Aggressors, personnel to support adversary training at Hickam

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nora Anton
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Ten jets, 28 operations personnel and about 100 maintainers of the 18th Aggressor Squadron left between Saturday and Monday for Hickam AFB, Hawaii, to provide adversary training and support to the 199th Fighter Squadron and the Hawaii Air National Guard F-15s. This is their first stop in their winter road show to various Air Force bases.

The Aggressor's job is to know, teach and replicate the threat better than any other squadron.

The 18th AGRS is on the Aggressor charter as giving world-class "Red Forces" training to United States and allied nation's air forces. This means they pose as the enemy aircraft during exercises so the good guys (Blue Forces) can learn the air tactics beneficial to them in combat situations.

"One of our goals is to get out of Alaska to provide Pacific Air Forces and the rest of the combat air force with unit-level training at their home base or on the road if they are exercising elsewhere," said Lt. Col. Patrick Welch, 18th AGRS commander. "We bring our threat expertise to assist in training the war fighters flying PACAF's and other combat air force's combat aircraft."

In addition to air tactics, the Aggressors provide expert threat academics to teach the combat air forces on air threats, systems and potential threats, said Colonel Welch.

The other stops on the tour include Kadena Air Base, Japan; Anderson AB, Guam, and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., which will be split up between months, except for the deployment to Guam, which will fall back-to-back with the deployment to Japan.

"There is a considerable distance between us and other PACAF bases so anytime we can knock out two road shows at one time, we will," said Colonel Welch.

During the summer months, the main goal of the 18th AGRS is to provide adversary training in RED FLAG-Alaska exercises, during which Eielson hosts up to an additional 700 people and 60 aircraft from different USAF units and different countries around the globe.

"It makes sense to depart Alaska during the harsh winter months and provide training to the combat air forces at locations more likely to have a milder, more consistent weather," said Colonel Welch.

The F-16s of the 18th AGRS are qualified to train with any and all aircraft this includes the Air Forces' newest fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor.

"We train almost daily with the Elmendorf F-22s and two of our four road shows will involve the Raptor," he said. "As the Air Force's newest fighter, we see the F-22 as our primary customer as they continue to evolve and advance their flying lethality."