U.S. Air Force fighter units conducted large-scale live-fire training during the latest iteration of the Weapons System Evaluation Program (WSEP 25.09) at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, between 8 and 19 September, according to the service.
Hosted by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, the exercise allowed participating squadrons to assess combat readiness through live missile launches against full-scale and subscale drone targets. The training, held several times each year, enables aircrews, maintainers and weapons teams to operate in realistic combat scenarios while validating missile performance.
“WSEP is a very powerful exercise,” said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Murdaugh, 83rd Fighter Squadron weapons system program evaluator. “It’s one of the only exercises where live-fire missile testing is a regular activity. It gives units an opportunity to showcase their maintenance and combat capabilities.”
The event brought together fifth-generation F-22 Raptors and F-35A Lightning IIs alongside legacy aircraft such as the F-15C Eagle, F-15EX Eagle II, F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Units from Nellis, Eglin and, for the first time since 2018, Hickam Air Force Base joined the exercise.
Maj. Tyler Davidson, F-22 program manager at the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, said the Gulf Coast Range Training Complex offers unmatched flexibility.
“The airspace is massive and provides us a lot of flexibility and range to execute our profiles and objectives, while getting a lot of aircraft airborne at the same time,” he said. “Because of how great our airspace is, you could be employing a weapon within 10 minutes of taking off.”
Davidson added that the live-fire setting allows pilots to gain experience rarely available outside combat. “My dream is that every pilot, if they ever have to fire a real weapon in combat, has fired a weapon [at WSEP] first,” he said.
Ha, Is that the “Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America” ?
I think it’s now called the Trump Gulf and the Gulf of Trump. The water and coastline is being stained orange as we speak.
Ha ha, So Greenland might soon change colour soon ?
Beware Orange Snow !
No orange skies in East Trumpia tonight that’s for sure as I look out my window. Over the pond in United States of West Trumpia however I hear that the Sedition Act is getting worryingly close to a reality, Secretary of War Hegseth can barely be held on a leash of late and the Hamptons needs to be defended from hordes of Antifa on the march. Anything to prevent having to release the Epstein Files … or having an election. Wonder how the BBC will manage to cover that without upsetting el Presidente, a tough job I fear.
And there’s us thinking we had escaped Agent Orange after the 60s