US Air Force,
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania: Among the sounds of jets starting their engines and Romanian air force maintainers prepping their aircraft for departure, an American fighter pilot climbing into the back seat of a MiG-21 Lancer was a rare sight on the flightline here Aug. 11.
Pilots from the 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here for Exercise Viper Lance 2006 have the opportunity to ride shotgun in Romanian fighters during the exercise.
“My flight in the backseat of a Lancer is a good opportunity to look at different aircraft and it's a real privilege and an honor,” said 1st Lt. Coleman McDonald, a 22nd EFS F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot. “I want to see what they see from their cockpit, and view a new angle of understanding against our adversaries.”
After Romania joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the mid-1990s, the Romanian air force and their MiGs became allies with the United States.
The overarching goal of the mission here is to forge ties with the Romanian air force, but the day-to-day mission is training, said Lt. Col. Matt Chesnutt, 22nd EFS commander.
MiG-21 and F-16 pilots are flying integrated formations to conduct basic fighter maneuvers, dissimilar air combat training and air-to-ground strike missions with the Romanians acting as fighter escorts for the F-16s, the commander said.
“The exercise and training are running smoothly,” Lieutenant McDonald said. “I'm impressed with their flying program here.”
The flying mission here has been around for decades. The MiG-21 aircraft has a '60s-era body, but has newer avionics such as modern radar, communication and weapons systems.
“The F-16 is a much more advanced aircraft, however, (the MiGs) have some avionics that are similar to ours,” Lieutenant McDonald said. “It was interesting to experience the differences in performance and handling as well.”
Romanian air force MiG-21 pilot 1st Lt. Lates Catalin also shared the experience of swapping air frames, taking what he called an extraordinary ride in the back seat of the F-16 with Maj. Mike Dunkel, a 22nd EFS pilot.
“The F-16 is a superior aircraft from all points of view,” Lieutenant Catalin said. “I'm impressed with the skills of the pilots. They are very well trained.”
This was not the first time a foreign fighter pilot sat in the back seat of a MiG-21 on the flightline here. Romanian air force Warrant Officer Third Class Sorin Burdusel said he has flown pilots from countries including England and the Czech Republic since the signing of the NATO “Partnership for Peace” treaty and the 1998 “Cooperative Change” exercises.
“We started flying pilots from other countries about six years ago for various exercises,” the MiG-21 mechanic said. “But this exercise here is the first time American pilots have climbed into my aircraft.”
Exercise Viper Lance 2006 marks the first time for U.S. Air Force F-16 pilots to train in Romania. The exercise runs through Aug. 25.
