Never did much like the mining mission in the FA-18. In the pre-GPS days it was always a sore trial getting the damned things in the right “hole in the water” – unlike ground targets, waves tend to look pretty much the same after a bit. And it was the devil to pay if you didn’t hit the right wave – the certification inspection was run by the typically humorless cadre of black shoes who run those kinds of inspections – the kind of guys who are looking for reasons to bust somebody’s chops, and who particularly enjoy bringing aviators down a notch or two.
And the delivery profile? Let’s just say it wasn’t particularly “tactical,” at least back in the day. Pretty good way to find yourself bobbing in a raft hard by a hostile coastline, in fact.
And aviators? We have short attention spans – when we drop something explosive off the airplane, we like to, you know: See it explode. But a mine just slips under the sea and lies in wait for some hapless goombah you’ll maybe never know about to stumble into it.
There wasn’t much up-side to mining.
But counter-mining? Using 6500, seven inch steel darts?
That actually sounds kind of cool. Curt has more.
I didn’t know the Hornet could play aerial minelayer. Interesting. Probably better than having a surface ship or submarine do it – the Navy named its one purpose-built minelayer USS Terror – but at least they won’t make you tow a giant sled behind you when you go to play aerial minesweeper..
Ahh, yeah – mining. Always one of my favorite missions in the Light Attack Whisper Stoof.
Great mission profile: Fly straight and level, 500 feet off the deck at 360 kts (330kts if we were carrying the “trashcans”). Exactly my idea of a good time to be had in a bad-guy harbor. Especially since our trusty “A” models were bereft of such luxuries as chaff and flares…
We were pretty good at though. But then we usually won the “lay-down” portion of the airwing bombing trophy competition. Of course it didn’t hurt that some of the A-7s couldn’t even hit the right target…
Although I always figured that hitting the target with mines meant that the mines got wet,
Oh those darned blackshoes – always messing up a good time.
I saw the presentation for this system(actually a system-of-systems since there are other parts involved) and thought it was pretty cool. Still, what if one of those thingys hit an endangered turtle or a Northern Right Whale or, God forbid, disturb the nesting sight for a Snowy Plover
)
I usta work “range issues” with the fellas at SOAR and SCORE and have a word of advice: If you ever find yourself on an advisory board that includes environmentalists, archaeologists, and the Navy, just shoot yourself. I mean, can’t a guy just blow something up every once in a while?
Da Yopper;
I’d add the same advice if it’s a roomful of industrial psychologists PhDs trying to tell you how to train sailors….oh, with only one of the 6 having ever set foot aboard a haze gray vessel before…
re Mining- One of my few fortes’ Lex. They call me: “One Pass-Bad A$$”, Bob. Hdg-Alt-Aispeed… In da basket!
Never trust da system- use the force my son! LOL.
BTW- I think the guys that brought up those mines and graded us-I think they were our own Frogmen- recreating.
b2
I was a member of a MINEX that our airwing had goofed, and had to participate in the “re-fly” the next week. The A-6 bubbas briefed a “no system” heading, altitude, airspeed/timing run, “just like we did in Vietnam!”
Voice from the back: “Didn’t we lose that one?”