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
- 1867 visits
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Patch IWS
- 2458 visits
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Patch IWS
- 2676 visits
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Patch IWS
- 2011 visits
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590145 Mark Foxwell 2004
- 3246 visits
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590145 Mark Foxwell 2004
- 2192 visits
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adc master
- 2037 visits
, Rating: 4.32
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FB IMG 1711053527465
- 5 visits
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Graduating Class
- 2633 visits
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IWS Commander 1966 Norris
- 2414 visits
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IWS Commander 1967? Oliphant
- 2531 visits
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IWS Commander 1968? Taylor
- 2205 visits
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IWS Commander 1969-1970 Lenski
- 2357 visits
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IWS Commander 1972-1973 Bratfisch
- 2553 visits
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IWS Commander 1973-1974 Matthews
- 2199 visits
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IWS Commander 1976 Breckner
- 2591 visits
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IWS Commander 1980 Woelfel
- 2551 visits
, Rating: 2.64
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IWS Commander 1981-1983 Foxwell
- 2818 visits
, Rating: 3.93
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IWS Commander 19??-19?? Park
- 2074 visits
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IWS Commander 19??-19?? Pauling
- 2318 visits
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IWS Sign
- 2216 visits
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Patch WPNS Instructor
- 1965 visits
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thumbiws
- 1291 visits
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Thumbnail-iws
- 1550 visits