Strike Eagles make debut in Cope Tiger exercise

  • Published
  • By Capt. Johnny Rea
  • Cope Tiger Public Affairs
KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand (AFPN) --  Aircrews battling it out over Thailand during Cope Tiger ’04 are facing an unfamiliar foe. F-15E Strike Eagles are participating for the first time in the exercise’s 10-year history.

“We can relate to all of the exercise players by virtue of flying a dual-role fighter with both air-to-air and air-to-ground capability,” said Maj. Brent Vosseller, lead operations planner for the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

Twelve F-15Es from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf are participating in the annual, joint/combined multilateral exercise here, along with more than 1,370 people and dozens of aircraft from the air forces of the United States, Thailand and Republic of Singapore, plus the U.S. Marine Corps.

“This has been a great experience for us because we’re operating with a variety of air frames and it forces us to think about their capabilities and limitations,” Major Vosseller said. “We’re also building closer relations with our allies, which helps promote peace and stability in the region.”

Several types of training are being conducted, including dissimilar basic fighter maneuver training, dissimilar air combat tactics training, close-air support training and large-force employment training.

Additionally, forces are exercising airborne and land-based control of mission packages, air refueling and search-and-rescue procedures. They are also using common operational procedures at the unit level, such as mission planning and in-flight interoperability.

Another benefit for the Alaska-based unit is training in warmer weather. Temperatures here have hovered near 90 degrees since the exercise began Feb. 16. In January, the Strike Eagles were training in temperatures about 100 degrees colder.

“We don’t have to deal with the challenges of Alaskan weather here, like we do back home,” Major Vosseller said. “Our jets really like the warmer weather, and we’re happy to shelve the arctic gear for a couple of weeks for this exercise.”

Aircrews are flying both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat training missions. Besides the F-15Es, U.S. pilots are flying F/A-18C Hornets, EA-6B Prowlers, E-3B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) and a KC-135 Stratotanker.

The Thai forces are flying F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-5 Tigers, L-39 Albatrosses, UH-1H Huey helicopters and Alpha jets. The Singaporean forces are flying F-16s, F-5s, A-4 Skyhawks, Super Puma helicopters, an E-2C and a KC-130 tanker.

Air defense assets from the Thai and Singaporean contingents are also being used to add realism and training for the exercise participants.