Posted on 02/14/2008 2:54:45 AM PST by Jet Jaguar
The 56th Fighter Wing commander officially announced the future deactivation of one of Luke's eight fighter squadrons Tuesday during a forum.
Brig. Gen. Tom Jones formally announced that the 63rd Fighter Squadron 'Panthers' will shut its doors with a closure ceremony tentatively scheduled in spring 2009.
The general's decision was based solely on current United States Air Force Historical Heritage Points kept by the Air Force Historian in Washington, D.C. The squadron flag and historical memorabilia will be packaged, shipped and stored at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Base re-alignment and closure actions are ongoing in the U.S. military for more than a decade, and they continue to shape our forces to meet emerging technology and challenges of the future. In 2005, Congress signed the most recent BRAC recommendations into law. From that document Luke was tasked to distribute 37 F-16s, and re-align the 56th FW targeting pod repair facility in order to stand-up a combined intermediate repair facility at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The most recognizable BRAC action with greatest impact on the 56th FW mission is the retirement of 25 F-16 aircraft, loss of a fighter squadron and its associated aircraft maintenance unit, and reduction of some supporting positions throughout the wing.
BRAC mandated that Luke would redistribute 37 F-16s; this includes the F-16s redistributed last year during the 302nd Fighter Squadron closure. Through BRAC and future force funding decisions, the 56th FW was left to reduce 25 block 25 aircraft in its inventory.
Personnel reductions and unit closures go hand-in-hand with aircraft reduction, but General Jones reassured Luke Airmen during his commander's calls Jan. 28 through Feb. 1 that personnel will still continue to produce sorties until the last aircraft retires. Overall, the 56th FW will lose 425 positions: 364 from the 56th Maintenance Group, 31 from the 56th Operations Group and 30 from the 56th Mission Support Group and 56th FW staff agencies. These reductions in manpower will be realized over the next year and a half through normal permanent change of station cycles where Airmen are expected to PCS through attrition or be absorbed by other squadrons.
The 63rd FS currently flies the block 42 F-16 and its jets will transfer to the 61st Fighter Squadron in the spring of 2009. The squadrons flying Block 42s in post-BRAC will be the 61st, 308th and 310th Fighter Squadrons. The 62nd and 309th Fighter Squadrons will continue to fly the Block 25 F-16. Personnel from the 63rd FS will be re-assigned to other flying or support squadrons on base. The 63rd FS operations building will be turned over to the wing facilities board for disposition. The remaining squadron maintenance organizations will perform minor relocations in order to optimize existing base facilities and geographical operations and maintenance efficiencies.
In another BRAC decision, the U.S. General Accounting Office estimated that the transition from repairing the 56th FW's low altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night targeting pods locally to a CIRF at Hill AFB will save the Air Force $1.2 million annually. For the 56th Maintenance Group, this action involves the transfer of 25 positions from the 56th Component Maintenance Squadron to Hill AFB, along with all of their LANTIRN test and repair equipment. By May 2008, all 56th FW targeting pods will be transported to Hill AFB for repair, with a replacement pod shipped simultaneously to Luke to keep enough serviceable targeting pods on hand to support the wing's flying mission.
The first F-16s are scheduled to depart Luke in November 2008, with a number of F-16s departing every month until the last of the retiring F-16s leave in early August 2009. All 25 of these F-16s are scheduled to be turned over to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group located at Davis-Monthan AFB.
There was a rumor on a local radio station that Luke AFB might become a training facility for one of the new generation jet fighters coming online. Joint Strike Fighter? I don’t recall the details, but it makes sense. The locals and the state have been making laws to prevent “encroachment” on the facility so it can continue to operate.
Also seen on the web:
Secret Air Force Mach-50 Plane, Other Exotic Classified
Aerospacecraft, And the U.S. Antigravity Fighter Discs
Deployed With Star Wars Weapons To Fight In the Gulf War
by
Richard Boylan, Ph.D.
I’ll overlook the obvious problem with the airframe melting at that speed due to atmospheric heating....
The web is so much fun....
Don't spill the beans about all the cool stuff.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/searchresults.php?cx=010913664321846374563%3Afzhl_cfnikq&cof=FORID%3A9&q=anti+gravity#930
Panthers graduate final class of 6 F-16 pilots
April 2, 2009 (by Lt. Col. Jack Maixner) - The 63rd Fighter Squadron “Panthers” will graduate six new F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots Saturday — the unit’s final class before being deactivated in May.
The Panthers welcomed class 08-JBG to the F-16 Basic Course on July 30. They began the course with numerous hours of academics and flight simulators. After five weeks of intense academic training, the fated day arrived and 08-JBG hit the flightline for their first sortie. With veteran instructor pilots in the back seat to ensure their safety, each pilot had only four flights to master the handling qualities of the F-16. The fifth sortie would mark a milestone in their careers - their first solo flight in the mighty Viper.
Initially, their charge was to employ single-ship, learning how to dogfight and air-to-air refuel. This was followed by complex multi-ship air-to-air tactical maneuvering.
Approximately two-thirds of the way through the course, the students shifted gears and focused their attention on the bread and butter mission of the multi-role F-16, putting bombs and bullets on target.
Eventually, they combined all their skills into surface attack tactics missions; attacking ground targets after fighting their way through capable air and ground threats. The overriding tactical aviation objective of “kill and survive” was briefed on every mission, but was not always achieved. One mistake by anyone in the four-ship can lead to death for the rest. Flexibility is the key to airpower and they were tested by last minute changes in targets, threats and weather.
Next came the opportunity to call upon all previous training and employ it as part of a national campaign. Operation Panther Prowl found students flying in 10-ship packages opposed by red-air aggressors on the Barry M. Goldwater Range complex southwest of Luke Air Force Base. The realistic campaign incorporated all aspects of combat operations, including pivotal support from the 56th Range Management Office, 56th Operations Support Squadron agencies, such as weather and intelligence; and weapons director support from the 107th and 607th air control squadrons who provided situational awareness through their vast radar picture.
The final hurdle was learning how to employ the F-16 at night. Air Force combat operations are conducted at night just as often as in the day. In the night systems phase, they learned how to fly and fight while wearing night vision goggles and employing laser-guided bombs. They now have the skills necessary to join operational squadrons all over the world.
The charge of the 63rd FS is to create F-16 fighter pilots. Single-seat fighter operations are dangerous and incredibly demanding. Truly, being a fighter pilot is so much more.
It entails unquestioned professionalism, exacting execution, blunt feedback and camaraderie that transcends generations. It is a charge we take very seriously in this wing, and will continue to do so. There is a very real likelihood these pilots will be flying their first combat missions by the end of this year. It comforts me to know every Thunderbolt who came into contact with them at Luke during their tenure prepared them for that inevitability. Every agency on the base played an important role in training these pilots - the 56th Medical Group got them ready to fly and kept them flying; the 56th Mission Support Group maintained facilities for them to train in; the 56th Training Squadron gave them the knowledge base they needed to fly and employ; the 56th Maintenance Group provided mission capable airplanes; the 56th RMO provided realistic targets and threats on the Goldwater Range; and the list goes on. Everyone at Luke should take pride in this accomplishment!
The Panther family would like to wish the fighter pilots of class 08-JBG all the best in their Air Force careers as they continue to hone their skills to fight and win America’s wars. To Clam, Lobster, Switch, Hairy, Hoover and Blue; it has been a privilege and honor to fly with you. Godspeed and check six.
Courtesy of 63rd Fighter Squadron commander
http://www.f-16.net/news_article3348.html
So long Panthers.
You had a good run.
I was an active member of LAFB and they had an SAR helicopter squad when I was there as well. Luke is a cutting edge base. Godspeed 63rd Fighter Squadron Panthers. O’Grady Rock On.
I was part of the 308th. Later, I was part of the 21st and then the 62nd. All F-16.
I had a good time there.
There was a time when the 302nd and 308th would get a little competetive. I spent midnights watching on East Tac and Range 4.
You had F-15s there at the time, I presume.
Yes. ACMI off of Childs for combat air and 16’s practicing B-52 chutes. DM got a lot of the range time with the hogs. I was active at Luke under O’Grady but was graduated to “interesting” after that. :^)
I missed that. While there, it was all f-16’s Block 42, 32, 30, and 15.
The 15’s were sent to Tyndall in the early 90’s. The helos left in 1986. I don’t recall everything there. Red Bull Lounge had a good Super Bowl party in 1987!
One of the most stupid things I can think of when a community develops all around close to a base, gets tons of noise complaints, then whines when the base closes. Many of those bases have been flying planes or doing other operations that "intrude" on the local communities out of those locations for decades, some for over a century. Many of those bases were built in sparsely populated areas to prevent this very problem.
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