NAVY / MARINE CORPS / COAST GUARD / MERCHANT MARINE SEAPOWER

SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER MAGAZINE MAY 2011

2 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

Paying Tribute SEAPOWER By AMY L. WITTMAN, Editor in Chief CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION A SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER, MAY 2011

n Feb. 17, 1911, inventor lished by Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers, PUBLISHER and aviation pioneer commander, Naval Air Forces. Daniel B. Branch Jr. Glenn Curtiss — the Working with him are Lt. Gen. Terry ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER O Dale A. Lumme “father of naval aviation” — taxied G. Robling, deputy commandant for his “Hydroaeroplane,” or seaplane, to Marine Corps Aviation; Rear Adm. EDITOR IN CHIEF Amy L. Wittman the USS Pennsylvania, Patrick McGrath, deputy command- [email protected] anchored in San Diego Bay. The plane er, , Naval Air Forces; and DEPUTY EDITOR was hoisted aboard the ship. It was Capt. Mike Emerson, Coast Guard Peter E. Atkinson later lowered back to the water and chief of Aviation. The task force’s [email protected] Curtiss returned to North Island. goal is to raise public awareness of MANAGING EDITOR The U.S. Navy and its sea ser- Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard Richard R. Burgess [email protected] vice partners returned to that area and NASA aviation operations. in February to officially kick off a In this special supplement, ASSISTANT EDITOR John C. Marcario year-long celebration of the 100th spearheaded by Managing Editor [email protected] anni versary of naval aviation at Richard R. Burgess, Seapower also DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING SALES Naval Air Station North Island, San aims to raise awareness, as well Charles A. Hull Diego, regarded as the “birthplace as pay tribute to those pioneers [email protected] of naval aviation.” whose can-do spirit, courage and DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS Many other centennial-related tenacity inspired today’s Navy, Kerri Carpenter [email protected] events are slated to take place Marine Corps and Coast Guard throughout the year, and synchroni- aviators, some of whom con- PROOFREADER Jean B. Reynolds zing those events is the Centennial tributed their personal perspec- ■ DESIGN AND PRODUCTION of Naval Aviation Task Force, estab- tives for this publication. Amy Billingham and Rob Black Pensaré Design Group

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SEAPOWER Seapower would like to acknowledge the following people, without whom this 2300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200 endeavor would not be possible: Arlington, VA 22201-5424 TEL: 703-528-1775 — editorial ■ Vice Adm. Robert F. Dunn, USN (Ret.), president, Naval Historical Foundation 703-528-2075 — advertising ■ Barrett Tillman, author and historian FAX: 703-243-8251 ■ David F. Winkler, historian, Naval Historical Foundation E-MAIL: [email protected] ■ Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers, commander, Naval Air Forces ■ Vice Adm. John P. Currier, chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard ■ Vice Adm. Richard C. Gentz, USN (Ret.), board member, Naval Historical Foundation ■ Cmdr. Pauline Storum, public affairs officer for commander, Naval Air Forces ■ Cmdr. Philip Rosi, public affairs officer for commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic ■ MC2 Micah Blechner, public affairs officer for commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic ■ Mike Maus, public affairs officer for commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic CONTENTS ■ Lt. Aaron Kakiel, assistant public affairs officer for commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet 4 The First 100 Years ■ Kimberly A. Martin, public affairs officer, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. BY VICE ADM. ROBERT F. DUNN, ■ Karen Carow, director of corporate communications, Naval Air Systems Command USN (RET.) ■ Billy Ray Brown, public affairs officer, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division 12 Imagining World War II ■ Colin S. Babb, editor, Naval Aviation News BY BARRETT TILLMAN ■ Nadine A. Santiago, public affairs, Headquarters, U.S. Coast Guard ■ 1st Lt. Sharon A. Hyland, director for public affairs, Marine Corps Air Station 18 The Aviation Appeal (MCAS) Beaufort, S.C. 24 Four Decades of Change ■ Master Sgt. Chad McMeen, public affairs, MCAS Beaufort, S.C. BY VICE ADM. DAVID ARCHITZEL ■ Master Sgt. Mark E. Bradley, media relations, MCAS New River, N.C. ■ Cpl. Nichole R. Werling, media/community relations NCO, MCAS New River, N.C. 30 A 30-Year Perspective BY VICE ADM. JOHN P. CURRIER ■ Cmdr. Doug Siegfried, USN (Ret.), associate editor, The Hook ■ David Colamaria, staff researcher, Naval Historical Foundation 36 Continuing a Proud Legacy ■ Lt. Cmdr. Richard J. Morgan, USN (Ret.), author and historian BY VICE ADM. ALLEN G. MYERS

COVER PHOTO BY NATIONAL ARCHIVES/THE TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION

4 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION The First 100 Years

By VICE ADM. ROBERT F. DUNN, USN (RET.)

his year’s Centennial of and the longest serv- With the use of a Naval Aviation is being ing. Glenn Curtiss catapult, increasing T marked with a multitude of built most of the first numbers of catapult- celebratory events. From shaky Navy airplanes and capable floatplanes beginnings in aircraft even the avia- showed how an air- took their place in tors of those days called “crates” to craft could be landed the fleet. Their mis- where naval aviation arguably is the on the water next to sions in cluded scout- centerpiece of all the Navy is today a ship, then be hoist- ing and light logis- is no small story. It is one of setting ed aboard and low- tics, and they made records, success in preventing war ered again to the up the Base Force of

and success in war itself. It is a kalei- water for another COURTESY OF ROBERT F. DUNN the 1920s and ’30s. It doscope of leadership, people, mo- mission. But it was was not until the hel- ney, legislation, materiel, machines Chambers, a battleship Sailor, who icopter came along after World War and tactics. arranged to procure the first U.S. II that the floatplanes were replaced. From the beginning, in 1911, Navy aircraft. Early successes notwithstand- the names remembered best are It was Chambers who introduced ing, the American aviation indus- Ely, Ellyson, Towers, Curtiss and a scientific approach for the im- try soon lagged. When World War Chambers. Of all, it is Capt. Wa- provement of airplanes, assigned the I broke out, U.S. forces had to be shington Irving Chambers who first engineers to help in the solu- equipped with planes of foreign should be most remembered and tion of early aeronautical problems manufacture. Then, to fill the sud- most honored. True, Eugene Ely and personally influenced the devel- den need for more pilots, the first was the first to launch from and opment of the shipboard catapult. Naval Reservists were recruited, land on a ship; Theodore Ellyson From the beginning, capable some paying for training them- was Naval Aviator No. 1; John catapults were seen as the key to selves. Flying from bases in Eng - Towers was Naval Aviator No. 3 making aviation useful to the fleet. land, and Italy, they played Waypoints in History NOVEMBER 14, 1910 JANUARY 18, 1911 FEBRUARY 17, 1911 Eugene Ely, seated in a Ely, for first time, lands Glenn Curtiss’ “Hydroaeroplane” flies out to and is Curtiss Pusher, conducts and then takes off hoisted aboard USS Pennsylvania, anchored in San first flight launched from from ramp built on Diego Bay. The seaplane is later returned to the a ship, Birmingham, Pennsylvania, anchored water and Curtiss flies back to North Island, today anchored at Hampton in San Francisco Bay. considered the birthplace of naval aviation. Roads, Va. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 5

a major role in minimizing the U-boat threat. At the same time, other naval aviators, including Towers and Kenneth Whiting, were detailed to to observe our allies. The English were foremost in recognizing the value of naval avi- ation well beyond anti-submarine efforts. It was the Royal Navy that flew fighters from improvised cruiser and battleship decks to repel German Zeppelin raids, and developed the world’s first from a merchant hull, HMS Argus. Reports from Towers and Whiting convinced American political and naval officials to NAVY HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND authorize the procurement of more Eugene Ely conducts the first flight from a ship, launching his Curtis Pusher air- aircraft for the fleet, and to convert craft from USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads, Va., Nov. 14, 1910. the collier Jupiter into the first American carrier, USS Langley. every Navy fighter and attack avia- crashed off in 1933. tor’s training. It was a very impor- When Moffett was chief of the First, Some Unfinished tant tactic in Korea and South Bureau of Aeronautics, no one Business … Vietnam and, despite “smart could see ahead to divine what Plans originally made in 1914 to weapons,” is often called for by would be the most important avia- fly across the Atlantic had to be put troops on the ground in Af- tion systems in the years ahead. To on hold. Then, in 1919, with ghanistan. Likewise, supply and his credit, all available systems were Towers in charge, three aircraft medical evacuation continue as explored and, within the dollars started out from Rockaway, N.Y., key missions for all naval service available, tested. His mantra was, crossed Halifax, Newfoundland, helicopters and transports alike. “naval aviation must go to sea on the Azores and Lisbon, before end- Even as the Marines were devel- the back of the fleet … the fleet and ing the flight in England. Because oping tactics for troop support, it naval aviation are one and insepara- of mishaps, only one aircraft — the was another battleship captain, ble, no matter what its form.” NC-4 — completed the crossing. William Adger Moffett, who con- Moffett was convinced that a Not long after the NC-4 flight, solidated aviation development major role of support for the fleet Marine naval aviators developed into one Bureau of Aeronautics. For would be fulfilled by aircraft carriers. their concept of close air support, 11 years, he was a most able advo- Consequently, at the resupply of embattled troops and cate and leader of naval aviation in Naval Conference, Nov. 12, 1921- medical evacuation. Since then all its forms before he was killed Feb. 6, 1922, he was instrumental in close air support has been part of when the dirigible USS Akron getting treaty authorization for the

MAY 8, 1911 JULY 1, 1911 SEPTEMBER 1911 MAY 22, 1912 Capt. Washington A Navy-purchased Naval aviation training Lt. Alfred A. Chambers prepares Curtis A-1 Triad facility established at Cunningham is first requisitions for two makes first flight Annapolis, Md. Marine to report for Curtiss biplanes. Date from Lake Keuka, training. later is marked as birth Hammondsport, N.Y. date for naval aviation. 6 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

surrounded himself with experts and doers. As a result, during his 11-year tenure naval aviation appropriations were protected and a stream of new and improved air- craft entered the fleet. He oversaw the advent of air-cooled radial engines, streamlined cowlings, closed cockpits, aircraft communi- cations, instrument systems and a plethora of other improvements both in aircraft and shipboard avia- tion facilities. Even while Moffett was holding sway in Washington, yet another battleship admiral was doing good work in San Diego. In 1925, Joseph Mason Reeves hoisted his flag on USS Langley as commander, Air- craft Squadrons, Battle Fleet.

NAVY HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND Reeves arrived admittedly not knowing a lot about aviation, but it Rear Adm. William A. Moffett consolidated naval aviation development into one Bureau of Aeronautics and was an early advocate of the support role aircraft was clear to him from the begin- carriers could play for the fleet. He is shown here in 1928 before a Douglas ning that what he had inherited DT-2 aircraft. was not going to be of much serv- ice to the fleet. conversion of the uncompleted would only be successful if the air- There were more landing acci- heavy cruisers Lexington and Sara- plane was fully integrated into dents than successes and Langley toga into aircraft carriers. operations at sea. Resisting the carried only 12 aircraft at any one Moffett also was the point man efforts of some of his battleship time. Against the advice of several for the Navy and naval aviation brethren and, indeed, some avia- of his staff and the aviators in the against the onslaught of Gen. Billy tors, he also insisted that naval avi- two squadrons assigned, he insist- Mitchell and his allies, who cam- ators be naval officers first, and ed that more aircraft could be paigned for dependence on strategic aviators second. There would be embarked and operated, perhaps as bombing by a separate air force. Had no separate corps, as in the Army. many as 42. He also felt that even it not been for Moffett, naval avia- After all, he argued, the very reason at only 16 knots, Langley could tion might have disappeared much for naval aviation was to support serve as an ideal stand-in for as did Britain’s Fleet Air Arm, over- the fleet. That meant that flying Lexington and Saratoga, soon to be whelmed by the Royal Air Force. naval personnel had to be part of it. joining the fleet. Almost solely due Moffett held the view that naval Not so much an engineer as he to his insistence to the fleet com- aviation and the fleet it supported was a judge of good men, Moffett mander, Langley joined the 1926 Waypoints in History NOVEMBER 12, 1912 MARCH 6, 1913 JANUARY 20, 1914 APRIL 24, 1914 Naval aviator No. 1, First use of naval Pensacola, Fla., First combat flight Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson, aviation in fleet established as first made in AB-3 Flying successfully catapulted maneuvers. aeronautic station. Boat in support of from barge anchored in Veracruz, Mexico, Anacostia River, near operations. Washington Navy Yard. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 7

Fleet Battle Problem, an exercise, and for close air support in a hostile similar programs, including V-12, and then conducted a successful environment. Aircraft designed which sustained the Navy in the surprise aircraft “assault” on Pearl specifically for dive bombing were prewar build-up and on through Harbor, an ominous foreshadowing not long in coming and they proved the war itself. of what was to come. their worth at Midway. When war did come on Dec. 7, This was the first of a string of There was a hiccup on the road to 1941, the nation was surprised but, Fleet Battle Problems in the 1920s success, however — the Depression. by and large, naval aviation was and 1930s that demonstrated time Like every department of the gov- ready. The carriers and other air- and again the importance of naval ernment, the Navy in the early craft on hand were prepared and aviation, in all its dimensions. Long- 1930s was forced to take a consider- vast numbers of others were in the range seaplanes, battleship- and able budget hit, and at $30 million, pipeline. Pilots and maintainers cruiser-based floatplanes as well as funding for naval aviation in 1934 were either on hand or in training. carrier aircraft played important was less than the nearly $86 million That it was so can be attributed to roles, but it was the metamorphosis budgeted in 1920. people like Moffett, Reeves, Vinson of the aircraft carrier from fleet aux- Fortunately, a naval-minded pre- and others. iliary to centerpiece of the fleet that si dent, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Naval aviation successes in battle was most significant. It was Reeves, Congressman Carl Vinson, chair- during World War II were built ably assisted by those carrier com- man of the House Naval Affairs largely on the lessons of the inter- manding officers who later became Committee, helped. One result was war years, such as improved and the task force commanders of World the Vinson-Trammell Act of 1934, higher performing aircraft, better War II, who made naval aviation which authorized an increased tactics for ships and aircraft, and that centerpiece. naval air force, followed by the battle-winning techniques like close Between the wars also was a Naval Expansion Act of 1938 and air support and dive bombing. [See time of aerial tactical develop- the Two Ocean Bill of 1940. “Imagining World War II,” page 12] ment. That’s when dive bombing This expansion caused its own appeared on the scene. In one of problems, however. One was Naval Aviation the first dive attacks against ships, recruiting the pilots and air crew- Adapts, Evolves Lt. Cmdr. Frank Wagner of Fight- men needed to meet the expan- At the end of World War II, the ing Squadron Two, led a flight of sion. Traditional sources would not tremendous fleet built up to win Curtiss F6C Hawks in almost ver- be enough, so in 1935 the V-5 the war shrank seemingly instanta- tical dives against the battle fleet Program was established by the neously. Ships and aircraft were during a sortie from San Pedro in Aviation Cadet Act of 1935. decommissioned. The result was a October 1926. The battle line had Qualified young men would attend fleet dramatically different from no defense. two years of college at government that which went before. Patterns of From then on, dive bombing expense, then go through flight deployment and advances in capa- became a preferred method of training and eventually become bilities were dynamic. Unlike the attack against a ship. The next year, ensigns in the Naval Reserve. prewar Navy, which seldom made the Marines in Nicaragua employed Without this program, naval avia- extended cruises, the postwar dive bombing against guerilla tion would have entered World Navy was required by the Cold troops. Naval aviation now had a War II woefully shorthanded. This War and subsequent events to near-surefire way for attacking ships program became the model for maintain a continual deployment

NOVEMBER 5, 1915 APRIL 10, 1917 APRIL 20, 1917 NOVEMBER 18, 1917 Lt. Cmdr. H.C. Mustin Elmer F. Stone First flight of nonrigid U.S. Navy aerial is the first to catapult becomes first Coast airship, DN-1, begins patrols in European from ship underway — Guard officer to Navy airship operations. waters begin from North Carolina — in receive Wings of Gold. La Croisic, France. Pensacola Bay, Fla. 8 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

pattern punctuated by crises and numbers of women. Almost unno- operate and survive in a nuclear hot wars. In all of these, naval avi- ticed, they came on the scene in age, that it was capable of deliver- ation forces formed a core of ever- the mid-1970s and eventually took ing nuclear weapons from the sea increasing capabilities, pacing and their place in every application. It and at the same time be ready to often leading the threat. didn’t take them long to prove their carry out conventional roles. Since World War II, fixed-wing worth and today there are women Aircraft that could takeoff from a aircraft have gone from prop to jet. at every level of naval aviation, carrier and deliver the 10,000- Ship-based floatplanes were re- including air wing command. pound nuclear weapon of the day placed by jet-powered helicopters. Aircraft readiness has never were developed. Long-range patrol went from prop- been higher and the mishap, or Meanwhile, naval aviation be- driven seaplanes to land-based tur- accident, rate is the lowest it has gan transitioning from props to bo props, soon to be replaced by a ever been. Sixty-six years after jets. Aircraft carriers were equip- jet-powered commercial aircraft World War II, naval aviation is at ped with angled decks, steam cata- derivative. Airborne electronic war- the top of its game and has never pults and optical landing systems fare and surveillance became inte- been more ready to answer the to accommodate those higher- gral to fleet operations and today nation’s call for presence, for com- performance aircraft. top the list of support requested by bat or any mission in between. and cruisers traded their catapults operational commanders. The community has come a very and ship-based seaplanes for heli- Air-to-ground weapons were long way since 1945, when the copters. Newer and longer-range improved to the point that the Navy and Marine Corps faced the land-based patrol aircraft began measure of effectiveness became biggest challenge yet to their very entering the fleet. Their capability targets destroyed per sortie instead existence. The atomic bomb and was dramatically demonstrated of the older measure of weapons the advocates of air power had when in 1946 the P2V Neptune, per target needed for destruction. convinced many politicians and Truculent Turtle, flew nonstop from Air-to-air weapons would go miles American voters that navies were Australia to Columbus, Ohio. instead of feet and their kill ratio passé — “There were no enemies.” Night and all-weather flying be - rose to almost one-to-one. If any should arise, the solution came routine. Marines teamed with the Navy would be found in an independent In those same years, Marines de - flying fixed-wing jets from carriers air force that could carry a nuclear veloped the concept of vertical and vertical-lift Harriers, Ospreys weapon to any spot on Earth. This assault with helicopters. At-sea and helicopters from amphibious made navies, and to some extent replenishment was augmented with ships and from ashore, but remain armies, and certainly a Marine other helicopters. Not all of this hap- today the world’s experts in close air Corps, obsolete. pened at once, of course, but it con- support of troops on the ground. The ensuing controversy led to tinued even through the Korean War. The Coast Guard today sets the the firing of a chief of naval opera- Just a matter of days after the standards for air-sea rescue and law tions, Adm. Louis E. Denfeld, the North Korean troops surged into enforcement. At the same time, the cancellation of a new aircraft carri- South Korea, the South Korean training, morale and retention of er and no promotions for a number Army and the few American occupa- both officer and enlisted personnel of Navy captains and flag officers. tion troops were forced into a small in naval aviation has never been The Navy, however, rallied, first perimeter around the southeastern better, and includes increasing demonstrating that it could indeed Korean city of Pusan. They sorely Waypoints in History MARCH 19, 1918 MARCH 25, 1918 JULY 30, 1918 AUGUST 15, 1918 Ensign Stephen Potter First naval air attack on Personnel of 1st Marine Naval aviators bomb scores first “kill” by German submarine off Aviation Force arrive in German submarine pens naval aviator, shooting England conducted by Brest, France, and fly at Ostend, Belgium. down German seaplane Ensign John McNamara. with British bombing over the North Sea. squadrons.

10 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

needed air support, but the Air Force The near-hot-war manifestation North Atlantic, carrier-based fight- had only very short-legged fighters of those attacks peaked when Fidel ers intercepted Soviet surveillance based in , which meant very lit- Castro and the Soviets installed aircraft, P-3 Orions helped track tle time on station over Korea and ballistic missiles in Cuba. It was a Soviet ballistic-missile subs and, in very little ordnance. Navy photo aircraft that brought the Mediterranean where American USS Valley Forge, one of the few back the proof of those installa- and Soviet fleets operated in close carriers left in commission by 1950, tions and it was Navy patrol air- proximity, attack aircraft remained was in the Pacific. Ordered north craft that formed the backbone of on high alert and shadowed Soviet from where it had been in the South the quarantine and inspection that missile cruisers wherever they Sea, Valley Forge was quickly forced the Soviets to back down went. Attack aircraft also stood on station and was soon joined by and remove their missiles. alerts as part of the Single Inte- the smaller British carrier HMS At about the same time, naval avi- grated Operations Plan, should a Triumph, delivering sorely needed ation entered space in a big way. Alan nu clear ex change begin. close air support to the beleaguered Shepherd and John Glenn led the Beginning in the early 1960s, allied troops. This lesson in respon- way, followed quickly by John Navy photo reconnaissance aircraft siveness was not lost on the politi- Young, Dick Truly, Neil Armstrong were called upon to provide evidence cians in Washington. and Jim Lovell. Unmanned space- of the Communist buildup in Laos. Frequently, during various crises craft also began to play a larger role Flying extended-range missions from in the years thereafter, the call was with navigation data in the form of afloat and ashore, they gathered the often heard, “Where are the carri- the Global Positioning System satel- needed intelligence. It wasn’t long ers?” As early as 1958, when it ap- lite network, communications and after that that Communists in North peared that Sixth Fleet forces might more, all in creasingly important to Vietnam infiltrated democratic South have to intervene in Lebanon and naval aviation operations. Vietnam. The came to the question was asked, Adm. New and dramatically more capa- the aid of that small nation and the Arleigh Burke famously responded ble carriers entered the fleet as well: Vietnam War began. with, “We’re here now. What do you first the Forrestal class beginning in At first, there were retaliatory want us to do?” That set a tone and 1955; Enterprise, the first nuclear car- strikes carried out entirely by Navy an expectation from that day to this. rier, in 1961; and Nimitz, the first of a carrier aircraft. Only later did the Air new class, in 1975. Also in the 1970s, Force position aircraft in South Surveillance and Space former anti-submarine carriers, Vietnam and Thailand. Soon a major For many years, before satellite sur- mostly World War II Essex-class effort was being carried out by the veillance was in place, Navy-operated ships, were decommissioned and the Navy with as many as four carriers modified Super Constellations — erstwhile attack carriers began outfit- at a time operating in the Gulf of Warning Stars — flew barrier patrols ting with anti-submarine warfare Tonkin, providing close air support over the Pacific and Atlantic, ready to (ASW) aircraft and helicopters. to Soldiers and Marines in the south detect any Soviet incursion toward Newer and more capable amphibious and, despite intense anti-aircraft and the United States. Navy reconnais- ships with squadrons of Marine heli- missile opposition, striking military sance aircraft flew the perimeter of copters and Harriers also began to targets in the North. the Iron Curtain in Europe and in the enter the fleet. Marine aircraft based ashore at Pacific, losing not a few crews and As the Cold War intensified, par- Chu-lai and other “in-country” aircraft to gangster-type attacks. ticularly in the Mediterranean and bases also provided close air sup- Waypoints in History SEPTEMBER 24, 1918 MAY 8, 1919 MARCH 20, 1922 Lt. j.g. David S. Ingalls Four NC flying boats lift off from Rockaway, N.Y., for Langley placed into shoots down fifth enemy trans-Atlantic flight. One, NC-4 commanded by Lt. commission as Navy’s aircraft to become Cmdr. Albert “Putty” Reid and piloted by Coast first aircraft carrier. Navy’s first and only Guard Lt. Elmer F. Stone, would land at Lisbon 19 World War I ace. days later. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 11

port and struck targets in the North. Meanwhile, Navy helicopters and OV-10s supported riverine opera- tions in the South and patrol squadrons flew countless recon- naissance missions offshore. Other ship-based helicopters made numerous daring rescues of downed pilots, often in the face of intense enemy fire. The Vietnam War was an “all-hands” evolution. After the Vietnam War, ships and aircraft were worn out. These were difficult days for the Navy and naval aviation, yet the Cold War dragged on and new threats developed in the Middle East. New aircraft and ships entered the NATIONAL ARCHIVES/THE TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION inventory and the Navy and Ma- Loaded with bombs, VA-115 Douglas AD-4 Skyraiders from USS Philippine rine Corps never missed a commit- Sea fly a Korean War strike mission in February 1951. ment. As early as 1981, Sixth Fleet aircraft were called upon to deal er aircraft in the first battles of Throughout these 100 years, the with Libyan MiGs. In 1991, anoth- Iraqi Freedom. strength of naval aviation has been er task for carrier aircraft emerged While the carriers were busy the people who make up this force, — Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Marines were based afloat and a force integral to the basic compo- — employing no less than six air- in country, patrol squadrons, os- sition of the Navy, the Marines and craft carriers. tensibly trained for ASW were fly- the Coast Guard. It started that way Desert Storm was followed in ing missions over Iraq and with Ely, Towers, Chambers and quick succession by Southern Afghanistan helping to locate their colleagues. It was sustained Watch to enforce the no-fly zone improvised explosive devices and and improved by Moffett and over Iraq. In 1999, aircraft from performing all sorts of missions for Reeves and it will continue that USS Theodore Roosevelt flew more which they were not originally way if only we keep in our sights than 3,100 close air support mis- designed, demonstrating the flexi- the Moffett’s mantra: “Naval avia- sions in support of NATO opera- bility of naval aviation. tion must go to sea on the back of tions in Kosovo. Next came Naval aviation forces have been in the fleet … the fleet and naval avia- Enduring Freedom, flying from continual combat since 1990, more tion are one and inseparable.” ■ carriers in the Indian Ocean over than 21 years. Throughout, they Afghanistan in response to the have shown every day the spirit, the Retired Vice Adm. Robert F. Dunn is presi- Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the flexibility and capability of which dent of the Naval Historical Foundation in United States, and then the initial Ellyson, Curtiss and Chambers Washington and the former president of “shock and awe” strikes from carri- could have only dreamed. the Association of Naval Aviation.

OCTOBER 26, 1922 SEPTEMBER 4, 1923 NOVEMBER 25, 1924 APRIL 1, 1925 Lt. Cmdr. Godfrey Shenandoah makes German-built airship Los First night carrier Chevalier records maiden voyage from Angeles is commissioned landing conducted by first Navy landing NAS Lakehurst, N.J. at NAS Anacostia, Lt. Cmdr. John C. Price on aircraft carrier. Airship would crash Washington. on Langley. nearly two years later. 12 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION Imagining World War II

By BARRETT TILLMAN

magine the Second World War, engine bomber every hardly existed before fought across the globe on an hour and launched an 1941. I industrial scale that will never escort carrier (CVE) Imagine a navy be possible again. Imagine a navy each week from mid- conducting two ma - with 4.2 million personnel and 1943 to January 1945. jor amphibious op - 6,700 combatant vessels, from PT Imagine a training er a tions on opposite boats to battleships. Imagine a establishment that sides of the globe scale of conflict so great that it cost turned out 60,000 within days of each nearly 300 of those combatants aviators in four years other — in northern (more ships than the U.S. Navy — a program so Europe and the

currently possesses) including 11 effective that it rou- COURTESY OF BARRETT TILLMAN Cen tral Pacific. aircraft carriers, 52 submarines and tinely sent 220-hour All of that hap- 62,000 men — and still defeated pilots to axial-deck carriers, then on pened within living memory, accom- two of the world’s greatest navies to combat units, without simulators, plished with less than half of today’s within four months of each other. except primitive Link trainers. The population. Veterans of World War II Imagine an inventory so immense hatcheries were everywhere, from still recall what it looked like: the that it could lose 150 aircraft in a Pensacola, Fla., and Corpus Christi, world’s most powerful navy with day — and make good the deficit. Texas, to Reserve bases from Long nearly 100 carriers, 23 battleships, Imagine an industrial base that Beach, Calif., to . 70 cruisers and 230 submarines. But built most of a two-ocean navy in five That same training scheme that enormous fleet took time to years, producing 70,000 naval air- yielded many more thousands of plan, build and deploy. craft, including 52,000 carrier types, aircrew, mechanics, ordnancemen In December 1941, the U.S. Navy 6,000 patrol planes and 9,000 train- and electronics technicians. The possessed 790 active warships, in - ers. Factories were so incredibly effi- learning curve was extraordinarily cluding 17 battleships and eight car- cient that they rolled out a four- steep, especially since fleet radar riers (one of which was a prototype Waypoints in History MAY 9, 1926 OCTOBER 22, 1926 JULY 16, 1927 NOVEMBER 16– Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Dive bombing demon- Marine aircraft strafe DECEMBER 14, 1927 Byrd and Chief Aviation strated as viable tactic. Sandinista positions in Laid down as battle Pilot Floyd E. Bennett Nicaragua. Considered cruisers, Saratoga fly Fokker Tri-motor air- first dive-bombing and then Lexington craft over North Pole. attack in combat. are commissioned as aircraft carriers. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 13

CVE). Only months previously, carri- er air groups had flown biplanes, and some new monoplanes such as F4F Wildcats and SBD Dauntlesses were still being debugged. Meanwhile, other designs were nearing completion. The Navy already had a world-beating con- cept in Vought’s radical F4U Corsair, ’s first 400-mph single-engine production aircraft. But the F4U was more than a year from combat, and then only land- based. Grumman’s promising F6F Hellcat would not even fly until mid-1942. The “Iron Works’” TBF Avenger torpedo plane promised a generational improvement over the NAVY HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND/THE TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION Douglas TBD. The SBD’s replace- An SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber gets the launch signal before taking off to ment, Curtiss’ big SB2C Helldiver, join other aircraft in strikes against Japanese targets in the Central Pacific on was plagued with troubles that March 7, 1944. kept it out of combat until the end of 1943. in 1943. At 30 knots, they could The jeeps seldom received much With new aircraft came a new keep up with the larger flattops press but they performed vital generation of ships. Foremost was while operating fewer aircraft. missions, especially anti-submarine the Essex-class carrier, produced in Then there were the escort warfare (ASW). Deployed in ex cep tional numbers. Big, capable carriers. hunter-killer groups, their Aveng - carriers displacing 27,000 tons and “Baby flattops” or “jeep carriers” ers and Wildcats helped plug the embarking 90 or more aircraft, were another wartime innovation. dreadful mid-Atlantic gap beyond they represented the cutting edge With heavy attrition in the year after range of land-based aircraft, and of the Cen tral Pacific offensive that Pearl Harbor, replacement flight crippled the U-boat threat 12 began in late 1943. Seventeen were decks were urgently needed. A pre- months before D-Day. commissioned during the war, war experiment, USS Long Island, Their importance was noted by with seven more coming afterward. proved the concept, and in 1942 con- no less than Winston Churchill, Exceptionally long-lived and ver- versions began on merchant hulls, who conceded that the only thing satile, they became “the DC-3 of producing the Bogue and Sangamon that truly worried him throughout aircraft carriers.” classes. Subsequent designs were the war was the submarine threat Operating alongside the Essexes purpose-built CVEs of the Casablan - to Britain. In the six-year Battle of were nine Independence-class light ca and Commencement Bay classes. the Atlantic, British and American carriers (CVLs), converted from American shipyards produced so escort carriers made a strategic light cruisers, also entering combat many that 30 went to Britain. contribution to victory.

JANUARY 23–27, 1929 NOVEMBER 29, 1929 JANUARY 22, 1931 OCTOBER 27, 1931 Lexington and Saratoga Cmdr. Richard Byrd Navy orders first Airship Akron is placed participate in Fleet makes first flight over rotary-wing aircraft, in commission. It would Exercise. Saratoga South Pole. the XOP-1 autogyro. crash off New Jersey launches successful on April 4, 1933. mock attack against Panama Canal. 14 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

ings, two dozen Fifth Fleet carriers clashed with nine Imperial Navy flat- tops in a battle so lopsided that it was called The Marianas Turkey Shoot. Only four months later came the greatest naval battle of the 20th cen- tury, the sprawling three-day slugfest at Leyte Gulf. While CVEs fought for their lives against a Japanese armada off Samar, Task Force 38 was lured north to sink the emperor’s last four deployable carriers. It was the effec- tive end of the Imperial Navy, mark- ing the onset of what has become the post-naval era, with no significant engagements in nearly 70 years. Time and again, the fast carriers NAVY HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND/THE TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION disproved the conventional wis- A Navy Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator flies an anti-submarine patrol over the dom that naval aviation was inher- Bay of Biscay near the English coast in July-August 1943. ently inferior to land-based air. Going head to head against major In the Pacific, CVEs continued unique to the Pacific Theater of Japanese airpower on Formosa, the ASW work but also earned their Operations. Between 1942 and 1944, and, ultimately, Japan, keep providing close air support to U.S. and Japanese flattops engaged in Task Forces 38 and 58 brought American infantrymen and deliver- five battles conducted wholly by car- 1,000 or more fighters and bomb - ing immediate replacement aircraft rier aircraft, with all the action ers to the fight. The inevitable re- to the fast carriers. “beyond the horizon.” First in the sult was air superiority, leading to Flattops conducted a variety of Coral Sea in May 1942, then a month outright supremacy over the home unusual missions, starting with Hor - later off Midway, the new art of naval islands in summer 1945. net’s (CV 8) launching the Doolittle air combat played itself out on a Along the route to , the Raiders in April 1942 to make the gigantic chessboard defined by Hellcat established an unrivaled first U.S. air strikes against the Japa- degrees of latitude and longitude. record as master of Pacific skies. nese home islands. Subse quently, Flattops represented both the Claiming more than 5,200 aerial other ships appeared in climes as var- kings and queens with exceptional kills, the F6F was credited with ied as the Moroccan coast (Operation reach and mobility, but even naval nearly as many enemy planes as all Torch, November 1942), Norway royalty was vulnerable. During the Army fighters in the Pacific and (Ranger’s Operation Leader, October four 1942 battles, including two at China-Burma theaters combined. 1943) and the Riviera (Operation Guadalcanal, Japan lost five carriers Frequently overlooked was the Anvil-Dragoon, August 1944). and America three, with another other segment of shipboard aviation: But the fast carriers carried most sunk by submarine. Then, in June scout-observation aircraft aboard of the load in a form of warfare 1944, supporting the land- battleships and cruisers. The obser- Waypoints in History NOVEMBER 2, 1931 JUNE 23, 1933 JANUARY 10–11, 1934 JUNE 4, 1934 First Marine air Airship Macon placed Six P2Y-1 flying boats Ranger commissioned squadrons report into commission. Would establish time and dis- as first U.S. carrier onboard Lexington be lost off California tance records in flight designed and built and Saratoga. on Feb. 12, 1935. from San Francisco to from keel up. Hawaii. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 15

vation scout floatplane community Among the least-reported opera- wide reputation for efficiency and was among the smallest in naval avi- tions was Fleet Air Wing Four’s dis- competence. In 1945, naval trans- ation but it was found everywhere mal environment in the Aleutians. ports flew a global network of some — in the Atlantic, Mediterranean Mostly flying PBYs and the Lock - 63,000 miles, delivering supplies and and Pacific. Apart from their pri- heed series of PV Ventura and Har- transporting personnel. One of the mary mission of spotting naval gun- poon attack bombers, the aircrews primary missions was medical airlift, fire, SOC and OS2U floatplanes per- operated in arguably the worst and at Okinawa NATS evacuated formed invaluable work in search weather on Earth, braving the North nearly 10,000 casualties. and rescue. Undoubtedly, the record Pacific for 700-mile missions against But naval aviation was more was earned by a USS North Carolina the Kurile Islands. It was a grim, than the Navy. The Marine Corps OS2U pilot who delivered 10 fliers mostly thankless task that kept the and Coast Guard both grew to the lifeguard submarine off Truk pressure on Japan’s northern flank. tremendously during the war, with Atoll in 1944. While airplanes bombed and flying leathernecks eventually During the war, the Navy used strafed, or at least flew at airspeeds gaining their own escort carrier air some 6,000 patrol planes, a generic exceeding 130 knots, there were far groups. Next year marks the cen- title covering seaplanes, amphib- slower, unglamorous blimps. tennial of Marine Corps aviation. ians and land-based aircraft. The “Lighter than air” (LTA) had been In an endeavor so huge, on a scale most familiar was Consolidated part of naval aviation almost from so vast, very few individuals could Aircraft Corp.’s fabled PBY Cata- the start, but after the glory days of exert an effect. At least 370 Navy lina, which entered service in the 1930s rigid airships, blimps fighter pilots became aces — more 1936. A rare combination of awk- (non-rigids) upheld the LTA mantle. than 80 percent in Hellcats — and wardness and grace, it was both To this day, no one can say with many of their names are well known long ranged and long lived, serving authority where the word “blimp” even today. Fighters could achieve well after the war. It excelled at came from, but it doesn’t matter. air superiority but they could not nearly everything, including recon- Blimps provided convoy escort and sink capital ships. Individual dive naissance, ASW and air-sea rescue. ASW almost everywhere, including bomber pilots could. Probably no But the Catalina also was a noctur- the remote South Atlantic, and once other “shooters” in the entire war nal creature, earning a solid reputa- in a great while they even sighted a were capable of directly influencing tion for night attack in several “Black hostile submarine. Cruising at 55 the course of battles or campaigns. Cat” squadrons. Other flying boats knots, their silvery presence lent Certainly that was true at Midway, were Consolidated’s bigger, more comfort to thousands of mariners in where perhaps a dozen SBD pilots capable PB2Y Coronado and the dangerous waters. made the hits essential to victory. Glenn L. Martin Co.’s PBM Mariner. If history has neglected any aspect The same applied to their air- “Patrol” also included land-based of World War II naval aviation more plane. Without the Dauntless, the bombers, notably the PB4Y variants than transports, it’s a well-kept secret. Pacific Fleet could not have fought of the Army’s B-24. Possessing excep- Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) to a draw at Coral Sea, won at Mid- tional range and ordnance options, did not even exist before December way, nor taken the offensive at the Liberator and Privateer frequent- 1941, but it quickly became a growth Guadalcanal, where Navy and Ma- ly flew 2,000-mile, 12-hour round- industry. With nearly 900 Douglas rine Dauntlesses held the Imperial trip missions, harrying Japanese and Curtiss aircraft procured during Navy at bay. Slanting into their 70- bases and sinking their ships. the war, NATS established a world- degree dives, tracking their targets

AUGUST 19, 1936 SEPTEMBER 30, 1937 MAY 15, 1938 MAY 17, 1938 Naval aircraft demon- Yorktown commissioned. Enterprise commis- Naval Expansion Act strate capability to sink Would be lost in 1942 at sioned. Would be increases number of submarines in exercise . most decorated ship naval aircraft to 3,000 conducted off of World War II. and results in laying Capes. down of carriers Hornet and Essex. 16 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

ceivable today, when some pilots were current in three or four types. The prevailing attitude was summed up by a squadron skipper, Lt. Cmdr. Roger Hedrick, who told his pilots transitioning from Hell- cats to Corsairs, “They all have a stick and a throttle. Go fly ’em!” But behind the dash and glam- our were the inescapable realities. Ships were designed for combat rather than habitability. Of the 3,000 men aboard a fleet carrier, the huge majority were smokers, living in confined steel compart- ments in the tropics, without air conditioning. Three months at sea was not unknown. Meanwhile, squadrons based on many Pacific isles endured a miserable climate, inescapable disease, poor food and often crushing boredom. U.S. NAVY/THE TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION Whatever their environment, VF-1 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats with Air Group 1 aboard USS Yorktown warm those pilots, aircrew, maintenance up for takeoff for a mission in the Pacific in 1944. personnel and ordnancemen experi- enced a war that can never be repeat- in the 30 seconds available, then War II — after all, the United ed. Their honor is not so much in releasing at 1,500 feet and recover- States was allied with the British winning as in how they achieved it ing barely off the wavetops, SBDs Empire, the Soviet Union and — with perseverance, professional- hammered their ordnance into carri- China against Germany and Japan. ism and the pride of having served ers, cruisers and transports as no But there’s something to the when it mattered as never before. ■ other aircraft possibly could. notion that the World War II gen- Ever since Tom Brokaw’s 1998 eration produced the greatest naval Barrett Tillman is an author and public best seller, there has been perennial aviators: men — some too young speaker best known for his books on naval homage to those who won the to vote — who went to war in aviation history. A former editor of The Second World War as “the greatest high-performance aircraft on Hook magazine, he has received six writ- generation” in American history. A straight-deck carriers, flying day ing awards including the Admiral Radford more reasoned assessment would and night in an esoteric martial art Award for Naval History and Literature. accord that honor to the nation’s that remained immature as of early His next book is “Master of the Pacific,” founders, who faced vastly greater 1942. The variety of aircraft avail- a history of USS Enterprise (CV-6) from odds than America did in World able to that generation is incon- Simon and Schuster in 2012. Waypoints in History JUNE 14, 1940 DECEMBER 10, 1941 FEBRUARY 20, 1942 MARCH 1, 1942 Naval Expansion Act Three days after Pearl Lt. Butch O’Hare, U-656 is sunk by Navy of 1940 increases naval Harbor, SBD dive credited with shooting PBO patrol bomber air strength to 4,500 bombers from Enterprise down five enemy south of Newfoundland, planes. The next day, sink submarine I-7, the bombers and damaging first U-boat sunk by Congress increases first Japanese Navy ship another over Southwest U.S. Navy aircraft. this to 10,000 “useful sunk by the U.S. Navy. Pacific. He is later award- airplanes.” ed the Medal of Honor.

18 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION The Aviation Appeal

■ Avionics Technician 2nd Class navigation equipment on E-2Cs for five years now. I Anthony Bennekin like working on electronics. I like to learn how things AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING SQUADRON 120 work. I like to take them apart and fix them. However, NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VA. the most enjoyable part is the people I work with, peo- HOMETOWN: MONTEREY, CALIF. ple from all over. The daily aviation challenge is to meet the demand Before I joined the Navy, I of the operational side while we’re doing the mainte- was interested in comput- nance. There are always a few people who have been ers. I was trying to get doing this for a while and understand how this stuff in the electronics field. works, and you’ve got junior guys who don’t know When it came to choosing what they’re doing, so you walk through steps so my rate, I’d seen electron- they’ll understand and catch up fast enough. It’s a chal- ics, but I didn’t really see lenge to do that every day, but I’m still doing it. the aviation part of it, but now that I’m in it, I love it. INSPIRATION: Working on the aircraft carriers. I just I learn. It has me going. like being out on deployment and working on air- I have been working planes and the rest of things out there. There’s some-

U.S. NAVY on radars, radios and thing new every day.

■ Aviation Survival Technician 2nd Class effectively complete a search-and- Sara Rose Faulkner rescue mission. HH-60J HELICOPTER RESCUE SWIMMER The most challenging aspect of COAST GUARD AIR STATION CLEARWATER, FLA. my job is to remain prepared phys- HOMETOWN: LOS ANGELES ically and mentally for the un- known. Even a routine training My involvement in the Naval Sea Cadet Corps [Betsy flight could be diverted to a major Ross Division, Sherman Oaks, Calif.] introduced me to search-and rescue mission. various aspects of Navy and Coast Guard aviation. When I trained with Coast Guard rescue swimmers, I INSPIRATION: The response to knew instantly that was what I wanted to become. Hurricane Katrina, with the coordi- I enjoy the satisfaction that comes when all the nation of multiservice aircraft com- hard work and training from the pilots, flight ing from all over the country to

mechanics and rescue swimmers come together to save so many lives. U.S. COAST GUARD Waypoints in History APRIL 18, 1942 MAY 7–8, 1942 JUNE 3–6, 1942 AUGUST 26, 1942 During Halsey-Doolittle Battle of Coral Sea Navy SBD dive Capt. Marion Carl Raid, carrier Hornet is first carrier-versus- bombers score fatal becomes first Marine launches Army Air carrier battle. Lexington hits of four Japanese Corps ace, shooting Forces B-25 bombers and one Japanese carriers during Battle down a Zero over in first strike on carrier sunk. of Midway. Guadalcanal. Japanese islands. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 19

■ Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Fay evolving tactics, evolving aircraft modifications. Even P-3C NAVAL FLIGHT OFFICER with an aircraft as old as the P-3, you’re still getting new WEAPONS AND TACTICS INSTRUCTOR, systems and technologies added on, and with that comes COMMANDER, PATROL & RECONNAISSANCE WING 10 new and advanced tactics and, on top of that, new oper- NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND, WASH. ating procedures. Your box gets full pretty quickly. Even HOMETOWN: FORT WORTH, TEXAS in terms of acoustics, we’re always fielding newer and better acoustic processors. You almost have to pick your Naval aviation was very intriguing. expertise in certain ways. You can’t master them all, It has a great heritage, a lot of tradi- that’s for sure. Fortunately, our air crews are really good tion. Anyone who’s ever been to an at plowing through it. They’ll make it happen. air show and seen the Blue Angels fly overhead certainly said that that INSPIRATION: My grandfathers served in World War II, was something they would like to one specifically in naval aviation. When you look at the be a part of. It was pretty cool. I impact that World War II [had], naval aviation’s part in liked the discipline of it, the profes- that was huge. The war started the whole expansion of sionalism. naval aviation. Coming from an S-3 and then a P-3 back- Originally, I was an S-3 naval ground, there’s a tremendous amount of heritage that flight officer, but when the S-3 com- goes back to World War II, where you’re out on patrol munity was phased out, I trans- and looking for subs and surface ships. It inspires me a ferred over to the P-3. In the P-3 lot to think of what the folks ahead of us did. I’m hon-

U.S. NAVY community, we’re constantly facing ored to be a part of that.

■ Maj. Will Grant was a chance to bring a couple of families together. I MV-22B OSPREY PILOT was kind of fascinated with the technology as well. To MARINE MEDIUM TILTROTOR SQUADRON 261 me, it’s more of an airplane than a helicopter. To your MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. Phrog guy it might be more of a HOMETOWN: ALBANY, N.Y. helicopter than an airplane. We duke it out in the ready room and The first movie I ever remember going to was “The come to a middle ground most of Right Stuff.” I was 8 years old. In particular, the scene the time. where the NASA scouts were on the carrier and Scott Glenn was the actor landing an A-4 on the carrier. I INSPIRATION: Vice Adm. James thought that was pretty cool. I’ve always had a fasci- Stockdale really stands out in my nation with flying. That just kind of sealed the deal. mind — the [operations off] Hornets at [Marine Corps Air Station] Miramar, Station and his ordeal as a POW in Calif., was my first choice, but I flew EA-6Bs with an the Vietnam War in particular, and Operation Enduring Freedom deployment. I switched the books he has written, “Thoughts to V-22s for two reasons. One was the need for volun- of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot,” teers. The second part was my brother-in-law, a [CH- and another he and his wife co-

46] “Phrog” pilot, was transitioning to V-22s, so it wrote, [“In Love and War”]. U.S. MARINE CORPS

JANUARY 3, 1944 JUNE 19–20, 1944 OCTOBER 25, 1944 NOVEMBER 14, 1944 Coast Guard Cmdr. During Battle of Aircraft from escort Cmdr. David Frank A. Erickson Philippine Sea, Navy carriers help turn back McCampbell, the Navy’s performs first helicopter fighters shoot down Japanese surface group, highest scoring ace, lifesaving mission to nearly 300 Japanese including battleship claimed his 34th , N.J. aircraft. Yamato, at battle of aerial victory over Samar off Leyte Gulf. Japanese aircraft. 20 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

■ Sgt. Jacob Stinson you’re on a mission; MV-22B OSPREY CREW CHIEF cleaning your weapons MARINE MEDIUM TILTROTOR SQUADRON 261 preflight, post-flight. We MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. have mechanics whose HOMETOWN: FORT WALTON BEACH, FLA. sole job is to perform maintenance, but crew I wanted to do a job that was challenging to my intel- chiefs, when we’re not lect. This job was open and a lot of my family is flying, are also expected involved in aviation via the Air Force — my father was to help perform mainte- an Air Force air traffic controller and my brother is an nance. Air Force pilot — but I wanted to be a Marine, so Marine aviation made the fit for me. INSPIRATION: Flying in

Job satisfaction for me came mostly on deployment Afghanistan, [being] a U.S. MARINE CORPS when I actually was doing my job: flying missions, part of something that moving passengers and cargo that was really needed was so important. A successful outcome was so impor- and vitally important; when I was able to actually uti- tant to the overall mission of the day. It really let me lize all the training for the mission over in Afghanistan. know how important my job was, how important avi- The long hours are the most taxing part — the pre- ation was, and how much of an asset it is to the Marine flight and post-flight inspections especially when Air-Ground Task Force.

■ Lt. Cmdr. Brian Mello cific tasks. There’s always something new and exciting F/A-18C PILOT to do every day and it’s that that keeps me excited. I’ve STRIKE FIGHTER SQUADRON 131 had three combat tours so far. Besides landing on the NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA, VA. boat at night, the most challenging thing we face is man- HOMETOWN: NEWPORT, R.I. aging the other aspects of our job when we are gone for eight or nine hours a day on a combat flight. In our com- When I was a kid, I went to my first air show at Quonset munity, we lean a lot on our chiefs and maintenance Point, R.I. I saw the Blue Angels perform, I saw a Tomcat officers to run the squadron and handle all the day-to- do a demonstration. I was in awe watching the fighter day stuff while the pilots are airborne on a mission. jets fly around. I always wanted to be part of INSPIRATION: The guys who were aviators back in the that. My first tour was late ’50s and early ’60s, when the Mercury space pro- as a damage-control gram was coming online, guys like Alan Shepard who officer on a destroyer. I were pioneers going into a field that had never been went to flight school done before, doing things that nobody had ever after that. thought possible. Also, my wife is actually related to When I come to Vice Adm. Bill Lawrence, who was a prisoner of war in work every day, I don’t North Vietnam. He, along with guys like Vice Adm. work a 9-to-5 job be - Jim Stockdale, were amazing leaders, not only in the

MC2 MICAH BLECHNER/U.S. NAVY hind a desk doing spe- air, but also on the ground. Waypoints in History APRIL 7, 1945 APRIL 24, 1946 JULY 21, 1946 SEPTEMBER 29, 1946 U.S. carrier aircraft sink Chief of Naval First carrier landing P2V-1 Neptune Yamato, a Operations Fleet Adm. of pure jet aircraft, Truculent Turtle flies and four destroyers Chester Nimitz issues onboard Franklin D. 11,235.6 miles from en route to Okinawa. directive for flight Roosevelt. Perth, Australia, to demonstration squadron Columbus, Ohio. that would become the Blue Angels. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 21

■ Chief Naval Aircrewman cient so that when they deploy they can meet that mis- Mark Klingelheber sion set, whether it’s logistics, SAR, force protection or MH-60S SAR CREWMAN special operations. The crews have to be ready to flex HELICOPTER SEA COMBAT SQUADRON 22 at a moment’s notice. NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VA. HOMETOWN: CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO INSPIRATION: Recently, we had [a replica of] the original Curtiss biplane in our hangar for a special I wanted to do something with aviation. The rating event and we listened to the story of Eugene Ely, the specialist told me about helicopter search and first one to launch a Curtiss biplane from a ship. The rescue (SAR). That was right down my alley. I’ve weather he had to deal always been the type of person who wanted to have the with, the basic instru- opportunity to help others. mentation, just to do I’ve flown in the H-46, UH-3 and now the MH-60S. that and have that What I like best is the variation of the different mis- foresight and know- sions we train for and fly, which are never routine. The how and to say, “This next day is always different. We’re always training for is what we can do,” the next mission set. inspires us to con- Currently, I am the squadron’s tactics and training stantly push the enve- chief petty officer. The most challenging part, because lope and expand the the MH-60S is so diversified with all its mission sets, is capabilities of naval not only training the crews but keeping them profi- aviation. U.S. NAVY

■ Lt. Jason Pohl Aside from landing on a carrier, which goes without EA-6B ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES OFFICER saying, in the EA-6B the part I find interesting is that ELECTRONIC ATTACK SQUADRON 142 we sit more or less like you would in a car. There is the NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, WASH. challenge of just coordinating with the front seats and HOMETOWN: BRAINERD, MINN. the back seats. It can be difficult to actually coordinate all your efforts in combat, to be able to get everybody I used to work in the film business. What I like about on the same page. naval aviation is the diverse backgrounds of the avia- tors. It’s funny how we INSPIRATION: With my race, I’d pick Ensign Jesse L. all get together and end Brown [the first black naval aviator, who died after he up having that same crash-landed his F4U behind enemy lines in North shared experience as a Korea]. He was posed with all sorts of new problems single unit. We just like and issues — more than the standard folks back then. to fly. They let us take To top it off, the part I really like is that his wingman these planes out and [Lt. j.g. Thomas J. Hudner Jr.] actually put his plane work them. It’s pretty down to try to help him out [and was awarded the awesome to be allowed Medal of Honor]. They didn’t take into account race;

U.S. NAVY to do that. they just did what they were supposed to.

DECEMBER 1, 1947 APRIL 1, 1948 JULY 3, 1950 AUGUST 3, 1950 First experimental Navy establishes first Valley Forge launches Marine fighters off Marine Corps helicopter operational helicopter Navy’s first air strikes escort carrier Sicily squadron commissioned, squadron, HU-1. in Korean War. conduct first Marine leading to vertical envel- carrier-based strikes opment concept. of Korean War. 22 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

■ Lt. Jessica S. Davila We give people a chance to go home MH-65C HELICOPTER COPILOT when they thought they would COAST GUARD AIR STATION SAVANNAH, GA. never be able to. HOMETOWN: INVERNESS, FLA. INSPIRATION: The cruise ship Flying helicopters was a dream of mine since I was in Prinsendam rescue that took place high school. I always told people I was going to be an off Ketchikan, Alaska, on Oct. 4, FBI agent and fly helicopters for the agency. When I 1980. The Coast Guard collaborat- was in college, I had a in the Coast Guard who ed with other agencies to affect the brought me to Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala., rescue of all 520 passengers and to see the Coast Guard helicopters. When I left the crew members from the burning hangar, I knew then that I wanted to be a Coast ship without loss of life. This case Guard aviator. is particularly inspiring because of Search and rescue, when it ends on a positive note, the sheer number of people res- gives me the most job satisfaction. It’s a great feeling cued, the flawless coordination and

knowing I’m a part of an organization that saves lives. international cooperation. U.S. COAST GUARD

■ Capt. Neil H. Brubeck they do, about being a Marine first and about our spe- F/A-18A++ PILOT cific mission of close air support for other Marines on MARINE FIGHTER-ATTACK SQUADRON 115 the ground. The most satisfying thing is to hear the MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. gratitude in their voices on the radio when you’re in a HOMETOWN: CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS. position to help those guys out. That’s what sets us apart. On almost every occasion, I either know the My dad was a Navy A-7 pilot and my grandfather was guys I’m talking to on the radio or I know somebody an Army Air Corps pilot, so I wanted to continue in in their unit, so it’s personal. their footsteps and be a The most challenging thing is keeping up with the part of a good team and do ever-evolving threats and staying ahead of the game in something challenging. I tactics. Being a good leader, staying engaged with all went to the Naval Aca- the young Marines in the squadron, keeping that good demy with the plan of rapport. Definitely challenging, but rewarding as well. being a Navy aviator, but through interaction with INSPIRATION: Guys who I’ve flown with before: Lt. the Marines there I chose Cols. “Jerky” Johnson, “Howdy” Douds, “Sack” Rowell Marine aviation. and “Beavis” Leibine. Those guys — my role models, I enjoy the opportunity my mentors — are the true, quiet professionals. They to work with other like- go out and they serve as they have done for the last 15- minded individuals who 20 years. They’ve sacrificed a lot and they really inspire

U.S. MARINE CORPS genuinely care about what me to keep the legacy going.

Waypoints in History NOVEMBER 9, 1950 DECEMBER 4, 1950 NOVEMBER 18, 1952 MAY 27, 1954 First jet-versus-jet Ensign Jesse L. Brown, Soviet MiGs engage Plans approved to combat between U.S. the first black naval Navy F9F Panthers install angled decks Navy and Chinese fight- aviator, dies after his off Vladivostok, resulting and hurricane bows ers. Lt. Cmdr. William F4U is shot down over in loss of two Soviet on World War II-era T. Amen becomes first North Korea. aircraft. Essex-class carriers. U.S. naval aviator to shoot down a jet. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 23

■ Lt. Eric Bondurant greatest benefits and feelings were SH-60B PILOT on my first deployment when I HELICOPTER ANTISUBMARINE SQUADRON LIGHT 43 supported hu mani tarian assistance NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, CALIF. and disaster re lief off the coast of HOMETOWN: HACIENDA HEIGHTS, CALIF. Sumatra, Indonesia, dropping off relief supplies, food and rice, see- My Army dad wanted me to go into the military. I was ing the smiles on the faces of the around aviation and planes for quite a bit traveling as kids and their families, who had es - a kid. I always wanted to just do my duty to the United sentially nothing. Being able to States. What a better opportunity than to support it in share those pictures and those sto- aviation? It was really between the Air Force and the ries with our Sailors back on the

Navy. I found more heritage in naval aviation dating boat was purely amazing. U.S. NAVY back from World War II to the current day, so it was what was more interesting to me. INSPIRATION: Igor Sikorsky, who did a lot of great I really wanted to fly fixed-wing jets, as most kids things for naval aviation by designing and developing do when they see “Top Gun,” but as I was going some of the first naval helicopters, like the HO3S-1 through flight school, I saw the type of flying that I Dragonfly that helped set the footprint for naval avia- would be doing in helicopters, flying by the seat of the tion. Here we are today, with helicopters that have pants, how naval aviation started with just stick-and- capability similar to a strike fighter, with the exception rudder skills. That was really appealing to me. of [heavy] ordnance. Sikorsky really laid the founda- Every day there are personal re wards. Probably the tion for us.

■ Lt. Wayne Sparrow INSPIRATION: Operation El Dorado Canyon, E-2C NAVAL FLIGHT OFFICER [the April 1986] strike against Libya, with the CARRIER AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING SQUADRON 120 Air Force and NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VA. Navy combin- HOMETOWN: ROANOKE, VA. ing to do the strike. It’s one Traditionally, most people join naval aviation because of those things of the coolness factor. That’s pretty much why I joined. with the flexi- But then you realize that it’s much more than that. I bility — that enjoy the flying aspect, but also, every day is different. you find in the The fact that you’re not just stuck in an office all day job all the time and you get to do a lot of traveling, see a lot of places — you just do and just work with a great group of professionals. whatever is ne - The biggest challenge today: with the tightening of cessary to help the budget, it’s a challenge every day to do more with out the greater

less money and aging equipment. cause. U.S. NAVY

JUNE 1, 1954 OCTOBER 1, 1955 JULY 20, 1956 OCTOBER 31, 1956 First steam catapult Forrestal commissioned Navy commissions R4D Skytrain trans- launch from an aircraft as first super carrier. Thetis Bay as first port aircraft lands at carrier occurs when assault helicopter South Pole. Hancock launches carrier. an S2F Tracker. 24 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION Four Decades of Change

By VICE ADM. DAVID ARCHITZEL

elebrating the 100-year forms to a fewer number of highly ron and an SH-60F/HH-60H squad- anniversary of naval avia- capable type/model/series aircraft ron. That’s less than half as many air- C tion this year provides an operating with multimission systems. craft types as we had on Forrestal. opportunity to reflect on where Today’s aircraft are much more we’ve been and where we’re headed, Aircraft Systems complex and designed to be used in particularly in terms of technology When I reported to my first fleet multiple missions and warfare areas. ad vance ments. In November 1910, squadron in 1975 as an S-3 pilot, we Because of that complexity, they must Eu gene Ely deck-launched from a embarked on USS Forrestal along be capable of operating seamlessly wood en platform mounted on the with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17. At with other complex surface and air fore deck of a cruiser. Since then, the time, Forrestal carried about 84 platforms — including those from all numerous advancements in avia- aircraft of various types, models and the U.S. services and coalition forces. tion tech nology have impacted and series, some of which augmented And tomorrow’s fifth-generation im proved the country’s global pres- the air wing from places ashore: F- fighter, the F-35 Lightning II Joint ence and the security of the world’s 4J, A-7E, A-3D, C-1, A-6E, KA-6D, Strike Fighter (JSF), and the P-8A maritime domain. RA-5C, E-2B, SH-3D and S-3A. Back Poseidon must be even more inte- My own part of this story began in then, we needed many types of air- grated and interoperable. 1973, when I graduated from the U.S. craft because each was designed to The venerable Viking is now gone Naval Academy, and it continues to work autonomously to accomplish a from the fleet, as are many of the air- this day. In my time in the Navy, I’ve specific mission or warfare area. craft I flew in the 1980s and 1990s. seen some dramatic changes in the Today, it’s a different story. USS They have been replaced by more technology associated with aircraft, Enterprise deployed in January 2011 capable platforms. In the 1970s, launching and landing systems, and with CVW-1 embarked. That air the SH-3, a system intended for anti- data sharing and sensors. A general wing has four F/A-18 Hornet squad- submarine warfare and search-and- theme has been the transformation rons (three Navy and one Marine), rescue missions, served in tandem from multiple single-mission plat- an E-2C squadron, an EA-6B squad- with the SH-2 — a completely differ- Waypoints in History JULY 16, 1957 JULY 15, 1958 JUNE 19, 1959 MAY 5, 1961 Marine Corps Maj. Aircraft from Essex and First ZPG-3W non-rigid Lt. Cmdr. Alan B. John Glenn Jr. breaks Saratoga cover Marine airship delivered at NAS Shepard Jr. is first transcontinental speed landings into Lebanon. Lakehurst. American in space. record in 3 hours, 23 minutes, in F8U-1P Crusader. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 25

ent system intended solely for cruis- Broad Area Maritime Surveillance ers and frigates. Both aircraft went Demonstrator, or BAMS-D. The oper- out on missions and operated largely ational system, MQ-4C, will enter the autono mously. Today, the MH-60R/S fleet in the near future. fulfills the roles of both aircraft, and On one of my early Mediter- adds new capabilities such as anti- ranean deployments, my crew and I surface and mine warfare, and the launched off USS Saratoga south of ability to work in an integrated fash- Sicily and transited to the Atlantic ion with other units across the carrier Ocean where we gained contact on strike group. a Soviet Echo II-class submarine In the coming years, the JSF will about 100 miles west of Rota, Spain. join the fleet — the F-35C on our We were “on top” for several hours carriers and the F-35B on our large- and required multiple in-flight refu- U.S. NAVY deck amphibious assault ships. elings during the 12-hour flight that These aircraft will replace the AV-8B ended when we returned to Si- Vice Adm. David Architzel, com- and legacy F/A-18 Hornets. JSF will gonella. Before leaving station, we mander, Naval Air Systems Com- mand, speaks with members of Air fulfill the missions performed by handed off contact to a P-3. Test and Evaluation Squadron 30 at four different aircraft in my first air With both the P-8A Poseidon Naval Base Ventura County, Point wing on Forrestal, and bring fifth- (which will replace the P-3) and Mugu, Calif., in summer 2010. generation stealth and fusion tech- BAMS, persistent netted surveillance nology to the Navy/Marine Corps scenarios like this will be more effi- The D has an all-glass, all-digital team for the first time. Unlike earlier cient and effective. The primary mis- cockpit. The new APY-9 radar pro- air wings, or even those of today, sion of the MQ-4C is persistent ISR vides longer range surveillance, a tomorrow’s air wings will be made on the order of 25 or more hours on better overland capability and a up of a handful of airframes bringing station; it will cue both airborne and superior ability to find small targets a plethora of capabilities. alert P-8 crews to contacts of interest than the APS-145 of the E-2C. And When I received my wings in in the maritime domain. the Cooperative Engagement Capa - November 1974 and headed to my Perhaps no aircraft better illus- bility, introduced in the E-2C, pro- first S-3 squadron, it never occurred trates the interaction between con- vides automatic, real-time data to me that more than 30 years later a tinuity and change in naval avia- sharing among surface and air plat- freshly winged pilot heading to his or tion in the past 40 years than the forms that integrates the E-2 and all her fleet readiness squadron might be E-2 Hawkeye. Already an indispen- strike group components. sharing airspace with unmanned air- sable part of the fleet for more than craft. Today, unmanned systems per- a decade by the time I earned my Launching & Landing form missions alongside manned air- wings, the E-2 still serves as the Systems craft, and new systems are adding Navy’s primary airborne early The current aircraft launch system even more capability to the fleet. The warning aircraft. Externally, all the for all the Navy’s aircraft carriers — as Navy’s first high-altitude, long- various models of the E-2 largely it was when I first entered the Navy endurance intelligence, surveillance resemble each other. Today’s E-2D, — is the steam catapult. However, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability however, is a completely different over time, aircraft have been getting has been demonstrated through the system from its predecessors. heavier, needing higher launch

NOVEMBER 25, 1961 FEBRUARY 20, 1962 OCTOBER 15, 1962 AUGUST 5, 1964 Enterprise commissioned Lt. Col. Glenn completes Navy RF-8A Crusaders Navy aircraft attack as world’s first nuclear- U.S. space program’s begin collecting vital North Vietnamese powered aircraft carrier. first orbital flight. photography validating bases after Tonkin the Soviet missile threat Gulf incident. in Cuba. 26 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

on Dec. 18, 2010. Delivery of the first ship components to Gerald R. Ford, currently under construction, will begin in 2011. The process of landing aircraft aboard ship also has undergone tremendous change. As a member of CVW-17 in the mid-1970s, I trusted the precision approach radars aboard Forrestal and the con- trollers in the Carrier Air Traffic Control Center to provide me with the information I needed to get aboard safely, especially at night. The two-channel, SPN-42 (now SPN-46) “needles” Automatic Car -

U.S. NAVY rier Landing System was a radar- An F/A-18F Super Hornet and a Korean War-vintage F4U Corsair fly in forma- based system that could track two tion during the Navy Legacy Flight at the 2005 Air Power Over Hampton aircraft at a time, one per channel. Roads air show held at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The radar scanned an area aft of the ship based on known aircraft alti- speeds (or greater wind over deck), power conversion. This technology tude. Once the aircraft flew into the with the result that launch energy permits a high degree of computer radar’s search window, it would be requirements have approached the control, monitoring and automation. locked on by a controller who used limits of the steam catapult’s capacity. EMALS is highly modular, espe- azimuth and elevation reference The Electromagnetic Aircraft cially in the power-conversion sub- marks to determine aircraft position Launch System (EMALS) is a new systems. Maintainability and sup- relative to optimum glide slope. carrier-based launch system designed portability are enhanced by this When conducting a nighttime Case for the Gerald R. Ford class. EMALS modularity. A single EMALS cata- III recovery with several aircraft is designed to achieve increased sor- pult is actually supported by four lined up behind the ship at 2-mile tie rates and reliability, while reduc- independent power trains. Should intervals, only the closest two aircraft ing operational and support costs, any one power train fail, the would be locked on by the SPN-42 providing better control of the launch remaining three will provide ample and be able to receive precision forces, and minimizing wear and tear energy to safely complete the cata- approach information. on carrier-based aircraft. The system pult launch cycle. This motor re - The Joint Precision Approach will provide the capability for launch- dundancy will increase EMALS’ and Landing System (JPALS) re- ing all current and future carrier air high launch critical reliability. moves the radar component of car- wing platforms. Its mission and func- The program entered full system rier landing systems and replaces it tion remains the same as the steam functional demonstration in Sep - with four Global Positioning Sys - catapult. EMALS uses stored kinetic tember 2010 and launched its first tem (GPS) receivers mounted on energy and solid-state electrical aircraft, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, the ship’s mast. Each receiver con- Waypoints in History JUNE 17, 1965 MAY 11, 1966 JUNE 16, 1966 AUGUST 30, 1966 First confirmed air-to-air Marine Corps uses a Carrier aircraft begin Naval aviators begin kills of Vietnam War land-based catapult to sustained operations flying UH-1B Huey occur when two F-4B launch A-4 Skyhawks against North Viet- helicopters to support Phantoms from Midway into combat in Vietnam. namese petroleum riverine operations down two MiG-17s. facilities. in Vietnam. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 27

ducts survey mapping to determine The final part of the aircraft- rier’s air department, ship divisions its distance from the optimum recovery process is the Advanced and Sailors who manage aircraft touchdown point on the flight deck. Arresting Gear (AAG), a modular, launch-and-recovery operations. The two most accurate receivers, integrated system consisting of cable ADMACS communicates aviation based on the quality of satellite shock absorbers, energy absorbers, and command-related data across reception, self-select to provide ship power conditioning equipment, a the system’s local area network and location data to aircraft on approach thermal management system and the integrated shipboard network via an encrypted UHF data link. digital controls. This is designed to system. The position and location of Aircraft location, determined by replace existing Mk-7 arresting gear the aircraft on flight and hangar GPS re ceivers on the aircraft, is mar- when landing fixed-wing tailhook- decks are then electronically dis- ried up with the ship’s location to equipped aircraft at sea. played in the flight deck control calculate the optimum flight path to The Mk-7 system on Nimitz- room. ADMACS also displays the touchdown. Once fielded, JPALS class carriers, a linear hydraulic sys- aircraft’s status, status of launch-and- will be able to conduct Mode I tem that is very labor intensive for recovery equipment, fuel, weapon (fully automa tic) approaches all the both operations and maintenance, types and quantities, and other avia- way to touchdown for those aircraft will be replaced with the AAG sys- tion and ship-related information. that are Mode I certified. tem during planned upgrades. The The primary goal of the ADMACS JPALS offers numerous advan- AAG system will be installed first program is to improve ship air oper- tages over radar-based approach sys- on Gerald R. Ford. ation effectiveness and reduce work- tems. Radar lock-ons to specific air- load through process automation, craft on final approach are no longer Data Management & optimization and integration of key required. All aircraft configured with Sensors JPALS on final approach will receive In the 1970s, aircraft and ships had landing information simultaneously. limited ability to communicate with Final controllers no longer have to each other and share data. Today, perform the 27 separate actions nec- mul tiple systems connect air and sur- essary to acquire, lock-on and face platforms in real time. The com- “drive” aircraft to touchdown. For plexity of air operations aboard naval them, JPALS is hands-free. Beam aircraft carriers requires accurate, steering facilitates satellite acquisi- continuous and timely information tion and tracking, and a nulling fea- distribution to all work centers ture discounts any information requiring vital data. Existing ship- received from jammed satellites. board information-management sys- JPALS is being installed in two tems do not seamlessly support wea- increments: 1A — ship (carriers pon, maintenance, flight deck con-

and amphibious assault ships) — trol, flight operations and shipboard U.S. NAVY and 1B — aircraft. Ship installations planning operational requirements. will begin in 2012 aboard USS The Aviation Data Management A Boeing P-8A Poseidon, the Navy’s next generation long-range anti- George H.W. Bush and aircraft instal- and Control System (ADMACS) is a submarine warfare and maritime lations will begin in 2016 with the tactical, real-time internal data-man- patrol aircraft, conducts a test flight MH-60 Seahawk helicopter. agement system that connects a car- near Seattle June 5, 2009.

JULY 29, 1967 APRIL 25, 1968 JUNE 19, 1968 APRIL 14, 1969 Forrestal Sailors over- VA-176 retires Navy’s Daring helicopter North Korean aircraft come major fire to save last operational piston- rescue deep over North shoot down a Navy ship, but lose 134 crew engine attack aircraft — Vietnam earns Lt. j.g. EC-121 aircraft over members and embarked A-1 Skyraider. Clyde E. Lassen Medal the Sea of Japan, with air wing personnel. of Honor. loss of 31 crewmen. 28 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

operational systems. Installation of ADMACS is ongoing. By 2015, all active-duty carriers will be equipped with the ADMACS Block 2 system, and by 2017 the Block 3 system — which will provide an interface for data sharing between systems such as the EMALS, AAG, JPALS and the Moriah Wind System — will be in operation. Today’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets are equipped with Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR), an electro-optical target- ing pod incorporating an infrared, low-light television camera, laser range finder/target designator, and laser spot tracker. A video transmis-

sion system now makes it possible to U.S. MARINE CORPS down-link streaming ATFLIR video Lt. Col. Fred Schenk pilots F-35B test aircraft BF-2 for its first vertical landing to troops on the ground, enabling Jan. 6, 2011, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The Marine Corps’ short- real-time, coordinated target identifi- takeoff, vertical-landing version of the F-35 is designed for large-deck amphibi- cation and acquisition. Joint Tactical ous assault ships. The Navy’s carrier-capable variant is the F-35C. Air Controllers use the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver, ligence specialists in the Combat — has witnessed extraordinary or ROVER, to talk Hornet pilots onto Visual Information Center for developments. As we enter the sec- targets of opportunity in real time. time-late analysis. With ATFLIR ond century of naval aviation, that Super Hornets are also equipped and SHARP, we have the ability to change will continue, as will the with the Shared Reconnaissance Pod provide real-time targeting and sur- unswerving dedication of the men (SHARP) which replaced the F-14 veillance information to those who and women who design, test, oper- Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance need it most — when they need it. ate and maintain the aircraft of the Pod System. SHARP’s low-rate Throughout the 100 years of Navy and Marine Corps. ■ imagery transfer sends real-time naval aviation, change has been a electro-optic and infrared video to constant. Technological advance- Vice Adm. David Architzel is commander, analysts at the Combined Air Opera- ments have allowed us to expand the Naval Air Systems Command, and for- tions Center, who determine the ranges, capabilities and endurance of mer commanding officer of Sea Control level of risk in high-threat areas. aircraft in ways the early pioneers of Squadron 30, USS Theodore Roosevelt When I started flying 36 years flight could only dimly imagine. and USS Guam. Over the course of his ago, the best we could do with our Every aviator who’s made climbing career as an aviator, he accumulated FLIR was record the footage on into aircraft his or her profession — more than 5,000 flying hours in the S-3 film and bring it back to the intel- no matter how long or short a career Viking and 30 other aircraft types. Waypoints in History JULY 11, 1969 JANUARY 6, 1971 MAY 8, 1972 MAY 10, 1972 Korean War naval Marine Corps receives Navy and Marine Eight North Vietnamese aviator Neil Armstrong first AV-8A Harrier jet Corps attack aircraft MiGs fall to Navy first human to step capable of vertical begin mining approaches fighters. Lt. R.H. on Moon. launch and landing. to Haiphong Harbor in Cunningham and North Vietnam. Lt. j.g. W.P. Driscoll become aces.

30 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION A 30-Year Retrospective

By VICE ADM. JOHN P. CURRIER

tanding on the hangar deck one of our own helicopters, who In the context of many years of at Air Station Cape Cod, had flown through a Nor’easter to experience, I have witnessed the S Mass., in the spring of 1978, rescue the crew of a coastal tanker effective total force response to I had the privilege to observe my first that was breaking up in high seas. threats as diverse as the Mariel awards ceremony as a newly com- The realization struck me that I was Boatlift (1980), the Exxon Valdez missioned Coast Guard aviator. As I about to be initiated into the unique environmental catastrophe (1989), stood proudly at attention in my community of Coast Guard search- the loss of the liner Prinsendam in freshly starched uniform, my butter and-rescue (SAR) pilots. the Gulf of Alaska (1980), the cat- bars gleaming, and sporting shiny Now, I am able to recall that day aclysm of Hurricane Katrina and fresh wings, I tried to mask my in retrospect through the lens of a (2005) and, most recently, the anxiety, standing among more expe- 34-year career as an officer and avi- Deepwater Horizon oil well failure rienced and senior compatriots. ator in one of the finest institutions in the Gulf of Mexico last year. Adding to the intimidation fac- of our government. From those Concurrently, with these mile- tor, standing to my left was a Direct days when SAR was the single, pre- stone events, we have developed Commission aviator who had been eminent mission, I have watched unique capabilities to partner with an Army combat veteran during Coast Guard aviation progress into federal law enforcement and the Vietnam, and to my right was a a unique instrument in our nation’s U.S. Navy to interdict illegal nar- grizzled Coast Guard aviator who arsenal for ensuring maritime safe- cotics and counter mass migration had survived multiple tours in the ty and security. Our capabilities, incidents at sea. unforgiving Alaskan environment. assets and, most importantly, peo- One might ask what has enabled Both wore the Distinguished Flying ple have progressed and developed the Coast Guard and its aviation Cross (DFC) device, and one a rapidly into a multimission force component to evolve into the agile Silver Star, on their dress canvas. able to respond to virtually any cri- and capable force that it is today. The ceremony continued with sis our nation could face on or near The answer to that question re - the award of a DFC to the pilot of its shores. quires a walk in time with a view of Waypoints in History OCTOBER 5, 1973 FEBRUARY 22, 1974 MAY 3, 1975 MAY 29, 1976 Midway arrives at Lt. j.g. Barbara Ann Nimitz, lead ship of Helicopter assault Yokosuka, Japan, as Allen becomes first a class of 10 nuclear ship Tarawa commis- first overseas home- woman to earn Wings super carriers, is sioned as first of new ported Navy aircraft of Gold. commissioned. line of amphibious carrier. assault ships. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 31

the events that spurred the devel- Cmdr. Frank Erickson and Lt. day. Listening to him recount his opment of this growth. Steward Graham in the develop- adventures is to witness living his- First, one must understand the ment of the helicopter for not only tory. What I mention here is but a culture of the Coast Guard. Formed SAR, but anti-submarine warfare, small number of his monumental through an amalgamation of several medevac and firefighting, the achievements in the development federal agencies from the mid-19th Coast Guard has contributed mate- of today’s helicopter, not just Coast century through the days following rially to the evolution of modern Guard but in all applications. As a World War II, the modern Coast flying machines. In our applica- project officer for the acquisition of Guard emerged with a strong first- tion, the helicopter was developed our HH-60J during the late 1980s, response ethic. We are all oriented as an extension of the coastal I wasn’t surprised to hear that toward responding to crisis with a surf/rescue boat combining air and Stewart Graham was still held in small, capable, well-organized and surface capabilities to perform the the highest esteem by the people at effective force package that is able most challenging rescues. Sikorsky for his early pioneering to operate autonomously and adapt There are numerous examples efforts in partnership with icons to handle any emergent situation. of the Coast Guard’s outstanding Igor and his son, Sergei, who This attribute was certainly evident record of contribution in the devel- served as a petty officer second in the U.S. Lifesaving Service and opment of aircraft and their spe- class in the Coast Guard. the Revenue Cutter Service, two of cialized use. I have the privilege of the principal forbearers of today’s calling Stewart Graham a friend. Coast Guard. Now in his 94th year, he lives qui- A second element that has con- etly on a lake in Maine. His person- tributed to the aviation capability al contribution to rotary-wing of today is the evolution of the air- flight in the development of our plane and helicopter. As naval avi- modern machines, as well as the ation celebrates its centennial, tactics and techniques that are Coast Guard aviation remains an used in air/sea rescue today, cannot integral component, along with be overstated. that of our Navy and Marine Corps He was directly involved in the brethren. Our people, officers and invention of the rescue hoist, the enlisted, have been integral in the basket, litter, pop-out floats and development of long-range search most of the techniques used in aircraft and short- to medium- hoisting operations to this day. He range helicopters employed in SAR was among the first to land heli- and law enforcement. copters in the water and aboard From the story of Coast Guard ship, pioneering the use of the hel- Lt. Elmer Stone and his role as icopter in the protection of con- pilot of the Navy’s NC-4 under the voys from U-boats in the dark days command of Navy Lt. Cmdr. A.C. of World War II. Read in their epic first crossing of Stewart is able to recall virtually U.S. COAST GUARD the Atlantic, to the achievements all of his flight activities in incred- Vice Adm. John P. Currier, Coast of pioneers including Coast Guard ible detail, as if they were yester- Guard chief of staff.

NOVEMBER 18, 1978 APRIL 24, 1980 APRIL 12–14, 1981 AUGUST 19, 1981 First F-18 prototype Eight RH-53 Sea Stallion First Space Shuttle Two F-14s shoot down makes first flight. helicopters off Nimitz flight conduct- two Libyan Su-22 fight- participate in failed ed, with Capt. John W. ers after being fired Iranian hostage-rescue Young and Capt. Robert on over the Gulf of Sidra. attempt. One helicopter L. Crippen onboard. is lost in a collision with a U.S. Air Force C-130. 32 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

Coast Guard aviation has also contributed two pilots to the NASA astronaut program. We were all proud to see Bruce Melnick and Dan Burbank “break the bonds” in such a spectacular manner on sev- eral Shuttle missions. Of particular interest was Melnick’s adaptation of standard helicopter hoist termi- nology to operate the robotic arm during a satellite-repair mission. More recent achievements in rotary-wing development include the arming of helicopters to count- er aggressive narcotics trafficking activities in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. While our ship/ U.S. COAST GUARD helicopter teams had evolved an A helicopter crew from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Jackson- effective detection and monitoring ville fires warning shots across the bow of a noncompliant boat during airborne capability in countering small, fast, use of force training off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 24, 2009. drug-carrying craft (“go-fasts”), interdiction of these vessels became Another significant enhance- legend as told in the hit Hollywood problematic, particularly when the ment of our aviation capabilities movie The Guardian. I can state from cutter was out of position. Many began 26 years ago, in response to a experience that the movie’s depiction cases were documented where a challenging rescue mission in very of storm-tossed seas and the chal- helicopter and a fixed-wing patrol demanding weather that resulted in lenges of heavy weather search and aircrew watched helplessly as their significant loss of life. In 1995, the rescue were quite true to life. prey escaped. Coast Guard designed and imple- It was a privilege for me to partic- The solution was the establish- mented a helicopter rescue swim- ipate in the 25th anniversary celebra- ment of the Helicopter Interdiction mer program based on equipment tion of the Coast Guard rescue swim- Squadron (HITRON), formed to and tactics used in the U.K. Royal mer program last year at Elizabeth detect, engage and, if necessary, Navy and Canadian Air Force. City, N.C. The plank owners in the stop go-fasts using warning shots From very humble beginnings, the establishment of this program, such and precision fire. This program rescue swimmers of today are as Coast Guard Master Chiefs Larry has been uniquely successful. among the world’s very best. Farmer, Darryl Gelakoska and Scott HITRON’s pilots and crew now fly- Deployed from HH-60 and HH-65 Dyer, as well as retired Capt. Dana ing the MH-65 have a near-perfect helicopters, they have routinely per- Goward, among others, were vision- record of stopping or disabling formed incredible feats in rescuing aries to be sure. Their collective highly suspect vessels. Their con- stranded mariners from near impos- efforts have saved thousands of lives tribution has enhanced the effec- sible conditions. Theirs is the stuff of over the past quarter century. tiveness of the ship-helicopter Waypoints in History OCTOBER 25–27, 1983 DECEMBER 4, 1983 OCTOBER 10, 1985 MARCH 24–25, 1986 Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft off F-14s intercept and Naval aircraft destroy aircraft play pivotal Independence and force down Egypt two Libyan vessels and support roles during John F. Kennedy Air Boeing 737 flight attack shore sites in Operation Urgent Fury, attack Syrian positions carrying terrorists who response to Libyan the liberation of Grenada. in Lebanon, with loss hijacked cruise ship provocations. of two aircraft. Achille Lauro. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 33

team throughout the transit zones Building on the basic HH-60J skilled engineers and craftsmen and kept literally tons of narcotics and HH-65A airframes, our heli- who border on magicians when it from our streets. copters have been modernized into comes to aircraft modification and Our fixed-wing communities MH-60Ts and MH-65C/Ds and maintenance. They are the unsung have progressed as well. In the enhanced through a series of block heroes of Coast Guard aviation. 1980s, the Coast Guard developed a upgrades conducted at the Aviation Additional rotary-wing capabili- very sophisticated interceptor sys- Logistics Center (ALC) at Eliza- ties have included an airborne-use- tem for use against narco-trafficking beth City. In my opinion, ALC is of-Force package that built upon via aircraft from the deep Car - home to a dedicated band of the lessons learned from HITRON. ibbean. HU-25 Falcon jets were retro fitted with fighter/interceptor radar, the same found on the F-16 Fighting Falcon. For several years, the Falcon stood strip alert at Air Station Miami and at varied loca- tions including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Providenciales and Borinquen, Puerto Rico. In close cooperation with the U.S. Customs Service, Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South and other agencies, the HU-25 was very effective in thwarting the airborne threat axis. While commanding officer at Coast Guard Air Station Miami, I partici- pated in the demanding night inter- cept mission. During the 1990s, the HC-130H was fitted with a very capable syn- thetic aperture radar, forward- looking infrared and other sensors integrated into a system called CASPER. Deployed to the Eastern Pa cific and Gulf of Mexico, CASPER-equipped HC-130s were uniquely effective in airborne detec- tion and surveillance. With the addi- tion of the HC-130J to the mix and installation of a modernized radar in the C-130H, our fleet will remain mission effective for years to come.

APRIL 15, 1986 APRIL 18, 1988 MAY 23, 1988 OCTOBER 6–10, 1990 Aircraft from carriers A-6E attack aircraft First V-22 Osprey Cmdr. Bruce E. Melnick America and Saratoga from Enterprise help tiltrotor rolls out of is first Coast Guard participate in Operation sink an Iranian frigate production plant. aviator in space as crew El Dorado Canyon and severely damage member on Shuttle strikes against Libya. another in Operation Discovery flight. Praying Mantis. 34 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

At several critical ports around the country, Coast Guard helicopters are able to offer gunship capability as an option to regional command- ers. In response to a critical need to protect the National Capital Region from low/slow aviation threats, a very sophisticated set of tactics was developed and termed Rotary Wing Air Intercept. This package works closely in conjunc- tion with the Department of Defense to protect critical national assets, both people and infrastruc- ture. We routinely deploy this capability at the request of the Secret Service. Recently, we began acceptance

of the HC-144 Ocean Sentry. This U.S. COAST GUARD replacement medium-range sur- veillance aircraft is the combina- A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry flies over the drillship Discoverer Enterprise June 28, 2010, as part of the response to the Deepwater Horizon tion of a proven airframe, with oil spill. Coast Guard aircraft flew continuously over the Gulf of Mexico to find modern avionics and sensors. locations of heavy oil on the ocean surface and communicated the coordinates Although slower than the HU-25 to vessels so they could skim the oil during the worst spill in U.S. history. that it replaces, the HC-144 prom- ises to be more suitable for longer- ton aircraft and analog radios, the In retrospect, it is clear to me range missions, with on-scene loi- hazards associated with flight oper- that high-quality people are the ter capability. The sensors are ations remain the great equalizer. essential element in the success of maturing into a most useful asset Flying in poor weather, icing con- this enterprise. As I look around for both tactical mission accom- ditions, severe turbulence and high our aviation community today, I plishment, as well as the provision winds over the sea or at night de - see young people who are just as of critical information to opera- mands the utmost from our air- committed and dedicated as we tional commanders. The Ocean crews. These risks can only be over- were 30 years ago. For the Coast Sentry performed admirably dur- come by dedicated individuals who Guard, and the next 100 years of ing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have the knowledge, skills and abil- naval aviation, the sky is the limit response in the Gulf of Mexico. ities to assess and overcome and the future is bright. My observations only touch on a through teamwork. Our flight oper- few of the changes, enhancements ations have always been, and will Semper Paratus. ■ and evolution of today’s Coast continue to be, high-risk opera- Guard aviation component. While tions conducted by talented and Vice Adm. John P. Currier is chief of we have come a long way from pis- dedicated aviation professionals. staff, U.S. Coast Guard. Waypoints in History JANUARY 2–5, 1991 JANUARY 17, 1991 DECEMBER 8, 1991 JANUARY 13, 1993 Marine helicopters Aircraft from four air- Lexington, the last Aircraft from Kitty evacuate U.S. citizens craft carriers launch operational Essex-class Hawk make strikes and foreign nationals attacks against Iraq carrier, is decommis- against Iraq for from Somalia amid during opening phases sioned. violations of southern civil war. of Operation Desert no-fly zone. Storm. Six carriers even- tually would participate.

36 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION Continuing a Proud Legacy

By VICE ADM. ALLEN G. MYERS

aval aviation is a story of closing them. Over the last 100 evacuate hundreds of patients, vision, courage, innova- years, naval aviation has steadily while maritime patrol aircraft pro- N tion and adventure. expanded the area that our naval vide reliable reconnaissance, mar- Throughout this centennial year, ships can influence, from the line itime security and counterpiracy we celebrate our history, honor our of sight in the crow’s nest to hun- operations support. heritage and look to the future. dreds of miles across the sea and Our global presence, including Just 100 years ago, the battle- inland, and we will continue to the overseas-based USS George ship Navy dominated strategy and expand that area of influence. Washington Carrier Strike Group budget decisions. Flying was Today, naval aviation is capable and forward deployed naval forces viewed as a minor capability that of supporting missions across the constantly on station in the Pacific, had limited potential for scouting full spectrum of operations and ensures that anytime, anywhere, purposes, and the General Board of delivering flexible, agile, immedi- we can respond to our nation’s call, the Navy declared in 1916 that, ately responsive and persistent whether it be to deter aggression or “Aeronautics does not offer a combat power from the sea base to provide comfort and hope in the prospect of becoming the principal around the world. From the pitch- wake of disaster. means of exercising compelling ing deck of an aircraft carrier in the We are fiercely proud of our rich force against the enemy.” North Arabian Sea, Navy and Ma- heritage, and as we celebrate 100 But as we know, naval aviation rine Corps aircrews fly missions years of accomplishment, we look to has proven its strategic worth by hundreds of miles inland to provide the challenges of the future. The enhancing the Navy’s ability to 24/7 close air support for coalition ready strength of a flexible, forward conduct its missions. forces on the ground in close con- Navy remains vital to our national A navy exists to influence coali- tact with the enemy in Afghanistan. interests, and the capability resident tions by building or disrupting At the same time, Air Ambulance within naval aviation will ensure our them, and to influence the sea Detachments, operating from dusty, Navy continues to deliver effects in lanes of commerce by opening or remote forward operating bases, an expanding area of influence. Waypoints in History APRIL 12, 1993 MAY 21, 1996 MARCH 13–26, 1997 FEBRUARY 28, 1997 NATO commences Marine helicopters and Marine helicopters Fleet squadron VA-75 Operation Deny Flight C-130s engage in month- help with evacuations retires Navy’s last A-6 over Bosnia-Herzegovina, long evacuation of in Albania. Intruder attack aircraft. incorporating a dozen Americans and foreign F/A-18s from Theodore nationals from Central Roosevelt. African Republic. SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO SEAPOWER / MAY 2011 37

ward to reaching initial operating capability (IOC) with the first squadron deploying in 2013. In terms of personnel and air- frames, rotary-wing aviation is the fastest growing community in naval aviation. By 2020, helicopter pilots will account for greater than 50 percent of all naval aviators. The range of mission sets provided by Navy helicopters in support of the Maritime Strategy has made them a vital asset to the fleet. The rotary wing extends the actionable range of a ship and can serve as an ASW, ASUW and mine countermeasure (MCM) platform, and also conduct search-and- rescue (SAR) and logistics opera- tions. The advances of the MH- 60R/S greatly enhance the capabil- ities of the rotary-wing communi- U.S. NAVY ty, and with the continued imple- Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers, commander, Naval Air Forces, and Naval Air Force, mentation of the Helicopter Con - U.S. Pacific Fleet. cept of Operations, the carrier air wing as well. Naval aviation is poised to start Poseidon will be capable of broad- Further enhancing the capabili- its next century executing long- area, maritime and littoral operations ty of the strike group, the E-2D planned-for modernization in that will integrate this incredibly Advanced Hawkeye will provide every flying community, bringing capable platform with the carrier enhanced, network-enabled long- increased capabilities, range and strike group. This is the first Navy range sensors for unmatched com- multimission performance to combat aircraft that has been built mand and control. As the eyes and enhance the effects we deliver from the ground up on a commercial ears of the fleet, the Advanced from the sea. The Maritime Patrol production line. Hawkeye brings game-changing Community begins its transition By leveraging Boeing’s commer- capability. It provides maritime later this year. cial 737 airframe and aircraft sys- airborne early warning and com- Replacing the P-3C Orion as tems, the program will reduce time mand and control, and communi- a long-range anti-submarine war- and overall cost for the Navy as we cation relays to long-range surveil- fare (ASW), anti-surface warfare plan for a buy of 117 Poseidon air- lance in the littoral waters, as well (ASUW), intelligence, surveillance craft. With the first fleet delivery as to strike support over land. It and reconnaissance aircraft, the P-8A scheduled this year, we look for- also supports irregular missions,

MAY 29, 1997 DECEMBER 16–19, 1998 MARCH 24, 1999 MAY 14, 1999 Marine helicopters Air attacks initially Aircraft from Theodore The Marine Corps takes assist in evacuations launched from Enterprise Roosevelt play key roles delivery of first in Sierra Leone. attack targets in Iraq as in 78-day NATO air MV-22B Osprey. part of Operation Desert campaign against Serbia. Fox. Navy female P-3s launch Standoff aviators fly in combat Land-Attack Missiles for first time. against Serbian targets. 38 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION

Also ongoing is the transition TACAIR strength as we begin to from the EA-6B Prowler to the EA- transition to the Navy variant of 18G Growler, which will serve as the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike the nation’s foremost platform for Fighter, the F-35C. tactical airborne electronic attack, a Naval aviation’s legacy of inno- Navy core competency. Em ploying vation and technology advance- the Super Hornet airframe, its state- ments continues with the F-35C. of-the-art weapons systems also We eagerly watch the progress of bring greater efficiency through 90 the ongoing test flights at Patuxent percent parts commonality and River, Md. The F-35C is a fifth- reduced operational crew size. generation strike fighter, and its While we have already noted the capabilities will truly change how a successes of the Growler in the pilot flies and fights this aircraft expeditionary environment, we through its sensor integration look forward to the first Fleet package, which synthesizes data deployment later this year when input from multiple sources. The VAQ-141 deploys as part of the F-35C and its generational leaps in CVW-8/USS George H.W. Bush team. technology and capability are a key Equally important is the life- component to naval aviation’s cycle management of our F/A- future ability to deliver effects from 18E/F Super Hornets, which offer the sea base. inherent flexibility as multimission When the F-35C reaches the aircraft. They enable carrier strike fleet, we also will be welcoming the

U.S. NAVY groups to execute the full range of next-generation aircraft carrier, the core capabilities as well as interop- Ford-class carrier. As construction MH-60R Seahawk helicopters fly in tandem during section landings at erability of other tactical air continues apace for the lead ship in Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., (TACAIR) assets within the strike the class, CVN 78, so do the ad- June 10, 2009. group and joint forces, and with vanced systems being developed our allies at sea and ashore. With for it, most notably the Electromag- such as drug interdiction, with their longer range, greater payload netic Aircraft Launching System, capabilities two generations be- and ability to refuel other aircraft, which has already conducted test yond those provided in the vener- they provide reassurance to allies, launches. able E-2C Hawkeye. deter potential adversaries and Equally important has been the We marked fleet delivery in a project power in support of our news of the X-47B’s first flight in grand ceremony in Norfolk, Va., coalition forces on the ground. early February. This is a key step in last July. And as the pilots and air- The Super Hornet is a reliable our effort to incorporate un- crew at VAW-120 (the E-2/C-2 platform that does it all — air manned systems onto the flight Fleet Replacement Squadron) train superiority, fighter escort, recon- deck by 2018. As we make pro - in the aircraft, we progress steadily naissance, air defense suppressions gress in the development of closer to IOC in 2013 with VAW- and day or night precision strike UCLASS (Unmanned Carrier- 121’s fleet deployment. — and will make up half our Launch ed Airborne Surveillance Waypoints in History APRIL 1, 2001 OCTOBER 7, 2001 MARCH 21, 2003 APRIL 3, 2003 A Chinese F-8 fighter Enterprise and Carl Aircraft from Abraham Marine AV-8B Harriers collides with a Navy EP- Vinson launch strikes Lincoln, Constellation, participate in major air 3E Aries II surveillance against Taliban in Kitty Hawk, Harry S. strikes against Taliban plane in international Afghanistan as part of Truman and Theodore targets in Afghanistan. airspace, forcing U.S. Operation Enduring Roosevelt participate in plane to land on Hainan Freedom. Operation Iraqi Freedom Island. “Shock and Awe” attacks. DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND. Subscribe to SEAPOWER today!

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The challenge will be in deter- mining how to integrate this family of unmanned systems with manned aircraft efficiently and effectively leverage the most out of both. While technology continues to evolve so that a UCLASS operates as part of the carrier air wing, there will remain a need for accountability for the employment of weapons. The excitement and the challenge will be determining where that decision maker is located — whether ashore, on the carrier or even as the “wing- man” of the unmanned platform. I am confident that as this technology develops, naval aviation will find the right way to embrace these capabili- ties to extend the area in which the sea base can deliver effects.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN The same passion that inspired Lt. T.G. Ellyson, Naval Aviator No. An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completes its 1, and has inspired a century of first flight at Edwards Air Force Base Feb. 4, 2011. The UCAS-D will demon- strate the capability of an autonomous, low-observable unmanned aircraft to per- innovation and success remains form carrier launches and recoveries in preparation for development of the strong across the entire naval avia- Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike system. tion team. Throughout this year, we recognize the brave pilots and air and Strike systems), other unman- complement our manned rotary- crew, as well as the legion of main- ned combat air systems also are in wing assets and yield a more effi- tainers, ordnancemen, flight deck development and operational test- cient use of our aviation platforms. and other support personnel — ing. The Broad Area Maritime Sur - Unmanned systems will certainly military and civilian — who have veillance system has been widely play a complementary role in naval ensured the aircraft were ready and successful in its demonstration — aviation’s future and we are actively safe to launch. Our shared passion proving constant value to the com- working on how this “family of sys- for flight has fueled a century of batant commander as it delivered tems” will become integrated into accomplishment, and it will contin- effect hundreds of miles inland. fleet operations. For many mis- ue to inspire our proud legacy for Fire Scout is an unmanned sions, such as those requiring the next 100 years. ■ rotary-wing asset that has already extended time on station to conduct logged more than a thousand flight surveillance and reconnaissance, an Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers is command- hours. Fire Scout also will operate unmanned platform offers an effi- er, Naval Air Forces, and commander, from the Littoral Combat Ship, to cient and logical solution. Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Waypoints in History APRIL 16, 2003 FEBRUARY 8, 2006 JANUARY 10, 2009 NOVEMBER 14, 2009 A P-3 Orion becomes An F-14 Tomcat makes George H.W. Bush Keel of future Gerald R. first U.S. Navy aircraft last combat flight trap is last Nimitz-class air- Ford, first of new class to land at Baghdad on Theodore Roosevelt craft carrier placed in of aircraft carrier, ceremo- International Airport. after the fighter’s commission. niously laid at Northrop more than 31 years Grumman Newport News of service. Shipbuilding.