La. Air National Guard hosts air combat training exercise

By Air Force 2nd Lt. Hampton Obier

159th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office

NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing just concluded their two-week Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) with the 43rd Fighter Squadron, based in Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, at the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) New Orleans, which began on July 18, 2014.

With multiple aircraft participating in the realistic war-type scenario, the combat training also provided a group of eight students new to the F-22 Raptor an opportunity to fight in simulated multi-aircraft war missions. The flying event staged the culmination of the air combat tactics training course.

“NAS JRB New Orleans offers a lot of training opportunities for air-to-air missions. The Louisiana Air National Guard’s F-15Cs integrate with F-22s to ensure Air Dominance,” said Col. Thomas “Cannibal” Sostarics, commander of the 159th FW. “It’s a lethal combination!”

“This training has been the most robust … we have brought more jets than ever before. The training has been world-class,” said Lt. Col. Glen “Nugget” Richards, director of operations for the 43rd FS.

The 43rd FS brought 14 F-22 Raptors and eight T-38 Talons to integrate into combat exercises with a squadron of F-15C Eagles belonging to the 159th FW.

The training incorporated bomber escort with participation from a B-52 Stratofortress out of Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier City, Louisiana. All aircraft combined to fly 352 sorties in a reserved air space over the Gulf of Mexico.