Spring 2014 Issue of The HOOK

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Cyan Magenta YeIIow 8Iack
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F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET
RAYTHEON NORTHROP GRUMMAN GENERAL ELECTRIC BOEING
The F/A-18 Super Hornet was designed with built-in growth potential necessary to outpace
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Evolve. Advance. Prevail.
Cover: CVW-11 aircraft perform a fyby for Sailors and family
members on a tiger cruise on board USS Nimitz (CVN-68), 7 Dec 13,
while transiting the 3rd Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) after
spending eight months deployed to the 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet AORs.
Photo: USN, MCSN Aiyana S. Paschal, USN
EDITOR
CAPT Dennis W. Irelan, USN(Ret)
EDITOR EMERITUS
CAPT Steve Millikin, USN(Ret)
MANAGING EDITOR
CDR Mike Detchemendy, USN(Ret)
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
CDR Doug Siegfried, USN(Ret)
Phyllis Carter
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CDR Jan C. Jacobs, USNR(Ret)
CDR Robert R. Boom Powell, USN(Ret)
LCDR Richard R. Burgess, USN(Ret)
Barrett Tillman
Mike Weeks
CDR Jack D. Woodul, USNR(Ret)
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
AND ARTISTS
CAPT Chris Buhlmann, USNR
Ted Carlson
Air Plan
VOLUME 42 NUMBER 1 SPRING 2014
2014, all rights reserved ISSN: 0736-9220
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4 BRIEF
4 From the Chairman
VADM E.M. Streak Chanik, USN(Ret)
6 From the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command
VADM David A. Dunaway, USN
8 Washington Report: Test Pilots Praise F-35C As Testing Continues
Sandra I. Erwin
10 From the Executive Director
CAPT J.R. Davis, USN(Ret)
12 TAILHOOK EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
18 FROM THE CATWALK
18 From the Catwalk
conducted by Boom Powell
22 LAUNCH
22 NAWCWD Advances Technology To Give the Warfghter a
Decisive Advantage
Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Staff
32 Desert Storm A Chronology of USN and USMC Tactical
Aviation Action
compiled by The Hook Staff
44 The Way It Was: NAS New Orleans
Mark Morgan
47 VF-821 Kingpins Go to War ...
Mark Morgan
50 IN MARSHAL
50 Command Changes
51 Carriers, Carrier Air Wings and Squadrons Report
64 FRS UDP TraCom
65 Blue Angels Schedule
66 IN REVIEW
70 RESPOT
70 Naval Aviation Family Langbehn
71 MailCall
72 WAVEOFFS & BOLTERS
72 What is It?
IBC PATCH PAGE
Desert Storm Insignia
THE HOOK, Spring 2014 Page 1
Visit Tailhook
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THE TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION
9696 Businesspark Ave.
San Diego, CA 92131-1643
(858) 689-9223 (800) 322-HOOK
PRESIDENT
CAPT Greg McWherter, USN
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
CAPT Lonny K. McClung, USN(Ret)
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD EMERITUS
RADM Thomas F. Brown III, USN(Ret)
OFFICERS
Executive Vice President Emeritus
CAPT W.D. Knutson, USN(Ret)
Vice President for Active-Duty Affairs
CAPT Patrick R. Cleary, USN(Ret)
Vice Presidents for Naval Aviation Reserve Matters
CAPT Beth A. Creighton, USN(RC)
CAPT James P. DiMatteo, USN(Ret)
Vice Presidents for Marine Corps Affairs
Col Marvin T. Garrison, USMC(Ret)
Col Hunter H. Hobson, USMC
Col John P. Farnum, USMC
Vice President for Civilian Affairs
Ms. Angie Knappenberger
Vice President for Strategic Communications
CAPT Rodger L. Welch, USN(Ret)
Vice President for Membership
CDR Tim F. Murphy, USN
Vice Presidents for Corporate Development
CAPT Mark M. Drake, USN(RC)
CDR James D. Gross, USNR
CAPT Jerry D. Palmer, USN(Ret)
CDR Robert L. Rubino USN(RC)
Vice Presidents for Legislative Affairs
CAPT Lou Kriser, USN(Ret)
CAPT Kevin Miller, USN(Ret)
Vice Presidents for International Affairs
CAPT Rocco Tomanelli, USN(Ret)
Vice President for Legal Affairs
Carl M. Smith, Esquire
Counselor at Law
CAPT Peter L. Fagan, JAGC, USN(Ret)
Chief Financial Offcer/Treasurer
CDR James H. Oliver, USN(Ret)
Secretary
CDR Neil G. Zerbe, USN(Ret)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CAPT Patrick R. Cleary, USN(Ret)
CDR Curtis R. Dos, USNR(Ret)
CDR William P. Driscoll, USNR(Ret)
Col Hunter H. Hobson, USMC
LCDR Michael T. Lisa, USN
CAPT Sara A. Joyner, USN
CDR Kevin M. McLaughlin, USN
VADM David C. Nichols, USN(Ret)
CDR James M. Preston, USN(Ret)
RADM James Robb, USN(Ret)
CAPT D.A. Roy Rogers, USN(Ret)
CAPT Todd Watkins, USN
CAPT Walter H. Stammer III, USN(Ret)
CDR Edward C. White, USN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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27985 F135 CV_TheHook.indd 1 6/10/13 11:01 AM

reetings, Tailhookers! I hope the arrival of this issue brings spring
with it. For most of the nation it has been a long and harder than
normal winter, so everyone is looking forward to the arrival of
pleasant spring weather. I recently spent a week in San Diego attending
a symposium followed by your board of directors meeting. It was nice to
experience the second to none San Diego climate.
The annual Tailhook headquarters open house occurred the evening
of 13 Feb. It was a great gathering in a standing room only environment
where all enjoyed hors doeuvres, refreshments and conversation. A tip
of the hat and sincere thanks to our sponsors for that event Northrop
Grumman, Boeing and especially, Butch Bucciarelli of The Harbor House
who donated much of the food. Just as important, a special thanks to the
Tailhook staff and volunteers who set up, served and cleaned up. We could
not do it without their great support. If you are ever in the area for this
annual event, I highly recommend you put it on your schedule it is a
great way to catch up with your friends and fellow members.
As mentioned, the following day we had our board meeting. While
each board meeting (there are four per year) covers a myriad of topics,
I am pleased to report that we continue to be in sound fnancial shape,
both for the Tailhook Association (THA) and the Tailhook Educational
Foundation. As with associations such as ours, there remain challenges
that CAPT J.R. Davis, USN(Ret) and team continually address, but we
are holding our own and doing well to date.
One of the board committees that reports at each meeting is the
Strategic Development Committee. Basically its function is to look ahead
at the next 1020 years and see if there are things we should proactively be
doing to ensure our Association remains healthy, vibrant and relevant. One
of the things they have been looking at is the changing demographics for
active-duty carrier aviation comparing an air wing of 1990 to today and
1015 years from now. With the change in aircraft, number of seats per
aircraft, carrier air wing aircraft mix; todays air wing has about 20 percent
fewer aviators than did the air wings of the 1990s. The good news is that as
we look into the future (next 15 years or
so), we believe todays air wing active-
duty count will remain fairly constant.
But couple that count with fewer air
wings (currently 10) than the past and
you can see that as we project into the
future, our membership, the life blood
of the Association, will be a challenge to
maintain and to grow, and is something
we need to closely monitor. In the last
issue of The Hook, our President, CAPT
Stiffy McWherter spoke eloquently
about the continuing membership
challenge. None of us want to sound
like a broken record on membership,
but we want you to understand why it
has so much emphasis. Every member,
active duty, reserve, retired and civilian
is important and valued. We want to gain and, as importantly, maintain
members. I reiterate Stiffys request that each and every one of you reach
out and discuss membership in our organization with at least one
individual. You can and will make a difference. Thanks for helping.
No doubt all of you are aware of the budget pressures on the Department
of Defense (DoD) and the Navy. For those of us who live and work in
the Washington area, and in my case working in the defense industry, it
is most apparent every day. While there is the larger discussion on the
value of DoD to the nation and the appropriate resourcing of it, there is
the subset of that concerning the Navy and Naval Aviation. In these tough
fscal times, all programs come under close scrutiny and are subject to the
budget cutters knife. As the drawdown in Afghanistan approaches, and
the rebalance to Asia progresses, it seems apparent that in the decades
ahead, maritime forces, both in capability and capacity, will be in high
demand. While the value of Naval Aviation is fairly obvious to the readers
of The Hook, that message (and education!) bears repeating wherever
it can be done. Make no mistake; Naval Aviation is under signifcant
budget pressure. As you engage and interact with the public and with
leadership, both local and national, please educate them on the value of
Naval Aviation to our country. Your words can make a difference in the
debates on resourcing.
Finally, in this issue you will fnd information on balloting for the board
of directors election. These directors serve three-year terms (and can be
re-elected two more times for nine years total service) and represent your
voice in guiding this Association. We have some great volunteers willing to
provide the time and effort to make THA even better. Please take the time
to read the biographies and vote. This year were trying to make it easier
with the offer of electronic balloting so no excuses for not voting!
Hope to see each and every one of you at the Symposium in Reno this
year (47 Sep). It will once again be at the Nugget. As some of you may
know, Nugget ownership has changed hands. Over the next two years
there will be renovations occurring that promise to make it an even better
venue for our Symposium. While there will be some work in process,
they will be ready to accommodate us this fall. The theme is Naval Air
Test and Evaluation and once again, promises to be another great
Symposium! See you there!
Keep it on glideslope.
Tailhook Association Chairman of the Board
BRIEF
From The Chairman
G
Q
AERONAUTICAL
TYUIOP
RAPID RESPONSE
SURVIVABLE
Fully mission-capable in contested airspace
Rapidly repositions to support dynamic tasking
Large capacity for sensor and weapons payloads
Compatible with existing remotely piloted aircraft infrastructure
Cost-effective
2014 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Leading The Situational Awareness Revolution www.ga-asi.com
Predator C
Avenger
1402_The_Hook.indd 1 2/11/14 8:31 AM
VADM E.M. Chanik
Q
AERONAUTICAL
TYUIOP
RAPID RESPONSE
SURVIVABLE
Fully mission-capable in contested airspace
Rapidly repositions to support dynamic tasking
Large capacity for sensor and weapons payloads
Compatible with existing remotely piloted aircraft infrastructure
Cost-effective
2014 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Leading The Situational Awareness Revolution www.ga-asi.com
Predator C
Avenger
1402_The_Hook.indd 1 2/11/14 8:31 AM
VADM David A. Dunaway
I
n times of crisis, the frst question that comes to mind
is: Wheres the nearest aircraft carrier?
Naval Aviation continues to be one of the nations
most effective forces in keeping peace in areas of
instability and in projecting power when required. The
reach, access and substantial capability of the aircraft
carrier strike group make it the Joint task force commanders premier
power projection option. Our mission is essential to preserving the
American way of life.
The Naval Air Systems Command (NavAirSysCom) is responsible for
the design, development, verifcation, validation and sustainment of all
things Naval Aviation. To be effective in this mission, we must bridge
the gap between operational needs and technical solutions. Maintaining
a strong connection between these two worlds is essential to ensuring
our warfghters will always have the capabilities they need to fy, fght
and win.
The Naval Aviation community as a unique approach to ensuring
technical solutions match operational needs. Our warfghters have the
opportunity and responsibility to keep a foot in both the operational and
technical sides of our business.
Bringing offcers with feet experience into the acquisition process
provides obvious benefts for Naval Aviation. We achieve results far
more quickly, effectively and affordably when we understand how
all the elements of the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) the feet
(requirements), OpNav (resource sponsor), and NavAirSysCom
(provider) complement and support each other, and when we all
participate and take responsibility for
the acquisition process and outcomes.
Although our warfghting mentality
rightfully dominates the career of Naval
Aviators, the feet as both producer
and consumer of our vital readiness
relies heavily on the provider com-
munity to ensure equipment is available
and superior in every way.
There is a remarkably small but
essential force of acquisition profes-
sionals (APs), aerospace engineering
duty offcers (AEDOs) and aviation
maintenance duty offcers (AMDOs)
who work the day-to-day design,
development, verifcation, validation
and sustainment issues critical to our
war-fghting capability. It is essential
this cadre of professionals be well grounded in feet operations and expe-
rienced in managing technology, acquisition and long-term sustainment.
A career in acquisition provides Naval Aviators with tremendous
opportunities to contribute to Naval Aviation and the future of the worlds
greatest naval force. By the time I was an O-6, I had my hands in the guts
of every important combat system in the feet. As an AEDO, Ive touched
and infuenced the development of Naval Aviation capabilities through
a variety of roles test pilot, engineer, program manager, operational
test force commander and NavAirSysCom commander. The way I see it,
if youre both a technogeek and a warfghter, its the perfect match for a
great career.
Aircraft and weapons test and evaluation are a big part of
NavAirSysComs mission and have been for decades. The verifcation
and validation of our equipment, more than any other area, requires
a strong blend of technical and operational expertise. Our integrated
military-civilian-contractor teams work together every day to advance
system designs, manage risks, identify and resolve defciencies as
early as possible so the systems we deliver are operationally effective
and sustainable.
USN, MC3 Ricardo R. Guzman, USN
Naval Air Test
and Evaluation
VADM David A. Dunaway, USN
Commander, Naval Air Systems Command
As a NavAirSysCom project offcer, youll play a direct role in testing,
evaluating and reporting on the performance of new capabilities. Youll
work directly with civilian and industry test pilots and program teams.
Your input will be critical to ensuring the feets needs are accurately
represented and that the solutions we deliver are safe and effective.
The rapid pace of technology and complexity of todays missions
present many challenges and opportunities.
Success in todays battlespace is not just about systems that work, but
systems that work seamlessly together to deliver a warfghting effect.
Platforms, weapons, sensors and networks must be fully integrated
and interoperable to provide an immediate and sustainable increase in
warfghting capability.
In the words of ADM William E. Gortney, U.S. Fleet Forces Command,
The aircraft carrier air wing is the combat system, not the F/A-18, E-2D
or Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile.
The development of integrated warfghting capabilities punctuates the
need for close, collaborative working relationships among developmental
test (DT), operational test (OT) and the feet through the entire capabilities
development process. Capabilities-based, integrated test and evaluation
pays huge dividends for the Navy and Marine Corps. It saves time and
money and ensures the systems we deliver are not only operationally
relevant, but easily integrated with existing battlespace systems.
Were working more closely with our warfghters than ever
before. From identifying mission threads, kill/effects chain gaps and
creating new tactics, techniques and procedures, to testing systems
in representative constructive environments, both live and virtual, to
feet demonstrations and training the lines between feet operations,
acquisition and DT/OT are becoming increasingly blurred. And thats
exactly the way it should be.
Look at successful acquisition programs like the F/A-18 Super Hornet,
EA-18G Growler, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and P-8 Poseidon. They are
all delivering relevant capabilities to the Navy, as and when required,
because of the early and active involvement of dedicated military and
civilian partners across the NAE.
More than ever before, we must ensure the connection between
operational and technical stays strong and provides world-class
equipment to our warfghters. To be successful from the acquisition side
of the house, we must recruit and develop a small cadre of warfghters
who are engineers and businessmen and women at heart.
Read more about our weapons systems test and evaluation facilities
and commands on Page 22 of this Spring 2014 issue and about our
aircraft systems test and evaluation in the Summer 2014 issue. If
youre interested, let us know. Acquisition is one of the most demanding,
complex and rewarding careers available in Naval Aviation
today and into the future.
Opposite page: VFA-115 Eagles CAG bird F/A-18E Super Hornet is catapulted
from USS George Washington (CVN-73) during a CVW-5 fyoff following support
in the Philippine Islands in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, 1 Dec 13. Above:
An VX-1 Pioneers E-2D Advanced Hawkeye takes off at Nellis AFB, 24 Mar 12.
Kevin Whitehead, airliners.net
Ed. Note: The Naval Air Test and Evaluation (T&E) pro-
cess for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) continues to
achieve test profles in the T&E regime. The ground han-
dling characteristics, cockpit ergonomics, aerodynamics
envelope, fying qualities and performance capabilities are
being defned. Along the way, defciencies have been iden-
tifed, and corrective action has been concluded or mitigation plans are
being considered to make the aircraft ready to perform as required suit-
able, effective and safe for feet introduction. As is often the case with
a new aircraft, Naval Aviation crews look forward to employing the JSF
weapon system. This report is a snapshot of some of the successes and test
points in the program.
he naval version of the JSF, the F-35C, still faces several more
years of tests before it is ready to join carrier air wings. The
Marine Corps remains committed to begin operations with its
vertical/short takeoff and landing F-35B as early as 2016. The Navy
has programmed more time for tests. At the earliest, the Navy said the
F-35C would be operational in 2019.
We are only half way through the initial development plan, said
LCDR Michael Burks, a Navy JSF test pilot.
This fall the F-35C will be put to the test on board an aircraft carrier at
sea. Naval Aviators will have an opportunity to examine the performance
of the airplane following a recent redesign of the tailhook that stops the
airplane after it engages the cross-deck pendant (arresting wire) upon
landing on the carrier deck.
The original design of the tailhook
became a defciency when problems
were discovered unexpectedly during
tests in 2011. The frst problem was that
the original tailhook did not properly
engage the arresting wire, plus there was
a structural faw that overstressed the
bulkhead where the tailhook attached to
the airframe.
Another fight-deck test point that
will be evaluated is the scar that the
tailhook point leaves when it touches
down. The Pentagons Director of
T&E, Michael Gilmore, said in his
2013 annual T&E report (published
January 2014), There is potential for
gouging of the fight deck after a missed
cable engagement due to an increase in
weight of 139 pounds, and the potential for sparking across the fight
deck from the tailhook because of the increased weight and sharper
geometry of the redesigned hook.
The redesigned tailhook preserved the stealth signature and took a
year and a half to complete. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. has
delivered one F-35C with the new tailhook at the Navys test site, Naval
Air Test Center, NAS Patuxent River, Md. for further tests. Its a bit
early to say we have defnitely nailed this problem, but all indications are
that we are headed in the right direction. said Burks.
Other priorities for the Navys F-35C are to continue testing and
to fnish the software development, and to work on helmet-mounted
displays [HMDs], Burks said during a conference hosted by the Armed
Forces Communication and Electronics Association and the U.S. Naval
Institute. Flight tests are planned through 2017 and operational-level
trials would begin later.
Aviation leaders also plan at-sea and other land-based tests to provide
an early look at the future role of the F-35C as an integral part of a
carrier air wing. There will be some challenges integrating the F-35 on
the carrier. Most have been identifed, Burks said. A carrier air wing
typically deploys with 4454 strike fghter jets.
Sandra I. Erwin
Washington Report:
Test Pilots Praise F-35C
As Testing Continues
by Sandra I. Erwin
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Andy Wolfe, Senior Flight Test Photographer
LtCol Matt Taylor, USMC, on the frst night takeoff for a
F-35C Lightning II at NAS Patuxent River, Md., 13 Jun 12.
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Phone/Fax (303) 973-7969
email: carl@planecrazyenterprises.com
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The Navy expects that for the foreseeable future, the strike fghters
in the air wing will continue to be F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets,
complemented by the F-35C when it becomes operational. The JSF will
also have a niche role as an airborne intelligence nerve center, along with
the EA-18G Growlers and E-2 Hawkeyes and Advanced Hawkeyes.
To illustrate the airborne roles, the Navy envisions the F-35C will
be a strike fghter and an information collector and distributor in the
air wing, said Burks. As the Navys only stealth aircraft, it will be
prepared to go alone into highly contested areas, he added. But much of
the time it will serve as a hub for a network-centric air wing.
It may not matter what particular weapon we have on board, Burks
said. F-35 pilots can forward information over the network that would
allow other aircraft to engage targets. I may pull the trigger in the cockpit
but the weapon may come from a different platform, he explained.
Routine aircraft operations and maintenance aboard the carrier will also
change when the F-35C joins the feet, said Burks. The high-tech materials
that give the F-35 stealth properties require special care. There will have
to be a paradigm shift in the fight deck environment. Maintainers will
have to adjust when it comes to maintaining these technologies, Burks said.
The Lightning II will require support including daily cleaning to maximize
its stealth capability. Thats different from the current environment where
we have airplanes that get dirty because of the operational environment.
In the test squadrons, aircraft are kept indoors and in hangars. Maintenance
problems at sea have yet to be experienced.
Another issue will be coping with louder than usual engines. It is a
noisy jet, and we are looking to using noise-cancellation headsets for
maintainers and other operators, he added.
Gilmores report stated that engine noise is a potential risk to
personnel on the fight deck and at one level below the fight deck.
Projected noise levels one level below the fight deck will require some
hearing protection. On most carriers this is a berthing area, but on the
new carrier, CVN-78, this is a mission planning space, Gilmore said.
Personnel wearing hearing protection in mission planning areas will
probably need to become standard.
One of the most anticipated features of the F-35C is a landing mode
called delta fight path that would reduce the pressure of aviators to nail
landing on the aircraft carrier. The delta fight path for the F-35C will
make carrier landing easier, Burks said. It will be a new era of carrier
aviation. Night landings will not be the number one task to focus on. The
system has been tested ashore but has yet to be tried at sea.
The aircrews helmet has been in work to fx problems. Having a
helmet-mounted display is central to how air warfare will be conducted
with the F-35 because it eliminates the head-up display (HUD) in the
cockpit. Everything will be projected on the visor of the helmet.
When it gets to the feet and its working right, it will provide a
great capability, said Burks. It will allow for a smooth transition from
day to night, with no need for night vision goggles. The pilot will have a
360-degree view of his surroundings from the cameras around the aircraft.
The helmet still has some jitter. When the display is fxed to the aircraft, it
is easy for the human eye to compensate for head motion. It so happens
with the F-35C that your head is bobbing around when youre pulling gs,
its not quite as easy to stabilize the symbology on the visor, he said.
Several versions of the helmet have been tested. The contractor built a
tiny electronic device to sense aircraft vibration and buffeting. It turns
on flters in different regimes of fight to flter out the noise were seeing
in the display, said Burks. The helmet is a quantum leap in capability
and a step up in cost, so it is important to achieve fxes.
The redesigned helmet is now undergoing tests. The helmets night
camera also will require changes. It continues to be a show stopper at
night, said Burks. Another helmet problem is that it leaks light at night
when the pilot is trying to dim the display. He said, You get a lot of
leakage of light in the optics around the eyes. Its distracting.
Burks added, Lastly, the transition to HMD is not diffcult. It just
takes time to become comfortable with it and to perfect your scan with
the system, which for me was about ffty hours. In retrospect, when
I transitioned from analog gauges in the Tomcat to a new
HUD, it took me about twice that long. So I believe it will
be relatively easy for pilots to transition.
A
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CAPT J.R. Davis
CAPT PAT STUBBY CLEARY, USN(Ret) Incumbent
Source: AOCS
Designation: Naval Aviator, 1986
Aircraft: T-34C, T-2C, TA-4J, F-14A/B, F/A-18A-G
Assignments: VF-142, VF-101, CVW-17, VF-103, JCS, VF/VFA-4, BuPers,
VFA-122, CVW-8, CNAL JSF Integration
Present Empl: Retired, going back to school for MBA
Hours Traps: 4,200 1,150
Residence: Richmond, Va.
Other: Operations Southern Watch (OSW), Enduring Freedom (OEF),
Iraqi Freedom (OIF); 1995 CNAL Pilot of the Year
CAPT SARA CLUTCH JOYNER, USN Incumbent
Source: USNA
Assignments: VC-5, VC-8, CSFWP, VFA-125, VFA-147, JFCOM, VFA-105,
OpNav N88, CVW-3
Hours Traps: 3,700 700
Present Cmd: CNAL
Residence: Virginia Beach, Va.
Other: OIF, OEF, OIF
VADM DAVID NICKLE NICHOLS, USN(Ret) Incumbent
Source: Lateral transfer from U.S. Army
Designation: Naval Flight Offcer, 1974
Aircraft: A-6
Assignments: VA-145, VX-5, VA-165, NSWC, SecNav Staff,
ComMATVAQWingPac, VA-196, NWC, CVW-2, NSAWC,
PaCom HQ,CarGru One,5th Fleet, CentCom HQ
Present Empl: Defense Consultant
Residence: Apollo Beach, Fla.
Other: 1981 AirPac NFO Tailhooker of the Year,Operations Desert
Shield, OSW, Desert Fox, OEF, OIF
CDR STEVE DIRT CALLAHAN, USN(Ret)
Source: AOCS
Aircraft: T-34C, T-2C, TA-4J, F-14A/B, A-4E/F, F-5E, F-16N, FA-18A-D
Assignments: VT-21,VF-31, Topgun, VF-103, Naval War College, Joint Staff
J33, XO/CO VFA-82, Navy Legislative Affairs
Present Empl: Lockheed Martin Operations, Wash., D.C.
Residence: Warrenton, Va.
Other: Operations Desert Storm, OSW, 1992 Fighter Wing One Fighter
Pilot of the Year
CAPT SCOTT TOPPER FARR, USN
Source: ROTC
Designation: Naval Flight Offcer, 1993
Aircraft: T-34C, T-39N, T-2C, EA-6B, F/A-18B, TF-16, EA-18G
Assignments: VAQ-129, VAQ-139, NSAWC, VAQ-134, BuPers, JCCS-1,
VAQ-140, Harvard Kennedy School, Joint Staff J-3, VAQWingPac
Present Cmd: Deputy ComVAQWingPac
Residence: Anacortes, Wash.
Other: OSW, Desert Storm, Infnite Reach, Allied Force, OEF, OIF,
Unifed Protector, 1998 CNAP NFO of the Year, Bob Dark
Memorial Leadership Award
CDR MICHAEL SNAP LANGBEHN, USN
Source: USNA
Aircraft: T-34C, T-45, F/A-18A-D, F-16
Assignments: VFA-25, NSAWC (N5), CVW-1, VFA-195, USNWC, CJTF-1
Afghanistan (GSA), VFA-94
Present Cmd: Executive Offcer VFA-94
Residence: Lemoore, Calif.
Other: Operations Noble Eagle, OSW, OEF, OIF, Air Wing
LSO, JTAC, Tailhook Association Life Member
Notice of
2014 Tailhook Association
General Meeting and Election
his year for the frst time we are
conducting our annual board of
directors election online. The online
election will save on printing and mailing costs. To cast your vote, please
use the above quick response (QR) icon or visit the Tailhook Association
website www.tailhook.net. The ballot link will also be available in the April
newsletter timed to arrive with your Spring 2014 issue of The Hook.
The board of directors consists of 15 directors, each serving a three-
year term. Terms are staggered so that one-third of the directors are elected
each year. Five directors will be elected in 2014 to serve three-year terms
expiring in 2017. A nominating committee, appointed in accordance with
the bylaws, has nominated the individuals listed below as candidates for
election as directors. The candidates were placed on the ballot in random
order. Please vote for fve of the six candidates. Verifcation of your vote
will require your frst and last name followed by your fve-digit Zip code.
The election will end Friday, 1 August 2014.
Eligible Voters: 8,708 Quorum: 522
In accordance with Tailhook Association bylaws, this is notifcation that
a general meeting of the Association membership will be held l600, Friday,
5 September 2014, at John Ascuagas Nugget Hotel in Sparks (Reno), Nev.
The results of the 2014 election of directors will be announced, and the
conduct of other business as may be determined by the board of directors.
Tailhook Reunion: Reno Nev., 47 September 2014
Online room registration for the Nugget is available on our website. For
the last 10 years the hotel has been full by early May. Reservations can
also be made at our companion hotel, the
Grand Sierra Resort (GSR). We will pro-
vide transportation to and from the GSR.
It is a short cab ride. You can avoid the
transportation problem by making your
hotel reservation now.
The Nugget is undergoing a signifcant
renovation and some of the changes will
be completed by the time we arrive. For
example, Trader Dicks restaurant has
been replaced by a Gilleys Saloon, and
yes, it does have a mechanical bull. They
have also replaced all of the linens in the
west tower. Other renovations planned
for the future include:
A new sports book completion by
Aug 14 A new lobby lounge, gift shop,
bingo area and VIP slots by the end of
this year Freshly painted exterior completion by Sep 14 New players
club and VIP lounge by Oct 14 Updated casino entry areas by Nov 14
Indoor pool renovations by Dec 14 Renovated west tower hotel rooms
next year in 2015.
Tailhook Social Media
Please use links on the Association website to visit Tailhook on
Facebook or LinkedIn. The Facebook Tailhook page offers direct access
to friends, pictures and events. The LinkedIn page offers discussion of
Tailhook related subjects, access to members, promotions, networking and
job offers. We also offer a webblog for group discussion.
See you in Reno.
From the
Executive Director
T

C
A
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R
I
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R
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AVY
14
Hook
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Mens .....S-XL ..... $56
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Mens .....XXL ...... $58
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Extreme Performance
Moisture Management Polo Shirt
Pilot Wing Shirts in Newport Blue, Crimson and Midnight Navy
NFO Wing Shirts in Midnight Navy
Cotton Polyester blend interlock
Solid body with variegated texture Hemmed sleeves Contrast tipping on
collar Three-button placket
Easy care with Edry wicking action
Mens .... Med-XL .......$38
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Mens in Storm Gray
Womens Extreme Edry Color Block in white/black silk/gray luster
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Womens ......SXL ......... $38
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Call 1-800-322-HOOK (4665)
or write:
The Tailhook Association
9696 Businesspark Ave. San Diego, CA 92131-1643
Visit: www.tailhook.org www.tailhook.net
Tailhook
Key Ring
Gold Plated with
Naval Aviator
Wings
$12
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Tailhook
Life Member Pin
$6
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Tailhook Association
Gold-Tone Tie Tack
$6
95
Trap Tabs
$2 Each
Go with patches above
100 ____ 200 _____ 300 _____ 400 ____ 500 _____
600 ____ 700 _____ 800 _____ 900 ____ 1000 _____
Tailhook Association Decals
$1 Each
With Naval Aviator Wings
With NFO Wings
With Enlisted Aircrew Wings
Tailhook
Association
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Premium Twill Long Sleeve
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100% Combed Pima Cotton twill. DuPont Tefon
fabric protector.
Both USN Wings & Hook and Tailhook logos
White and French Blue
Mens ..... Med-L-XL .... $39
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Mens ..... XXL............ $41
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Tailhook Association Patches
$5
95
Each
With Naval Aviator Wings
With NFO Wings
With Enlisted Aircrew Wings
Tailhook Association Logo
Two-tone Denim/Khaki
$14
95
Pilot Wings and Hook Logo
Assorted Colors (two-tone and solid)
Blue Olive Khaki
$14
95
NFO Wings and Hook Logo
Two-tone Denim/Khaki with scrambled eggs ... $15
95
or all Khaki (no scrambled eggs) ................... $14
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Low-Prole
Baseball Caps
Adjustable
Dear Tailhookers,
The Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) board of directors is excited to list our donors for this past year and to express our
thanks Bravo Zulu. Take time and peruse the following pages. This robust list continues to expand. Your generosity continues
to be the TEF cornerstone.
As the scholarship grant season draws to a close for 2014, we are proud to announce the addition of eight new scholarships,
thanks to one of our members an anonymous donor. The new scholarship awards will include one $15,000 scholarship and seven
additional $5,000 grants to be awarded in addition to our standard awards. This will be TEFs frst year to distribute 86 scholarships.
It is interesting to me, when I ask members why they have not given a gift to the TEF, some say, Ive never been asked. So I take the
opportunity to ask. Will you make a gift toward our scholarships?
Consider for a minute the great experiences you had and the bonds you developed with shipmates. You made lifelong friends and you
discovered who you were. The opportunity for you to provide for the next Tailhook generation, is an easy and worthwhile endeavor and a great
way to help our children and grandchildren.
When you make your gift you provide for scholarships and plant the seed of leadership for that generation. We at the TEF wish to do
everything we can to make giving quick and easy. Go online and visit the website http://www.tailhook.net/A_Foundation_Index.html, fll in
your information, the donation amount and select send its not the amount that matters.
Will you consider making your gift right now? You cant say youve never been asked.
The TEF Endowment continues to grow through your generosity. Give for your tax deduction and have your name on the list next year.
To all our donors, thank you for your continued support.
RADM Rich Spanky OHanlon, USN(Ret)
President, Tailhook Educational Foundation
TAILHOOK EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Combined Federal Campaign No. 10251
Organizations
A-7 Corsair II Association
Bella Luna Winery
Breitling U.S.A., Inc.
Cal-Chem, Inc.
CVW-8 Offcers
Washington D.C. Ready Room
Fortigent LLC
Global Experience Specialists
ISSA Family Foundation
ITT EXELIS
Taco Bell Corp.
The Tailhook Association
Donors $1,000 to $4,999
LCDR John Antoon, USN
LCDR Daniel L. Beldy, USN(Ret)
VADM Lyle G. Bien, USN(Ret)
Mr. Martin Blair
VADM Michael L. Bowman, USN(Ret)
RADM Steve Briggs, USN(Ret)
Mr. Manley C. Butler Jr.
RADM Jay Campbell, USN(Ret)
VADM E. Marty Chanik, USN(Ret)
CAPT David A. Clark, USNR
CDR John B. Connor, USN
Mr. Tim Crawford
CAPT Charles de Gruy, USN(Ret)
Mr. Steven DeWolf
ADM William J. Fallon, USN(Ret)
CAPT Sterling G. Gilliam, USN
ADM William Gortney, USN
ADM Thomas B. Hayward, USN(Ret)
CDR Richard W. Johnson, USN(Ret)
ADM Timothy J. Keating, USN(Ret)
Mr. John R. Kloes
CAPT John Lavra, USN(Ret)
Mr. Donnell C. Marlin, D.D.S.
CAPT Daniel P. Martin, USN
CDR Douglas C. Merchant, USN(Ret)
CAPT Robert O. Meyer USMC(Ret)
CDR and Mrs. Scott Mitchell, USN(Ret)
CAPT Gray Morrison, USN(Ret)
CDR Richard L. Mudgett, USN(Ret)
CAPT Robert Nelson, USN(Ret)
CAPT Brian S. Neunaber, USN
CDR A.A. Nichols, USN(Ret)
CAPT Bob Nordgren, USN(Ret)
CAPT Jerry Norris, USN(Ret)
CDR James H. Oliver, USN(Ret)
Mr. Don Patterson
CDR Frank V. Pesenti, USN(Ret)
LCDR Jason M. Pilalas, USNR
CAPT Roy Rogers, USN(Ret)
LT Thomas H. Rose, USN
CAPT Gilman E. Rud, USN(Ret)
CAPT Robert H. Rutherford, USN(Ret)
Mr. Sherman Smoot
CAPT Patrick J. Twomey, USN(Ret)
CDR Glenn W. Ward, USN(Ret)
CAPT T. Ladson Webb Jr., USN(Ret)
CAPT Rodger L. Welch, USN(Ret)
CDR Frank R. Wesh, USN(Ret)
Donors $5,000 and Greater
Mr. Russell Buckley
CAPT John W. Craig, USNR
ADM James O. Ellis, USN(Ret)
Capt John F. McCloskey, USA
CSM Steven Mohror, USA(Ret)
CAPT Ross A. Myers, USN
LCDR Keith L. Schmidt, USN(Ret)
Mr. Ernest L. Smith III
Mr. Jon Winthrop
HMC K. Sales Woody
$40,000 Donation Craig Technologies
LCDR William J. Abell, USNR(Ret)
LT Nadim Abuhaidar, USN
LTJG Alex L. Adams, USN
RADM George A. Aitcheson, USN(Ret)
CDR Robert Alcala, USN(Ret)
CAPT Ray Alcorn, USN(Ret)
Mr. Randolph C. Aldridge
CDR William T. Alex, USN
CAPT Ronald K. Alexander, USN(Ret)
CAPT Stephen R. Allen, USNR(Ret)
CDR John C. Allman, USN(Ret)
CAPT Raoul Alvarez, USN(Ret)
LCDR Brooks L. Ambos Jr., USN(Ret)
1stLt Hugh E. Anderson, USMC
CDR Robert R. Anderson, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Rodney C. Anderson, USNR
LT Charles E. Annett, USN
RADM Philip S. Anselmo, USN(Ret)
CDR Chuck Antonio
RADM Vincent J. Anzilotti, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Ralph Arnott, USN(Ret)
Maj Edgar D. Aronson, USMCR(Ret)
CDR George Arthur, USNR(Ret)
CDR Baron W. Asher, USN(Ret)
CAPT Stuart Ashton Jr., USN(Ret)
CAPT Dave Ashworth, USNR
CAPT James R. Ayers, USNR(Ret)
LCDR Robert C. Ayers, USN(Ret)
CDR Dave Ayres, USN(Ret)
CDR Thomas M. Bacon, USNR
GS-15 Andrew Bahjat
CAPT Gary B. Bailey, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Jerome A. Baliukas, USN(Ret)
CDR David Baranek, USN(Ret)
CAPT Thomas Barnes, USN(Ret)
Mr. Michael H. Bartlett
RADM John R. Batzler, USN(Ret)
CAPT Carl T. Bauer, USNR(Ret)
LCDR Jeremy Bauer, USN
CAPT Thomas G. Bauer, USNR(Ret)
CDR Gerard R. Baumann, USNR(Ret)
Mr. Michael J. Bellace
CAPT Elgie L. Bellizio, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Robert H. Belter, USN(Ret)
Ms. Dyna Benchergui
VADM Brent Bennitt, USN(Ret)
LCDR Mark W. Benson, USNR(Ret)
CDR Frederick C. Bereswill, USN(Ret)
Mr. Thomas P. Bergin
CDR Gil L. Bever, USN(Ret)
LT Neil Bianchini, USNR
CAPT John P. Bielik, USN(Ret)
LCDR Norman Bild, USN(Ret)
LCDR Gary Black, USN(Ret)
CAPT Jon D. Blacker, USNR
CAPT Fred B. Blakeman, USN(Ret)
Maj Henry R. Blecha, USAR(Ret)
CAPT David Boaz, USN(Ret)
CDR James M. Bockler, USN(Ret)
LT Conor A. Boe, USN
CAPT Randy Bogle, USN(Ret)
RADM Bruce R. Boland, USN(Ret)
Mr. Julian Booth
RADM Peter B. Booth, USN(Ret)
LTJG Lowell J. Borders, USN(Ret)
CDR Michael Borich, USN(Ret)
LCDR Peter Boronkay, USNR
CDR Donald R. Bouchoux, USN(Ret)
CDR William G. Bouck, USN(Ret)
CAPT Frank L. Boushee, USN(Ret)
CAPT William W. Bowers, USN(Ret)
VADM William Bowes, USN(Ret)
LT Stephen Bowman, USN(Ret)
CAPT Allen W. Boyce, USNR
LCDR Brandon P. Boyce, USN
CAPT Robert Boyer, USN
CAPT Douglas J. Bradt, USN(Ret)
CAPT Joseph A. Brantuas, USN(Ret)
CAPT John S. Brickner, USN(Ret)
CAPT Eric Briggs, USN(Ret)
CDR Edgar Britt, USN(Ret)
CAPT Ted Bronson, USN(Ret)
Mr. Richard I. Brooker
CDR David L. Brooks, USN(Ret)
RADM Dennis M. Brooks, USN(Ret)
Capt Richard T. Brophy, USMC(Ret)
CAPT Stanley I. Broughton, USNR
LT Christopher Brown, USNR(Ret)
CDR Howard A. Brown, USN(Ret)
RADM Thomas F. Brown III, USN(Ret)
Mr. Timothy D. Brown
Mr. R.E. Brunner
Capt Hamp Bryan, USMC(Ret)
VADM Michael Bucchi, USN(Ret)
CAPT Bob Buehn, USN(Ret)
CAPT James D. Burden, USN(Ret)
Mr. Steve Burgi
CAPT Thom W. Burke, USN
CWO4 Virgil G. Burke, USN(Ret)
CAPT John J. Burke III, USNR(Ret)
CDR Calvin Burkhart, USN(Ret)
CDR Frank J. Bush, USN(Ret)
LT Zachary Butala, USN
CAPT Warner Lewis Butler, USN(Ret)
CDR Gregory D. Byers, USN
CAPT James S. Bynum, USN
Mr. Clyde Cain
CAPT Anthony T. Calandra, USN
CAPT A.W. Callan Jr., USN(Ret)
RADM John F. Calvert, USN(Ret)
Mr. C. Richard Cameron
LCDR Douglas E. Campbell, USNR
Brig Gen George Cannelos, Ark. ANG(Ret)
CAPT James D. Cannon, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Roger Carlquist, USN(Ret)
Mr. Richard S. Carlquist
CDR James W. Carroll, USN(Ret)
CDR Patrick W. Carroll, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Douglas D. Carsten, USN
RADM Walter Ted E. Carter, USN
CAPT James P. Cartwright, USN(Ret)
LCDR Harold H. Caserta, USN(Ret)
CAPT Bill Castro, USN(Ret)
CAPT William J. Catlett, USN(Ret)
CDR Randy Causey, USN(Ret)
CAPT Eugene A. Cernan, USN(Ret)
RADM Richard K. Chambers, USNR(Ret)
CAPT James G. Chapman, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Daniel L. Cheever, USN
CDR John Chesire, USNR(Ret)
JOCM Joe Ciokon, USN(Ret)
CDR Anthony J. Clapp, USN(Ret)
CDR Michael B. Clay, USN(Ret)
CDR Robert A. Close, USN(Ret)
CAPT Irving Bill G. Cockroft, USN(Ret)
CDR Kenneth Coggins, USN(Ret)
CAPT Richard Coleman, USN(Ret)
Col Richard D. Coleman Jr., USMC(Ret)
Col James M. Collins II, USMC(Ret)
LCDR Phillip D. Colson, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Denis Conkey, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Terry Cooney, USN(Ret)
Mr. Steven L. Cooper
CAPT Michael Coury, USN
CAPT Beth Creighton, USNR
CAPT Robert L. Crippen, USN(Ret)
LCDR Michael Crosley, USN
CDR Gordon Cross, USN
CDR Rob Croxson, USN
CDR Brett E. Crozier, USN
CDR William Culbertson, USN
CAPT Robert J. Curry, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Brian Cusick, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Jeff Czerewko, USN
Mr. Jerry Daane
CAPT Paul Daley, USNR(Ret)
LT Matthew Daniels, USN
CAPT Kenneth E. DeGraffenreid, USNR
Chris DeLaurier
CAPT Frederick R. Deane, M.C., USN(Ret)
Col William R. Deans, USAF
CDR Bill Deer, USN(Ret)
CDR James E. Degnan, USNR(Ret)
CDR William DeHart, USN(Ret)
CAPT J. Michael Denkler, USN(Ret)
Mr. Samuel E. Dennis
Mr. Charles Derego
CDR Mike Detchemendy, USN(Ret)
CAPT J. King Deutsch, USN(Ret)
CAPT Jim DiMatteo, USN(Ret)
CAPT James W. Dickson, USN(Ret)
CDR James I. Dienstl, USNR
CDR Richard C. Dietz, USN(Ret)
CAPT Kevin L. Dillon, USNR(Ret)
Mr. David B. Dixon
CAPT Michael P. Dolan, USNR
LCDR Charles E. Dooley Jr., M.D., USN
CDR Curtis R. Dos, USNR(Ret)
LT William E. Douglas, USNR
PO5 David Drakeford, USN
CDR William P. Driscoll, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Paul L. Dudley, USN(Ret)
CAPT Denis C. Duffy, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Mitchell Dukovich, USN
CAPT Dave Dungan, USN(Ret)
VADM Robert F. Dunn, USN(Ret)
Mr. William C. Dvorak
CAPT Daniel W. Dwyer, USN
CAPT Kevin Dwyer, USNR(Ret)
Mr. William T. Eads
CAPT Peter B. Easton, USN(Ret)
Mr. Raymond Edlund
CDR Darrell W. Edson, USN(Ret)
LCDR Ken Ehlers, USN(Ret)
CAPT James D. Ehret, USN
CAPT John R. Emerson, USN(Ret)
Mr. Kermit Tim H. Enander
CAPT Jack C. Ensch, USN(Ret)
CDR Marty Erdossy, USN
Mr. Lloyd Erlandson
CAPT Larry L. Ernst, USN(Ret)
LCDR Harry R. Errington, USN(Ret)
CAPT Harry E. Ettinger, USN(Ret)
RM3 Robert G. Evans, USN(Ret)
CAPT Richard Evert, USN(Ret)
CAPT Allen P. Fancher, USN(Ret)
Mr. Joe J. Farina Jr.
CAPT Daniel P. Farkas, USN(Ret)
CDR John F. Faron, USN(Ret)
Donors to $999
CDR Patrick F. Farrell, USN
Mr. Richard S. Farrell
Mr. Tom P. Federico
CAPT Christopher P. Fedyschyn, USN(Ret)
CDR James L. Ferguson, USNR(Ret)
CDR Robert L. Ferguson, USN(Ret)
CAPT Michael Field, USN(Ret)
CAPT Kevin P. Finan, USNR(Ret)
LCDR Michael Bart Flaherty, USN(Ret)
CAPT John J. Flanagan, USN(Ret)
Mr. Richard L. Flannery
CDR Robert N. Flath, USN(Ret)
CAPT John L. Fleming, USN(Ret)
Mr. Mahlon G. Foote
LCDR Michael Ford, USN(Ret)
Mr. Melvin D. Foremaster
Mr. R. Larry Forsyth
LCDR Craig M. Foster, USNR(Ret)
CAPT John I. Foster III, USNR(Ret)
CAPT Francis H. Fox, USNR(Ret)
Mr. Dan H. Frank
Capt Donald R. Fraser, USMC(Ret)
CDR William D. Fraser, USN
CDR Guy H. Freeborn, USN(Ret)
CAPT Robert N. Freedman, USN(Ret)
CDR Rufus A. Freeman, USNR
CDR Gary H. Freer, USNR(Ret)
LtCol Warren Frommelt, USMC(Ret)
CDR Robert B. Fuller, USN(Ret)
CDR Skip Fumia, USN(Ret)
CAPT Edward J. Furdak, USNR
Capt Larry J. Futrell, USMCR
Mr. Lee J. Gaffrey
Maj Martin Gallagher, USMC
CDR Scott R. Gallagher, USN(Ret)
LCDR Andrew J. Gamble, USN(Ret)
Mr. Dave Garner
CDR Spencer L. Garrett, USNR
Col Marv T. Garrison, USMC(Ret)
CDR David T. Gato, USNR(Ret)
LCDR Jeffrey Gauger, USNR
CDR Glenn Gay, USNR
CDR Steve Gaylor, USN(Ret)
RADM Harry E. Gerhard, USN(Ret)
Mr. Michael K. Gibbons
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CAPT Peter P. Hunt, USN
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CDR Christopher Jason, USN
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CDR Bernard L. Zacharias, USNR(Ret)
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Kenneth Zemel
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ENS Norman Zimmerman, USNR(Ret)
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CDR Charles F. Zullinger, USN(Ret)

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The
Tailhook Association
I
n a previous column we said good things about Tailhook members
and their contributions that makes YHS work easy. Every so often
an interesting question comes up, and the search for answers, or in
case of records, reference material is used to establish historical accuracy,
even if contributions do not arrive.
Which aircraft carrier has the greatest number of carrier arrested
landings (i.e., traps)? Norman Polmars two-volume defnitive set, Aircraft
Carrier, documents USS Lexington (CVA/S/T-16) with 493,000. Using
the Olympic merit system, she is awarded the gold medal. (Nothing like
extensive World War II operations (ops) and a long time in the Training
Command (TraCom) for carrier qualifcation (CQ) ops to bag em). Kitty
Hawk (CVA/CV-63) is awarded the silver medal at 407,000. Enterprise
(CVA/CV-65) is awarded the bronze medal for 400,000.
How about bragging rights for more traps in one day by a Naval
Aviator? At the Landing Signal Offcer (LSO) School the offcer in
charge (OinC), Potso Pothier, mentioned bagging 37 traps in an F/A-18
Hornet. Kitty Hawk had just arrived in Japan as the forward-deployed
naval forces aircraft carrier, and she required deck certifcation. There
werent many current pilots. But days later, Potso recanted, It appears
my memory failed me, my traps were achieved during a three-day deck
blast, not one. I had thirty nine in three days. The best I had in one day
was nineteen.Pags Paganelli and two S-3 Viking Naval Aviators may
have achieved even more.
He added, I do remember the Viking guys had a bunch more than
us Hornet guys. A fellow paddles, Chuck Wagon Raley did great, but
it was also probably during more than one day. I know Tink Bell had
thirty in a T-45 one day during training command CQ.
George Gorgeous George Watkins (frst member of the Grand Club
1,000 carrier arrested landings) claimed 25 traps in three different type
FROM THE CATWALK
CONDUCTED BY BOOM POWELL
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Public Domain
Top: A VRC-30 Providers C-2A Greyhound prepares to make an arrested landing
on USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) as USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60) maintains
its plane guard station, 17 Jan 05. Above: USS Lexington (CVT-16) tied up at
NAS Pensacola. Chevalier Field is in the background, c. 1990. Right: George C.
Watkins, record-setting Navy test pilot, c. 1950s and movie poster of Tora Tora
Tora in which Watkins starred as himself.
airplanes in one day. Bob Johnson claimed 50, but with a caveat. I was
lucky enough to go to Carrier Suitability Branch at Naval Air Test Center
testing planes on aircraft carriers and testing aircraft carriers. We were
fying day and night ops seven days a week on and off carriers on both
coasts. It was great. Gale Thompson and I set a record of ffty traps in one
day in a C-2A Greyhound on Kitty Hawk when we cleared it (the C-2)
for shipboard ops. At that time, the Greyhound could carry cargo only
between airbases because of two accidents in the holding (i.e., Delta)
pattern; one losing twenty-six people including replacement aircrew.
We each had twenty-fve traps. We fnished seventeen, shut down
for thirty minutes and then returned to bag thirty-three more. When
we departed the ship to return to NAS North Island, we encountered
inclement weather conditions and completed an actual ground controlled
approach to minimum landing conditions [200 feet ceiling and 1/2 mile
visibility]. We received a Well Done from Hawk skipper.
ANY EXCUSE
Student pilot to irate instructor: Think about it. I navigated through
a boiling fuid swirling around a rotating sphere that is hurtling around
a fusion reaction source at thousands of miles per hour. This system is
moving in a circular motion around a black hole at who knows what
speed, while the space it takes up is expanding. And I bounced six
inches on landing SIX MEASLY INCHES you need to get some
perspective. (Ed. Note: The student still lost the debrief argument.)
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES
Smoking in tactical naval aircraft is forbidden by rules, regulations
and safety procedures. However, Naval Aviation lore (i.e., TINS) about
smoking in the cockpit in a previous era generated a batch of related
items; most elicit disbelief, considering what we know now:
YHS remembers that when the Navy transitioned into F2H Banshees in
1953 there was a warning that since pressurization came directly from the
engines, any internal oil vapor would wind up in the cockpit. Taking your
oxygen mask off was not good for the lungs. The cockpit pressurization
was so bad that we were lucky to have a 20,000-ft. differential. Pressure
breathing came on frequently because cockpit altitude would be above
30,000 feet when the Banshee was at 45,000 feet.
The AD-1 Skyraider, which I few as a cadet at Cabaniss Field (Corpus
Christi) had a cigarette lighter and a small ash tray, like in a car. (Ed
Note: Some airplanes of the era had both.)
I remember being slightly bored on one of my frst barrier combat air
patrol missions in the Tonkin Gulf as a junior offcer wingman in combat
spread. I rolled over to try a little inverted fight. At one negative g, I
couldnt hold it inverted the full 10-sec. oil pump limit because there was
a cascade of cigarette and cigar butts, pencils and pens that were falling
from the canopy scuppers.
When we were on the boat, Larry (in the back seat) had this ritual he
went through after we mounted up, started engines and taxied forward to
the cat. Id hear the background noise increase on hot mike
as Larry unclipped one side of his oxygen mask. We
all know you cant smoke in an F-4 (at least some
of us). Larry had one of those little grapefruit juice
cans hed taken from the offcers mess you
know, the little skinny ones. Hed taken his John
Wayne can opener and removed the
top. He carried it in the lower shin pocket
of his g-suit. As soon as he was strapped in hed
reach into his shoulder pocket, take out a can of Skoal, put a
pinch in his mouth and put his mask back on. By the time we
went through the start up routine and approached the cat
Larry was ready for his frst spit.
BOUNCES
When Tim Hubbard was OinC of the VFP RF-8 Det on
Coral Sea (CVA-43) they were Hubbards Mothers.
When Charles Obie Obrien was OinC of the VFP-62 Det
in Saratoga (CVA-60) he had his pilots fy the Crusaders
one ball high on the glideslope optical landing lens. There
was also a giraffe painted on the RF-8s. Triple pun on
High Balls glideslope, cocktail and well, you know.
The original gun salute was seven (biblical and
astrological derivation) gun blasts. Shore batteries would
triple that for 21; they had more ammunition than ships.
The funeral salute is three shots (superstition and end
of temporary truce). The squad is traditionally seven
members (not related to saluting number). The numbers
adding up to 21 is merely coincidental.
The Massachusetts
Institute of Technology had a
theory that night fighters, such
as the P-61 Black Widow, should
be painted in glossy black paint.
Searchlights would reflect the
small imperfections in the air-
plane skin and look like stars.
Instead of seeing a moving black
patch hiding the stars, there were
just more stars twinkling.
Education is what youve learned.
Culture is what is left after youve
forgotten what you learned.
During the Korean War, an
Air Force colonel buzzed the
tower and subsequently lost his
squadron command.
I nt er est i ngl y, he
was relieved by Paul
On approach to USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63).
ATU-301 Douglas AD-1 Skyraider over Corpus Christi, c. 1952.
RADM Paul Pugh, USN, c. 1970s.
USN
William T. Larkins
USN
Pugh, a U.S. Navy exchange pilot. Paul had achieved two
MiG kills in short order, and mysteriously found himself
back in Japan. Then USAF Capt James Jabara scored
his ffth and sixth MiG kills. Paul reckoned that was
no coincidence. No way the Air Force was gonna let
someone from another service become the frst jet ace.
Paul later commanded USS Kitty Hawk, 1966 67.
There is no such thing as an ex-fghter pilot. We never cease being
what we once were whether in a cockpit or not. There is a profle
into which every one of our breed fts, and it is the charter within
that profle that makes the pilot a fghter pilot and not. A fghter pilot
programs his mind for extreme risks, lives every day on the edge and
fnds it diffcult to understand the interests or events that excite the
average civilian. I acutely prefer being amongst warriors. We are
crisp, clean cut, straightforward and not much escapes us.
Hoser Satrapa, June 1969
At my last annual fight physical examination, I squinted enough to
see the tiny symbols on the eye chart, and then the nurse pointed to
the booth for the hearing test. I said, Youre not gonna make me git
in that box? She asked if I preferred the whisper test? I answered
Yup. She walked about 10 feet behind me and whispered, Wots
my birthday? I replied I dinna have a clue, but Id buy her a Jack
Daniels anyway. I passed. I CAN hear when I really need to.
Youthly Puresome
THE SHADOW KNOWS: SECRET STUFF
When I was in the A-4 Replacement Air Group at Yuma, I became
acquainted with Fred Shorty Turnbull. Shorty was the Douglas Tech Rep
a retired Navy captain and an F6F Hellcat pilot in WW II. He had been
shot down over Formosa. After he parachuted out, he was captured by a
Japanese patrol, which promptly used him for bayonet practice and left
him for dead on the beach. A second patrol came along, and the Japanese
lieutenant in charge happened to be a Christian (whats the chance of that?).
He ordered his men to carry Shorty to an aid station. After medical care
and being nursed back to health, Shorty was transported to Japan by ship,
which was almost sunk by a U.S. submarine. Shorty said they could hear
the sonar pings on the hull, and they used wrenches to try to send Morse
code to the sub that there were American prisoners on board. It must
have worked as they made it through the picket line to Japan.
As the war worsened for the Japanese, it was even tougher for our
prisoners of war (POW). Most of them became walking skeletons.
The Japanese refused to feed any POW that wasnt well enough to
walk through the chow line. Shorty and others would hold whatever
they could in their mouths, like chipmunks ... to feed the bedridden.
At some point Japanese intelligence folks came around to interrogate
the POWs about recent shoot downs by Grummans new F7F Tigercat
fghter. Shorty was in that group. Truth was ... most of the guys had been
in the Pacifc a good while and didnt have any idea what the Japanese
were talking about. The Japanese felt they were being recalcitrant and
started beating them severely during interrogation sessions. Shorty and
the others were already weak, and with the addition of beatings, it was
only a question of time before some or all of them died, as the Japanese
showed no inclination of backing off.
So, they huddled and came up with a story to buy off the Japanese to
stop the beatings. They wanted to describe an airplane so outrageous, it
couldnt possibly be true. Heres what they came up with:
1. It was a twin-engine fghter.
2. Both engines were P&W 2800s the same engines used by the
single engine Hellcat and Corsair.
3. It would gross out at more than 12,000 pounds.
4. It was armed with four 20mm cannons.
5. It was capable of 400 knots and 40,000 feet.
6. And the coup de grce it had tricycle landing gear.
Their rationale was that such a plane would be too big, too heavy, over
armed and Who ever heard of a carrier-based airplane using tricycle
landing gear? They stuck to their story and the beatings stopped.
Shorty was one of only two people Ive known who had what Id call
a photographic memory. As soon as Shortys gift became known to the
other POWs he was directed to learn the names, serial numbers when
known, hometown and condition of death of POWs who died in camp. He
was also to be the repository of other critical information, ranging from
intelligence to torture and even the Good Guy guards. (An aside: He and
fellow POWs pooled their resources and paid for a college education for
one of the guards who had saved lives by only pretending to beat prisoners.)
After the war fnally ended and they were liberated, the POWs were
interviewed. They all said, Talk to Shorty Turnbull. He has it all
committed to memory. As a result, Shorty became a star witness at some
of the War Crimes trials. But at his frst debrief Shorty was astounded
when he was practically assaulted by his debriefers. Who, they
demanded, spilled the beans to the Japanese on the F7F? We know it
came out of this camp! They were nasty about it, demanding to know, so
they could hang someone for treason.
Shorty was incredulous. He insisted absolutely no one in the camp
knew a thing about the F7F (which never saw action in WW II) while
they were POWs. They had just concocted a fabrication to call off the
dogs. They couldnt believe such a plane existed.
It goes to show that truth is often stranger than fction.
Roy Stafford
A Grumman F7F-1 Tigercat, c. 1945.
USN Australian War Memorial 0191Q6 USN
From left: CAPT Fred Shorty Turnbull, USN, c. 1963.
ENS Turnbull being examined by an Australian Army
doctor during liberation from Ofuna prison camp, Japan,
Sep 45. During an air raid on Einansho Airfeld in
Formosa, 12 Oct 44, his F6F Hellcat was hit, injuring him
severely. He bailed out near Koshun, Formosa, and was
held prisoner until the end of the war.
Mike Napolitano Collection
MARINE CORPS LEGEND
Yet another Marion Carl TINS:
In April 1961, I had the airfeld duty at MCAS El Toro. It was midnight,
pouring rain, and I was already in bed. Soon my duty noncommissioned
offcer woke me to the startling news that a general was inbound to our
station as a fight of one. I dressed in 30 seconds. I climbed the ladder to
the approach control facility to monitor his inclement weather penetration
of clouds to a ground-controlled approach to runway 34R. His radio
transmissions sounded as though he had made the approach more times
than I had in VMF-323 during my F-8 days.
With umbrella in hand, I saw his approach lights as he touched down
and taxied toward me in front of the tower. Not every Offcer of the Day
would know where the footpads were located on the side of the F-8, but I
had the umbrella ready before he popped the canopy open.
There sat a living legend with his reading glasses on his nose as he
secured the cockpit. He was easy to talk with and seemed humble as he
bummed a ride to the bachelor offcer quarters.
With no VIP welcome, Gen Marion Carl was in his element. Carl was
truly a realist.
Dick Smith, VMF-323, 1958 1960
GREENIE BOARDS
I think I told you about my executive offcer when we started getting
ready for the boat. He insisted on having a Greenie Board set up in the
ready room the frst day. He announced this at an all offcers meeting
and I raised my hand and suggested we get a few bounces in before
we did that, since none of us had been to the boat since TraCom. The
commanding offcer (CO) chimed in, Whats the matter Stafford, afraid
of getting embarrassed? I looked him right in the eye and said, No, Sir
... I wasnt thinking about me.
YHS had a defective tailhook snubber on his Vigilante one fne day and
after four hook-skip bolters, a tanking and three more bolters, was sent to
DaNang where the problem was fxed. We returned to Kitty Hawk. Next
day, as squadron LSO I was carefully drawing many lines in the small
square on the greenie board when my CO looked over my shoulder and
said, Theres no such thing as eight OK passes for one trap! You LSOs
are all in cahoots.
STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE
In 1967, LTJG David J. Huey LHerault,
VSF-3, fying from Intrepid (CVS(A)-11), took
a hit from enemy fre that snatched a bite out
of the leading edge of Hueys A-4 Skyhawk vertical stabilizer. George
Fenzl, who was the maintenance offcer, remembered that the metalsmith
shop considered various ways to get the aircraft fying again. There was
speculation that if the mechs whittled a piece of oak to the contour of
the fairing, screw it in and use #10 tomato cans (there was no other sheet
metal in stock that would take the bend without cracking) to cover the
wood, then paint it, the aircraft could return to service. But the aircraft
empennage was out of alignment. It was a loss strike damage.
The aircraft eventually arrived at the Naval repair facility (i.e., NIPPI
Aerospace Corporation in Japan) for formal disposition.
SNEAKY SHRIKES
Gary Alpha Aaron sent this about fying A-4E Skyhawks with early
Shrike missiles:
It was a dark and stormy day on Yankee Station. (Hows that for
starters?) I was sked one day when the overcast was 3,000 feet and cloud
tops above 25,000 feet. The Peter Rabbit (Ed. Note: VQ-1 EA-3B
Skywarrior, tail code PR) was to fy a track along the coast of North
Vietnam. I was to tuck in real close for radar signature reasons. During
climb out I had to keep saying gimme one, meaning reduce thrust by
one percent. Those two J-57s on the EA-3B were powerful.
The whole idea was that I was to fy tucked in on the sea side of the
EA-3B as we gradually worked our way closer and closer to the beach.
I actually few wing on the engine nacelle because that wing tip fopped
like a blue gill fsh on a small hook. PR would listen, as would I, for
radar pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and if we received the dreaded
warble, I was to take the PRs directions as to initial heading and achieve
a lock on. I was then to push over at the appropriate time to center aiming
needle, lock on and fre with a hearty Fox Away.
We were in the clouds the whole time. Finally we got a lock on and
Peter Rabbit called 270 that meant I was to reference my Abberjabber
(i.e., attitude gyro and compass in the A-4), turn away from the A-3 for
270 degrees, achieve a lock on, push over and fre at the proper needles
indication. I did all the above and called Fox. The EA-3B during debrief
said time of fight for the Shrike missile was 51 seconds from Fox to abrupt
PRF end. Did I get a surface-to-air missile (SAM) site? Who knows?
Trolling for SAMs in the clouds doesnt seem like a particularly good
idea. Looking for SAM sites at 200 feet under a low overcast wasnt a good
idea, either. Whats the famous expression about using Shrikes against
SA-2s? Its like dueling a rattlesnake with a cocktail fork.
Chock em, chain em and set the record straight in the
Catwalk.
USMC Public Domain National Archives 80-G-398897
From left: MajGen Marion
E. Carl, USMC, 2nd Marine
Aircraft Wing commanding
general, MCAS Cherry Point,
N.C., 1968 70. Then-Capt
Carl, VMF-223, a WW II ace
with 18 victories, in front of
an F4F Wildcat. To his right,
LtCol Richard Mangrum,
VMSB-232 commanding off-
cer and Maj John Smith (19
shootdowns), VMF-223 com-
manding offcer. Book cover
of Pushing the Envelope (the
career of Carl) written with
Barrett Tillman.
VSF-3 Chessmen A-4B Skyhawk, NAS Alameda, 15 Apr 67 with inset of damage
to vertical stabilizer.
Bill Swisher
VQ-1 World Watchers EA-3B Skywarrior near Guam, c. 1960s.
Duane Kasulka Collection
USN
NAWCWD Advances Technology
To Give the Warfghter a Decisive Advantage
by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Staff
M
ade up of two contrasting locations, one along Southern Cali-
fornias coastline and the other secluded in the Mojave Desert,
the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD)
is in its 71st year of delivering superior weapons and weapons systems to
warfghters in support of the Navy and Marine Corps missions.
NAWCWD, the largest of more than 20 tenants at Naval Air Weapons
Station China Lake and one of many at Naval Base Ventura County at Point
Mugu, is the Navys designated center of excellence for full-spectrum
weapons and armament research, development, acquisition, and test and
evaluation (RDAT&E).
We are the Navys technical arm that focuses on creating and
delivering warfghting effects, said Scott ONeil, NAWCWD executive
director. We are the leader in integration and interoperability for the
Navy because of our unmatched intellectual capital and one-of-a-kind
land and sea ranges, combined with our unique indoor and outdoor labs.
The two diverse locations combine to provide a unique test and
evaluation (T&E) environment that encompasses the full naval warfare
environment including vast ocean, deep-water ports, islands, mountains,
deserts, canyons and forests. NAWCWD provides a safe, operationally
realistic and thoroughly instrumented test range and training environment
that supports Navy as well as Department of Defense (DoD) require-
ments. NAWCWD is Naval Aviations electronic warfare (EW) center of
excellence and virtually every weapon in DoDs inventory was developed
and/or tested here.
Along with NAWCWDs 1.1 million acres at China Lake, 36,000
square miles of sea range at Point Mugu and access to 20,000 square
miles of restricted airspace, another of the commands key resources is
the integrated team of civilians and military.
This combination of a highly capable military-civilian workforce and
our unique lab and range infrastructure enables the Weapons Division
to deliver exceptional, integrated capabilities that provide our warfght-
LAUNCH
Above: An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is
positioned in front of a High Velocity Airfow
System at the Naval Air Warfare Center
Weapons Division (NAWCWD) China Lake
for one-of-a-kind live fre testing at the
Weapon Survivability Lab. Left: At 36,000
square miles and expandable up to 196,000
square miles, the sea range at NAWCWD
Point Mugu is the largest and most heavily
instrumented sea and air range in the United
States. It is connected to the land range at
China Lake by a unique Federal Aviation
Administration-approved restricted corridor
known as IR-200. Right: Larger than the
state of Rhode Island, the land ranges at
NAWCWD China Lake encompass 1.1
million acres, or about 1,700 square miles.
USN
USN USN
ers with a decisive advantage, said RDML Mike Moran, NAWCWD
commander. This military and civilian team that helped stand up this
organization more than seventy years ago is still alive and well today. It
supports not only the Navys major programs of record, but also basic
research and development to ensure we maintain our technological supe-
riority for years to come while also responding rapidly to near-term feet
requirements to keep our warfghters safe and effective.
NAWCWD supports the warfghter from beginning to end with a full
spectrum of capabilities including basic science research and engineering,
developing and testing both components and systems, limited production
and lifecycle sustainment and support.
Our contribution to the fght has been huge and because of that, our
military value is the highest Ive seen in my career, said ONeil, who
came to work at China Lake in 1972.
History
Before China Lake and Point Mugu merged to form NAWCWD, they
were separate naval installations, each with its own storied history and
reputations.
In the midst of World War II, the Navy established China Lake as the
Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) for testing and evaluating rockets
being developed by the California Institute of Technology. The facility is
located 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the remote western edge
of Californias Mojave Desert. The formal mission statement for NOTS
in 1943 identifed research, development and test of weapons as the
stations primary purpose, which remains its mission today. The frst
weapons included rockets, such as Mighty Mouse and Zuni, and because
of its remote location, China Lake was also part of the team developing
the frst atomic weapons.
Also in 1946, the naval presence at Point Mugu began when Seabees
from Port Hueneme put down a Marsden mat runway as the frst airstrip
in that area. The Navy recognized the importance of a large sea range for
T&E functions. So Point Mugu, only 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles,
became the Naval Air Missile Test Center (NAMTC). Missiles and drones
including the Gorgon, Gargoyle, Lark and Little Joe were developed and
tested at NAMTC, which was the U.S. Navys frst instrumented missile
sea test range.
After WWII, both NOTS and NAMTC excelled in their support
of the warfghter. Scientists and engineers at both locations continued
to develop new and innovative weapons. One example is the AIM-9
Sidewinder, which originated at China Lake and became the worlds most
used and most copied air-to-air missile. Another is the AGM-45 Shrike,
an anti-radiation missile used extensively in the Vietnam War by the U.S.
Navy and U.S. Air Force. Shrike is the predecessor of the High-speed
Anti-Radiation Missile and Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile in
our naval arsenal today.
As the bases added new weapons and technologies to their list of
accomplishments, they continued to evolve as naval installations. In 1958, the
Pacifc Missile Range (PMR) was established at Point Mugu. By 1959,
NAMTC was renamed the Naval Missile Center (NMC). In 1971, Point
Mugu, which was already home to the F-14 Tomcat System Integrations
Test Station, became host to the Software Support Activity for the Tomcat.
Four years later, because the sea ranges were test locations for such
weapons as the Harpoon, Tomahawk, Trident and Standard Missile, the
Navy merged the PMR and the NMC into the Pacifc Missile Test Center
(PMTC). China Lake was also evolving with its warfghter contributions
and growing reputation of excellence. By 1967, it was combined with the
Naval Ordnance Laboratory at Corona, Calif. to form the newly created
Naval Weapons Center (NWC). In 1979, the National Parachute Test
Range at El Centro, Calif. merged with NWC.
The Navy then continued its efforts to streamline naval functions
and consolidate duplicated tasking and research, as well as to broaden
the communication between research, development, test and evaluation
(RDT&E) facilities. To this end, by 1992, the PMTC, NWC China Lake
and Naval Air Systems Command (NavAirSysCom) units at White Sands
and Albuquerque, N.M. had merged to form NAWCWD. By
2001, the White Sands detachment was transferred to the
Naval Sea Systems Command.
USN
Above: Numerous assets at NAWCWD
China Lake including this central control
room are used during a multi-week exercise
to demonstrate and evaluate intelligence-
gathering techniques, and Joint and
Coalition warfghting operations. Right:
An Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided
Missile on its frst EA-18G Growler fight
with VX-31 at NAWCWD China Lake,
25 May 11.
USN
NAWCWD is headquartered at China Lake and is a tenant of the Navy
Region Southwest, which includes several military bases on the West
Coast such as San Diego, Point Loma and Naval Air Stations Lemoore
and Fallon.
NAWCWD became one of the largest and most diverse test ranges in
the world with a wide variety of features mountains, ocean, deep-water
ports, protected islands, deserts, canyons and forests all close to one
another and highly instrumented. NAWCWD is a billion-dollar-per-year
operation with more than 6,100 employees and 40 major facilities, many
of which are not duplicated anywhere in the world.
As the warfghter moves into the future, NAWCWD is leading the way
by continuing to develop state-of-the-art weapons and technologies. With
its unique laboratories and facilities, and world-class military-civilian
team, NAWCWD will remain the U.S. militarys leading RDAT&E
facility into the future.
Command Structure
NAWCWD is a competency aligned
organization based on its parent com-
mand, the NavAirSysCom. Each consists
of a Level One lead who reports to the
commander, RDML Mike Moran, via
the executive director, Scott ONeil, and
the vice commander, CAPT Karl Andina.
Competencies are focused on a single
professional discipline such as logistics,
contracts and T&E. Integrated Product
Teams consist of people from various
competencies who together possess the
expertise to execute the teams mission
and support programs such as the F/A-18
Hornet and Super Hornet and the Joint
Standoff Weapon.
Most of the military at Weapons
Division are involved with fight test. NAWCWD has two squadrons that
perform developmental tests (DT) Air Test and Evaluation Squadron
(VX)-30 at Point Mugu and VX-31 at China Lake. At China Lake and
Point Mugu, the Marine Aviation Detachment is tasked with providing
project management, aviation support and technical expertise to Marine
Corps weapons systems throughout the weapons systems life cycle. Also
co-located at China Lake, but not assigned to NavAirSysCom, is VX-9,
the operational test (OT) squadron supports both fxed-wing and Marine
helicopter aircraft.
NAWCWD employs more than 6,100 military, civilians and contractors.
The majority of the workforce is federal civilian scientists and engineers.
There are about 170 active-duty military assigned to the command.
Ive been many places in my thirty-year Navy career, and I can
honestly say that there are unique skill sets that reside at NAWCWD
that dont exist anywhere else, Moran said. Im amazed at the ideas
and concepts that have come from the workforce here that have driven
change and made signifcant improvements for the warfghter. Also, the
co-location of our modeling and simulation facilities, unique engineering
and software integration labs, and open air ranges, with both DT and OT
squadrons provide an integrated environment that facilitates the delivery
of effective and integrated warfghting capabilities much more affordably
and timely.
Unique Ranges and Facilities
The size, location and environment of NAWCWDs land and sea
ranges make them unique DoD assets that are ideal for T&E efforts.
With mountains, deserts, canyons, forests, vast ocean, deep water ports
and islands all close to one another and within restricted airspace, these
ranges are used extensively for T&E and training. More than 1,500 test
events occur each year.
The ranges have played principal roles in the nations largest Joint ser-
vice battle experiments. Each year, allied customers including Australia,
Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Norway, send
hundreds of troops to test weapons and train for confict. Japan is one of
the Sea Ranges largest customers.
With fve hangars, three main runways plus two unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) operational strips, the land ranges have hosted virtually
every combatant aircraft in the DoD inventory, ranging from Air Force
fghters and bombers and Army helicopters to developmental aircraft like
the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Lightning II.
The ranges enjoy great fying weather. Point Mugu has visual
meteorological conditions about 85 percent of the time; China Lake has
more than 99 percent.
The land ranges at China Lake represent the Navys largest single land
holding with 52 percent of all Navy land worldwide and 85 percent of
the Navys RDT&E land. The area encompasses 1.1 million acres, or
about 1,700 square miles, and is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
The land ranges, which can be linked to the NAWC Aircraft Division
and other DoD facilities, are used for testing, feet training and exercises,
and other DoD service needs.
The restricted airspace, designated R-2508, encompasses 12 percent
of Californias total airspace and is jointly managed by the Navy (China
Lake), the Air Force (Edwards Air Force Base (AFB)) and the Army
(National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.). The ranges support T&E
for air and ground conventional weapons, aircraft systems, air-to-air
and air-to-surface missiles, rockets, bombs, cluster munitions, cruise
missiles, UAVs, guns and artillery, fuzes and sensors, mass detonation,
training and tactics development, and parachute systems.
The sea range at Point Mugu is the largest and most heavily instru-
mented sea and air range in the United States. It encompasses 36,000
square miles of ocean, and is expandable to 196,000 square miles. Point
Mugus Range Operations Center is capable of monitoring complex full
battle group feet exercises involving a mixture of aircraft, surface ships
and submarines.
RDML Mike Moran
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A VX-30 Bloodhounds F/A-18B
Hornet over Southern California
coastal waters while acting as
adversary in support of aircraft
carrier training, 19 Mar 05.

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The land and sea ranges are interconnected via a unique Federal
Aviation Administration-approved restricted corridor, known as IR-200.
This corridor provides NAWCWD the capability to launch long-range
cruise missiles with inert warheads from the sea range, inland to targets
at China Lake or even further to test ranges in Utah. Chase planes
accompany these missions and can take control of the missile at any time.
The sea range is used for testing, feet training and exercises, and other
DoD services like missile launches from Vandenberg AFB, and Air Force
and NASA testing from Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB. Like
the land range, the sea range can be linked to the Aircraft Division and
other DoD facilities.
Sixty miles offshore Point Mugu is Navy-owned San Nicolas Island
(SNI). It is used for littoral warfare training including theater warfare
exercises. SNI includes launching facilities, one hangar and a 10,000-ft.
runway. Point Mugus targets complex is the only facility to provide full
life-cycle support for all Navy aerial and surface targets. Point Mugus
EW capability is a core area of expertise and supports the electronic attack
EA-6B Prowler and the EA-18G Growler stand-off jammer aircraft for
the Navy and the Air Force.
SNI is the cornerstone of our sea range capabilities, Moran said.
The vast majority of the land range acts as a safety and security buffer,
and about 95 percent of that 1.1 million acres remain in a pristine, natural
state. To keep it that way, a NAWCWD team of archeologists, ecologists
and environmental engineers perform long-range environmental resource
planning and oversee day-to-day environmental projects. NAWCWD
developed management plans for preserving endangered species such as
the Mojave ground squirrel, the island night lizard, the desert tortoise
and the SNI fox. Policies are also in place to protect birds from aircraft,
pinnipeds from missile launches and wild horses and burros from
potential risk on runways.
On SNI, isolation has resulted in the evolution of a unique ecosystem.
The island is also the largest breeding site in the world for California
sea lions. Annually, more than 23,000 elephant seals, 100,000 California
sea lions, and 500 harbor seals use the islands beaches. To protect that
ecosystem, NAWCWD constructed a moveable open-ocean supply pier.
This one-of-a-kind pier allows cargo to be transported to and from SNI
with the least amount of impact on that delicate environment.
In another effort to manage and protect its land, NAWCWD conducts
cultural resource inventories to identify archaeological, historical and
traditional properties. To date, inventories have been completed on about
11,000 acres. One property is a 100-square mile collection of ancient rock
art. This collection is the largest concentration of rock art in the world and
is a National Registered Historic Landmark. In recognition for preserving
this unique site, NAWCWD received the Governors Award for Historic
Preservation; no other military installation has ever received this award.
NAWCWD has more than 40 major facilities. The state-of-the-art
laboratories and facilities at NAWCWD have been key elements to its
success through the years. Ranging from the 1948 Michelson Lab to
the 2010 Dr. William B. McLean Lab, NAWCWD contains the premier
research and development labs required to conduct the work vital to the
success of the warfghter and the Navy. Many of the labs at NAWCWD
were built to support a specifc mission for the warfghter but also
perform various functions in support of basic and applied research, as
well as developmental work.
As the Navys core air warfare capability, the F/A-18 has been upgraded
several times since its introduction to the feet in 1983. To successfully
integrate weapon systems, subsystems and the associated software,
NAWCWD built the F/A-18 Advanced Weapons Lab (AWL) to support
all variants of the F/A-18. Folks who work at the AWL coordinate all
system upgrades and provide system engineering for F/A-18 hardware
and software. In addition, the F/A-18 AWL develops its own integration
and simulation labs, test equipment and fight instrumentation.
NAWCWD has been instrumental in integrating various systems
in the F/A-18 including weapons such as the Sidewinder, Joint Direct
Attack Munitions and AARGM as well as radar and
communication systems like the active,
electronically scanned radar and Shared
Reconnaissance Pod.
Clockwise from top left: San Nicolas Island, with its
launching facilities, hangar and 10,000-ft. runway, is the
cornerstone of NAWCWDs sea range capabilities. The
island is the largest breeding site in the world for California
sea lions. An array of weapons carried by the F/A-18
Super Hornet all tested at NWACWD for suitability and
effectiveness before being released to the feet.
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Developing software to work with all these systems is a particularly
daunting task especially given the fact that the F/A-18 has more than
40 processors and more than 10,000,000 words of code. As a result of
the exceptional work performed at NAWCWD, the Software Engineering
Institute awarded the AWL a Level 4 rating, putting it in the top nine
percent of software developers in the world. NAWCWD also helps
integrate weapon systems, both foreign and domestic, on allied F/A-18s.
NAWCWD supports weapon integration on the F-35 JSF in much the
same way that it does for the F/A-18, however the process is exponentially
more complicated. The Weapons Division is responsible for integrating
several weapon systems on all variants of the F-35.
In 2011, the NAWCWD Ordnance Test and Evaluation Division
cut the ribbon on the Weapons Dynamic Test Facility. This unique,
state-of-the-art facility provides dynamic testing for all Navy weapon
systems, ranging from all-up rounds to components in all life-cycle
confgurations. Some of these simulated environments include common
carrier vibration, shipboard vibration, aircraft vibration, catapult launch
and arrested landing shocks, weapon launch shock and free-fight
vibration. NAWCWD performs these tests to reveal fatigue, cracking,
deformation, loosening of seals, displacement of components, degradation
of electrical components, misalignment of components (e.g., optical),
the integrity of the energetics, and for some systems to ultimately gain
fight clearance. Most recent fight clearance tests are in support of the
Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System and its integration onto the
MH-60S and MQ-8 Fire Scout.
Modeling and Simulation (M&S) play a major role in the integration
process, thereby allowing continuous design assessment throughout the
process. In the past, live fre testing was used exclusively to evaluate how
a missile system functioned.
NAWCWD pioneered simulation-based acquisition, and its earliest
use of M&S was in the creation of analog and digital simulations for
weapon systems, ONeil said. Conducting M&S to support the test and
evaluation of our weapons saves millions of dollars every year.
Using hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulators, NAWCWD integrates
part of the missile hardware, such as the seeker or control section, into the
simulation running in real time. Part of the missile functions in the lab as
it would in actual fight.
In the 1960s, the AIM-9D required 129 live frings to test its perfor-
mance. By 1981 due to M&S, the AIM-9M required only 35 live frings.
During the 1970s and 1980s, HWIL reduced the number of live frings
required to feld Sidewinder, Sparrow and the Rolling Airframe Missile.
Total acquisition risk was also signifcantly reduced because
extensive use of HWIL simulations solved design problems early in the
developmental cycle so they could be fxed at a much lower cost with less
schedule impact, ONeil said.
Training is another important use of M&S. NAWCWD can support
anything from one aircraft on one target to complex battlespace scenarios
involving multiple sites and multiple players. As feet training exercises
and feet battle experiments become more complicated, NAWCWD
conducts complex what if battlegroup scenarios to analyze how well
all of the weapon systems integrate in real time.
At China Lakes Superior Valley Range, there are tactical targets
and automatic weapon scoring systems where NAWCWD trains pilots.
NAWCWD personnel also conduct search and rescue training, and
helicopter mobile assault training.
The Missile Engagement Simulation Arena (MESA) at NAWCWD
China Lake provides many unique M&S capabilities. MESA measures
electromagnetic interaction of a sensory system (e.g., fuze or guidance)
with its intended target. It provides cost-effective, timely and accurate
dynamic missile engagement test data. Missile fuzes are tested against
various targets including full-scale fghter aircraft in a secure, controlled
lab environment with all-weather, round-the-clock operational capabilities.
MESA is the only facility of its kind that provides a cost-effective and
accurate method of developing, testing and assessing the performance
of proximity fuze systems; validating fuze models and endgame
simulations; studying the survivability of platforms; and making live fre
T&E predictions.
The ability to model encounters with threat targets under realistic and
varied conditions, and under lab conditions sets this facility apart from
outdoor backscatter ranges, Moran said.
The NAWCWD Weapons Survivability Lab (WSL) is the Navys feld
activity for weapon system non-nuclear survivability, weapons lethality
and live fre test and evaluation (LFT&E) assessments. Survivability testing
is conducted for all three major services. The WSL is the largest LFT&E
facility in the world, with fve major test sites capable of supporting
full-scale test articles. The complex also includes an underground site to
evaluate smaller scale articles. It is the only facility with three High-Velocity
Airfow Systems that can generate fight-representative airfow.
The Missile Engagement Threat Simulator is a high-pressure gas gun
capable of precisely delivering live man-portable air-defense systems
and other projectiles at high velocities. The threat of one person toting an
inexpensive infrared-guided shoulder-launched missile and successfully
destroying a military aircraft is real. During Operation Iraqi Freedom
The Dr. Jon A. Wunderlich Laboratory, a
one-of-a-kind Missile Engagement Simu-
lation Arena at NAWCWD China Lake
that provides modeling and simulation
capabilities. An F-4 Phantom II is shown
undergoing various tests.
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The Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track (SNORT) is a four-mile,
dual-rail, precision-alignment track used for the testing of rockets, guided mis-
siles, model and full-scale aircraft.
The Weapons Survivability Lab is used to test and evaluate weapons lethality and
aircraft survivability against conventional weapons such as Man Portable Air
Defense System weapons.
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(OIF) when Afghan forces attacked al-Qaeda and Taliban holdouts
in one of the biggest battles of the War in Afghanistan, seven Apache
helicopters were attacked. The aircraft, however, has been redesigned
based on WSL LFT&E fndings, and although they were hit, all seven
managed to fy home.
The Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track (SNORT) is the only
supersonic track in the United States allowed to conduct live ordnance
testing. SNORT is a 4-mile, dual-rail, precision-alignment track used
for the testing of rockets, guided missiles, model and full-scale aircraft,
and components under free-fight conditions at velocities from subsonic
through supersonic. Tests performed at SNORT include long-duration
runs and controlled deceleration, aircrew safety, terminal ballistics, rain
erosion, vehicle and barrier, aeroballistics, damage and destruction and
soft recovery assessments. Complex multiple target penetration tests
using live high-explosive-flled warheads are also conducted.
Testing is extremely cost-effective because SNORT combines many
advantages of lab testing with dynamic free-fight testing and allows test
article recovery, ONeil said.
Engineers and technicians at NAWCWD and the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., recently teamed up to conduct the
frst demonstration of a new method of performing load tests on large
parachutes. Of all the choices they had, JPL decided that none were as
appropriate for testing the next generation
of planet Mars lander parachutes as
SNORT at China Lake. Following the
test, the parachute team inspected the parachute and provided design
improvement recommendations to JPL engineers. An improved design
will be tested later. This parachute may eventually be used to land larger
rovers on the surface of Mars with better accuracy and at higher altitudes
than ever before.
NAWCWDs Skytop Propulsion Complex provides the infrastructure
to conduct static test frings of solid-propellant rocket engines, gas
generators and ignition systems. Evaluations at Skytop include those
for rocket motors being qualifed for future use in complete weapons
systems. Also performed there are aging and surveillance studies to
ensure that deployed motors maintain specifc design capabilities.
Full-scale all-up-round motor experimentation is conducted on weapon
systems with up to two million pounds of thrust and as large as 92 inches
in diameter. Development and production acceptance tests, as well as
aging motor studies of the Navys submarine-launched feet ballistic
missiles, have been performed at Skytop, thus ensuring that the United
States has the most reliable strategic deterrent system in existence.
Skytop has been instrumental in the developmental testing of most
air- and surface-launched weapons currently in use by the fleet,
ONeil said.
In the 1970s, the Navy developed the Trident submarine-launched
ballistic missile (SLBM), which provided the Underwater Long-Range
Missile System with a larger, more accurate missile. Selected in 1975 to
build a Trident SLBM operational test range in the Pacifc, Point Mugu
designed and installed the Trident Missile Test Instrumentation System,
which was the most complex and extensive range system ever assembled
at Point Mugu. The system became operational in 1983 and provided
test forces with real-time range safety displays, underwater submarine
tracking, in-fight tracking of up to four missiles, instantaneous impact
predictions, and recording and display of missile telemetry.
The Navy moved ahead with plans for the larger and more accurate Trident
II SLBM in 1983. The Trident II D-5 is a three-stage inertially-guided
solid-propellant missile and has a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles.
After 15 of 18 successful land frings in the frst underwater launch in
1989, the missile experienced fight control failure and was commanded
to self-destruct. China Lake was tasked with failure analysis of the
missile. Design improvements were then made based upon China Lakes
recommendations, and the missile has never malfunctioned again.
In 2005, NAWCWD was very active in the Trident Fleet Missile
project. It conducted critical experiments to assess the feasibility of
inserting advanced propellant, case, insulation, and test/instrumentation
technologies into the Trident Post Boost Control System. Sea Range
personnel coordinated with the Reagan Test Site in the South Pacifc,
PMR, Vandenberg AFB and two dedicated instrumentation support ships
to conduct SLBM tests from a Trident submarine.
China Lake continues to evaluate the Trident propellant aging
properties to help the Navy understand the quality and reliability of the
Trident weapon inventory. NAWCWD helped develop technology to
contain and scrub exhaust during motor destruction to emit only carbon
dioxide and water. This demilitarization technology was a frst; it resulted
in the full-scale Modifed Contained Burn Assessment Test Facility,
which successfully demonstrated 98+ percent removal effciencies on
full-size 20,000-lb. motors. This achievement ensured that the program
would meet strict Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty requirements.
China Lake is also involved in the Trident D-5 Service Life Extension Program,
which seeks to fnd alternative sources of supply and qualify new
component production methods. Throughout the entire feet ballistic
missile program, China Lake has tested more than 500 motors.
Skytop Propulsion Complex performs test frings of solid-propellant rocket
engines, gas generators, and ignition systems, including the Trident missile
(inset Trident II (D-5) missile underwater launch, 17 Mar 09).
A Supersonic Infatable Aerodynamic Decelerator has just infated as Nike rocket
motors push a one-of-a-kind sled, designed and built at China Lake, down the
21,600-ft. SNORT track.
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The NAWCWD China Lake Electronic Combat Range is the Navys principal
open-air range for T&E of airborne electronic combat systems.
The Electronic Combat Range (ECR) in the Navys principal
open-air range for the T&E of airborne electronic combat systems.
Facilities provide a realistic electronic combat environment including
threat systems and operation and range control capabilities, as well
as instrumentation to get time, space, position information, and
telemetry, optical and communication data. Other resources include
data processing and display, signal monitoring and calibration systems,
as well as assessment and repair facilities for use by T&E and training
NAWCWD customers.
This complex is the only U.S. Department of Defense ECR having
the necessary infrastructure for testing against naval air defense systems
and combinations of land and naval systems (littoral threats), either
individually or as part of an integrated air defense system. Furthermore, the
ECR is the only U.S. open-air EW range that affords realistic simulation
of Russian naval systems and their associated shipboard command control
capabilities. As a direct result, Topgun student pilots routinely train there
against realistic threat radar and surface-to-air systems.
At Point Mugu, NAWCWD has a Radar Refectivity Lab (RRL). It
is the Navys premiere indoor signature test facility where radar signa-
ture data from a wide spectrum of targets is measured, analyzed and
synthesized. The RRL has three indoor anechoic chambers that provide
a test facility designed to minimize the refections from the interior
walls, ceiling and foor to provide equivalent free-space conditions for
performing pristine measurements. Pertinent testing includes far-feld
radar cross-section (RCS); monostatic and bistatic RCS measurements
of full-size missiles, targets and components; and scale-model aircraft
and ships for survivability analyses, weapons system fight tests, pro-
duction/quality assurance testing, diagnostic testing and the develop-
ment of scattering models.
The Joint Counter-IED Facility
(JCIF) at NAWCWD China Lake
specializes entirely on the RDT&E of
anti-IED tactics and technologies. It is
employed exclusively to produce and
deliver actionable information per-
taining to the performance and com-
patibility characteristics of counter
remote-controlled-IED EW systems.
Terrorist organizations have created
their own specialized arsenal of hand-
made and improvised bombs. These
devices are very inexpensive to build
and very deadly to warfghters. Dur-
ing OIF, these bombs were a primary
cause of U.S. casualties. In 2005, the
Secretary of Defense directed the
establishment of the Joint Improvised
Explosive Device Defeat Organiza-
tion, which then directed China Lake
to develop JCIF. The Counter-Impro-
vised Explosive Device Technical
Project Offce provides updates and
engineering analysis to felded forces globally. Information turnaround
is sometimes as short as 12 hours. The majority of testing is in direct
support of requests for information that are generated in-theater and
prioritized by combatant commanders.
Aircraft Assigned
In support of T&E, NAWCWD evaluates weapons, components and
systems in realistic environments. It also conducts full-scale Joint live
fre survivability testing, and tests guns and ammunitions, explosives
and propellants. VX-30 Bloodhounds and VX-31 Dust Devils are
essential to the development of missiles and weapons systems at
NAWCWD. Both squadrons operate under the command of the Naval
Test Wing Pacifc, which reports to the NAWCWD commander. The
two test squadrons provide aircraft, aviators and aircrew to support
NAWCWDs RDAT&E missions.
Currently, VX-31 has about 30 fxed- and rotary-wing aircraft in its
inventory including F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets, an EA-18G
Growler, a handful of AV-8B Harriers and a T-39 Sabreliner. Three
MH-60S helicopters are assigned to VX-31s search and rescue
department. The squadron also operates two AH-1Z Cobras and a
UH-1Y Huey.
VX-30 has 10 manned aircraft and 25 unmanned aircraft. The squadron
has four NP-3D aircraft that provide long-range and duration support
worldwide for telemetry, cast glance, range surveillance and clearance
(RS&C) and range safety. The squadron has three C-130s that provide
weekly cargo runs to SNI, in-fight aerial refueling for non-organic assets
using the sea test range, along with worldwide mission support down
range and RS&C.
The Bloodhounds have the only three currently fying S-3Bs in the
U.S. Navy inventory. These aircraft are used to provide support for
RS&C, sonobouy lot testing for the maritime patrol and reconnaissance
aircraft feet, as well as other assorted range events.
VX-30 has a very diverse and expansive unmanned aerial systems
department, which includes ScanEagle, RQ-11 Raven, Dakota, RQ-21
Integrator, RQ-23 Tigershark, and Fury. The squadrons biggest addition
recently was the MQ-8C Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical UAV,
which is conducting envelope expansion testing.
Fleet Focused
In all my years here I never saw the likes of this past year, ONeil
said. But business-wise, Fiscal Year (FY) 13 was a solid year for
us. Despite a hiring freeze, a considerable slowdown in travel, and a
furlough, NAWCWD still made contributions that changed the way we
fght wars.
The Weapons Division supports programs of record including F/A-18,
Sidewinder, HARM/AARGM, Tomahawk and JSF. It continues to make
advancement in new science and technology areas like image processing,
autonomy, autonomous target recognition, solid propulsion, energetic
materials, fuzing, guidance and control and directed energy. And, the
Military records show that 60 percent of the 25,000 war injuries to date resulted
from explosive blasts such as IEDs or roadside bombs.
The anechoic chamber at the Radar Refectivity Lab, NAWCWD, Point Mugu is spectacularly large, with 60-ft. high ceilings.
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Clockwise from top left: A modifed VX-30 Bloodhounds NP-3D Billboard
Orion lands at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, 15 Jan 10. VX-30
group fight with an S-3B Viking, C-130 Hercules and a P-3 Orion. A VX-31
Dust Devils AV-8B Harrier conducts the frst test fight of a mix of 50-50 jet
fuel and biofuel over NAWCWD, China Lake, 13 Sep 13. A VX-31 Dust
Devils AH-1Z Viper during weapons testing at NAWCWD China Lake.
A VX-30 Bloodhounds S-3B Viking with a paint scheme used in 1942 during the
Battle of Midway to celebrate the Centennial of U.S. Naval Aviation, piloted by
then-Commanding Offcer CDR John Rousseau and LT Christian Pedersen, NAS
Jacksonville, Fla., 4 Nov 10. A VX-31 F/A-18F Super Hornet over the Jawbone
Canyon area of the Mojave Desert during a test mission, Jul 09. A VX-31 Dusty
Dogs EA-18G Growler on approach to NAS Whidbey Island.
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command does a lot of rapid response projects for the war in support of
the feet, special forces and the Marines.
NAWCWD conceived, designed, developed and tested a forward-fring
miniature munition, known as Spike. Spike is a multipurpose system that
can be launched from the ground or the air, and is being developed to
be shoulder-fred. Several Spike missiles can also be loaded on a single
mount to engage multiple targets.
To date, about 26 advanced development all-up test missiles have
been built and tested by the NAWCWD team. More than 10 successful
full-scale guided missile tests have been completed. The most recent
success was a counter-UAV demonstration in June 2013.
Spike is not a one-missile-fts-all but the projects technical lead, Greg
Wheelock, said there are several capability gaps for which Spike would
be a good ft. One such area, and an increasing threat, is that of small
boat swarms often referred to as the fast attack craft (FAC) and fast
inshore attack craft (FIAC) threat. One strategy the enemy employs is to
use multiple FACs/FIACs to go after a target. The NAWCWD team has
demonstrated that Spike could be a good gap-fller in a layered defense
against this tactic. Spike has recorded direct hits against moving FIAC
threats in separate test events on the NAWCWD Point Mugu sea range.
With a number of targets coming at you, theres potential for some
to get through, Wheelock said. Spike is a good option for taking out
leakers. Its not going to blow those boats out of the water, but it can take
the boat out of commission. What we lack in warhead size is compensated
for in accuracy, and we have the ability to put that charge where it will
have the most effect.
The ultimate goal is to feld Spike either as a program of record or
through a rapid development and delivery effort.
We own the technical drawing package, we own all the intellectual
property, we have the capability to develop it, take it out on the range,
test it, come back and tweak it, and go back to test it and do limited rate
production right in our own back yard, Wheelock said. Very few places
can do that; that capability and fexibility means improved response time
to warfghter requirements.
Spike is not just a potential force
on the battlefeld; its also a proven
catalyst for workforce development
and growth. More than 200 entry-level
engineers and scientists have worked
on the Spike project as part of Section
219 of the FY 09 National Defense
Authorization Act that enabled mecha-
nisms to provide funds for defense lab-
oratories for research and development
of technologies for military missions.
Though Spike has been successfully
demonstrated against a myriad of fxed
and moving targets at sea, on land
and in the air, the NAWCWD team
continues to look for innovative ways
to hone the design and add capability.
Spike is still in development today but,
according to NAWCWD leadership, it
could be rapidly deployed and would
help U.S. and allied warfghters.
The Ordnance Test and Evaluation Division at NAWCWD China Lake
performs a wide variety of weapons testing in support of the warfghter
including basic safety and insensitive munitions testing. Some of these
tests include fast cook off, slow cook off, bullet and fragment impact,
temperature and humidity, vibration, 40-ft. drop, shaped charge jet and
sympathetic detonation. NAWCWD conducts these tests to ensure the
weapons are safe for the people who use them.
In the 1960s, when the Navy experienced aircraft carrier disasters
aboard USS Oriskany (CVA-34), Forrestal (CVA-59) and Enterprise
(CVA(N)-65), China Lake responded. Each accident on the carriers
was caused by ordnance burning and detonating from the heat of deck
fres. Hundreds of Sailors died, and scores of aircraft were destroyed
or damaged.
China Lake T&E engineers devised a method for exposing ordnance to a
simulated carrier fre to determine how much time the crew would have to
react. This procedure, known as fast cook-off testing, involved collecting
data by using thermocouples and time-to-reaction instrumentation.
Test engineers had to design special hardware and use unique
applications of currently available materials to ft the extraordinary test
environment. The most notable challenges were a high-fux 2,000-deg.
pool fre, blast from a rocket motor exhaust plume, and blast and
fragmentation from a warhead or rocket motor detonation.
Over time as these tests were conducted and data was collected,
warhead and rocket motor energetic formulas and case design and
materials were re-engineered to mitigate the effects of a fuel fre.
Warhead and rocket motor energetics are now less sensitive to the
extreme heat caused from a deck fre.
Cases are now designed that allow venting or are designed to split so
that critical pressures cannot be reached. These design improvements
allowed warfghters to maintain their tactical advantage while increasing
the safety of the weapons they handle.
NAWCWD also provided critical support to the warfghters targeting
ability with systems such as Digital Precision Strike Suite (DPSS) and
Precision Strike Suite-Special Operations Forces (PSS-SOF). DPSS is
a collection of software applications installed on a laptop or handheld
system that provides a new capability to the feet by increasing the
success of frst-pass attacks with smart weapons via battlefeld awareness
and eyes on targeting tools. For example, in the battle of Fallujah,
DPSS improved the accuracy and timeliness of targeting capability with
PSS-SOF, while reducing the chances of collateral damage; i.e. a one
coordinate, one pass, one strike success.
I can tell you that systems developed and tested at the Weapons
Division (WD), including DPSS, played a critical role in our success in
Fallujah, said CAPT Dan Lee, former military director of the NAWCWD
Weapons and Energetics Department. The work done at WD is making a
difference in the Global War on Terror.
One Navy SEAL sent a personal letter to the NAWCWD team about
this system and said, It saved my life and the lives of many Marines
fghting in Fallujah.
Developed by the DPSS team at
China Lake, PSS-SOF signifcantly
increased targeting capability
and quickly became the targeting
system of choice for both GPS- and
laser-guided weapons deployed for
close-air-support missions, troops in
contact missions and time-sensitive
missions. It allowed the Special
Operations Forces Joint terminal
attack controller, Joint fre observers,
and other trained users to provide
highly accurate eyes-on precision
target coordinates to any other target
planning system or available weapon
delivery system.
About ninety-six percent of all
GPS-guided munitions are targeted
using technology that was developed
at NAWCWD, ONeil said.
USN, Patrick Kreidt
Spike, a forward-fring miniature munition is launched during
a successful counter-UAV demonstration in 2013 on the range
at NAWCWD China Lake.
The NAWCWD Ordnance Test and Evaluation Division conducts a
sympathetic detonation test at China Lake.
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Recently with the support of the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency, the DPSS
team has transitioned the situational awareness,
and targeting tools they have become famous
for within DoD, from laptops with software
such as PSS-SOF to mobile computing devices
with applications such as Android Precision
Attack Strike Suite and Kinetic Integrated
Lightweight SoftWare Individual Tactical
Combat Handheld. These applications provide
the warfghter the ability to seamlessly syn-
chronize support air, ground and command and
control nodes during everyday operations.
Special Forces and U.S. Marine Air Ground
Task Force type operations are using mobile
computing devices (android tablets) with
DPSS apps in todays current engagements on
a daily basis, changing concepts of operations
and enhancing end users capability on the battlefeld.
NAWCWD plays a major role for the Navy in pursuing technology to
ensure we stay ahead of adversaries, Moran said, When our warfghters
go into harms way, they have the advantage and can return home safely.
The Low Cost Guided Imaging Rocket (LOGIR) program was an
Offce of Naval Research Future Naval Capabilities effort initiated in 2000
to improve the warfghters ability to engage moving and fxed targets.
LOGIR is a low-cost thermal imaging kit that improved standoff capability
and accuracy of 2.75-in. rockets. It also enabled aircraft to quickly target
and engage a large number of targets while reducing pilot exposure. In
2008 at the China Lake ranges, the LOGIR program successfully launched
its frst guided round, which hit the target nearly dead center.
The second guided launch took place at SNI in 2009. The intent was to
test LOGIR against a threat representative of a fast inshore attack craft.
This test was not as successful. China Lake personnel, however, resolved
issues with the inertial measuring unit and the contract actuation system.
A successful third guided launch was completed in early 2010. This ended
the demonstration program and moved LOGIR into the Medusa Joint
Capability Technology Demonstration phase that looked at integrating
LOGIR and a new LOGIR rocket launcher on the MH-60S.
The Low Collateral (LOCO) damage bomb was a rapid response
project that NAWCWD developed in 2007 in less than 16 months in
response to a feet need for close-air-support in urban environments.
The frst LOCO drop occurred during OIF in July 2007 and it
performed as designed, ONeil said.
LOCO is an air-delivered, precision-guided munition that can engage
enemies in semi-hardened structures, with minimal damage to surround-
ing structures or noncombatants. To create LOCO, China Lake personnel
modifed a precision-guided bomb by reducing the explosive charge and
replacing it with an inert material to reduce fragment quantity and explo-
sive force while still maintaining the same fight characteristics.
Between 2004 09, China Lake hosted a multi-week exercise to
demonstrate and evaluate intelligence-gathering techniques, and Joint
and Coalition warfghting operations, known as Empire Challenge. The
exercise initially hosted about 700 people from Great Britain, Canada
and Australia who brought a large-scale multi-national military force
to China Lake including aircraft, sensors, equipment and personnel. By
2009, the exercise was being led by the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency, partnering with the National Reconnaissance Offce and the U.S.
Joint Forces Command, and grew to include more than 1,500 civilian and
military personnel at China Lake.
Empire Challenge used numerous key NAWCWD assets extensively
such as the Airspace Surveillance Center, and the Range Signal Density
Enhancement Team at ECR.
The goals of each Empire Challenge focused on specifc exercises
important to the feet at the time. In 2007, exercises demonstrated Joint
and Coalition interoperability among intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, sensors and systems. The idea for the
exercise was developed after combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
identifed technical issues with the sharing of ISR information with
allies. This series of ISR system tests and technology combined real-time
surveillance with preplanned and nontraditional reconnaissance, using a
worldwide network to reach back and collaborate with allies in Australia,
Canada, Great Britain and the NATO Consultation, Command and
Control Agency. Ground operations tested manpower and equipment
simulation real-life situations in-theater, including convoy attacks by
opposing forces, small arms fre and IEDs. Imagery intelligence and
ground moving target indicator data were data-linked in real time. The
data were screened and relayed via a Global Broadcast Service uplink to
receiving stations at the Royal Air Force Marham Base in England, the
Defense Imagery and Geospatial Offce in Canberra, Australia, and the
Canadian Force Defense Headquarters in Ottawa. Analyzed and exploited
intelligence data products were then sent from those long-distance
locations back to China Lake on a secure network.
NAWCWD is also experimenting with directed energy weapons that
use a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy. Development of
high-energy lasers (HEL) for tactical platforms is a good example of
technology that enables targeting long-range targets using a laser from an
aircraft. S&T efforts to develop HEL systems that deny, disrupt, disable
or destroy target electronics continue at NAWCWD.
Conclusion
We are a forward-leaning resource for the feet, ONeil said. We work
to understand where technology can create an advantage for our warfghters.
Our challenge in the Navy is to look at what we have today and understand
where the threats are tomorrow and fgure out how we can use
what we have differently. We know how to innovate and use the
resources we already have better than anybody else.
USN
The frst F-35 Lightning II AIM-120 AMRAAM is launched over the NAWCWD China Lake land range, 22 Oct 12.
t 1900 EST 16 January 1991, the White House announced, The liberation of Kuwait has begun! The offensive action against Iraq,
code named Operation Desert Storm, was carried out under provisions of 12 U.N. Security Council resolutions and resolutions of
both houses of the U.S. Congress. Following President George H.W. Bushs address to the nation, Secretary of Defense (SecDef)
Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Gen Colin Powell, USA, announced at a Pentagon briefng that hundreds
of U.S. and Coalition airstrikes on missile and anti-aircraft targets began in Iraq and Kuwait to destroy Saddam Husseins offensive
military capabilities. Cheney reported the attacks appeared to have gone very well; no casualty reports provided.
Ed. Note: Desert Storm validated the use of many systems that were subject to Naval Air Test and Evaluation
regimes. Two weapon systems were particularly prevalent in the account of Desert Storm the F/A-18 Hornet
and the Tomahawk cruise missile. These two weapon systems had undergone Test and Evaluation Master Plans
and Operational Evaluations before introduction into the feet and before combat validation. Success in Desert
Storm was largely due to systems success during Naval Air Test and Evaluation.
Combat sorties and Tomahawks launched following the date are cumulative totals for the war.
17 Jan 1,000 sorties, 100 Tomahawks launched
Department of Defense (DoD) announced that more than 100
Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched at preprogrammed targets by
nine U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. USS San Jacinto
(CG-56) fred the frst Tomahawk missile from the Red Sea between
0100 0200 (local time); moments later, Bunker Hill (CG-52) fred the
frst Tomahawk missile from the Persian Gulf.
More than 1,000 aircraft sorties were fown by Grumman F-14s, A-6s,
EA-6Bs and E-2Cs; Ling-Temco-Vought A-7s; McDonnell Douglas
(now Boeing) F/A-18s, F-15s, F-4s, AV-8s, AH-64s and
Kuwaiti A-4s; Fairchild Republic A-10s, Boeing B-52s
and E-3 AWACs; General Dynamics F-16s, F-111s, and
EF-111s; Lockheed Martin F-117As; Saudi and British
Tornados and French Jaguars.
The Navy launched 228 combat sorties on the frst day of Desert Storm
from fve aircraft carriers America (CV-66), John F. Kennedy (CV-67),
Saratoga (CV-60), Midway (CV-41) and Ranger (CV-61). CJCS Gen
Colin Powell reported Tomahawk cruise missiles were extremely
effective (against precision targets where Iraqi air defenses threatened
manned aircraft); of all sorties, 80 percent were effective, 20 percent
ineffective due to mechanical or weather problems; Iraqi SCUD missile
fxed-sites destroyed, targeting SCUD launchers; Iraqi planes destroyed,
but Iraqi Air Force is still intact; U.S. engaged in air-to-air battles
Desert Storm
A Chronology of USN and USMC Tactical Aviation Action
Adapted from the Naval History and Heritage Command Archives
compiled by The Hook Staff
A
Above: A VF-211 Fighting Checkmates F-14A Tomcat over
burning Kuwaiti oil wells during Operation Desert Storm.
Right: A BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile that
played a big role in Desert Storm used inertial and terrain
contour matching radar guidance to allow low altitude
navigation to highly valued targets in Iraq.
U
S
N
USN
with Iraqi aircraft; Iraq fred multiple surface-to-air missiles (SAM)
and anti-aircraft artillery with little or no effect; Iraqi elite Republican
Guard units were attacked in Iraq and Kuwait; Coalition forces did not
target President Saddam Hussein, but rather, focused on disrupting and
destroying command-and-control networks.
An F/A-18 was shot down, the frst Navy aircraft loss in combat. The
pilot, LCDR Michael Speicher, VFA-81 Sunliners, from Saratoga, was
listed as missing.
Secretary of the Navy (SecNav) H. Lawrence Garrett III, activated 421
additional Naval Reservists from 36 units.
In air-to-air engagements, eight Iraqi MiG-29s and Mirage F-1s were
destroyed in two days two by two USN F/A-18s of Saratoga-based VFA-81
(tactical data from VAW-125 Tiger Trails E-2 Hawkeye of CVW-17) on 17 January.
The Navy lost two aircraft, both A-6 Intruders. The crewmen, pilot LT
Jeffrey Zaun and bombardier/navigator (B/N) LT Robert Wetzel, VA-35
Black Panthers from Saratoga, and LTs Charles
Turner and William Costen, VA-155 Silver
Foxes, from Ranger, were listed as missing.
An AVMO-2 Angelfre OV-10 Bronco was shot
down by a SAM, the frst U.S. Marine combat
aircraft loss. LtCol Clifford Acree and CWO
Guy Hunter, USMC, were reported missing.
SecDef declared an airlift emergency, acti-
vated Stage II of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet
plan authorizing government to contract with
civil air carriers to use up to 181 aircraft to move
supplies and equipment in support of Desert
Storm. SecNav activated 498 additional Naval
Reservists from 37 units.
DoD announced that U.S. troop strength was 460,000 (75,000 USN,
85,000 USMC) and more than 100 ships in the area of responsibility.
The air campaign was going well, causing Iraq to move aircraft north.
USN A-7 Corsair IIs and A-6 Intruders from John F. Kennedy and
Saratoga successfully launched a Standoff Land Attack Missile against
an Iraqi target for the frst time.
The State Department announced the transfer of diplomatic notes
with Iraq reaffrming U.S. intention to abide by its legal obligations
under the 1940 Geneva Convention relative to the protection of
prisoners of war (POW) and expected Iraq (a signatory) to reciprocate;
a second note affrmed legal protection from attack on U.S. military
hospital ships in regional waters.
Ten Iraqi aircraft (six MiG-29s, three Mirage F-1s and one MiG-23)
have been destroyed thus far in air-to-air engagements.
President Bush signed authorization to extend call-up of up to one
million National Guard and Reserves for up to two years; DoD would
implement incrementally raising the ceiling on 161,887
National Guard and Reserves currently called up to
360,000. The Navys authorization ceiling was raised
from 30,000 to 44,000, USMC from 23,000 to 44,000.
20 Jan 7,000 sorties
DoD announced that an Iraqi artillery battery was
destroyed by USN A-6 and USAF A-10 aircraft. USMC
and U.S. Army troops continued in defensive mode in
forward positions with no direct ground confrontations.
A USN F-14 Tomcat was shot down by a SAM over
Iraq. The pilot, LT Devon Jones and Radar Intercept
Offcer (RIO), LT Lawrence Slade, VF-103 Sluggers from
Saratoga, were declared missing.
U.S. has lost 10 aircraft, and 13 personnel were missing.
Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group arrived on
station in the Persian Gulf region.
No U.S. aircraft were lost in air-to-air engagements. Oil
storage tank fres started by Iraqis in Wafra,
Shuaiba and Mina Abdullah, Kuwait had little
effect on air operations (until later in the war).
Left: VA-72 Blue Hawks A-7E Corsair IIs and VA-75
Sunday Punchers A-6E Intruders from John F. Kennedy
and CVW-3 take on fuel from a USAF KC-135E
Stratotanker en route to targets in Iraq, 20 Feb 91.
Below: A BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile
is fred toward an Iraqi target from the battleship
Missouri (BB-63) at the start of Desert Storm.

USN
USN, PH3 Brad Dillon
A VA-75 Sunday Punchers A-6E Intruder on board John F. Kennedy is loaded with laser-guided bombs. At
left is a VAQ-130 Zappers EA-6B Prowler, 23 Jan 91.
USAF special operations forces recovered one crewmember of the
F-14 Tomcat downed 21 January, pilot LT Devon Jones. The second, RIO
LT Lawrence Slade, was still missing.
Four USN A-6s attacked and disabled an Iraqi T-43-class ship in the
northern Persian Gulf, capable of laying 20 mines. The ship was last seen
sinking. U.S. ships attacked three Iraqi patrol boats, disabling one and
chased off two others. Three additional mines were found and destroyed.
At D+7 days, 6,000 attack and 6,000 support sorties have been fown in
the war. A USAF F-16 was downed by artillery fre over Kuwait; the pilot
ejected over the Persian Gulf and was rescued by a HSL-44 Detachment
Eight Swamp Foxes SH-60B Seahawk embarked in Nicholas (FFG-47); it
was the frst Desert Storm over-water combat search and rescue (CSAR).
DoD reported two noncombat-related aircraft losses: a USMC AV-8 in
a training accident (pilot killed) and an Army AH- 64 Apache in a ground
mishap with no injuries. For the war, 14 total U.S. aircraft have been
lost 11 fxed-wing (nine from hostile
ground fre), three helos (noncombat).
USN A-6 Intruders disabled an
Al-Qaddisiyah-class Iraqi tanker that
had been collecting and reporting
intelligence data, setting off three
explosions. A-6s also attacked and sank
a Winchester-class hovercraft being
refueled by the tanker as well as an Iraqi
Zhuk-class patrol boat.
USN A-6s attacked and destroyed an
Iraqi Spasilac minelayer. An A-6 sank
an Iraqi Zhuk-class patrol boat. Another
Iraqi minesweeper hit a mine while
attempting to evade the multiple attacks
by the A-6.
USN A-6s and F/A-18s attacked the
Umm Qasr Naval Base, hitting four Iraqi
ships. In the frst air-to-air engagement
between Saudi Arabian and Iraqi aircraft,
a Royal Saudi F-15 downed two Iraqi F-1s
(armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles and
bombs). USS Worden (CG-18) vectored
aircraft for the shootdown. To date, 19
Iraqi aircraft have been destroyed in
air to-air engagements, with no U.S. or
Coalition air-to-air losses.
Iraq has lost 43 aircraft, 19 in air-to-air engage-
ments, 24 on the ground.
U.S. troop strength in the region was increased
to 482,000. To date, 192,965 National Guard
and Reservists have been recalled to active duty
(14,702 Navy, 22,142 USMC). Fifteen percent of
U.S. servicemembers in the Desert Storm feld of
operation were Guard and Reserve.
SecNav activated 298 additional Naval Reservists
from 41 units.
Bomb damage assessments (BDA) confrmed
signifcant destruction of Iraqi biological and
chemical production capability.
The Navy lost an F/A-18 in noncombat operations.
The pilot ejected over the Persian Gulf and was
recovered safely. The total of Iraqi aircraft destroyed
in air-to-air engagements climbed to 22 as USAF
F-15s shot down three more Iraqi MiG-23s.
USN aircraft attacked an Iraqi patrol boat in
Kuwait harbor. The boat was last seen burning. A-6s
engaged and left a TNC-45 patrol boat burning.
DoD announced that at least a dozen Iraqi
MiG-29s and F-1s and a dozen transport aircraft
landed in an undisclosed location in Iran, a declared neutral country.
DoD ascertained whether Iraqi planes were seeking safe haven from
bombing attacks, whether this was a mass defection or a husbanding of
resources for future combat operations.
An estimated 120 million gallons of oil continued to spew into the
Persian Gulf from the Sea Island Terminal, and the oil slick partly
afre from a 25 January engagement between USN and an Iraqi patrol
boat was 31 miles long and eight miles wide.
U.S. Marines staged the biggest artillery attack of the war, fring a
battery of 155mm howitzers at Iraqi troops six miles inside Kuwait.
U.S. troop strength was increased to 483,000. Enemy POWs totaled
110 and were being held in U.S. facilities, waiting processing to a Saudi
Arabian POW camp.
USN A-6s attacked and destroyed an Iraqi ship, and Coalition naval
forces continued to hunt Iraqi patrol and mine-laying boats in the northern
John F. Kennedy under way during the cease-fre between Coalition and
Iraqi forces following Desert Storm. JFK with CVW-3 was deployed to the
Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean 15 Aug 90 28 Mar 91.
USN, PH3 Chester O. Falkenhainer III, USN
USN, PH2 William A. Lipski, USN
Persian Gulf and near Bubiyan Island. To date, eight Iraqi vessels (one
oil platform service ship, two patrol boats, one tanker, and four unknown)
were presumed destroyed, and 10 (four mining vessels, one hovercraft,
three patrol boats, and two unknown) have been sunk. Two additional
mines had been located and destroyed in the northern Persian Gulf.
A Marine AV-8B Harrier was downed.
The pilot, Capt Michael Berryman, USMC,
was missing, the 15th U.S. crewman.
The status of seven U.S. aircrewmen was
redesignated from missing to POW. The
seven include LT Jeffrey N. Zaun, USN,
Marines LtCol Clifford M. Acree and
CWO Guy L. Hunter.
DoD announced that a total of 80
Iraqi aircraft relocated to Iran. Aircraft
ferrying was being characterized as
possible defections as a consequence
of an air campaign that had achieved
air superiority and neutralized Iraqi
counterattack. Iraqi fight operations
had been conducted from only three of Iraqs 66 airfelds, numbering 30
sorties, 25 to Iran.
DoD appraisal was that Iraq was unable to offer any organized air
resistance. Aircraft were monitored to assure no return to confict. Iraqi
aircraft were relocated from central and northern Iraq, out of range of
U.S. and Coalition aircraft to intercept, however four were engaged 27
January and destroyed by U.S. F-15s.
USN A-6s had attacked Iraqi ships at Bubiyan Channel, at the Umm
Qasr Naval Base, and in Kuwait harbor.
USMC and Coalition aircraft attacked an Iraqi convoy inside Kuwait,
destroyed 24 tanks, armored personnel carriers and trucks.
Naval forces conducted strike operations, surface surveillance and
combat air patrols. A-6s attacked and destroyed two Iraqi Silkworm
missile launchers. Naval aircraft again attacked Iraqi ships and port
facilities at Um Qasr Naval Base. F/A-18s destroyed control centers at
an oil refnery at Basra. In the frst major ground confrontation, Iraq
mounted a four-pronged raid across the Kuwaiti border.
DoD announced that more than 700,000 Coalition air, ground and naval
personnel were present in the theater of operation. More than 110 Coalition
ships were participating. U.S. troops numbered more than 490,000.
To date, 200,948 National Guard and Reservists had been recalled to
active duty (15,093 Navy, 22,141 USMC).
At D+14 days, DoD summarized operational status:
Twenty-six Iraqi leadership targets had been struck with 60 percent
severely damaged or destroyed. One-third of Iraqs command, control
and communications facilities were destroyed or inoperative. One-fourth
of Iraqs electrical generating facilities were inoperative, with 50 percent
adversely affected. Twenty-nine air defense systems had been hit with
more than 800 sorties.
In air-to-air combat, 29 Iraqi aircraft were destroyed with no Coalition
air-to-air losses.
Thirty-eight of 44 targeted airfelds had been bombed in more than
1,300 sorties (some multiple strikes). At least nine airfelds were declared
inoperative. More than 70 hardened aircraft shelters had been destroyed,
forcing Iraqi aircraft to hide in residential areas, moved to roads or fown
to Iran. DoD announced, Every time an Iraqi airplane took off, it was
running away.
The Navy had fown more than 3,500 sorties from six aircraft carriers
and had launched more than 260 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Forty-six Iraqi naval vessels had been sunk or disabled, and
74 enemy POWs had been captured in two engagements.
Above: A VF-32 Fighting Swordsmen F-14A
Tomcat prepares to tank from a USAF KC-135
on a Desert Storm EA-6B escort mission.
VF-32 aircrew logged 1,445 combat fight
hours on 403 missions, including 38 combat
Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod system
missions. Right: A VA-75 Sunday Punchers
KA-6E Intruder tanker and VA-46 Clansmen
A-7E Corsair IIs loaded with Rockeye II
munitions prepare for refueling.
USN, TSgt Rose Reynolds, USAF
USN
Iraqi naval forces operations were severely degraded. Maritime intercept
operations (MIO) continued with more than 7,000 intercepts to date.
Navy A-6s attacked three Iraqi landing craft in the vicinity of
Shatt al-Arab Channel, leaving two ships dead in the water. The other
ship fed. A-6 reattacked a patrol boat in the northern Persian Gulf. The
boat was set ablaze. A-6s attacked patrol boats at a pier at Umm Qasr
Naval Base, sinking one, damaging the other. In the vicinity of Bubiyan
Island, Navy aircraft engaged four military vessels, sinking three patrol
boats and damaging a landing craft. To date, approximately 60 enemy
vessels had either been sunk or damaged.
Eighteen F/A-18s from Saratoga delivered 100,000 pounds of Mk 83
1,000-lb. bombs on Iraqi positions in Kuwait, the largest amount of bomb
tonnage carried in a single mission.
Curts (FFG-38) and Leftwich (DD-984) rescued 20 enemy POWs
from an Iraqi Polnochny-class amphibious landing craft sunk by USN
A-6 and U.K. Lynx helos in the northern Persian Gulf. USS Leftwich was
also the primary CSAR platform in the Gulf, locating and recovering
downed pilots. Leftwich participated in 16 CSAR events
by Coalition forces.
U.S. troop strength now exceeded one half million.
Republican Guard positions had been hit with more than
350 tactical fghter strikes and more than 10 B-52 strikes.
U.S. and Coalition tactical aircraft continued to engage
tactical armor and infantry positions north of the Ras al
Khafji area and along the Kuwaiti Coastal Highway in one
of the frst major ground engagements of the war.
1 Feb 34,000 sorties
DoD reported more than 500 enemy POWs had been
captured after the siege at Ras al Khafji.
SecNav activated 504 additional Naval Reservists from
51 units.
A USN A-6 Intruder with two crewmen, LCDR Barry
Cooke and LT Patrick Connor with VA-36 Roadrunners
from Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and a USAF A-10
with one crewman were shot down by anti-aircraft fre.
The three were listed as missing.
U.S. naval operations continued with an attack on the
Al Kalia naval facility. One Iraqi Exocet-capable patrol
boat was directly hit with two laser-guided bombs,
while a second aircraft launched a string of 500-lb.
bombs across a second patrol boat that also slammed
into a weapons-loaded building on
the pier, generating several secondary
explosions from the building.
Helos from Nicholas engaged four
Iraqi patrol boats near Myerdam
Island, destroying one, damaging two.
Also, A-6s scored a direct hit with two
laser-guided bombs on a patrol boat
in the Kuwait City harbor. Thirty-fve
Iraqi naval craft had been sunk or
damaged to date.
Senior commanders concluded that
with the destruction of all Iraqi patrol
craft capable of delivering missiles,
Iraqi naval forces were considered to be
combat ineffective.
Battleship Missouri (BB-63) fred
eight 1.25-ton shells from its 16-in. guns
at prefabricated concrete command
and control bunkers Iraq was moving
into Kuwait, destroying the bunkers.
The barrage, totaling 18,000 pounds
of high explosives, marked the frst
combat fring of the Missouris 16-in.
guns since the Korean War, and was in support of Marines and Coalition
ground forces. This also marked the frst use of a remotely piloted
vehicle (RPV) for gunfre spotting in a hostile environment.
Three B-52 crewmen, who crashed in the Indian Ocean while returning
from a combat mission, were recovered by Naval Reservists of HS-75,
while three other crewmen were reported missing.
No hostile naval activity was reported, confrming Iraqi naval capability
had been neutralized.
4 Feb 44,000 sorties, 278 Tomahawks launched
DoD announced that more than 44,000 sorties had been fown, stating
Thats approximately one bombing sortie for every minute of Desert
Storm. There was no report of hostile activity by Iraqs naval forces.
Missouri destroyed Iraqi an artillery emplacement. Navy A-6s attacked
Silkworm anti-ship missile sites at Uum Qasabah. Hits on two launchers
Then-CAPT Mark Fox, ComCVW-2, is interviewed by a CNN reporter during Operation Iraqi
Freedom regarding a strike into Iraqi, which he lead. Twelve years earlier, Mark Fox also
supported Desert Storm and validated F/A-18 Hornet stike-fighter capabilities by shooting
down an enemy MiG-21 Fishbed and attacking a ground target during 17 Jan 91 mission.
VADM Fox is currently Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command.
A VA-72 Blue Hawks A-7E Corsair II from John F. Kennedy
heads for a target in Iraq, 26 Feb 91, with eight Mk 82
500-lb. bombs. The aircraft is also armed with an AIM-9
Sidewinder missile on the fuselage station.
USN, PH3 Prince A. Hughes III, USN
USN, CDR John Lites Leenhouts, USN
and several control and support vehicles
were confrmed.
USMC AV-8Bs bombed and strafed
a 25-truck convoy, causing multiple
secondary explosions. Strikes also hit
resupply convoys attempting to cross
bridges between Baghdad and Basra.
A Navy F/A-18 was downed. The
pilot, LT Robert Dwyer, CVW-8 from
Theodore Roosevelt, was missing.
There was no reported hostile activity
by Iraqs air or naval forces. Iraqi ground
troops continued limited probing and
reconnaissance actions with some small
arms fre and sporadic artillery fre.
Enemy POWs to date totaled about 817.
More than 42 bridges had been
destroyed or damaged and 70 percent of
Iraqi supply lines have been cut.
Within two hours of relieving its sister
battleship, Wisconsin (BB-64) conducted
its frst naval gunfre support mission
since the Korean War, fring an 11-round
salvo with its 16-in. guns and destroy-
ing an Iraqi artillery battery in south-
ern Kuwait. Secondary explosions were
reported. Nicholas escorted the battleship.
USMC OV-10 called in the fre.
Navy and Marine Corps aircraft had
fown more than 11,000 combat sorties during Desert Storm.
Supporting Desert Storm are 32 nations with Coalition forces in place.
They are Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada,
China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger,
Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Spain,
Syria, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
The U.S. lost 23 aircraft (15 fxed-wing in combat, three fxed-wing in
noncombat mishaps, fve helicopters lost in noncombat). Coalition forces
lost nine aircraft while 33 Iraqi aircraft and three helos had been shot
down in air-to-air engagements with no U.S. air-to-air losses.
7 Feb 52,000 sorties, 284 Tomahawks launched
Two VF-1 USN F-14s from Ranger downed a MI-8 helo with an
AIM-9M Sidewinder missile, a combat frst.
USN A-6s attacked and heavily damaged two Iraqi patrol boats in the
northern gulf near the A1 Faw peninsula, using RPVs for spotting.
SecDef Dick Cheney and CJCS Gen Colin Powell departed to Saudi
Arabia for military assessment of Desert Storm.
Above: A VMFA(AW)-121 Green Knights F/A-18D Hornet circles Al-Burqan
oilfeld in southern Kuwait, Feb 91. Al-Burqan was the scene of a pitched battle
between troops, tanks and aircraft of the 1st Marine Division and Iraqi armored
brigades. Below: In a painting by Mark Churms, battleships Missouri (BB-63) and
Wisconsin (BB-64) refuel from Sacramento (AOE-1) in the Persian Gulf, Feb 91.
Sacramento was the underway replenishment station unit for fuel, weapons, food
and supplies for U.S. and Coalition ships.
Courtesy Col Harmon Stockwell, USMC(Ret)
Preparing for the Storm MarkChurms.com 2000. All Rights Reserved.
A-6s attacked and neutralized an Iraqi training frigate collocated with
a TMC-45-class patrol boat (Exocet-capable craft) at Cor al-Zubayr.
Thirteen additional Iraqi aircraft few to Iran. To date were 147 aircraft
with 121 of them fghters. Sporadic artillery fre from counter batteries
along border continued. Enemy POW totals climbed to 943 (more than
50 are offcers).
To date, 214,979 National Guard and Reservists had been
recalled to active duty (15,667 Navy, 22,634 USMC).
An A-6 attacked a Zouk patrol boat near Faylaka Island with a Rockeye
II munition, inficting substantial damage. Naval aircraft also attacked a
Silkworm site, destroying three launchers and a control van.
An AV-8B was downed. Capt Russell Sanborn, USMC, was missing.
BDA confrmed that more than 750 tanks, 650 artillery and 600
armored personnel carriers had been destroyed.
South Korea became the 33rd Coalition partner with forces in place
supporting Desert Storm.
SecDef Dick Cheney and CJCS Gen Colin Powell arrived back in
Washington D.C. after conferring with U.S. and Coalition commanders.
A-6s attacked two unidentifed patrol boats in the northern Persian
Gulf, destroying both. Also, restrikes were made on the Uum Qasr Naval
Base. Forty-two additional enemy POWs surrendered to U.S. forces.
Naval operations continued, including mine countermeasures and
maritime interceptions. One mine was located and destroyed.
No major ground activity was
reported, only scattered border skir-
mishes. U.S. forces continued training
exercises and force redeployments.
Enemy POW count rose to more than
1,000 with the additional surrender of
75 Iraqi troops.
A 300-member contingent of Afghan
Mujahedeen ground fghters became
the 34th Coalition partner supporting
Desert Storm.
Missouri, USMC aircraft and artillery
and Saudi artillery mounted a combined
arms attack on multiple fxed-position
targets (Iraqi troops, artillery, a hardened
command bunker and tanks) in southern
Kuwait. Missouri expended 60 rounds
in nine naval gunfre support missions.
DoD confrmed for the frst time that Iraqi
personnel were executing would-be Iraqi deserters.
Navy and Marine Corps aircraft few more than
15,000 combat sorties during Desert Storm.
America Carrier Battle Group transited the
Strait of Hormuz enroute to the Persian Gulf.
U.S. aircraft released two laser-guided bombs
on a Baghdad target in the residential al-Amerieh
district, labeled a camoufaged fortifed command
and control bunker. Iraq claimed the site was a bomb
shelter inhabited by civilians and claimed hundreds
were killed during the 0400 (local time) strike.
Naval aircraft destroyed an Exocet missile-capable
Frelon helicopter on the ground and U.S. aircraft
destroyed four Iraqi transport aircraft on the ground.
The air campaign in Kuwait was complicated by
smoke from more than 50 oil feld fres, mainly in
the Al-Wafra area. DoD suspected Iraq was placing
charges on many wells to cloud the battlefeld and
mask troop movements.
To date, there had been 40 U.S. fatalities: 12
killed in action (KIA), 28 noncombat fatalities; 10
wounded in action (WIA); 26 missing in action (MIA) seven Navy,
two USMC and eight POWs. U.S. troop strength was more than 510,000
(more than 80,000 Navy, more than 90,000 USMC), other Coalition
forces exceeded 205,000.
The U.S. had lost a total of 28 aircraft (18 fxed-wing in combat,
three fxed-wing in noncombat mishaps, seven helicopters lost in
noncombat). The Coalition lost 10 aircraft. Forty Iraqi aircraft and
four helos had been shot down in air-to air engagements with no U.S.
air-to-air losses. More than 135 Iraqi aircraft had fown to Iran.
More than 1,300 Iraqi tanks, 800 armored vehicles and 1,100 artillery
pieces had been destroyed according to BDA (approximately one-third
of the initial Iraqi inventory of 4,280 tanks, 1,870 armored personnel
carriers and 3,110 artillery pieces).
During the three weeks of Desert Storm, 25 Iraqi naval craft had been
sunk or damaged and 66 mines destroyed.
Naval forces continued mine countermeasures and MIO. U.S. aircraft
destroyed two SCUD systems. America Carrier Battle Group arrived in the
Persian Gulf. DoD stated, Iraqs military situation is precarious.
Above: VF-103 Jolly Rogers and VF-74
Be-Devilers F-14B Tomcats from Saratoga
operating in the Red Sea prepare for
refueling during Desert Storm, 26 Feb 91.
Right: A VF-33 F-14A Tomcat from America
fies combat air patrol 1 Jan 91, two weeks
prior to Desert Storm.
USN, LCDR Ken Neubauer, USN
USN, LCDR Dave Parsons, USN
A USAF EF-lllA crashed in Saudi Arabia. Both crewmembers were
killed. This was the 19th U.S. aircraft lost in combat.
Baghdad Radio broadcast an Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council
(RCC) statement that Iraq was ready for negotiations based on U.N.
Security Council resolution 660 of 1,990 to achieve a solution to the Gulf
crisis including its withdrawal from Kuwait. The willingness on the part
of the RCC should be regarded as a guarantee from Iraq and coupled
with an immediate and comprehensive cessation of all land, air and sea
military operations.
President Bush announced that after initial happiness at the Iraq offer,
Regrettably, the Iraq statement now appears to be a cruel hoax. Not only
was the Iraq statement full of unacceptable old conditions, but Saddam
has added several new conditions. The President reiterated, They must
withdraw without condition, there must be full implementation of all the
Security Council resolutions, and there will be no linkage to the other
problems in the area and the legitimate rulers of Kuwait must be returned
to Kuwait. President Bush stated the Coalition would not end its military
campaign until a massive withdrawal
begins, with those Iraqi troops visibly
leaving Kuwait.
U.S. Naval forces continued to
support the campaign with mine
countermeasures and MIO.
An A-6 sustained major damage
while returning from a combat mission.
The crew was recovered. An F-15 on
a counter-SCUD mission shot down a
Iraqi helo. This was the 41st Iraqi aircraft
downed in air-to-air engagements.
The 65th SCUD was fred.
SecNav activated 993 additional
Naval Reservists from 87 units.
USMC and Coalition ground forces
continued to reposition to confuse Iraqi
reconnaissance and exchange artillery
and counterartillery fre. The U.S. lost
three additional aircraft.
Naval forces continued supporting
the air campaign conducting air strikes,
fghter cover, on-call CSAR, MIO and
mine countermeasures.
There were seven signifcant engage-
ments along the Kuwait and Iraq border
involving USMC and Coalition ground
forces. In one incident, a U.S. AH-64
Apache mistakenly hit a Bradley Fight-
ing Vehicle and an M-113 armored
personnel carrier (blue-on-blue event)
with a Hellfre missile, causing two
U.S. deaths and six injuries.
Within three hours and 10 nautical
miles, Tripoli (LPH-10) and Princeton
(CG-59) struck mines while conducting
operations in the northern Persian Gulf. Tripoli, the fagship in one of
the most extensive minesweeping operations since the Korean War,
sustained a 16-ft. by 20-ft. hole in the forward starboard side below the
waterline. The explosion caused minor fooding to six auxiliary spaces,
minimized by damage control procedures. Four crewmembers were
injured and the amphibious assault ship remained full mission capable.
Princeton, underway on half power, sustained damage including a
crack in her superstructure. Three crewmen were injured, one seriously,
and an explosive ordnance disposal team was enroute to assess the
mission capability of the Aegis cruiser. Naval forces continued maritime
countermeasures and MIO.
A Navy A-6 attacked and destroyed fve aircraft hidden in revetments
in western Iraq. Other naval forces continued to support the air campaign
and conduct maritime countermeasures and MIO.
DoD announced that 578 Iraqis had surrendered and were
in Turkeys custody. Combined with 1,493 in Saudi Arabian
custody, enemy POWs to date totaled 2,071.
Above: VFA-83 Rampagers F/A-18C
Hornets assigned to CVW-3 on board
Saratoga in formation over the desert,
3 Feb 91. Right: An A-7E Corsair II on
the catapult of Carl Vinson with CVW-15
prior to start of Operation Desert Shield,
30 Jul 90.
USN
USN, TSgt Rose Reynolds, USAF
The VS-32 Maulers from America became the frst S-3 squadron ever
to engage and destroy a hostile vessel an Iraqi gunboat hit by three
500-lb. bombs. Valley Forge (CG-50) vectored the S-3 to the target.
Three U.S. aircraft were lost. An Army helo crashed during combat,
killing both pilots. A USMC CH-46 helo and an F-16 were noncombat
losses. No Iraqi aircraft had fown in 10 days.
To date, there had been 55 U.S. fatalities: 17 KIA, 38 noncombat
fatalities; 25 WIA; 27 MIA (seven Navy, two USMC); nine POW (two
Navy, two USMC). U.S. troop strength was more than 527,000 (more
than 82,000 Navy, more than 94,000 USMC), other Coalition forces
exceeded 205,000.
U.S. lost 36 aircraft (28 fxed-wing in combat, fve fxed-wing in
noncombat mishaps, eight helicopters lost in noncombat). The Coalition
had lost 11 aircraft, 42 Iraqi aircraft and six helos had been shot down in
air-to-air engagements with no U.S. air-to-air losses.
Iraq accepted a Russian-brokered eight-point peace proposal. The U.S.
expressed serious reservations.
VMA-331 Harriers conducted the frst of 243 night sorties from the
deck of the Nassau (LHA-4). This was the frst time in history that USMC
AV-8Bs had conducted combat missions from a landing helicopter assault
ship. The squadron delivered 256 tons of ordnance on targets.
DoD has authorized the awarding of the National Defense Service
Medal to all U.S. service personnel on active duty after 2 August 1990
in special recognition of outstanding performance during Desert Shield
and Desert Storm.
After consultations with Coalition partners, President Bush rejected
a Iraqi peace plan, declared ground campaign would not be initiated if,
before 1200 EST 23 February, Iraq publicly agreed to: begin large-scale
immediate withdrawal; complete withdrawal within one week; within
48 hours, leave Kuwait City and allow prompt return of the legitimate
government of Kuwait; withdraw from all prepared defenses along the
Saudi-Kuwait and Saudi-Iraq borders, from Bublyan and Warbah Islands,
and from Kuwaits Rumaila oil felds; return troops to Iraqi positions
of 1 August 1990; cooperate with International Red Cross and release
all POWs and third country civilian POWs and remains of servicemen
within 48 hours; remove all explosives or booby traps and provide data
on location and nature of any land
or sea mines; cease all combat air
fre, aircraft fights over Iraq and
Kuwait except for transport air-
craft carrying troops out of Kuwait;
cease all destructive action against
Kuwaiti citizens and property and
release all Kuwaiti detainees. U.S.
and Coalition agreed not to attack
retreating Iraqi forces and would
exercise restraint as long as with-
drawal proceeded within those
guidelines. Any breach of these
terms would bring an instant and
sharp response from Coalition in
accordance with U.N. Security
Council Resolution 678.
DoD announced that 1,685
Iraqi tanks (39 percent of known
inventory), 925 armored vehicles
(32 percent) and 1,450 artillery
pieces (48 percent) had been
destroyed to date. More than 200
of Kuwaits 950 oil wells were
burning, creating thick smoke; well-
heads, oil facilities and shipping
terminals were being destroyed by
Iraq forces.
DoD reported as many as 10,000 Kuwaitis were being rounded up and
summarily executed. Other atrocities were reported including systematic
murders of previously-tortured Kuwaitis.
At 2000 (EST), President Bush announced he had directed Gen
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., along with Coalition forces, To use all forces
available, including ground forces, to eject the Iraqi army from Kuwait.
The liberation of Kuwait enters a fnal phase.
SecDef announced the commencement of a large ground offensive.
Cheney reported, Units are on the move.
U.S. Central Command announced that forces of the U.S., Saudi
Arabia, U.K., France, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Syria
and Kuwait were proceeding in a major ground, naval and air offensive.
At 0400 (local time), assault elements of 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions
launched attacks, easily breeching Iraqs vaunted defense lines of
minefelds, barbed wire, bunkers and berms. Marines spearheaded the
attack, with Army paratroopers, air assault forces, special forces and
ground forces of the U.K., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Syria. Within
nine hours, Marines destroyed numerous Iraqi tanks and bunkers, seized
the Burgan oil feld and Al Jabbir airfeld and captured thousands of Iraqi
troops. Amphibious feint attacks under naval gunfre were launched in
the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. Navy, along with U.K., Saudi and Kuwaiti naval forces
conducted aircraft carrier air-to-air, minesweeping and amphibious
missions along the east coast of Kuwait. Missouri and Wisconsin fred at
targets in occupied Kuwait in support of ground offensive.
A Marine AV-8B Harrier was downed. The pilot, Capt James N.
Wilbourn, USMC, was missing.
More than 18,000 enemy POWs had been captured.
U.S. ground casualties remained light: four KIA and 21 WIA.
John F. Kennedy recorded its 10,000th arrested landing during this
deployment and aircraft of CVW-3 had delivered more than three million
pounds of ordnance.
DoD reported 600 fres were burning in the Kuwait Theater of
Operations (KTO), including 517 oil wellheads.
At 1735 EST, Baghdad Radio announced that Iraqs Foreign Minister
informed the Russian ambassador ... which constitutes a practical
compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 660, and Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein had ordered his troops to make a fghting
Iraqi armored personnel carriers, tanks and trucks destroyed in a Coalition attack
in the Euphrates River Valley, 4 Mar 91.
USAF, SSgt Dean Wagner, USAF
withdrawal from occupied Kuwait and return to the positions they
occupied before the 2 August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
The White House responded, stating, There is no evidence to suggest
the Iraqi army is withdrawing. In fact, Iraqi units are continuing to fght.
... We continue to prosecute the war. We have heard no reason to change
that ... And because the announcement from Baghdad referred to the
Russian initiative, Saddam must personally and publicly accept explicitly
all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.
On Baghdad Radio, President Saddam Hussein announced Iraqi troops
had begun withdrawing from Kuwait and would be completed that day.
In the 25-minute speech, Saddam maintained that Kuwait was a part of
Iraq, which was separated from it in the past, and current circumstances
were such that armed forces were forcing them to withdraw, adding it
should be borne in mind that Constantinople was not conquered in the
frst battle; the result was achieved in other battles.
President Bush reacted calling Saddams speech an outrage. He is
not withdrawing. His defeated forces are retreating. He is trying to claim
victory in the midst of a rout, and he is not voluntarily giving up Kuwait.
He is trying to save the remnants of power and control in the Middle East
by every means possible and here too, Saddam will fail. Saddam is not
interested in peace but only to regroup and fght another day, and he does
not renounce Iraqs claim to Kuwait. To the contrary, he makes clear that
Iraq continues to claim Kuwait. He still does not accept U.N. Security
Council resolutions or the Coalition terms of 22 February, including the
release of our POWs, all POWs, third country detainees and an end to
the pathological destruction of Kuwait. The Coalition will continue to
prosecute the war with undiminished intensity. It is time for all Iraqi
forces to lay down their arms. And that will stop the bloodshed. The
liberation of Kuwait is close at hand.
To date, more than 30,000 enemy POWs had been captured and more
than 400 tanks destroyed.
VA-155 Silver Foxes Navy A-6Es from Ranger and USMC aircraft
bombed Iraqi troops feeing Kuwait City to Basra in bumper-to-bumper
convoys along two multilane highways. Numerous tanks, armored
vehicles, jeeps, cars and tractor-trailers were destroyed.
More than 50,000 enemy POWs had been captured (more than 48,000
between 24 27 February).
U.S. casualties were 28 KIA, 89 WIA, fve MIA since the start of ground
offensive. Overall totals: 79 KIA, 213 WIA, 35 MIA and nine POW.
To date, 3,008 Iraqi tanks (42 percent of initial inventory), 1,856
armored vehicles (28 percent), and 2,140 artillery pieces (31 percent) had
been destroyed. Gen Schwarzkopf summarized the details of the battle
plan of Desert Storm. Outnumbered two to one, with fewer tanks and
artillery, facing a heavily dug-in force, preliminary tactics were devised
consisting of:
Air campaign Utilized U.S. Navy deployed aircraft, U.S. Marine,
U.S. and Coalition ground-based air forces to isolate KTO, destroyed
bridges and supply lines running north or south in Iraq, interdicted rein-
forcement and resupply, bombed troops to weaken and attrite number
(frontline Iraqi troops attritted to 50 percent or below, second level
attritted to 50 75 percent), destroyed Iraqi Air Force and neutralized
Iraqi reconnaissance capability. Once incapacitated, allowed U.S. and
Coalition forces to shift to the west (the Hail Mary play) without
opposition or counterattack.
Gen Schwarzkopf declared massive destruction of Iraqi army. He
stated, Iraq is no longer a regional military threat unless someone
chooses to rearm them in the future.
At 2100 EST, President Bush addressed the nation declaring, Kuwait
is liberated. Iraqs army is defeated. The President announced that
at 2400 EST, Exactly one hundred hours since ground operations
commenced and six weeks since the start of Desert Storm, all U.S. and
Coalition forces will suspend further offensive combat operations.
A USMC AV-8B was downed over Iraq. The pilot, Capt Reginald
Underwood, USMC, was killed.
SecNav activated 1,959 additional Naval Reservists from 87 units.
DoD announced that the temporary cease-fre was holding with U.S.
and Coalition forces in defensive positions, conducting combat air
patrols and reconnaissance operations. However, there had been several
incidents of Iraqi troops fring on U.S. and Coalition forces, attributed to
isolated Iraqis cut off from communications unaware of the cease-fre.
Since the start of Desert Storm 42 Iraqi divisions had been destroyed
or rendered combat ineffective.
Nimitz (CV-68) and Forrestal (CV-59) Carrier Battle Groups would
depart the U.S. on 5 and 7 March 1991 for overseas deployment. The
battle groups would provide operational and maintenance fexibility
for aircraft carrier battle groups in support of Desert Storm and ensure
maximum readiness and deployment stability of naval forces in that area.
Iraq agreed to a meeting to work out cease-fre issue.
Acknowledgment
Naval History and Heritage Command Joe Gordon,
Robert Cressman and Mark Evans.
Saratoga returns to Mayport following deployment to the Persian Gulf
region for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 28 Mar 91.
USN, PH2 Margo Frazier, USN
DESERT STORM COMBAT LOSSES
17 January LCDR Michael Scott Speicher, VFA-81
Sunliners from Saratoga was shot down in F/A-18C Hornet
100 miles west of Baghdad. He was the frst American combat
casualty of the war. His remains were not recovered until
2 August 2009; his fate had not been known until then.
17 January An A-6E Intruder was shot down by a
surface-to-air missile (SAM) enroute to Iraqi Airfeld in south-
west Iraq. The pilot, LT Robert Wetzel and B/N, LT Jeffrey
Norton Zaun were captured. They were released 3 March.
17 January An F/A-18C Hornet was shot down. LT Robert
Dwyer was lost over the North Persian Gulf on a mission to Iraq.
LT Dwyer served in CVW-8. His body was never recovered
(offcially listed as KIA-body not recovered (BNR)).
18 January A VA-155 Silver Foxes A-6E Intruder from
Ranger (CV-61) was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA)
two miles from the Iraqi shore after dropping mines on a
waterway linking the Iraqi naval base of Umm Qasr with the
Persian Gulf. The pilot, LT William Thomas Costen and B/N LT
Charlie Turner were killed. Their bodies were later recovered.
18 January A VMO-2 Angelfre OV-10 Bronco was shot
down by a SAM. The pilot, Lt Col Clifford M. Acree, USMC,
and observer CWO Guy L. Hunter, Jr., USMC were captured by
the Iraqis and released 6 March.
21 January A VF-103 Sluggers F-14B Tomcat from Saratoga
was shot down by an SA-2 while on an escort mission near Al
Asad airbase in Iraq. The pilot, LT Devon Boots Jones, was
rescued the following day by USAF special operations forces,
but the RIO LT Larry Rat Slade was captured. He remained
a POW until his release 3 March. This incident marked the only
time a U.S. Navy F-14 was lost to hostile fre.
28 January A VMA-311 Tomcats AV-8B Harrier II was
shot down by AAA over Kuwait. The pilot, Capt Michael C.
Berryman, USMC, was captured. He was released 6 March.
2 February A VA-36 Roadrunners A-6E Intruder from
Theodore Roosevelt was shot down by AAA off the coast
of Kuwait. The pilot, LCDR Barry T. Cooke and BN, LTJG
Patrick K. Connor, were killed. Only LTJG Connors body was
recovered; LCDR Cookes body was never found (offcially
listed as KIA-BNR).
9 February An VMA-231 Ace of Spades AV-8B Harrier II
was shot down by a SAM 24 miles southwest of Kuwait City.
The pilot, Capt Russell A.C. Sanborn, USMC, was captured and
released 6 March.
23 February An VMA-542 Tigers AV-8B Harrier II was shot
down by a SAM over Kuwait. The pilot, Capt James N. Trey
Wilbourn III, USMC, was killed; his body was later recovered.
25 February A VMO-1 Yazoo OV-10 Bronco was shot
down by SAM. The pilot, Maj Joseph Small III, USMC, was
captured and observer, Capt David Spellacy, USMC, was
killed. Maj Small was released 6 March; Capt Spellacys body
was recovered.
27 February A VMA-331 Bumblebees AV-8B Harrier II was
shot down by a SA-7 over Safwan, Iraq. Capt Reginald Underwood,
USMC, was killed and his body was later recovered.
DESERT STORM SUMMARY
Desert Storm marked the frst combat use of some of the Navys newest
aircraft including the F-14A+, the F/A-18C and the F/A-18D night-attack
aircraft. The multimission F/A-18 Hornets few 4,435 sorties, while the
Marines few 5,047 sorties in the durable strike fghter aircraft. Navy pilots
few 4,071 sorties in their battle-proven, all-weather A-6 Intruders and
Marine pilots few 854 sorties in their Intruders. Navy A-7E Corsair IIs
few 725 sorties without the loss of a single aircraft to enemy action.
Because a wide variety of ordnance was used to match specifc weapons
to specifc targets, Navy/Marine tactical aviation units put the logistics
system to the test. Not counting missiles, Allied air forces dropped more
than 88,500 tons of ordnance on the battlefeld. The heavy demand for
repair parts was satisfed by the supply system as well. Navy squadrons
maintained 85 to 95 percent of their aircraft at a full mission capable
status throughout Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
When Desert Storm began 17 January, the Navy had three aircraft
carriers, America, John F. Kennedy, and Saratoga positioned in the Red
Sea. Midway and Ranger were in the Persian Gulf. The nuclear-powered
Theodore Roosevelt sailed from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf when
hostilities began and did not begin to strike targets until 22 January.
The Navy operated three carriers each in the Red Sea and Persian
Gulf for about three weeks until America moved to the Persian Gulf in
mid-February 1991, shifting the number of carriers in each operating area
to two and four ships, respectively.
Navy fxed-wing carrier-based aircraft few more than 18,000 sorties
during the war, according to statistics developed by Center for Naval
Analyses in an analysis of Desert Storm carrier operations. Aircraft
from the Red Sea Battle Force few nearly 6,200 sorties (one-third of the
sorties), while aircraft from the Persian Gulf few nearly 11,800 sorties.
The Red Sea aircraft carriers were about 400 600 nautical miles away
from their targets. Their aircraft few even greater distances to get to and
from aerial tanker positions and to use specifc entry and exit corridors
to reach the targets. The Persian Gulf aircraft carriers, on the other hand,
launched many missions to the coastal region and were generally closer
to their targets than the Red Sea aircraft carriers. As a result, the Persian
Gulf aircraft carriers generally launched more sorties of shorter duration.
Because of the extended ranges involved during attacks on Iraq,
carrier-based aircraft required refueling from land-based tankers. Aircraft
from the Red Sea carriers relied on land-based tankers for the duration of
the war. In the Persian Gulf, the aircraft carriers were initially positioned
about 280 nautical miles southeast of Kuwait City.
As the war progressed, the Persian Gulf aircraft carriers moved further
north, allowing them to shift into cyclic operations and generate many
more sorties in the same span of time with Navy refueling aircraft
providing all refueling for Persian Gulf naval air strikes.
The total sorties generated by each aircraft carrier, as well as the average
number of sorties fown during the war, are shown below. Kennedy and
Saratoga operated in the Red Sea during the entire period, while the
Midway, Ranger, and Theodore Roosevelt operated in the Persian Gulf.
America operated from the Red Sea and later from the Persian Gulf.
Launching up to 140 sorties a day from a single fight deck, the aircraft
carriers and their battle groups contributed signifcantly to Coalition
air dominance and effectively eliminated Iraqs naval capability. The
performance of the nearly 30,000 Navy men and women and nearly 500
aircraft aboard the aircraft carriers was unparalleled, and their mission
statistics were impressive. At the end, Navy sorties, both
fxed- and rotary-wing, totaled more than 18,000.
Midway
CV-41
Saratoga
CV-60
Ranger
CV-61
America
CV-66
John F.
Kennedy
CV-67
Theodore
Roosevelt
CVN-71
Total
CVW-5 CVW-17 CVW-2 CVW-1 CVW-3 CVW-8
Total
Sorties
3,019 2,374 3,329 2,672 2,574 4,149 18,117
Daily
Average
70 55 77 62 60 96 421
Source: Center for Naval Analyses Data
Desert Storm Totals and Daily Averages per Aircraft Carrier
aval Aviation personnel are familiar with Naval
Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) New
Orleans, perched south of Bourbon Street in the
Big Easy. Indeed, with NAS JRB Fort Worth, the sprawling
installation on the west bank of Mississippi River thrives as
one of two remaining stand-alone Naval Air Reserve aviation
installations. However, the stations history actually commenced at a
much smaller facility to the north of downtown, on Lake Pontchartrain.
In late 1940, the U.S. Navy expanded its fight training capacity by
building and establishing several new air stations. One of them was Naval
Reserve Air Base (NRAB) New Orleans, built on a former lakeside bog
on land donated by the city. The base was offcially established 15 July
1941 and conducted aviation cadet training with a 30-day Elimination
Training Course. The initial structures included a large steel hangar,
barracks for cadets, an assembly and repair shop, plus support facilities
and fuel farm. Subsequent construction added two more barracks,
auditorium and a ground school
building. The feld boasted three
asphalt and concrete runways, the
longest being 3,300 feet. In July
1942, NRAB New Orleans became
a primary training base with more
than 140 Naval Aircraft Factory N3Ns, Stearman N2Ss and
Spartan NP trainers on the ramps. On 1 January 1943, the
Navy redesignated NRAB New Orleans as an NAS.
By spring 1943 Navy Primary Flight Training had stabilized
and some of the training bases missions were changed. In May
1943, NAS New Orleans was withdrawn as a training base for the rest
of the war to become the Navys six-week Primary Flight Instructor
School, staffed by instructors drawn from the instructor schools at NAS
Corry in Pensacola, Fla. and Rodd Field, Corpus Christi, Texas.
Concurrently, the immediate area boomed with the establishment
of other military activities including New Orleans Army Air Base at
Shushan Airport (now New Orleans Lakefront Airport) and Camp Leroy
Johnson to the immediate east of the NAS. Shushan, New Orleans frst
commercial aviation facility, was dedicated 10 February 1934 and during
World War II served as the aviation support facility for Camp Johnson
and the New Orleans Port of Embarkation at Camp Harahan, as well as
The Way It Was:
NAS New Orleans
by Mark Morgan
N
Naval Aviation News
USN
Top: Entrance to the Naval Air Station
Joint Reserve Base New Orleans. Above:
Unoffcial modern-era patch with a
Mardi Gras look and original insignia
from 1940s. Right: NAS New Orleans,
16 Mar 45, with one 3,300-ft. concrete
runway, two shorter asphalt runways,
taxiways, a large ramp, a single hangar
and a large number of aircraft.
an outlying feld (OLF) for the NAS. Camp Johnson housed signal and
quartermaster units, a Transportation Corps Offcer Candidate School,
personnel replacement center and prisoner of war camp. In addition, a
Consolidated Aircraft Corporation factory occupied the 46-acre plot of
land wedged in between NAS New Orleans and Camp Leroy Johnson.
The plant employed about 6,200 workers involved in the production of
Consolidated PBYs and served as the only Catalina factory following
the shift of Consolidateds San Diego facility to the production of other
aircraft. During the course of
the war, the company produced
235 PBYs at the site with the
last one, a PBY-6A, rolling out
September 1945.
In July 1946, as part of the
postwar demobilization and reor-
ganization, NAS New Orleans
transferred to the Naval Air
Reserve Training Command with
CAPT James E. Leeper assuming
command. Leeper served with
Patrol Wings -3 and -7 during the
Atlantic Campaign, followed by
tours as commanding offcer of
VP-73 and USS Shamrock Bay
(CVE-84) during the Okinawa
Campaign. Notable Reservists
at the station included LCDR
Merrill J. Hemby who was
awarded two Navy Crosses in July 1945 while serving with VB-85 in
Essex (CV-9), for combat operations at Yokosuka and Kure Harbor, Japan
and LCDR Robert F. Edmondson who received the Navy Cross for his
actions with VT-2 in Lexington (CV-2) during Battle of the Coral Sea.
Edmondson was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross,
Silver Star, three Air Medals and two Presidential Unit Citations during
combat assignments with VB-5 and VF-10.
The Navy initially stood up two Reserve air groups at NAS New
Orleans CVLG-53 (including VF-53L and VA-53L) and CVEG-84
(including VF-84E and VA-84E) alongside VMF-143. VMF-143 Rocket
Raiders (early callsign) served during WW II as VMTB-143 with combat
at Bougainville, Buin, Tonolei, the Shortlands, Munda, Komobangara
and Bairoko. After going aboard Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) in 1945,
the squadron few close air support for Marine Corps ground forces on
Okinawa, the Ryukyus and Balikpapapan, Borneo. The Rocket
Raiders deactivated 10 March 1946.
The station also supported aviation volunteer units (AVUs) at
Pensacola (fight operations from Corry Field) and Alexandria,
La. Following the 1948 reorganization of Naval Air Reserve, the
station complement included CVG-82 (including VF-821, -822,
-823; VA-821; VC-821, -822; VS-821, -822, -823), VMF-143
and Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron (FASRon) 821. The fghting
squadrons initially few Grumman F6Fs before transitioning to
Vought F4U-4s/FG-1Ds while the attack and antisubmarine outfts
drilled in Curtiss SB2Cs and Grumman TBMs, respectively.
On 20 July 1950, less than a month after the North Korean Army
crossed the 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula, VF-821 Kingpins
received orders to active duty. The squadron departed for NAS San
Diego and ultimately reached Korea for combat operations during
two deployments (see next article).
Training continued for the squadrons, that remained behind. For
example, in the fall of 1950, VF-823, VS-822 and FASRon 821
completed their annual carrier qualifcations in Wright (CVL-49).
During the early part of the decade it became apparent that NAS New
Orleans would never successfully handle jet operations, or landplane
patrol squadrons for that matter. A September 1948 description of the
station in Naval Aviation News acknowledged the felds geographic
limitations, stating, Naval air stations range in altitude all the way from
5,200 foot at NAS Denver down to humid NAS New Orleans where Lake
Pontchartrains waters lap almost at the operations offce door and a good
rain makes the feld a lake. A big 7 Foot Altitude adorns the hangar
door to greet pilots of visiting
planes as brakes screech trying
to stay on the 3,300-ft. runway.
Therefore, Secretary of Defense
James Forrestal directed the
Navy to monitor efforts by the
U.S. Army and Air Force to
establish a Joint Reserve train-
ing installation in the vicinity of
New Orleans. A study identifed
the existing Alvin Callendar
Field south of downtown and
one of the NAS OLFs during
WW II as the best location
for a new fying facility. Con-
struction started on new run-
ways and the support complex
in August 1954. On 31 Decem-
ber 1957, NAS New Orleans
shifted operations to the new
site. With more room to operate, the squadrons transitioned to jets in the
form of Grumman F9F-6s and North American FJ-3s, while
Lockheed P2Vs and Grumman S2F Stoofs also appeared on
the new ramp, followed by Douglas A4Ds.
National Archives G-K-5312
Naval Historical Center G-K-14044
USN via Bob Rocker
Top: A Brewster SB2A Bermuda, visiting NAS New Orleans,
c. 1943. Center: Stearman N2S-3 Kaydets on the fight line, NAS
New Orleans, c. 1944. Right: Actor LT Robert Taylor, USNR, and
RADM Osborne B. Hardison, USN, Chief of Naval Air Primary
Training at NAS New Orleans, May 45. Taylor was an instructor
at the station and narrated the 1944 documentary movie The
Fighting Lady. A Vultee SNV-2 Valiant is in the background.
As for the original NAS New Orleans, the Navy later transferred the
real estate to the city. The property now serves as the site of University of
New Orleans (UNO), originally Louisiana State University New Orleans,
a thoroughly modern institution of higher education lacking only a
view of Lake Pontchartrain, due to the levees. The only surviving Navy
building is the Homer Hitt Alumni and Visitors Center, which occupies
the refurbished former NAS New Orleans power plant. To the east, the
Army Air Forces vacated Sushan Airport at the end of the war, and in
1946 commercial operations transferred to the city-owned Moisant Field
in Kenner, now Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Renamed New Orleans Lakefront, the feld shifted to general and
business aviation. Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Isaac in 2012 severely
damaged most of the historic art deco structures at Lakefront, particularly
the terminal/tower building. Repair and renovation continues. The former
Consolidated PBY plant adjacent to the NAS now houses the New
Orleans Levee Board, while the site of Camp Johnson is now dominated
by the UNO Lakefront Arena and parking lots.
The current NAS JRB New Orleans remains busy, arguably serving as
the ultimate manifestation of the Joint Reserve base concept. In December
1957, the Louisiana Air National
Guards 122nd Fighter Interceptor
Squadron, fying North American
F-86Ls, shifted operations to the new
NAS from Lakefront Airport. Four
years later, the Air Force Reserve
reassigned the 706th Troop Carrier
Squadron equipped with Fairchild
C-119s to NAS New Orleans from
Barksdale AFB near Shreveport, La.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) also
became joint tenants. On the Navy
side, VS-821 received orders to
Federal active duty 1 October 1961
for the Berlin Crisis. Flying S2F-1s,
the squadron apparently spent most
of the call-up fying patrols out of
home station.
Following a 1968 reorganization of the
Naval Air Reserve, the unit lineup at the
station included U.S. Navy and Marine
Corps squadrons fying A-4Bs, Sikorsky
SH-3As and UH-34s, Douglas C-54Q/Rs,
Lockheed SP-2Es; the Air Force Reserves
926th Tactical Airlift Group, C-119Gs;
USCG Air Station New Orleans, Sikorsky
HH-3Fs; and the Louisiana Air National
Guards 159th Fighter Interceptor Group
fying Convair F-102As.
The 1970 reorganization put VSF-76
and -86 on the ramp fying Vought F-8H
Crusaders and VP-94, SP-2Hs; the USCG
Air Station New Orleans, fying HH-3Fs;
and the 926th TAG, with Lockheed
C-130As. In 1971, the 159th Fighter Inter-
ceptor Group became a Tactical Fighter
Group and retired its F-102 Deuces in
favor of North American F-100Ds while
HMM-767 parked its UH-34s in favor of
Boeing Vertol UH-46s.
The two VSF squadrons merged
as VC-13 in 1973 and transitioned to A-4Ls, later moving to NAS
Miramar in February 1976. HMM-767 transitioned to UH-1Ns in 1977,
concurrent with a redesignation as HML-767; in 1994, the unit became
HMLA-775 Det A.
The station currently hosts VFA-204 the last of the Naval Air
Reserve strike fghter squadrons that arrived from NAS Memphis as
VA-204 with A-4Ls in January 1978; VR-54 with C-130Ts and Navy
Operational Support Center, New Orleans; the Marine Corps Reserves
Det C, MAG-49 and 3rd Battalion 23rd Marines; the Louisiana Air
National Guards 159th Fighter Wing, fying McDonnell Douglas F-15C/
Ds; USCG Air Station New Orleans; and the U.S. Army Reserves 377th
Theater Sustainment Command.
Enduring unit and equipment changes and periodic hurricanes, NAS
New Orleans has come a long way in the 56 years since its move from the
shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
Acknowledgment
Thanks to Rick Morgan, Barrett Tillman and Jan Jacobs.
Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.3045
John P. Curtis
Above: VA-822 Commanding Offcer
LCDR Joel Morris, USNR, wingman
LCDR Harold Wheelahan, USNR, fying
AD-4NA Skyraiders near Pecan Island in
the Gulf of Mexico to drop fuel and fre
cannons on a blown out gas well in an
attempt to set it on fre to identify it as a
hazard to shipping, c. 1950s. Right: Two
VFA-204 River Rattlers F/A-18C Hornets
and two Louisiana ANG F-15 Eagles
assigned to the 159th Fighter Wing over
southern Louisiana wetlands.
T
he VF-821 Kingpins were formed as a Reserve squadron at Naval
Air Station (NAS) New Orleans October 1949. LCDR J.C. Ely,
USNR, was the frst commanding offcer (CO) and he and his
weekend warriors began their Reserve training in war-weary Goodyear
built FG Corsairs.
On 1 July 1950, LCDR R.F. Edmondson, USNR, took over the helm of
the squadron; 20 days later the squadron received orders to active duty due
to emergent requirements created by the Korean War that began 25 June.
The October 1950 edition of Naval Aviation News described the NAS
New Orleans Reserve activation. At 1600 on a Thursday on 21 September
1950, CAPT Harris, CO of NAS New Orleans, sent out messages notifying
all VF-821 squadron personnel to report. By Friday three-quarters of
all the personnel were on board and by Saturday evening all but three had
arrived. The three missing men had called in .
One week later, the squadron deployed to NAS San Diego by airlift
and reported to Commander Air Force Pacifc. At NAS San Diego the
squadron was assigned to Carrier Air Group 101 and began working up
for combat operations. On 1 August 1950, newer Vought F4U-4s replaced
the FGs. VF-821 at the time consisted of 18 aircraft and 28 pilots.
On 29 May 1951, USS Princeton (CV-37) docked at Yokosuka Naval
Base, Japan after an eight-month war cruise, with Carrier Air Group
Nineteen (CVG-19) embarked. CVG-19 transferred off Princeton.
Two day later, Princeton deployed to war with VF-821 as part of a
thrown together carrier air group designated CVG-19X. CVG-19X took
over CVG-19s aircraft and was composed of:
CVG-19X
USS Princeton CV-37)
31 May 5129 Aug 51 (WestPac, Korean War)
Modex Squadron Name Aircraft
(x)100 VF-871 (*1) Griffns F4U-4
(B)200 VF-23 Flashers F9F-2/2B
(x)300 VF-821 Kingpins F4U-4
(S)400 VA-55 Torpcats AD-4
(NP)xx VC-3 Det I Blue Nemesis F4U-5N
(PP)xx VC-61 Det I Eyes of the Fleet F9F-2P
(NR)xx VC-35 Det 7 Night Hecklers AD-4N
(ND)xx VC-11 Det E AD-4W
(UP)xx HU-1 Det Pacifc Fleet Angels HO3S-1
(*1) Reserve squadron VF-871 was called to active duty 20 Jul 50
Upon arrival in theater Princeton came under assignment to Carrier
Division Five/Commander Task Force 77 along with Boxer (CV-21)
and Bon Homme Richard (CV-31). CVG-19X launched its frst strike
2 June against targets in the vicinity of Iwon, Korea. The carrier air
group dropped a total of 16,548 tons of ordnance during the course of
this war cruise.
Upon Princetons departure from theater, Commander, Naval Forces
Far East (ComNavForFE) sent the following message:
It is with great pride that ComNavForFE congratulates the
offcers and men of Air Group 19 for the outstanding manner in
which you gave close air support to troops of the United Nations
ashore and interdicted the rail and highway nets of northeast Korea.
This in the face of a determined enemy and the adverse weather of
the season. The high traditions of Air Group 19 were most worthily
upheld . Best luck to you all. VADM C. Turner Joy.
The squadron returned to San Diego 29 August 1951 and after a
standdown was reformed to become a part of Air Task Group Two (ATG-2).

On 10 January 1952, the squadron received Grumman F9F-2
Panthers to replace Corsairs and began an intensive training period to
get ready for their next deployment in June.
VF-821 embarked in Essex (CVA-9) 16 June as a ATG-2 unit
with 23 pilots and 16 Panthers. ATG-2 was composed of:
ATG-2 (W)
USS Essex (CV-9)
16 Jun 526 Feb 53 (WestPac, Korean War)
(D)100 VF-871 (*1) Griffns F4U-4
(M)200 VF-23 Flashers F9F-2
(A)300 VF-821 Kingpins F9F-2
(NP)xx VC-3 Det I Blue Nemesis F4U-5N
(PP)xx VC-61 Det I Eyes of the Fleet F2H-2P
(NR)xx VC-35 Det I Night Hecklers AD-4N
(ND)xx VC-11 Det I AD-4W
(UP)xx HU-1 Det I Pacifc Fleet Angels HO3S-1
(*1) Reserve squadron VF-871 was redesignated VF-123 on 4 Feb 53
VF-821 Kingpins Go to War ...
by Mark Morgan
U
S
N
VF-821 Kingpins preparing for takeoff from USS Princeton (CV-37)
in 1951, fying F4U-4 Corsairs previously belonging to VF-192.
On 1 August 1952, ATG-2 few
its frst combat missions against
North Korean and Communist
Chinese forces. A total of 1,152
offensive and 475 defensive mis-
sions were fown by VF-821 during
a little more than six months that
Essex was in the Korean com-
bat zone. Squadron pilots few
an average of 50 missions each
over enemy territory.
Essex pulled off the line for the
last time 11 January 1953 and returned
to San Diego 6 February. Four days prior to its arrival in San Diego,
VF-821 was redesignated VF-143 as a component of the newly formed
Carrier Air Group 14 (CVG-14). (Ed. Note: During this period the
Navy changed squadron designations to ft the number of the carrier air
group assigned.) The squadron moved to NAS Miramar and began its
retraining syllabus. In May 1953 the squadron transitioned from F9F-2
Panthers to sweptwing F9F-6 Cougars.
After redesignation from VF-821 to VF-143, the squadron nickname
also changed from Kingpins to Cougars The squadron made three
Western Pacifc deployments, 195154 as a component of ATG-2
composed of:
ATG-2 (W)
USS Essex (CVA-9)
1 Dec 5312 Jul 54 (WestPac)
(M)100 VF-23 (*1) Flashers F2H-3
(A)200 VF-143 Cougars F9F-6
(D)300 VF-123 The Blue Racers F9F-2
(NP)xx VC-3 Det I Blue Nemesis F2H-3
(PP)xx VC-61 Det I Eyes of the Fleet F9F-5P
(NR)xx VC-35 Det I Night Hecklers AD-4N
(ND)xx VC-11 Det I . AD-4W
(UP)xx HU-1 Det I Pacifc Fleet Angels HO3S-1
(*1) VF-23 eventually redesignated VF-151 on 23 Feb 59
... Then Redesignate
to VF-143
ATG-2 (W)
USS Philippine Sea (CVA-47)
1 Apr 5523 Nov 55 (WestPac)
(A)100 VF-143 Cougars F9F-6
(D)300 VF-123 (*1) The Blue Racers F9F-2
(S)500 VA-55 Warhorses AD-6
(PP)xx VC-61 Det I (*2) Eyes of the Fleet F9F-2P
(NR)xx VC-35 Det I (*3) Night Hecklers AD-5N
(ND)xx VC-11 Det I (*4) AD-4W
(UP)xx HU-1 Unit16 Pacifc Fleet Angels HUP-2
(*1) VF-123 eventually redesignated VF-53 on 12 Apr 59
(*2) VC-61 eventually redesignated VFP-61 on 2 Jul 56
(*3) VC-35 eventually redesignated VA(AW)-35 on 1 Jul 56
(*4) VC-11 eventually redesignated VAW-11 on 1 Jul 56
Top: Five VF-143 Kingpins North American FJ-3M Furies over the desert near El
Centro, Calif., Apr 57. Above: ATG-2 F9F-2 Panthers from VF-23 and VF-821
loaded with 500-lb. bombs, USS Essex (CVA-9), Jun 52 Feb 53 during a Korean
War deployment.
Courtesy Warren Thompson
N
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6
2
5
1
ATG-2 (NB)
USS Hancock (CVA-19)
6 Apr 5718 Sep 57 (WestPac)
100 VF-143 (*1) Kingpins FJ-3M
200 VA-116 (*2) Road Runners F7U-3M
(WE)300 VMF(AW)-214 Black Sheep F2H-4
400 VA-55 Warhorses AD-6/-7/4Q
(PP)9xx VFP-61 Det I (*3) Eyes of the Fleet F2H-2P
(ZC)xx VAH-6 Det I Fleurs AJ-2
(NR)xx VA(AW)-35 Det I (*4) Night Hecklers AD-5N
(ND)xx VAW-11 Det I AD-5W
(UP)xx HU-1 Det I Pacifc Fleet Angels HUP-2
(*1) VF-143 disestablished on 1 Apr 5
(*2) VA-116 eventually redesignated VA-144 on 23 Feb 59
(*3) VFP-61 eventually redesignated VCP-63 on 1 Jul 55
(*4) VA(AW)-35 eventually redesignated VA-122 on 29 Jun 59
Following transition to the North American FJ-3M Fury in August
1956, the squadron returned to the Kingpins name.
Hancock and ATG-2 returned from cruise 18 September 1957 with the
Kingpins expecting to trade their Furies for supersonic Vought F8U-1
Crusaders. This was not to be as VF-143, the frst squadron to be so
designated, was disestablished 1 April 1958.
On 20 June 1962, the VF-53 Blue Knights were transferred to CVG-14
and the squadron was redesignated as VF-143, the second squadron to be
so designated. The second VF-143 originally began as VF-871, a Naval
Reserve squadron from NAS Alameda and later designated as VF-123
(See The Hook, Fa and Wi 01). Today the squadron fies the
F/A-18E Super Hornets as VFA-143 Pukin Dogs.
Andy Nguyen, www.windshow.com
An F/A-18E Super Hornet during an airshow.
National Archives 80-G-430811 via Jim Sullivan
Art Scarbourgh via Jim Sullivan
Above: A VF-821 Vought F4U-4 Corsair loaded with 5-in. rockets and
500-lb. bombs is launched from USS Princeton (CV-37) for another mission
over North Korea, c. Jul 51. Note the mission markings on the fuselage.
Below: VF-821 F4U-4 Corsair, NAAS El Centro in 1951, assigned to
CVG-10, prior to deployment to Korea.
Command Changes
CSG-2
RDML DeWolfe H. Miller III
relieved
RADM John C. Aquino
17 February 2014
USS George H.W. Bush
Atlantic Ocean
NAVAL EDUCATION AND
TRAINING COMMAND
RADM Michael S. White
relieved
RADM Donald P. Quinn
24 January 2014
NAS Pensacola
CVW-17
CAPT Daniel W. Dwyer
assumed command
3 December 2013
NAS Lemoore
CVW-3
CAPT George M. Wikoff
relieved
CAPT Sara A. Joyner
22 December 2013
USS Harry S. Truman
Persian Gulf
VFA-106
CDR Brent M. Blackmer
relieved
CDR Edward E. White
27 August 2013
NAS Oceana
HSC-7
CDR Margaret V. Wilson
relieved
CDR Brian S. Knowles
23 November 2013
USS Harry S. Truman
Gulf of Oman
VFA-131
CDR Matthew A. Barker
relieved
CDR Timothy D. Tippett
6 December 2013
NAS Oceana
HSM-51
CDR Thaddeus M. Johnson
relieved
CDR David Loo
10 December 2013
NAF Atsugi, Japan
HSM-74
CDR Matt L. Boren
relieved
CDR James E. Miller
21 December 2013
USS Harry S. Truman
Persian Gulf
VMFA-312
LtCol Nathan M. Miller,
USMC
relieved
LtCol Joseph D. Reedy III, USMC
26 December 2013
USS Harry S. Truman
Persian Gulf
VFA-37
CDR Larry D. DeLong
relieved
CDR Philip W. Walker
9 January 2014
USS Harry S. Truman
Gulf of Oman
VAQ-136
CDR Brent K. Tornga
relieved
CDR Scott A. Hardy
14 January 2014
NAS Whidbey Island
VAQ-137
CDR Christopher M. Bahner
relieved
CDR Trevor B. Estes
31 January 2014
NAS Key West
VFC-12
CDR Scott D. Seeder
relieved
CDR Mark B. Sucato
31 January 2014
NAS Oceana
VFA-25
CDR Michael D. Snowden
relieved
CDR Ryan C. Smith
20 February 2014
NAS Lemoore
IN MARSHAL
Reunions
USS TARAWA (CV-40 and LHA-1) 2427 April 2014, Branson, Mo., USS
Tarawa Veterans Association, Ken Underdown, President, 31 Islet Rd., Levittown,
PA 19057, (215) 547-0245 or Walter Tothero, Membership/Treasurer, 106 N.
Tranquil Trail, Crawfordsville, IN 47933, (765) 362-6937, walsue@accelplus.net
F-8 CRUSADER ASSOCIATION, 27TH LAST ANNUAL CRUSADER
BALL 2125 May 2014, Coronado, Calif., CAPT Dick Evert, USN(Ret),
richardevert68@gmail.com
NAS SANFORD, ALL UNITS, 19421968 2629 June 2014, Sanford, Fla.,
Fleet Reserve Branch 147, 3040 W. SR 46, Sanford, FL 32771, CDR Ralph Feeback,
USN(Ret), 205 Poinsetta Dr., Sanford, FL 32773, (407) 302-2252, dlfrsf@aol.com
USS MIDWAY (CVB/CVA/CV-41) AND USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
(CVB/CVA/CV-42) 23-31 August 2014, Washington, D.C., Al Wedemeyer,
P.O. Box 314, Hebron, KY 41048-0314, (859) 7001: website www.squadrons-
shipmates-of-the-fdr-midway.com or squadronsmates@aol.com
VFA-14, 95TH ANNIVERSARY In conjunction with the Tailhook Association
Symposium, Reunion, Sparks (Reno), Nev., LT Tim Ahab Lachenmaier, (559)
998-0454, timothy.lachenmaier@navy.mil
USS HORNET (CV-8, CV, CVA, CVS-12) 912 September 2014, Hilton
Double Tree-Airport Hotel, 37 NE Loop 410 (McCullough), San Antonio, Texas,
78216, (210) 366-2424, USS Hornet Association, Inc., Carl and Sandy Burket
(Secretary), P.O. Box 108, Roaring Spring, PA 16673, (814) 224-5063, hornetcva@
aol.com, website www.usshornetassn.com
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS SOCIETY 2125 September 2014,
Clearwater Beach, St. Petersburg, Fla., The Reunion BRAT, (360) 663-2521,
thereunionbrat@hotmail.com or www.dfcsociety.net
USS RANGER (CVA/CV-61) ASSOCIATION 14 October 2014, Crown
Plaza Hotel, Jacksonville, Fla., Larry and Mary Schmuhl, (904) 997-2217,
lschmuhl@gmail.com
USS LEXINGTON (CV/CVA/CVS/CVT/AVT-16) 58 October 2014,
Radisson Hotel, Corpus Christi, Texas, Bob Dimonte, (805) 492-3483, www.
usslexingtoncv16.com
VC-12, VAW-12 2326 October 2014, Norfolk Airport Hilton Hotel (to be
renamed Doubletree 14 April 2014), Dick Bray, P.O. Box 65, Churchville, NY
14428, cell (585) 576-0595; leighbray@hotmail.com
VAW/VRC 17 October 2014, Norfolk, Va., www.vaw-vrcreadyroom.org
RED RIPPERS WINTER 2013 14
by LT Adam Fisel, USN
he VFA-11 Red Rippers conducted training detachments (dets)
across the country to improve fghting skills, and in the holiday
season, actively participated in local charitable events.
After Thanksgiving, the squadron along with CVW-1 Super Hornet and
Growler squadrons traveled to Nellis AFB, Nev. to participate in a Joint
interoperability exercise. Red Rippers gained valuable experience training
with the U.S. Air Force in fight operations and logistical planning.
Back at The Beach the Red Rippers eagerly supported charitable
events during the Christmas holiday season. The Red Rippers First Class
Petty Offcers Association organized a squadron coat-and-blanket drive
for local needy families. More than 200 jackets, sweatshirts and blankets
were collected from Red Ripper families and donated to Hampton Roads
Union Ministries. These items proved critical during a winter in the
Hampton Roads area marked by two major winter storms. Not to be
outdone, the ready room set up multiple drop locations in the squadron
for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, collecting
more than 50 toys for children in need.
With the start of the new year, the Red Rippers were back on det. Along
with other CVW-1 squadrons and a CSG-12 surface
combatant, the Red Rippers traveled to NAS Key West.
Working closely with the USS Normandy (CG-60),
the carrier air wing began incorporation of naval
integrated fre control counter-air capabilities. This
key operational and tactical capability will allow Naval
and Joint commanders to provide improved defense
of U.S. forces in contested areas. Squadron aircrew,
maintenance personnel and F/A-18F Super Hornets
performed superbly with command-and-control
platforms. Everyone also enjoyed the Florida weather
while it snowed back home in Virginia Beach.
Through it all, the Red Rippers continued prepa-
ration for the optimized feet readiness
training plan, otherwise known as work
ups. Heres to us!
T
USN
USN, MCSN Kris Lindstrom, USN
Left: LT Joel Nogle returns from his last F/A-18F Super
Hornet fight with the VFA-11 Red Rippers, 30 Dec 13.
From left: LCDR K.C. Hollon, Mrs. Liz Nogle, LT Joel
Nogle, LT Jason Delaneuville. Below: USS Theodore
Roosevelt (CVN-71) received approximately three inches
of snow while under way for training, 29 Jan 13.
CVW-1 CVN-71
CVW-3 FIRST QUARTER UPDATE
Submitted by CVW-3 PAO
he frst quarter of Fiscal Year 14 was busy and exciting for
CVW-3. While embarked in USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75),
Team Battle Axe showed great resolve by continuing tip of the
spear combat sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
(OEF). Over the past three months, the pilots and aircrew provided
Joint maritime defense of the Persian Gulf, armed-over watch and close
air support for U.S. and Coalition troops on the ground in Afghanistan
while the aviation support teams ensured each aircraft was ready for
employment of the nations bidding.
In-port liberty was another CVW-3 mission that
was successfully conducted during three liberty
ports in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR).
Truman, CVW-3, First Combined Destroyer
Squadron (1-CDS), Carrier Strike Group 10
(CSG-10) and USS Gettysburg (CG-64) pulled into
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October and
November for some downtime to recharge and return
refreshed for continued OEF tasking. In December,
Truman and Team Battle Axe visited Bahrain during
the Christmas holiday season, allowing Sailors and
Marines the opportunity to be a part of the Christmas
morning activities for family back home via video on
Skype and FaceTime.
On 22 December, CAPT Sara Joyner relinquished
command to CAPT George Wikoff as the 58th
Commander of CVW-3.
VFA-32
While deployed to 5th Fleet AOR, the VFA-32
Swordsmen supported OEF, fying hundreds of
sorties into Afghanistan and continued the Navys
mission of power projection in the North Arabian
Sea and Persian Gulf. The Swordsmen conducted many unit level
training missions. Three Swordsmen aircrew earned mission commander
qualifcation, two completed strike fghter weapons and tactics (SFWT)
Level III and two completed the SFWT Level II syllabus no small
feat while demonstrating the hard work and dedication required to hone
their craft. The Swordsmen continue training opportunities and support of
Coalition forces in 5th Fleet AOR and OEF. Gypsy Roll!
VMFA-312
The VMFA-312 Checkerboards supported OEF in October. To
maintain full mission capable (FMC) aircraft, the aviation maintenance
team continued to work diligently and was successful in providing
aircraft for aircrew to fy in-country. As a reward for all the hard work
and dedication to OEF, the Checkerboards along with the entire CSG-10
team participated in a shipwide swim call in the Gulf of Oman.
The squadron was actively involved in top level planning that
contributed to theater security cooperation events in Saudi Arabia. The
Coalition exercise focused on rigorous air-to-air and air-to-ground
training between Saudi Arabian, U.S. Marine and U.S. Air Force aircrew.
With Thanksgiving Day at sea, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) ADM
Jonathan Greenert and Master Chief Petty Offcer of the Navy Mike
Stevens visited Harry S. Truman for an all-hands call on the fight deck
and a personal visit with the warfghters. They answered questions and
conveyed a warm Thanksgiving message to the troops.
VMFA-312 held a 26 December Change of Command in Bahrain
that included Gen James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps,
SgtMaj Michael Barrett, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and Sgt
Dakota Meyer, a recent Medal of Honor recipient. The Checkerboards
command sergeant major, SgtMaj Philip J. LaFountain, fawlessly
prepared the Marines for review, receiving high praise from the First
Lady of the Marine Corps, Bonnie Amos, also in attendance. The Change
of Command from LtCol Joseph D.
Reedy III to LtCol Nathan M. Miller
was a huge success and the presence
of Gen Amos was a great morale boost
for the Checkerboards.
CVW-3 CVN-75
Left: While deployed to the U.S. 5th
Fleet area of responsibility, LT Thomas
McDonald, USN, USS Harry S. Truman
(CVN-75) catapult offcer, gives the launch
signal to a VFA-32 Swordsmen F/A-18F
Super Hornet, 12 Oct 13. Above: A
VFMA-312 Checkerboards F/A-18C Hornet,
launches from Harry S. Truman in the Gulf
of Oman, 25 Nov 13.
USN, MCSN Karl Anderson, USN
USN, MCSN Emily M. Blair, USN
T
HSC-7
In October the HSC-7 Dusty Dogs conducted a challenging night
medical evacuation (MedEvac) of a severely injured mariner from a
merchant cargo ship. The patient was transported to Muscat, Oman for
medical treatment and recuperation. During the month the squadron sent
a detachment (det) of two helos and 38 personnel to Masirah, Oman for
terrain fight training. The aircrew and maintenance personnel det spent
several days and nights on the island practicing fight tactics over the
remote terrain of the Masirah range and keeping crews at high readiness.
In November CDR Margaret Wilson relieved CDR Brian Knowles as
HSC-7 commanding offcer in an airborne change-of-command ceremony.
The Dusty Dogs welcomed CDR Timothy Moore as executive offcer.
HSC-7 continued to press forward with training fights while supporting
operational requirements. The Dusty Dogs designated two helicopter
aircraft commanders (HACs) and four helicopter second pilots (H2Ps).
VAW-126
The VAW-126 Seahawks demonstrated a high
level of readiness, tactical profciency and mission
effectiveness. The Seahawks represented CVW-3
in the Dubai Airshow at the Dubai World Central
International Airport in the UAE 17 21 November.
It provided an opportunity to display the advanced
capabilities of the E-2C Hawkeye to the international
aviation community while also showcasing the pride
and professionalism of the men and women who fy
and maintain our aircraft.
VAW-126 also performed as the lead CVW-3 plan-
ner and overall air wing mission lead for Joint Air
Defense Exercise 14-1, an exercise in the North Ara-
bian Sea designed to practice command and control
tactics of the Combined defense of the Arabian Gulf.
Working with Gettysburg (CG-64), the Seahawks
planned, briefed and conducted the CVW-3 portion
of this large scale, combatant command level event,
further increasing overall strike group readiness in
this vital mission area.
VFA-37
The Ragin Bulls mission statement is simple: We fy combat-ready
aircraft, 24/7, anywhere in the world. VFA-37 is fulflling this mission
while deployed to the Gulf of Oman and North Arabian Sea. To help
keep the Bulls fying, the Ragin maintenance team consistently provided
10 FMC aircraft for combat operations in support of OEF. Because of
the excellence demonstrated to maintain and fy the aircraft, the Bulls
claimed four Top Ten ball-fying pilots and were awarded the Top Hook
Award during CVW-3s third line period. The continued professional and
tactical development of the squadron during the quarter also led to one
wing-qualifed landing signal offcer and three SFWT Level III combat
section leads. The Bulls have high hopes for the remainder of Harry S.
Trumans deployment.
Team Battle Axe continues to support the Navy, Joint forces and our
Allies as we look forward to working closely with them during
the deployment. In all we do, our goal remains, Combat
Ready Aircraft, Combat Ready Aircrew, Safe Operations.
USN, MC2 Adam Brock, USN
AM3 Grant Muskevitsch, HSC-8 Dusty Dogs, directs an MH-60S Knighthawks as it departs Truman in the
North Arabian Sea, 9 Nov 13.
Capt Derek Heinz, USMC, a VMFA-312 Checkerboards LSO,
communicates with a VFA-37 Ragin Bulls F/A-18C Hornet, as
it prepares to land on Truman in the Gulf of Oman, 18 Oct 13.
HSM-74
The HSM-74 Swamp Foxes performed at a high level
while working with several ships during the deployment.
A Swamp Foxes det conducted a mixed operations
Encounter-Ex with French frigate Aconit.
A MH-60R from USS Harry S.
Truman conducted deck landing qualifcations on
board the frigate while a Dauphin helicopter from
Aconit conducted similar operations with Gettysburg.
The cooperation and professionalism shown by both
organizations was noteworthy and was a sterling
example of the partnership fostered by all Coalition
forces operating in the AOR.
Det One completed an extended 10-month deploy-
ment embarked in Gravely (DDG-107) operating in
the 6th Fleet AOR. They became the primary avia-
tion response asset in the Eastern Mediterranean dur-
ing the Syrian crisis by supporting four Arleigh
Burke-class destroyers with vertical replenishments,
passenger and parts transfers, MedEvac, search and
rescue (SAR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and
surface-search-and-coordination missions. Det One was also
requested by the Greek government to be the primary aviation asset con-
ducting a SAR mission to fnd and track a vessel in distress with more
than 150 refugees on board. After taking over as the sole escort for Nimitz
(CVN-68), Det One stopped for some rest and relaxation in Naples, Italy
prior to departing the 6th Fleet AOR and heading home to the USA.
Det Two, with Gettysburg, proved critical to CSG-10 by providing
the constant night recognized maritime picture for Truman, completing
two ASW training events culminating in employment of a recoverable
exercise torpedo and successfully conducting a MedEvac that saved the
life of a crewmember. Along with Truman Det, they participated in the
Encounter-Ex with Aconit. Three Sailors were advanced after passing
rating exams and three Sailors earned Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist
qualifcations and were pinned during the CNOs Thanksgiving visit.
Additionally, Det Two designated one new H2P and one HAC and
qualifed a new functional check pilot. Det Two could not have had a
more successful quarter.
Det Three embarked in Mason (DDG-87) provided vital services to
the international maritime community with MedEvac and passenger
transfer services into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Camp Lemmonier,
Djibouti. As the only air asset in the immediate vicinity to merchant
mariners and logistic hubs, Det Three answered the call repeatedly.
They also conducted a ship-helo SAR integration training exercise
that included deployment of ship and helicopter SAR
swimmers, culminating in helicopter live hoist training.
Det Three has furthered its pilot qualifcations with
one new H2P and landing safety offcer.
Det Four embarked in San Jacinto (CG-56) split
time between conducting strategic missions in the Red
Sea in support of Nimitz Strike Group and in the Persian
Gulf in support of CSG-10. Det Four also completed
an open ocean SAR jump exercise and kept the supply
chain fowing by fying several high priority logistics
runs into Djibouti and Bahrain. During the quarter,
Det Four proudly qualifed two H2Ps, had four Sailors
advanced in rank, pinned fve shipmates with Enlisted
Aviation Warfare Specialist qualifcations and
awarded two of its aircrewmen the Navy and Marine
Corps Achievement Medal in support of a MedEvac
of a foreign national.
VAQ-130
The VAQ-130 Zappers were awarded the Top Hook Award at the
completion of CVW-3s second line period. Zappers OEF support led to
more than 100 combat sorties and highly successful training fights that
helped train aircrew in the air as well as extensive training for CSG-10
surface assets.
VFA-105
The VFA-105 Gunslingers supported OEF operations in Afghanistan,
conducting unit level training at multiple bombing ranges throughout
the region and showing distinguished visitors from around the AOR the
Gunslingers capabilities.
The sheer number of sorties fown in the quarter (283) is a testament
to the hard work and dedication of the maintenance personnel and the
entire Gunslingers team. Due to the drive and professionalism that the
maintenance team provides, the squadron takes pride in FMC jets in the
demanding at sea environment. The Gunslingers motto is as applicable as
ever. Tonight We Ride!
A VAQ-130 Zappers EA-18G Growler launches from
Harry S. Truman in the Gulf of Oman, 14 Oct 13.
VAQ-141 AWARDED GOLDEN WRENCH
by LTJG Aaron BK Kinghorn, USN
ecember marked the end of the second cruise as part of
forward-deployed naval forces for the VAQ-141 Shadowhawks.
This cruise also marked the third EA-18G Growler aircraft
carrier-based deployment, all three of which were completed by
VAQ-141. By bringing the upgraded capabilities of the EA-18G to the
Western Pacifc, VAQ-141 supported CVW-5 underway operations
with 1,341 fight hours and more than 860 sorties. The squadron was
subsequently awarded the VAQ Tactical Excellence Award for 2013.
The Shadowhawks participated in three international exercises and one
humanitarian aid and disaster relief effort during the deployment.
VAQ-141s success was due in large part to a tremendous effort by
the maintenance department that provided more than 24,400 man-hours
of labor. The Shadowhawks maintenance team was awarded the CVW-5
Golden Wrench Award (third quarter). Excellence in the maintenance
department was also refected in 28 Sailors who earned Enlisted Aviation
Warfare Specialist qualifcations while underway. Additionally VAQ-141
had 18 Sailors, four chief petty offcers and three senior chief petty offcers
frocked while underway.
Kicking off the exercises was the biannual exercise, Talisman Saber.
Assets from the U.S. and Australia combined in this Joint exercise to
enhance training and strengthen international relations. Focusing heavily
on suppression of enemy air defense and close-air-support missions, the
Shadowhawks were successful in working with the Australian Royal Air
Force to achieve desired effects. After the conclusion of Talisman Saber,
USS George Washington (CVN-73) and CVW-5 made their way toward
Okinawa to continue training. While there,
VAQ-141 successfully led an air wing mis-
sile exercise where the upgraded systems on
the Growler were used to locate, target and
employ AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radia-
tion Missiles against foating targets.
The next stop for the Shadowhawks
was Korea, where CVW-5 played an
integral role in protecting the carrier strike
group and Allied strike groups during a
maritime counter special operating force
exercise. VAQ-141 integrated seamlessly
with the strike group used on board
sensors to provide detection, identifcation
and targeting for contacts of interest.
As the exercise drew to a close, CVW-5
headed south toward Singapore where
the Shadowhawks achieved a unique
opportunity to enhance their air-to-air
skills, fying against SU-30s and F-15s
from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
While VAQ-141 was operating in the
South China Sea, tragedy struck nearby
in the Philippines as Super Typhoon
Haiyan swept across the islands with
winds in excess of 190 mph, leaving a
trail of destruction in its wake. George
Washington and CVW-5 were quickly on scene to provide humanitarian
aid and disaster relief. VAQ-141 offcers provided manning for support of
Operation Damayanan and several Sailors went ashore to deliver food,
water and labor in the disaster stricken areas of Guian and Tacloban. The
Shadowhawks continued providing support until operations were taken
over by the U.S. Marine Corps.
The fnal exercise before heading home was Annual Ex, a yearly coop-
erative mission between the Navy, Air Force and the Japan Maritime
Self-Defense Force. VAQ-141 continued refning airborne electronic attack
(AEA) tactics, using the Growlers systems to provide electronic detection,
warning and attack for simulated threats during
the exercise. On completion, CVW-5 turned back
to Japan, and the Shadowhawks returned home for
well-deserved rest and time with family. Now estab-
lished as an integral part of CVW-5, the VAQ-141
Shadowhawks continue to provide outstanding
AEA support, validating and refning
tactics as the only forward-deployed
electronic attack squadron in the Navy.
D
Above: An aircraft director gives the hold brakes sig-
nal to a VAQ-141 Shadowhawks E/A-18G Growler,
USS George Washington (CVN-73), 9 Oct 13. Left: A
VAQ-141 Shadowhawks EA-18G Growler, embarked
with CVW-5, makes an arrested landing on Washington
off the Korean peninsula, 10 Oct 13.
USN, MCSN Liam Kennedy, USN
USN, MC3 Ricardo R. Guzman, USN
CVW-5 CVN-73
VFA-87 COMPLETES WORK UPS
WITH CVW-8 TEAM FACTORY
by LT Kyle Copeland, USN
he VFA-87 Golden Warriors along with other CVW-8 squadrons,
VFA-15, VFA-31, VFA-213, VAQ-134, VAW-124, HSC-9 and
HSM-70, recently completed Composite Training Unit Exercise
(CompTUEx), marking the completion of the intermediate phase of the
Fleet Response Training Plan.
CSG-2 championed a successful month of assessment-based training
during CompTUEx. With Team Factory fring on all cylinders after
returning from Air Wing Fallon, the air wing reintegrated with the
strike group. The Golden Warriors performed exceptionally well,
accomplishing blue-water certifcation while the CSG-2 team made its
fnal preparations for deployment.
During CompTUEx, Commander, Carrier Air Wing Eight, CAPT Dan
Cheever, recorded his 1,000 trap, a remarkable milestone that few Naval
Aviators have achieved.
As Team Factory prepares to answer our countrys call to defend
liberty and democracy, we realize that weaving the blanket of freedom
does not come without sacrifce. The Golden Warriors are reminded
and thankful for the repeated sacrifces that Navy families make while
serving this great country. This selfess support is critical to our teams
continued success.
VALIONS NONE FINER ON COMPTUEX
by LTJG Jon Hagerman, USN
To end their impressive year of predeployment work ups, the
VFA-15 Valions were on board USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)
19 November 19 December 2013 for CompTUEx. The three-week
exercise, conducted off the East Coast between Virginia and Florida,
began one week after initial embarkation and carrier qualifcations during
which CVW-8 aircrew regained their profciency operating in the aircraft
carrier environment. The Valions dominated in every category in keeping
with their legacy. None Finer.
The Valions were tasked with numerous missions including close air
support, defensive counter-air as well as surface search and coordination.
The Valions met all the demands of these missions and completed
a total of 336 sorties, accumulating 579 fight hours. Honing skills in
the air-to-ground missions, VFA-15 pilots employed a total of 15,456
pounds of ordnance consisting of laser-guided bombs, Joint Direct Attack
Munitions (JDAM) and a Laser JDAM.
The Valions success was due to the tireless efforts of the Sailors who
provided the support necessary to complete the demanding fight schedule.
Embracing the lessons learned from CompTUEx and in fnal
preparation for deployment, the Valions team strengthened both their
skills and resolve again demonstrating there is None Finer.
BEAR ACES HOST GRIZZLY TEMPEST
by LTJG Bryan Gentz, USN
This year the VAW-124 Bear Aces of VAW-124 have created a model
for other Hawkeye squadrons by paving the way for improving strike
group integration at minimal cost.
In support of the Air and Missile Defense Commander, the Bear Aces
trained more than 20 shipboard air intercept controllers (AIC) through
daily AIC support to all four CVW-8 fghter squadrons. In addition, they
established at-sea mobile training teams during Tailored Ships Training
Availability and CompTUEx to provide aviation-specifc training to
shipboard Tactical Action Offcers, controllers, and leadership.
The Bear Aces also led CVW-8 involvement in eight air defense
exercises across the eastern seaboard, signifcantly improving defense of
the Navys valuable and combat-capable strike group.
A leader in maritime tactical innovation, the Bear Aces created two
large-force employment exercises, simulating dynamic maritime warfare
in hostile waters in the Virginia Capes area. Dubbed Exercise Grizzly
Tempest 13-1 and 13-2, the Bears Aces hosted more than 16 F/A-18
Hornets, Marine EA-6Bs, Air Force Joint surveillance and target attack
radar systems and new P-8A Poseidons from the VP-16 War Eagles to
fnd targets of opportunity simulated by local shipping traffc, while
simultaneously working with special operations forces in the Dare County
range. Moreover, the Bear Aces helped craft a formal coordination system
to link Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Two with CVW-8 assets through the
establishment of a maritime air planning and response cell as well as sea
combat liaison offcers to streamline command and control of dynamic
maritime targets.
ComCVW-8, CAPT Dan Cheever, USN, receives a hearty handshake
from RADM Chris Lung Aquilino, welcoming CAG to the 1,000 trap
club. In the inset, CAG Cheever lands on board USS George H.W. Bush
(CVN-77) in a VFA-213 Black Lions F/A-18F Super Hornet with LCDR
Jessie Shotgun Stigi, CVW-8 strike operations offcer, 7 Dec 13.
T
USN
USN
CVW-8 CVN-77
CVW-9 CONTINUES TACTICAL TRAINING
by LT Colin Gaines, USN
fter CVW-9 successfully completed the three-week Combined
Exercise Flying Rhino with the U.K. 1st Armoured Division Joint
terminal attack controllers, the air wing began preparations for
an integrated large-force employment (LFE) exercise with USS Mobile
Bay (CG-53), Airborne Tactical Advantage Company and all CVW-9
squadrons. The operation consisted of a prolonged and successful air
defense exercise off the coast of Pt. Mugu, Calif. in October. During the
exercise, CVW-9 and Mobile Bay successfully implemented integrated
command-and-control tactics maximizing each assets tactical strengths
to further hone the CSG-3 Air Defense Doctrine. The exercise provided
valuable information in allowing CSG-3 to remain prepared to effectively
counter the most advanced threat existing in the world today.
Two weeks later CVW-9 conducted an LFE within the Yuma Training
Range Complex with support from the Southwest Tactical Training Range
personnel and VMFT-401 Snipers. The exercise refned the air wings com-
bat search-and-rescue (CSAR) skills while providing training, through a
series of lectures and mission planning labs, to
CVW-9 personnel in the intricacies of personnel
recovery behind enemy lines.
During December, CVW-9 completed a carrier
qualifcation (CQ) detachment (det) on board
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). The four-day CQ
det allowed the majority of the air wing to regain
landing currency and provided training for the
landing signal offcers and nuggets in the air wing.
At home on board NAS Lemoore, three
CVW-9 squadrons refurbished the bases static
display aircraft a VA-25 Fist of the Fleet
A-1 Skyraider, a VA-97 Warhawks A-7 Corsair
II and a VA-192 Golden Dragons A-4 Skyhawk. The display aircraft
are each maintained by the successor squadron. All three squadrons
now fy F/A-18E Super Hornets. Maintaining these display aircraft is
important to CVW-9 and NAS Lemoore, as each is a special tribute to
Naval Aviation history. The A-4 Skyhawk was painted in honor of CAPT
Michael J. Estocin, the Navys only jet pilot to receive the Medal of
Honor, awarded posthumously for his gallant actions in the Vietnam War
20 26 April 1967 while a pilot with the VA-192 Golden Dragons. CAPT
Estocin repeatedly demonstrated unnerving calm and inspiring courage
during two coordinated strikes over Vietnam. His legacy lives on with the
CAPT Michael J. Estocin Award presented annually to the Navys top
F/A-18 squadron.
VAQ-136 MOUNTAIN ROUNDUP
by LTJG Austin Wilkinson, USN
The VAQ-136 Gauntlets participated in a German Air Force
multinational exercise in October dubbed Mountain Roundup 2013.
The Germans being gracious hosts, welcomed the Gauntlets with
open arms and a steady fow of schnitzel and snuff. Operating out of
Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, the Gauntlets provided suppression of
enemy air defenses (SEAD) support to ground and air forces from
multiple countries including Germany, Canada, Singapore, Holland
and the United States. All countries participated with professionalism
and tactical cooperation, enabling each to accomplish the mission with
upmost effciency.
Mountain Roundup 2013 used NATO-style strikes, creating a tactical
experience impossible to duplicate at home. Ten different aircraft
platforms participated with upward of 35 to 40 jets fying per training
mission. The platforms included German Tornados, Canadian F/A-18A
Hornets, USAF and Singaporean F-15 Strike Eagles, USN EA-18G
Growlers, Marine AV-8A Harriers, USAF A-10C Thunderbolts, B-1B
Lancers, RC-135V/W Rivet Joints, KC-135 Stratotankers, C-130
Hercules, U.S. Army UH-60A Black Hawks and AH-64 Apaches. Each
of these aircraft participated in mission specifc rolls including Strike/
SEAD, close air support, offensive counter-air, defensive counter-air,
CSAR, aerial refueling, electronic surveillance and electronic attack.
This exercise brought an unprecedented amount
of specialized capabilities together to accomplish
the mission with precision.
Mountain Roundup is the fnalization of the
demanding German fghter weapons instructor
course based out of Holloman AFB, N.M. The
program has a long history of collaboration,
with its roots going back to Luke AFB in 1968.
Working with the best Germany has to offer,
this training opportunity yielded the Gauntlets
an improved tactical advantage for future Joint
operations. LT Louis Majerchin, assistant opera-
tions offcer, noted, It was an enlightening
experience to learn the capabilities of the aircraft from the operators
themselves. This information allowed us to support and protect the air-
craft effciently in a target-rich environment.
The Gauntlets worked with a sister squadron, the VAQ-137 Rooks.
This fostered an environment of sharing tactical knowledge and
technical know-how in order to effectively employ the Growler. The
Gauntlets were accomplishing their frst SEAD specifc det, while the
Rooks participated in their frst squadron det since transitioning and
recently graduating from the EA-18G Fleet Readiness Squadron. This
mixture of squadron experience allowed not only the aircrew
to work together, but also provided Gauntlets maintenance
an opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience. The
A
Top: A VA-192 Golden Dragons
A-4 Skyhawk with Medal of
Honor Awardee CAPT M.J.
Estocin stenciled below the cock-
pit. Above: U.K. 1st Armoured
Division insignia. Right: Jets
of Mountain Roundup 2013: A
German Air Force (GAF) AG-51
Tornado, Republic of Singapore
F-15SG Strike Eagle, Royal
Canadian Air Force CF-18
Hornet, GAF LearJet, GAF
Tornado, USMC AV-8B Harrier
II, USN EA-18G Growler, USAF
F-15E Strike Eagle and another
GAF Tornado, 9 Oct 13.
USN
USAF, TSgt Samuel Morse, USAF
CVW-9 CVN-74
added jets and personnel provided a heightened level of production and
effectiveness.
The Gauntlets and Rooks maintenance departments performed an out-
standing job keeping the jets in a full mission capable status. CDR Scott
Hardy, VAQ-136 commanding offcer, said, I am very proud of the pro-
fessionalism that the Gauntlets portrayed during the Mountain Home det.
The squadrons combined efforts accounted for 554 maintenance-hours,
totaling 38 sorties and 100 plus fight hours. ENS Sean Connelly, main-
tenance material control offcer, stated, There are multiple obstacles
associated with maintaining aircraft effciently away from home. Sailors
have to keep their mind on the task ahead, while still dealing with their
families at home. The shops stepped up to the challenge and got the job
done exceptionally well.
Mountain Roundup 2013 ended with a job well done for everyone
involved. The learning experiences, and more importantly, the Growler
Weapons and Tactics Programs signoffs were instrumental in achieving
advanced qualifcations required for operational readiness. The Gauntlets
exceeded all expectations and have come out of Mountain Home a far
superior squadron than going in.
CAMELOT UP AND READY
by LT Tim Ahab Lachenmaier, USN
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, Happiness lies in the joy of
achievement and the thrill of creative effort. With this in mind and a
reasonable amount of time until the next deployment, the VFA-14
Tophatters took advantage of every opportunity to maintain their lethality.
In December 2012, VFA-14 conducted a CQ det off the coast of San
Diego, Calif. on board Carl Vinson. With the ships hospitality and the
support of the air wing, 15 VFA-14 pilots regained day and night aircraft
carrier landing currency by safely accomplishing 41 sorties, totaling 92
day and 29 night arrested landings.
The Tophatters participated in a Green Flag Exercise at Nellis AFB
for two weeks in late January, sharpening their close-air-support (CAS)
skills in a Joint operations environment while building and maintaining
relationships with the U.S. Air Force, U.S Army and U.S Marine Corps
forces. In March 2013, VFA-14 traveled to Florida for multiple dets
to Tyndall AFB for a live missile shoot with Navy Weapon System
Evaluation Program and air-to-air gunnery training, while simultaneously
supporting F-35 operations at Eglin AFB.
With unit level training and various dets, the Tophatters continue to
advance their tactical readiness in the downtime prior to work ups.
Whether progressing through pilot qualifcations, perfecting their ball-
fying skills on the aircraft carrier or conducting missions during Joint
operations, it is these creative efforts that prove to be valuable learning
experiences for the squadron and the air wing.
VFA-25 TRAINING AT HOME AND ON THE ROAD
by LT Colin MEME Newton, USN
On 1 August 2013 VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet joined CVW-9 and then
conducted seven dets. A major undertaking for the Fist team was estab-
lishing a continually rotating det to support the VFA-101 Grim Reapers,
who were in the process of standing up the Navys F-35C Fleet Readiness
Squadron. Additionally, the squadron sent jets and maintenance person-
nel to Fallon, Nev. to support two Topgun classes. The year culminated
with a CQ det on board Carl Vinson
in early December. These assign-
ments provided unique training
opportunities for squadron pilots
and the maintenance department
with sustained dual-sited opera-
tions. The success of these dets is
a direct result of the hard work and
dedication of the Fist of the Fleet
offcers and personnel.
VFA-25 kicked off the frst of
many support dets to Eglin AFB
with four aircraft and 50 personnel.
From staging maintenance equip-
ment to coordinating all aspects
of the operation with the USAF
33rd Fighter Wing, the Fists paved
the way for all subsequent support
dets. While at Eglin, Fist pilots
logged dissimilar air combat train-
USN
USN, LT Tim Hoov Lachenmaier, USN
Right: A VFA-14 Tophatters F/A-18E
Super Hornet traps on board USS Carl
Vinson (CVN-70), 7 Dec 13.
Below: A VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet F/A-18E
Super Hornet CAG bird over the Sierra
Nevadas, 14 Jun 13.
ing (DACT) against Air Force F-15s and F-16s while providing Red Air
support for F-22s out of Tyndall AFB. On the latest trip, squadron weap-
ons tactics offce LT Kirk SLAB Jackson, arranged two weeks of CAS
training with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron from Hurlburt AFB.
Following the Eglin AFB det, the squadron was up and ready to
go. The annual Tailhook Reunion never underwhelms, but this year
was quite memorable because of the 70th Anniversary of the Fist of
the Fleet. It was a great opportunity for current and former Fists to
share war stories. Capping off the night, LT Andy PD Peterson was
presented with the LTJG Harry Jones Memorial Award for Excellence.
After Hook 13, tactical training was again at the forefront of VFA-25s
schedule. From banner shoots to CAS with British Joint terminal attack
controllers (JTACs), Fist pilots continued to hone their skills. Overhead
Superior Valley and the Fallon Ranges, Fist jets provided the assets to
train British JTACs before their deployment to Afghanistan. Through
real-world scenarios of both traditional and Urban CAS, the JTACs
were able to practice their fundamentals with Fists exercising sound
air-to-surface tactics.
Closing out 2013, VFA-25 completed a CQ det on Carl Vinson and was
the frst West Coast squadron to install and begin operational use of the
Distributed Targeting System (DTS). DTS implementation began with a
Naval Air Systems Command presentation followed by many maintenance
man-hours of installation. After only a few training sorties, VFA-25 pilots
were easily able to incorporate DTS into their missions because of the
similarity to other systems. The software has proven to be a huge leap
forward in air-to-surface capability for the strike fghter community.
Even with this demanding schedule, VFA-25 successfully completed
Maintenance Program Assessment and an Aviation Maintenance
Inspection. Both of these verifed the devotion and commitment of the
entire Fist team. VFA-25 is looking forward to an equally diverse training
schedule and other opportunities to excel.
BLACK ACES EXCEL
by LTJG Alex Tinder Bowman, USN
The VFA-41 Black Aces enjoyed their frst Christmas leave period at
home in three years, having completed their third straight combat cruise
the previous spring. The Black Aces were able to spend the holidays
with family and friends and refect on a successful 2013. With the high
tempo of deployment behind them, the Black Aces ended the year with
a renewed focus on teamwork, training and dedication to each other as
well as families.
The Black Aces spent the past fall participating in several Joint
exercises with foreign militaries. Working directly with the U.K.s 1st
Armored Division Joint Terminal Attack Controllers during Exercise
Flying Rhino, the Black Aces provided several air assets in support of
training. The training allowed the British Army to practice coordinating
the strikes of combat aircraft against the notional enemy on the ground.
The Black Aces delivered general-purpose and precision-guided ordnance
while conducting airborne refueling to maximize time-on-station and
provide a realistic training environment. These missions are essential for
achieving consistent results during combat while working with foreign
support on the ground.
The Black Aces also participated in Yama Sakura-65, a Joint exercise
in Chitose, Japan. The command post exercise was led by the Japanese
Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Army. Both the Japanese
Naval and Air Forces were present along with small contingents from
the U.S. Navy, Marines and Air Force. The exercise focused on the
command-and-control structure for a combined U.S. and Japanese force
tasked with retaking the Japanese island of Hokkaido from a fctional
enemy. Black Aces LCDR James Toonces Lucas acted as the Joint
Forces Maritime Combatant Commander and was in charge
of orchestrating the overall naval contribution to the training
effort. Black Aces LT Traver Jody Fordham participated
Above: Hornet Ball 2013 VFA-41
Black Aces win the West Coast Hornet
Ball Championship. Left: Black
Aces F/A-18F Super Hornet aircrew
LT Trevor Mrs. Phillips-Levine
and LT Matt Tugs Atwood on the
taxiway with Mt. Hood, Washington
in the background, 4 Dec 13.
USN
USN
as the naval liaison offcer with the
Air Force in order to deliver naval
air assets into the daily air tasking
order and coordinate ground
targets. The exercise was a great
opportunity for the Black Aces
to build relations with the Japanese military and
expand training outside of the cockpit.
Aside from training, the Black Aces are proud to
announce that in December LT Ryan Stach Golom
was awarded the United Service Organization
George Van Cleave Military Leadership Award at the
52nd Armed Forces Gala and Gold Medal Dinner
in New York City. He was the sole Navy recipient
of the award and was honored alongside awardees
from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Army and Coast
Guard. LT Goloms actions in Operation Enduring
Freedom, extra time dedicated to the squadron and
community service outside the work environment
were the reasons for his selection.
All 12 of the squadrons Lot 30 F/A-18F Super
Hornets are undergoing depot level maintenance
and being upgraded with Confguration-B active
electrically scanned array radars. During this
maintenance phase the jets undergo a series of lengthy inspections to
discover, repair and prevent any structural or corrosive damage. Despite
all of the jets going through depot level maintenance, 2014 will be
a productive year for the Black Aces as they continue to train for the
commands mission of providing prompt and sustained combat frepower
to crush the enemy and win the fght. The Black Aces continue to maintain
focus on the Strike Fighter Weapons Training (SFWT) program. VFA-41
graduated LT Charles Shy Ronnie Scott and LT Sasha Walmart Young
from the SFWT Level IV Combat Mission Commander syllabus. As the
Black Aces continue to get jets back from depot level maintenance, the
aircrew and maintenance team are eager to train and support a full fight
schedule. With dets to Tyndall AFB, MCAS Miramar and NAS Fallon,
2014 promises to be an exciting and dynamic year for the Black Aces.
First to Fight, First to Strike!
VIGILANTES MAINTAIN PROFICIENCY
by LT Ricky Lolo LeFils, USN
While the VFA-151 Vigilantes were transitioning to brand new Lot 35
F/A-18E Super Hornets, they also transitioned to CVW- 9 after their return
from deployment on board USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). With their
next scheduled deployment on the distant horizon, the Vigilantes sought to
maintain their tactical profciency by participating in several detachments.
In September and October, VFA-151 answered the call to support
the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Fleet Readiness Squadron,
VFA-101, in Eglin AFB. The Vigilantes coordinated air-to-air, point
DACT missions against F-15s from the
USAF 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron.
This provided a unique opportunity to
test capabilities against those of the F-15
Eagle in a Joint environment.
With the help and coordination of the
CVW-9 staff, the Vigilantes embarked in Carl
Vinson in December to reset aircraft carrier
landing currency and hone skills behind the
boat. In only four days, 13 VFA-151 pilots were able to safely accumulate
127 total carrier arrested landings.
In January the Vigilantes participated in Green Flag West out of
Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nev. While fying out of Nellis, 13 pilots
conducted 40 CAS sorties while helping to train U.S. Air Force Joint
terminal attack controllers embedded with U.S. Army units. These CAS
sorties also enabled VFA-151 pilots to sharpen air-to-surface deliveries of
both unguided general-purpose bombs and simulated smart weapons such
as the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the GBU-54
Laser JDAM. The real-world scenarios presented in this exercise included
urban CAS, moving targets and even surface-to-air countertactics.
In February, VFA-151 traveled to Boca Chica Field, NAS Key West,
Fla. for two weeks to practice air-to-air employment. Fourteen pilots
made the trip and few against F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the
Wisconsin Air National Guard 176th Fighter Squadron. During 72
sorties the Vigilantes used the enormous airspace and reduced fight
restrictions to practice complex division tactics as well as DACT against
the F-16s and F-5s from the VFC-111 Sundowners. These opportunities
provided excellent training in Blue Air and Red Air missions in
combating some of the most sophisticated and advanced threats they
could face throughout the world.
The VFA-151 Vigilantes always strive to maintain upmost expertise in
the three main areas of the F/A-18 strike fghter community: The aircraft
carrier environment, air-to-surface prosecution and air-to-air employment
to keep them prepared for any future threats.
Above: A VAW-112 Golden Hawks E-2C Hawkeye
leads a VRC-30 Det 4 Providers C-2A Greyhound
during an air-power demonstration over USS
John C. Stennis (CVN-74), 24 Apr 13, during
its return from an eight-month deployment to the
U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility.
Right: A VFA-151 Vigilantes F/A-18E Super
Hornet during low level training, 26 Nov 13.
USN, MCSN Marco Villasana, USN
Courtesy Alan Kenny
CVW-11 COMPLETES DEPLOYMENT
by LCDR Dan Sweaty Sweatman, USN
U
SS Nimitz (CVN-68) with embarked Carrier Strike Group Eleven
(CSG-11), CVW-11 and Desron 23, arrived at NAS North Island,
San Diego, 12 December, following an eight-and-a-half-month
deployment to the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. Led
by CAPT Kevin NIX Mannix, CVW-11 consists of nine squadrons:
VFA-154 Black Knights, VFA-147 Argonauts, VFA-146 Blue Diamonds,
VMFA-323 Death Rattlers, VAQ-142 Gray Wolves, VAW-117 Wallbangers,
HSC-6 Indians, HSM-75 Wolf Pack and VRC-30 Det 3 Providers.
Upon arrival in the U.S., CAPT Mannix proudly declared, Its great
to be home and reunited with all our loved ones. My hat is off to every
member of the carrier air wing for making this a successful deployment.
During the deployment the air wing few 11,811 sorties and 29,655
hours of which 2,752 sorties and 10,797 hours were in direct support
of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The
deployment, originally scheduled for six months, was
extended when CSG-11 was tasked with providing
fexible deterrent options for the National Command
Authority as they pursued diplomatic solutions to
the crisis in Syria. While operating in the Red Sea,
the aviators and tactical planners within CVW-11
developed and rehearsed potential response options
in order to maintain the highest possible level of
preparedness. In addition to supporting OEF and
Syria contingency operations, CVW-11 spearheaded
country engagements with Korea, Japan, Bahrain,
Jordan, France, Italy and Great Britain.
One of the milestones achieved during the deploy-
ment occurred in the Gulf of Oman 28 August when
two Nimitz aviators, CVW-11 Deputy Commander
CAPT Robert WIMBO Osterhoudt and VFA-147
Commanding Offcer, CDR Robert ROOSTER
Loughran recorded their 1,000th carrier arrested landing. Between the two
men, they have logged traps on 10 U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Following
the event both men were appreciative of the Nimitz Strike Group team.
Osterhoudt said, Of all the air wings I have been a part, I have never seen
a tighter group of individuals who are able to come together
to form a team and accomplish missions as well as they have
on this deployment.
VFA-147 Argonauts Commanding Offcer, CDR Robert ROOSTER Loughran,
and CVW-11 Deputy Commander CAPT Robert WIMBO Osterhoudt, following
their 1,000th carrier arrested landing, 28 Aug 13.
USN
CAPT Kevin NIX Mannix and CAPT Robert WIMBO Osterhoudt trap on board Nimitz.
USN
CVW-11 CVN-68
CAPT Kevin NIX Mannix and CAPT Robert WIMBO Osterhoudt on board
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) following CAPT Osterhoudts 1,000th trap.
USN
Above left: A VFA-147 Argonauts F/A-18E Super Hornet refuels a
VAQ-142 Gray Wolves EA-6B Prowler during an air-power demonstration
over Nimitz, 1 Dec 13. Left: A VAW-117 Wallbangers E-2C Hawkeye
turns onto fnal approach to Nimitz, 5 Nov 13. Above: A VFA-146 Blue
Diamonds F/A-18C Hornet during an air-power demonstration over
Nimitz while transiting the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility (AOR)
after spending eight months deployed to the U.S. 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet
AORs, 1 Dec 13.
USN, MCSA Kelly M. Agee, USN
USN
USN, MCSN Kelly M. Agee, USN
CVW-11 CVN-68
continued
Above: VFA-154 Black Knights F/A-18F Super
Hornets deploy fares as they pass over Nimitz
during an air-power demonstration performed
by the squadrons of CVW-11, 7 Dec 13. Right:
HSM-75 Wolf Pack transitioned from HSL-45
with the reception of the MH-60R Seahawk.
Below: A VFA-146 Blue Diamonds F/A-18C
Hornet launches from Nimitz in the 7th Fleet
AOR supporting security and
stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacifc
region, 23 Nov 13.
USN
USN, MCSN Kelly M. Agee, USN
USN, MC3 Siobhana R. McEwen, USN
USN, MCSN Matthew Young, USN
USN, MC3 Jacob Estes, USN
USN, MC1 Brian Flood, USN
A VFA-106 Gladiators F/A-18F Super Hornet is directed onto the catapult on USS
Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), 15 Jan 14.
A VFA-122 Flying Eagles F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from USS Ronald
Reagan (CVN-76), 27 Jan 14.
A TraWing Two T-45C Goshawk performs carrier qualifcation on board Theodore
Roosevelt, 22 Jan 14.
USMC, LCpl. Matthew Bragg, USMC
A VMFA(AW)-224 Fighting Bengals F/A-18D Hornet lifts off the runway at MCAS
Kaneohe Bay, 29 Jan 14, while participating in Exercise Lava Viper at Pohakuloa
training area, Hawaii.
FIGHTING BENGALS
ROAR INTO WESTERN PACIFIC
by LCpl Brendan Roethel, USMC
n 9 January, the VMFA(AW)-224) Fighting Bengals deployed
from MCAS Beaufort to the Western Pacifc in support of the
Unit Deployment Program (UDP).
The squadron trained and supported other Marine units during Lava
Viper training at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Lava Viper is a combined-arms
exercise designed to enhance the capabilities of ground combat and
participating Marine support elements.
The Fighting Bengals also conducted multinational exercises with
MAG-12 in Japan and throughout the Western Pacifc. The mission of
the deployment is to improve relations with Americas Allies and expose
Marines to broader training environments.
The Marine Corps utilizes UDPs to improve unit continuity
and reduce the number of unaccompanied tours.

FRS
UDP
TraCom
O
USN, MC1 Terrence Siren, USN
The team designated former U.S. President George H.W. Bush an Honorary Blue Angel for his reputation and long history of excellence,
selfess dedication and service with honor. From the left: LTJG Phil Harper, admin offcer LCDR Declan Hartney, maintenance offcer
LT Mark Tedrow (6) CAPT Brandon Cordill, USMC (4) LCDR John Hiltz (2) CDR Thomas Frosch (Boss) LCDR Nate Barton (3)
LCDR David Tickle (5) LCDR Mark DeBuse, fight surgeon LTJG Amber Lynn Daniel, public affairs offcer.
Blue Angels perform a Delta Flat Pass over NAS Pensacola,
marking the beginning of the 2014 airshow season, 9 Nov 13.
USN, MC2 Kathryn E. Macdonald, USN
2014 Schedule
15 Mar NAF El Centro, Calif.
2223 Mar March ARB, Calif.
29 30 Mar NAS Kingsville, Texas
5 6 Apr Lakeland, Fla.
1213 Apr Fort Smith, Ark.
26 27 Apr NAS/JRB Fort Worth, Texas
3 4 May St. Louis, Mo.
10 11 May Vero Beach, Fla.
1718 May MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.
21 23 May USNA, Annapolis, Md.
24 25 May Jones Beach, N.Y.
31 May 1 Jun La Crosse, Wis.
7 8 Jun Pittsburgh, Pa.
14 15 Jun Smyrna, Tenn.
21 22 Jun Milwaukee. Wis.
28 29 Jun Dayton, Ohio
5 6 Jul Traverse City, Mich.
12 Jul Pensacola Beach, Fla.
19 20 Jul Offutt AFB, Neb.
26 27 Jul St. George, Utah
2 3 Aug Seattle, Wash.
16 17 Aug Chicago, Ill.
23 24 Aug Duluth, Minn.
20 31 Aug Selfridge ANGB, Mich.
6 7 Sep Cleveland, Ohio
13 14 Sep Baltimore, Md.
20 21 Sep NAS Oceana, Va.
27 28 Sep MCB Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
4 5 Oct MCAS Miramar, Calif.
1112 Oct San Francisco, Calif.
18 19 Oct Millington, Tenn.
25 26 Oct Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
1 2 Nov Houston, Texas
7 8 Nov NAS Pensacola, Fla.
IN REVIEW
ietnam to Western Airlines, An Oral History of the Air War; Bruce
Cowee; I am Alive Publishing, Alamo, Calif., 2013; hardcover, 534
pages, illustrated. $36.95
The author, an ex-Air Force pilot
and retired captain from Western and
Delta Airlines, has edited a truly unique
and superb book about the air war in
Vietnam. During a period of many years
he collected oral histories about the
war from 33 pilots who had one thing
in common after returning from
Southeast Asia and separating from
the service they were hired as pilots by
Western Airlines that later merged with
Delta Airlines. A couple of the stories
are interrelated and some of pilots knew
each before they went into the service,
but in most cases they never knew each
other until they came home and went to
work for Western.
The pilots represent different services Navy, Marine Corps,
Army and Air Force. They few a wide variety of aircraft that included
KC-135s, B-52s, Cessna O-2s, OV-10s, RA-5Cs, F-4Js, A-4s, C-130s,
F-105s, UH-1Es and OH-13s to mention a few. The stories touch upon
many episodes of the air war in Vietnam and cover the period 19641973.
The author also provides a view of the ugly aspects of the ground war
by including a nonpilot story told by his high school friend who served as
a Marine Corps infantry offcer.
The stories are well written with a brief biographical lead-in of the
storyteller and an epilogue. The stories range from pure terror in combat
to human interest, and to funny incidents that often happen in the service.
The book describes a midair collision while fying in a B-52 Stratofortess,
fying psychological operations in C-47 Skytrains, being hit by a
surface-to-air missile while fying in an F-4 Phantom II, fying in OV-10
Broncos VAL-4 Black Pony air-to-ground operations, fying forward
air controller fights in O-1 Bird Dogs, being shot down while fying an
F-100 Super Saber (and then being rescued), fying UH-1 Hueys into and
out of Khe Sanh, Vietnam, dropping a span of the Doumer Bridge while
fying an F-105 Thud, fying across the Pacifc Ocean in an A-4 Skyhawk,
conducting night combat search-and-rescue missions while fying in A-1
Spads, conducting no brief Shrike missions while fying an A-4. These are
a few of the oral history stories this book presents.
This is a superb book that pays tribute to a group of men who
volunteered and served honorably when their country called. I highly
recommend this book to all hands.
F4F Wildcat vs. A6M Zero-Sen: Pacifc Theater 1942; Edward M.
Young; Osprey Publishing, Oxford, U.K., 2013; softcover, 80 pages,
illustrated. $18.95
This latest in the Duel series is one of the best. It is focused in subject,
timeframe and geographic area. Its photos and artwork are excellent
and support the tightly written text to give an excellent account of the
pivotal frst full year of World War II in the Pacifc. It also covers two of
the most important fghter aircraft of that period. The author conveys an
appreciation of both sides and their individual problems and successes that
make this juxtaposition of these two distinctly different fghters among the
most informative of the series.
Readers are familiar with the situation following the attack on Pearl
Harbor 7 December 1941, which thrust the United States into the war
that had been going on for more than two years in Europe. The Japanese
campaign to bring all of Asia into their sphere of infuence truly made it
a world war with very few nations excluded or allowed to remain neutral.
Following the established format of the Duel series, the author describes
the design and development of the F4F Wildcat and the A6M Zero. It is
evident that the F4F was outclassed by the new Imperial Navy fghter,
which took advantage of a new material the Japanese had developed, as
well as designs to save weight and give the sleek little fghter its incredible
maneuverability and surprisingly high speed. On the other hand, the
Wildcat was Grumman-chunky, underpowered and endowed with a
relatively disappointing rate of climb.
The early F4F-3/3a models carried four .50-caliber machine guns in
their nonfolding wings, barely adequate to confront newer designs like
the Zero. The Zero was not that well armed either having only twin
7.7mm (roughly .30-caliber, rife caliber) machine guns in the cowling and
two 20mm cannons, one in each wing. For both fghters, marksmanship
and good fying skills were needed to use the limited guns to their best
advantage. The main attribute the Wildcat had over the Zero was its rugged
construction that allowed it to absorb hits and still fy and fght, whereas
the Zero had a propensity to burst into fames when hit with well-aimed
heavy-caliber bullets that penetrated
unprotected fuel tanks.
An interesting presentation by the
author, different from previous titles
in the Duel series, is the juxtaposi-
tion of the two cockpit renderings on
companion pages, thereby allowing
the reader to compare the layout and
individual instruments in the two
fghters, both of which were meant
to operate from aircraft carriers.
However, both aircraft were most
often operated from shore bases in
the Solomon Islands. There are the
regular sidebars that give snapshot
biographies of representative avia-
tors. In one case Capt Joe Foss of the
Marines and Yoshiro Hashiguchi, an
enlisted Zero pilot with at least 10 kills gained in the heavy fghting at
Guadalcanal.
As always the artwork by Gareth Hector and Jim Laurier is stunning.
Its impossible to think of any Osprey book, of which there are many,
without contributions of artists like these two highly talented individuals.
CDR Peter Mersky, USNR(Ret)
AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom I-VI; Lon Nordeen;
Osprey Publishing Ltd., Oxford, U.K. and New York, N.Y., 2013,
softcover, 96 pages, illustrated, appendices. $22.95
American AV-8B Harriers have been a major part of the U.S. Marine
Corps air order of battle since 1971. They have deployed to sustained
combat in three major campaigns Desert Storm, Operations Iraqi
Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF) 20 years after service
introduction. The frst two campaigns were in Iraq and the third, which
is still in progress, is in Afghanistan. The AV-8B was also involved in
the much shorter Balkans campaign in the late 1990s. Likewise, British
Harriers were late in starting their wartime service, beginning in 1982s
Falklands Confict with Argentina, then in the Balkans in the late 1990s.
Royal Air Force Harriers participated in the early stages of OIF in
2003 and then OEF in 2004. But, with major British reductions and
decommissioning of Harrier squadrons and the ships they sailed in,
British AV-8s did not fy again in Southwest Asia.
This book is part of a trilogy dealing with Marine Corps Harriers
in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the second by Lon Nordeen, and like
V
its predecessor that dealt with Desert Storm, it is full of detail and
descriptions of this unique fghter-bomber and crew. The most detailed
section is the appendix showing the deployments of AV-8B squadrons,
something of a herculean effort to bring together all the many and varied
squadron and detachment assignments afoat and ashore. It took much
research by both author and editor to
compile this very helpful listing.
The Harrier was obtained as the
close-air-support aircraft, which is at
the heart of Marine Corps Aviation
protecting troops on the ground. The
Harrier has proved its worth and vali-
dated the far-seeing, often contested
vision of such forward-thinkers as
LtGen Tom Miller, USMC. He saw in
the AV-8 the capability of operating
closer to the front when the situation
demanded a quick response.
Most of the photographs in this
book are in color, and many show
the pilots and ground crew that kept
the AV-8B and its derivatives fying
during the demanding fghting in Iraq. (The third volume is reportedly
planned to describe operations in the equally demanding campaign in
Afghanistan, and is expected to be published this year.) The usual folio
of color profles is augmented by a page of profles of the many types
of ordnance used by the Harrier, which will certainly be of interest to
modelers and historians alike.
Artist Gareth Hectors expectedly striking cover illustration is also an
important feature.
Martin PBM Mariner; Steve Ginter; Steve Ginter, Simi Valley, Calif.,
2013; softcover, 257 pages, illustrated. $52.95
Steve Ginters new book on the PBM Mariner fying boat, Naval
Fighters No. 97, covers one of patrol aviations major twin-engine aircraft
from 1940 to the mid-1950s.
By early 1930, the Glenn Martin Company had established itself as a
successful builder of long-range Navy fying boats along with Consoli-
dated Aircraft Corporation. In 1936, Martin began to design a twin-engine,
open ocean fying boat to replace the Consolidated PBY Catalina. The
result was the Model 162 that became
the gull wing XPBM-1 that frst few
in February 1939. The frst of 20
PBM-1s joined the feet in Septem-
ber 1940, demonstrating a marked
superiority in performance and pay-
load over the PBY.
An improved model of the
Mariner, the PBM-3, was built
in various versions a transport
version, a patrol bomber version,
an anti-submarine patrol version
and a re-engined version. The
anti-submarine version was stripped
of its armor and turrets to increase
range and was used primarily in the
Atlantic. The re-engined version
was designed for the Pacifc theater.
A PBM-5 model was built with increased engine power in mid-1944.
The fnal version of the Mariner was the PBM-5A amphibian. The PBM
was replaced in the feet in mid-1952 by the Martin P5M Marlin.
The Mariner proved to be a versatile aircraft serving in all the theaters
during World War II and later in Korea. The Royal Air Force and Royal
Australian Air Forces used the PBM during WW II. The Netherlands,
Argentine and Uruguayan Naval Air Services few it after the war. The
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) used the PBM for convoy protection as well
as rescue and air ambulance services during WW II. The open ocean
rescue mission continued on both coasts after the war until the Mariner
was retired from USCG service in 1958.
The Martin PBM book was printed in the usual Naval Fighter series
format with many great images, a brief history of the development of the
aircraft and detailed profles and aircraft manual drawings of the interior
and exterior, and armament used in all the versions. Navy squadrons
and foreign usage of the PBM are also well covered by brief histories
in this book.
This is another excellent book in the continuing series of Naval aircraft.
I highly recommend it for aviation historians and modelers.
Billy Mitchells War with the Navy: The Interwar Rivalry over Air
Power; Thomas Wildenberg; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md.,
2013; hardcover, 288 pages, illustrated. $34.95
Over the years, there have been many books written about Billy
Mitchell. He is undoubtedly one of the most complex military personalities
of the 20th century. He was an aviation pioneer, a prophet of Air Force
air power, and to an extent, a competent aviator who understood the
aircrafts possibilities at a crucial time in its development. He was also a
controversial individual who became a nightmare to his superiors. He left
them little choice but to deal with him as you would a recalcitrant child:
Spank him and banish him to his room.
The author has written several well-received books on clashes within
Naval Aviation. This one deals with the confict between Billy Mitchell
and his constant adversary, the Navy. He did not believe the Navy should
have its own air arm and he fought to either reduce or do away with other
Navy implements.
After a short account of Mitchells
upbringing and early Army service,
the author moves into the main
topic of his involvement with Army
aviation during World War I and
his postwar activities that centered
around building the then-U.S. Air
Service including ordering new
aircraft and creating new missions.
The latter meant bombing missions,
which soon centered on attacking
warships, thereby putting the Navy
out of what we would call today the
airborne strike. Of course, the Navy
immediately took exception to
Mitchells fnagling, and soon there
were almost daily confrontations
between the aggressive brigadier
general aviator and the growing number of aviators in the Navy as well
as established surface fag offcers from the so-called gun club
mainly battleship and cruiser veterans.
Throughout Wildenbergs book there is continual reference to the
attempts by the Army and Mitchell to arrange various exercises where
Army bombers would attack old Navy ships, conveniently anchored
offshore, offering no resistance to incoming strike forces. The most
famous of these was one of the frst, in July 1922, off the Virginia Capes.
Targeting several old ships, including the Imperial German battleship
Ostfriesland, something of a war prize, Martin MB-2s sent bombs into
the old hulks, hitting them with various degrees of success. Mitchell
crowed that the airplane was the wave of the future.
He was right, but there was certainly a long way to go to convince
Congress and President Roosevelt, himself a previous Assistant Secretary
of the Navy. Unfortunately, Mitchells tone and methods became
increasingly more aggressive and to many embarrassingly offensive.
The generals personal appeal, good looks and self-assurance could not
stop his alienating his superiors, and eventually, he was charged with
insubordination and sent to court martial. The excellent description of it
is one of the most succinct I have seen written about Mitchells downfall;
it pulls no punches in how it came about from his own hand.
Indeed, the 1955 feature flm, The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell,
starring Gary Cooper, while certainly entertaining, presents the embattled
general in a somewhat inaccurate way, more as the stalwart
torchbearer he believed himself to be, instead of the
agonizing individual he actually was. Wildenberg provides
an interesting portrayal of the patrician upstart Army
aviator. Seemingly unafraid of anything and supremely
confdent of his own ability as well of those of the young
aviators he led. Mitchells personality remains a great
subject today for many researchers, nearly 80 years after
his death.
Mitchells growing personal problems, marital and
mental, throw his entire story into a glaring spotlight that colors his
history and highlights his self-destructive nature. Leaders, both technical
and operational, who experience such changes in temperament, often fnd
themselves struggling to keep upright, and it would seem that loss of
personal equilibrium was also Mitchells early downfall.
A surprising amount of his attention was devoted to early between-war
racing, mainly to beat the Navy entries. Although racing is also a testing
arena to further aircraft design and engine mechanics, there was no doubt
of Mitchells intent to foster interservice rivalries. The author brings out
the details of his decline, in spite of renowned status as a skilled airman,
his mental problems and his inability to reverse his downhill spiral.
It is interesting to note that Mitchell was a close friend and mentor,
to Hap Arnold, later fve-star general of the Air Force in WW II, as well
as to Russian migr and popular aviation personality Alexander P. de
Seversky, who wrote Victory Through Air Power, a well-read treatise
during WW II that generated a Walt Disney movie that has become
something of a cult flm. Yet, Hap Arnold despised de Seversky.
The loss of the airship USS Shenandoah on 3 September 1925 triggered
such a strong sequence of articles and pronouncements from Mitchell
that it was certain that his famous court martial was all but assured.
As long as I have been reading and writing aviation history, I always saw
Billy Mitchell as a pioneer, a dedicated American serviceman. Perhaps
I was swayed by the Disney movie. But this new book, augmented by
a lengthy bibliography of references, shows him to be someone with a
severe martyrs complex. Although dedicated to his service and country,
his ego overwhelmed him.
Alexander P. de Seversky and the Quest for Air Power; James K.
Libbey; Potomac Books, Inc., Dulles, Va., 2013; hardcover, 349 pages,
illustrated. $39.95
Many historians familiar with American military aircraft between the
wars, the period 19201940, know the de Seversky name. Indeed, if one
only knows the P-47 Thunderbolt and its two main predecessors, P-35
and P-43, youd recognize this Russian migr. This book is the frst
major biography of this important personality who came to the U.S. after
fying in World War I as a Russian Naval Aviator. During his Russian
combat fights, he achieved 13 aerial kills, but lost part of his right leg
from combat injuries.
This is a well-researched book
that occasionally bogs down in
writing style. I would have pre-
ferred a more detailed account
of de Severskys WW I engage-
ments. He few a little-known
Russian fghter, the Shchetinin
M-9 two-seater, as well as a Nie-
uport 21 while leading a fghter
detachment. (I recommend Jon
Guttmans Naval Aces of World
War I, Part 2, Osprey, 2012, for
more information on the subject.)
There are fascinating glimpses
of aeronautical society before WW
II, and especially the company he
started that eventually became
Republic of Farmingdale, Long
Island, New York. Republic made
use of Russian-born engineers who joined de Seversky. They designed
the P-47 and then the frst-generation jet fghter F-84 Thunderjet that few
in the Korean War, followed by the F-105 Thunderchief of Vietnam War
fame. Before all that, the Seversky Aircraft Corporation produced several
prewar designs such as the SEV-3 foatplane that set a few performance
records, and the P-35, the U.S. Air Corps frst all-metal monoplane
fghter with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit.
The excellent cover photo shows a smiling de Seversky on the foat
of an SEV-3. The picture, while giving a great candid view of the
usually smiling Russian aviator in helmet and goggles, also shows the
construction details of the SEV foatplane.
The single photo folio is adequate. Some pictures are familiar; others
are not. Many provide good ideas of the look and design of a few aircraft
that de Seversky either designed or few. Many of the people in his life
are also featured.
The authors apparent lack of aeronautical understanding comes out,
such as his description of de Severskys SEV-3. He notes the SEV-3s
smooth performance but it actually was a short-coupled, clunky,
somewhat underpowered amphibian with massive drag-inducing foats
that were as long as the fuselage. Its metalwork made it look like something
from Flash Gordons retro-designed machinery. The design developed
into the BT-8, a basic trainer for the Army, 30 of which were built. The
BT-8 did set a standard for the frst specifcally designed basic trainers of
the time when biplane trainers were being phased out for fghter training.
It is plain that while he might have been an excellent aviator and
something of an advanced thinker, de Seversky was a poor businessman.
Though possessed of best intentions, he could not make his company
successful. He soon lost control. Seversky Aircraft Corporation eventually
reconstituted itself into Republic.
Yet, the 1930s were good years for de Seversky and his wife
Evelyn, herself a pilot who gained extensive fight time in many
of her husbands aircraft.
They were part of the periods jet set, living the good life in a mansion
on Long Island, rubbing elbows with the elite of the time.
As mentioned earlier, de Severskys most successful and historically
important design was the P-35, a stubby little fghter that struggled
for acceptance and ultimately equipped a few Air Corps squadrons as
it competed with Curtisss P-36. Although the two fghters had their
shortfalls, both were stationed in Hawaii and the Philippines when the
Japanese attacked 7 and 8 December 1941. They never found their place
in the Army Air Forces. The P-35 was never really a contender to the
P-36, which looked better than the hunchbacked Seversky fghter. The
P-35 did have its innovations, however, which gives it a place in Air
Force history.
As WW II began, de Seversky became something of a prophet
predicting events and connecting them to growing air power around the
world. He wrote a popular book, Victory Through Air Power, that Walt
Disney cleverly turned into an animated feature movie. (You can see
this unusual flm in its entirety on the web. It is an excellent example
of 1940s animation, keeping in mind that it was all accomplished
using individually hand drawn frames, not like the computer-generated
animation we take so much for granted today.) The movie had mixed
reviews, but it got its point across about the value of developing air
power, a theme that people such as de Seversky and his friend and
occasional mentor, Army Brig Gen Billy Mitchell, ardently espoused.
In fact, de Seversky dedicated the flm, in part, to Mitchell. De Seversky
had a featured role in the flm as he lectures about various points and
historical events involving aviation.
Coincidentally, a biography of Billy Mitchell by Thomas Wildenberg,
has been published by Naval Institute Press. Together, these biographies
of two strong-willed aviation personalities of the between-war period
provide an excellent account of the formative years of the U.S. Air
Force. It also demonstrates how they affected other services that often
competed for public and government attention as well as money for
development and operations. An odd note, too, is the fact noted by
Libbey that Billy Mitchell was both friend and mentor to not only
Alexander de Seversky, but also to future fve-star General of the Army,
then Air Force, Hap Arnold, who despised de Seversky and did his best
to keep him from achieving any degree of success in industry or in the
Air Force.
CALENDAR YEAR 2013 IN REVIEW
compiled by Mike Weeks and LCDR Richard R. Burgess, USN(Ret)
The following information refects the offcial effective dates of the actions reported.
Ceremonial dates may differ from the offcial dates.
Aviation Units Established
VUP-19, NAS Jacksonville, Fla., 01 October
Aviation Units Deactivated
VAW-77, NAS JRB New Orleans, La., 31 April (09 March ceremony)
VMA-513, MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., 12 July
Aviation Units Reactivated
VT-4, NAS Pensacola, Fla., 01 June (no aircraft)
Aviation Units Relocated
VMM-764 from Edwards AFB, Calif. to MCAS Miramar, Calif., 12 January
HSM-51 from NAF Atsugi, Japan to NAS North Island, Calif., 01 February
HSC-12 from NAS North Island, Calif. to NAF Atsugi, Japan, 15 February
HSM-77 from NAS North Island, Calif. to NAF Atsugi, Japan, 15 February
HSC-14 from NAF Atsugi, Japan to NAS North Island, Calif., 01 March
VAQ-209 from JB Andrews/NAF Washington to NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., 01 August
HMM-268 from MCAS Camp Pendleton, Calif., to MCAS Miramar, 01 October
Aviation Units Redesignated
HMM-764 to VMM-764, Edwards AFB, Calif., 12 January
HSL-42 to HSM-72, NAS Jacksonville, Fla., 15 January
HSL-51 to HSM-51, NAF Atsugi, Japan, 01 February
HS-14 to HSC-14, NAS North Island, Calif., 01 March
HS-5 to HSC-5, NavSta Norfolk, Va., 15 April (24 January 2014 ceremony)
VMAQ-1 to VMAQT-1, MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., 14 June
HMM-262 to VMM-262 MCAS Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, 30 August
HSL-37 to HSM-37, MCB Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, 01 October
To order books reviewed in this issue:
Note: Most titles may be ordered online through distributors such as:
amazon.com, booksamillion.com or barnesandnoble.com
Vietnam to Western Airlines, An Oral History of the Air War;
Order from Alive Publishing, 3200A Danville Blvd., Ste 204, Alamo, CA 94507
Phone (925) 837-7303, fax (925) 837-6951
Website: http://aliveeastbay.com
F4F Wildcat vs. A6M Zero-Sen: Pacifc Theater 1942;
Order from Osprey Direct, 2427 Bond St., University Park, IL 60466,
Phone (866) 620-6941, fax (708) 534-780
Website: http://www.ospreypublishing.com
AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom I-VI;
Order from Osprey Direct, 2427 Bond St., University Park, IL 60466,
Phone (866) 620-6941, fax (708) 534-780
Website: http://www.ospreypublishing.com
Martin PBM Mariner;
Order from Steve Ginter, 1754 Warfeld Circle, Simi Valley, CA 93063,
Phone (805) 584-9732, fax (805) 584-660
Website: http://www.ginterbooks.com
Billy Mitchells War with the Navy: The Interwar Rivalry over Air Power;
Order from U.S. Naval Institute, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 2140
Phone (800) 233-8764
Website: www.usni.org
Alexander P. de Seversky and the Quest for Air Power;
Order from Potomac Books, 22841 Quicksilver Dr., Sterling, VA 20166
Phone (703) 661-1548
Website: http://www.potomacbooksinc.com
A Line in the Sand
by
Robert A. Serocki Jr.
The true story
of a
Marines experience
on the front lines
of the Gulf War.
Inside the book
I served two tours in the Gulf War. Marines did not have
the luxury of knowing that when our tour of duty was over we
could go home. We were there for the duration.
Ever since I came home from the Gulf War I have had to deal
with hearing things like Oh, that was an easy war or They
didnt even fght, you guys had it easy. People kept telling me
Oh, that wasnt a real war.
However, no war is easy and the loss of one life, let alone a few
hundred, is one too many.
I hope to dispel these perceptions and show what really happened
in the Gulf War.
Gen Norman Schwartzkopf put it, Its not that the Iraqis
didnt fght, its that our troops are just that damn good!
Available now from
www.robertserocki.com
NAVAL AVIATION FAMILY LANGBEHN
he Hook presents the father-son team (two readheads)
of CAPT Craig Panda Langbehn, USN(Ret) and CDR
Michael Snap Langbehn, USN. Michael is following his
dads footsteps about as closely as one could imagine. Both received
their wings at VT-21 in NAS Kingsville, Panda in April 1969 and
Michael in 1999. Craig reported to VA-125 Rough Raiders for
Fleet Readiness Squadron training in 1971, Michael to VFA-125
Rough Raiders in 1999.
Father and son have fown primarily as F/A-18 Hornet pilots and
both are combat veterans who left family behind in NAS Lemoore
to fy from deployed aircraft carriers. Craig and Michael screened
for command in F/A-18s out of NAS Lemoore.
Then-LCDR Panda Langbehn made his department head tour
197779 with the VA-195 Dambusters fying the A-7E Corsair
II, deployed on board USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and America
(CV-66). In 1979 80, LCDR Craig Langbehn was assigned to
the Fleet Introduction Team for F/A-18 Hornet initial aircraft production
in St. Louis, Mo. He then served at VFA-125 as an instructor pilot prior
to command screen as executive offcer (XO) and commanding offcer
of VFA-113 Stingers, making the frst Hornet deployment, embarked in
Constellation (CV-64).
CAPT Craig Langbehn followed his command tour with Commander
Carrier Group Five as air operations at NAS Cubi Point, Republic of
Philippines and on board Midway (CV-41). Next he went to OP-05,
Washington D.C. in 1988 91 as F/A-18 requirements offcer and later
as branch head for strike/anti-surface warfare branch. His last active duty
tour was in Tyndall AFB, Fla. as Southeast Air Defense Sector as Deputy
Commander, 199194.
CAPT Craig Langbehn accumulated more than 5,300 hours in T-2,
F-9, A-7 (2,700 hours) and F/A-18 aircraft and made 802 aircraft carrier
arrested landings.
CDR Michael Langbehn is a native of Lemoore, Calif. He was born in
1974 while Dad was fying missions in the A-7A Corsair II with CVW-19
after the Vietnam War as a VA-153 Blue Tail Flies pilot embarked in
Oriskany (CVA-34). Rather than pursue an Aviation Offcer Candidate
School commission like Panda, son Michael attended the U.S. Naval
Academy, graduating in 1996.
After fight training Michael reported to VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet
and completed two combat deployments on board Abraham Lincoln
(CVN-72), fying in support of Operations Southern Watch, Enduring
Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
In 2003, then-LT Snap Langbehn reported as a staff offcer to Naval
Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) at NAS Fallon, Nev. While
at NSAWC, he served as strike fghter instructor, adversary pilot, F-16
Falcon instructor and subject matter expert for the NSAWC courseware.
Michaels next tour started in 2006 as CVW-1 strike operations offcer
at NAS Oceana, Va. He deployed on board Enterprise (CVN-65) where
he few combat missions in support of OEF and OIF, including land-based
missions from Al Asad Airfeld, Iraq.
Wouldnt you know, Michaels department head tour was with the
Dambusters like his dad, from Kitty Hawk as well except it was 30
years later in 2007. Then VFA-195 permanently deployed to Japan as part
of the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces fying the Hornet. He was in the
squadron during the changeover from Kitty Hawk to George Washington
(CVN-73) in Yokosuka, Japan.
CDR Michael Langbehn attended the Naval War College at Newport,
R.I., graduating in 2011 with a master of arts degree in National Security
and Strategic Studies. He then reported to Expeditionary Combat Readi-
ness Center Norfolk, Va., supporting Global War on Terror. He deployed
to Bagram Airfeld, Afghanistan to support OEF combat operations as the
deputy electronic warfare offcer for Regional Command East.
CDR Michael Langbehn reported to VFA-94 Mighty Shrikes as XO in
2013. He has accumulated more than 2,700 fight hours (primarily in the
Hornet) and more than 740 aircraft carrier arrested landings.
Following retirement in August 1994, Panda worked in resort
management for two years at Panama City Beach, Fla., followed by 15
years with Boeing/Lockheed Martin/Department of Defense as an F-15
Eagle academic and simulator instructor. He retired in 2012
and now lives in Griffn, Ga. concentrating on golf and softball.
RESPOT
Clockwise from top: LT Craig Langbehn during the Vietnam War with VA-153
Blue Tail Flies, c. 197273. Mike with son Mack during department head tour
with VFA-195 Dambusters, 2009. LT Craig and Mike during the NAS Lemoore
fy-in from the USS Oriskany (CVA-34), c. 1974. Mikes junior offcer tour with
VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet, 2003, preparing for an OIF mission.
T
Courtesy Mike Langbehn
Mike Detchemendy Courtesy Craig Langbehn
Mike Detchemendy
Mail Call
From an email dated 24 September 2013:
Worlds Largest Jet Formation Takeoff the year was 1950, the date
was 22 November, and the occasion was the return of VF-191 Satans
Kittens from NAS Barbers Point to USS Princeton (CV-37) on its way to
Korea. The squadron had been ashore to sharpen its gunnery and tactics,
while Sweet P (nickname of Princeton) underwent limited yard availability
at Ford Island.
LCDR John Magda and the entire Blue Angels demonstration team had
been assigned to VF-191 with Magda as commanding offcer. The runways
at Barbers Point were 1,000 feet wide (an F8F Bearcat could easily take
off across the runway) and 8,000 feet long. Due to the width of its runways
Magda made a squadron formation takeoff for the return fight to the carrier.
Squadron formation takeoffs were common on the mat at NAS San Diego
(Ed. Note: later redesignated NAS North Island) in propeller aircraft, but
the shortness of the length of the mat prohibited its use by jet aircraft.
For this takeoff the squadron was lined up on the vast runway in a fnger
four of four plane divisions a total of 16 F9F-2B Panther jets. This, most
likely, was a frst in the annals of U.S. Navy fight operations, as there were
very few runways where 16 aircraft could line up in formation for takeoff.
As group leader Magda briefed that he would set his throttle at 92 percent,
thus giving all pilots suffcient power to maintain formation position. The
leader used nearly all 8,000 feet of the runway to become airborne.
I was fying wing on the third division leader, LT Arthur Ray Hawkins;
the other members of the division were LTJG Bud Wood and ENS Joe
Mizula. Once airborne, the squadron maintained this formation until
overhead the carrier. As a young impressive jet pilot this feat led by Magda
has remained a highlight of my early years as a Naval Aviator.
Once safely aboard Princeton, a maintenance chief petty offcer reported
that the inboard main landing gear doors of Mizulas Panther had about
two inches of metal ground off probably by contact with the runway.
Mizula hadnt settled onto the runway, he just didnt have a lot of altitude
when he picked up the gear. This was caused by the inboard doors when
opened extend lower than the fully extended main landing gear.
Ed. Note: LCDR John Magda was killed in action when his aircraft was
hit by enemy anti-aircraft weaponry during a strike in the Korean War,
9 March 1951.
CAPT Nick Castruccio, USN(Ret)
Christiansted, Virgin Islands
From an email dated 17 October 2013:
The following is from an account of an F9F-2 Panther pilot operating
from USS Princeton (CV-37) during the Korean War:
We would enter the break on the starboard side of the aircraft carrier at
300+ knots indicated airspeed and about 250 feet altitude. On the break, it
was a hard left turn knife-edge pull. Power was reduced to idle; speed
brakes, gear and faps were extended into the landing confguration. The
canopy was then opened. (Our ejection seats had a 1 percent survival rate
below 1,000 feet.)
Rolling out on downwind altitude was judged not by altimeter, but visually
off the ship. Under normal conditions the pilot put the top of the ships stack
on the horizon. Distance abeam on the downwind was judged by putting the
wingtip on the ship. It was generally preferable to be a little too close than
to be too wide. Wide meant a deep pattern and one of those X-rated landing
signal offcer (LSO) debriefs in the ready room.
The turn in for landing was started abeam, or slightly ahead of abeam the
ship, with about a 30 degree angle-of-bank turn at 125 to 130 knots. Flying
through the 90-degree position (half way through the turn) you put the top
of the ships stack numbers (on the island superstructure) on the horizon,
and slow down fve knots. Through the 45-degree position, you put the
middle of the ships stack numbers on the horizon, and start looking for the
LSO and judging lineup.
Since these were straight-deck ships, the keel and centerline were
contiguous, you did not want to overshoot the ships wake. On a good pass
you would have about a fve second groove length. The pilot watched the
LSOs paddles and body for lineup, speed and glideslope corrections. He
could signal a high, an OK, a low, a fast, a slow (come on), roll wings level,
and when needed, a signal that the plane was skidding (a leg movement).
Short of the ramp the LSO gave the cut signal, which meant go to idle
power and do a dip maneuver with the nose of the aircraft to start it down.
You were not descending at this point in the landing approach, so you
needed to drop the nose slightly, then return to a touchdown attitude (similar
to a fare). If you didnt fare, a fat touchdown would frequently keep the
hook too high to grab a wire. Unlike later days, a one wire was great
there were still about fve left to stay out of the barriers and barricade.
As we became more experienced we would adjust the position of the
ships numbers against the horizon depending on wind and deck conditions.
For instance, when the sea state was fat calm, fy to place the lower part
of the numbers on the horizon through the 45-degree position; in normal
wind conditions, place the middle of the numbers on the horizon; in high
wind conditions and/or pitching deck, use the upper third of the numbers.
A long groove (more than about 5 seconds) would generally earn a wave-off
so the pilot behind you could fy a normal pattern. A really good pass would
have you roll wings level and get the cut signal almost simultaneously.
Pete Wenman, Public Domain
Courtesy Barrett Tillman
Mesa, Arizona
From a letter dated 8 February 2014:
I read with great interest the article in the Winter 2013 issue of The
Hook: Dark Sky Black Sea, Pages 36 41.
I was a member of the catapult crew of USS Mission Bay (CVE-59),
194345. We were one of the hunter-killer ships, plying the North and
South Atlantic Oceans, looking for enemy U-boats.
Daytime fight operations (ops) were good. But, night ops were diffcult
and different no lights allowed on the fight deck. Due to our short fight
deck, all takeoffs were catapult (cat) shots. You had to make sure the bridle
was secured to the aircraft launch hooks by feel (beware of the spinning
prop). Then make sure the right ring was on the holdback ftting, and after
the cat shot, retrieve the bridle from the forward edge of the fight deck.
One day the cat offcer took me aside and told me that a test to improve
night ops was to be held. He instructed me to station myself on the ships
fantail, near a 5-inch gun mount, with a trigger-operated light in one hand
and a push button in the other. When the button was pushed a bell would
ring at the LSOs platform. The idea was that when I saw the glow of the
exhaust of the incoming aircraft, I was to shine the light very briefy on the
aircraft and ascertain that the hook, faps and landing gear were down. If
they were, OK. If not, push the button for a waveoff.
That night, as the frst aircraft approached, my heart was pounding. A
brief shine of the light on the TBM showed all were down. Three more
aircraft landed safely and we secured for the night. What a relief!
The same tests were done the next night with OK results. Then the
cat offcer told me the tests were concluded. The light did not blind the
aviators, but it was very distracting.
I often wonder if tests like these were held on other aircraft carriers, or
was I the lucky one.
Proud to be a life member (#4248) of the Tailhook Association!
Richmond J. Tripp
Dighton, Maine
On Final painting of an F9F2 approaching USS Princeton
(CV-37) by Pete Wenman.
Pete Wenman Oil Painting
WAVEOFFS & BOLTERS
T
What is It?
by CDR Doug Siegfried, USN(Ret)
he Observer Corps has become very profcient at identifying early
helicopters. The contest in this issue is more diffcult.
The mystery plane presented in the Winter 2013 issue is the
McDonnell XHJD-1 Whirlaway in fight in St. Louis, Mo., 22 Nov 46.
In 1939, James McDonnell founded the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.
During the early days of World War II, he pursued two new areas of aircraft
technology jet propulsion and rotary-wing aircraft. He sought work
in these two areas for his new company. The Navy in 1943, late to the
helicopter program, was interested in a large helicopter for anti-submarine
warfare. McDonnell used the engineer team from Platt-LePage Aircraft
Company, in which he was an investor, to help design a twin-engine, twin-
lateral rotor helicopter based on Germanys 1937 Focke Wulf Fw 61, the
worlds frst practical helicopter.
The U.S. Navy was interested
in McDonnells side-by-side rotor
design and awarded a letter of intent
in May 44. A contract followed in
Mar 45 to build and test the XHJH-
1. The XHJH-1, named the Whirla-
way, frst few on 27 April 1946 and
was assigned BuNo 44318. The
designation was changed after the
frst fight to XHJD-1.
The XHJD-1 was ftted with twin side-by-side rotors mounted on
pylons extending outboard of the engine nacelles. A 450-hp Pratt &
Whitney R-985-AN-14B engine mounted in a nacelle midway on the
short wings powered each rotor, which turned in opposite directions. A
complex transmission system enabled one engine to power both rotors
if an engine failed. The fuselage was made of steel tubing covered with
fabric. A vertical stabilizer and rudder were required to control yaw in
forward fight. The helicopter was designed to carrying up to 10 people
but few with two and a load of test instruments. The Whirlaway initially
suffered from vibration and resonance problems, but these were resolved
by ftting better rotor mounts.
The Navy accepted the XHJD-1 on 25 Mar 49, but by then the twin,
lateral rotor helicopter design was fast becoming obsolete by Sikorsky
and Piaseckis tandem rotor design. The Navy few the Whirlaway for
more than a year before it was stricken and returned to McDonnell.
McDonnell kept it fying until Jun 51 when it was retired after logging
250 hours. It was donated to the Smithsonian Institution where it remains
today awaiting restoration.
John Ball of San Diego was the winner of the winter contest and will
receive a one-year subscription to The Hook magazine and a Tailhook
coffee mug. Please keep your informative cards, letters and emails coming
(the Tailhook Association, 9696 Businesspark Ave., San Diego, CA
92131-1643; thookassn@aol.com. Be sure to include the manufacturer
and correct designation of the aircraft at the time of the photograph.
Please, no phone calls.
What is It?
CAPT James S. Clare, USN(Ret), Life 24789
LtCol John D. Beck, USMC(Ret), Life 1726
ENS Kenneth A. Schechter, USN(Ret), Life 2115
Maj Bruce H. Hooper, USMC(Ret), Life 1081
Mr. Daniel N. Aldrich, Life 2049
CAPT Franklin T. Stephens, USN(Ret), Life 1892
LtCol Leiland M. Duke Jr., USMC(Ret), Life 1682
Mr. Robert M. Wright, Life 6989
Capt John I. Parsons, USMCR(Ret), Life 2203
CDR Arthur G. Elder, USN(Ret), Life 1744
CAPT Francis R. Walsh, USN(Ret), Life 1517
LtCol Jerry Coleman, USMCR(Ret)
CAPT John Nash, USN(Ret), 30256
Mr. Ronald N. Thompson, 12242
Mr. Anthony Militello, 32824
Mr. Robert E. Burke, 30895
CDR Allen W. Woody Cater, USN(Ret), 42716
CDR Richard H. Baillie, USN(Ret), 6066
CAPT Jeremy G. Morris, USN(Ret), 41888
CAPT Bruce G. Harper, USNR(Ret), 1083
THE LAST CUT
ADVERTISERS, The Hook
Spring 2014
The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover
Delphic Fine Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
F-14 Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Forefeathers Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
General Atomics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
MBDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Outside Back Cover
Navy Mutual Aid Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Neyenesch Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Northrop Grumman Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Plane Crazy Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pratt & Whitney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Serocki A Line in the Sand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Tailhook Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Peter Davies collection
McDonnell XHJD-1 Whirlaway 44318
DESERT STORM INSIGNIA
Operation Desert Storm, the liberation of Kuwait from the invading Iraq
army, began on 17 January 1991 and ended with a cease-re on 28 February.
Six U.S. aircraft carriers and air wings ew more than 18,000 sorties during
the war. The following are some of the insignia designed for the war.
USS Midway (CV-41)
CVW-5
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
CVW-3
VA-46 Clansmen
CVW-3
A-7E Corsair II
USS Saratoga (CV-60)
CVW-17
VF-102 Diamondbacks
CVW-1
F-14A+ Tomcat
VA-72 Blue Hawks
CVW-3
A-7E Corsair II
USS Ranger (CV-61)
CVW-2
VA-145 Swordsmen
CVW-2
A-6E Intruder
VAQ-136 Gauntlets
CVW-5
EA-6B Prowler
Insignia Courtesy Paul Newman
USS America (CV-66)
CVW-1
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
CVW-1
VS-24 Scouts
CVW-8
S-3B Viking
Coming Soon:
MBDAs Combat Proven
Dual Mode BRIMSTONE Missile
F/A-18 Integration Activity has Begun
Contact:
sales@mbda-us.com
703-387-7136
When missing is not an option
TM
For more information please go to
brimstonemissile.com
Follow us on Twitter @MBDAIncUSA
Visit us at HOOK '14
Dual Mode BRIMSTONE
(DMB) is combat proven in
Libya and Afghanistan by
UK GR4 Tornado fighters,
where it has effectively
engaged high speed,
maneuvering targets with its
combined Millimeter-Wave
(MMW) and Semi-Active
Laser (SAL) seekers.
Demonstrated anti-FIAC
capability in testing and now
integrated on MQ-9 Reapers,
Dual Mode Brimstone is in
production and initial integration
analysis is beginning on F/A-18
Hornets.
Image Copyright NAWS China Lake /Crown
Brimstone for Super Hornets - Hook Magazine Hornet image - 2014:Layout 1 05/02/2014 14:10 Page 1

Spring 2014 Issue of The HOOK

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