Global Security.org Narrangansett Bay Complex
W-105 is used for surface-to-air gunnery exercises using conventional ordnance and Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) exercises. Live firing of conventional ordnance is authorized in the northeastern and western portion of W-105. The airspace is also used for flight testing. Effective altitudes in W-105 are: W-105A/C, surface to FL500; W-105B, surface to 17,999 feet; W-105D, surface to 14,999 feet; W-105E, 15,000 feet to FL500.I assume 'conventional ordnance' precludes SAMs.
Well, the term 'gunnery exercises' alone would preclude that.
Exercise areas like W-105 date back to the Second World War, and I've no doubt that when established they were used for gunnery exercises. Being that close to New York it would make sense. But in my 30 years experience in the Navy I never heard of a single live fire gunnery exercise of any kind north of the Virginia capes. And no missile firing of any kind outside of the Atlantic Fleet Missile Range off Puerto Rico. And the reason is simple, it's insanely stupid to shoot off ordinance around civilian air traffic.
What you did have in W-105, during the night in quesiton and many other nights before and after TWA 800, were P-3 exercises. W-105 lies close to the sub base at New London. The Navy would often take advantage of subs transiting to and from the base and allow P-3s from Brunswick to try and track them. That's what was happening that night. The ordinance in question were sonobuoys and flares. The P-3 was flying low and all ordinance ejected from it went down, not up.
“Global Security.org Narrangansett Bay Complex
W-105 is used for surface-to-air gunnery exercises using conventional ordnance and Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) exercises. Live firing of conventional ordnance is authorized in the northeastern and western portion of W-105. The airspace is also used for flight testing. Effective altitudes in W-105 are: W-105A/C, surface to FL500; W-105B, surface to 17,999 feet; W-105D, surface to 14,999 feet; W-105E, 15,000 feet to FL500.
I assume ‘conventional ordnance’ precludes SAMs.”
The crash happened outside of the warning area.