34 ADVERSARIES
The US Navy takes adversary training seriously, but it is a
mission that is flown primarily by its experienced reserve
forces under the Tactical Support Wing.
report: José M. Ramos
I
N 1996, THE US Navy’s
adversary program became the
responsibility of the Navy Reserve
when — in a cost-cutting and re-
organization effort — the last two
active-duty squadrons committed
to the mission were deactivated. From
a high point in the late 1980s and early
1990s, when the Navy had four active-
duty squadrons and five reserve units
dedicated to dissimilar air combat
training (DACT), today there are just four
Navy units performing adversary support
for the fleet.
These squadrons all come under
the roof of the Tactical Support Wing
(TSW), and comprise Fighter Composite
Squadron (VFC) 12 ‘Fighting Omars’ at
Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia; VFC-13
‘Saints’ at NAS Fallon, Nevada; VFC-111
‘Sundowners’ at NAS Key West, Florida;
and lastly Strike Fighter Squadron
(VFA) 204 ‘River Rattlers’ at Naval Air
Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans,
Louisiana. VFA-204 is unusual in that it
also holds a strategic reserve mission.
The main threat simulation aircraft
operated by TSW is the F-5N Tiger II.
These aircraft were purchased back
from Switzerland in 2002 to replace
the increasingly overtaxed F-5E fleet
the US Navy had been operating for
decades; many of the F-5E airframes
dated back to the initial inception of the
adversary program in the early 1970s.
The E-models had been augmented
US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2016
by former US Air Force airframes that
became available in the late 1980s as
the Air Force shut down its foreign F-5
training squadrons and scaled down its
own aggressor program.
The former Swiss jets were overhauled
by Northrop Grumman in Saint
Augustine, Florida, and eventually
became the only F-5 variants in
US service, bringing fleet-wide
commonality. Of the 44 aircraft
purchased, 30 are operated by VFC-13
Into the merge and VFC-111. Each unit also has a
— a VFC-12
F/A-18A+ meets single F-5F ‘Franken-Tiger’ for in-house
a VFA-204 conversion training. The 13 ‘Saints’
playmate in jets are used in support of squadrons
a head-on
engagement. in work-ups prior to deployment,
José M. Ramos mainly in the Strike Fighter Advanced
 BEING THE BAD GUYS 35

Readiness Program (SFARP), as well

José M. Ramos

as augmenting assets from the Naval

Aviation Warfighting Development
Center (NAWDC) during carrier air wing
detachments and the TOPGUN syllabus,
both of which are run from NAS Fallon,
Nevada.
The ‘Sundowners’ operate 17 F-5Ns
and are the busiest squadron in the
US Navy. VFC-111’s primary mission
is providing adversary support
for the three Fleet Replacement
Squadrons operating ‘legacy’ F/A-18
Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets
and EA-18G Growlers during their
tactics detachments to Key West. The
squadron’s services and talents are in
considerable demand from other Navy

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2016

36 ADVERSARIES
A VFC-13 ‘Saints’ flies over its home base
at NAS Fallon — a center of excellence
for combat air training. José M. Ramos
and Air Force units looking to add some
DACT to their training cycles.
Tiger tamers
Both VFC-13 and 111 use contract services
for the maintenance of their aircraft. For
many years Sikorsky Maintenance and
Services handled this work, but in July
2015 PAE Applied Technologies was
awarded a $68.4-million contract to take
over responsibility in July 2016. Northrop
Grumman still carries out the depot-level
overhaul of the entire F-5 fleet, which is
expected to serve on until 2025.
No replacement is on the horizon for
the F-5N in the adversary role. Indeed, the
aircraft is so cost-effective that few other
aircraft could fill the gap economically,
meaning that the 2025 date is the earliest
the Tiger could be retired. Attempts to
This F/A-18C is assigned to the
Naval Aviation Warfighting
Development Center (NAWDC)
at Fallon. Jim Dunn
A striking pair of adversary Hornets
from VFA-204 ‘River Rattlers’ and VFC-12
‘Omars’. José M. Ramos
acquire more former Swiss F-5s have their inventory. While several aircraft are
been unsuccessful due to Switzerland still awaiting overhaul at the remaining
delaying both the acquisition of a new NADEP facilities, VFC-12 maintains 12
fighter aircraft and the retirement of the F/A-18A+ Hornets at Oceana and VFA-204
remainder of its F-5 fleet. However, the US operates 10 jets at New Orleans. Both
Navy is still hopeful of purchasing more squadrons have also recently acquired a Right: VFC-111
aircraft in future, maybe as early as Fiscal single F/A-18B apiece. ‘Sundowners’
Year (FY) 2017. With the fleet still converting some flies F-5Ns from
NAS Key West.
The second aircraft operated by squadrons from ‘legacy’ Hornets to Super José M. Ramos
the TSW in the adversary role is the Hornets and the likely disestablishment
F/A-18A/B/C Hornet, assigned to VFC-12 of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 in FY 2017, Right below:
NAWDC also
‘Fighting Omars’ and VFA-204 ‘River TSW expects ‘newer’ aircraft to trickle operates
Rattlers’. Like many ‘legacy’ Hornet into VFC-12 and VFA-204 in the form of F-16A/Bs at
operators, the reserves have been hit F/A-18Cs, and eventually Super Hornets Fallon. These
adversaries have
hard by sequestration, suffering delays as the F-35C comes online. The ‘River a very specific
in maintenance due to the temporary Rattlers’ also maintain a strategic reserve mission in either
closure of several Naval Aviation Depot capability, training as a fleet squadron for supporting
air wing
(NADEP) facilities. Nevertheless, the possible deployments while supporting detachments or
squadrons have maintained their those same fleet units in the adversary TOPGUN classes.
operational numbers by expanding role. Jim Dunn
US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2016
 BEING THE BAD GUYS 37

As well as the TSW adversaries, the Navy calls in contractor air services as
operational requirements dictates. The Airborne Tactical Advantage Company
(ATAC) is a key contractor providing such services for the Navy. Here one of its
ex-Swiss Air Force Hunter F58s formates with an F-5. José M. Ramos

‘There is no
replacement on
the horizon for
the F-5N in the
adversary role.
Indeed, the aircraft
is so cost-effective
that few aircraft
could fill the gap
economically’

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2016