Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing tcml-3

by Tom Clancy

  THE GUNFIGHTERS: A UNIT HISTORY

  The Air Force has always tended to form new units and disband existing ones with a reckless disregard for the niceties of military tradition. Thus, tracing the lineage of Air Force units can become a frustrating exercise, since the identifying unit numbers jump around so much. But following the story of the 366th is not at all frustrating; it is a unit with a long and proud service history.

  As you walk into the wing headquarters building at 366 Gunfighter Boulevard (yes, that's really the address!), you are surrounded by evidence of that history. Photos, plaques, and citations cover the walls. The men who look out from those pictures seem almost to say to the new members of the wing, "This is what you must live up to."

  The wing started life as the 366th Fighter Group at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia. Flying P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, they moved to Thruxton, England, in January 1944, and began to fly missions over the continent in March of that year. During 1944, they flew cover for the Normandy invasion and subsequent breakout, right through the Battle of the Bulge in December. They flew their last mission on May 3rd, 1945, and became part of the postwar occupation force until their inactivation on August 20th, 1946.

  The 366th Fighter Group was reactivated on January 1st, 1953, at Alexandria Air Force Base, Louisiana, as part of another unit, the 366th Fighter Bomber Wing, flying the P/F-51 Mustang and F-86 Sabrejet. After a series of European deployments, the Group converted in 1956 to the F-84F Thunder-streak, then in 1957 to the F-100 Super Sabre. At that time, the 366th Fighter Group was inactivated, with its flying squadrons being absorbed by the 366th Fighter Bomber Wing. The wing conducted an overseas deployment to Turkey and Italy during the Lebanon Crisis in 1958. Shortly afterwards, it was redesignated as the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), but was inactivated again within a year. Cold War tensions in the early 1960s caused the 366th's reactivation, at Chaumont Airbase in France on April 30th, 1962. Flying F-84Fs again, they stayed at Chaumont for just fifteen months, then moved to Holloman AFB, New Mexico, in July 1963.

  In February 1965, the 366th transitioned to the aircraft they are most closely identified with, the F-4C Phantom II. After spending a year getting accustomed to their new aircraft, they moved in March 1966 to Phan Rang Air Base in South Vietnam, and began their first combat operations since 1945. In October 1966, they moved to Danang Air Base and began to fly against targets in North Vietnam. On November 5th, two crews from the wing's 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) scored their first kills against North Vietnamese MiGs. The kills came hard, though, because of reliability problems with U.S. air-to-air missiles. In April 1967, the crews of the 366th began to fly with new 20mm Gatling gun pods slung under their Phantoms' bellies, and began to shoot MiGs out of the sky with regularity. When the slaughter of the MiGs was over in May 1967 (they scored a total of eleven kills during the period), the automatic cannons had earned the 366th the nickname they would carry from then on: "Gunfighters." In December 1967, the 366th converted to the — D model of the Phantom, continuing to fly out of Danang. For their air-to-air successes the previous year, they received a Presidential Unit Citation in December 1968. With the withdrawal of other USAF units in 1969 and 1970, they became the only wing stationed in South Vietnam. The wing was highly active during the 1972 Easter Invasion of the South, which forced a move to the Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in June of that year. During the period, they scored five more MiG kills over North Vietnam, earning another Presidential Unit Citation, awarded in 1974.

  Aircraft from the 366th Wing fly over the Pyramids with fighters of the Egyptian Air Force during Operation Bright Star '93. With the wing deployed to Cairo West Airfield, Bright Star allowed it an early opportunity to test deployment plans in a "real world" environment.

  Official U.S. Air Force Photo

  In October 1972, the wing abandoned its aircraft and equipment to other units at Takhli, and headed back to the United States to what has been their home ever since — Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. There they took over the F-111Fs and equipment of the inactivated 347th TFW, and in 1975, became the first Tactical Air Command (TAC) unit to win a Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombing competition, code-named High Noon. In August 1976, the wing deployed a squadron of F-111Fs to Korea to take part in a "show of force," following a border incident in which several U.S. soldiers were killed. Following the squadron's return in September of that year, the 366th sent its fleet of F-111Fs to the 48th TFW at RAF Lakenheath, England, in February 1977, under Operation Ready Switch. These were replaced by F-111As from the 474th TFW at Nellis AFB. Following the aircraft swap, the wing took over the training and replacement function for the F-111 community. They continued this mission throughout the 1980s, as well as taking on a new mission as the keeper of the Air Force's newest electronic warfare aircraft, the EF-111A Raven. Starting in 1981, the wing took delivery of these aircraft and trained to take them into combat. Eventually, the Ravens of the 366th went into action with the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron (ECS), providing jamming support for Operation Just Cause, the December 1989 invasion of Panama. But about this time, the planned post-Cold War drawdowns began to hit the 366th, with the 391st ECS being inactivated. Then, in August 1990, portions of the remaining Raven squadron, the 390th ECS, deployed to Taif Airbase in Saudi Arabia. There they served throughout Operation Desert Storm and the period just after. By March 1991, the bulk of the Squadron's aircraft and crews had returned to Mountain Home, where they awaited what seemed to be an inevitable inactivation under the planned Bush Administration force drawdown.

  Then in April 1991, General McPeak's decision to remake the 366th into a composite wing was announced, and the people at Mountain Home began the process of turning an EW wing into the most powerful combat wing in the Air Force. In July 1991, Brigadier General William S. Hinton, Jr., took over the wing to supervise the transition. By the end of 1991, a small force of F-16s and F-15Es had arrived, and the squadrons began to form up. At the same time, the 366th continued to support the postwar no-fly zone over Iraq with the remaining EF-111As, deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Southern Watch.

  As 1992 rolled along, the last of the wing's EF-111As were transferred to the 429th ECS of the 27th TFW at Cannon AFB, New Mexico; and in March 1992, the new composite wing squadrons were activated within the shells of the 366th's old squadrons. The 389th became the F-16 squadron, with the 390th and 391st being equipped with F-15Cs and F-15Es respectively. At the same time, new Operations and Logistics Groups were activated, joining the existing supporting units of the wing. In July, the 366th took control of the 34th Bombardment Squadron, equipped with B-52Gs and based at Castle AFB, California. While geographically separated from Mountain Home, the 34th is owned and operated by the 366th. The final squadron of the new organization came into being when the 22nd Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) brought their KC-135R tankers to Mountain Home in October of 1992. Now complete, the 366th began to train as a combined unit and to explore their new capabilities and equipment.

  Over the next year, the wing continued to mature, though not without some changes and challenges. In July 1993, Brigadier General David J. McCloud arrived to take over from General Hinton, bringing with him the experience of two previous wing command tours. The highlight of the year was an overseas fall deployment to the Middle East as one of the core units of Operation Bright Star '94. Unfortunately, the 366th lost some ground at the end of 1993, when Secretary of Defense Les Aspin decreed the immediate retirement of the entire B-52G force. This included the 34th BS at Castle AFB, which was the last such unit to stand down (in November 1993). Despite the loss, Air Combat Command was solidly behind the composite wing concept, and provisions were made to replace the B-52s.

  As 1994 rolled around, there were big changes ahead for the 366th, starting with the arrival of a brand-new batch of Block 52 F-16Cs (with their powerful F-100-PW-229 engines), fresh off the Fort Worth assembly line. These were equipped with the new Texas Instruments AN/ASQ-213 HARM Targeting System (HTS) pods
, as well as HARM missiles to conduct defense suppression missions. And in April 1994 the 34th BS was reconstituted at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, equipped with the B-1B Lancer. Other additions included the Joint Tactical Information Data System (JTIDS) data link systems to the F-15Cs of the 390th FS, and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles for every aircraft in the wing's three fighter squadrons.

  The wing was still assimilating these changes in the winter of 1994 when a training deployment (Operation Northern Edge) took the 366th to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, for Arctic operations with units from the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). Then in April, the wing flew to Nellis AFB, Nevada, to become a core unit for the most important training exercise in ACC, Green Flag 94-3. Joined by units from all over ACC, the 366th spent two weeks testing out their planned concept of operations (CONOPS) in a real-world EW environment over the Nevada desert. This would be the last exercise for "Marshal" McCloud as commander; he turned over command of the Wing in August to Brigadier General Lansford "Lanny" Trapp, Jr.

  Meanwhile, the 34th BS was standing up at Ellsworth AFB, watching nervously over their shoulders as their host unit, the 28th Bombardment Wing (BW), endured a Congressionally mandated readiness test known as Operation Dakota Challenge, to evaluate the continued viability of the B-1B within ACC. By late in 1994, the new squadron was ready for their own test, and it took part in a Global Power/Global Reach deployment to the Far East. Flying non-stop from Ellsworth, with the aid of midair refueling, two 34th BS Bones took part in the fiftieth anniversary of the retaking of the Philippines, dropping full loads of 500 lb./227.3 kg. bombs on a Leyte bomb range, then returning to Anderson AFB, Guam. After running training and "presence" missions to Korea, they returned to Ellsworth AFB on October 27th, 1994, less than six months after the 34th had stood up.

  The 366th Wing is a unit on the move, headed into its sixth decade of service. From the aircrews who fly the missions to the enlisted airmen who turn the wrenches, pound the keyboards, and load the weapons, you can sense a feeling of pride in belonging to an elite team, the Gunfighters.

  THE 366TH WING ORGANIZATION

  The 366th Wing is a unique organization in the USAF, optimized for rapid deployment and immediate entry into combat. As such, it resembles the alert units of the former Strategic Air Command (SAC) more than the other components of Air Combat Command (ACC). This is not to say that the other combat wings of ACC are incapable of fast reaction. The performance of every USAF unit rushed to Kuwait in the fall of 1994 is proof of that. But the 366th is designed for, and training for, deployment today. In the time it has taken you to read this book, the 366th could assemble a task force — or "package" — of aircraft that could be wheels up and on their way to a crisis spot almost anywhere in the world. The wing's claim is, "Integrated airpower, ready to go, on Day One!" As such, the 366th resembles a small independent air force, or one of the U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wings. Consider the following table:

  366th Wing Squadron/Aircraft Capabilities

  The 366th has some capabilities that no other wing-sized unit in the Air Force provides. These include:

  • It's the only combat wing combining fighters, fighter bombers, bombers, and tanker aircraft into a single integrated combat unit.

  • It's the only combat wing with its own integrated command, control, and communications/intelligence (CI) element, capable of acting as a mini-JFACC and generating its own Air Tasking Orders (ATOs) for up to five hundred missions per day.

  • It's the only combat wing which can plug detachments of other U.S. air units (USAF, USN, USMC, or U.S. Army), or even other countries' air units, into its CI capability.

  The officer who commands this collection of units is a senior brigadier general with a minimum of one wing command tour before coming to the 366th. The officers and enlisted personnel have been handpicked — chosen for their previous achievements in the USAF. And the aircrews in the flying squadrons have a high proportion of combat veterans from Desert Storm and Just Cause. Many are graduates from senior military schools like the Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and the Air Command and Staff College. Even the young members of the line and maintenance crews are picked for their skill at making more out of less; for that philosophy is at the core of what the 366th is trying to do.

  First a quick note about personnel. A normal tour of duty in a USAF unit is anywhere from two to three years. Military units are always in transition, and the 366th is no exception. When I first visited Mountain Home in April 1994, I arrived just as the cycle of rotations and replacements was beginning en masse for the founding members of the new wing structure. What follows is a "snapshot" of the 366th at that time, just as the wing was preparing for its trip to Nellis AFB for Green Flag 94-3. Where possible, I'll try to tell you what happened to people after that, and who might have replaced them. With that in mind, let's take a look at the 366th Wing.

  366TH HEADQUARTERS SQUADRON

  The top of the 366th Wing organization is the Headquarters Squadron at the base/wing headquarters building on Gunfighter Boulevard. On the second floor is the commander's office, and in the top spot is Brigadier General David J. "Marshal" McCloud. The first time you meet him, you know why everyone calls him Marshal. Part of it is his build, well over six feet tall and lean as a rail. The other part is his reputation for leadership and action. Two previous wing command tours, quite unusual in the USAF, have given him ample experience to handle this job. He's flown just about every kind of tactical aircraft in the USAF inventory. He's flown everything from F-117A Night Hawks (from his time with the 37th TFW), to F-15Cs (from his command tour with the 1st TFW at Langley AFB, Virginia); and now he flies a new F-16C Block 52 (with the 389th FS) that bears his personal marking as the 366th's "Wing King." Flying skills are important for an air leader; they confer credibility in the eyes of the flight crews and establish a bond based on shared experience. And familiarity with a wide variety of aircraft is an asset not only because he may have to command the 366th Wing in combat, but also because he may have to act as a totally independent JFACC. In the early stages of a crisis, he could well find himself commanding attached units from the USAF or other U.S. armed services, or even from other coalition or host nations. And Dave McCloud would be flying combat missions, too. A commander, in his words, "should lead from the front."

  The commander of the 366th Wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, Brigadier General David "Marshal" McCloud, USAF.

  Official U.S. Air Force Photo

  Other functions in the headquarters squadron include the Public Affairs Office (PAO). Usually this is an office that sends press releases about the Airman of the Month to hometown newspapers, and shepherds visiting VIPs on tours of the base. But the 366th PAO is additionally responsible for managing a major new program designed to supplement and replace the existing Mountain Home bombing range at Saylor Creek, near the Snake River Gorge to the east of the base. Saylor Creek is adequate for training in basic weapons delivery, but it lacks the necessary area and target arrays for conducting composite-strike-force training — the 366th's specialty. The new range complex needs to be close enough to Mountain Home AFB to allow strike-force training any time it is needed. So far, the proposal has encountered environmental and culturally oriented opposition from federal and local bureaucrats. In fact, the proposal by the 366th and other USAF units would involve no dropping of live ordnance, and the land would actually be better protected than it is now, in the hands of the Department of the Interior.

  Another major project run out of the headquarters squadron is the consolidation and building program which will bring the 34th BS from its present base at Ellsworth AFB to Mountain Home. This requires building additional ramp space and hangars capable of holding and servicing the big B-1Bs operated by the 34th.

  The rest of the wing includes a series of functional groups, with specific roles in keeping the wing operable and combat ready. These include:

  • The 366th Operations Group—Controls the flying squadrons and the range control squadron for the
Wing.

  • 366th Logistics Group—Handles the various logistics, maintenance, supply, and transportation units in the 366th.

  • 366th Combat Support Group—Controls the combat engineering, communications, and services.

  • 366th Medical Group—Provides a range of medical and dental services for the wing and its dependents.

  Each group must operate with great autonomy if the wing is to function properly. Let's look at each in detail.

  The author with Brigadier General David "Marshal" McCloud, the commander of the 366th wing.

  John D. Gresham

  366th Operations Group

  The 366th Operations Group runs the flying squadrons of the wing. In April 1994, this unit was led by Colonel Robin E. Scott. A big man with a broad face and a marvelous sense of fun, he had his first job in the wing as commander of the 391st FS, the 366th's F-15E Strike Eagle squadron. Behind Scott's jolly smile is a mind that thinks all the time about getting the wing into combat faster. Every military unit has a mission briefing that is routinely delivered to visiting VIPs. When Scott gives the briefing on the 366th Wing concept of operations, he does it with passion and lots of direct answers to questions. The big question is how the wing would get to where it might have to fight in a crisis. The answer involves a lot of packaging and planning. Another question for the Operations Group is how the wing will fly and fight when it gets to the location of the crisis. The 366th may have to fight for up to a week without reinforcement or outside support. This is a tall order for only a handful of aircraft and aircrews, and it will require the wing leadership to make all the right decisions at the right time, and in the right order.