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NEWS | Dec. 8, 2006

Vipers leave after week-long fight with Raptors

By Amy Robinson 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

After a week and a half of training at a deployed location, nine F-16s, 15 pilots and more than 75 maintainers will journey back to home station Dec. 8.

Members of the 523rd Fighter Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Unit from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., will leave Langley today after completing 10 days of dissimilar aircraft training against 1st Fighter Wing F-22s and F-15s.

The purpose of DACT is to give pilots a more realistic and varied training experience by allowing them to conduct training missions against different aircraft.

"Whenever you train against your own platform, it's not realistic; it really impacts your tactics," said 1st Lt. Kenyatta Ruffin, an from the 523rd FS.

In order to sharpen their tactical skills, the 523rd FS and 1st Fighter Wing F-22s used training scenarios where the F-16s played the enemy, or "red air," and the Raptors played the good guys, or "blue air."

During any given scenario, or sortie, the F-22 pilots took between two and eight jets, fought their way into a simulated threat area guarded by the F-16, protected other assets and fought their way back out, said Capt. Max Vollkommer, a pilot from the 94th Fighter Squadron.

The captain said the dissimilar aircraft training was very valuable - especially for new pilots.

"When you have the 16s in town, you're fighting 16s; not just Raptors simulating other aircraft," he said. "It's good experience for guys who haven't routinely flown against dissimilar types of aircraft."

Because the F-16's capabilities are fairly similar to adversary aircraft, such as the MiG 29, Cannon pilots were able to provide a challenge for the Raptor pilots, Lieutenant Ruffin said. Although the 523rd put up a good fight during the training, he also said "the F-22 is definitely doing what it was made to do."

Because of the Raptor's capabilities, such as thrust vectoring, the lieutenant said the F-22 is unlike any other plane.

"It doesn't fly like a normal plane - it doesn't."

In addition to showing the 523rd pilots what the Raptor could do, the training provided time for 1st FW pilots to discuss and develop tactics with Cannon pilots.

"Working with them was great," said Captain Vollkommer. "Being able to brief and debrief in a structured manner and to see what's going on at Cannon - how they train - was excellent."