F-15 fires live AIM-7 from base inventory

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Amanda Ferrell
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Four AIM-7 Sparrow missiles from the Tyndall AFB inventory were fired July 19 by an F-15 pilot as part of the Weapons Systems Evaluation Program here. 

The missile, known as "The Great White Hope," became operational in 1953 and has since been credited with more than 70 kills in air-to-air combat. 

The radar-guided missile was advanced for its time, but its future retirement marks the beginning of a new era and represents the Air Force's continued mission in advanced weapons research and development, according to Lt. Col. Raymond O'Mara, 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron commander. 

"(Firing the last Air Force AIM-7 will) signify the transition to air dominance as we now know it - represented by the F-22 Raptor," he said. "We are severing ties with weapons that need to be supported by launch systems on aircraft, which was the old way of conducting air combat, and we're now shifting exclusively to 'launch-and-leave' missiles. 

"The AIM-120 (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) will be the replacement," Colonel O'Mara said. "It represents a significant leap in capability, offering greater performance than the AIM-7." 

Aircrew and maintainers from the 2nd Fighter Squadron participated in the live AIM-7 mission here. 

"It initially increased our air-to-air capability because of the missile's radar technology," said Maj. Gen. Kenneth DeCuir, Air Combat Command vice commander, during his visit to Tyndall May 9. "The weapon system has been refined to make it a more reliable and capable radar-guided missile. It's undergone various modifications and now it's reached the end of its life. The AIM-120 will take its place as the Air Force's single-source air-to-air missile." 

A team of weapons specialists, maintainers, aircrew, missile analysts and Raytheon Systems employees orchestrated the live-fire mission. 

"The entire process, from the coordination brief to the debrief, is executed to ensure a successful, safe mission," said Maj. Robert Espejo, 83rd FWS, assistant director of operations. 

"My role in the mission was to monitor flightline operations and evaluate the load to make sure aircraft were configured correctly for the mission," said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Adams, 83rd FWS maintenance flight chief. 

Once the weapons were loaded and the jets launched, analysts prepared to collect data sent from the AIM-7 missile and the targeted drone. 

"As the mission supervisor, I patched data collected from the AIM-7 and the drone to equipment that interpreted the weapon's performance," said Staff Sgt. Josh Jones, 83rd FWS NCO in charge of telemetry operations. 

Past test results generated by analysts at WSEP have uncovered AIM-7 limitations, leading to software upgrades and improvements to air-to-air weapon systems technology. 

"I work with the 'Tiger Team,' which is a problem-solving group of technicians that proposes design changes or modifications based on information collected here during live missions," said Doris Meacham, Raytheon Systems air-to-air missile analyst. "The testing done here with the AIM-7 has led to technology that is now used on more advanced weapons such as the AMRAAM." 

The future retirement of the AIM-7 provokes forward-looking enthusiasm for the WSEP team, but the 83rd FWS commander remains focused on the mission at hand. 

"We conducted standard operations," said Colonel O'Mara. "It was another live-fire mission for the 83rd FWS - a great opportunity to evaluate weapon functionality and provide invaluable training opportunities for aircrew and weapons loaders." 

"Some of the pilots are sad to see it go, but new and improved technology has come along," said Mrs. Meacham. "It is both an exciting and sad moment." 

"Anytime you fire or drop anything live you feel the adrenaline," said General DeCuir. "You become more aware and engaged when shooting live missiles... it's an incredible experience."