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GW Completes MISSILEX

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060314-11
Release Date: 3/14/2006 5:05:00 PM

By Journalist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Jennifer Crowell, USS George Washington Public Affairs

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) conducted a live fire missile exercise (MISSILEX) March 13 while conducting training in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sailors in Combat Systems Department’s CS-7 Division launched two RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow missiles during the evolution.

“Our goal was to prove the ship is able to defend itself against a low-altitude cruise missile,” said Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW/AW) Derek Hamric, a radar set console operator, “and today we proved we could.”

The RIM-7P is a semi-active homing missile with foldable wings that uses shipboard radar to guide the missile to the target.

“We illuminate the target, so the missile can use that as guidance and take out the target,” said Hamric.

“The Sea Sparrow is a proximity warhead,” said Fire Controlman 3rd Class Matthew Belanger, who manned the fire control officer’s console during the launch. “When it takes off, it locks onto a target, and the warhead explodes [just ahead] of the target. The proximity warhead is designed to shatter a target.”

Though the shoot was slightly delayed due to early morning fog, the exercise went off without a hitch.

“The weather kind of threw us off schedule,” Belanger said. “It makes it a lot harder for us to track the target, but it can be overcome.”

The fire controlmen spent most of March 12 preparing for the event.

“There were a lot of preloads,” Belanger said. “We were making sure the system was ready to go for the launch.”

The crew conducted a pre-fire to make sure the missiles would leave the launchers, and made sure everything was in place, to include the right personnel and proper tools. Preventative maintenance was preformed, as well.

“All the radars are to be 'tweaked and peaked,'” Hamric said. “Everything has to go perfect, and everyone down to the lowest ranking person has to be informed of the proper procedures.”

After the exercise ended, new and more seasoned Sailors walked away viewing the experience as a learning one.

“This was a great experience for those who have never done this before,” Hamric said. “The whole exercise went well. We put in over a hundred hours of maintenance for around two minutes of fun.”

“Everyone worked hard to get to this point,” said Belanger, who had been involved in simulated missile shoots before, but not an actual live fire exercise. “Everyone did a good job.”

GW is currently underway for carrier qualifications and shipboard training, and is scheduled to return to Norfolk later this month. For more information about GW, visit the ship’s Web site at http://gw.ffc.navy.mil/.