On the Cover and “Final Photo”: Lt. Col. Diana M. Brown, Commander, 177th Mission Sup- port Group, was promoted to colonel by Brig. Gen. Michael Cunniff during a ceremony at the 177th Fighter Wing, , Atlantic City Air Guard Base, N.J., Sept. 29, 2016. As the 177th Mission Support Group commander, Brown directs and moni- tors support activities and units including security, civil engineering, communications- computer, morale, welfare, recreation and services; personnel, information management, logistics readiness, contracting, and manpower to support the Wing’s mission. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/Released)

OCTOBER 2016, VOL. 50 NO. 10

THE CONTRAIL STAFF

177TH FW COMMANDER COL. JOHN R. DiDONNA CHIEF, PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAPT. AMANDA A. BATIZ EDITOR/SUPERINTENDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS MASTER SGT. ANDREW J. MOSELEY PHOTOJOURNALIST TECH. SGT. ANDREW J. MERLOCK

PHOTOJOURNALIST SENIOR AIRMAN SHANE S. KARP

AVIATION HISTORIAN DR. RICHARD PORCELLI

WWW.177FW.ANG.AF.MIL

This funded newspaper is an authorized monthly publication for members of the U.S. Military Services. Contents of The Contrail are not On desktop computers, click For back issues of The Contrail, necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the 177th Fighter Wing, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Depart- Ctrl+L for full screen. On mobile, and other multimedia products ment of the Air Force. The editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Public Affairs Office of the 177th Fighter Wing. All tablet, or touch screen device, from the 177th Fighter Wing, photographs are Air Force photographs unless otherwise indicated. tap or swipe to flip the page. please visit us at DVIDS! Story by Col. Bradford Everman, 177th Fighter Wing Operations Group Commander In reality, fighter jets age is characterized by flight hours. generally on unit facilities, training airspace Fun facts: Some As it turns out, the average age of the 177FW fleet is and community interaction. average life expec- 6623 hours. While active duty Block 40/50 aircraft are So, there is a chance! As the project officer, I tancies – being strengthened to fly 12,000 hours, the 177FW F-16 collated the data and can tell you the 177FW Block 30 will not be certified beyond 8000 effective flight Bowhead Whale: stacks up very well. The wing is in a very com- hours. At our current fly rate, some quick math shows petitive position. To be fair, several other 200 years. these jets have about 10 years of remaining life. units compete equally well, and at least two Galapagos Turtle: What does that mean for the mission of the 177FW? It units might be ideally positioned. means it’s time to get serious about our next mission. 190 years. What next? After analyzing the data, the ANG As most are aware, the F-16 squadron in Vermont is the and the USAF will narrow the pool from 20+ American citizen: first ANG unit transitioning to the new F-35 Lightning units to approximately 5 units, with an ex- 79 years. (Joint Strike Fighter) in 2020. What is not obvious is that pected release in Spring 2017. Each of the 5 Vermont is the third operational (Ops) unit. Here’s how units will participate in a much more in-depth F-16: 40 years. it breaks down: study to truly analyze feasibility, known as an Ops 1 – Hill AFB Environmental Impact Survey (EIS), lasting about one year. From this pool, the ANG and When you look at the F-16s on the AC ramp, the first two Ops 2 – Eielson AFB the USAF will select Ops 5 and Ops 6, with digits on the tail number are 86 or 87. This signifies the year transition timeline of 2021 and 2022. of manufacture as 1986 or 1987 – these F-16s are 30 years Ops 3 – ANG old! (Burlington, VT) What if we don’t make it? If the 177FW is not selected for transition to the F-35, you can ex- Ops 4 – USAF Reserve Unit pect a mission update in the mid-2020s. The mission update could involve longer lifespan F Ops 5 – ANG (TBD) -16 Block 40/50 flowed from the USAF, heavy Ops 6 – ANG (TBD) aircraft, unmanned aircraft, or even a non-

Ops 7 – USAF (TBD) flying mission.

Ops 8 – ANG (TBD) How can I help? Easy! Continue to focus on professionalism and mission accomplishment. Roughly two months ago, the 177FW participated in a When making strategic basing decisions, the data call. The ANG and the USAF are working through USAF corporate process looks at EVERYTHING. the next three units to transition from the F-16 to the F- This includes items beyond facilities, like man- 35. The data call involved all ANG units flying F-16, F-15 ning rates and inspection performance. Just or A-10 aircraft and was designed to capture all relevant like the USAF Core Value says – Excellence In

facts pertaining to the most effective and cost efficient All You Do! way to bed down new airplanes. The process focused EXPEDITIONARY SKILLS RODEO Photos and story by Senior Airman Shane Karp ATLANTIC CITY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.J.- Airmen from the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, are taking part in an expeditionary skills rodeo, here, dur- ing the September and October unit training assemblies. Airmen will conduct self-aid and buddy care training, as well as chemical, biological, radi- ological and nuclear, or CBRN, training, in order to ensure readiness for future deploy- ments. Self-aid buddy care, better known as SABC, teaches Airmen basic life support and limb- saving techniques to help wounded personnel survive in medical emergencies until med- ical help is available. CBRN training includes practicing the proper wear of mission oriented protective pos- ture, MOPP, gear, as well as training to identify and safely cordon unexploded ord- nances. “It’s so beneficial for us to be able to do this type of training,” said Senior Airman Lizette A. Ordonez, from the 177th Logistics Readiness Squadron. “It’s something that will help us in case of an emergency out in the field, and could save lives at home also.”

(Left and Right) Senior Master Sgt. Richard Buhl, emergency management superintendent with the 177th Fighter Wing, gives a lesson on unexploded explosive ordnance during the expeditionary skills rodeo.

(Top) Airmen from the 177th Fighter Wing complete buddy checks to en- sure there is a proper seal on their gas masks during an expeditionary skills rodeo. The training included familiarizing Airmen with MOPP gear, as well as detecting unexploded explosive ordnance. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Shane Karp) Story by Dr. Richard V. Porcelli

The F-16 Fighting Falcon Part 4 – Block 15 Jets

B ackground As related in the earlier parts of the F-16 story, the original design as demonstrated in the YF-16 prototypes was optimized for per- formance and winning the Advanced Concept Fighter competi- tion. As the F-16 has evolved in the years since then capabilities have been added with relatively minor changes in the airframe. This evolution, however, is a continuous balancing act between the addition of new capabilities and improvements to the existing ones, while maintaining the original design concept that optimiz- es performance. These improvements and enhancements can cover many differ- ent functions. They include countermeasures; infrared sensors; laser targeting and navigation pods; missionized rear cockpits on the two-seaters; data links and satellite communications; helmet mounted cueing systems; all-glass cockpits with large, color dis- plays; and more recently, conformal fuel tanks and automated loss-of-control recovery systems. Amazingly, all of these added capabilities have been somehow “shoehorned” into the same basic airframe, maintaining its high, sustained g performance and still out-flying other four-generation fighters. This has been achievable thanks to the electronic revolution and the ability of miniaturization to add more systems into an airframe that was purposely designed to be “as dense as possible” to prevent addi- tional systems and their attendant weight from diluting the jets performance! But we are getting a little ahead of - theF 16 story. In the last Contrail, we described the Block designating system and the ini- tial production of ninety-four Block 1 and 197 Block 5 F-16s that were built through 1981 by General Dynamics and its licensees Two F-16A Block 15’s of the 313 TFS, Hahn AB, are shown flying over Germany in for the USAF and four European air forces. 1983; 80-0542 was second Block 15 Viper produced. (F16.net) In 1982 most of these aircraft were upgraded to The first Block 15 aircraft, 80-0541, was rolled out The main benefit of this change was the ability to F-16 particularly in the air-to-ground role and for what today we call “plug and play” functionality. the Block 10 standard, joining an additional 312 of the Fort Worth factory in 1982. Coincidentally, take off at a reduced rotation angle and in flight, beyond-visual-range [BVR] air combat scenarios. The AN/APG-66 radar was upgraded with the ad- new-build Block 10 aircraft. All of these early as will be related below, this noteworthy aircraft allowed higher angles of attack. The larger tail also The first step to achieve this was the strengthen- dition of a track-while-scan mode that resulted in blocks were very similar, including the reliance eventually flew with the 119th Fighter Squadron, offset the shift in the center of gravity caused by the ing of the airframe to enable greater load carrying enhanced air-defense effectiveness. A new “Have on the ACES II ejection seat. NJANG. The last Block 15, 10318-FMS (Foreign Mili- weight of the sensors and structures of two new capability of under wing stores along with the ad- Quick” secure UHF radio was added and perhaps tary Sales), serial 91-0067, was delivered to Thai- chin-mounted hardpoints that were added subse- dition of two hard points under the air inlet most importantly, the capability of carrying the Name That Plane land – the eleventh Block 15 customer. quently. (hardpoints 5L and 5R) to permit various sensor AIM-7 Sparrow radar guided air-to-air missile was pods to be carried. Furthermore, changes were provided. As a side note, as initial production of the F-16A Compared to the previous F-16A blocks, the Block The Block 15 aircraft were also the first implementa- began and deliveries made to the first unit, the made to the internal structure, wiring and cooling 15 aircraft are mainly distinguishable by the 30% tion of the Multi-Staged Improvement Program, 388th TFW at Hill Air Force Base, the Air Force systems to permit new avionics to be added as and larger and re-shaped horizontal tail surfaces. This MSIP, [Stage 1]. This program was begun in 1980 when they became available – basically adding needed a name for the new jet. Based on the gave the new version the nickname “Big Tail.” with the aim of adding greater capabilities to the results of an Air Force-wide “Name The Plane Contest” on 21 July 1980 the Air Force’s (predecessor of today’s ) officially selected the name “Fighting Falcon” based on the suggestion of “Falcon” from a Technical Sergeant at MacDill AFB, Florida. The Air Force added the word “Fighting” to dis- tinguish the aircraft from the line of business jets built by their competitor and archenemy, Das- sault Aviation of France. But that name never was widely accepted by the aircrew flying or ground crew maintaining the aircraft. Instead, the pilots of the 388th TFW adopted the unoffi- cial name of “Viper” because sitting at the end of the runway “it looked like a cobra about to strike.” Since the competing aircraft in the ACF competition, the Northrop YF-17, had already chosen the “Cobra” name, the alternative “Viper” was selected and has been used ever since. In a later issue of the Contrail, the numerous other official and unofficial names for the F-16 will be explained. The F-16A Block 15 The next production block, Block 15, turned out to be the most produced version of the F-16. The 330th production F-16 was the first of 983 F- 16A Block 15s manufactured over a fourteen year span in five countries and assembled at three sites – the General Dynamics (later Lockheed- Martin) factory in Fort Worth, Texas; SABAC’s plant at Gosselies, Belgium; and Fokker Aircraft’s plant at Schiphol-Oest, the Netherlands. Nor- way’s Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk and Denmark’s Terma A/S supplied parts and subassemblies to the Fokker and SABAC plants. Of that total of 983 Block 15s, 457 were built in Fort Worth; of these 410 were single seat A’s and 47 were two- The first Block 15 jet was 80-0541; it is shown here while serving with the 309th TFS at Homestead AFB, Florida. (F16.net) seat B’s. Starting with aircraft produced in 1987, 214 of the Block 15 F-16As were provided with “OCU” (Operational Capability Upgrade) kits which introduced a num- ber of further improvements, the most significant of which was the of the more powerful Pratt & Whitney F-100-PW-220 engine (instead of the earlier -200 engine). Other enhancements to the Block 15 OCU aircraft were a wide-angle Heads-Up-Display [HUD] and better avionics (radar-barometric altimeter, Ad- vanced Identification-Friend-Or-Foe (AIFF), expanded computer memory with higher data transfer rates, and new software). You can identify an OCU air- craft from its predecessors by the four “bird slicer” AIFF antennae mounted just ahead of the cockpit canopy. This advanced IFF system not only transmits the specific encrypted code identifying the aircraft but also interrogates other aircraft around it. In addition to these changes, the range of weapon carriage possibilities was expanded. This included the addition of the AIM-120 AMRAAM Advanced Me- dium Range Air-to-Air Missile, along with AGM-119 Kongsberg Penguin anti-shipping missile (particularly important for the four European partners) and the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile. Even further strengthening was added to provide for the carriage of the AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod and the AN/ALE-40 chaff/flare dispenser. The downside of all of these enhancements was the addition of weight. These Block 15 OCU aircraft now had a maximum takeoff weight of 37,500 pounds (compared to the 20,000 (!!!) pound goal of the original design). With the OCU upgrade, the capabilities of the F-16A Block 15s approached those of the later F-16C versions. The first Block 15 jets were assigned to the 50th TFW at Hahn AB, Germany. Then, other Air Force units within the continental US, US Air Forces Europe [USAFE] and the [PACAF] converted, mainly replacing the venerable McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom as well as earlier F-16 blocks.

Top: F-16A Block 15 Vipers replaced McDonnell F-4 Phantoms in USAFE service; this jet is shown at its Hahn AB, Germany, home base. (F16.net)

Bottom: F-16 Block 15 jets benefited from the Operational Capability Upgrade (OCU) program; F-16 Block 15 OCUs were distinguishable by the 4 blade “bird slicer” IFF antennae in front of the canopy, the chin mounted hard points and the capability of carrying Sparrow and AMRAAM missiles. (F16.net)

F-16A Block 15 Vipers replaced McDonnell F-4 Phantoms in USAFE service; this jet is shown at its Hahn AB, Germany, home base. (F16.net) The Viper and the Air National Guard In 1982 a very major change in doctrine was made by the Air Force that directly impacted New Jersey’s 119th Fighter Squadron. The decision was made that both the Air Force Reserve [AFRes] and the Air National Guard [ANG] would re- ceive the F-16. For the Air National Guard, this was a significant change since previously it had mainly been equipped with the Air Force’s “hand-me-downs” and often obsolete equipment. The Air Force Reserve’s F-16 operations began in January 1984 when Block 15 jets were supplied to the 466th TFS at Hill AFB, replacing the last operational -F 105D Thunderchiefs in Air Force service. The Air National Guard’s turn came earlier, for in July 1983 the 157th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the South Carolina ANG at McEntire ANGB received their Vipers. The 119th Tactical Fighter Squad- ron [TFS], NJANG, received their first -F 16A Block 15 jets in 1988. Note that with the retirement of the F-106A Delta Dart, the designation reverted to the Tactical Fighter Squadron in anticipation of the arrival of the- F 16. The squadron’s title was changed back to the 119th Fighter Interceptor Squadron [FIS] 15 March 1992 to reflect their dedicated air defense role.

A total of 21 ANG squadrons flew this version of theViper . The additional ANG units received -F 16A Block 15 jets as follow:

1985: 148th TFS (Arizona); 182nd TFS (Texas) The first Block 15 jet produced, 80-0541, eventually served with the 119th FS; it is shown here on the Atlantic City ramp in 1990. (F16.net) 1986: 134th TFS (Vermont) th th th 1987: 127 TFS (Kansas); 159 TFS (Florida); 160 TFS The 119th Tactical Fighter Squadron received its first two- F 16s in March 1988. 1992 was reassigned to the 119th FIS. In 1995 it was transferred to the Puerto st th (Alabama); 161 TFS (Kansas); 186 TFS (Montana) The first, F-16A Block 15E, serial 81-0738, was handed over to the Air Force on Rico ANG’s 198nd FS, then in January 1998 to the 162 FW (Tucson, AZ) and st th th th 29 October 1982. In December, it was assigned to the 401 TFW at Torrajon then temporarily retired to AMARC in October 1999. In June 2003 it was part 1988: 114 TFS (Oregon); 138 TFS (New York); 184 TFS th th AB, Spain. In June 1983, it was transferred to the 10 TFW at Hahn AB, Germa- of the Peace Caesar program (described in the next Contrail) of F-16s supplied (Arkansas); 170 TFS (Illinois) ny. In March 1987 it was reassigned to the 31st TFW based at Homestead AFB, to the Italian Air Force (AMI, or Aeronautica Militare Italiana) to make up for th th st Florida, before being assigned less than a year later to the NJANG. It was later delays in the Eurofighter program. As one of that group of leased jets, it flew 1989: 107 TFS (Michigan); 111 TFS (Texas); 121 TFS converted to a Block 15 Air Defense Fighter [ADF] version (see below) and con- with the 23o Gruppo (squadron) of the 37o Stormo (wing) from Trapani-Birgi (Washington, DC); tinued to serve (from March 1992) with the 119th. In August 1994 it was one of AB (Sicily) until it was retired back to AMARC in June 2012. It is still in storage. the first Block 15 jets retired to the AMARC “bone yard” at Davis-Monthan AFB th 171st TFS (Michigan) Mention was made earlier that the 330 F-16A, the first Block 15 aircraft, seri- where it sits today. th th th al 80-0541, eventually flew with the 119 FIS as well. It has a rather inter- 1990: 166 TFS (Ohio); 177 TFS (Kansas) The 119th FS’s first two-seater was received at the same time. -F 16B Block 15P, esting history. After delivery to the Air Force on 27 November 1981, it served th th th serial 82-1049, was turned over to the Air Force on 31 May 1984. The original with the 50 TFW at Hahn AB, Germany; the 363 TFW at Shaw AFB; the 3247 1991: 120 TFS (Colorado) assignment, starting in June, was with the 19th TFS at Shaw AFB, where it gained Test Squadron (Edwards AFB), the 309th TFS at Homestead AFB and then the the nickname “Thunder Tub”, where the term “Tub” referred to being a two- after conversion to the ADF standard, delivered to the 119th FIS in June 1990. seater. In January 1986 it was reassigned to the 31st TFW at Homestead AFB It was retired to the AMARC, Davis-Monthan AFB, on St. Patrick’s

before coming to New Jersey. It too was converted to the ADF version and in Day, 1995.

Top: The 119th’s first two-seater, 82-1049, also arrived in March 1988; it gained the nickname “Thundertub.” (F16.net)

Bottom: The 119th FS’s first two-seater, 82-1049, was eventually leased by the Italian Air Force; it is shown here while flying with the 5o Stormo’s 23o Gruppo. (F16.net)

After being retired to the ‘bone yard’, a few of the former 119th FS F-16 Block 15s were regenerated and leased by the Italian Air Force, flying with five squadrons from 2003 to 2012. (F16.net)

In the next issue of The Contrail, the F-16 story continues with the description of the continued evolution of this remarkable jet. You have the POWER, use it wisely.

Save ENERGY, MONEY the FUTURE.

Make energy a consideration in all you do. October is Energy Action Month Lead by example, make smart energy choices. 609-761-6871 Students and teachers from the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Ocean County, N.J. visited the 177th FW for a base tour on Sept. 23, 2016. ANG/Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Edward Dagney and Senior Airman Christine Fryling, 177th FW Comptroller Flt., pose for a pho- to on Oct. 15, 2016 after Fryling was awarded the Air Force Achievement medal for her efforts in creating a highly efficient process to address manually processed payments with the unit's government purchasing card program . Rick Porcelli, unofficial historian for the 177th FW, visited the 119th FS on Sept. 18, 2016 and related the interesting history of the 119th Fighter ANG/ Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley Squadron in anticipation of next year’s 100th anniversary. He will return again in the near future to continue to discuss the rich aviation heritage and history of the Air National Guard, the squadron and the Atlantic City region. ANG/MSgt. Andrew J. Moseley