The US Navy instituted a formal Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) program in 1968, with the formation of the US Navy Postgraduate Course in Fighter Weapons Tactics and Doctrine at NAS Miramar, which is better known as Top Gun. This program was established in response to a relatively poor air-to-air combat result over Vietnam–the kill ratio being only about 2 to 1 in favor of the Navy, which was far from satisfactory. The first course began in March of 1969.
At first, the emphasis was placed on close-in air-to-air dogfighting, which had previously been de-emphasized in favor of missile launches, but it later became recognized that it might be useful to fly against a dissimilar type of adversary aircraft in the simulated dogfights. This would force students to pay closer attention to the equipment flown by the enemy–recognizing its strong points and looking for any weaknesses.
At first, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft were used as the adversary trainers, since the aircraft was small, highly-maneuverable, and well suited to replicate the Soviet fighters of the day. The adversary Skyhawks were painted with camouflage schemes that approximated those of potential enemies. The Skyhawks were later joined by Northrop T-38A Talon trainers.
This program was successful in improving the Navy’s kill ratio in combat over Vietnam, and by 1972, the Navy’s kill ratio in air-to-air combat had jumped to about 12 to 1. The success of the program resulted in the Top Gun program being elevated in status to that of a separate establishment in July 1, 1972, when it formally adopted the title Navy Fighter Weapons School. At the same time, it was decided to expand the *Top Gun* program beyond NFWS at Miramar, and the Navy set up dedicated full-time adversary squadrons at NAS Oceana, Virginia and at NAS Miramar, California. These were designated VF-43 “Challengers” and VF-126 “Bandits” respectively.
In 1975, the US Navy Fighter Weapons School borrowed a total of ten F-5Es and three F-5Fs from the USAF for for use in dissimilar air combat training, equipping the FWS, VF-126, and VF-43.
Having provided dissimilar air combat opportunities to fighter communities on both the East and West Coasts, the Navy went on to provide similar opportunities to light attack units that were equipped with the A-7 Corsair. These were VA-45 at Cecil Field, Florida (later relocated to NAS Key West, Florida where it was eventually redesignated VF-45 “Blackbirds”) and VA-127 at Lemoore, California (later relocated to NAS Fallon, Nevada, where it was redesignated VFA-127).
The General Dynamics F-16N began to be issued to these units during 1987. Top Gun exchanged its F-5Es for F-16Ns during 1987.
VF-43 gave up its F-5Es in exchange for Israeli-supplied F-21A Kfirs in 1985, but reacquired F-5Es in 1989 after the F-21As were returned to Israel. These new F-5Es were obtained from the USAF, which was then running down its once-large fleet of Tiger IIs. Six F-16Ns were acquired from from VF-45 in 1988. The F-5Es continued to operated alongside A-4s, T-2s and F-16N. VF-43 was deactivated in September of 1993, turning over its responsibilities to VFC-12, which was a reserve squadron equipped with the F/A-18.
VF-45 “Blackbirds” based at NAS Key West took over the aircraft and responsibility of the VF-171 detachment in June of 1984, becoming a full-fledged aggressor unit on October 1, 1984. Its primary role was to provide DACT for the Atlantic Fleet light attack and attack squadrons. VF-45 acquired F-16Ns in 1987, and by 1989 had 12 of these aircraft along with 12 Skyhawks. During most of 1988 and 1989, VF-45 loaned six of its F-16Ns to VF-43. To make up for the loss of some of its F-16Ns, F-5Es were added to the roster of VF-45 in December 1989. The F-16Ns were retired prematurely in December of 1994 due to fatigue problems. In November 1995, VF-45 was still operating seven F-5Es and two F-5Fs, but the unit was scheduled for deactivation in 1996, leaving East Coast aggressor training to the reservists of VFC-12 and their F/A-18s.
VF-126 “Bandits” had assumed a DACT role in February 1970, when it received four A-4s, but its primary mission was instrument and countermeasures training. In 1981, VF-126 handed over its instrument training responsibilities to VA-127 to become a dedicated adversary unit. VF-126 acquired three F-5Es from VF-43 when that unit re-equipped with F-21As. The F-5Es moved on in 1990, and VF-126 was disestablished in September of 1993, handing over its responsibilities to the F/A-18-equipped VFC-13.
The NAS Lemoore-based VA-127 was initially a West Coast A-4 replacement training unit. From July 1975 it became an instrument training group. It acquired a DACM role in November 1975 and lost its instrument training role entirely in October of 1983. Its primary mission was now to provide adversary training for West Coast light attack and attack squadrons. In 1987, the squadron was redesignated VFA-127 “Desert Bogeys”/”Cylons” and moved to NAS Fallon, Nevada and took over the F-5Es that had been replaced by F-16Ns with VF-45 and the Naval Fighter Weapons School. In late 1988, VFA-127 got eight more F-5Es from USAF aggressor units. VFA-127 replaced its A-4s with F/A-18s in 1992, but retained its F-5Es.
As a result of budget cuts, the once sizeable fleet of Navy aggressor aircraft has been cut down to virtually nothing. Top Gun’s F-16Ns were flown out to AMARC for storage in February 1995, leaving only F/A-18 Hornets and F-14 Tomcats still serving. The Tiger II-equipped VF-43 was formally disestablished in 1993. By the end of 1995, VFA-127 had 13 F-5Es and a single F-5F, but was scheduled for disestablishment in March of 1996. No F-5E/Fs are now serving with the US Navy, and the burden of providing aggressor training was assigned to the Reserve Squadrons VFC-12 at Oceana and VFC-13 at Miramar. The concept of dissimilar air combat has gone by the wayside, since both these units are equipped with the F/A-18. Miramar became a Marine Corps Air Station as of October 1997, and the F-14 and F/A-18 squadrons at Miramar relocated to NAS Lemoore, NV in 1995-97. Top Gun relocated to NAS Fallon, NV in 1996.
Sources:
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The Rise and Fall of the Aggressors, Lindsay Peacock, Air
International, July 1995.
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Northrop F-5/F-20, Jerry Scutts, Ian Allan Ltd, 1986.
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F-5: Warplane for the World, Robbie Shaw, Motorbooks, 1990
- Northrop F-5, Jon Lake and Robert Hewson, World Airpower Journal, Vol 25, 1996.
