USAF Interceptor Weapons School, Tyndall AFB, FL.
The USAF Interceptor Weapons School (IWS) trained weapons instructors for Air Defense units of the USAF, ANG, Canadian and foreign exchange students in all Air Defense weapon systems including pilots, navigators and ground environment radar controllers and technicians. The F-106 flight of the IWS was inaugurated in the early 1960s and the F-106 was the last aircraft flown by the school. The graduates were the equivalent of graduates from the US Navy Top Gun School and the USAF Fighter Weapons School.
The IWS was the executive agency for Air Defense Command that set up, ran and judged the competition for all William Tell Weapons Meets from the mid 1950s until the school was closed in 1984. IWS conducted advanced training for F-106 weapons instructors and weapons controllers in fighter vs. fighter tactics in addition to standard Air Defense tactics. The IWS was the first USAF unit to deploy the Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) range and set it up in the Gulf of Mexico. They had many reciprocal training events with F-106 units, USN and USMC operational units both at Tyndall AFB and at the USN/USMC bases that were set up and run by IWS. IWS F-106 Instructors also led F-106 deployments to the USN Top Gun School at Miramar NAS, CA in the 1970s and 1980s.
IWS flew the Tyndall tails, except when squadrons would deploy to Tyndall for ACMI or College Dart and also when IWS was conducting training for the squadrons. They would fly THEIR tails then. The IWS closed in 1984. [Provided by Mark Foxwell, USAF, Col (ret), Last Commander of the IWS]
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Patch Graphic IWS Interceptor Weapons School
- 1893 visits
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Patch IWS
- 2491 visits
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Patch IWS
- 2702 visits
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Patch IWS
- 2040 visits
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590145 Mark Foxwell 2004
- 3265 visits
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590145 Mark Foxwell 2004
- 2210 visits
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adc master
- 2057 visits
, Rating: 4.31
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FB IMG 1711053527465
- 21 visits
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Graduating Class
- 2647 visits
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IWS Commander 1966 Norris
- 2432 visits
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IWS Commander 1967? Oliphant
- 2549 visits
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IWS Commander 1968? Taylor
- 2223 visits
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IWS Commander 1969-1970 Lenski
- 2380 visits
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IWS Commander 1972-1973 Bratfisch
- 2570 visits
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IWS Commander 1973-1974 Matthews
- 2218 visits
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IWS Commander 1976 Breckner
- 2622 visits
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IWS Commander 1980 Woelfel
- 2564 visits
, Rating: 2.64
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IWS Commander 1981-1983 Foxwell
- 2840 visits
, Rating: 3.92
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IWS Commander 19??-19?? Park
- 2092 visits
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IWS Commander 19??-19?? Pauling
- 2335 visits
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IWS Sign
- 2234 visits
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Patch WPNS Instructor
- 1984 visits
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thumbiws
- 1308 visits
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Thumbnail-iws
- 1566 visits