FReeper Foxhole - Military Related News in Review - May 5, 2003

various

[Darksheare]

I'v ebeen told that my 'death sludge' is closer to Russian Kava than one would think...
That isn't a good thing, is it?

Haven't had Finnish stuff yet, but there are Columbians terrified of the stuff I brew.
They shake their heads, wave their hands and say, "Too string! You killed it!"

I'm just messed up all round, aren't I? ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

I love the look on this Marine's face!

---

PROFILE
Sgt. Jeffrey C. Marston - Marine

By Lance Cpl. Shawn M. Toussaint, USMC

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, San Diego, Calif. — Drill instructor, husband, father and "average Joe" are all words used to describe Sgt. Jeffrey C. Marston, senior drill instructor, platoon 2047, Company F, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.

Marston, in his own eyes, may be an average guy. But to his former drill instructor and current series gunnery sergeant, he's much more than that.

"Sgt. Marston is an outstanding drill instructor," said Staff Sgt. Ralph S. Lucero, series chief drill instructor, Company F. "When I trained him as a recruit, he was an average recruit. I remembered him, but nothing really stuck out about him. As an instructor, he is a leader among leaders. He sticks out head and shoulders."

Marston claims he was "not much of a person" in high school. With average grades and few prospects to attend college, the Oregon native decided to join the Corps straight out of Medford High School in July, 1996. Complete story

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning bentfeather. I'm a morning person no matter how late I stay up. My husband is a night person. It doesn't work well when planning events. lol.

[Darksheare]

That's scary.
He looks just like my former Drill Seargent Harrison.
Just without the glasses.

And that look, it's eery.
It's the same look.

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News

US soldiers escort suspects who tried to loot one of the palaces of ousted President Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad Monday, May 5, 2003. Baghdadis went on a looting frenzy after coalition forces toppled Saddam's regime. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)


Arrested looters, who tried to loot from the ruins of one of the palaces of ousted President Saddam Hussein, come out with their hands up escorted by US soldiers in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Monday, May 5, 2003. Bandits have looted government buildings, the national museum, schools and hospitals. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)


A looter is searched by U.S. army soldiers after he was caught in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Baghdad, May 4, 2003. U.S.-led forces were helped when police reappeared in Baghdad as Iraq grappled with the brutality of Saddam Hussein's rule and the lawless aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion that ended it. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)


An Iraqi man who tried to loot goods from the ruins of one of the palaces of ousted President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) stands with his hands up on the orders of US soldiers in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Monday, May 5, 2003. Bandits have looted government buildings, the national museum, schools and hospitals.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

[SAMWolf]

Yep, It's a good one.

[SAMWolf]

[Darksheare]

Kinda hard for me NOT to be cynical at the moment though.
The PC idiots are lobbying to get Silent Sam torn down.(Probably in revenge for the Saddam statuues falling, since they prefer Sadman to any American in history or out of history.)
So I'm cynically wondering, "When I am older, will I be watching the idiots lobby to tear down that memorial too?"

Also wondering how many of us here at FR are wondering the same thing.

[snippy_about_it]

Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. (May 1, 2003) -- Pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron One One Five (VFA-115) walk towards waiting friends and family after returning from a deployment of nearly 10 months aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). VFA-115 and Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) supported coalition forces during both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Greg Badger.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning/afternoon Snippy!!

Oh those day/night marriages!! Oh my!

Been there done that!

Well what can I say for myself???? I'm a poet! I write best when others are getting recharged!!

Do you want some more Butterflies?

[snippy_about_it]

Always welcome here! :)


I predict you'll have freepmail shortly.

[Soaring Feather]

I'm just messed up all round, aren't I? ;-)

Nah, sound "normal to me"! What do I know?? I don't live here!! LOL

[Darksheare]

"Nah, sound normal to me"!

Uh oh, bentfeather hasn't been around me enough...
*Chcukle*
Morning, gotta go run some errands.

[HiJinx]

Just one of the many packages lovingly sent from family members back home, for American soldiers on the front line in Iraq.
~ U.S. Army photo by Spc. Frank Pellegrini

Tenn. Army Reservists
Deliver Mail to the Front

By U.S. Army Sgt. Frank N. Pellegrini
U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs

UNDISCLOSED U.S. MILITARY BASE, Kuwait — Here at the Joint Military Mail Terminal, where soldiers of Operation Iraqi Freedom enter the theater, the letters and packages keep coming in. On the unloading dock, Army and Marine postal troops roll up the doors of 40-foot trucks filled from back to front and top to bottom with bulging orange mail sacks and boxes marked “Happy Birthday” or “Thinking of You.”

Lined up two-by-two in a postal bucket brigade, they heft each item out of the truck and pass it down the line and finally heft it onto the clattering rollers that take the mail down to the cavernous sorting warehouses on either side.

The JMMT receives hundreds of thousands of pounds of mail every day from the Kuwait International Airport via JFK International in New York City, the stateside Army and Fleet Mail system collection point.

Read the rest of the story here!

Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Jeff Campbell (center), of Jacksboro, Tenn., places mail bound for the front lines on a conveyer at the coalition’s mail distribution center in Kuwait.
~ U.S. Army photo by Spc. Frank Pellegrini

[snippy_about_it]

Love the writing on the outside of the box.

My post office asked if I would mind if they wrote on mine. lol. One of them is a former Marine. Of course I said it was okay, and now they do it on a regular basis, and the receiving folks think it's pretty cool!

[HiJinx]

I saw an e-mail from Karl, where you (your packages) were mentioned...you're making a real difference in the lives of the troops. God bless you!

[Johnny Gage]

In Honor of our beloved President and his flight to the USS Abraham Lincoln, I bring you todays:

Air Power
Lockheed S-3B Viking

The S-3B Aircraft was originally developed with Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) as its primary mission. Now, the S-3B Aircraft’s role in Carrier Aviation is changing focus. The S-3B Aircraft’s ASW and Mining Warfare missions were deleted by Chief of Naval Operations Message in December 1999. Deconfiguration of aircraft, in compliance with removal of ASW specific equipment, was accomplished in accordance with AFC 284, this change was completed in FY00. The S-3B Aircraft continues to perform a myriad of functions which include, but are not limited to, Anti-Air Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW), Amphibious Warfare, Counter-Targeting, Over-the-Horizon Targeting, Airborne Reconnaissance, and Command and Control. S-3B Aircraft are tasked by the Carrier Battle Group Commanders to provide surface surveillance and intelligence collection, electronic warfare, mine warfare, coordinated search and rescue, and fleet support missions, including air wing tanking.

The sound of its engines are often compared to that of a vacuum cleaner, hence its nickname, the "Hoover." The S-3B Viking is an extremely versatile aircraft, capable of carrying out several missions vital to the carrier battlegroup. The S-3 has a tremendous fuel capacity and efficient engines, which enable it to stay on station extremely long periods of time.

Its impressive surveillance capability consists of a sophisticated ESM (electronic surveillance measures) suite and an inverse-synthetic aperture radar (ISAR). Both of these tools allow the S-3 to collect electronic intelligence invaluable to the battle group. In addition, S-3B "War Hoovers" have also been cleared to carry the AGM-84D Harpoon and AGM-65F Maverick missiles, giving the Viking an anti-surface capability to match its sensors. Finally, because of their high endurance, S-3's are used as tankers, carrying "buddy stores" that enable them to transfer jet fuel in-flight to other aircraft.

The upgrades for the "S3-B Strike Viking"
AN/AGM-32(V2) Maverick Plus System [ECP - NADEP NORIS S3B/008-00] is a new system which will introduce loading, control, targeting and launching capabilities for Maverick Missile delivery to the S-3B aircraft. It will also provide the S-3B with full capability for in-flight control and targeting of the SLAM-ER Missile after it has been launched from another platform. Terminal phase control of the SLAM-ER Missile is through data link with the AN/AWW-13 Extended Range Data Link Pod carried by S-3B targeting and control aircraft. The MPS system will add a new offensive capability to the aircraft. The S-3B "Strike Viking" combines advanced sensors and proven weapon systems to provide a force multiplier to the battle group. With the addition of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, the Viking now has a long range strike capability in the anti surface role. The S-3B is projected to serve the carrier battle group into the year 2015.

Upgrades to the radar, mission computer, communications and navigation suite will support organic reconnaissance capabilities in the littoral regions. Added to the planned airframe structural enhancements, these upgrades will curb obsolescence and ensure an adequate inventory of this essential platform well into the 21st century.

Capabilities being tested provide real time tactical data to units on the ground or onboard ships. In the summer of 1999, Commander Sea Control Wing Atlantic (CSCWL) and Commander Sea Control Wing Pacific (CSCWP) embarked on a joint demonstration of the Viking Surveillance System Upgrade (SSU). The Pacific Wing aircraft was fitted with Ultra High Resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (UHR/SAR) imagery, Joint Tactical Information distribution System (JTIDS) Link-16, Real Time Sensor Data Link (RTSDL) and the AN/AYK-23 Digital Computer. A long range Electro Optical/Infra Red (EO/IR) sensor capable of real time data link to ground and airborne stations was placed in an Atlantic Wing aircraft. The modifications were done at Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Patuxent River by Veridian contract personnel at Force Aircraft Test Squadron and Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. This joint effort minimized installation time and cost and maximized visibility.

The prototype S-3B Surface Surveillance Upgrade (SSU) represents years of collaboration between the Sea Control community and the defense industry to provide carrier battle groups an organic, all weather, real-time targeting asset. To a casual observer, it appears identical to every other S-3B Viking in service, but a look inside reveals cutting edge technology at the heart of Time Critical Strike. The new SSU incorporates Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), capable of producing detailed images of land objectives at great distances. Additionally, it has an information systems suite which enables instantaneous information access to warfare commanders, imagery analysts, and strike aircrew. Because the S-3B is carrier based, the SSU alleviates the complexity and time delay of a battle group having to task a national imagery asset to gain targeting information.

US Naval strike warfare relies heavily upon the effective use of precision guided, air-delivered munitions in all environmental conditions. The evolution of the Global Positioning System has yielded accurate and reliable weapons like the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW), which are unaffected by adverse weather conditions and allow aircrew to deliver their payloads at safer distances and altitudes. These weapons, however, are only as accurate as their assigned attack coordinates. The development of platforms that can precisely target enemies on land and pass these target coordinates to airborne strike aircraft in a timely manner is of great interest to the Navy.

During FY97 and FY98, four S-3B Aircraft were modified to employ the AGM-65F Infrared (IR) Maverick Missile. The Maverick modification kits were installed for fleet demonstration project purposes, and presently the IR Maverick Missile is in the Research and Development (R&D) process.

The SSU aircraft's first deployment was with the Abraham Lincoln Battle Group and the Blue Wolves of VS-35. It was flown from the deck of the Lincoln on a journey halfway around the world to NAS Jacksonville by members of VS-24 and VS-35. VS-24 aircrew participated in intense ground training in preparation for flying the SSU in combat operations and are anxious to employ its capabilities. After undergoing some refits and minor maintenance, the jet became an important asset during Carrier Air Wing Eight’s combined COMPTUEX and JTFEX aboard USS Enterprise. The SSU deployed with VS-24 to the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Gulf in 2001.

In FY-00, a new program was begun to develop and integrate a system for the S-3B using information learned from the original proof of concept for aircraft equipment with Maverick Missile systems. This program, identified as the Maverick Plus System (MPS), began initial engineering efforts in the third quarter CY-00 with TECHEVAL conducted during the first quarter of CY01. OPEVAL began during the second quarter CY01 with integration into fleet aircraft begining in the late summer of CY01. Once installed the system is designated as AN/AGM-32B(V2).

Primary Function: Antisubmarine Warfare and Sea Surveillance
Contractor: Lockheed-California Company
Unit Cost: $27 million
Propulsion: Two General Electric TF-34-GE-400B turbofan engines (9,275 pounds of thrust each)
Length: 53 feet 4 inches (16 meters)
Wingspan: 68 feet 8 inches (20.6 meters)
Height: 22 feet 9 inches (6.9 meters)
Weight: Max design gross take-off: 52,539 pounds (23,643 kg)
Speed: 450 knots (518 mph, 828.8 kph)
Ceiling: 40,000 feet
Range: 2,300+ nautical miles (2,645 statute miles, 4232 km)
Armament: Up to 3,958 pounds (1,781 kg) including
AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-65 Maverick missiles, torpedoes, mines, rockets and bombs.
Crew: Four

All photos Copyright of Global Security.Org

[SAMWolf]

Morning Johnny.

Good profile on the Viking. I love the pictures you include in your Air Power profiles

[snippy_about_it]

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you for your kind words. I'm not alone, just look at the mail volume. lol.

We have a lot of good freepers around here doing the same. God Bless them too.

Y'all know who you are. :)