Six F-16 pilots from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, completed NATO Allied Command Europe’s tactical leadership program at Albacete-Los Llanos Air Base in Spain. “This training is designed for experienced flight leads that are able to handle the intense demands of large force employment planning, execution, and debriefing with multi-national participants,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Wolcott, 480th FS commander. TLP was formed in 1978 to advance tactical capabilities of various NATO member air forces and produce tactics, techniques, and procedures that improve multinational tactical air operations. The month-long program includes four days of academics and then executing 15 distinctive flying missions. “It upgrades fighter pilots so they can be the mission commander of a large force for a real war,” said Capt. Thomas Young, one of the participating 480th FS pilots. (Spangdahlem report by SrA. Nick Wilson)
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.