XBradTC

Competition can be a powerful tool for training for excellence. Every service uses various competitions to improve training, build esprit de corps, and often to share new ideas, tactics, techniques, and procedures.

In the aerial arms, generally competition is within a single community.  Back in the old days, the Air Defense Command would host William Tell, a biennial match to see who the best interceptors were. Tactical Air Command hosted Gunsmoke, to test air to ground gunnery and bombing.

After ADC and TAC and SAC were consolidated into Air Combat Command, Gunsmoke died out. But from the ashes, the A-10 community brought forth a competition specifically for them and their low, slow, ugly airframe. This competition, held on even numbered years, is known as Hawgsmoke, an obvious neologism springing from Warthog, and Gunsmoke.