U.S. Air Force Deploys Russian SA-17 Buk-M2 Radar Replica Targets to Strengthen F-35 Combat Training.

The U.S. Air Force has introduced new radar-signature surrogate targets at Kingsley Field, Oregon, to enhance F-35 Lightning II pilot training against representative Russian-designed SA-17 Buk-M2 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems. Recently validated by F-35 pilots from Luke Air Force Base, the new training assets enable future fighter crews to encounter realistic radar signatures before entering operational service, improving their readiness for missions in contested airspace protected by advanced integrated air defense systems.

The initiative, announced by the Oregon National Guard, was developed through a partnership between the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing and Klamath Community College, with approximately $65,000 in funding from the Air National Guard's ARCWERX innovation program. The project strengthens the Air Force's effort to prepare F-35 pilots for modern high-threat environments while demonstrating how targeted investments and local industrial cooperation can rapidly improve operational training.

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Surrogate radar-signature targets developed by the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing and Klamath Community College are deployed at Kingsley Field, Oregon, on May 29, 2026, to help F-35 pilots train against representative adversary air defense systems.(Picture source: U.S. National Guard)

The program reflects lessons drawn from recent conflicts, where integrated air defense systems have become one of the most significant challenges to achieving and maintaining air superiority. Modern air defense networks combine long-range surveillance radars, fire-control systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and highly mobile surface-to-air missile batteries that operate together to detect, track, and engage aircraft across multiple layers. Preparing pilots to recognize and respond to these threats during training is increasingly viewed as essential for survival and mission success in future conflicts.

The first phase of the project delivered three radar-site surrogates together with two full-scale replicas of the Russian-designed SA-17 Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile system. Although these structures contain no operational electronics and emit no radar energy, they were carefully engineered to reproduce the radar cross-section characteristics of actual air defense equipment when observed by the F-35's sensors. This allows pilots to experience realistic target signatures without requiring active emitters or expensive operational radar systems.

The surrogate targets were evaluated by pilots from the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force's primary F-35 training organization. Using the aircraft's onboard avionics, the evaluation confirmed that the replicas generated the expected radar returns, validating the concept for operational training and opening the possibility of introducing similar installations at additional Air Force and Air National Guard training ranges.

Unlike conventional visual mock-ups, the new training systems are designed to exploit the full capabilities of the F-35's sensor architecture. Pilots can practice identifying, classifying, and prioritizing representative radar signatures using the aircraft's AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Distributed Aperture System (DAS), Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), electronic warfare suite, and advanced sensor fusion software. This provides valuable experience in managing sensors, interpreting tactical information, and developing effective responses before progressing to exercises involving live electronic emitters and more complex operational scenarios.

The F-35's strength lies not only in its low-observable characteristics but also in its ability to fuse data from multiple sensors into a single tactical picture. Training against realistic radar signatures helps pilots understand how hostile air defense systems appear within the aircraft's mission systems, allowing them to refine target identification procedures, mission planning, and strike execution in environments where survivability depends on rapid threat recognition and informed decision-making.

The importance of these capabilities is increasing as Kingsley Field prepares to become one of the U.S. Air Force's principal F-35 Formal Training Units. As more student pilots transition from legacy fighter aircraft to fifth-generation operations, access to representative threat environments will become an increasingly important element of the training syllabus. Replicating modern air defense signatures at home stations reduces the learning curve before pilots join operational squadrons tasked with deploying to high-threat regions.

The project also illustrates an unconventional approach to defense innovation by combining military requirements with local educational resources. Instead of relying solely on traditional defense contractors, the 173rd Fighter Wing partnered with Klamath Community College, where welding and manufacturing students helped fabricate the surrogate systems. The collaboration provides practical technical experience for students while supporting military readiness and strengthening the regional defense industrial workforce.

Support extended beyond the U.S. Air National Guard. Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's Unit Training Equipment Site transported and installed the structures using military engineering equipment, reducing overall project costs by more than $14,000 while simultaneously providing valuable logistics and heavy-equipment training. The initiative demonstrates how cooperation between different National Guard organizations can generate both operational and economic benefits.

Following the successful validation, the U.S. National Guard Bureau's A3/10 Directorate approved an additional $100,000 to expand the program. The next phase is expected to add approximately twelve additional surrogate targets, creating a denser and more realistic training environment capable of representing increasingly complex air defense networks. Engineers and students are continuing to refine the designs to improve durability, mobility, and ease of deployment while preserving the radar characteristics required for effective F-35 training.

Interest in the concept is already expanding beyond Oregon. According to the Oregon National Guard, several Air National Guard fighter wings have expressed interest in developing similar partnerships with local educational institutions to produce comparable radar-signature training assets. A broader adoption of the concept could provide the U.S. Air Force with a scalable and cost-effective method for expanding realistic fifth-generation training while simultaneously strengthening regional manufacturing capabilities and workforce development.

The initiative also reflects a broader shift in U.S. Air Force training priorities as potential future operations increasingly focus on contested environments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Potential adversaries continue to field increasingly sophisticated integrated air defense systems capable of combining long-range detection, electronic warfare, and mobile missile batteries to challenge Western air operations. By exposing F-35 pilots to representative radar signatures early in their training, the Air Force improves their ability to exploit the aircraft's advanced sensor suite, enhances mission survivability, and better prepares future fighter crews for combat against peer-level air defense threats. As a relatively low-cost innovation, the Kingsley Field project offers a practical model that could significantly strengthen fifth-generation combat readiness across the Air National Guard while complementing broader U.S. Air Force modernization efforts.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.