To achieve this goal the Air Force has activated 550th Fighter Squadron at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls
On Ju. 21, 2017, the Detachment 2, 56th Operations Group at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon has been activated as the 550th Fighter Squadron.
The unit mission is to train F-15C fighter pilots.
“As a combined operations, maintenance, and support squadron, the 550th ‘Silver Eagles’ will be one of the largest squadrons in Air Education and Training Command,” said Lt. Col. Brad Orgeron, the squadron commander. “Together the 550th Silver Eagles and the 173rd Fighter Wing will continue to produce the best air-to-air F-15C pilots for the Combat Air Force.”
550th Fighter Squadron members will continue to fall under the command of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), Ariz., but will operate out of Kingsley Field alongside the Oregon Air National Guardsmen.
Noteworthy as explained by Staff Sgt. Penny Snoozy, 173rd Fighter Wing/Public Affairs, in the article Kingsley’s active duty detachment activated as 550th Fighter Squadron, the Detachment 2, 56th Operations Group was activated as a part of the Total Force Integration (TFI) in 2014.
TFI is an acronym used to describe a military organization which has both reserve and active component members working side-by-side in the same organization for a common mission.
The TFI was initiated after the Chief of Staff of the Air Force directed increased production of F-15C pilots. To achieve this goal the Air Force recognized the need for additional aircraft and manpower at the 173rd Fighter Wing, the sole F-15C training base for the USAF.
Earlier this year the U.S. Air National Guard (ANG), which currently is the main U.S. operator of the F-15C/D fighters, said that could replace its 246 Eagles with upgraded F-16s to save money.
But as we have explained this could not be a wise decision: the F-15C/D in fact not only has been specifically designed to gain and maintain air superiority, but also enhances the already incredible capabilities of the F-22 Raptor.
A claim confirmed by the fact that during Weapons Systems Evaluation Program (WSEP), held at Tyndall AFB in March, 4 F-15s and 4 F-22s teamed up achieved an incredible 41-1 kill ratio in mock air combats against “red air” fighters.
Photo credit: Master Sgt. Dave Nolan and Staff Sgt. Penny Snoozy / U.S. Air Force
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
