|
WILLIAM TELL |
|
|
|
In June 1954, the USAF’s World Wide Weapons Meet now known as “William
Tell” began as a separate air-to-air rocketry competition to the Third
Annual USAF Fighter gunnery and Weapons Meet that was held at Las Vegas
AFB (later renamed as Nellis AFB). This Interceptor Phase of the Las Vegas based
competition would be held at Yuma, AZ. The Air Defense Command
and Air Training Command were the sole competitors of the
first meet. In 1956, the meet was unofficially given the name
of
"William Tell" and had expanded to include
nine teams representing seven major air commands. This third
meet was the last held in Arizona.
|
|
Two years later, Tyndall AFB,
Fla., became the home for the USAF Worldwide Air-to-Air
Weapons Meet. The radio controlled Q-2A drone target and the
PARAMI, an electronic scoring system, made their first
appearances during this meet and for the first time,
competitors were divided into three categories, one for each
aircraft participating. Twelve teams competed in the 1958 meet
and among them was an Air National Guard unit competing for
the first time.
|
|
For the 1961 William Tell,
three jets specifically designed for protecting North America
appeared on the flight line; the F-102 Delta Dagger, the F-106
Delta Dart and the F-101 Voodoo. William Tell 1965 was the
largest in history with 16 teams and four categories. Canada
became the first foreign country to participate in William
Tell and entered with the CF-101 Voodoo's. After a five-year
period, imposed by the Vietnam War, William Tell resumed at
Tyndall AFB with nine teams competing.
|
|
The 1972 meet was the year of
the first "Top Gun" award, and the introduction of
the subsonic BQM-34A Firebee target drone into the
competition. The 1974 composition saw the Air National Guard
teams take first place in three major categories and in 1976,
the ANG continued its winning streak in two of the three. The
F-4 Phantom II made its first appearance in the meet in 1976,
The F-4 unit was the first Team sent by the Tactical Air
Command .
|
|
With the reorganization of
air defense forces in 1979, TAC assumed sponsorship for
William Tell. The first TAC-sponsored meet in 1980 included 10
teams from active duty F-4 and F-106 units, ANG F-4, F-106 and
F-101 units, and a Canadian Forces CF-101 unit.
|
|
In 1982, Tactical Air
Command officially changed the name of the meet to the USAF
Air-to-Air Weapons Meet. That meet also marked the return of
the Pacific Air Forces and the USAF in Europe to the
competition, and the first appearance of the F-15
"Eagle". William Tell 1984 saw the introduction of
the supersonic QF-100 full-scale drone as a William Tell
target and was the first meet in which only full-scale drones
were used as missile targets. In 1986, the CF-18 entered in
the competition for the first time with the Canadian team,
finishing second overall behind a F-15 Team from the
USAF's Tactical Air Command.
|
|
During the 1988 meet a total
of twelve teams from TAC, ANG, PACAF, USAFE, Alaskan Air
Command and Canada participated in on of the most competitive
meets ever
|
|
The 1990 competition was
canceled due to Operation Desert Shield/Storm and resumed in
1992, held by the newly formed Air Combat Command. Eight teams
competed and the 18th Wing from Kadena AB, Japan, walked away
with the top team award for the second time.
|
|
Hosted by Air combat Command
and the US Air Force Air Warfare Center, William Tell 94 gave
the USAF's best fighter units the opportunity to compete in
all aspects of air-to-air operations.
|
|
Beginning in 1996, Teams that
attended the William tell Weapons Meet were to be
assembled differently than the had been in the past. In
previous Meets teams competed as units (Squadrons or Wings) ,
in the 1996 each major Command, the Air Force Reserve, the Air
National Guard, and a combined Canadian team would compete
against each other for the right to be known as the best in
the Air.
|
|
After an eight hiatus, the
Air Combat Command announced it would host the next William
Tell in the first weeks of November of 2004, meets 50th
Anniversary. The 2004 edition of William Tell included massive
changes to the format of the competition. Moving away
from it's roots as a interceptor competition the 2004 meet
will test the performance of F-15 aircrews from U.S. Air Force
and Air National Guard units in the air dominance and air
sovereignty missions. The 2004 meet still featured weapons
loading, maintenance and weapons’ director competitions as
it has in the past.
|
|
(INFORMATION COURTESY OF THE McCHORD AIR MUSEUM) |
|
|
318TH AT WILLIAM TELL |
|
The term Top
Gun in more than the name of a popular move from the 80's, it
is also a term used to identify the best Fighter-Interceptor
at William Tell. In the pages below you will find listings for
the various Top Guns as well as the meets Top Teams and
participating 25th Air Division teams over the last 50 years
of the Air Forces top fighter competition, William Tell.
|
Click the links below for additional
information
|
|
WILLIAM TELL 1958 (F-102) -
????? Place |
WILLIAM TELL 1972 (F-106) - 3rd Place |
WILLIAM TELL 1963 (F-106) - 1st place |
WILLIAM TELL 1974 (F-106) - ????? Place |
WILLIAM TELL 1965 (F-106) - 4th place |
WILLIAM TELL 1982 (F-106) - 2nd Place |
WILLIAM TELL 1970 (F-106) - 3rd Place |
WILLIAM TELL 1984 (F-15) - 6th Place |
|
|
|