Gunsmoke (aerial gunnery competition)

Last updated
An A-10 is inspected at Gunsmoke '87 Judges inspect an Alaskan Air Command A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft prior to competition during Gunsmoke '87, an Air Force-wide tactical gunnery and bombing competition sponsored by - DPLA - 99ff2420236ee9810a8d6832d663acf6.jpeg
An A-10 is inspected at Gunsmoke '87

Gunsmoke (officially known as the Air Force Worldwide Gunnery Competition) was a air-to-surface gunnery meet for conventional weapons, hosted by the United States Air Force. It was held biennially from 1949 [1] [2] to 1995, excepting a few years. It was succeeded by Hawgsmoke. The competition was held in odd-numbered years, alternating with the William Tell competition in even-numbered years.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyndall Air Force Base</span> US Air Force base near Panama City, Florida

Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located 12 miles (19 km) east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command (ACC). The base hosts 2,902 active duty members. In October 2018, Hurricane Michael caused significant damage to the base.

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellis Air Force Base</span> USAF base in Clark County, Nevada

Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in "Military Operations Area (MOA) airspace", associated with the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). The base also has the Combined Air and Space Operations Center-Nellis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Air Station Yuma</span> US Marine Corps base in Yuma, Arizona, United States

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma or MCAS Yuma is a United States Marine Corps air station. It is the home of multiple squadrons of F-35B Lightning IIs of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1), Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) and Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401), an air combat adversary squadron of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing of the Marine Corps Reserve. It is a designated Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contaminants, including asbestos.

Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.

A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Sands Missile Range</span> Military testing area in New Mexico, US

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established in 1941 as the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range, where the Trinity test site lay at the northern end of the Range, in Socorro County near the towns of Carrizozo and San Antonio. It then became the White Sands Proving Ground on 9 July 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program</span> U.S. naval aviation school

The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, more popularly known as Top Gun, is a United States Navy training program that teaches air combat maneuvering tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators and naval flight officers, who return to their operating units as surrogate instructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingman Airport (Arizona)</span> Airfield in Mohave County, Arizona

Kingman Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located 9 miles northeast of the central business district of Kingman, a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States.

William Tell is a biennial aerial gunnery competition with fighter aircraft held by the United States Air Force (USAF) in every even-numbered year. In the competition, teams representing the various major commands of the USAF compete in live-fire exercises, using towed banner targets for gun engagements, and obsolete fighters converted into unmanned target drones for air-to-air missile engagements. The competition is held in even-numbered years, while the similar Hawgsmoke competition is held in odd-numbered years; Hawgsmoke replaced the earlier Gunsmoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">85th Air Division</span> Military unit

The 85th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eastern Air Defense Force of Air Defense Command at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It was inactivated on 1 September 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Falcons</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the United States Air Force Academy

The Air Force Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The athletics department has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams. The current athletic director is Nathan Pine. The majority of Falcon teams compete as members of the Mountain West Conference.

Gun smoke or gunsmoke refers to the smoke produced by a firearm. It may also refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">301st Fighter Squadron</span> US Air Force unit

The 301st Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 325th Operations Group, stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It is an associate unit of the active duty 325th Fighter Wing.

The Gloucester Cup is the common name for three awards of the Australian Defence Force officially called the Duke of Gloucester's Cup, the three awards are presented to the most proficient ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), infantry battalion of the Australian Army, and squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the previous year. The awards were created by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1946, while he was serving as the Governor-General of Australia, and were first presented in 1947.

Hawgsmoke is a biennial United States Air Force (USAF) bombing, missile, and tactical gunnery competition for A-10 Thunderbolt II units. It is hosted by the winners of the previous competition and provides both skills competition and an opportunity to share in the camaraderie and fellowship within the A-10 community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">559th Flying Training Squadron</span> Military unit

The 559th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II conducting flying training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4750th Air Defense Wing</span> US Air Force unit

The 4750th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 73d Air Division, Air Defense Command, (ADC) at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of Artillery (South Africa)</span> Military unit

The School of Artillery is the South African Army's specialized artillery training school

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCAF Station Jarvis</span> Former Royal Canadian Air Force station

References

  1. "Records, Trophies, and Competitions" (PDF). Air Force Association. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  2. "The New Gunsmoke" (PDF). Air Force Association. January 1996. Retrieved 8 September 2014.