p, .More than 30 Arizona Air National Guardsmen, five F-16s, and Singaporean student pilots from the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson visited Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, in August to help train Singaporeans in air-to-air combat maneuvers, according to a Mountain Home release. “Back home, it’s very hard getting every student the required amount of flying hours, so we bring them up here and fly as red-versus-blue air forces,” said Lt. Col. Julian Pacheco, Tucson’s 152nd Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations. Tucson is home to Air Guard-led F-16 fighter pilot training. Another advantage of spending time at Mountain Home is the ability of the Singaporean F-16 pilots to train with the base’s F-15s, including Singaporean F-15SGs flown by their countrymen who train at the Idaho air base, states the Aug. 27 release. “This is a huge benefit because it’s their own countrymen they are training and fighting against, who fly a completely different aircraft,” said Pacheco (Mountain Home report by SrA. Benjamin Sutton)
The Air Force's new Aircraft Readiness Unit will maintain and provide Collaborative Combat Aircraft for operations, but won’t serve as a “schoolhouse” teaching fighter pilots how to manage these escort drones.