So you want God’s Chariot? How about eve of Desert Storm and first iron brought up on deck for loading?Ah . . . you finally post one that includes God's chariot.
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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery, Troisième partie: la vengeance!
- Thread starter SynixMan
- Start date
When I was at AOCS a class instructor asked who wanted to fly P-3’s and about four or five guys raised their hands. Then he asked who wanted to fly F-14’s and almost everyone else put their hand up. He noticed my hand was down and asked me what I thought I wanted...I said Intruders. Of course I got helos (and loved it) but I have always had a thing for the A-6.
hlg6016
A/C Wings Here
Question from the green side of the house guys, What is the significance of the base of the tower being painted black?
After we arrived in the Red Sea aboard JFK in August of 1990 in what became Desert Shield, we were allowed to practice our dual Air Wing Strike Package Tactics over Saudi Arabia for the first 3 days of the Air Campaign. This was our first exposure to the all encompassing Air Tasking Order (ATO) which was a computer printout as big as an old style phone book. We would hit our USAF Tankers and then fly the day and night missions exactly how we planned to do it for real by flying right up to the penetration points on the Iraqi border before reversing our heading and flying what we called a “mirror image” to a target in Saudi Arabia. Our Air Wing (CVW-3) decided it would be best to stay above 20K due to pervasive AAA and SAMs whereas Sara had an A-6E squadron experienced in low level flying with NVGs that opted to go low (to their later detriment).
Between the mirror image strike rehearsals, we flew CAP and conducted unit level training as dictated by the AIRLANT T&R Matrix. That included low level proficiency even though we were decidedly not going to fly below 20K over Iraq. We didn’t mind because flying low and fast with plenty of gas (thanks to USAF KC-135 stationed overhead the Red Sea) was really exhilarating. It was best low level flying I ever did since there were NO restrictions on speed, altftude or even routing. Saudi Arabia or our side either except stay away from Mecca. Sara had developed two routes to avoid potential traffic conflicts so we generally used those for convenience but did excursions to sightsee on a regular basis.
On this day in December 90, we overtook an A-6E from the Sunday Punchers on the Dragon low level (as we called it). They liked to plan and fly their routes at 360 knots whereas we bumped it up to 400-450 knots so we came upon the single Intruder and slid into formation with them as we approached the coast of the Red Sea. I invited them to tag along as we looked for a nice backdrop for a Grumman Family photo. And here you have the result.
It wasn’t sleek, but it was a real war machine in the right hands.
Ironically, the Tomcat’s combat legacy with US Navy was as a precision strike platform 96-06 replacing the Intruder role in that regard thanks to introduction of LANTIRN and absorption of best Intruder aircrews into Tomcat squadrons who brought their expertise with them.
I took this picture of a Sunday Puncher on first day of Desert Storm as I manned up my adjacent Tomcat.
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This EA-6B Prowler was assigned to protect our TARPS mission to Al Qa’im Super Phosphate Plant during Desert Storm. “Big Al” had 6 overlapping SAM sites that had taken out a F-15E already that ventured too close and now we intended to fly directly over and through all six sites. A Prowler and a Corsair loaded with HARM was our insurance package along with our speed to minimize exposure time.
I always wondered that too, it seemed to come and go on a few of the carriers. Maybe black to cover exhaust stains?
Chance encounter in VACAPES out in W-72. Our wingman went down in the line so we launched as a singleton and ran on whatever we could find. After intercepting a hapless Learjet, we stumbled on this picturesque Flight of Eagles out of Langley. Even though we did a barrel roll around them, they never altered heading or showed any sign they saw us. The lighting was cool from this side so I broke out my camera.
Tomcats flew a lot of Fighter Missions in Desert Storm, but USAF gave the F-15C the choice roles that allowed them to engage the Iraqi fighters that dared to launch whereas Tomcats flew CAP stations in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. They did permit Tomcats to escort their respective Air Wing Strikes as well as coalition Strikes (I escorted Prowlers provided AEA for F-117,Tornadoes and even Saudi F-5E strikes). But if AWACS spotted MiGs, they sent in the Eagles. It did get contentious at times, but they claimed that the Eagles had a better integrated avionics capabi to prevent potential blue on blue ( and they did).
However, it was noted early on that the MiGs would not venture near the Tomcats if the radar was pointed at them. Presumably, they had their fill of the Iranian Tomcat and Phoenix Missile over the preceding decade in which the Iranians have claimed over 100 Iraqi aircraft destroyed by Tomcats with several aces.
When the vaunted Eagles and their OCA/DCA doctrine did not stop the mass exodus of Iraqi aircraft to Iran, the JFCC allowed the Navy to establish a literal wall of Tomcats arrayed across the Iraq/Iran Border to stop the fleeing aircraft that the Eagles had not been able to stop. Tomcats from USS Saratoga and USS John F Kennedy in the Red Sea alternated day and night contributions along with USS Roosevelt and USS America in the Persian Gulf doing day shift with USS Ranger on the night shift. USAF provided KC-10 tankers inside Iraq to keep us fueled. If you look carefully in this picture, there are Tomcats from USS America, USS Roosevelt and USS Kennedy on the BONG CAP refueling track inside Iraq in waning days of Desert Storm. All that AWG-9 radar energy put a stop to the fleeing aircraft.
BONG CAP was a significant accomplishment but somehow USAF excluded mentioning it in the Title V report to Congress on Desert Storm. To hear them tell it, the Navy wasn’t needed and they could have done it without us. Those NONG CAP missions were 7-8 hours long and featured 3 sections per Air Wing on station at a time. Two sections flew opposing racetrack while the third section tanked. This was all zip lip thanks to our new ASW-27C F/F Datalink that we got in a few weeks before Desert Storm. This was when Link 16 was still a twinkle in Al Gore’s eye and a monster increase in SA. Not only could we manage CAP positioning and fuel states without saying a word, we knew when somebody had an INS issue.
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Good to see my favorite MOD drop by!