Bilateral training prepares Airmen for combat

  • Published
  • By Jake Shaw
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  One hundred fifty Airmen and 14 CF-18 Hornets from the Canadian Air Force's 410th Tactical Fighter Squadron recently completed a three-week Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training exercise here at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

The bilateral training ran from Feb. 19 to March 9 and was the last air-to-air training scheduled for Homestead ARB's Makos before their upcoming deployment to the Middle East this summer.

"All fighter units need a variety of adversaries to fight against, and that's why we're here," said Lt. Col. Dan Constable, Commander of the Canadian Air Force's 410th Fighter Squadron.

During CHUMEX, the adversaries included the Canadian CF-18 Hornets flying against the 93rd Fighter Squadron's F-16 Fighting Falcons. F-15 Strike Eagles from the Florida Air National Guard also participated and all of the fighters got support from an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. and a CC-130 refueling tanker from the Canadian Air Force.

For both the Canadians and the Americans, the exercise created some friendly competition.

Mako pilots from Homestead call the training CHUMEX, implying that the units they fly against are chum in the water, with the Makos going in for the kill.

But the Canadians didn't back down, and when their squadron commander Col. Constable learned about the CHUMEX joke he remarked, "The Makos may have bitten off more than they can chew!"

A pilot from the 93rd Fighter Squadron thought the Makos handled themselves well during the training.

"I was blue air (friendly) three or 4 times and I completed my mission successfully each time," said Capt. Lindsey "Chops" Lamb who participated in CHUMEX for the second time this year.

Canadian Airmen have participated in CHUMEX for a number of years, always during the winter months when flying conditions are not favorable in the north. According to Col. Constable, training away from home allows them focus intensely on their flying mission.

In fact, the Canadians nearly doubled their daily average of sorties during the deployment to Homestead, with a total of about 22 sorties per day.

Also during the deployment, Fighter Pilot Course students from the Canadian Air Force joined the 410th Squadron to participate in All Weather Intercept training and Basic Fighter Maneuvers.

"This was the first time in our squadron's history that we've deployed with students, which is a significant departure from the past," said Col. Constable.

The colonel seemed proud of his unit's accomplishments during the deployment.

"I set a challenge to the pilots and they exceeded all of my expectations. We completed training here that cannot physically be done (in Canada)," he said.

Throughout the training, the competition remained friendly, yet serious, with both sides learning from each other on both a professional and a personal level.

"I think the Makos performed well and we learned a lot about what the F-16 can do against different fighter jets and foreign pilots. And their moose milk was pretty good," said Capt. Lamb, referring to the Canadians' beverage of choice.

(Cpl. J.A. Wilson, 4 Wing, Canadian Air Force, contributed to this report)