William Tell 2023 will be the first time the 4th Fighter Wing and the F-15E Strike Eagle will compete.
After a 19-year hiatus, the 2023 William Tell Air-to-Air Competition is scheduled to take place Sep. 11-15, 2023, at the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia.
As told by Airman 1st Class Rebecca Sirimarco-Lang, 4th Fighter Wing, in the article 4th Fighter Wing selects team to participate in William Tell competition, the historic fighter aircraft competition is named after legendary Swiss archer, William Tell. It began as a bi-annual competition in 1954 that encouraged the most challenging air-to-air scenarios [Even though the first ever Air Force Weapons’ Meet was held in 1949 at a test airfield outside of Las Vegas, NV, now called Nellis Air Force Base]. The competition was placed on hold due to military operations and contingency requirements in 1996.
The 4th Fighter Wing (FW) will compete in this air superiority-focused event against other units from across Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces and the Air National Guard.
“We want to send the 4th FW’s best aircrew,” said Capt. Andrew Munoz, 335th Fighter Squadron evaluator pilot and 4th FW William Tell team member. “There’s a lot of different factors that I took into consideration when choosing my team.”
The 4th FW team members were chosen based on their experience and performance.
The 2023 4th Fighter Wing’s William Tell team members are:
Team Captain: Maj. Daniel “SLASH” Hutto
Instructor Qual: Pilot: Capt. Andrew “PAÑIC” Munoz Weapons System Operator: Capt. Richey “BREAUX” Menard
Wingman Qual: Pilot: Capt. Sean “WOLF” Sutedjo WSO: Capt. Noel “SP” Zamot
Any Qual: Pilot: Maj. Malcolm “REHEAT” Richards WSO: Capt. George “KING” Welton
Any Flight Lead: Pilot: Capt. Devin “CUJO” Beaulieu WSO: Capt. Eric “DIVE” Carter
Intelligence:
Senior Airman Elliot “DRAG” Atwell
Senior Airman Hannah “SHADE” Garcia
Maintenance:
Master Sgt. Christopher Oles
Staff Sgt. Jashaunn Jasper
Senior Airman Aaron Woods
Senior Airman Grace Forgey
William Tell 2023 will be the first time the 4th FW and the F-15E Strike Eagle will compete. The 4th FW is known for its strong culture of teamwork and dedication to mission accomplishment. Its pilots, maintainers, and support personnel work together seamlessly.
“Ultimately the goal is to win,” said Munoz. “I want to win, so that the 4th FW is named number one in the air dominance category.”
According to an ACC press release published Apr. 17, 2023, the competition will test aircrew performance in air superiority, while evaluating weapons use and tactics used. Additionally, the competition will include weapons loading, maintenance and weapons’ director competitions.
“We’re taking the Raytheon 2022 Trophy winners and that says a lot to show up at a dominance competition with the heart of the team being the Raytheon Trophy winners,” said Munoz. “We’re going to make a name for ourselves, we’ll add our name to the William Tell.”
The resurgence of William Tell prepares Airmen for real-life combat operations. The advanced scenarios and experienced competitors will provide the opportunity to drive new development in air-to-air combat.
“[I’m] looking forward to being a big part of it [William Tell] and looking forward to seeing what the Air Force does in the future,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Oles, 335th Fighter Generation Squadron production superintendent and 4th FW William Tell team member.
William Tell will display the Air Force’s precision and expertise in air-to-air combat. From the ground crews to the pilots, every team involved will work tirelessly to showcase their skills and mastery of their craft.
“William Tell is a great chance for our team to showcase their capabilities in a realistic and demanding air combat environment,” said Col. Morgan Lohse, 4th Operations Group Commander. “Air Dominance is a team sport, from the maintainers who generate the jets, to the weapons loaders who ensure we have the right munitions, to the pilots and WSOs who fly the missions. It takes a capable team on the ground and in the air to secure the skies.”
As the 4th FW continues to prepare to test their skills the tension builds and the anticipation grows, only one question remains: who will come out on top?
As already reported the two-week event will showcase the air-to-air capabilities of the F-22, F-35 and F-15 Eagle units.
About 800 Airmen are expected to participate, representing nine squadrons from the Active, Guard, and Reserve components. Among them will be:
Air Combat Command:
• F-15E Strike Eagles from the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., and 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
• F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
• F-35 Lightning IIs from the 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah
• Command and Control from the 552 Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
Pacific Air Forces:
• F-22 Raptors from the 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and the 154th Fighter Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
• F-35 Lightning IIs from the 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska
• Command and Control from the 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
Air National Guard:
• F-15 C/D Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
• F-35 Lightning IIs from the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington ANGB, Vt.
Photo credit: Airman 1st Class Meghan Hutton / U.S. Air Force
One point of order, in 1996 3 Strike Eagles from the 48th FW at RAF Lakenheath participated in William Tell and in fact took home a trophy from that last competition. I know because I was a young SSgt crew chief hand selected to participate in the event, in fact the only crew chief from the 492nd AMU (Aircraft Maintenance Unit). My sister squadron (494th AMU) brought 2 jets while the 492nd brought only one. We flew to Eglin AFB for some last minute training by the aircrew before proceeding on to Tyndall AFB for the competition. There was some consternation over the Stirkes participation since we were a multi role aircraft with better RADAR at the time and this was primarily an Air to Air meet. Either way, we did our best and our aircrews brought home a trophy which is on display in the Wing HQ at Lakenheath. Thank you and good luck to Shady J where I spent 5 years, I hope they too meet with success.