26sept: USAF Agressor F-15 squadron fell prey to budget cuts

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-v ... udget-cuts

Nellis Air Force Base closed a chapter Friday in the storied history of the 65th Aggressor Squadron,
but the legacy of the pilots who flew its F-15 Eagles continues in the Middle East,
where their U.S. and coalition sparring partners are bombing Islamic State targets.

In August, the 65th’s commander, Lt. Col. Greg “Papa” Wintill, told the Review-Journal that his squadron of 19 camouflage-painted F-15 Eagles would be deactivated to meet Pentagon budget constraints before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

He said the squadron’s annual budget of about $35 million will be eliminated, including funding for the staff of 150 airmen who maintain the jets.

Many will take on other assignments, but nine pilots will fly Red Flag air combat exercises with Nellis’ still-active 64th Aggressor Squadron until the end of March.

Then they will be transferred to other units or discontinued as operational aircraft. About 90 maintenance personnel from the 65th will make the six-month transfer to the 64th.

n recent Red Flag exercises, pilots from the 65th and 64th flew their respective F-15 and F-16 fighter jets
as adversaries to train pilots from the United States and such coalition partners as Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom —

air forces that are flying side by side with U.S. warplanes in the fight against Islamic State militants.

The 65th squadron also was used to test the capabilities of U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors that made their combat debut Monday on missions against Islamic State targets in Syria.