A-10s conduct training with 49th at CAFB

  • Published
  • By Airman Daniel Lile
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Some 75th Fighter Squadron A-10s from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, came to Columbus AFB, Mississippi, to conduct air-to air training exercises with the 49th Fighter Training Squadron instructor pilots.

In addition to training student pilots in Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, the 49th FTS is responsible for keeping the base's rated fighter pilots qualified and ready for combat.

"Our primary mission of Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals is to train the students here, but our secondary mission is to provide a realistic training platform with the Combat Air Force," said Lt. Col. Daniel Radulski, 49th FTS Assistant Director of Operations. "This is the first step and hopefully we will do it more in the future. For this week, the training was only three days. Monday and Tuesday they flew to us and Wednesday we flew to them."

The 75th Fighter Squadron is one of Moody's two combat-ready A-10C Thunderbolt II squadrons. The squadron's nearly 35 pilots are dedicated to carrying out the close air support mission through the A-10.

"We're doing air combat training against Columbus AFB's T-38s," said Maj. Richard Wilson, 75th FS A-10 Pilot. "The next time we go downrange we may face an air-to-air threat that we weren't planning on, so we're training to be ready for anything."

Fighter pilots never know what combat scenarios they may face while deployed or when they will be deployed, so they always maintain their qualifications in case they are quickly sent downrange.

"As instructors we are requalifying each other in basically two missions -- air combat maneuvering, which is a two versus one scenario, and air combat training, which is two versus four, similar to a Red Flag scenario," Radulski said.

All of the instructor pilots at the 49th FTS are seasoned fighter pilots, however it is important for them to continue improving their skills and abilities along with other fully-trained fighter pilots.

"All of the instructors in IFF are previous Combat Air Force pilots, and there is a skill with our flying experience that is applicable to training the students here," Radulski said. "But allowing us to go 'play' with A-10s, F-16s and F-15s is more of a challenging mission for us. It basically keeps us sharper."