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Holloman Airmen provide 5th generation fighter support
Posted 1/10/2011
1/10/2011 - HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- Two T-38 Talons were delivered in December here with the help of NASA officials.
NASA officials used an Aero Spacelines Super Guppy to deliver the first two of an eventual 15 T-38s that will be regenerated here and flown to operating locations at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and Tyndall AFB, Fla.
The Super Guppy is a wide-bodied cargo aircraft used in many space programs to transport spacecraft components.
"This will keep the T-38 Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Program alive for a number of years, and it will allow us to provide these low-cost training assets to help offset the cost of some of these higher cost aircraft,"
said Miles Crowell, the M1 Support Services manager and director of maintenance for the T-38 Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Program.
Members of the M1 Support Services T-38 CAM program here currently maintain all of the T-38s on base -- the majority of which are used as aggressor forces against F-22 Raptors during training, Mr. Crowell said.
This method of fifth generation fighter support has proven a highly efficient and cost-effective way to train.
He said the aircraft being delivered here were originally sent to South Korea in 1997 to be used for pilot training.
In November 2009, the T-38s returned to the U.S. and were slated to be retired at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. Instead, Air Force leaders determined they should be put to use.
Colonel Wyler said the first seven T-38s to arrive and be regenerated here will be flown to JB Langley and will largely benefit the fighter pilot population there.
"Right now at (JB Langley) ... the F-22s are having to fly against themselves for their air-to-air training," Colonel Wyler said.
"By bringing the T-38s out, we'll be able to train F-22 pilots by flying against the T-38s, which will give them a larger number of aircraft to fly against, and it will be a far more cost-effective way to train."
He added that the decision to preserve the T-38 training mission will not only benefit each of the bases involved, but the Air Force as a whole.
"The addition of these T-38s will dramatically increase the combat capability of our F-22 pilots so they're ready to go down range when needed," Colonel Wyler said.
Holloman AFB will receive the T-38 aircraft two at a time until the last of the 15 is delivered which slated for February 2011, officials said.
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