William Tell Air-to-Air Weapons Meet 2023

The Air Force held its last William Tell Air-to-Air Weapons Meet in 2004. For nineteen years, the competition wasn't held, but this year the Air Force revived the Meet and the first one is being held in Savannah at the Georgia Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center at the Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. The competition features teams from eight different units flying the F-15C, F-15E, F-22A, and F-35A. Opposition forces are being provided by F-16s from the 64th AGRS and T-38s from the 1st FW and 325th FW. Tanker support is being provided by KC-46As from the 305th AMW. A DOD contractor is towing the target banners for aerial gunnery. The participating units are:

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; August 2023

The Monthly Military Monitoring Recap consists of frequencies and callsigns that I've heard in use in Coastal Georgia and during my travels (usually around South Carolina and Florida). Special Operations, Intelligence, and real-world Combat Air Patrol information will not be posted. Gulfstream (Savannah) and Boeing (Charleston) flight test frequencies and callsigns are also included as well as US Coast Guard, non-law enforcement FedCom, and civilian medevac callsigns, N-numbers, and frequencies. 

Highlights of the month:

• VAQ-209 visited the Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center
• Vermont ANG F-35s flew in to help open the CRTC/ADC's new 5th Generation fighter hangar
• Overnight Road Trip to Warner Robins to visit the Robins AFB Musem of Aviation

Over the last few months, 165th Airlift Wing/158th Airlift Squadron flights have decreased in frequency, and I began to suspect that they had begun transitioning from the C-130H to the C-130J. In mid-August, it was confirmed by posts from the unit's social media accounts. The last H-model C-130 was due to depart the unit on 18 August with the new J-models scheduled to start arriving in December. 

Likewise, I hadn't heard any VMFA(AW)-533 flights since June, so some web searching yielded information that VMFA(AW)-533 made their last F/A-18 flight in June and will be transitioning to the F-35B "later this year."