An F-35A Lightning II, assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, takes off. (U.S. Air Force photo by Anthony Pham)

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Hill's fighter wings participate in special operations training exercise

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Crystal Charriere
  • 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  The powerful roars of the F-16 engine flood the flightline and the landscape is interrupted by intense waves of heat erupting from the jet. A crew chief exchanges a sharp salute with the pilot who taxis for takeoff.

So began the 419th and 388th Fighter Wings' participation in Emerald Warrior, a special operations training exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, that leverages lessons learned from operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

About 270 of Utah's Air Force reservists participated in the exercise as part of their two-week annual training. They were joined by nearly 30 active duty personnel from the 388 FW and worked together to hone their skills for future combat deployments together.

The shared operations were business as usual for the team of Airmen from Hill. The wings have been flying and maintaining Hill's fleet of F-16 aircraft together since 2007.

"On our uniform it says, 'U.S. Air Force,' not, 'U.S. Air Force active duty,' or, 'U.S. Air Force Reserve,'" said Master Sgt. Brandon Goodwin, 419th Aircraft Maintenance Unit superintendent. "Everybody's on the same side."

While there, Hill's pilots and maintainers simulated a high-tempo flying schedule similar to that in a combat environment and continuously launched multiple jets at a time over the two-week period.

"It's a bit different from how we usually do business at home, because there are aspects of our combat mission that can't be duplicated realistically at home," said Master Sgt. Brian Christensen, 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "If we only worked at Hill AFB, it would be a rude awakening to deploy and figure out how to operate away from home. Doing the job in an unfamiliar place is what helps us learn and grow."

Since 9/11, thousands of personnel from Hill's fighter wings have deployed the Southwest Asia to provide combat air support and it's training like this that prepares them.