Did the SIG Fuse fizzle?

Posted on by Leave a comment

The Fuse, SIG Sauer’s newest P365 gets its name, says the company, as it is the “fusion of capability and concealment.” This is due to still being carry-sized while featuring all the goodies one could want, including a removable magwell, nickel-plated flat-faced trigger, LXG grip module with interchangeable backstraps, optics-ready (RMSc footprint) slide, easily co-witnessing iron sights, and extended 21-round magazines.

All this for well under $800.

I put 1,000 rounds through one in the past couple of months.

Full review in my column at Guns.com.

Welcome back, Pickering

Posted on by Leave a comment

The U.S. Revenue Cutter Pickering–– named for Washington’s wartime Quartermaster General and later Secretary of War– has one of the most stirring sea tales seldom told.

The 77-foot Jackass Brig, built in 1798 at Newburyport, Massachusetts, was one of six large cutters constructed as a sort of insurance plan that year as war with France loomed.

She not only looked rakish but she proved fast and maneuverable. That, coupled with the fact she could still glide along in only nine feet of water when fully loaded, meant she could hide from proper warships in coves and shallows.

NHHC NH 85146 via Naval Documents (of) the Quasi-War. . ., vol. 1, p. 328.

While most early cutters only mounted a single light swivel gun or two, Pickering had her broadside pierced with 10 gun ports on each side of her gundeck and, when the Quasi-War began, was packed with 14 guns, albeit puny Gribeauval four-pounders with a range of 700 yards (half that if using canister). Shipping out with but a 70-man crew, and seeing that each piece needed eight gunners (but could get it done in a pinch with six), Pickering was forced to have her gun crews run back and forth from port to starboard as needed.

During the Quasi-War, eight Revenue Cutters (a sloop, five schooners, and two brigs) haunted the Caribbean, and made their mark against the French by capturing 18 of the 22 prizes collected by the U.S. between 1798 and 1799– and assisted in the capture of two others!

Of these 18, Pickering alone accounted for 10 prizes.

The toughest of these was the big (250 men) and well-armed (28 guns, all of at least 6 pounds) L’Egypte Conquise after a grueling nine-hour sea battle that is the stuff of Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower. Her skipper at the time? LT (later Commodore) Edward Preble.

Pickering was later permanently transferred to the Navy and disappeared at sea in the summer of 1800 while traveling from Newcastle, Delaware to join the squadron of Commodore Thomas Truxton on the Guadeloupe Station.

The USCG, who retains the lineage of the old USRCS, recycled Pickering’s name only once: for a fast picket boat mothership stationed off Atlantic City during Prohibition to allow the little cutters to interdict rum runners headed from shore to booze-laden “blacks” floating on “Rum Row” out past the three-mile limit.

The third Pickering (WSMM 919), the Coast Guard’s fifth new Heritage-class 360-foot Offshore Patrol Cutter, has begun construction.

A plasma cutter at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala. cuts steel plates to be used to produce the Coast Guard’s fifth offshore patrol cutter, Pickering. Photo courtesy of Austal USA.

Pickering is the first of up to 11 cutters that will be delivered to the Coast Guard through the $3.3 billion Stage 2 contract with Austal USA in Mobile, where the company is transitioning from building Indy class LCSs (the final hull, the future USS Pierre, launched last month).

The newest Pickering will be delivered to the Coast Guard in late 2027.

The OPCs are set to replace the service’s circa 1980s 270-foot Bear-class and even older 210-foot Reliance-class medium endurance cutters.

As detailed by Austal:

OPC will provide the majority of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence conducting a variety of missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and search and rescue. With a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and a 60-day endurance period, each OPC will be capable of deploying independently or as part of task groups, serving as a mobile command and control platform for surge operations such as hurricane response, mass migration incidents and other events. The cutters will also support Arctic objectives by helping regulate and protect emerging commerce and energy exploration in Alaska.

The ceremony:

Radial Engine Glory

Posted on by Leave a comment

How about this great shot of two aircraft rarely seen operating side-by-side on a flattop, showing Navy and Marine F4U-4 Corsairs of VF-43 (F-3xx) and VMF-211 (AF-144) spinning up behind a big Douglas AD-4 Skyraider (SS-807) of composite squadron VC-33 aboard the supercarrier USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) circa 1952.

While both the Corsair and Skyraider used 18-cylinder radials, the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W on the F4U “only” coughed up 2,380 hp while the Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone of the AD-4 went at least 2,700 hp.

Cora was on deployment to the Mediterranean Sea with Carrier Air Group Four (CVG-4) from 19 Apr 1952 to 12 Oct 1952. The mixed jet-prop group at the time included the “Gladiators” of VF-62 (F2H-2 Banshees), the Corsair-equipped “Hornets” of VF-44, “Wake Island Avengers” of VMF-211, and “Challengers” of VF-43; the Skyraider-flying “Blackbirds” of VF-45 and dets of AD-4W, AD-4N, F2H-2Ps, and HUP-1s.

While on service with the 6th Fleet, she visited Yugoslavia and carried Marshall Tito on a one-day cruise to observe carrier operations. On her next Med deployment, she would host Generalissimo Franco on a stop in Spain.

VMF-211 was redesignated VMA-211 during that cruise, while Cora herself morphed on paper from CVB-43 to CVA-43.

Meet the Gewehr 210

Posted on by Leave a comment

The Bundeswehr, or German federal military, has tapped the home team at Heckler & Koch to supply it with a new model of sniper rifle based on the company’s MR308.

The recently teased A6 Designated Marksman Rifle variant was shown off by HK at trade shows in Nuremberg earlier this year–we saw it at EnforceTac– and was formally announced (German) by the company as the Bundeswehr’s new G210 rifle on Aug. 27.

HK officials stated the semi-auto 7.62 NATO-chambered MR308A6, with a 16.75-inch barrel, abbreviated M-LOK handguard, and full-length top Picatinny rail, was developed specifically for the G210 tender.

Some 500 rifles will be delivered beginning in 2025.

The company is also supplying the Bundeswehr with the HK416A8 in 5.56 NATO as the G36 – the country’s standard infantry rifle – as well as the HK437 in .300 BLK as the G39 SD.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Burke Updates

Posted on by Leave a comment

A few interesting pieces of news when it comes to everyone’s favorite current class of destroyers.

When it comes to contracts, two recent DoD announcements highlight the very real difference in cost between giving the early Flight I Burkes a service life extension to keep them in the fleet for at least 35 years (which includes baseline nine upgrades through the DDG Modernization program) and the much more extensive MOD 2.0 modernization of “middle-aged” Flight IIA Burkes which includes the new SPY-6 radar and hulking AN/SLQ-32(V)7 system.

Thus:

USS Pinckney (DDG 91) Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer leaving San Diego after a two-year DDG MOD 2.0 upgrade with SEWIP Block 3 – November 7, 2023, via the San Diego Warship Cam

For reference, DDG 56 entered service in 1994– making her 30 years young– while DDG 97 came along in 2005.

Emphasis mine:

BAE Systems – San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California, is awarded a $177,821,136 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized contract modification to previously awarded undefinitized contract action N00024-24-C-4423 for the repair, maintenance, and modernization of the USS Halsey (DDG 97), a Chief of Naval Operations Fiscal 2024 Depot Modernization Period (DMP). The scope of this procurement includes all labor, supervision, facilities, equipment, production, testing, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish the USS Halsey (DDG 97) Fiscal 2024 DMP. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $225,596,312. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by April 2026. Fiscal 2024 other procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $82,826,616 (98.3%); fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance, Navy (OMN) funds in the amount of $1,409,569 (1.7%); and fiscal 2024 defense-wide procurement funds in the amount of $21,203(.03%), will be obligated at the time of award, of which $1,409,569 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, but in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a) (3) (Industrial Mobilization). Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-24-C-4423).

Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $76,102,395 firm-fixed-price contract action for maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS John S McCain (DDG 56) Fiscal 2025 Docking Selected Restricted Availability. The scope of this acquisition includes all labor, supervision, equipment, production, testing, facilities, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish the Chief of Naval Operations Availability for critical maintenance, modernization, and repair programs. This contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $84,194,754. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by November 2025. Fiscal 2024 other procurement, Navy funds for $76,102,395. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the System for Award (SAM) website, with two offers received. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N0002424C4407).

For those keeping track at home, the keel for the future USS William Charette (DDG 130), the 80th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was laid during a ceremony last week at General Dynamic Bath Iron Works (BIW). The fifth Flight III Burke, she is expected to be commissioned around 2029. The last Burke on the schedule, the future USS Michael G. Mullen (DDG 144) will be the 93rd of her class.

190318-N-DM308-001 WASHINGTON (March 18, 2019) An artist rendering of the future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS William Charette (DDG 131). (U.S. Navy photo illustration/Released)

Meanwhile, money is flowing to bring the planned Burke replacement, DDG(X), online, scheduled to enter production in 2032 (don’t hold your breath):

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a cost-plus fixed fee not-to-exceed $10,601,959 undefinitized order to previously awarded contract (N00024-22-C-2319) for the computer aided design product lifecycle management proof of concept Phase Two in support of the DDG(X) Guided Missile Destroyer Design. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by February 2026. Funding in the amount of $7,951,469 was obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The statutory authority for this sole source award is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-22-C-2319).

First of the Dash Cans

Posted on by Leave a comment

Official caption, 65 years ago this month: “U.S. Navy s First Helicopter Destroyer Conducts Exercises. USS Hazelwood is the Navy’s first anti-submarine helicopter destroyer, steams off the Atlantic coast near Newport, Rhode Island.”

Photograph released on 1 September 1959. 428-GX-USN 710543

Attached to Destroyer Development Group Two, Hazelwood is undergoing extensive training exercises to acquaint her crew with air operations. Her flight deck is designed to accommodate the DSN-1 Drone Helicopter (OH-50) scheduled for delivery from Gyrodnye Company of America, Inc. Soon, an HTK Drone Helicopter with a safety pilot, developed by the Kaman Aircraft Company, is being used for training exercises until the DSN-1 Drone becomes available. Through the use of a drone helicopter and homing torpedo, Hazelwood will possess an anti-submarine warfare kill potential at a much greater range than conventional destroyers.

A hard-charging Fletcher-class tin can, USS Hazelwood (DD-531) was built at Bethlehem’s San Francisco yard and joined the Pacific fleet in WWII.

Hazelwood in WWII, wearing Measure 32, Design 6d.

As part of her wartime service that saw her earn 10 battle stars, she caught a kamikaze off Okinawa in April 1945.

USS Hazelwood (DD-531) after being hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa, 29 April 1945. 80-G-187592

Hazelwood, all guns blazing, maneuvered to avoid two of the Zeros. A third screamed out of the clouds from astern. Although hit by Hazelwood’s fire, the enemy plane careened past the superstructure. It hit #2 stack on the port side, smashed into the bridge, and exploded. Flaming gasoline spilled over the decks and bulkheads as the mast toppled and the forward guns were put out of action. Ten officers and 67 men were killed, including the Commanding Officer, Comdr. V. P. Douw, and 35 were missing. Hazelwood’s engineering officer, Lt. (j.g.) C. M. Locke, took command and directed her crew in fighting the flames and aiding the wounded.

Suffering terrible damage, she was patched up enough at Ulithi to return to San Francisco under her own steam, albeit in an almost unrecognizable condition.

These photos by LIFE’s Thomas McAvoy as she steamed under the Golden Gate in June 1945, headed to Mare Island NSY for a rebuild:

After reconstruction and a spell in mothballs, Hazelwood served in the Med during the Suez Crisis, and, between 1958 and 1965, following another rebuild, would serve as a trials ship for DASH and the Shipboard Landing Assist Device (SLAD).

USS Hazelwood (DD 531) off Patiuxent, November 1960. She is shown with the prototype DASH hangar, landing area, and refueling system

In August 1963, Hazelwood logged more than 1,000 DASH landings on her deck. That’s almost carrier-level numbers.

“DASH” (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) the U.S. Navy’s new long-range anti-submarine weapon system, “DASH”, hovers in free flight over the flight deck of the USS HAZELWOOD (DD-531). Suspended under the drone’s body is a homing torpedo, the mainstay of the DASH system. The drone produced by Gyrodyne Co. of America, Inc., of Long Island, New York, is designated model DSN-1. It made the world’s first free flight of a completely unmanned drone heli. At the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, MA. In August, 1960. March 22, 1961. KN-1814

As detailed by a 1970s Navy report:

(U) While initial feasibility tests of the helicopter-destroyer concept were successfully conducted aboard Manley (DD 940) with a drone version of the HTK-1 helicopter in February 1959, Hazelwood (DD 531) was the first destroyer to be completed with the installation of a drone helicopter facility (hangar, flight deck, and aviation fuel system). Initially, COMOPDEVFOR was scheduled to begin evaluation of the Hazelwood installation in July 1959.*

Delays in the development of the final drone helicopter, however, meant that initial tests of the DSN-1** would not begin before March 1960. This program, one of the Navy’s largest commitments, certainly in terms of numbers of ships, to an unproven concept was eventually to prove less than completely successful and, in fact, delayed the introduction of the manned helicopter into the Navy’s destroyer-sized vessels for nearly ten years. Nevertheless, it represented the beginning of the destroyer-helicopter team concept which was to receive growing emphasis throughout the sixties and seventies.

* In the Pacific one prototype FRAM started conversion at the same time, Thomason (DD 760).

** Single Boeing jet engine, gross weight 2,200 pounds, rotor diameter twenty feet.

Hazelwood decommissioned 19 March 1965, entered mothballs with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for a decade, then was stricken and sold for scrap in 1976.

As for the QH-50, some 755 were produced in the 1960s and it was fielded through the 1970s on over a hundred U.S. destroyers, destroyer escorts, destroyer tenders, cruisers, and at least one battleship (New Jersey off Vietnam) as well as seven Japanese ships during the Cold War. While it didn’t live up to its potential, had there been no DASH program, there wouldn’t be the vibrant UAV fleet that is currently fielded.

Sad times

Posted on by 2 comments

No Warship Wednesday today.

Paul Harrell just passed, which is a big bummer to millions in the gun community.

Like a real gent in a time of lads, he filmed an “I’m Dead” video just for the occasion, as one does, apologizing for letting his viewers down. 

“As always, don’t try this at home, and thanks for watching”

Thanks for everything, Paul.

First Time Jitters

Posted on by Leave a comment

Official wartime caption: “Members of the IX Troop Carrier Command hold a last-minute briefing session before another glider mission in Holland. 2 September 1944.”

U.S. Air Force Number 83086AC, NARA 342-FH-3A26203-83086AC

Note the invasion-striped CG-4 Waco glider behind the group along with the uncensored shoulder patches of the 101st “Screaming Eagles” Airborne Division.

Also seen, on the camo-net-clad M1 helmets of the assembled men, are the “clubs” markings for the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR).

The 101st’s helmet markings circa 1944:

With a lineage that dates back to the old 82nd “All American” Infantry in the Great War, the 327th was only redesignated as a glider unit and swapped over to the 101st on 15 August 1942.

Moving to Britain in September 1943, they spent eight months getting ready for the Overlord landings but, due to the shortage of C-47s on the early morning of D-Day (the Allied dropped the bulk of three airborne divisions at roughly the same time), the 327th wound up hitting the sand as “leg” infantry with the 4th Infantry Division on Utah Beach on D-Day.

“Hey, Mack, where’s the wings on this thing?” 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, GIs mix with Joes from the 4th Infantry Division aboard an LCT on the way to Tare Green Sector, Utah Beach, Normandy, on D-Day.

They spent the next two weeks fighting around Carentan and in the hedgerows then another two in static defense.

Pulled back to England in mid-July to reform (the regiment had suffered over 100 KIAs at Carentan alone) and reequip for future operations, the 327th was placed on alert to glider into France (Operation Transfigure) and Belgium (Operation Limet 1) but both missions were scrapped as rapidly advancing ground forces made them irrelevant.

Glider troops were the “heavy” option for airmobile infantry as they could carry Jeeps, pack artillery, and other items in their Wacos or Horsas that were far too big to fit through the jump door of a C-47. This even trickled down to the squad level, with glider troops carrying M1918 BARs, a platform rarely strapped to the back of a paratrooper.

Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division Load a Jeep Into the Open Nose of a Glider in Preparation for Airborne Landings in Holland, in early September 1944. 111-SC-198683_001

Then came a big lift– Operation Market Garden– in which the 327th finally got the green light to ride their gliders into battle for the first time. Carried into German-occupied Holland over three days, they were tasked with Landing Zone – W, north of Eindhoven. 

A glider-dotted area where the First Airborne Army landed, Holland. 18 September 1944. (U.S. Air Force Number 75246AC)

The 327th would spend the rest of the war in heavy combat, earning the name “Bastogne Bulldogs” during the Battle of the Bulge for their tenacity.

The 327th would go on to earn campaign honors for Normandy (with arrowhead), Rhineland (with arrowhead), Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.

The regiment suffered 524 casualties in Normandy, 662 in Holland, and 580 in Bastogne.

Today, two of its battalions (1st BN “Above the Rest” and 2nd BN “No Slack”) are still on active duty with the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne, but prefer UH-60s and CH-47s over gliders.

RIP SS United States, we all knew this was coming

Posted on by One comment

The Liner SS United States Departing, circa 1952.

When she hit the water in 1952, the 990-foot, 53,000-ton ocean liner SS United States was a beauty to behold and was seriously fast by any nautical standard. Rumored capable of up to 44 knots— she had a 247,785 shp steam turbine plant– she could make 32 knots sustained on an ocean crossing. By comparison, the 80,000-ton RMS Queen Mary only had 200,000 shp on tap and needed 24 boilers to get it while the United States only carried eight.

Capable of carrying 1,928 passengers in elegance and style, it was planned she could be used as a military asset during a war in Europe, able to cram a 14,000-man infantry division aboard and race them across the Atlantic in four days. With a range of 10,000 miles without refueling, she could also race to the Pacific, although not via the Panama Canal due to her size.

Constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding, there was an aura of secrecy around her with her top speed, hull form, screws, and the full power of her plant long a closely guarded military fact.

The Liner SS United States on Nov. 28, 1952, at Norfolk Naval SY for inspection after initial voyages.  

Due to its hidden military objective (though the SS United States was never ultimately employed for wartime purposes), the construction of the ship was shrouded in secrecy. The ship was the first major liner to be built in a dry dock, away from prying eyes, and was unveiled to the public already in the water, ensuring its knife-like hull and propellers couldn’t be studied by foreign enemies.

However, the United States only sailed for 17 short years and was laid up unexpectedly in 1969.

Then followed a series of almosts over the past 55 years.

She has been looted of all of her furniture and artwork in a 1984 fire sale to pay for years of back pier rent. For better or worse this means that thousands of relics from her glory days are already on display around the globe. 

She was further stripped to the bare bulkheads during asbestos remediation in 1994.

She had deteriorated to the point that there was realistically nothing left to save– just 990 feet of floating hulk.

The stripped 1st-class enclosed promenade, which runs for most of the ship’s length, as it appears in 2024, wiki commons

The SS United States Conservancy, which has owned her since 2011, has not been able to raise enough money to do anything worthwhile with the old queen and the ship is facing eviction this month due to court order. The Conservancy apparently didn’t even have the funds on hand at first ($500,000) to tow her off the evicted pier.

Now, it is too late for anything except reefing her. Escambia County and Okaloosa County, Florida have submitted bids to turn the liner into the world’s largest artificial reef.

Okaloosa, which has the USS Oriskany off nearby Pensacola already, is voting Tuesday on a $9 million outlay for the acquisition ($1 million purchase), remediation, transport, and deployment of the liner off Destin.

The county has identified three active permitted areas (Large Area Artificial Reef Sites A, B, and C) that can accommodate the SS United States, all less than 25 miles from shore. These sites offer depths and clearance requirements suitable for divers of various skill levels, from beginners to technical divers.

The deal would include a land-based museum.

The statement from the Conservancy, which is heavy on blaming the pier owner (Penn Warehousing) without taking responsibility for not being able to pull off anything but host very expensive individual tours of the old girl in the past decade:

We understand that many of you are deeply concerned about the fate of the SS United States as the September 12 eviction deadline looms. These anxieties have been compounded by today’s media coverage about the prospect of the SS United States‘ potential conversion into an artificial reef in Florida. We are reaching out to share that the next chapter of the ship’s history is still being written and to provide additional background on the current situation.

As we explained in our last e-update, earlier this month the U.S. District Court denied the Conservancy’s request for a three-month extension at the ship’s Philadelphia pier, ruling instead that we have until September 12 to present a formal agreement to the court to remove the ship from Pier 82.

Now legally obligated to comply with the Judge’s rulings, the Conservancy has been in discussions on a range of scenarios for the ship’s future, including proposals to deploy the SS United States as an artificial reef in tandem with a land-based museum and immersive experience incorporating iconic components from the ship. To comply with the court’s ruling, we have entered into a contingent contract with Okaloosa County, Florida, to advance this vision. We must emphasize that this proposal remains subject to various contingencies, including a successful negotiation with pier operator Penn Warehousing to extend the ship’s stay beyond the September 12 deadline, while the complex logistics of moving and reefing the ship are worked out. Unfortunately, some media outlets have published misleading stories today suggesting that such a deal is a fait accompli. It is not. There are multiple discussions underway and many unresolved matters that make both the outcome and timing uncertain at this point.

Reefing is not the Conservancy’s preferred scenario for the SS United States. In an intense and all-hands-on-deck effort to keep the ship safely afloat, we have conducted a massive nationwide search for a new temporary location—a search that has thus far yielded no viable alternatives. With our hand being forced by Penn Warehousing, and scrapping being the only other viable option, we believe reefing is the more dignified outcome.

Since its founding, the Conservancy has worked tirelessly to raise public awareness about the ship’s historic importance, organize exhibitions and events, and care for a major museum collection of artwork, archival documentation, and historic components from the vessel. Our primary goal has always been to repurpose America’s Flagship and celebrate her legacy as a symbol of innovation, strength, and pride. Redeveloping the SS United States has always been a uniquely complex, costly, and challenging undertaking. We worked in close partnership for five years with prominent real estate development firm RXR Realty, and more recently MCR Hotels, to advance a commercially viable development plan for the ship. In the end, Penn Warehousing’s actions ended our ability to continue searching and advocating for a viable location for the project and we are unlikely to realize our shared dream. We are now working diligently to salvage that dream as best we can, albeit not in the way we had originally envisioned, but in a way that allows the story of our nation’s ship to inspire generations to come.

We completely understand that the prospect of reefing the SS United States may be challenging to contemplate. Many members of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors have been working to avoid such an outcome for over a decade. We vow to continue to do everything we can to best preserve her legacy each day leading up to the Court-imposed September 12 deadline, and we remain eternally grateful for your support and partnership in our shared mission.

Big Lift to Louisiana

Posted on by Leave a comment

The 101st Airborne (Air Assault) has pulled off some pretty deep “Hail Mary” style operations in past military history.

For example, in Desert Storm, a group of Apaches led by AFSOC Pave Lows as Task Force Normandy fired the first shots of the air campaign by penetrating 150nm from the Saudi border to target EW sites near Baghdad. The Apaches cleared the way for the F-117s.

The division as a whole followed up on that opening act once the ground war got underway with the 101st’s three brigades conducting the longest and largest helicopter-borne air assault in history at the time, moving over 350 miles in 96 hours.

The thing is, Desert Storm was 33 years ago and, with the possible exception of some retired guys retread as DoD civilians or CW5s sipping coffee in the back of a shop somewhere, the 101st doesn’t have anyone left that pulled off those big lifts. While there was at least one notable rotor wing loss in Afghanistan (Turbine 33), the concept of having to pull a big-unit deep penetration against a near-peer/peer adversary ready to shoot you down is something rarely done in recent years– but maybe something needed soon.

With that, the 101st last month airlifted a full 3,000-member brigade (2nd MBCT) from its garrison at Fort Campbell, Kentucky to the JRTC at Fort Johnson (Polk), Louisiana– a distance of 500nm. The move saw the mix of 80 UH-60s, CH-47s, and AH-64s utilize a series of six forward arming and refueling points (FARPs)– mainly in Northern Mississippi– and a lot of night flying.

UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) depart the Oxford-University Airport, Miss. during forward arming and refueling point (FARP) operations on August 14, 2024. (Staff Sgt. Raymond Valdez)

For anyone who has ever flown over Mississippi at night, it’s almost all dark space and may as well be the middle of the desert of the ocean. That’s a big reason why the training bases at Columbus AFB and Meridian NAS exist.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »