Hawgsmoke

[4] Hawgsmoke grew out of the discontinued "Gunsmoke" Air Force Worldwide Gunnery Competition.

Gunsmoke had been the USAF's air-to-ground gunnery and bombing competition involving multiple airframes, first held in 1949 and then biennially (except for 1963–1980) from 1954 to 1995 at Nellis Air Force Base.

[5] Colonel Cliff Latta of the 172d Fighter Squadron is credited with initiating the first Hawgsmoke competition at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan which was hosted by the Michigan Air National Guard's 172d FS from Battle Creek Air National Guard Base.

A-10 units from around the world sent four aircraft and associated crew to compete in ground attack and target destruction events.

The 118th Fighter Squadron from the Connecticut Air National Guard won the first event and in turn hosted Hawgsmoke 2002, at Fort Drum, New York.

The overall winner was the four-member team from the 47th Fighter Squadron from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

Hawgsmoke 2002 emphasized target acquisition and focused on accurately dropping practice bombs, firing the AGM-65 Maverick missile, and strafing proficiency with the 30 mm GAU-8 Gatling gun.

[9] The 355th Fighter Wing hosted Hawgsmoke 2012, between 15–17 August 2012 at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona and utilized the Barry M. Goldwater Range.

[10] Davis Monthan's resident 357th Fighter Squadron won the prestigious Al “Mud” Moore Trophy for Top Overall A-10 unit.

[18] Other awards were: Individual Top Gun Overall, Captain Taylor ‘Pistol’ Price, 104th FS; Individual Top Gun Dive Bomb, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron ‘Puff’ Palan, 358th FS; Individual Top Gun Low Bomb, Captain Taylor ‘Pistol’ Price; Individual Top Gun Strafe, Captain Taylor ‘Petrie’ Bye, 75th FS; Weapons Load Competition, Staff Sergeant Riley McIrvin, Airman First Class Maria Bermudez and Senior Airman Najee King, 354th Aircraft Maintenance Unit; Marshalling Award, 354th AMU, Airman First Class Derek Delosh; & Overall Maintenance Award, 104th AMU.