Special Ops: Four Accounts of the Military's Elite Forces

by Orr Kelly

  Northrop’s Thomas Burger described to me the difficulties that caused production problems with the F/A-18. John Capellupo, at McDonnell Douglas, told how he was called in to help deal with the problems.

  Tom Jones’s “Dear Davy” letter to Gen. David C. Jones was one of a number of documents made public during some of the peripheral skirmishes in the lawsuit between McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, although the record of the case itself was sealed by the court.

  The sudden $5.1 billion jump in the estimated cost of the F/A-18 was detailed in testimony by Lenox and other navy officials in a number of appearances before congressional committees in the first five months of 1980.

  Capt. (later Rear Adm.) John C. Weaver told me in an interview of his efforts to deal with the sharply rising costs he inherited from Lenox when he became program manager in 1980.

  I interviewed Vice Adm. Richard Seymour, commander of NAVAIR during the period in the early 1980s when the F/A-18 had more than its share of cost and technical problems, shortly before his death early in 1989.

  The incident in which Lt. Travis Brannon was forced to eject after his plane went into a flat spin was described to me by both Brannon and Colonel Field, who was involved in the test program at the time. Denny Behm, who conducted the tests that duplicated Brannon’s spin, described his experiences to me in an interview at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis.

  The contentious period of operational test and evaluation of the Hornet was described to me by a number of those involved—or vitally interested in the outcome. They included Lenox; Rear Adm. Edward Carter III, the test commander; Hollands worth, skipper of one of the test squadrons; Admiral Schoultz; Admiral Hayward; Rear Adm. Paul T. Gillcrist, and Rear Adm. George Strohsahl, Jr., who succeeded Weaver as program manager.

  7. “A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GRIEF”

  The navy’s insistence on a design that would permit inspection of the interior of the plane is described in Robert A. Weinberger, head, structures branch, Naval Air Systems Command; Allan R. Somoroff, technology administrator for structures, Naval Air Systems Command; and B. L. Riley, unit chief, strength technology, McDonnell Douglas Co., “U.S. Navy Certification of Composite Wings for the F-18 and Advanced Harrier Aircraft,” presented at a conference on Aircraft Composites: The Emerging Methodology for Structural Assurance, in San Diego, 24—25 March 1977. This paper also includes a detailed description of the use of composites in the wings and tail.

  The anguished reaction to the discovery of cracks in the vertical tail was described to me in interviews in St. Louis by John Capellupo; Robert Dighton; Donald Snyder, who was McDonnell Douglas’s director of engineering on the F/A-18 from 1982 to 1985; F. Alan Frazier, the experimental test pilot who tested the LEX fence; and Len Impellizzeri, vice president of the engineering technology division. I also discussed the tail problem with Thomas Burger at Northrop.

  The tail was also a major subject of discussion in my talks with the program managers, Lenox, Weaver, Strohsahl and Capt. John A. (“Spider”) Lockard.

  8. “A DEEP-SEATED DRIVE TO KILL”

  My description of what it is like to land on a carrier is derived in part from my own clumsy attempts at such a landing in the simulator at Cecil Field. (I managed to get aboard on the second try.) I also witnessed many landings, both night and day, during my visit to the U.S.S. Coral Sea. The most useful information on carrier landings came from my interviews with Lt. Kevin Miller and Lt. Steven Sullivan, two landing signals officers in VFA-106 at Cecil Field, who teach pilots to land the F/A-18 on a carrier.

  The process of introducing the F/A-18 into service with the marines and the navy was described to me by Rear Adm. James W. Partington, commander of Strike-Fighter Wings, Atlantic, at Cecil Field. The training of pilots and the way they would be expected to perform in combat was also the subject of interviews at Cecil Field with Lt. Casey Albert, Lt. Scott Speicher, Lt. Dennis Fitzpatrick, marine Captain Fred Martin (“Marty”) Wilcox, Lt. Comdr. Dave Jones, Comdr. W. O. King, Jr., commander of VFA-106, and Comdr. John Matlock.

  Albert, my guide at Cecil Field, patiently spent hours with me in the three different types of simulators, helping me understand what it is like to land and take off from a carrier, to engage in aerial combat with pilots of different levels of skill, and to go through the various maneuvers involved in attacking surface targets.

  Development of the simulators is described in Thomas C. Santangelo, Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, and R. Thomas Galloway, Naval Training Equipment Center, Orlando, Florida, “Flight Fidelity Testing of the F/A-18 Simulators,” presented at the AIAA Flight Simulation Technologies Conference, Niagara Falls, New York, 13–15 June 1983.

  The Pilot Training Manual used by VFA-106 at Cecil Field was an invaluable aid in writing this chapter. It compares Oswald Boelcke’s eight rules for aerial combat with subsequent lists of rules, contains a thick appendix of descriptions of aerial combat by pilots in a number of wars, compares the performance of American fighters against Soviet and other planes, and includes detailed how-to-do-it descriptions of the proper way to fly the F/A-18 and employ it in combat.

  Also very helpful was Mike Spick’s, The Ace Factor, cited in the notes on chapter two, and Capt. Thomas K. Mascot and Capt. Mark G. Beesley, “The Bandit’s Alive at the Merge …” USAF Fighter Weapons Review, Winter 1985.

  The account of the air battle on May 10, 1972, was taken from the appendix of the VFA-106 Pilot Training Manual.

  The account of the accident at Patuxent River in October 1986 is taken from the report of the navy’s investigation of the accident.

  The discussion of the problems of sudden loss of gravity is based on the physiology training I received at Patuxent and my interview with Al Frazier, the McDonnell Douglas test pilot who has done a good deal of research in this area.

  Admiral Gillcrist, who is now retired, told me of his experiences fighting the F/A-18 against an F-15 and provided me with a written account of that dogfight.

  Two of the pilots who made the first deployment with the F/A-18 aboard the Constellation were Comdr. Tom (“Smooth Dog”) Vaughn and Comdr. Bill Shepherd, both of whom I interviewed during a visit to the Fallon Naval Air Station in Nevada. They were also the sources of the account of the first experience with a broken tail hook that almost cost the loss of an airplane.

  Adm. Leon Edney, the vice chief of naval operations, described, in an interview, his experiments to determine the useful range of the F/A-18 during that first deployment on the Constellation.

  Admiral Partington, whom I interviewed at Cecil Field, was kind enough to write me a letter describing the experiments using the F/A-18 and the F-14 in mixed sections.

  9. “IT STARTS RAINING F/A-18S ON YOU”

  Most of my account of the raid against Libya in 1986 is drawn from the videotape of a presentation made at a meeting of the Association of Naval Aviation by Rear Adm. Jerry Breast, who was commander of Carrier Group Two aboard the Coral Sea at the time of the operation.

  During my visit to the Coral Sea, I was able to talk with Chief Petty Officer Kurt Benson and other members of the crew about their recollections of the night of the raid. The ship’s public affairs office had a videotape taken that night, showing bombs and rockets being readied. Earlier, at Cecil Field, I had interviewed Commander Matlock and Lieutenant Commander Jones, who were aloft in their F/A-18s that night to protect the attacking planes from enemy aircraft and to protect the fleet from air and surface attack.

  A good summary of the operation is contained in “U.S. Demonstrates Advanced Weapons Technology in Libya” and “Reagan Ordered Air Strikes to Preempt Libyan Terrorists.” Aviation Week & Space Technology, 21 April 1986.

  Lehman tells of his vigil with the chief of naval operations during the raid in his book, cited above.

  The automatic carrier landing system is described in detail in J. M. Urnes, section chief, guidance and control mechanics, and R. K. Hess, lead engineer, both of McDonnell Douglas Co., “Integrated R
ight Control Systems Development—the F/A-18 Automatic Carrier Landing System,” presented at Guidance and Control Conference, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 15–17 August 1983.

  My account of the way the Hornet is flown, how it is maintained, and how it would be used in combat is based on interviews with many pilots and ship and ground crew members.

  At Lemoore, I spoke with Lt. Mark Hunter and Lt. Comdr. Bob Norris. Norris, who was learning to fly the F/A-18, had spent more than two years flying the F-15 with the air force and another two years as an F-14 instructor, and was able to provide an unusual personal comparison of the F/A-18 with those other two planes.

  Aboard the Coral Sea I visited with Lt. Comdr. Jack Stuart, operations officer of VFA-137, the Kestrels, and Lt. Comdr. Rich Thayer, the squadron administrative officer; marine Maj. Terry R. Dugan, executive officer, and marine 1st Lt. Tom Clark, quality assurance officer of VMFA-451, a marine F/A-18 squadron; Comdr. Steven Counts, the ship’s combat direction center officer; Lt. Matthew (“Shoe”) Laiden of VFA-132, the Privateers; Aviation Fire Control Chief Randall J. Sherwood, in charge of intermediate level maintenance for avionics equipment; marine S. Sgt. Howard Villar, in the jet engine maintenance shop, and AD-1 James Jordan, engine test cell supervisor; First Class Metalsmith Rory Stan-wood; MMC Jerry R. Hudson, in charge of the ship’s propulsion system; AMS-1 Charles Elliott; and Tony Espinosa, a technical representative from the Naval Aviation Service Unit, in the composite repair shop.

  At Fallon, I was fortunate enough to find two exchange officers, one from Australia and one from Canada. They were Squadron Leader Murray Gardner of the Royal Australian Air Force and Capt. Dean Rainkie of the Canadian Air Force.

  While aboard the Coral Sea, I interviewed Rear Adm. William A. Dougherty, Jr., commander of the Atlantic Fleet’s Carrier Group Four. We discussed both the use of the automatic landing system and the way a major war would be conducted.

  One of the best recent accounts of how a war with the Soviet Union might unfold at sea is contained in Lt. Comdr. James A. Winnefeld, Jr., “Winning the Outer Air Battle.” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, August 1989.

  Figures on costs and the comparison of the reliability of the F/A-18 with other aircraft were provided by Captain Lockard, the program manager for the Hornet.

  An interesting analysis of the cost and the cost growth of the F/A-18 is provided in Lt. Comdr. Joseph Wendell Dyer, “An Analysis of Cost Growth in the F/A-18 Airplane Acquisition Program,” Naval Post Graduate School thesis, December 1981.

  My discussion of how the F/A-18 fits into the navy’s future is based on interviews with Vice Adm. Robert F. Dunn, who retired as deputy CNO for air warfare in the spring of 1989, and his successor, Vice Adm. Richard M. Dunleavy. As a result of a reorganization, he is known now as an assistant rather than a deputy CNO.

  INDEX

  Adam, Eugene C, 81, 215

  Aerial combat maneuvering, 157, 159. (See also Dogfight)

  Afterburner, 100, 108, 115

  Air force, 128, 182

  Aircraft, U.S., A-4 Skyhawk, 103; A-6 Intruder, 61, 181; A-7 Corsair, 5, 107; A-7E, 69; A-12 medium bomber, 199; Akron and Macon, 27; B-l bomber, 94; B-2 stealth bomber, 94; B-47 bomber, 94; B-58 bomber, 94; Cobra, 44, 95; Corsair, 36; E-2C Hawkeye, 5; EA-6B Prowlers lead Libyan raid, 184; F-104 Starfighter, 94; F-111 bomber, 183. (See also TFX); F-117 stealth fighter, 94; F-14 Tomcat, 5, 71, 94, 146, 173, 181; F-15 Eagle, 12, 88, 95, 146, 173; F-16, 85, 88, 94, 146; F-18L, 129; F-4 Phantom, 5, 93, 94; F-5 Freedom Fighter, 69, 95; F-6F Grumman Hellcat, 36, 213; F-86 Sabre Jet, 94; F/A-18 Hornet, 49, 69, 93, 94, 103, 108, 136, 143, 173, 219; F/A-18, new versions of, 198; Lightweight fighter, 9, 95; Jump jets, 11; Naval Advanced Tactical Fighter, 199; P-80 Shooting Star, 94; TFX, 7. (See also F-111); VFAX, 12; Wrap-around fighter, 9; X-15, 79; YF-16, 44, 53, 96, 151, 213; YF-17, 45, 53, 71, 96, 119, 145, 151

  Aircraft, Soviet, Backfire bomber (Tu-26), 2, 5, 117, 211 Bear bomber, 176; MiG-29 Fulcrum, 88, 146; MiG-31, 146; MiGs, 10, 95; SU-27, 146.

  Albert, Lt. Casey, 215

  Altitude chamber, 206

  Angled deck, 40

  Arctic Circle, 189

  Atlantic Fleet, 3

  Australia, 199

  Automatic carrier landing system, 90, 187, 222

  Battle box, 171

  Battle of Britain, 160

  Behm, Denny, 132, 219

  Benson, Chief Petty Officer Kurt, 181, 222

  Big Bird satellite, 1

  Blesse, Frederick (“Boots”), 160

  Blue Angels, 81, 108

  Boelcke, Oswald, 22, 160

  Bombing attack tactics, 171

  Brannon, Lt. Travis, 131, 219

  Breast, Rear Adm. Jerry, 182, 222

  Brown, Defense Secretary Harold, 107, 126, 218

  Burger, Thomas, 49, 127, 130, 151, 213, 219, 220

  By-pass ratio of engine, 98

  Canada, 199

  Capellupo, John, 52, 127, 144, 147, 148, 149, 214, 219, 220

  Carrier landing, 118

  Carter, Rear Adm. Edward W. III, 135, 139, 140, 141, 173, 219

  Catapult, 90; steam, 40

  Cecil Field, 90, 160

  Chafee, Navy Secretary John, 5, 8

  Chambers, Capt. Washington Irving, 19

  Chapin, Lt. Tom, saved by computer, 90

  Chappell, Rep. William V, Jr., 63, 130, 214

  Clark, marine 1st Lt. Tom, 222

  Clements, William H., Jr., 12, 56, 211 214; picks Hornet name, 54

  Cockpit design, 80

  Cold Lake (Canadian base), 103

  Combat, Hornet’s first test in, 180

  Combat air patrol, 161

  Composite materials, 125

  Computers, 88

  Conklin, John L., 215

  Connolly, Vice Adm. Thomas, 5, 7

  Control Data Corporation computers, 88

  Coral Sea, Battle of the, 32

  Corrosion, 175; of wing bulkheads, 189

  Cost of Hornet, 101, 129, 200

  Counts, Comdr. Steven, 222

  Crane, Comdr. Larry, 217

  Craven, Dr. James M., 206

  Crawford, Comdr. Keith E., 166

  Cumpton, Cecil K., 215

  Cunningham, Lt. Randy, 162

  CWG (collision with ground), 168

  Daylight carrier landing, 155

  Dighton, R. D. (“Bob”), 50, 214, 220

  Dogfight, 19, 95, 131, 145, 164, 172, 221. (See also Aerial combat maneuvering)

  Dougherty, Rear Adm. William A., Jr., 188, 205

  Driscoll, Lt. William, 162

  Dugan, marine Maj. Terry R., 222

  Dunker, 207

  Dunleavy, Vice Adm. Richard M., 198, 199, 223

  Dunn, Vice Adm. Robert F, 223

  Edney, Adm. Leon, 177

  El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, 143

  Elliott, AMS-1 Charles, 223

  Ellyson, Lt. Theodore G. (“Spuds”), 21

  Ely, Eugene, 20

  Emission control (EmCon), 181, 187

  Engine failure, 105, 109, 113, 114

  Espinosa, Tony, 223

  F-404 engine, 103, 105, 111, 218

  Fallon Naval Air Station, 103, 171, 186, 221

  Farnborough Air Show, crash after, 109

  Feightner, Rear Adm. Edward L., 211 214

  Ferguson, Capt. R. H., 181

  Field, marine Lt. Col. Peter B. (“Pete”), 123, 173, 218

  First flight of Hornet, 107

  Five-minute alert, 176

  Flat spin, 131

  Fly-by-wire electronic control system, 53, 89

  Fokker, Anthony, 18

  Frazier, F. Alan (“Al”), 150, 169, 205, 210, 220

  Fuel fraction, 63, 214

  Fuel leak problem, 175

  G-I-UK Gap, 3

  G suit, 169

  Gardner, Squadron Leader Murray, 223

  Garros, Roland, 19

  Gatling gun, 75

  Gavin, Joseph, 58, 214

  General Dynamics, 45, 96, 213

&n
bsp; General Accounting Office, 211 approves navy choice, 58

  General Electric, 44, 93, 106

  Gillcrist, Rear Adm. Paul T. (“Punchy”), 138, 172, 219

  Glass cockpit, 81, 88, 167

  Gould Simulation Systems, 157

  Gravity, sudden onset of, 169

  Grounding of Hornets, 144

  Grumman Aerospace Corp., 5, 6, 58, 107, 143, 214

  Halleland, Capt. H. L. (“Hank”), 78

  Hayward, Adm. Thomas, 67, 138, 197, 214, 219

  High angle of attack, 132, 147, 165, 209

  Hollandsworth, Paul, and test of

  Hornet, 61, 135, 138, 139, 214, 219

  House Armed Services Committee, 13

  Hornet 2000 199

  Hornet high pop, 171, 209

  Hornet, 117, 153, 154; F/A-18 given name, 54

  Hornet, vital statistics of, 203

  HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick), 85; diagram, 86

  House Appropriations Committee, 14, 140

  Houser, Vice Adm. William, 4, 56, 83 211 213; accepts F/A-18, 59

  HUD (Heads Up Display), 83 84, 87, 167, 168

  Hudson, MMC Jerry R., 223

  Hughes Aircraft, 70, 101, 157, 215

  Hunter, Lt. Mark, 222

  Impellizzeri, Len, 151, 220

  Japanese, 28

  Jet airplanes, 38

  Jet engine, 96

  Jones, Thomas V. (“Tom”), 43, 128, 213

  Jones, Lt. Comdr. Dave, 160

  Jordan, AD-1 James, 223

  Kamikaze, 35

  Kleemann, Capt. Henry M., 120

  Korean War, 41

  Krings, Jack, 109, 217

  Kuwait, 200

  Laiden, Lt. Matthew (“Shoe”), 222

  Landing gear, 119; stresses on, 52; diagram, 120

  Landing signals officers, 153, 156, 220

  Langbehn, Comdr. Craig (“Panda”), 179

  Larson, Frederick A., 101, 114, 115, 216

  Leading edge extension (LEX), 146

  Leap, Master Chief Don, 105, 174, 217

  Lebanon, 186

  Lee, Vice Adm. Kent, 4, 36, 48, 55, 69, 78, 136, 177, 200, 211 215