Airmen at Kunsan AB, South Korea, stepped up to full wartime footing, arming more than 20 F-16s in a massive force-generation exercise meant to show the United States’ commitment to its South Korean allies. Readied to the point of take-off, combat-loaded Vipers from Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing, joined by visiting F-16s from Air Force Reserve Command’s 419th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, formed on the flight line (see Air Frame below) for the Dec. 2 drill. “What we’ve done today is essentially generated aircraft for combat exactly as we would do in war time,” said Col. Craig Leavitt, 8th Operations Group commander. During the so called “elephant walk,” the bomb-laden hoard paraded en-masse along Kunsan’s runway before returning to dispersal. “A lot of time, we only practice pieces,” explained Leavitt. “Today, we’ve essentially practiced every step . . . right up until take off,” building confidence in the wing’s response, he added. (Kunsan report by SrA. Jessica Hines)
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…
