U.S. Air Force aircraft from across the active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard park on the flight line during William Tell at the Air Dominance Center located at the Savannah Air National Guard Base in Savannah, Georgia, Sept. 14, 2023. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Morgan R. Whitehouse
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The Air Force’s revived William Tell Air-to-Air Weapons Meet wrapped up last week, the first edition of the prestigious fighter competition in nearly 20 years—and a select group of Airmen walked away with some trophies.
Fourteen different teams and individuals won awards at the meet’s closing ceremonies on Sept. 15 at the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Ga. Air Combat Command identified the wings of the winners but declined to publicly identify individuals, citing operational security.
The team awards included categories for the three types of aircraft competing—F-15, F-22, and F-35—as well as one—the Major Richard I. Bong Fighter Interceptor Trophy—for individual teams that demonstrated the best fighter integration across multiple platforms and systems:
Major Richard I. Bong Fighter Interceptor Trophy: 3rd Wing (F-22s), 366th Fighter Wing (F-15Es), 388th and 419th Fighter Wings (F-35s)
Lieutenant Colonel James H. Harvey III Top F-15 Wing Award: 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker Top F-22 Wing Award: 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Brigadier General Robin Olds Top F-35 Wing Award: 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vt.
Colonel Jesse C. Williams Top Intel Tradecraft Wing Award: 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Big I Task Force Top C2 Wing: 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
Chief Master Sergeant Argol “Pete” Lisse Maintenance Team Award: 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Overall Weapons Load Competition: 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
The individual awards recognized the top crew chiefs and pilots from each aircraft type:
Top F-15 Crew Chief: 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
Top F-22 Crew Chief: 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Top F-35 Crew Chief: 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vt.
F-15 Superior Performer: 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
F-22 Superior Performer: 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
F-35 Superior Performer: 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vt.
Overall, the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., emerged as the big winner from the competition, capturing four trophies.
The 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., also took home three wins, including the overall weapons load competition, a head-to-head contest against crews with other types of aircraft. That competition took place in front of a large crowd including distinguished visitors on Sept. 14.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The rollout of new hardware to replace an old, troubled maintenance and logistics system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is complete, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told reporters Sept. 14, and software upgrades are next.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
The 55th Wing officially retired the EC-130H Compass Call aircraft in a ceremony Sept. 18 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., while the 355th Wing there retired its final A-10 Warthog, another major transition for the base.
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
The Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft will take part in their first large-force engagement exercise in December, the head of the drones’ Experimental Operations Unit said Sept. 15.
The Pentagon announced a deal with Lockheed Martin on Sept. 17 to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, an advanced new Air Force and Navy air-to-air missile meant to equip fifth- and sixth-generation fighters.
Lockheed Martin has unveiled its concept for a modular version of one of the Air Force’s main air-to-ground cruise missiles, opening up a range of possible upgrades and uses for the weapon.
