Airmen Bolster Global Partnerships Through Ferocious Falcon 6

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND (AFNS) --

Air, land and naval forces from Qatar, Turkey, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the United States converged across their respective domains to raise combat efficiency by building integrated command and control systems capable of achieving combat readiness in joint operations during Ferocious Falcon 6, an exercise hosted and led by Qatar, Nov. 16-20.

U.S. Air Forces Central provided two 174th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft for air refueling capabilities and four F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 555th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron "Triple Nickel" in support of the exercise. In total, 64 AFCENT personnel from the 378th and 379th Air Expeditionary Wings participated.

"This exercise provided an excellent opportunity for training as well as partner nation integration," said Lt. Col. Kelly Ammon, 174th EARS director of operations. "Our crews supported red and blue forces which included offensive counter air and close air support operations."

Over the course of only three days, the 174th EARS crews offloaded over 189 thousand pounds of fuel in-flight to 35 fighter aircraft from the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the Turkish Air Force and the U.S. Air Force.

The 555th EFS, currently assigned to the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, participated in the exercise in partnership and adversarial replication capacities, integrating combat techniques with partner nations as well as simulating common enemy tactics during Dissimilar Air Combat Training. This training helps partner nation pilots familiarize themselves with tactics and loadouts of varying airframes to sharpen their capabilities to respond to and deter threats.

"Ferocious Falcon served as a two-for-one for our squadron," said Capt. Brad Welsh, 555th EFS fighter pilot. "We were able to integrate with our partner nations to increase our combat capabilities while strengthening partnerships with them and other base support agencies."

The 555th Mission Generation Force Element directly impacted the combat readiness of one of those supporting units, the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, by certifying members on hot-pit refueling. This refueling process promotes agile combat employment, allowing an aircraft to land, keep its engines running while refueling, and take off in a relatively short time span, increasing power projection capabilities.

"In the event that real-world circumstances require the base to host fighter aircraft, the ability to turn those aircraft with speed is important," said Capt. Christopher Brown, 379th AEW A4 deputy. "Having our personnel hot-pit certified enhances how many training and combat missions we can support and enables movement with a smaller footprint."

In total, 11 379th ELRS Airmen were hot-pit certified, doubling the amount within the squadron.

Perhaps the strongest showcase of enhancing combat capabilities and allied integration came with the merging of Ferocious Falcon 6 and another ongoing exercise on Nov. 17 to develop the ability to operate from unfamiliar locations in the CENTCOM AOR.

The 555th EFS flew as part of the formation alongside two Qatar Emiri Air Force fighter jets and a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft. The 174th EARS supported the mission offloading an additional 105 thousand pounds of fuel.

The exercise culminated in a two-day Ferocious Falcon 6 Senior Leader Seminar where military personnel from the participating nations discussed the challenges and future of information warfare and the cyber domain, Nov. 19-20. During the second day, over 30 fighter, mobility, and unmanned aerial vehicle aircraft and rotorcraft showcased allied airpower with a series of flyovers.

"Being able to strategically plan and operate with the host-nation as well as the other partner nations involved creates an invaluable opportunity to understand and share best practices and contribute using generations of lessons learned," Welsh said. "We appreciate the opportunity to enhance combat readiness among ourselves and our partners, and we commend Qatar for being such accommodating and welcoming hosts."