17 March, 2024 - Nellis Training Detachment, week 8

[MrBean]

This past week VFA-41 began the joint operations phase of their inter-deployment training cycle.

Three DEALER flights departed Nellis AFB and worked in conjunction with electronic warfare/electronic intelligence assets in the from of an EC-130 and two EA-6B Prowlers to identify and prosecute various surface to air threats.

As the enemy radars were detected, their positions and were triangulated by the ELINT assets and then radar identification and location were passed along to DEALER aircraft to plan and execute attacks on the threats.

The first target was a SA-3 site. DEALER 2 first launched AGM-41 TALDs from a range of 30 miles, while DEALER 1 followed behind and eliminated both the Flat Face search and Low Blow tracking radars with AGM-88 HARM missiles as they tracked the incoming decoys. Once the radars were destroyed, jets from DEALER 3 were called in to destroy the remaining launch vehicles with Maverick missiles and GBU-38 bombs.

The second threat was a group of SA-15 and SA-8 mobile missile launchers. Once location information was obtained from the EC-130, DEALER 2 proceeded to launch Decoys and HARM missiles at the targets, but the SA-15's effectively defended themselves and eliminated all of the incoming missiles. DEALER 3 was subsequently called in and successfully destroyed all three mobile SAMs with GBU-38's dropped from high altitude, above the effective range of the enemy missile systems.

Due to range time and fuel constraints the third SAM site, an SA-11 was not trained against as the allotted range time had concluded.

All VFA-41 aircraft returned to Nellis AFB, with the exception of one jet that was forced to divert to Tonopah due to low fuel.


DEALER 1
Mr. Bean - completed training, recovered Nellis
Trim - completed training, ground targets hit, recovered Nellis
Razor - completed training, ground targets hit, recovered Nellis

DEALER 2
Hedgehog - completed training, recovered Nellis
Maniac - completed training, recovered Nellis


DEALER 3
Chaos - completed training, ground targets hit, recovered Nellis
Rhino - completed training, ground targets hit, recovered Nellis
Crash - completed training, ground targets hit, diverted Tonopah

[Hedgehog]

Pilot records updated.