Originally Posted by
ORAC
Ohh god - the dreaded Mixed Fighter Force (MFF). Everyone hated it. The F3 either accelerated and left them behind or had to slow down for them. They weren’t any use BVR and the F3s didn’t want to go the merge.
Only real use, as with the Hunters, was point CAP at the airfields. So they were given to ATC and spent their time on deckchairs on the ORP at RS2 to scramble for cover airfield attacks,
Last time I saw them do that was at Wattisham during an exercise in mid 1991. The aircraft came from the TWU's at Brawdy and Chivenor. Brawdy shut in 1992 and the Flying Training System for Advanced Flying Training and TWU was switched to a system known as Mirror Image that had both phases done at Valley and Chivenor until 1994 when everything was consolidated to Valley. UK MSAM coverage totally died at the start of July 1991 and the USAF Funded Rapier Squadrons disbanded around 1994. AIM-9 equipped Hawks were used for A to A training when I left Ty Croes in July 1995.