F-22s and T-38s at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport

Based on Air Force social media posts earlier this year, the 2025 William Tell air superiority competition was supposed to begin this week at the Air National Guard Air Dominance Center at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. I had no radio time earlier this week and minimal radio time the last couple of days, but it seems that there is no William Tell competition this year. Instead, there are 71st FS F-22As and 7th FTS T-38As from Joint Base Langley at the Air Dominance Center. They have been working with 95th FS F-35As from Tyndall AFB and 159th FS F-35As from Jacksonville in the Special Use Areas off the Georgia coast. I'm guessing they'll be here next week as well, so here's what I was able to hear yesterday and today.

Changes to the Mobile Communications America DMR System at Georgia Ports Authority Savannah

Some time back, I noticed that the Mobile Communications of America 800 MHz DMR trunked repeater system (TRS) at Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah had changed configuration; no longer was anything being heard with it programmed into my gear as as Connect Plus system, but the SDS100 was seeing it as a Tier III system. I didn't have the time to pursue it any further at the time and added it to my radio "to-do" list. Over the weekend, I stayed up all night watching the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race and decided to check the MCA DMR system at Georgia Ports off the list; letting the SDS100's LCN finder run on it while I worked on the Charleston Road Trip Report and watched the race.

Sentry Savannah 2025 - F-22s, F-35s, F-16s, and T-38s Visit Savannah-Hilton Head IAP and Get Snowed In

Sentry Savannah 2025, which the Air National Guard describes as their largest and premier air-to-air fighter exercise, got underway this week at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. This year's participants are F-22s and T-38s from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley, F-35s from the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field in Madison, WI, and F-16s from the 122nd Fighter Wing from Fort Wayne ANG Station Fort Wayne, IN (some of the F-16s the 122nd FW are flying are 114th FW jets). Flying was limited, however, by a federal holiday and the Presidential Inauguration on Monday and a Winter storm that shut down the airport from Tuesday night through Friday morning. Surely the 115th FW and 122nd FW thought they were getting away from such weather when they came south for the exercise! I got to listen to them on Tuesday morning, but since I was working midnight shifts all week, it was the only listening opportunity I had before something unusual happened. Coastal Georgia received several inches of snow and ice, a rare event for us, and temperatures remained under freezing for most of Wednesday and Thursday, which kept roads as well as runways and taxiways covered with snow and ice. Since that's something we rarely deal with here in the deep south, the airport doesn't have the equipment northern airports would have to open back up quickly. Hard working Savannah-Hilton Head IAP personnel got the airport back open by Friday afternoon and some of the visiting units took to the skies.

This was my neighborhood in Savannah on Friday morning, showing why the Sentry Savannah 2025 participants weren't able to fly until Friday afternoon (there was still snow and ice in some areas on Saturday afternoon!)

Coastal Georgia Winter Storm and Sentry Savannah 2025

On Tuesday night (21 January 2025), Coastal Georgia got hit with a significant winter storm. Over Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, it dropped rain, sleet, and snow then stayed below freezing for large parts of the day on Wednesday and Thursday. The northern part of Coastal Georgia got more snow, the southern part of Coastal Georgia received more sleet and freezing rain. The results were major impacts on roads (especially local roads because Georgia DOT has been working on highways) and the closing of airports. As I write this on Friday morning, now that I'm home in Savannah, the neighborhood streets are still covered with ice and snow.

The coil on one of KF4LMT Mobile's antennas covered in ice on Wednesday morning toward the end of the winter storm

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; September 2024

Due to a variety of issues, including less time around the radios than expected, September started out as a not too good military monitoring month but it turned out to be a good one, indeed. Most of September was uneventful, but the second half of the month saw the 71st Fighter Squadron and 7th Fighter Training Squadron conduct an exercise at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center. I missed most of the first week, but I was able to listen to some of the second week. VMFA-312 and VMFA(AW)-224 at MCAS Beaufort swapped deployments in Japan in the middle of the month. The end of the month saw Hurricane Helene pass through Georgia and resulted in some hurricane evacuations by aircraft from Gulfstream and the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah. Notable during September: 

Gulfstream Aircraft from their Factory and Service Center in Savannah evacuating to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, PA on the afternoon of Thursday, 25 September 2024 ahead of Hurricane Helene passing through west Georgia on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Coastal Georgia was inconvenienced by Hurricane Helene; at home and work we were out of power for several days, landline phones were out of service for several days, and cable TV/internet is still out but damage to homes and people was limited. That wasn't the case for communities farther inland and closer to Helene's track. Those communities will dealing with the Helene's effects for quite some time; there as significant property damage; power will be out for an extended period, landline phones will be out for an extended period, and cellphone coverage remains spotty. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, and if able, consider donating to a reliable and trustworthy organization doing work in those communities. 

71st FS F-22As and 7th FTS T-38s are Back at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center

The 71st Fighter Squadron and 7th Fighter Training Squadron are back at the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center (CRTC/ADC) for the third time this year (previous visits were in January and May). They seem to be conducting a Sentry Savannah type exercise in the SEALORD controlled special use areas off the coast along with tanker support. This is the second week they've been here, but due to my work schedule I was unable to listen last week with the exception of Friday (and on Friday, weather kept the fighters on the ground). Last week, a 434th ARW KC-135 provided tanker support from Hunter AAF and today two 916th ARW KC-46s provided tanker support, coming from their home base at Seymour-Johnson AFB. 

This post was updated after activity on 17 September 2024

This post was updated/corrected on 23 September 2024

916th ARW KC-46As, 6th AMW/927th ARW KC-135Rs, ATAC Hunters and a Kfir, and 7th FTS T-38As during the afternoon of 17 September 2024

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; August 2024

Hurricane Debby made her way through Southeast Georgia in early August as Tropical Storm Debby, bringing a lot of rain to the area, particularly west and northwest of Savannah. That rain flooded areas around Glenville and Statesboro then the water flowed downriver to the coast causing flooding in the Savannah and Richmond Hill areas. TS Debby curtailed my aviation and military monitoring for almost a week, truly trivial compared to folks who whose homes were flooded and the many who were unable to leave or return home by flooded highways and local roads. 

Despite TS Debby, August was indeed an eventful month on the radios. The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade at Hunter AAF changed out how they are identifying and the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) and its Carrier Air Wing operated off the South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida coasts for much of the second half of the month. During the middle of the month, I took an overnight road trip to Warner Robins to visit the Robins AFB Museum of Aviation, so I got to listen to a bit more of what was going on up that way than usual. The end of the month saw something rare for Coastal Georgia: a visit to Savannah by the Vice President. Finally, Gulfstream began test flying a new model aircraft at the end of the month. Notable during August was:

AIR FORCE 2 with Vice President Harris aboard landing at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP after overflying the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County

Coastal Georgia Tropical Storm Debby Radio Report (What there is of it...)

Some readers may have come here during and after Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby looking for radio updates, but I was working midnights all week down in Brunswick and didn't have many chances to listen much less post anything. Down in Brunswick, we didn't seem to get hit as hard as areas up toward Statesboro and Savannah did. As I traveled up I-95 yesterday morning, standing water on the side of the road was noticeably higher in Bryan and Chatham counties. I did do some listening when I got back home in Savannah yesterday and heard some Debby related communications:

Chatham County helicopter EAGLE 02 (MD-369E, N102CQ, Chatham Co) doing surveys around the Ogeechee River in the southern part of the county due to river flooding after TS Debby

• Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, and Effingham County fire departments were busy with flooding and water rescue type calls as a result of flooding, especially around areas where the Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers are rising. Quite a few of those water rescues sounded like they were caused by people driving around barricades and onto flooded roads. For what to listen to, check the RadioReference SEGARRN page.
• Yesterday morning, Chatham EMA personnel were active checking areas and passing flooding reports to the Chatham County EOC on the CEMA 1 SEGARRN talkgroup.
• Chatham County's helicopter EAGLE 02 (MD-369E, N102CQ, Chatham Co) was up several times yesterday doing what seemed to be aerial surveys of the flooding along the Ogeechee River in the southern part of Chatham County. I didn't hear any air-to-ground communications with them, but I did hear them on 125.975 with Savannah Tower and 124.975 with Hunter Tower.

The National Guard has been assisting in Bulloch County but I haven't heard any related communications. I saw on the news last night that other areas have requested National Guard assistance, so I'll be listening out over the next few days and will update if I hear anything. 

Sentry Savannah 2024 Final Report

It sounds like we can tie a bow on Sentry Savannah today. This morning I caught some 71st FS F-22s, 7th FTS T-38s, and 157th FS F-16s departing Savannah to head home. Just as I turned on the radios, I also heard something that sounded like F-35s (I never heard their callsign) with Atlanta Center getting cleared direct to Montgomery, so the 100th FS F-35s may have departed this morning as well. In one piece of good fortune this morning, I was also able to finally ID who HECKLER is; they're the 103rd ACS, CT ANG. A social media post about the exercise linked to this article, which tells how the 103rd ACS worked with the Georgia ARNG to "successfully deploy and execute a cloud-based radar and radio connection of the Tactical Operations System-Lite (TOC-L)."

Here's a final report on what I heard when I was able to listen.

Air Combat Exercise Sentry Savannah 2024 Underway at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP

Note: Updated after the 9 May 2024 morning sorties

Sentry Savannah 2024, an air combat exercise, got underway in Savannah on Monday. Described as "the National Guard Bureau’s premier counter air exercise specializing in fourth and fifth-generation fighter tactics,” it is held at the Georgia Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Center/Air Dominance Center at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. This year's participants include F-22As and T-38s from the 71st FS and 7th FTS at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, F-35As from the 100th FS at ANGB Dannelly Field, and F-16CMs from McEntire JNGB. So far, they've been flying morning and afternoon sorties out to the SEALORD controlled Special Use Areas off the South Carolina/Georgia/Florida coast. Tanker support has been from 185th ARW KC-135Rs flying out of Hunter AAF and 157th ARW KC-46s flying out of Myrtle Beach. Intercept control is being provided by HECKLER, a callsign I've not heard before.

Update on 71st FS Training at the Savannah CRTC/ADC

I had a good opportunity to monitor yesterday afternoon's 71st FS activity out of the Savannah CRTC/ADC at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. Based on what I heard, it sounds like this week's activity is a Sentry Savannah exercise. Unlike last week, when they flew in the afternoon and evening, yesterday the flew in the morning and the afternoon. VMFAT-501 F-35Bs and VFC-12 F/A-18s also participated yesterday, both flying out of MCAS Beaufort. Here's an updated list of frequencies and callsigns in use:

71st Fighter Squadron Training at the Savannah Air Dominance Center

When I returned home from my Space Coast Road Trip, I discovered that some visitors had arrived at the Savannah Air Dominance Center at the Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. It turned out that they were 71st Fighter Squadron (FS) F-22As. They didn't fly over the weekend or on the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, but they did start flying on Tuesday. More visitors arrived during the holiday on Monday: 7th Fighter Training Squadron (FTS) T-38As. On Tuesday, the 71st FS F-22As flew during the afternoon and evening, joined by 7th FTS T-38As during the afternoon. During the evening flights, the F-22s were joined by a 434th ARW KC-135R for aerial refueling operations. Afterwards, the KC-135 landed at Hunter AAF, where it may remain for more aerial refueling with the F-22s throughout the rest of the week. 

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; November 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. 

Even though military activity slowed down during the Thanksgiving holiday, November still turned out to be a great month for military monitoring in Coastal Georgia. ATAC was at MCAS Beaufort working with both VMFAT-501 and VMFA-312. Several good VHF/UHF band openings offered an opportunity to hear things a bit farther afield than I normally can hear and a road trip to Columbia, SC gave me the opportunity to monitor JNGB McEntire and Shaw AFB from a closer distance than usual. On the Saturday of the Ohio State v Michigan rivalry college football game, LEGEND 621, a VP-62 P-8A did the flyover and I caught it departing NAS Jacksonville on the way up. I even managed to catch a NASA aircraft transiting the Coastal Georgia area late in the month (NASA 8, which I hadn't heard in a year and a half).

Chatham County Fire Department Dispatch Changes

Updated 10/18/23 - New Talkgroups updated based on recent listening.

Beginning Tuesday, 10 October, Chatham Metro Dispatch made significant changes in how the fire departments in Chatham County are dispatched. Previously, Savannah FD had its own dispatch talkgroup and fireground talkgroups, Metro Dispatch had a talkgroup for dispatching the other municipalities' fire departments and a set of fire tac talkgroups, and Chatham Emergency Services dispatched their fire units that covered the unincorporated county on their fire dispatch talkgroup and fire tacs. Now, Savannah FD, the other municipal FDs, and Chatham Emergency Service's fire units are all being dispatched by Metro Dispatch on what was Savannah FD's dispatch talkgroup and what used to be Savannah FD's fireground talkgroups and Metro's fire tac talkgroups have been turned into countywide fireground talkgroups. So far, the paging talkgroups for the municipal fire departments have remained the same, but it sounds like Savannah FD is getting new paging talkgroups. Additionally, the unit numbering system has changed; Savannah FD is still using their previous unit numbering scheme, but the other departments have changed theirs.

Coastal Georgia Military Monitoring Recap; September 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. 

My month of September was a bit of an oxymoron when it came to scanning and monitoring; I didn't have a lot of radio time, but it turned out to be an extraordinary month. Even though I only had a couple of hours to listen to it over the week it took place, the William Tell Air-to-Air Weapons Meet was the highlight of the month. It had been nineteen years since the last William Tell and the first of the revived Meets took place at the Georgia Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center/Air Dominance Center at Savannah-Hilton Head IAP. Another highlight was getting to hear some of the recovery communications as the NASA/SpaceX Crew-6 crew returned to earth from the International Space Station. They splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean near Brunswick, GA and Jacksonville, FL so I was able to hear some radio traffic from NASA aircraft supporting the recovery. Other things worth noting from September are:

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."