MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --
The 35th Fighter Wing is preparing to deploy its U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft to Red Flag-Alaska 26-3. The exercise marks the first time the 13th Fighter Squadron will employ its new F-35As in a large-force training environment, with the Wild Weasels leading the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) mission alongside joint and allied partners.
RF-A 26-3 is Pacific Air Forces’ premier air combat training exercise, bringing together U.S. and allied forces for realistic, large-force combat training across the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC), one of the world’s largest military training ranges. The exercise prepares Airmen for high-end combat by testing their ability to integrate, adapt and execute complex missions in a realistic, contested environment.
“This will be the 13th FS’s first test of sustained combat replicant operations with the F-35A,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Mark Onorato, 13th FS director of operations and 35th FW project officer for RF-A 26-3. “We have been flying this aircraft at home station for a few months now, but not to the level and tempo we will see in Alaska.”
The Wild Weasels will train alongside other fifth-generation aircraft while participants are divided into opposing and supporting teams that create a realistic combat environment.
“I am most excited for the realism that RF-A 26-3 brings,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Andersen, 13th FS noncommissioned officer in charge of intelligence. “This is an opportunity for our team to show how well we can work together in a simulated high-stress environment while receiving direct feedback on how the 13th FS is executing. That feedback will help us continue to grow and learn.”
Unlike the airspace around Misawa, the JPARC allows dozens of aircraft to operate together over thousands of square miles. The larger training environment gives pilots the freedom to practice tactics and solve problems that would be difficult to recreate during routine flying at home station.
“For a fifth-generation platform like the F-35A, it makes a world of difference,” Onorato said. “The JPARC is hands down one of the best ranges in the world to utilize fifth-generation tactics within. It allows maximum space to operate our full tactics while giving the adversary multiple avenues to focus the bulk of their forces. That tests our situational awareness and ability to adapt to the adversary’s game plan.”
As the Wild Weasels, the 13th FS specializes in SEAD, using specialized tactics to detect, target and defeat enemy air defense systems so other aircraft can accomplish their missions.
“This exercise will be a new chapter for our Wild Weasel SEAD mission,” Onorato said. “While the mission is the same, the way we execute and the capabilities we bring are different from the F-16 Fighting Falcons.”
For many Airmen, RF-A 26-3 is more than another exercise. It marks the next step in the 35th FW’s transition to the F-35A and a chance to be part of a historic moment for the Wild Weasels.
“My whole experience with the Panthers has been many firsts,” Andersen said. “It’s been a humbling experience, and I’m grateful to be here as we actively write history. I'm thankful to be part of a solid team that supports me just as much as I support them.”
As the wing prepares for its first RF-A exercise with the F-35A, Airmen across the 35th FW continue building the skills, teamwork and experience needed for future operations throughout the Pacific.
“There is no better way for our forces to replicate the high-end fight we are constantly preparing to fight should our nation ask,” Onorato said. “We cannot achieve the level of training back home, and the sacrifices the team makes to get us out the door and ready to execute at this event are just another example of our Wild Weasel culture in action.”