Holloman supports Combat Hammer

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Siuta B. Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  As a B-1B Lancer nears its designated launching point to take out its target, the pilot and weapons systems operator of an F-4 Phantom, get into position as well. As the B-1 drops a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, the F-4's WSO executes his portion of the mission -- documentation.

The B-1, F-4 and operators in this scenario were part of an air-to-ground Weapon System Evaluation Program known as Combat Hammer, which took place Oct. 23-26 over White Sands Missile Range.

The goal of Combat Hammer, managed by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is to evaluate the effectiveness, maintainability, suitability and accuracy of precision guided munitions and other advanced air-to-ground weapons.

"We evaluate a weapon's performance from storage through impact of all precision guided munitions that the Air Force drops," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Benjamin Fallin, 86th FWS pilot. "We maintain a database that basically annotates reliability, maintainability and accuracy. We report deficiencies that we find in weapons and weapons systems and platform combinations, then we find out why."

The 86th FWS evaluated the accuracy of weapons systems of a MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper from Holloman, B-1s from the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. and 9th Bomb Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and F-15E Strike Eagles from the 391st Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

This WSEP was particularly special for Holloman, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Karg, Detachment 1, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron commander.

"This is the first air-to-ground WSEP at Holloman in recent memory," he said. "They came here because Holloman offers a unique set up that the [53rd Weapons Evaluation Group] is interested in utilizing in future operations. They wanted to utilize the WSMR range complex with all of its assets and also utilize us, the QF-4s."

Although most of the Combat Hammer operations are performed at the Utah Test and Training Range, an area operated by Hill Air Force Base, WSMR's ranges also offer some benefits, Fallin explained.

"We saw a lot of good things and I was particularly happy with the proximity of Holloman to our target arrays at WSMR," he said. "Basically you take off out of here and you're in the airspace, where as other places you'll have to go 50 to 100 miles to get to the airspace. The size of the restricted area is also a plus, because it's bigger than some of the other spaces we've operated in."

The Det. 1, 82nd ATRS commander explained some of the benefits of his squadron providing support to the 53rd WEG.

"We used our in-house resources and in the financially strained times that we're in, being able to utilize our assets that way, was a very efficient way of doing business and getting the mission accomplished while supporting the current fight," Karg said. "We had a lot of 'work' to do but we still had a lot of fun chasing the B-1s dropping their munitions."

Fallin explained some of the benefits the QF-4 brings to Combat Hammer's operations.

"The aircraft having a two-seat capability is important for us because we can use that rear seat to document the aircraft dropping the weapon," he said. "Typically when a unit comes to us, we will utilize their aircraft and we will usually have one aircraft available to use for chase. But when we are working with [remotely piloted aircrafts] we won't be flying the aircraft, so this is an instance when using an asset like the QF-4 is essential to us successfully completing that portion of the evaluation."

Before departing, Fallin thanked Holloman, on behalf of the 86th FWS, for the support the base provided.

"We definitely want to express our appreciation to the 49th Wing, Det. 1, 82nd ATRS and some outstanding support from the 49th Communications Squadron," he said. "We had a lot of requests that were time sensitive and they were supportive of making it happen, because without connectivity, it would have made things a lot more difficult."