Tyndall pilots hone skills, 'fight' against Marine Corps aviators Published April 6, 2007 By Lt. Amanda Ferrell 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Approximately ten F-15C Eagle pilots and more than 60 aircraft maintainers and support personnel from the 95th Fighter Squadron departed Tyndall today for Key West Naval Air Station. Tyndall pilots and maintainers from the 2nd Fighter Squadron have been conducting combat training missions against Marine Corps F-18C Hornet aircraft in Key West since mid-March. The 2nd Fighter Squadron will return to Tyndall today as pilots from the 95th Fighter Squadron depart. "This is an opportunity to showcase joint service operations at a deployed location," said Lt. Col. William Routt, 95th Fighter Squadron Commander. "Joint training is critical. Whether we are fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq or anywhere on the globe, we will be fighting alongside our sister services. " More than 51 instructor pilots and 120 maintenance Airmen will deploy from Tyndall to Naval Air Station Key West to train alongside Marine Corps and Air National Guard flying units. Tyndall's two F-15C Eagle Squadrons will challenge Marine Corps F-18C Hornet pilots to air-to-air battles over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic in effort to gain valuable lessons in joint military operations and combat missions against dissimilar fighter aircraft. "Training in a joint environment allows us to practice combat scenarios more closely reflecting what we may face during today's real-world operations," said Lt. Col. Kevin Murray, 2nd Fighter Squadron commander. "This joint training gives us critical feedback as to whether our planning and tactical execution will work properly during real-world combat." Colonel Murray also stresses a critical advantage joint training offers: Allowing instructor pilots from the Air Force the opportunity to view tactical operations and coordination from not only their perspective as Eagle pilots, but from the perspective of pilots in all military services. "Air power continues to move in an all-inclusive arena where mixed forces are becoming the norm," said Colonel Routt. "Even our terminology (used during flying missions) has evolved to a point where we speak the same language as our sister services." That may seem trivial, says Colonel Routt, but years ago the Air Force used communications and terminology that was completely different from that used by other military branches. The cultural differences made missions less productive and more difficult to accomplish effectively. "Today the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps are better at intra-employment, but it takes practice," said Colonel Routt. "This deployment to Key West will provide that practice." The pilots deploying from the 2nd and 95th Fighter Squadrons are experienced instructor pilots who seek tactically challenging training against aircraft not available at Tyndall. "Most of our training missions here at Tyndall are against other pilots in an F-15 Eagle simulating adversary, or dissimilar aircraft," said the 2nd Fighter Squadron commander. "When we fight against dissimilar adversaries such as the F-16 or F-18, their different capabilities provide atypical challenges in the air to air arena, and reacting to the different challenges provides better training for the instructor cadre and students alike." "When we deploy to Key West, we fight against a much more advanced threat, and this provides a greater challenge for our instructor pilots," said Colonel Murray. "By executing more advanced tactics against a more challenging threat, we maintain a higher level of proficiency than we would if we only flew basic missions with our student pilots." Facing today's threats with superior flying and tactical ability is a significant advantage - one that sets the U.S. Air Force apart from all others. "One of the limitations we have at Tyndall when it comes to maintaining instructor pilot proficiency, is that the syllabus uses a basic building block approach to teaching basic air-to-air maneuvering," said Lt. Col. Murray, 2nd Fighter Squadron commander. "This concept is great for our students, but it doesn't always challenge our instructors and help them maintain their proficiency." Pilots from the 95th Fighter Squadron will return April 20 from their deployment.