Text Fwd: Air Force, Navy pilots train together over Okinawa

* Image source/ caption*

'An F-22 Raptor flies above Kadena Air Base, Japan during an air refueling mission Jan. 23, 2009. The F-22 is deployed from 27th Fighter Wing Langley Air Force Base, Va. in support of U.S. Pacific Command. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Chad Warren)

An F/A-18 Super Hornet from the Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 102 "Diamondbacks" flies over the Pacific. (U.S. Navy courtesy photo)

An F-22 Raptor shoots out a flare during an air combat training mission Jan. 15. The F-22 is deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., in support of U.S. Pacific Command. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Clay Lancaster)'


http://www.pacom.mil/web/site_pages/media/news%20200903/20090310-pilots.shtml
Air Force, Navy pilots train together over Okinawa
by Walter T. Ham IV
18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan
(March 10, 2009)

Air Force and Navy pilots are sharpening their aerial combat skills in simulated dogfights and strike missions in the skies over Okinawa from March 1 - 21.

Using Kadena AB as a power projection platform, F-15 Eagle pilots from the 67th Fighter Squadron and F-22 pilots from the deployed 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron are training with Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots from the Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 102 "Diamondbacks."

Tracking the action from their E-3 Sentry aircraft, the 961st Air Airborne Control Squadron is directing the simulated air war - performing a mission akin to playing a supersonic chess game.

One of eight squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing FIVE, VFA-102 is based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and deploys on the Yokosuka, Japan-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).

The Hornet pilots are engaging in a high-speed, high-stakes contest of hide-and-seek, flying with the U.S. Air Force's only stealth fighter - the F-22 Raptor.

Lt. Col. Lansing Pilch, a Raptor pilot and commander of the deployed 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, said his squadron was honored to introduce the Navy pilots to the Raptor. Colonel Pilch said with its state-of-the-art avionics suite, the 5th generation stealth fighter is a force multiplier that increases the capabilities of other fighter jets.

"The Super Hornet is an impressive, versatile aircraft," Colonel Pilch added. "Its wide range of capabilities could complement those of the F-22 extremely well in combat. Our goal with the 5th generation F-22 is to use our enhanced situational awareness to make those around us better.

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• This article was originally published at: http://www.kadena.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123138940/