Department of Defense

The Hawaii Air National Guard diligently planned and executed the final steps for an aircraft conversion in fiscal year 1987. The F-15A Eagle aircraft will replace the F-4C Phantom jet fighters. This conversion will represent a quantum leap forward in the air defense of the State.

– 1986 Annual Report pp. 1

Within the past year, through the combined efforts of the Headquarters, Hawaii Air National Guard, Pacific Air Force, and the National Guard Bureau, the acquisition of the F-lSA Eagle aircraft to replace the aging F-4C Phantom aircraft became a long awaited reality. On February 1986 the United States Air Force officially announced that the Hawaii Air National Guard will begin receiving the F-lSA Eagle aircraft in March 1987.

– 1986 Annual Report pp. 11

June 14, 1986 initiated the closing of a very historical chapter in the annals of the Hawaii Air National Guard. The return landings of eight F-4C aircraft from the air combat exercise Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nevada, marked the end of the last deployment in the Phantom. With the expected arrival of the F-15 Eagle next fiscal year and the final phase out of the F-4C, an era will come to an end. Although Hawaii Air National Guard’s Phantoms are close to being 23 years old and by most 1980 standards, out-dated, the aircraft can still perform well in the air combat arena when flown by experienced and well-trained aircrews as was proven by the recent deployment to Red Flag.

– 1986 Annual Report pp. 13

HANG to receive F-15 Summer 1987

On February 5, 1985 the Air Force announced proposed changes in the tactical force structure of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. The Hawaii Air National Guard’s 24 F-4C (Phantom) fighter aircraft will be replaced by 24 F-15 (Eagle) aircraft in the summer of 1987, which will greatly enhance Hawaii’s air defense system for the people of Hawaii. The F-15 is recognized as one of the finest fighter aircraft in the world today. Its superior acceleration, range, weapons and avionics will enable the Hawaii Air National Guard to intercept, identify and destroy, if necessary, potential hostile aircraft at a greater distance from our shores.

According to Major General Alexis T. Lum, State Adjutant General, “The aircraft represents a monumental leap for Hawaii’s air defense and will provide a greater level of protection for the State of Hawaii. Hawaii has a definite need for this expanded capability and the Hawaii Air National Guard has demonstrated its ability to put the F-15 to the best possible use for our State and Nation.”

Hawaii Air National Guard, 3rd Guard unit to receive F-15’s

The Hawaii Air National Guard becomes the third Guard unit in the nation to be programmed for the F-15s, following the 159th Tactical Fighter Group, New Orleans, Louisiana, and the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing, Dobbins AFB, Georgia. Hawaii’s early selection for force modernization can be attributed to the very strong support received from Pacific Air Forces and the National Guard Bureau and our Hawaii Air National Guard’s unique air defense mission and its outstanding accomplishments. Over the next decade, several other Air National Guard units will be programmed for the F-15 aircraft as part of the modernization of the reserve forces.

As part of the conversion from the F4C to F-15 aircraft, the Hawaii Air National Guard will be upgrading and expanding its facilities at Hickam AFB to accommodate the new aircraft at an estimated cost of $8.2 million. An additional $15.2 million of improvements,

$23.4 million in facilities upgrading & expansion improvements

unrelated to the conversion, will be made to accommodate other facility needs of the Hawaii Air National Guard at Hickam AFB.

The conversion of the F-4C to F-15 aircraft will result in a slight increase in full-time and military manning for the 154th Composite Group, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Some on-board personnel will be affected by the conversion. They will be reassigned and trained for new duties since the F-15 is less labor intensive to maintain than the F-4C because of improved technology and requires only one pilot to perform its mission. The F4C currently requires both a pilot and a weapons system officer to perform its mission. However, no existing personnel will be laid off since the overall manpower authorization will be slightly
increased, as previously mentioned.

This conversion from the F-4C to the F-15 will be the fifth aircraft conversion for the Hawaii Air National Guard over the past four decades. Brigadier General Edward V. Richardson, Hawaii Air National Guard Commander, stated, “Since 1956, we have provided 24-hour air defense for the State of Hawaii and our people. With strong support from the Pacific Air Forces, we have worked hard to continually upgrade our people’s training, our tactics and our equipment to deny any potential adversary an undue advantage. General Robert W. Bazley, Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces, and the late General Jerome F. O’Malley deserve much of the credit for modernization of Hawaii’s air defense system. Their support and recognition of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s accomplishments contributed directly to our early conversion to the F-15. The F-15 is the world’s premier fighter aircraft and, combined with our outstanding aircrews and support personnel, I feel that the Hawaii Air National Guard will have the best air defense force for years to come. This conversion has added significance to all the men and women in the Hawaii Air National Guard as we celebrate our 40th anniversary in serving Hawaii’s people and our Nation.”

– 1986 January – March Pūpūkahi pp. 1 & 12

F-15 Eagles Update

By Lt. Col. Jerald K. Aoki and Capt.
Wayne P. Wakeman, HANG

The 154th Composite Group’s (154th COMPG) F-15 conversion committee is on schedule with their plan for coordinating and managing the upcoming changeover. Members of the committee chaired by Capt. Jerald Aoki and assisted by Capt. Wayne Wakeman, include personnel from operations, maintenance, support area Headquarters, Hawaii Air National Guard.

A Site Survey Team, made up of experts who have handled F-15 conversions for the active Air Force and two other Air Guard units, completed their study in December 1985. Interim measures that would allow a timely conversion, with as little change to the daily operation, were implemented. Portable facilities were built or acquired to support supply function and the engine machine shop and will eventually be replaced with permanent facilities.

Many experts from the many functional areas nation-wide made up the Site Activation Task Force (SATAF). They wrapped-up a week of conferences in April, which identified possible problems the 154th COMPG may face if other alternatives to these problems were not considered.

The SATAF team’s four-part visit identifies (ID’s) possible problems; follows-up and I D’s any new items; 1D’s training equipment, resolves any last minute problems and finalizes any schedules; and, if needed, a fourth visit to clean-up any last minute items or problems.

Topics of the first SATAF were getting the actual aircraft tail numbers of the F-15’s coming from Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, and the supply ordering process.

Scheduling is proceeding for home and away schooling (as long as eight months), construction in the maintenance shops, and preparations to receive equipment and supplies.

Two F-15’s will arrive in March and April of 1987. There will be “hands on” maintenance trainers, with a Field Training Team joining them shortly to conduct retraining classes. In the months to follow, starting in July through the end of 1987, operational F15’s will be arriving. The aircrews will be attending F-15 pilot upgrade training beginning in March also, at either Tyndall AFB, Florida, or Luke AFB, Arizona.

After the majority of the pilots are fully qualified, an evaluation will be made to determine the combat capabilities.

The conversion will require additional effort from all functional areas. We can look forward to more academics, working in interim facilities, and using new equipment.

– 1986 April – June Pūpūkahi pp. 3

F-15’s update

The Hawaii Air National Guard’s F-15 Eagle conversion is proceeding on schedule.

Many personnel are visiting other F-15 bases, both active duty and Guard, gathering valuable information and consolidating these ideas to become one of the best organized F-15 units.

Displaced personal like the weapons systems Officers (WSOs) are leaving for schools to train for new positions (maintenance, personnel, radar controllers, intelligence) or transferring to mainland units to keep flying. The officers may have had their wings clipped but the good job they have done has enabled HANG to upgrade to the F-15’s.

The F-15’s bring advance technology, including the Built in Test System (BITS). which enables the crewchief the easily identify a maintenance problem. The BITS is plugged into the aircraft and a system check is run. The pilot and crew chief confer on the data and the “problem” is fixed.

The conversion has affected the number of warm bodies around to accomplish the day to day mission, but those left behind picked up the slack to continue operations “as usual”.

– 1986 October – December Pūpūkahi pp. 4

The Hawaii Air National Guard marked its 40th Anniversary on September 10, 1986 and announced its conversion to the F-15 Eagle in February 1987. The conversion represented a quantum leap forward in the air defense of Hawaii.

– 1987 Annual Report pp. 1

The conversion from the F-4C Phantom to the F-15 Eagle aircraft was the centerpiece of a momentous year for the 154th Composite Group. In February 1987, the first four pilots entered upgrade training at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, and on March 11, 1987, the first two of 26 F-15 Eagles arrived at the 154th Composite Group, Hickam AFB. By the end of May 1987, training missions were being flown in the F-15 by pilots of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

– 1987 Annual Report pp. 11

The Eagle has landed

The Hawaii Air National Guard celebrated a major milestone in its forty-year history as the first two F-15A Eagles arrived on March 11, 1987, at Hickam Air Force Base.

The newer, more superior F-15s are the first of 26 “birds” the 154th Composite Group, Hawaii Air National Guard, will receive this year to replace the F-4C Phantom and represent the fifth jet fighter aircraft conversion.

The Eagles, piloted by Lt. Col. Robert Summers and Capt. William Pattison of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico were greeted by Hawaii Air Guard’s Brig. Gen. Edward V. Richardson, commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard; Col. John S.W. Lee, commander of the 154th Composite Group and Lt. Col. James S. Haruguchi, commander of the 199th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

The welcoming ceremonies included an exchange of praises and thanks by the speakers: Gen. Jack I. Gregory, commander in chief, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF); Maj. Gen. Alexis T. Lum, state adjutant general; Brig. Gen. Edward Richardson and Irving L. Burrows, Jr., executive vice president of program management, McDonnell Douglas Corp.

Gen. Jack Gregory spoke of continuing the cooperative efforts between the active air force and the guard and also presented the 154th Composite Group, represented by Col. John Lee, with the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The unit was recognized for the third time in eight years and received a second oak leaf cluster for achievements in teamwork, dedication, and professionalism.

Maj. Gen. Alexis Lum said, “The air defense mission and the arrival of the F-15s clearly exemplify the cooperation and working relationships between the U.S. Pacific Command, the Pacific Air Forces, the National Guard Bureau, our congressional delegation, and our State government. This cooperative effort and teamwork has resulted in Hawaii now having one of the world’s best fighter aircraft.”

Brig. Gen. Richardson spoke of the dream of getting the best superiority aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory for the Hawaii Air Guard and thanked the men of vision at PACAF who shared Hawaii Air National Guard’s dream.

Mr. Irivng Burrows, a member of the team that built and tested the earlier F-15s, commented on the superiority and accomplishments of the aircraft and also presented Brig. Gen. Richardson and the Hawaii Air National Guard with a scale model of the F -15 Eagle.

The Eagles were draped with leis by members of the 154th Composite Group and then blessed by Kawaiahao Church’s Reverend William H. Kaina, with the assistance of Lt. Col.James Haruguchi.

Chaplain Robert H. Anders, Jr., 201st Combat Communications, Hawaii Air National Guard, gave the invocation and the ceremonial Royal Guard provided the color guard and escorts.

The Hawaii Army National Guard’s 111th Army Band played music for the pre-ceremonial and formal portions of the proceedings, while the Hawaii Air National Guard’s Na Mele ‘Koa provided music and Nani, O Wahine Koa provided dancing entertainment.

The Hawaii Air ational Guard has been in the conversion process for almost a year and personnel are actively involved in training on the new aircraft. Pilots and maintenance personnel started necessary training in July 1986 and will continue on scheduled training at Tyndall AFB, Florida; Luke AFB, Arizona and Lowery AFB, Colorado. Air Force teams will also perform temporary duty here at Hickam AFB to train many of the Hawaii Air National Guard personnel at home.

The F-15A Eagles represent a quantum leap foward for the Hawaii Air National Guard in providing for the air defense of the Hawaiian Islands and the people of Hawaii. The conversion, directed by the U.S. Air Force and the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., is clear evidence of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s proven performance, ability and importance in our nation’s defense structure.

– 1987 January – March Pūpūkahi pp. 1

The Hawaii Air National Guard completed its conversion to the F-15 Eagle ahead of schedule and reassumed the full-time air defense alert mission for Hawaii.

– 1988 Annual Report pp. 1

Fiscal Year 1988 brought many milestones for the 154th Composite Group as the conversion to the F-15 Eagle was completed ahead of schedule on June 22, 1988. Sept. 1, 1987 marked the last scramble of the 154th Composite Group’s F-4C Phantoms, as the F-15 Eagles assumed the air defense mission for the State of Hawaii.

– 1988 Annual Report pp. 10