The 15th Strike Wing is a wing unit of the Philippine Air Force, responsible for overall tactical and ground air support operations in support of Armed Forces of the Philippines units. The unit is headquartered at Danilo Atienza Air Base, Sangley Point, Cavite, just outside the capital Manila. The Wing, as of 2009, was organized with Personal, Coordinating and Technical Staff. Under the Wing's command were units broken up into 3 major groups: Tactical, Maintenance and Supply, and Air Base. The Wing's tactical elements included the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 20th Attack Squadrons, the 19th Composite Tactical Training Squadron, and the 25th Composite Attack Squadron. Many of these units were forward deployed under the operational control of the Philippine Air Force's numerous Tactical Operations Groups. The 460th Maintenance and Supply Group and the 590th Air Base Group filled the other roles.
History
Beginnings
The 15th Strike Wing was organized and activated as a provisional unit on 26 November 1973, at Sangley Point, Cavite City, with a mission statement: To conduct counter-insurgency and special warfare operations. The appointed Acting Wing Commander then was Colonel Emerito P Surio PAF (GSC), with Colonel Pompeyo P Vasquez PAF (GSC), the Deputy Commander, and a complement of two officers and ten airmen.
Initially, the Wing had six (6) Beechcraft T-34 Mentors and six (6) North American T-28 Trojans, mostly from 100th Training Wing and 5th Fighter Wing. Ten (10) airmen were sent to the 410th Air Materiel Wing to undergo maintenance on-the-job training (OJT), in February 1974. Then, additional personnel were reassigned to the Wing such that, by the end of the year, the unit had 27 officers and 288 airmen, who became the nucleus of 15th Strike Wing.
18th Maintenance and Supply Squadron
On 1 July 1974, the 18th Maintenance and Supply Squadron (forerunner of 461st Field Maintenance Squadron), was activated and manned under the leadership of Major Salvador Cereno PAF. A month later, 16th Attack Squadron was organized in anticipation of the delivery of T-28D aircraft from Vietnam. This unit was activated and manned on 1 August 1974, with LT Colonel Santiago O Pitpitan JR PAF as Squadron Commander. Following this, the 17th Attack Squadron was activated on 1 October 1974 and was projected to man the SIAI-FRAT-260 Warriors (SF-260W). However, for several months after the unit's activation, the squadron only manned one (1) T-34A Mentor. The first batch of the Italian-made, locally assembled SF-260W Marchetti aircraft, arrived in late February 1975.
302nd Special Operations Squadron
On 16 October 1974, the 302nd Special Operations Squadron of HPAF was placed under the command and control of the 15th Strike Wing Commander. Two days later, the Wing received the first batch of T-28D aircraft, fresh from the Vietnam War. Trained under Captain Hamilton of the US Air Force and eventually checked out as instructor pilots were: COL Barroga, LT COL PITPITAN JR, LT COL SAMSON, LT COL DAVID and MAJ Billones. These pilots made a smooth transition to the T-28D, bringing forth a new generation of PAF pilots – THE ATTACK PILOTS. Conceptualized mainly to fight insurgency in the country, this new breed of pilots has come to specialize in Close Air Support and Air Interdiction against the enemies of the state.
Operational history
On 18 February 1975, after training a handful of Combat-Ready Pilots, the Wing deployed four (4) T-28D aircraft to Edwin Andrews Air Base, Zamboanga City, in support of SOWESCOM operations. Barely three days later, had the first air strike in 15th Strike Wing's history taken place in Kandiis, Province of Basilan.
On 17 March 1975, three (3) SF-260W aircraft were deployed at the 15th SW Advance Command Post at Francisco Bangoy Airport, Davao City. On 15 April of the same year, the SF-260 Marchettis, piloted by Lt Col Lana and Lt Abaday, wreaked havoc to rebel encampments in Balabagan, Sapakan and Reina Regente, in Central Mindanao.
25th Attack Squadron
With the acquisition of additional T-28D aircraft from Udorn AFB in Thailand, another unit, the 25th Attack Squadron, was activated on 29 March 1976. It was given the task to provide Close Air Support to ground and naval forces in the newly organized Western Command, which was then under the concurrent command of the 15th Strike Wing Commander. LT COL TERESO J ISLETA first commanded the 25th Attack Squadron with 71 officers and 36 enlisted personnel. On 13 April of that year, three (3) aircraft of the 15th Strike Wing landed at Puerto Princesa. Following this, they also made a historic landing at Kalayaan.