US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Rhonda Smith
An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 492nd Fighter Squadron launches in support of an inter-fighter squadron "Turkey Shoot" at RAF Lakenheath, September 26, 2019.
- Eighteen F-15Cs and F-15Es from the Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing took to the skies over England on Thursday for a "Turkey Shoot."
- Turkey Shoots are operational competitions that test the preparation and performance of fighter pilots, intelligence professionals, aircraft maintainers, and air battle managers.
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ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH - The 48th Fighter Wing held an inter-fighter squadron "Turkey Shoot," at RAF Lakenheath, England, on September 26, 2019.
The Turkey Shoot is an operational competition that tests the preparation and performance of fighter pilots, intelligence professionals, aircraft maintainers, and air battle managers.
"The event takes the newest flight leads, instructors and wingmen from each squadron, puts them together into one four-ship formation to represent that squadron, and then hands them a demanding tactical problem to solve," said Capt. Sam Wozniak, 492nd Fighter Squadron weapons system operator flight lead.
The competition is executed as a Defensive Counter Air mission. Competition planners, known as "White Forces," set the parameters for each fighter squadron's "blue air" team.
"The White Forces provided the special instructions, rules of the competition, and a point system matrix," Wozniak said. "For example, successful target defense equated 20 points and achieving missile kills equated 5 points and the team with the most points at the end wins."
The scenario pitted four blue air F-15s against 14 "red air" F-15s to defend specified targets.
In preparation, blue players had to determine the desired combat air patrol locations, distance triggers to advancing enemy forces, and inter-flight contacts for each formation to optimize mission success.