Hawgsmoke 2010 under way in Idaho

by Tech. Sgt. John Orrell, National Guard Bureau

BOISE, Idaho (AFNS) -- Hawgsmoke 2010, the biennial A-10 Thunderbolt II bombing, missile and tactical gunnery competition, has begun. This year's event, which takes place from Oct. 13 to 16, is being hosted by the Idaho Air National Guard's 190th Fighter Squadron, the 2008 competition's winning unit. The competition stages out of Gowen Air National Guard Base in Boise.

The competition is a chance for active duty, Guard and Reserve A-10 pilots and maintenance personnel to get together and share their experiences, said Col. James R. Compton, the commander of the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing, the parent unit for the 190th FS.

"It's a great honor to host this competition," Colonel Compton said. "These are some of the finest warriors in the A-10 business."

"If you don't put them all together at one time in a venue like this, then you don't get any validation that (the combination) works," he said. "We are a very diverse organization and to put it all together here, we come to find out that we're not as different as we thought. It validates that we are all one team heading for one common goal."

Competition is also good for them, Colonel Compton said, because it builds camaraderie throughout the A-10 community.

"(Camaraderie) is very important to this type of a competition," he said. "(It) is really the glue that keeps us together."

Keeping the planes running during the competition are the maintenance crews from the competing wings.

"Much like the pilots, they are going to share (maintaining) different airplanes," Colonel Compton said. "That validates that we have one standard for the way we generate airplanes, and we get to watch them ... all working together as a team."

Senior Master Sgt. Ron Manker, the maintenance superintendent for Hawgsmoke, said the extra hands from the participating units are very helpful, since repairs had to be made for some teams to compete.

He added that most of them also have deployed or trained together in the past.

Colonel Compton said wing officials have been planning for this event for the last two years.

"The best thing about having this competition in Boise is we are going to see some of the premier bombing ranges," he said. "The pilots are going to be really impressed with the tactical scenarios we provided for them."

Hawg Smoke 2008

Some military pilots have been in "Hawg" heaven over the past week.

Skies clear as Hawgsmoke 2008 gets into full swing

Blog Editor Note: For my readers in the mid-west, the frequencies for Hawg Smoke 2008 at posted at the end of the article below.

by Master Sgt. Bill Huntington, 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the Michigan Air National Guard's 110th Fighter Wing, takes off from the Salina, Kan., airport Oct. 15 for an orientation flight over the nearby Smoky Hill bombing and gunnery range. Thirty A-10s from Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units across the country have converged on Salina for Hawgsmoke 2008, which will pit active-duty, Reserve and Guard pilots from 14 squadrons against each other in a bienniel bomb and gunnery competition. The competition will last through Oct. 18. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. David Kurle)

SALINA, Kan. (AFNS) -- With the arrival of the last group of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs late in the afternoon, Hawgsmoke 2008 got into full swing Oct. 15 as pilots flew out to the Kansas Air National Guard's Smoky Hill bomb and gunnery range nearby for range familiarization flights.

Clearing skies signaled the end of nearly two days of rain at the central Kansas location, as maintenance crews received the new arrivals while launching and recovering the local flights participating in the Air Force's biennial A-10 bombing and tactical gunnery competition.

As soon as the pilots stepped from the jets they were greeted by the supervisor of flying and transported to Hawgsmoke headquarters for an array of in-processing steps designed to make their arrival orderly, convenient and brief.

After storing their flight gear at the life support section, the pilots met with representatives from maintenance debriefing, supervisor of flying, maintenance operations control, command post, personnel support for contingency operations also known as PERSCO, and lodging.

During the maintenance debriefing, officials gleaned the data provided by the incoming pilots regarding maintenance issues and passed problems along to the maintainers who focused on getting the jets ready to fly again. Most aircraft were back in the air after only a brief time on the ground.

"[For Hawgsmoke], debrief has been combined with (the maintenance operations center)," said Senior Airman Kimberly Byers, 442nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintenance debriefer. "We've been getting [the pilot's] information about the incoming jets and now we are working on the sorties for the actual competition."

For having such a large influx of aircraft and crews in a very short time, things went well for Airman Byers. Her only challenge was learning the nuances of how each unit handled the data differently.

Ensuring the mission identifiers were closed out as the aircraft arrived was the first order of business for the command-post controllers at the next stop for each team. There activities were going as planned.

"Things have been pretty much been going by the book today," said Staff Sgt. Adrian Walker, 442nd Fighter Wing command-post controller. "I think we're doing very well."

PERSCO representatives checked in all new arrivals to maintain the personnel accountability of not only the pilots, but also maintenance and support personnel.

At the final stop a lodging representative made sure each pilot had comfortable living quarters during the competition.

The whole process was well orchestrated and, as a result, the pilots could focus on getting oriented to the new surroundings.

Pilots from 14 active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard squadrons are participating in Hawgsmoke 2008 and will share flight time in 30 A-10s supplied by Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units.

As the first full day of Hawgsmoke 2008 ended, an A-10 "missing- man" formation flew over the "Hog" pilots gathered at the edge of the Salina Airport flight line for a memorial service, which commemorated all A-10 pilots who have perished over the years since the aircraft first flew.

Milcom Monitoring Post Frequency Guide

Hawg Smoke Manual Frequencies

MOA DISCRETE FREQS:
Bison 369.900

KANSAS CITY ARTCC FREQS:
Hutchinson (Bison) 337.400/118.800
Topeka (Ft Riley) 343.700/123.800
Emporia 270.250/127.725

MISCELLANEOUS FREQS:
FM Guard 40.500
Forbes Tower 255.900/120.800
McConnell Tower 295.700/126.200
MCI Tower 267.900/118.100

Hawg Smoke Preset Frequencies
CH AGENCY FRONT AFT
1 SOF (Ground HAWG) 227.800 138.125
2 Salina Ground 397.900 121.900
3 Salina Tower 257.700 119.300
4 Kansas City Center 363.200 134.900
5 Smoky Hill Range (BSA) 316.900 125.925
6 Smoky Hill Range (MOA/Mav tgt ops) 353.900
7 Salina ATIS 120.150
8 Flight Service 255.400 122.400
MID Radio Preset Frequencies 1-15 are the same as FRONT 1-15

CH Hawgsmoke A-10 Intraflights (MID Radio) MID
16 A-10 Intraflight 1 228.575
17 A-10 Intraflight 2 229.175
18 A-10 Intraflight 3 235.125
19 A-10 Intraflight 4 238.575
20 A-10 Intraflight 5 245.250

CH Hawgsmoke A-10 Intraflights (AFT Radio) AFT
15 A-10 Intraflight 1 138.400
16 A-10 Intraflight 2 149.525
17 A-10 Intraflight 3 149.100
18 A-10 Intraflight 4 139.800
19 A-10 Intraflight 5 139.625
20 A-10 Intraflight 5 149.250

A-10s ready as Hawgsmoke 2008 begins

Blog Editor Note: For my readers in the mid-west, the frequencies for Hawg Smoke 2008 at posted at the end of the article below.

by Master Sgt. Bill Huntington, 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

A crew chief from the 442nd Fighter Wing marshals in the first A-10 Thunderbolt II to arrive at Salina Airport; Kan., for the Air Force's Hawgsmoke 2008; a biennial A-10 bombing and tactical gunnery competition. The event, hosted by Airmen from the 442nd FW's 303rd Fighter Squadron, tests A-10 pilots in flight leadership, target acquisition, weapons delivery. The 442nd FW is an Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)

SALINA, Kan. (AFNS) -- Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs broke through the overcast skies of central Kansas Oct. 15 and crossed over the center point of the Salina Airport's north-south runway officially kicking off Hawgsmoke 2008, the Air Force's biennial A-10 bombing and tactical gunnery competition.

The moment also marked the end of two years of exhaustive preparation for the Airmen in the 442nd Fighter Wing's 303rd Fighter Squadron, the event's host and an Air Force Reserve Command unit from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

The 303rd FS Airmen earned the right to host the contest by winning Hawgsmoke 2006, held at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., that year, which pitted the 303rd's pilots against pilots from 16 other Air National Guard, Air Force and Air Force Reserve A-10 units from around the world.

Hawgsmoke tests A-10 pilots in flight leadership, target acquisition, weapons delivery and support and the amount of preparation and coordination to host the event is daunting.

"There is a lot more that goes into Hawgsmoke than the general public and most of the participants realize," said Maj. Les Bradfield, 442nd Operations Support Flight. "It's much more than just coordinating between an airport and a range."

Since the event is not being held on an Air Force base many of the organic support elements regularly used by A-10 units at a government-owned facility, and sometimes taken for granted, needed to created or cultivated.

Fortunately for the Hawgsmoke-hosting team, they struck gold with the facility at the Salina airport. The facility has a supportive administration and close proximity to the Kansas Air National Guard's Smoky Hill bomb and gunnery range where most of the competition happens. The airport, formerly Schilling AFB, is just a few miles from Smoky Hill and the airfield has a large amount of available open ramp space, which makes it ideal for parking and servicing the visiting A-10s.

"They are not used to this many aircraft coming in and staying for this long," Major Bradfield said. "We've been greasing the wheels, letting them know that we are coming, what rules we operate by and making sure they can facilitate that."

That preparation, airport and Salina community officials, along with great support from sponsors and the community at large have made the event possible.

One late wrinkle in the preparation was the announcement by Air Force officials of a time-compliance technical order, or TCTO, that required immediate inspection and repair of wing cracks approximately 130 A-10s throughout the Air Force. Maintainers in the 442nd FW were required to inspect 11 of the unit's 27 A-10s.

The order caused units to re-evaluate their ability to participate and caused some to cancel. Other wing's with available A-10s, including the 442nd, stepped forward to provide aircraft for those who couldn't use their own jets.

Even though there were enough teams and aircraft to compete, the TCTO hampered some units in their ability to bring maintenance personnel to support Hawgsmoke 2008 as they worked at their home stations to inspect and repair A-10s. Still, the maintainers were able to meet the challenge.

"Everybody is [affected]," said Chief Master Sgt. Greg Wetzel, 442nd Maintenance Squadron. "Getting the rest of their fleet up to speed became a higher priority [but] we have enough people here to take care of everything. It's not really an issue."

Having the first two jets cross the airfield's center point is a source of excitement and relief for Whiteman's Citizen Airmen. It means that while the preparation has paid off and the competition is underway, there is still work to do as more aircraft arrive.

"We've only just begun," Major Bradfield said. "Having the 'iron' on the ground means the all of the work of the last two years, not only for the local community but for our own people, is starting to pay off."

Hawg Smoke Manual Frequencies

MOA DISCRETE FREQS:
Bison 369.900

KANSAS CITY ARTCC FREQS:
Hutchinson (Bison) 337.400/118.800
Topeka (Ft Riley) 343.700/123.800
Emporia 270.250/127.725

MISCELLANEOUS FREQS:
FM Guard 40.500
Forbes Tower 255.900/120.800
McConnell Tower 295.700/126.200
MCI Tower 267.900/118.100

Hawg Smoke Preset Frequencies
CH AGENCY FRONT AFT
1 SOF (Ground HAWG) 227.800 138.125
2 Salina Ground 397.900 121.900
3 Salina Tower 257.700 119.300
4 Kansas City Center 363.200 134.900
5 Smoky Hill Range (BSA) 316.900 125.925
6 Smoky Hill Range (MOA/Mav tgt ops)
353.900
7 Salina ATIS 120.150
8 Flight Service 255.400 122.400

MID Radio Preset Frequencies 1-15 are the same as FRONT 1-15

CH Hawgsmoke A-10 Intraflights (MID Radio) MID
16 A-10 Intraflight 1 228.575
17 A-10 Intraflight 2 229.175
18 A-10 Intraflight 3 235.125
19 A-10 Intraflight 4 238.575
20 A-10 Intraflight 5 245.250

CH Hawgsmoke A-10 Intraflights (AFT Radio) AFT
15 A-10 Intraflight 1 138.400
16 A-10 Intraflight 2 149.525
17 A-10 Intraflight 3 149.100
18 A-10 Intraflight 4 139.800
19 A-10 Intraflight 5 139.625
20 A-10 Intraflight 5 149.250

Hawgsmoke to continue despite A-10 inspections

Editor Note: For my Milcom monitor readers in the mid-west, you will have an interesting monitoring activity in your neighborhood mid-month.



Twenty-five to 30 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, like these, will participate in Hawgsmoke 2008 in Salina, Kan., Oct. 15 to 18, despite an Air Force time-compliance technical order issued Oct. 3 to inspect for wing cracks on 130 of the service's almost 400 A-10 aircraft. Hawgsmoke is an Air Force A-10 bombing and gunnery competition held every two years. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)

by Maj. David Kurle
442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

10/8/2008 - WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (AFPN) -- "Hawgsmoke 2008," an A-10 Thunderbolt II bombing and gunnery competition scheduled Oct. 15 to 18 in Salina, Kan., will continue despite an Air Force directive to sideline some of the aircraft.

Air Force officials issued a time-compliance technical order Oct. 3, requiring immediate inspection and repair of wing cracks on about 130 of the Air Force's some 400 operational A-10s.

The TCTO was prompted by an increase in fatigue-related wing cracks currently occurring in A-10 aircraft Air Force-wide. The inspections will occur on A-10s with thin-skin wings, installed during original manufacture, to ensure the operational safety of the aircraft.

"After talking to most of the other A-10 wings in the Air Force, we have more than enough teams committed to competing at Hawgsmoke to continue with the event," said Col. Mark Clemons, 442nd Fighter Wing commander. "We are really looking forward to Hawgsmoke and would like to thank the community of Salina for its outstanding support throughout the planning stages.

"Safety is paramount, and this TCTO will ensure we provide the safest possible aircraft to our A-10 pilots," he said. "We have plenty of aircraft to support Hawgsmoke and maintain the 442nd Fighter Wing's combat readiness."

The 442nd FW, an Air Force Reserve Command unit based here, is hosting Hawgsmoke. The event pits A-10 pilots and maintainers from across the Air Force against each other to determine a single-unit "Hawgsmoke Champion." The competition got its name from the A-10's nickname, "warthog."

While wing officials originally expected about 70 A-10 aircraft to attend the event, the inspections have reduced that number to 25 to 30 airplanes. Organizers expect as many as 14 teams of pilots will compete.

"The TCTO inspections have forced us to reduce the number of aircraft, but we are still expecting 250 to 300 people," said Lt. Col. Brian Borgen, Hawgsmoke coordinator. "We will basically share the limited number of aircraft among the pilots from all the teams."

The inspections are necessary to correct A-10 wing cracks, specifically on aircraft with thin-skin wings. This risk is of great concern to Air Force officials and represents a systemic problem for the aging Air Force fleet.

The A-10 is a ground-attack aircraft designed to support ground forces in combat. It can carry 16,000 pounds of ordnance and is equipped with a 30-mm cannon capable of punching through tank armor.

It is not known how long the inspections will take.