USAF William Tell Aerial Gunnery Competition Patch (Tell)

USAF William Tell Aerial Gunnery Competition Patch — The Air Force's Ultimate Test of Fighter Pilot Skill

William Tell doesn't test how well you fly. It tests how well you fight.

The William Tell competition is the United States Air Force's premier air-to-air weapons meet, a biennial aerial gunnery competition that pits the best fighter and interceptor crews from across the Air Force against each other in a no-holds-barred test of combat marksmanship, weapons employment, tactics, and mission execution. Named after the legendary Swiss marksman, William Tell has been a cornerstone of Air Force fighter culture since the 1950s, when it was established to measure and improve the air-to-air combat proficiency of Air Defense Command's interceptor squadrons during the Cold War. The competition has been held at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and has featured every major Air Force fighter type from the F-89 Scorpion and F-106 Delta Dart through the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Competing crews are evaluated on their ability to detect, identify, and engage aerial targets under realistic combat conditions, using live missiles, guns, and the full range of fighter weapons systems. Winning William Tell is one of the highest honors in the fighter community — a recognition that a squadron and its crews are the best in the Air Force at the core mission of air superiority: finding and killing enemy aircraft. This patch represents participation in one of the most demanding and prestigious competitions in military aviation.

Perfect For: William Tell competition participants, Air Force fighter pilots and weapons systems officers, F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon community members, Air Defense Command veterans, Tyndall AFB personnel, and anyone who has competed in the Air Force's ultimate aerial gunnery test.