Boeing Flies EA-18G Wingtip and Jamming Pods for First Time

[MasterBates]

So Brett,

If I take 1 year to go thru VTs for Jets, would the rag be open and training for Fleet squadrond being up in 2009, or no RAG until 2009.

SERIOUSLY thinking about putting VAQ (18 s) on my transition paperwork.

 

[Brett327]

So Brett,

If I take 1 year to go thru VTs for Jets, would the rag be open and training for Fleet squadrond being up in 2009, or no RAG until 2009.

SERIOUSLY thinking about putting VAQ (18 s) on my transition paperwork.

I doubt if you'd be able to specify like that. The first batch of pilots are going to be fleet experienced Prowler guys, many of whom are already part of the FIT team (flying Rhinos right now), and fresh CAT Is from the VT pipelines. There is an intent to keep cross pollination between VFA and VAQ to an absolute minimum, so I can't imagine that they would entertain too many elective transition guys, at least initially. That said, the worst they can do is say no.

Brett

 

[Fly Navy]

There is an intent to keep cross pollination between VFA and VAQ to an absolute minimum

Wonder if that'll change with the Hornet/Rhino communities becoming "one big happy family". They told us at check-in that we can do our JO tour at an E squadron, DH tour at a C squadron, and XO/CO at a F squadron. Weird. I wonder if that cross-polllination will happen innevitably with the airframes.

 

[Brett327]

Wonder if that'll change with the Hornet/Rhino communities becoming "one big happy family". They told us at check-in that we can do our JO tour at an E squadron, DH tour at a C squadron, and XO/CO at a F squadron. Weird. I wonder if that cross-polllination will happen innevitably with the airframes.

I think that fundamentally, the missions are just too different, especially in the backseat, whereas the E/F roles are more similar. It takes a couple years to get an ECMO up to fleet standards and I'm sure the same holds for WSOs. Swapping them around would result in undue time spent training in the RAGs and arguably a decrease in overall readiness as super JOs and DHs are supposed to bring seasoned tactical and mission experience to a squadron and not be FNG SA sumps, as they would invariably be.

Brett

 

[VS FO]

Brett,
Thanks for the quick reply. Interesting plan having aircrew go to two separate rags. So it sounds like Whidbey will transition to a master Growler base. Good to hear ECMO's won't be left out to dry, but do they anticipate most will be able to transition to the growler or only be guaranteed a NFO slot somewhere in the navy?

 

[Brett327]

Brett,
Thanks for the quick reply. Interesting plan having aircrew go to two separate rags. So it sounds like Whidbey will transition to a master Growler base. Good to hear ECMO's won't be left out to dry, but do they anticipate most will be able to transition to the growler or only be guaranteed a NFO slot somewhere in the navy?

The plan is that every ECMO will be able to remain an ECMO.

Brett

 

[Fmr1833]

Commodore Tack came down to VT-86 abt two weeks ago to give us a brief on the Growler. Pretty much everything that Brett said in this post was word for word from the Commodore's presentation. He did note that the ICAP III squadron's would be the last to transition, but that is just common sense stuff.

As for the RAG, it looks to be a split RAG but it should be noted that the Whidbey facilities are abt to undergo a huge facelift (think he said $50 million) so that the Shockers could be properly maintained.
He did say that, airframe-wise, this would be a 1 for 1 swap so that "the number of shadows" at Whidbey wouldn't change.

He was asked abt the whole cross-pollination thing and was pretty adamant that that was NOT a desired outcome of the transition. From his level, at least, the leaning is to keep Shocker-drivers in the Shocker family and to be very stingy abt letting the E and F bubbas flow in.

Also, he mentioned that the partnership with the AF is coming to an end. When the Navy picked up the AF slack in the 90's they only agreed to partner for "X" number of years and that time frame is, according to the Commodore, coming to a close. The Navy wants out of the Joint Expeditionary game so it can focus on the other real world applications of it's EW guys at a time when the demand for EW is very high. This is also the driving force behind the JEWC's course at Whidbey as the Army has come out and said that it wants it's own EW capability and the Navy is providing the training.

Pretty exciting stuff from any vantage point but especially for guys in my year group who look to be the first DH's for the Shocker community. AHHH, another morning 's come and I couldn't be happier to be going VAQ.

By the way, I'm on track to wing on 25 Aug so if anybody can swing a Prowler or two down to P-cola to give me and the other five studs going Prowlers in my winging class a ride in the W-155...well, we'd appreciate it :icon_zbee ...Seriously.