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Which airmen deployed the most in 2007?

The surge in Iraq and a stepped-up air campaign over Iraq and Afghanistan had an impact on which airmen were away from home most often in 2007.

Combat aircrews that fly planes vital to protecting troops on the ground — Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcons and AC-130U Spooky gunships — topped the list of the most-deployed aircrews in fiscal 2007.

The lists

The most deployed airframes

The most deployed airmen

Among Air Force Specialty Codes, the jobs that take airmen outside the wire — Security Forces, explosive ordnance disposal and tactical air control party — topped the most-deployed list. Compiled by the Air Force Personnel Center, the lists show the average number of days deployed; some airmen in those aircrews or AFSCs were gone a lot more — or less — than that.

For the most part, the 2007 numbers are in line with past years, with one notable exception: F-16 pilots were the most deployed aircrew members, the first time fighter pilots have topped that list since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom.

While fighters have continually deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, the most frequently deployed aircrews during the past six years have been airlift and special operations aviators.

For example, in 2006, the most deployed aircrews were those flying C-17s, averaging 121 days away. In 2007, the average C-17 deployment/temporary duty asignment fell to 99 days. The reduction was largely due to an expansion of the C-17 fleet, which led Air Mobility Command to adjust the C-17 deployment schedule so aircrews could expect to deploy to Central Command for four months, once every 20 months, the standard Air Expeditionary Force rotation.

The most deployed/TDY aircrews in 2007 were pilots flying Block 40 F-16s equipped with the LANTIRN pod. LANTIRN is short for “low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night.”

As the lengthy name suggests, the wing-mounted pods give pilots and jets a wide range of capabilities, from flying close to the surface to picking out targets for laser-guided bombs — resources well suited for ongoing combat operations.

Block 40 F-16s became operational in 1989 and continued to arrive on flight lines until the Air Force moved on to the Block 50 edition in the mid-1990s.

Air Combat Command’s largest Block 40 F-16 wing is the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The wing is home to 72 fighters split between three squadrons.

Lt. Col. Paul Schwartz, deputy commander of the 388th’s operations group, said one reason the F-16s topped the list is that the 388th became ACC’s only Block 40 wing thanks to base realignments. Overseas, active-duty Block 40s are assigned to Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

“The F-16 has become a high-demand, low-density aircraft,” Schwartz said.

Over the past 20-month Air Expeditionary Force cycle, the three squadrons took turns deploying to Balad Air Base in Iraq, Schmidt said. And as the new AEF cycle started this month, the wing’s 421st Fighter Squadron and associated maintenance units returned to Balad for a 120-day stay. The squadrons also flew Combat Archer and Green Flag exercises, were on call for Operation Noble Eagle missions and deployed to Peru for a week of training.

And every time a flying squadron deployed, aircraft maintenance units and other maintenance repair teams went, too, said Col. Michele Smith, commander of the 388th Maintenance Group. While a fighter squadron will deploy 20 to 30 pilots at a time to the desert, nearly 10 times as many maintainers will go.

The second-most-deployed aircrews — trailing by just one day — were those flying AC-130U gunships, whose crews averaged 117 days away last year. The Air Force owns 17 Spooky gunships, all with the 4th Special Operations Squadron, based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and each plane flies with a crew of at least five officers and eight enlisted airmen.

Being on the road for 117 days wasn’t new for these airmen. In 2006, the story was the same — 117 days.

“Since 9/11, it has never let up,” said Lt. Col. Brenda Cartier, operations officer for the 4th and a gunship fire control officer. “It has been our steady state.”

Within days after Sept. 11, 2001, airmen from the 4th were heading overseas to start up the mission that became Operation Enduring Freedom, said Senior Master Sgt. Greg Smith, an aerial gunner and operations superintendent for the 4th. Since Sept. 11, Smith said the 4th had deployed overseas nine times.

The squadron’s 300 or so officers and enlisted aircrew members typically deploy for two to three months at a time, Cartier said. The amount of time between deployments depends on aircrew positions, family events, professional military education requirements and other individual factors.

The squadron attempts to let airmen know six months in advance when their next deployment is.

“That is about as realistic as you can plan things out,” Cartier said.

At the same time, airmen realize that a crisis anywhere in the world could have them packing bags on short notice.

Most of the 4th’s aviators volunteered to be special operators, so they know in advance the high tempo for which they are signing up.

“We try to select people who understand the mission,” Smith said. “Early on, we infuse them with the air commando mission.”