A Sample Feature From Aviation News

Iraq - Support From the Sea

Aviation News’ Kevin Wills and Darron Hall report on operations from the USS George Washington (CVN-73) in the Arabian Gulf.

Above: The last in a long series of great Grumman naval fighter designs, the F-14 Tomcat is coming to the end of its US Navy service in ‘hot’ combat over Iraq. (All photos, authors except where stated).

GREY, slab-sided and seemingly impregnable, the US Navy’s Atlantic Fleet super carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) moved slowly away from her berth at Norfolk, VA, and set sail for service in the Arabian Gulf. The date was January 20, 2004, and her task was to provide air support for coalition forces desperately trying to shore-up the increasingly shaky society in the vacuum of a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. On the armoured deck and in the hangars below were the aircraft and men of the powerful and broad-ranged Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7), the assigned grouping of more than 60 front-line machines which in size and capability outnumber the air forces of many of the world’s nations. This was truly power projection in the grand sense for both political and military needs.

On this cruise CVW-7 comprised four attack squadrons, two with Grumman F-14 Tomcats (a type which is nearing the end of its operational career), VF-11 ‘The Red Rippers’ and VF-143 ‘The Pukin Dogs’ and two with Boeing F/A-18C Hornets,  VFA-131 ‘The Wildcats’ and VFA-136 ‘The Nighthawks’. These were supported by Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early-warning aircraft of VAW-121 ‘The Bluetails’, and the electronic fliers of VAQ-140 ‘Patriots’ with their four-seat Grumman EA-6B Prowlers. No less important were the Lockheed S-3B Vikings of VS-22 ‘The Topcats’ and the mixture of Sikorsky SH-60F and HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopters operated by HS-5 ‘The Nightdippers’. Also deployed with the Wing were two Grumman C-2A Greyhounds from VRC-40 ‘Rawhides’ which were to provide the carrier with a vital transport and cargo link, essential for the quick transfer of personnel and supplies between the ship and shore bases in the region. A listing of the exact number of aircraft on board the ship is given below.*

*Aircraft numbers aboard the USS George Washington, April 2004: 2x C-2A, 22x F-14B, 22x F/A-18C, 4x EA-6B, 4x E-2C, 8x S-3B, 4x SH-60F and 3x HH-60H, making a total of 69 aircraft.

The George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) became operational in the Arabian Gulf region on February 16, 2004. Protecting the carrier was Destroyer Squadron 28 comprising the guided missile cruiser, USS Vella Gulf CG-72, guided missile destroyers Bulkeley DDG-84, Ross DDG-71, and Ramage DDG-61, the guided missile frigate Elrod FFG-55 and the combat logistics support ship, USNS Supply (T-AOE-6).

Fire-fight in Fallujah

When Aviation News’ joined the George Washington, the ship and its air wing were heavily involved in support of coalition ground forces in Iraq and in particular the US Marines which, on the morning of April 28, 2004, were in a serious battle with insurgents around the city of Fallujah. It had been a difficult week for the troops of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and having taken casualties from a determined enemy, they called for some close air support. In response, aircraft from CVW-7 aboard the George Washington were tasked with the job. Over the next 48 hours CVW-7 flew over 140 sorties, 40 in response to specific requests from the hard-pressed Marines by aircraft from all four attack squadrons. Both Tomcat, or perhaps more correctly Bombcat, squadrons, along with the two Hornet squadrons, flew a steady series of missions, during which 17 GBU-12 laser guided bombs were dropped and over 1,000 rounds of 20mm ammunition expended before the 48hr enemy offensive was successfully halted.

‘Yank’ on the Tomcat wind-down

Above: Despite the low-tech nature of adversarial forces in Iraq, electronic warfare assets such as this Grumman EA-6B still have a useful role to play in monitoring enemy communications and designating targets. Four EA-6Bs of VAQ-140 ‘Patriots’ were operating from the George Washington at the time of Aviation News’ visit.

Below: The complexity of ranging aircraft on a carrier’s deck during operations can be gauged from this dramatic view of the George Washington as one of its 22 F-14 ‘Bombcats’ hugs the sea after launch and an EA-6B Prowler awaits its turn on the starboard catapult. All the carrier’s aircraft types with the exception of the Grumman C-2 Greyhound can be seen spotted on the deck. (Photo, USN).

On their return to the carrier, Aviation News spoke to the pilots about their experiences over Iraq and their thoughts on the impending withdrawal of the F-14 from US Navy service. ‘Yank’ is a pilot on one of the Bombcats.

It must be strange to leave such a protected base as this aircraft carrier and arrive and fight and then return home

‘Yank’ - ‘It’s a situation you get used to. You live, train and operate in this environment. You do your brief, go through your pre-flight routines pretty much like you would do for a normal training sortie; you then hopefully get airborne with no real problems. You then transit to where you need to go, which in this conflict is rather strange as there is no air-to-air threat at all and minimal ground-to-air contact. You really realise this is for real when you hear the guys on the ground and that you are there to help out. You know you have to do the best possible job and are helping to save their lives…’

A lot of the sorties lasted for over five hours. Was there a need for air-to-air refuelling during the mission?

‘Yank’ – ‘Yes, we hooked up with a two tankers, a USAF KC-135 and KC-10 a couple of times today. Sometimes we use British VC10 and Tristar tankers. Those guys are great! You Brits sure have that refuelling stuff off to a fine art. We can always rely on RAF tankers to be in the right place at the right time. The crews are always very helpful and flexible. If we need some extra gas or towing in a different direction to help us get to a target on time they will usually oblige.’

How is the F-14 holding up in the 21st century, some 30 years after it entered service with the US Navy?

‘Yank’ – ‘It’s still a very capable aircraft and the way our engineers maintain them is to ensure that they stay that way. Our boys do a great job at keeping the jets serviceable. The B model that we fly is a significant step up from the old A model. The new head-up display (HUD) makes the aircraft a lot nicer and easier to fly and it makes landing back on the carrier that much easier than it was. That is reflected in the fact that VF-11 hold the ‘Top Hook’ trophy, awarded by the Landing Safety Officers (LSO) to the squadron that consistently makes the best carrier landings.

For the rest of this article please see the August 2004 issue.