Photo By Staff Sgt. Stacey Thornburg | A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II engages with a fast moving boat as part of the...... read more read more
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KEY LARGO, Fla. – Approximately 45 reservists, assigned to the 476 Fighter Group at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and three A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, two of which belonged toDavis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., deployed to participate in the inaugural Salty Hawg exercise, August 19-22, 2024, here.
The exercise granted the service members the opportunity to execute a first-of-its-kind mission for the group, while utilizing a local boat agency to conduct a counter fast attack craft (FAC)/fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) exercise.
“It is the first time that the 476 Fighter Group envisioned, planned and executed an exercise by ourselves,” said Capt. Matthew Kinney, an A-10 instructor pilot. “Every other time we’ve done something as a group, it’s been a part of a larger wing, the Air Force Reserve Command or an active-duty event.”
The Salty Hawg exercise empowered the Reserve unit’s primary combat mission, which is to provide dynamic follow-on forces to their active-duty counterparts. It was also designed to sustain and showcase the A-10’s extensive ability to be productive in small, fast boat attacks simply by identifying the threat on water and then stopping the threat from the air.
“As the Instructor Pilot core for the 23rd Fighter Group, this invaluable counter FAC/FIAC training allowed the 76 Fighter Squadron to develop tactics, techniques, and procedures to train our active-duty counterparts for real-world missions,” said Kinney. “We were also able to foster great relationships with multiple civilian and government agencies that will allow us to make this an annual training in the future.”
During the exercise, the boats that played the role of the aggressor maneuvered into different strategic formations, which allowed for optimal training for the pilots overhead, as well as the members on the ground.
“Salty Hawg was both valuable to me in my job function and pertinent to the current battle space being occupied by our airframes,” said Master Sgt. Charity Gardner, an intelligence analyst assigned to the exercise. “I was able to experience the A-10 from the perspective of some of our adversaries – bringing full circle my researched knowledge and the U.S. Air Force’s tactics applied.”
Intelligence analysts were on board the boats to observe from the enemies’ perspective the pilot’s formations and avenues of approach that would lead to successful targeting of the small vessels, offering an irreplaceable learning tool and increasing their overall understanding of these types of missions.
“My job requires a lot of time in a windowless room; pertinent training on the ground, like at Salty Hawg, is invaluable in creating a mission-ready Airman,” said Gardner.
The success of Salty Hawg 2024 may very well open up the opportunity for it to become an annual training, especially since it enhances the readiness of active-duty and Reserve Airmen alike.
“It’s amazing to be a part of a group of problem solvers that are willing to do what they need to do to make the mission happen,” said Kinney. “We could not have done this without everyone pulling their own weight.”
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.29.2024 12:56 |
| Story ID: | 484136 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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