Excalibur 2005

Author: Robin Powney
Photography: Author & Paul Tiller

Whilst not quite back to the “good old days” of the Excaliburs of the Eighties and early Nineties where a large number of USAFE squadrons used to participate, for a few days in August, RAF Lakenheath once again played host to Exercise Excalibur – this time round with participation from seven USAFE squadrons and three RAF squadrons although not all flew from Lakenheath.

The two F-15E units of the Liberty Wing at Lakenheath would be competing against their new, albeit temporary, stable mates of the two F-16C/D equipped wings of the 31st FW from Aviano with LANTIRN-equipped 510th FS and 555th FS Block 40 F-16CG/DGs and the 52nd FW from Spangdahlem with 22nd FS and 23rd FS Block 50 HARM-capable F-16CJs – oh, and some of the 52nd FWs ever popular yet 'ugly but well hung' tank-killers in the shape of 81st FS A-10As. The RAF, staying at their home bases, were represented by the Jaguar GR.3As of 6 and 41(F) Squadron at RAF Coltishall and the Tornado GR.4s of IX(B) Squadron from “just up the road” at RAF Marham. Excalibur 2005 represents the last time Jaguars will participate in any large numbers as by the time the 2006 event comes round, Coltishall will be shut and just the one squadron will remain operational - that being 6 Squadron at its new home of RAF Coningsby.

The trade descriptions people may have something to say about the title because Excalibur is not really an exercise per se but basically a gunnery and bombing competition – taking advantage of the two Wash ranges of RAF Holbeach and RAF Wainfleet – with the added bonus of enhancing team spirit between the competing NATO units. With such competitions, when it comes to going to war, the units are likely to “bond” as a team quicker and as such the general morale also increases which then has the knock-on advantage of improving trust. Such competition also gives the squadron’s support personnel to shine – without serviceable jets the pilots, and thus the units, don’t stand a chance. Yes, the pilots are ultimately responsible for putting the weapons on target but without a jet to fly, there are no means of taking that weapon to wherever it needs to be. You can have the finest pilot on the planet sat in a jet fully fueled and armed to the teeth with precision munitions but that combination is completely useless if the jet just plain doesn't work.

Prior to the commencement of the competition, it was widely expected that the 81st FS A-10As would clear up considering the Hog pilots train hard for this type of mission – low-level gunnery and bombing in support of ground troops. This isn't just what they train for, it's almost what they live for. Recent conflicts have shown though that all aircraft types can be expected to engage enemy ground targets in a Close Air Support type role (it is documented that even the F-14 has used its gun to support ground forces) so maybe it's fair to say that any expectations should have been thrown out. For instance, the F-16CJ/DJ is intended to suppress/kill enemy air defences with the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile - but it's still an F-16 and could therefore have to engage enemy groundforces if friendly forces need it. However, the 48th FW units got in some early practice on the ranges when the Panthers of the 494th FS beat the Madhatters of the 492nd FS during a day on the Wash ranges in early August.

During the two day competition, each jet was permitted just six 25-lb practice bombs, which simulate the ballistics of 500-lb class weapons like the Mk82, and no more than 100 rounds per sortie – which, on the A-10 with the mighty 30mm GAU-8 Avenger, would last all of about 1.5 seconds if fired in one continuous burst. In what may come as a surprise to many, the 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon in the F-16 and F-15 can actually dispense with the same hundred rounds in just one second with the highest rate of fire selected. The single-barrel 27mm Mausers in the Tornado GR.4 and 30mm Adens in the Jaguar GR.3As, whilst packing an admirably punch thanks to their caliber, lack the ability to put lots of lead in one place provided by the massive cyclic rate of their USAF counterparts. As mentioned briefly earlier about any jet being called on to provide air support, the F-16 community cleaned up the low-angle strafe competition.

Participants left their home base (or Lakenheath in the case of the Aviano and Spangdahlem jets) and headed towards their half-hour slot at RAF Wainfleet where they conducted a handful of high-dive runs onto the targets. Following the high-dive bombing, participants would head the twelve or so miles south to RAF Holbeach for the low-level bombing runs. Once the bombing is complete, the participants move onto the strafe targets and give their cannons a work-out. In two days of competition, participants expended 216 BDU-33 practice bombs (for an impressive total of 5,400lb) and 3,600 rounds of 20mm, 27mm and 30mm ammunition. Once the scores from Wainfleet and Holbeach are faxed to Lakenheath, exercise coordinators collate the results and do some interesting and no doubt complex maths to equalise the results from the differing aircraft types and eventually create a final league table. This final league table is then used to award the various crews their accolades. Spangdahlem's F-16CJ squadrons and the Madhatters of the 492nd FS pretty much cleaned up but Aviano's 31st FW came out on top as Top Wing. In what is perhaps the "combat" swansong for the Jaguar, Sooty and Tenno of 41(F) Squadron helped to make a lasting impression for the ability of the Anglo-French Big Cat by taking second (45º, high altitude) and first (10º, low altitude), respectively, in two of the rounds.

Friday was a "Large Force Exercise" day where F-15Es and F-16Cs went up against RAF Tornado F.3s out over the North Sea. After somewhat iffy weather (i.e. cold, wet and windy and perhaps typical of the UK in mid-August) meant the golf competition had to be cancelled, the A-10s of the 81st FS went home, without the golf competition title which they were confident of winning, leaving their 22nd/23rd FS colleagues and the Aviano F-16s at Lakenheath for just a little while longer. Whether or not the golf competition would have gone the way of the A-10 folk remains to be seen - they were very confident though! During this exercise, some of the Strike Eagles were flying with the new sapphire-nose Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod (the export version being designated "Pantera") – originally conceived to put a targeting pod on a Block 30/40/50 F-16 but it can, and will, be used as a replacement for the 20-year old LANTIRN targeting pod – which now allows the F-15E to acquire a target from twice the height it could manage with the LANTIRN pod. Sniper pods have since flown on more than 400 combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the USAF confirmed that the 48FW were the wing designated to test the pods for the F-15E in early 2005. As the Sniper XR forms the heart of the JSF/F-35 targeting/navigation system and the fact that it has been trialled on F-16s and legacy F/A-18s and possibly finding use on B-1Bs, B-52Hs and A-10A/Cs, it's fair to say the Sniper is going to be around for a while... and they are considerably cheaper than the nearly $5M for a LANTIRN system.

The results...

45° High Altitude Release Bomb
3rd	22nd FS Stingers	Capt. Sam “Vandal” Mann	F-16CJ
2nd	41(F) Sqn	Flt. Mike "Sooty" Sutton	Jaguar GR.3A
1st	23rd FS Fighting Hawks	Maj. Rich "Chewie" Murray	F-16CJ

30° Dive Bomb
3rd	555th FS Triple Nickel	Capt. Johnny "Vegas" Vargas	F-16CG
2nd	555th FS Triple Nickel	Lt. Scott "Worm" Tregaser	F-16CG
1st	492nd FS Madhatters	Maj. Trent "Bobby" Hill Capt. Christian "Juice" Burbach	F-15E

20° Low Altitude Load Drag
3rd	492nd FS Madhatters	Capt. Bill "Sandman" Lujan Capt. Manaal "Pipper" Ibrahim	F-15E
2nd	492nd FS Madhatters	Lt. Pete "Cash" Yule Capt. Ken "Meso" Harney	F-15E
1st	492nd FS Madhatters	Maj. Trent "Bobby" Hill Capt. Christian "Juice" Burbach	F-15E

10° Low Altitude Load Drag
3rd	81st FS Panthers	Capt. Jason "Bagger" Jensen	A-10A
2nd	555th FS Triple Nickel	Maj. Paul "Dino" Murray	F-16CG
1st	41(F) Sqn	Flt. Alex "Tenno" Tennant	Jaguar GR.3A

Low Angle Strafe
3rd	22nd FS Stingers	Capt. Tim "Spike" Pesek	F-16CJ
2nd	555th FS Triple Nickel	Lt. Brian "Moses" Perkins	F-16CG
1st	22nd FS Stingers	Capt. Sam "Vandal" Mann	F-16CJ

Top Gun
3rd	494th FS Panthers	Capt. Robert "Farmer" Hines Capt. Chris "Spliff" Russel	F-15E
2nd	494th FS Panthers	Capt. Dan "Curly" Rauch Capt. John "Vinnie" Powers	F-15E
1st	23rd FS Fighting Hawks	Maj. Rich "Chewie" Murray	F-16CJ

Top Flight
3rd	555th FS Triple Nickel	Aviano AB, Italy	F-16CG
2nd	494th FS Panthers	RAF Lakenheath, UK	F-15E
1st	22nd FS Stingers	Spangdahlem AB, Germany	F-16CJ

Top Wing
2nd	48th FW Liberty Wing	RAF Lakenheath, UK	F-15E
1st	31st FW	Aviano AB, Italy	F-16CG

The author would like to thank Capt. Beth Horine, Capt. Jason McCree, SrA Wes Auldridge and all the rest of the 48th FW that made this article possible.