The USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., is increasingly using Air National Guard fighter rotations to provide aggressor support and is looking to formalize a more permanent relationship. Since Nellis inactivated its F-15 aggressor squadron last September, the school has faced a perennial shortage. “Over the last six months, we have asked the Guard to provide even more support in the adversary role. It’s something that we need, due to a reduced number of Active Duty assets,” school Deputy Commandant Lt. Col. Jon Berardinelli, said in a release. “A formal arrangement is going to take a collaborative effort and commitments across all major commands and the National Guard Bureau—all for the greater good,” he said. Nellis signed a long-term deal for contracted “red air” from Draken International back in September. Massachusetts ANG F-15C/Ds and some 114 pilots, maintainers, and support personnel from the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes ANGB, Mass., deployed to Nellis to support the most recent two-week training phase, according to the release.
The Air Force conducted its first successful test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, on May 14, snapping a streak of three consecutive failed tests and giving the beleaguered hypersonics program a much needed boost. Off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW separated from the wing…