbird July 25-Aug. 8.
"Much of our training was focused on using what we've learned already at Snowbird and through our previous training and integrating it with the Army in an austere environment," said Lt. Col. Ray Hunter, the 188th Fighter Wing's 184th Fighter Squadron commander. "It's stair-stepped training, getting the pilots used to a piece at a time."
The primary motive of Green Flag West is to duplicate warfare conditions currently found in Iraq and Afghanistan. Aircrew engage in battle exercises that furnish training in which they work closely with joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) to protect nearly 6,000 Soldiers and 400 armored and support vehicles from an opposing enemy force in a 1,000-square-mile combat environment.
While at Green Flag West, the 188th dropped a diverse array of munitions and bombs, including GBU-38 JDAMs, GBU-12 LGBs, MK-82s (inert), MK-66 rockets and AGM-65 Mavericks as well as firing its 30 MM rounds from the A-10's GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun.
"We dropped a year's worth of weapons at Green Flag [West] in just under two weeks," Hunter said.
The exercise is conducted in areas within Las Vegas valley as well as to and from Nellis AFB and Fort Irwin, near Mount Charleston, and north of Pahrump in Nevada. Flight paths also include the Mojave Desert near Fort Irwin in both Inyo and San Bernardino Counties in California.
"The combination of an A-10C fully-loaded with munitions and bombs along with high-pressure, high-altitude really slows these planes down," Hunter said. "It's important for us to learn how to handle aircraft under those circumstances in a combat environment. It changes everything and we have to be prepared."
To ensure that the unit was well rehearsed, it flew 188 sorties totaling 360 hours during its two-week training mission.
"That's pretty neat how that number of sorties came out with us being the 188th," Hunter said. "That's about two-thirds of a month of normal flying that we're doing in about 13 workdays so you can see the operations tempo is pretty high here."
Col. Jeff "Kid" Hickman, 188th Operations Group commander, said the unit has made colossal strides considering the 188th was flying F-16C Falcons in 2007. Two software upgrades in the A-10 since the aircraft transition have made training even more arduous.
"Two and a half years ago we were all F-16 drivers," Hickman said "We've been through two software updates in the A-10 already and that makes the transition and the training even more challenging. To put this in perspective: In four months all these guys will be in Afghanistan in a combat environment. This exercise is an excellent spin-up. It's the closest we can get to actual combat. To drop two 500-pound bombs live, drop a laser-guided bomb live and a satellite-guided bomb all in one sortie is invaluable training."
Hunter said many individuals in maintenance and mission planning toiled from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. the following morning to ensure the jets were fully mission capable each day.
"It certainly takes more than pilots to make these planes fly," said Col. Tom Anderson, 188th Fighter Wing commander. "It takes a highly trained group of maintenance professionals to load the planes with munitions and to ensure these planes are fully mission capable each and every day. A lot transpires behind the scenes and the maintenance personnel deserve a lot of the recognition for making sure the pilots are able to do their jobs. They're going to be right there with us in Afghanistan."
A-10C 78-0639 with the 188th Fighter Wing prepares to refuel over the Mojave Desert near Nellis AFB, Nevada, October 14, 2009. The aerial refueling was a small part of training the 188th conducted during a two-week deployment to Green Flag West in preparation for the unit's upcoming Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation in Afghanistan in spring 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Heath Allen, 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Master Sgt. Steven Timmons of the 188th Fighter Wing Maintenance Squadron conducts preflight inspections on the avionics system of an A-10C during a deployment to Green Flag West at Nellis AFB, Nevada, October 14, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Heath Allen, 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Master Sgt. Allan Brewer of the 188th Fighter Wing's Maintenance Squadron conducts tests on the avionics systems of an A-10C during a two-week deployment to Green Flag West at Nellis AFB in preparation for the unit's upcoming Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation in Afghanistan in spring 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dennis Brambl, 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Master Sgt. Allan Brewer of the 188th Fighter Wing's Maintenance Squadron tests the avionics systems of an A-10C during a two-week deployment to Green Flag West at Nellis AFB in preparation for the unit's upcoming Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation in Afghanistan in spring 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dennis Brambl, 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
Pilots with the 188th Fighter Wing suit up for night-flying missions in the unit's A-10Cs during a deployment to Green Flag West at Nellis AFB, Nevada, October 14, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Heath Allen, 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res
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