Carriers

Previously a Theodore Roosevelt crew member revealed that Tom Cruise told the crew members on the aircraft carrier not to look at or touch him.

As we have reported, Scientology Money Project claimed that USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) crew had been ordered to not look at Tom Cruise or to talk to him while filming Top Gun Sequel aboard the US Navy Nimitz Class aircraft carrier.

Actor’s allegedly arrogant behavior apparently sparked anger among TR crew members: in fact posts on social media, such as Twitter, also have TR Crew Members alleging other incidents with the Cruise.

But now it seems that accusations about Tom Cruise disrespecting crewmembers aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt were unfounded, U.S. Navy officials told NBC 7.

“Tom Cruise and the cast were nothing but gracious and professional during filming to all of the sailors,” the official pointed out. At the captain’s “all hands on deck” call Friday, Cruise took the microphone and personally thanked the crew for their support of the film, the official said.

“Some sailors may have misinterpreted guidance from the Navy that told sailors to not approach actors while filming and not use cell phones on the set,” the official said.

Noteworthy a Theodore Roosevelt crew member revealed that Tom Cruise told the crew members on the aircraft carrier not to look at or touch him. However, the person asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

“He angered USS Theodore crew while filming [the ‘Top Gun’ sequel],” the crew member pointed out on Feb. 17, 2019. They said that Cruise was acting “very arrogant.”

Nevertheless, the claim was disputed by Officials with Naval Air Forces.

A U.S. Navy master chief in fact explained that the aircraft carrier crew was directed to “respect” Cruise and his crew during the movie’s filming. The master chief added that he doesn’t believe this was an issue.

However, he pointed out that his service “does not tolerate any disrespect to its members” and the Navy “wouldn’t allow” Cruise to treat staff poorly.

Navy escorts who accompanied Cruise during the shoot said, “At no time did Tom Cruise say to a sailor, ‘Do not look at me. Do not touch me.’”

No official response on the matter has been made by Tom Cruise or the production behind Top Gun: Maverick.

On Feb. 14, 2019, F-14A Tomcat BuNo 159631 was lifted aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier in San Diego for Top Gun: Maverick production.

Besides the F-14 Tomcat, Top Gun: Maverick will likely feature the Navy’s new Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters alongside older Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

The movie was assigned a theatrical release date of Jul. 12, 2019, last year, but in September Paramount announced that had delayed the sequel nearly an entire year, assigning it a new release date of Jun. 26, 2020.

Maverick’s rides for the Top Gun sequel will be a cool special painted F/A-18F Super Hornet (which experienced a mid-air issue while it was flying with Tom Cruise onboard in September) and a new motorcycle that Tom Cruise already drove around the airfield (as he did on a Kawasaki Ninja in 1986 original) as shown in first pictures from Top Gun: Maverick set.

Tom Cruise teased the start of filming on the long-awaited Top Gun sequel on May 31, 2018with a tweet featuring an image of an older Capt. Pete Mitchell standing in a flight suit with his famous HGU-33 helmet (that wore to fly his F-14A Tomcat) in hand.

The aircraft carrier crew has been ordered to not look at Tom Cruise or to talk to him

As we have recently reported Tom Cruise and Paramount crew are aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier in San Diego for Top Gun: Maverick Production. What we didn’t know is that members of the US Navy are reportedly slamming Cruise for alleged arrogant behavior on the set of the movie.

The aircraft carrier crew has been ordered to not look at Tom Cruise or to talk to him.

The following Facebook screenshots are from numerous US Navy members on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt who expressed their dislike about the behavior of Tom Cruise while filming Top Gun Sequel.

They appeared on The Scientology Money Project.

Noteworthy this isn’t the first time Tom Cruise has received heated criticism from US Military Personnel. In 2013, the actor claimed that his job was as hard as fighting in Afghanistan. TMZ reported that Tom Cruise claimed the following in a deposition:

Tom Cruise not only thinks he trains harder than Olympic athletes, he believes his job as a professional actor is as grueling as fighting the war in Afghanistan — this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

First, the Middle East — Tom says his location shoots are just like serving a tour in Afghanistan, “That’s what it feels like. And certainly, in this last movie, it was brutal. It was brutal.”

At the moment, no official response has been released by Tom Cruise or the production behind Top Gun: Maverick as a result of this onslaught of criticism from numerous US Navy crew members.

On Feb. 14, 2019, F-14A Tomcat BuNo 159631 was lifted aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier in San Diego for Top Gun: Maverick production.

Besides the F-14 Tomcat, Top Gun: Maverick will likely feature the Navy’s new Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters alongside older Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

The movie was assigned a theatrical release date of Jul. 12, 2019, last year, but in September Paramount announced that had delayed the sequel nearly an entire year, assigning it a new release date of Jun. 26, 2020.

Maverick’s rides for the Top Gun sequel will be a cool special painted F/A-18F Super Hornet (which experienced a mid-air issue while it was flying with Tom Cruise onboard in September) and a new motorcycle that Tom Cruise already drove around the airfield (as he did on a Kawasaki Ninja in 1986 original) as shown in first pictures from Top Gun: Maverick set.

Tom Cruise teased the start of filming on the long-awaited Top Gun sequel on May 31, 2018with a tweet featuring an image of an older Capt. Pete Mitchell standing in a flight suit with his famous HGU-33 helmet (that wore to fly his F-14A Tomcat) in hand.

The 2-carrier contract would be a very bad news for China: the Gerald R. Ford-class in fact is designed to maximize the striking power of the embarked carrier air wing

On Dec. 31, 2018, the Pentagon formally notified Congress that it wanted to pursue the first dual-carrier contract since the late 1980s.

The U.S. Navy has been actively pursuing the contracting strategy for the past nine months, saying it had the potential to save as much as $2.5 billion in the deal and more recently stating the deal would save even more than that. Newport News Shipbuilding too said it wanted the deal, but the Pentagon didn’t sign off on it until the Dec. 31 letter to lawmakers.

On Monday the Pentagon sent a certification letter to Congress that outlines the contracting strategy and how much time and money it would allow the Navy to save on hulls CVN-80 and CVN-81. A congressional staffer told USNI News that the combined contracting could save the Navy about $4 billion, well above the original estimates.

With that letter sent, the Navy could award the contract by the end of January.

A Navy spokesman told USNI News that “the Navy has reached a price agreement with Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding for a two-carrier buy of CVN-80 and 81. Further information will be available upon contract award.”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a Senate Armed Services Committee member and a proponent of the two-carrier buy from the Virginia-based Newport News Shipbuilding yard, said in a Dec. 31 statement that “This smart move will save taxpayer dollars and help ensure the shipyards can maintain a skilled workforce to get the job done. Newport News builds the finest carriers in the world, and I know they are ready to handle this increase in work as we make progress toward the Navy’s goal of a 355-ship fleet.”

The 2-carrier contract would be a piece of very bad news for China: as we have recently reported in fact Rear Admiral Lou Yuan, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, has told an audience in Shenzhen that the ongoing disputes over the ownership of the East and South China Seas could be resolved by sinking two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.

The high-profile, hawkish military commentator in fact reportedly declared the current trade spat was “definitely not simply friction over economics and trade,” but was instead a “prime strategic issue”.

His speech, delivered on Dec. 20 to the 2018 Military Industry List summit, declared that China’s new and highly capable anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles were more than capable of hitting U.S. Navy carriers, despite them being at the center of a ‘bubble’ of defensive escorts.

“What the United States fears the most is taking casualties,” Admiral Lou claimed.

Yuan said the loss of one super carrier would cost the U.S. the lives of 5000 servicemen and women. Sinking two would double that toll.

CVN-80 (which has already been named Enterprise) and 81 are part of the next generation of an aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford-class. The lead ship, the Gerald R. Ford-class (CVN 78), was ordered in September 2008 as the force structure replacement for USS Enterprise (CVN 65), which inactivated in 2012.

The Gerald R. Ford class is designed to maximize the striking power of the embarked carrier air wing. The ship’s systems and configuration are optimized to maximize the sortie generation rate (SGR) of attached strike aircraft, resulting in a 33 percent increase in SGR over the Nimitz- class.

Photo by Dod and U.S. Navy

Rear Admiral Lou Yuan said the loss of one aircraft carrier would cost the U.S. the lives of 5000 service men and women. Sinking two would double that toll

Rear Admiral Lou Yuan, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, has told an audience in Shenzhen that the ongoing disputes over the ownership of the East and South China Seas could be resolved by sinking two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.

Admiral Lou gave a wide-ranging speech on the state of Sino-U.S. relations. As reported by New Zealand Herald, the high-profile, hawkish military commentator reportedly declared the current trade spat was “definitely not simply friction over economics and trade,” but was instead a “prime strategic issue”.

His speech, delivered on Dec. 20 to the 2018 Military Industry List summit, declared that China’s new and highly capable anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles were more than capable of hitting U.S. Navy carriers, despite them being at the center of a ‘bubble’ of defensive escorts.

“What the United States fears the most is taking casualties,” Admiral Lou declared.

He said the loss of one super carrier would cost the U.S. the lives of 5000 servicemen and women. Sinking two would double that toll.

“We’ll see how frightened America is.”

In his speech, he said there were ‘five cornerstones of the United States’ open to exploitation: their military, their money, their talent, their voting system — and their fear of adversaries.

Admiral Lou, who holds an academic military rank — not a service role — said China should “use its strength to attack the enemy’s shortcomings. Attack wherever the enemy is afraid of being hit. Wherever the enemy is weak …”

The U.S. Navy 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), are the largest warships in the world, each designed for an approximately 50-year service life with just a single mid-life refueling. The next generation of aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford-class (CVN 78) was ordered in September 2008 as the force structure replacement for USS Enterprise (CVN 65), which inactivated in 2012.

The typical air wing aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier consists of:

• Four Strike Fighter (VFA) Squadrons, with twelve F/A-18E/F Super Hornets each.

• One Electronic Attack (VAQ) Squadron, made up of five EA-18G Growlers.

• One Carrier Airborne Early Warning (VAW) Squadron, with four E-2C Hawkeyes or five E-2D “Advanced” Hawkeyes.

• One Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron of eight MH-60S Seahawks.

• One Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron of eleven MH-60R Seahawks, 3–5 of which are typically based in detachments on other ships of the carrier strike group.

• A Fleet Logistics Support (VRC) Squadron Detachment of two C-2A Greyhounds.

Photo by Seaman Jamaal Liddell and Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Burke / U.S. Navy

“Having a simulator that allows us to tie the full flight deck team with all the key decision-makers, supervisors, catapult crew and watch stations together—and train in a virtual environment—is just fantastic,” Cmdr. Mehdi Akacem, USS Gerald R. Ford Air Boss

One of the most dangerous environments in the U.S. Navy is the deck of an aircraft carrier. Catapult systems that can remove limbs, furious engines, whipping propellers and high winds create a hectic environment.

The driving force behind all of these activities is helping a pilot land an aircraft on a short slab of pitching steel, in the middle of the ocean.

However as explained by Bobby Cummings, a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications, in the article Virtual Training for Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Crews, although pilots are the stars of the show, they could not accomplish their missions without the support of flight deck crews, who are responsible for safely launching and recovering aircraft.

Previously, flight deck crews could only conduct training while on the job. But thanks to a collaborative effort between the Office of Naval Research Global (ONR Global) TechSolutions program and the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), a new technology called Flight Deck Crew Refresher Training Expansion Packs (TEPs) will deliver cutting-edge training to Sailors and Marines.

The system is an expandable framework of game-based immersive 3D technologies that allow for individual, team, or multi-team training events.

“Having a simulator that allows us to tie the full flight deck team with all the key decision-makers, supervisors, catapult crew, and watch stations together—and train in a virtual environment—is just fantastic,” said Cmdr. Mehdi Akacem, Air Boss aboard the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

The first three TEPs will help a carrier’s Primary Flight Control team; the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) team; and the Catapult Launch Team.

The idea for the Flight Deck Crew Refresher Training came from an LSO instructor at Naval Air Station Oceana. TechSolutions—ONR Global’s rapid-response science and technology program that develops prototype technologies to address problems voiced by Sailors and Marines, usually within 12 months—listened to the idea and found the right people to make it happen.

Courtney McNamara, a computer scientist, and the Advanced Gaming Interactive Learning Environment (AGILE) Team Lead at NAWCTSD, helped develop the technology.

“All of the ship systems, characters, flight deck crew characters, and team members can be both driven synthetically or by live players,” said McNamara.

The training stations simulate real life with the aid of virtual environments. Even the flight patterns that occur during the simulations are based on real flight patterns conducted by pilots.

The training can simulate normal operations and emergency conditions, exposing deck crews to a wide array of real-world scenarios.

“This is really the first example I’ve seen of extending the value of a simulation environment to such an essential, tangible thing as a carrier flight deck,” said Akacem. “It’s really a need we’ve had for years, one we’ve been able to get by without because of the grit and will of our Sailors and Marines.”

The following footage is a video demonstration of the TEPs.

Photo by John F. Williams / U.S. Navy

The clip documents a year of footage compiled from squadrons stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana

The super cool footage in this post is a montage from the East Coast VFA squadrons of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic. This video was first released at the annual Strike Fighter Ball 2018. It documents a year of footage compiled from squadrons stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana. According to the video description, the clip provides a look into U.S. Naval Aviators “work hard play hard” mentality.

As explained in Carrier Aviation in the 21st Century, Aircraft carriers and their units in detail by Thomas Newdick, on a strategic level, the U.S. Navy is continuing to react to the ‘pivot to the Pacific’. Vide-Admiral Robert L. Thomas commented: ‘We’re slowly shifting from a 50/50 mix in the US Navy to a 40 percent Atlantic, 60 percent Pacific mix’, he added, describing the swing away from traditional areas of operation.

Admiral Harry Harris, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, said in 2013: ‘Our president and secretary of defense are clear. As a nation, we will rebalance to the Pacific and we will work closely with our allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.’

While this strategy was set in motion under the Barack Obama administration since President Donald Trump took office in 2017 the importance of the Asia-Pacific area of operations has only increased. In October 2017 the U.S. Navy took the unusual step of deploying three Nimitz-class carriers in the Seventh Fleet’s area of operations (AOO) simultaneously, underlining its presence in the region unambiguously.

However, recent budgetary restrictions have severely impacted the Carrier Strike Groups (CSG), with intense deployment schedules, and little time for rest and recuperation of assets and personnel.

The precision strike operations being carried out by the Bush Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea continue to demonstrate the tremendous warfighting capability and flexibility of the U.S. Navy

Despite being plagued by a lack of spare parts to fix their strike fighters and funds required to fully undertake their mission, U.S. Navy carrier strike groups are still able to demonstrate the mobility, flexibility, and power projection capability of the service’s globally-deployed force anytime, anywhere.

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) in fact commenced strike missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Feb. 13.

The GHWBCSG operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of OIR demonstrate the capability of the U.S. Navy to conduct precision strikes on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets from multiple theaters, highlighting the flexibility of the Navy’s globally deployed force.

“The precision strike operations being carried out by the Bush Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea continue to demonstrate the tremendous warfighting capability and flexibility of the U.S. Navy. By defeating violent extremists in Iraq and Syria, we are simultaneously supporting two separate geographic combatant commands. We remain committed to defeating Daesh, committed to our allies and partners, and committed to global security.” Vice Adm. Christopher W. Grady, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet said.

“The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group brings a credible and mobile strike force that is trained and ready to operate and fight decisively from the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The flexibility and lethality inherent to this strike group allow the theater commander to employ GHWB across a broad capabilities spectrum, from striking ISIL targets to reassuring allies and solidifying partnerships and ensuring freedom of maritime operations,” explained Rear Adm. Kenneth R. Whitesell, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2.

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group entered the Mediterranean Sea on Feb. 2 and will continue to provide support to allies and partners, deter potential threats, and conduct strikes against ISIL operators and infrastructure in support of OIR.

The GHWBCSG consists of the flagship aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) with embarked staffs of CSG-2, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 and the squadrons of CVW-8; guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and USS Hue City (CG 66); and DESRON-22 guided-missile destroyers USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Truxtun (DDG 103).

CVW 8 includes Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213 “Fighting Black Lions”; VFA-31 “Tomcatters”; VFA-87 “Golden Warriors”; VFA-37 “Ragin Bulls”; Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 131 “Lancers”; Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 124 “Bear Aces”; Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron (HSM) 70 “Spartans”; Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 “Tridents”; and a detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 “Rawhides”.

The most recent aircraft carrier strike group to operate in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations was the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG). The Ike CSG conducted strikes from the eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of OIR Jun. 28-Jul. 7, 2016, and Dec. 6-12, 2016, completing 1,899 sorties in support of OIR.

Operation Inherent Resolve is the unwavering resolve and deep commitment of the U.S. and partner nations in the region and around the globe to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to the region and the wider international community.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

Source: GHWBCSG Conducts Strikes from Mediterranean, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs; Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Gaines and Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Danny Ray Nunez Jr. / U.S. Navy

The Super Hornet strike fighters would replace Indian Navy MiG-29Ks that are facing problems with engines and electronic control systems

Dan Gillian, Boeing’s program manager for the F/A-18 and EA-18G, told Economic Times that his company had done simulations of the Super Hornet taking off from a ski jump and the aircraft can be launched with a ‘significant’ payload without any modifications.

He added that the F/A-18 will be tested from a U.S. Navy ski jump as well.

“We have answered queries from the Indian Navy and the simulation analysis is done. At some point, we will also take off from a US Navy ski jump. We feel very comfortable that we will pass the requirements with a meaningful and significant payload,” Gillian said.

Boeing is vying for an Indian Navy contract for 57 new fighter jets to operate from its next aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The Super Hornets would replace the service MiG-29Ks that are facing problems with engines and electronic control systems. These issues resulted in serviceability of the airplanes varying between 16 percent and 39 percent meaning that out of fleet 10 fighters only 3 were normally available for operations at a given time.

Boeing offered to set up a F/A-18 Super Hornet production facility in India. “We are talking about creating a next-generation facility in India. We think the Super Hornet is the most advanced airplane that India could manufacture,” Gillian explained.

Gillian added that talks are on with both the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force (which has a requirement for 116 new fighter jets). Boeing in fact is looking for a partnership with Indian manufacturers Mahindra and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to present a proposal under the Make in India initiative. “HAL has built airplanes for years and Mahindra to has manufacturing know-how. A public-private partnership will bring it together and we will build a brand new first-class facility in India. It will help India build its next plan for the advanced multirole combat aircraft as well,” Gillian concluded.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bryan Mai / U.S. Navy

Landing the Bird Dog on the deck of carrier without a tailhook was no easy task. Nevertheless Maj Ly Bung made an excellent landing.

In April 1975 South Vietnam was in the process of being overrun by the North Vietnamese. The end of the decades-old Vietnam conflict approached, and many South Vietnamese desperately tried to escape the country before the takeover by North Vietnam.

According to Naval Historical Foundation’s article The Opportunity to Make History: Vietnam War Hero’s Flight to Freedom Remembered, the U.S. Navy was busy cooperating with South Vietnamese forces in Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation in history. Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam.

Although the U.S. ran the operations during Frequent Wind, several South Vietnamese aviators took it upon themselves to escape in countless helicopters and planes.

On Apr. 29, around mid-morning, CH-53s and HH-53s began cross-decking processed evacuees from the USS Midway (CV-41) to the Military Sealift Command ships scattered around the ocean nearby. During this operation, a Vietnamese Air Force (the South Vietnamese Air Force or VNAF) O-1E Bird Dog appeared overhead and set up a holding pattern around the carrier. The deck was full of helicopters working on the transfer. The initial decision was to deny landing and the carrier zigzagged to prevent an approach. As explained by Albert Grandolini in his book Fall of the Flying Dragon, South Vietnamese Air Force 1973-75, when this failed to discourage the pilot, Maj Ly Bung of the 114th Observation Squadron, an attempt was made to convince him to ditch near the carrier and a smoke bomb was dropped in the water while a U.S. Navy rescue helicopter hovered overhead. Again unconvinced, the VNAF pilot tried to drop a message on the deck, failed, and then succeeded with a second. The message was clear:

“Can you move the Helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly 1 hour more, we have enough to move. Please rescue me.

Major Bung, wife and 5 children.”

He was going to land, even if the helicopters were in the way. The deck was cleared, the carrier’s course straightened, and the speed increased to 30kt.

Midway Commanding Officer Capt. Larry Chambers recollects the events:

“The sky was overcast. Light rain was falling. Not much of a sea state. When we turned into the wind we had 40 kts over the deck (15 knots natural plus 25 knots that the old girl was making). My only concern, besides the Admiral telling me not to do it, was whether or not Major Ly would carry enough power to get through the burble and down draft aft of the ship. The high wind over the deck increases the downdraft and the turbulence. Because we were operating helos, I had given the engineers permission to shut down half the plant for maintenance. When I told the chief engineer that I needed 25 knots, he informed me that we didn’t have enough steam. I ordered him to shift the hotel load to the emergency diesel. You get the idea. In addition, we stripped the arresting gear cross deck pendants. At Ly’s approach speed, my only worry was getting him across the ramp. His relative speed couldn’t have been more than 20 to 25 knots.”

Ly received the “green light” from the tower and had permission to land. Landing the Cessna on the deck of the carrier without a tailhook was no easy task. Nevertheless Ly Bung made an excellent landing while the deck crew applauded, as USS Midway Air Boss Vern Jumper explained to KPBS:

“We had 30-40 knots right down the angle deck, and he started his final approach. He then made a beautiful carrier landing without a tailhook. He touched down right in the wire area – we’d stripped the wires off the deck because that would have felled him up. He touched down right where he should have, bounced once, rolled up the deck, and was stopped before he got to the end of the angle deck.

My flight deck crew ran out to grab him before he went over the angle deck, but he didn’t. The major and his wife jumped out of the cockpit, pulled the backseat forward, and out tumbled all these little kids. Five little kids they had. She was holding a baby in her arms when he landed.

Oh, when he landed my flight deck crew and all the other guys that were working on the flight deck in the squadrons and the ship’s company ran out there. And they’re hooping and hollering and making so much noise. They were so proud, so glad that they saved this guy.”

Maj Ly Bung’s aircraft, still in its VNAF markings, is now displayed in the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

In the following video, you can see Maj Ly Bung’s Bird Dog landing aboard USS Midway.

Photo by U.S. Navy

“It took almost three minutes for Petty Officer JD Bridges to push his way out of the intake of the A-6 after being sucked in,” Daniel P Streckfuss, former VFA-15 officer

Taken on Feb. 20, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), the scary video in this post shows Petty Officer JD Bridges getting sucked into a jet engine of an A-6 Intruder.

Incredibly, Bridget, then 21 years old, managed to survive.

Daniel P Streckfuss, another officer who was with Bridget at the time, explained how his colleague was able to survive.

“I was attached to VFA-15 onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt during that deployment in 1991

“What allowed him to survive was the design of the A-6 engine (the J-52). It has a long protruding ‘bullet’ or cone that extends in front of the first stage fans.

“When he was sucked in, his arm extended above his head which caused his body to wedge between the bullet and inside wall of the intake.”

He also added: “Lucky for him, his helmet and coat were sucked in first which prompted the pilot to cut the throttle.

“It took almost three minutes for him to push his way out of the intake after being sucked in.

“Needless to say, I don’t think he was seen on the flight deck for the rest of the cruise.”

According to Daily Mail, the video has been widely used around the world in the years since it was filmed, often by television shows showcasing the amazing survival.

Serving throughout the Vietnam War, the A-6 continued as the Navy’s front-line medium-attack aircraft through Operation Desert Storm, during which Navy and Marine Corps A-6s logged more than 4,700 combat sorties. They were not retired until 1997.

From the beginning, Intruders featured Digital Integrated Attack Navigation Equipment (DIANE), which provided an electronic display of targets and geographical features even in low visibility conditions. Introduced on the A-6E version of the aircraft, the Target Recognition Attack Multi sensors (TRAM) system combined Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) and laser sensors with an onboard computer. Located in a ball turret beneath the nose of the aircraft, TRAM enabled a higher degree of bombing accuracy by locating targets and ascertaining their ranges, allowing the A-6 crew to detect ground undulations as small as a plowed field.

The Intruder served as the aircraft carrier’s “big stick” in combat over Lebanon, Libya, and Iraq. During Operation Desert Storm, Navy and Marine Corps A-6s logged more than 4,700 combat sorties, providing close air support, destroying enemy air defenses, attacking Iraqi naval units, and hitting strategic targets. All told, 687 A-6s were delivered to the Navy, the last being retired from front line service in 1997.