Eglin AFB hosts
live-fire demo for Air University students
by Capt. Shannon Cooper
Air Force Development Test Center Public Affairs
EGLIN
AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- Eglin will confirm its
ability to meet two of the Air Force's six core
competencies, air and space superiority and precision
engagement, with a live-fire demonstration Nov. 21.
The demonstration for invited guests and Air
University students from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.,
provides a unique training opportunity for pilots in the air
and students on the ground, said Lt. Col. Curt Papke,
Eglin's 46th Operations Group deputy commander.
"The Air University curriculum is the
driver behind this trip," said Col. J. Mike Drennan,
commandant of the Air
Command And Staff College at Maxwell. "The
firepower demonstration crystallizes air and space power
doctrine and employment, what we call our Air Force 'core
competencies,' in dramatic fashion for our future military
leaders.
"The majority of the weapons systems
taught about are at or near Eglin. The static displays and
'live-fire' weapons demonstrations give our students
something our text books and lectures can't -- hands-on
experience," added Drennan.
The demonstration scenario is a tactical
air strike against a medium-defended airfield. The
"airfield," Range C-52, will be infiltrated by
special operations troops who will prepare a landing zone
for a MH-53
helicopter delivering incoming forces.
Aircraft, including the F-16,
F-15,
A-10
and AC-130,
will be employed to provide air power in support of this
operation. Munitions such as the AGM-65,
CBU-58 and GBU-10 and 12 will be used for precision
engagement of the "enemy."
"This is an opportunity to show our
future military and local community leaders the kinds of
munitions we used in Desert Storm, and to tell them about
the things we are doing in the Air Force to improve these
weapons," said Maj.
Gen. Stewart E. Cranston, commander of the Air Force
Development Test Center at Eglin.
"We learned from Desert Storm that
all-weather capability, keeping the pilot safe and more
kills per sortie are a must. We are now developing these
weapons and others that will give American warfighters the
decisive edge in the future," he said.
Weapons currently under development here
include the Joint Direct Attack Munition, Joint Stand-Off
Weapon and Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile.
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