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Seventh Fleet ships participate in missile exercise

7th Fleet News

Release Date: 11/20/2003

Ensign Kristin Dahlgren, USS Cowpens public affairs

ABOARD USS COWPENS AT SEA -- USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), USS Cowpens (CG 63) and USS O'Brien (DD 975) took part in a missile exercise off the coast of Okinawa coast on Nov. 5.

Known as MISSILEX 04-1, the exercise involved firing missiles at controllable target drones provided by Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa's ordnance department. The drones were launched from O'Brien.

Each missile fired was equipped with telemetry-gathering instrumentation to provide an accurate assessment of the missile performance.

Much detailed preparation went into ensuring the safety of the exercise. That morning, the three ships maintained a tight column formation while two SH-60B Seahawk helicopters confirmed range clearance. Since the missiles' range goes beyond the horizon, the helos had to go out and inspect the downrange area. If there are very tiny fishing vessels, for example, they may not show up on radar and the ships wouldn't be able to see them over the horizon. Verifying range clearance proved to be the most challenging aspect of the exercise, because it requires such through searching, but all surface vessels were eventually cleared from downrange.

By early afternoon, the range was clear for firing and the drones were launched. As they made their inbound run, Chancellorsville and Cowpens each fired two surface-to-surface standard missiles. With plenty of available fuel, the drones were able to make a second pass during which time O'Brien fired two surface-to-air NATO Sea Sparrow missiles.

All missiles were fired effectively and each considered a success. Lt. j.g. David Huljack, Cowpens' fire control officer, said it was, "very motivating to get a chance to execute a live firing exercise and flex our muscles as surface warriors. It's a great part of our [Surface Warfare officer] culture."

"Overall, I would say the MISSILEX was highly successful - only needing one set of drones for all three ships," said O'Brien's fire control officer, Ensign Meredith Schley.

O'Brien was prepped with four drones and the original plan was to use two sets of two, but since the coordination among the ships was so great, the exercise was completed without launching the second set. The missiles did not have to actually make contact with the drones for a successful strike.

All the ships' crews were prepared, so the missiles were fired on time, validating the self-defense capabilities of each ship. It was a mark of distinction for the three ships and a true show of force.