Forum: F-16 News

According to an USAF news release from July 30, 2006, the U.S. Air Force will activate the 18th Aggressor Squadron at Eielson AFB, Alaska. The mission of the 18th AS will be to provide realistic combat adversary training in air, space and information operations. Aggressor squadrons use enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures to give a realistic simulation of air combat. The unit will stand up with 18 Block 30 F-16 Fighting Falcons and later will expand to 24 fighter aircraft. The squadron will be ready to provide aggressor training for Red Flag - Alaska exercises in Spring 2007. The squadron also will support training and exercises throughout the Pacific region and additional requirements of the 57th Aggressor Tactics Group at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The designation of the 18th for this aggressor squadron continues its long history in the Pacific.

Source link: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123024289

The news has now also been posted on F-16.net: http://www.f-16.net/news_article1902.html

Anyone who can tell us some more details about the 18th, related to their "long history in the Pacific"?

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The 18th FS was was first designated as the 18th Persuit Squadron Dec. 22, 1939 and was activated at Moffet Field, California. Feb. 1, 1940. The 18th PS was moved to Elmendorf Field, AK on Feb. 21, 1941 and began flying P-36s.

It was redesignated as the 18th FS on May 15th, 1942. Soon after it participated in combat Ops in Northern Pacific as well as aiding the defense of Alaska during WWII. During WWII the 18th flew P-40, P-39, P-38 and P-51.

It was then redesignated as the 18th Figher-Interceptor Squadron in 1952, the squadron began ops in Minnisota as part of the ADC Continental Defense Force. There it flew P-51s and Later F-86. In 1954 the 18th moved to Ladd AFB, AK(now known as Ft. Wainwright), where it flew f-89 Scorpion and carried out Air Defense Ops with Alaska Air Command.

In 1957, the 18th was xferred to Wurtsmith AFB, MI. It operated F-102s. From May 1960 till 1971 it was based out of Grand Forks AFB, N.D. There it flew the F-101 Voodoo until put in inactive status in 1971.

In 1977 it was once again reactivated and once again put at Elmendorf AFB. This time it was flying F-4E. Then it was finally transfered to Eielson in January 1981 and continued Flying F-4Es until 1991 when it was transitioned over to F-16C(Block 40s) and was once again redesignated as the 18th FS June 1st, 1991.

So for the last

60+ years the 18th has spent about 40 years in the pacific and has flown pretty much every fighter in the Inventory. So there is alot of history with this Squadron.

You cant forget about the short time that the 18th flew the A-10 which was prior to it becomeing an F-16 squadron.

Does enybody can tell me which squadron is placed in Anchorage, Alaska Question

Does anybody know which units the Block 30s will come from?

Regards

Mark

Patriot wrote:

Does enybody can tell me which squadron is placed in Anchorage, Alaska Question

Patriot,

You can check out this link which is Elmendof AFB's public website:

http://www.elmendorf.af.mil/units.htm

Go to the bottom where 3rd Operations Group's section is at the bottom of the page and that is where all of Elmendorf's flight squadrons are at. Hope this helps you.

The 30's are supposed to be coming out of the Kun, the 80th is supposed to pick up the 18th's 40's and the 18th will take their 30's.

Thanks Rigamortis. Looks like a trip to Eielson next year!

Regards

Mark

To: Scorpion1alpha
Thanks for the reply Thanks

In a news story "New aggressor units expand training capabilities" (published today), USAF states:

Quote:

About 2,300 miles north of Nellis, at Eielson AFB, Alaska, the 354th Operations Group is also adding an aggressor squadron. There, the 18th Fighter Squadron is preparing to swap its current fleet of Block-40 F-16 Fighting Falcons for the Block-30 version. In October 2007, the unit will change its name to the 18th AGRS.

Full story:
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123032069

And - without a doubt - the following hot news should be a "MUST READ" for "Aggressor" spotters:

AFPN (published on November 13, 2006):

Quote:

Air Force declassifies elite aggressor program

11/13/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- After decades of secrecy, Air Force officials acknowledged Nov. 13 that Communist-built fighters were flown at the Tonopah Test Range northwest of Las Vegas, Nev.

[...]

Source:
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123031752

"Air Force Times" (posted on November 13, 2006):

Quote:

Yes, those were MiGs flying over Nevada

If you thought you saw a Soviet-designed MiG fighter in the skies of Nevada during the late 1970s and early ‘80s, the Air Force now says you weren’t hallucinating.

The Air Force today acknowledged it flew Communist-built fighters at the Tonopah Test Range northwest of Las Vegas, Nev.

[...]

Source:
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php? ... 354115.php

"Air Force Times" (posted on November 17, 2006):

Quote:

Details of secret MiG squadron unfold

By Bruce Rolfsen, Staff writer

Imagine having to fly and maintain Soviet MiG fighters without tech data and spare parts.

That was the challenge airmen assigned to the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron faced for 12 years when the unit’s secret assignment was to fly about two dozen MiG fighters.

[...]

This patch was worn by the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, the Red Eagles, which operated MiG-21 Fishbeds and MiG-23 Floggers over Nevada during the 1970s and ’80s. — U.S. Air Force

Story link:
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php? ... 363755.php

This all came "out" in 1984 when Lt. Gen. Bond was killed in a MIG-23. I guess now it's official.

The Air Force also has a few MIG-29's that they bought back in '94-'95ish when Moldavia decided to sell them on the open market.

..........And I always thought there were little green men "up range" in Nevada.

I remember, TJSmitty! Some years ago, I downloaded two or three online pictures (released by USAF or DoD?) of MiG-29s which were shipped by transport aircraft to the United States (somewhere "archived" in the "nirvana" of my old PC´s harddrive). All of the other history (you talked about a MiG-23 crash in 1984) is unknown to me.
Note: The little green men "up range" in Nevada musted be simply exile Russians ("Kremlins") (not to mix up with Hollywood´s "Gremlins"). Laughing

I remember coming across a strange piece of information about a USAF MiG-23 crash once. I figured many would think I was simply wrong about the info, but what I found out was that a MiG-23 had crashed on April 26, 1984 and that the pilot, Lieutenant General Robert M. Bond was killed. It was to be his last flight for the Air Force before retirement. General Bond also flew a captured MiG-15 in the sixties.

Whether any of this is true or not, well hopefully more will come to light now.

Check out: http://area51specialprojects.com/migs.html

TJSmitty wrote:

This all came "out" in 1984 when Lt. Gen. Bond was killed in a MIG-23. I guess now it's official.

The Air Force also has a few MIG-29's that they bought back in '94-'95ish when Moldavia decided to sell them on the open market.

..........And I always thought there were little green men "up range" in Nevada.

Does anyone know what has become of these Mig-29s? Are any of them currently flying in an agressor role? Maybe the Python 5 missiles recently acquired by the USAF are meant for them...

Forum: F-16 News

New F-16 aggressor unit will stand up in Alaska