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Idaho Air Guard wins Hawgsmoke 2008

  • Published
  • By Air Force Maj. David Kurle
  • Air Force Reserve Command
SALINA, Kan. --  The 190th Fighter Squadron from the Idaho Air National Guard was named the top team for Hawgsmoke 2008 here Oct. 17 after three days of competition among 14 A-10 Thunderbolt II squadrons from across the Air Force.

Hawgsmoke, which is held every two years, tests the skills that A-10 pilots use in every-day training to employ the ground-attack aircraft in its primary role as a close-air-support platform.

Thirty A-10s, all from Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units, started arriving at the Salina Airport on Oct. 14 and flew for three days to get all 14 teams through the events.

Aviators are tested on: their times over targets; how well they place 30-mm cannon rounds, training bombs and the AGM-65 Maverick missile on simulated targets; the quality of their combat tactics as well as their formation flying.

This year, about 50 pilots assisted by 400 combat support and maintenance Airmen participated in the event.

Pilots were forced to share aircraft from other units because of an Air Force time-compliance technical order that mandated inspections on about 130 of the Air Force's 360 A-10 aircraft. The order was issued two weeks before the competition's start date.

Hawgsmoke 2008 was hosted by the 442nd Fighter Wing's 303rd Fighter Squadron, which won the event at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., in 2006. The 442nd, an Air Force Reserve unit based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., selected the Salina Airport as the 2008 location because of its ample flight line and its proximity to the 34,000-acre Smoky Hill Range, which is operated by the 184th Intelligence Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard.

"The City of Salina and the people here have been absolutely outstanding in their support of Hawgsmoke," said Lt. Col. Brian Borgen who served as the event organizer. "We couldn't have asked for a better location. We really owe Salina and our sponsors a huge 'thank you' for helping us plan and execute Hawgsmoke 2008."

The Hawgsmoke 2008 winners in each category were:

Top Maverick Missile Team: 303rd FS from Whiteman AFB, Mo.
Top Tactical Team: 303rd FS.
Top Strafe Team: 103rd FS, Pennsylvania Air National Guard from Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pa.
Top Bombing Team: 47th FS, Air Force Reserve Command, from Barksdale AFB, La.
Top Arrival Team: 81st FS from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
Top Pilot Award: Capt. Jerry Cook, 45th FS, Air Force Reserve Command, from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
Top High-Altitude Dive Bomb Award: Capt. Jerry Cook, 45th FS.
Top 30-Degree Dive Bomb Award: Maj. Bill Zutell, 103rd FS.
Top Low-Angle, High-Delivery Pop Award: Lt. Col. Bob Pugh from the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Test Center in Tucson, Ariz.
Top Strafe Award: 1st Lt. Nick Decker, 303rd FS.

The 190th, part of the 124th Wing, based at Boise International Airport, Idaho, will host the next Hawgsmoke competition in 2010.