Eglin honorary CCs visit WEG, Tyndall

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  "At Eglin, the honorary commanders can only see a part of the 53d Wing picture," said Col. Mick Guthals, 53d Wing vice commander, who greeted the honoraries upon their arrival. "So visiting the 53d WEG (Weapons Evaluation Group) gives them a deeper appreciation for our unique mission."

The tour began with a mission brief by the 53d WEG Commander, Col. Michael MacWilliam. Then it was out for a close-up view of the E-9A Widget, one of only two of this type of aircraft in the Air Force. The E-9 is a telemetry-gathering aircraft used to execute the WEG's Weapons System Evaluation Program or Combat Archer.
The group then visited the BQM-167sub-scale drone maintenance hangar. The drones are used as moving/flying targets during a WSEP. The tour then moved through the group's fabrication shop where pods for the drones are created, designed and built.

Next, it was out to sea on the Air Force's only naval unit consisting of three 120-ft vessels used for sub-scale drone recovery. The ship took the group out to the gulf and performed a simulated drone pick up. The boats are Air Force assets with contracted employees from Florida Offshore. 

"I enjoyed seeing those guys perform the drone recovery demo and discovering just how much money it saves the Air Force by them being out there," said Janice Busovne, a 53rd Wing honorary commander with the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron. 

It was back on land and into the airspace for the tour group with a tour of 81st Range Control Squadron facility or Wetstone. The group was shown where and how the drones are flown and then shown where the airspace is monitored to ensure safe and secure conditions for boats and aircraft during exercises over the Gulf of Mexico. 

Then it was the end of the line, or 'death row' as the WEG calls it, to see the group's famed QF-4 drones. The area received the name due to the drones there are waiting to be shot down during live fire exercises. 

"It was kind of touching for me to see the QF-4s," said Aileen Koon, a 33rd Fighter Wing honorary commander. "Some of my dad's friends actually flew them and seeing them reminded me of them. It was really an amazing tour." 

Many of the honoraries expressed their awe in seeing the older aircraft, some up to 40 years old. 

"I just kept thinking about the history behind the F-4s and the people who worked on them and flew them," said Ms. Busovne. "I wish more of the honorary commanders could have seen all of the interesting things going on here."