433rd Weapons Squadron soars high with F-15, F-22 Published July 23, 2010 By Master Sgt. Kevin Gruenwald Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The 433rd Weapons Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., flies the F-15C Eagle and F-22A Raptor. It is one of two Weapons School units operating two types of aircraft. The Weapons School began in the late 1940s as the U.S. Air Force Gunnery School and teaches graduate-level instructor courses, providing the world's most advanced training in weapons and tactics employment. A majority of the missions flown by Weapons School units at Nellis take place over the Nevada Test and Training Range. The NTTR is the U.S. Air Force's premier military test and training facility with more than 12,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land. With 1,900 possible targets, realistic threat systems and the support of an opposing enemy force based at Nellis, the NTTR provides the combat air force with a "peacetime battlefield" that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. The school holds two classes annually and graduates approximately 100 students per class who are expert instructors on weapons, weapons systems and air and space integration. They take back to their respective units the latest tactics, techniques and procedures for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. Editor's Note: When originally published, the story stated that the 433rd Weapons Squadron was the only Weapons School unit operating two types of aircraft. The 26th WPS also operates two types of aircraft, the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper.
