Air Force
GalleryWisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing tests its skills with the unit’s F-35s
Stars and Stripes
February 26, 2024
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christian Fischer, a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, assists an F-35A Lightning II pilot with preflight tasks Feb. 13, 2024, during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The Combat Archer exercise was a formal evaluation of the unit’s ability to conduct air-to-air live-fire missions. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing has completed the first training deployment of the unit’s F-35A Lightning II aircraft.
On Friday, more than 150 airmen finished the Weapons System Evaluation Program’s Combat Archer exercise at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla, according to an Air National Guard news release.
Airmen were given the opportunity to train on tasks and skills that they don’t perform at their home unit, such as unrestricted takeoffs and loading live ammunition onto the airframe.
“WSEP is a formal evaluation of a unit’s ability to conduct air-to-air live fire missions,” said Capt. Alexander Abbott, the 115th Fighter Wing project officer for the training. “Beyond evaluation, live-fire air-to-air experience against threat-representative targets boosts confidence and provides critical feedback to the unit and missile engineers.”
An F-35A Lightning II aircraft with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing takes off during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
The two-week program allowed Madison, Wis.-based F-35 pilots an opportunity to practice the tactical departure techniques used in high-threat environments.
High-speed takeoffs are essential to rapidly achieve safe ejection altitudes while minimizing ground-to-air threats, said Tech. Sgt. Patrick Joyce, a weapons expeditor with the 115th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
“We learn to think on the fly with our live training exercises. This is the first time that we’re loading live munitions on the airframe,” said Joyce. “We’ve had to work through a number of procedures different from those required on our prior F-16s, but I think those experiences help shape us into better loaders and better technicians.”
F-35s, after years of planning, controversy and robust efforts to both attract and keep the aircraft out of Madison, arrived at Truax Field in April 2023.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. William McNierney, a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, inflates the tire of an F-35A Lightning II aircraft during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 15, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
An F-35A Lightning II aircraft with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing takes off during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 15, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
Aircraft maintenance specialists with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing raise a grounding rod during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
Airmen with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing perform preflight tasks during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 14, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kristy Jorgensen, a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, performs a preflight check of the aircraft exterior during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 15, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Rebecca Mertes, a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, performs the engine intake inspection of an F-35A Lightning II aircraft during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 15, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
Aircraft maintenance specialists with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, assists an F-35 Lightning II pilot with preflight tasks during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 14, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
Aircraft maintenance specialists with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing raise a grounding rod during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kade Parsons and Tech Sgt. Jose Sanchez, low observable aircraft structural maintenance specialists with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, perform maintenance on an F-35A Lightning II aircraft during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Kyle Vanderzanden, a tactical aircraft maintenance specialist with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, performs maintenance on an F-35A Lightning II aircraft during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
Aircraft maintenance specialists with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing conduct post flight procedures during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 13, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. David Snyder, left, an air crew egress systems specialist, Tech Sgt. Rebecca Mertes and Master Sgt. William McNierney, tactical aircraft maintenance specialists, all with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, prepare to inflate an aircraft tire during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 15, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
An F-35A Lightning II aircraft with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing takes off during a Weapons System Evaluation Program exercise Feb. 15, 2024, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Anya Hanson/U.S. Air National Guard)
