By Lt. j.g. Matthew A. Lawson
NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan – Forty years ago along the Mekong Delta, in the Rung Sat Special Zone and across the inland battlefields of Vietnam, a small but combat tested Navy helicopter squadron employed both forward firing weapons and unguided rockets in strike and close air support missions.
Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) three (HAL-3), the only Navy rotary wing squadron to bear the moniker of ‘attack’ in their title and see combat action during the Vietnam War; used these weapon systems and tactics to wreak havoc on the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Vietcong. So successful were their combat tested tactics that, after identifying a severe threat gap, the Naval helicopter community gathered members of HAL-3 together to advise on and help reinvigorate the employment of fixed firing ordnance from a Navy helicopter.
The result of this summit, the rigorous testing and doctrinal development, was the phased delivery of the fixed forward firing weapon (FFFW) system to MH-60S squadrons across the fleet. The modernized FFFW system consists of a 20mm automatic gun system on the port side or the LAU-61C 2.75-inch unguided rocket system on either port or starboard sides.
In the early hours Nov. 3, 2014, a MH-60S from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron twelve (HSC-12) broke the deck of the USS George Washington (CVN 73) and reintroduced 7th Fleet to an old friend: the 2.75 inch unguided rocket. This unprecedented shoot marked the first employment of the LAU-61 rocket pod in the Western Pacific since the Vietnam War by a rotary wing aircraft. With the rocket pod on the right and the 20mm automatic gun on the left, the HSC-12 helicopter practiced attack runs on a floating target.
Releasing that much ordnance from a low and slow flying aircraft adds a new capability to the arsenal of Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5) and Commander, Battle Force, 7th Fleet (CTF-70). Small, maneuverable surface threats may be difficult to engage by fixed wing fighters, but with this newly rediscovered air-to-surface capability, the MH-60S is filling an important gap in offensive and defensive warfighting capability in the carrier strike group.
The World Famous Golden Falcons of HSC-12 will continue to develop their capability and sharpen their skills so that they may bring these awe inspiring weapons to bear to guard the Strike Group. Coming to a wake shoot near you: an armed Sierra looking to roll in for the kill.
Date Taken: | 12.04.2014 |
Date Posted: | 12.04.2014 23:36 |
Story ID: | 149468 |
Location: | ATSUGI, JP |
Web Views: | 76 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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