The USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., is increasingly using Air National Guard fighter rotations to provide aggressor support and is looking to formalize a more permanent relationship. Since Nellis inactivated its F-15 aggressor squadron last September, the school has faced a perennial shortage. “Over the last six months, we have asked the Guard to provide even more support in the adversary role. It’s something that we need, due to a reduced number of Active Duty assets,” school Deputy Commandant Lt. Col. Jon Berardinelli, said in a release. “A formal arrangement is going to take a collaborative effort and commitments across all major commands and the National Guard Bureau—all for the greater good,” he said. Nellis signed a long-term deal for contracted “red air” from Draken International back in September. Massachusetts ANG F-15C/Ds and some 114 pilots, maintainers, and support personnel from the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes ANGB, Mass., deployed to Nellis to support the most recent two-week training phase, according to the release.
A-10s Headed to CENTCOM to Bolster Air Force Presence
March 23, 2023
As the Air Force’s broader focus shifts to the Pacific and Europe, the U.S. military will rely on aging close air support aircraft to meet the needs of its forces in the Middle East. A-10 Thunderbolt IIs will deploy to the region in April, a U.S. official told Air &…