KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand -- U.S. Marines and Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force and Republic of Singapore Air Force aviation units took to the skies to continue interoperability flight training scenarios as Exercise Cope Tiger 2009 progressed to its third day here March 11.
Scenarios, with a focus on mission accomplishment through multilateral interoperability, have been planned in which aviation units are split into opposing red and blue teams in order to better the working relationship with all participating nations.
Iwakuni-based Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (All Weather) 224 aircraft were placed in the red multinational force team along with Singaporean and Thai aircraft to act out as the aggressors against the blue multinational force team made up of the U.S. Air Force and Royal Thai Air Force units.
“Being able to accomplish a tactful mission with so many backgrounds of training, language barriers and experience levels is huge,” said Capt. Robert Guyette, a VMFA (AW )-224 pilot. “Seeing somebody that does not talk like you or fly like you - to be somewhat comfortable with that is invaluable because you spend less time worrying about the little things, and you can concentrate on the mission.”
The scenario, involving approximately 28 aircraft, required the red team to conduct offensive actions and strike three different target areas the blue team was tasked to defend.
Guyette said the most important thing he saw and learned from during the scenario was the planning that went into getting Marine F/A-18s, Thai F-16s and Singaporean F-5S together and airborne.
“To see the planning and to understand your part in a huge combat exercise is pretty impressive,” said Guyette.
Once all units took to the skies, the different backgrounds and experience levels of the pilots became more apparent as the scenarios began to take place.
“I was very impressed with all the forces,” said Maj. Brad Hipp, VMFA (AW )-224 pilot training officer and the red team air mission commander during the scenario.
The Singaporean and Thai Air Forces’ flight leads were impressive while their situational awareness was superb, added Hipp.
The combat scenario carried out by the opposing teams focused more on testing the blue multinational force’s various defensive skills.
“It was a great training opportunity,” said Hipp. “Even though we were providing the training today for the blue team, we still got a lot out of it through the planning, the coordination between the multinational air forces, and then executing and getting all those airplanes airborne.”
The members of the red and blue team switch off day-to-day to execute training on both sides.