From mid-May to the first week of July, Lt. Bryan Mullins, Lt. Joshua Sullivan, and Naval Aircrewman (Operator) 1st Class Sean Sivley spent their time learning the inner workings of the advanced tactics used by the maritime patrol community in the P-8A aircraft. The seven-week intensive training program consisted of many rigorous days of classroom briefings, flight simulator instruction, and crew training flights out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville.
Following graduation day on July 2nd, all 21 members of the course, both enlisted and officer, were qualified as Air Combat Training Continuum (ACTC) Level 500, a feat very few in the Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) community are able to achieve.
Due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the class was unable to attend briefs in San Diego and at NAS Fallon, NV; however, they maximized training by receiving virtual briefs from multiple experts from 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet Areas of Operation, learning the details about P-8A tactical operations throughout the world.
“WTI was a humbling experience for me and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more,” stated Lt. Bryan Mullins. “It changed my tactical perspective and I look forward to passing the knowledge on to my squadron mates and the Fleet.”
Despite the increased challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the VP-5 team continues to operate at full capacity, qualifying crew members and maintenance personnel prior to their upcoming deployment to the Indo-Pacific region later this year.
The “Mad Foxes” of VP-5 are based out of Jacksonville, Florida, and are currently taking part in the year-long Fleet Readiness Training Program (FRTP) in preparation for their upcoming operational deployment in the Fall of 2020.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2020 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 373608 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 239 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, VP-5 Celebrates New Weapons and Tactics Instructors, by LTJG Reed Arce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
