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USN may add conformal fuel tanks to F/A-18E/F fleet

Harrier Dude

Living the dream
If you add a capability, the dudes in the hot seat will explore said capability to the utmost, our lives may end up depending on it. To expect anything different beyond silly.

They should probably concentrate on their assigned mission, as painful and tedious as it may be (not having done it).

Especially if getting way outside of their swim lane is damaging their equipment.
 

PropAddict

Now with even more awesome!
pilot
Contributor
Forgot to add.. Make it so any Tailhook JO can go there. E-2s, C-2s, VFA/VAQ.

I was totally on board until you added this caveat. I was even ready to start calling the detailer, negotiating how many IAs I'd need to do to get those orders.

Now, I think it's a terrible idea. And I hate you.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
I was totally on board until you added this caveat. I was even ready to start calling the detailer, negotiating how many IAs I'd need to do to get those orders.

Now, I think it's a terrible idea. And I hate you.

I was going strictly off the time to train to get it fielded. Any tailhook guy is just going to have to do the RAG.. A P-3 guy would have to do what me and Scoober did (plus I had to do VT-31 as well). Doable, but not so much for a dissasoch.
 

armada1651

Hey intern, get me a Campari!
pilot
Because nothing has gone horribly wrong if VAQ guys are going to the merge . . . :rolleyes:

Something has gone terribly wrong if any airwing is ever doing anything that remotely resembles Air Wing Fallon without any outside assistance, or if anybody ever does a section self-escort strike, or if F/A-18s are ever really the last and only line of defense on a DCA, but we keep doing all of it.

I agree that the idea of a Growler BFM syllabus is a little puzzling (and the idea of a Growler offensive BFM flight is downright comical), but still...a lot of the training we do is based on horrifically unrealistic scenarios.
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
BFM, I can see. I mean if all else goes to shit, I want my pilot and I to at least have the wherewithal to prolong things and scream "defensive" long enough for my HVAAP to have the max amount of time to do his/her thing. Every little bit counts if it's my ass on the line. And then I'd come back and murder my HVAAP and my SEAD controller. :)

But offensive BFM? Seriously? YHGTBFSM. Dawgfan??
 

Treetop Flyer

Well-Known Member
pilot
Growlers carry AMRAAM right? And they have no gun. Can they or do they carry AIM-9's? What kind of BFM do they practice? Sorry if that's a stupid question.
 

Whitingorbust

New Member
I'm currently in the Growler RAG and we basically get 5 dedicated BFM flights: offense, defense, high aspect, DACT and a 2v1. The gouge we have been getting is that is all we can expect till we return back to the RAG as instructors, but I'll let the fleet guys confirm if that's true or not.
 

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Growlers carry AMRAAM right? And they have no gun. Can they or do they carry AIM-9's? What kind of BFM do they practice? Sorry if that's a stupid question.
Growlers cannot carry AIM-9s due to the ALQ-218 ES Pods on the wingtips.
 

pilot_man

Ex-Rhino driver
pilot
I'm currently in the Growler RAG and we basically get 5 dedicated BFM flights: offense, defense, high aspect, DACT and a 2v1. The gouge we have been getting is that is all we can expect till we return back to the RAG as instructors, but I'll let the fleet guys confirm if that's true or not.

That is bad gouge.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Brett, if there was one thing you should have learned from your time in Newport is "never say never" (especially when gov't spending is involved)
If there's one thing I learned from my time at Newport is that a lot of people have hare-brained ideas. Some of them get studied as serious options... some of them get traction. My gut tells me that this one won't.
 
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