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The principle governing the command relationship with USMC aviation commands embarked for amphibious operations is contained in NWP 3-02.1 and NWP 5-00.3M. This doctrine is similar to the relationship with Army aviation commands embarked on Navy ships. This section supplements Joint Publication 3-04, which provides guidance for command relationships when helicopter units embark on ships. Overall command and control is discussed in the paragraphs that follow.

NOTE: The words "aviation unit" or "unit" refer to Army aviation units deployed on a ship and is synonymous with the words "battalion" and "squadron."

a. Joint Force Commander. The relationship between Navy and Army forces during the planning and execution of a joint operation requires a parallel chain of command at all levels of the task force organization. Except during the planning phase, the JFC is responsible for the operation. He exercises that authority over the entire force to ensure success of the operation. Army aviation forces may embark without a specific mission before an initiating directive is received. In this case, the Navy and Army commanders have parallel and equal authority as described in NWP 22 until an initiating directive is received that specifies otherwise.

b. Officer in Tactical Command. The OTC should ensure that all aviation unit personnel are given ample opportunity to become current and maintain currency in both day and night flight operations.

c. Army Aviation Commander/OIC. The CO or OIC of an Army helicopter unit reports to the ship's commanding officer while embarked.

d. Ship's Commanding Officer. Navy regulations set forth the authority of the ship's commanding officer regarding the aircraft embarked in or operating from his ship. The commanding officer of the ship will respect the identity and integrity of embarked aviation units, and--

(1) Give all orders through the chain of command as practicable or as an emergency may dictate.

(2) May require that soldiers perform the duties that their special knowledge and skills enable them to perform when he thinks an emergency exists.

(3) Will ensure that the aviation unit commander has knowledge of any degradation in aviation facilities and certification or deficiencies in training and/or qualified flight quarter's personnel.

(4) Will ensure that the unit has the opportunity to remain current in day and night shipboard landing and launch operations.

(5) Will provide heavy weather protection of aircraft, including hangar space, when available, and comply with aircraft securing procedures in NAVAIR 17-1-537.

(6) Will provide IMA support.

e. Aviation Unit Commander. The unit commander retains operational authority over and responsibility for aircraft employment and safety of flight operations during all embarked phases of the operation. However, this not impair the authority of the Army task force commander or the ship's commanding officer. To ensure efficient operations, certain actions must be completed and provided to or coordinated with the ship's commander. The aviation unit commander will--

(1) Provide information regarding pilot qualifications and limitations.

(2) Provide a complete list of aircraft being deployed. The list will include aircraft tail numbers, SIF codes, and any configuration peculiarities that will affect handling, ordnance loading, or mission capability.

(3) Furnish aircraft limitations.

(4) Schedule and coordinate aircraft, pilots, and crew men.

(5) Conduct pilot briefings.

(6) Provide maintenance status reports.

(7) Ensure that pilots' day and night shipboard qualifications are current.

(8) Ensure that the applicable heavy weather protective measures are taken as listed in aircraft technical manuals and NAVAIR 17-1-537.

(9) Provide an Army aviation representative to man PriFly and/or AOCC/HDC during flight operations.

a. When command relationships must be modified for special operations, they will be defined in the applicable governing directive, OPLAN, OPORD, or LOI. Normally, units embarked on special operations have the same parallel command relationship as an organization embarked for joint operations. When an aviation unit is directed to embark for a special operation, the CO or OIC of that unit reports to the officer who will conduct the special operation.

b. In some cases, the ship's commander may be assigned as the commander of the special operation. As such, the ship's commander assumes the same posture as a task force commander in his relationship with embarked aviation units. The parallel command relationship of the special operation is maintained. This does not authorize the ship's commander to task nonmission-related flight operations nor does it supersede the inherent aviation unit command responsibilities. Unless the initiating directive states otherwise, aircraft units are under the command of the unit commander or OIC. They are not under OPCON of the ship's commander.

a. Intermediate Maintenance Activity. The appropriate service organization will provide augmentation following fleet directives.

b. Integrity Watch. The embarked unit will provide personnel to stand the air department integrity watch. If required by the ship's CO or XO, this watch is set both underway and in port whenever there are aircraft on board and the ship is not at general quarters or flight quarters. The watch will consist of one officer and as many enlisted personnel as needed to ensure aircraft integrity. Integrity watch personnel will be indoctrinated in equipment and procedures for flight deck and hangar deck firefighting. The air officer is responsible for the integrity watch.

c. Army Aviation Representative to Primary Flight Control. The embarked unit should provide personnel as advisors to PriFly control during flight operations. The unit representative must be fully qualified in at least one type of embarked aircraft and be familiar with all unit policies. The representative also should be familiar with the day's flight schedule or mission and act as the communications link between PriFly control and the embarked unit. Selected representative should be afforded training with PriFly control, and that training should be completed before embarkation. The unit representative will be in PriFly during day Case I VFR operations. During night or Case III or IMC, the representative will be in AOCC/HDC.

a. When directed, flight quarters stations should be manned as prescribed in the ship's watch quarter and station bill. Unit personnel will man aircraft as appropriate. Some iterations may not require that all flight quarters stations be manned. On such occasions, specific instructions are issued at the time flight quarters are set.

b. All personnel assigned working stations on the flight or hangar decks, aviation fuels, and ordnance spaces will wear flight deck safety shoes or flight boots, if available. Personnel assigned flight quarters stations on or above the hangar will wear jerseys as prescribed in Appendix F. Flight deck personnel will wear the HPG-9A cranial impact helmet or equivalent. In addition, all personnel whose duties require them to work on the flight deck will wear goggles, sound attenuators, flotation gear, a dye marker, and an adequately secured whistle and survival light. All personnel working on the hangar deck whose duties require them to work on deck-edge elevators will wear flotation gear, a dye marker, and an adequately secured whistle and survival light.

NOTE: During flight quarters, individuals wearing improper clothing will not be permitted on the flight deck without the express consent of the air officer.

c. During night flight operations, LSE or directors will use signal wands. All other personnel will use flashlights. White flashlights will not be used under amber or red flight deck-lighting conditions.

d. For planning, AOCC/HDC should be manned and the following checklist completed one and one-half hours before scheduled flight operations (commensurate with the EMCON plan in effect).

(1) Check all communications equipment (internal and external) for proper frequencies. Check CCA radar equipment, gyro repeaters, wind speed/direction indicators, and NAVAIDs for proper operation. Align the clocks. Report all discrepancies and advise the operations, tactical air, air, landing force air, and combat cargo officers if equipment failures will affect air operations. Ensure that the ready rooms are manned and ready.

(2) Establish radio communications with shore activities as applicable.

(3) Obtain a weather report for the operating area and shore stations within aircraft divert range. Advise meteorology of any special requirements for weather information during the day.

(4) Update the aircraft status board. Advise the operations, tactical air, landing force air, and combat cargo officers if aircraft availability will seriously limit air operations.

(5) Obtain PIM and check its relation to flight advisory areas and other control areas. AOCC/HDC will continuously monitored PIM.

(6) Check message traffic for information that might affect the day's operations.

(7) Check the air plan for changes; notify stations concerned.

(8) Check all status boards for completeness and accuracy.

(9) Ensure that the embarked aviation unit flight schedules have been received.

(10) Compile mission information to brief flight crews.

e. When flight quarters are sounded, the air officer ensures that the prescribed procedures are followed for inspecting and preparing for operation of optical landing aids, elevators, aviation fuel system, and crash- and fire-fighting equipment. All discrepancies will be reported to the bridge. Only the ship's commander will decide whether to conduct flight operations when discrepancies are found in any equipment. Before flight operations, the air officer will ensure that an FOD walk-down is conducted communications equipment is tested, and the required stations are manned properly.

Under the supervision of the air officer, the LSE visually signals the helicopter pilot, helping him make a safe takeoff and/or approach and landing on the ship. The LSE directs the pilot to the desired deck spot. He ensures general safety conditions of the flight deck area, including control of the flight deck crew. He ensures that, on signal, the helicopters are started safely, engaged, launched, recovered, and shut down. The LSE also ensures that all tie-downs are removed before liftoff and properly secured after landing. Except for wave-off and hold, which are mandatory, the LSE's signals are only advisory in nature.

a. Deck space is limited and aircraft must be moved around the ship constantly for quick launching or removal to the hangar deck. Therefore, one set of ground-handling wheels must be available for each skid-equipped aircraft. Wheeled aircraft must have serviceable wheel chocks for parking on deck.

b. The current tie-down chains in the Army inventory are not compatible with the tie-down points on the decks of Navy ships. The hook on the chains is too small for the tie-down point. Although there are ways to secure the aircraft using a combination of these chains, units must ask for the proper chains during the presail conference.

NOTE: NWP 3-04.1 contains an incorrect picture of an AH-64 tie-down configuration. The mooring lugs used for C5A movements may be used on AH-64 aircraft during shipboard deployments. These lugs may remain in place during flight operations.

d. Consideration should be given to tie-down procedures during rough seas and high winds. An aircraft carrier can cruise in excess of 30 knots. When coupled with a head wind, exceeding aircraft tie-down criteria is very easy. Aircraft operator's manuals do not state maximum wind speeds for mooring. Therefore, units should consider obtaining, possibly through local manufacture, more substantial tie-downs for main rotor blades in particular. Current tie-down configurations may not be sufficient for continuous travel at sea.

e. While on board larger ships (CV/CVN or LHA/LPH/LHD), Navy personnel will maneuver (spot) all aircraft. Unit maintenance personnel and safety officers must brief the Navy handlers on what is required to move helicopters safely. During movement, Army crew chiefs will ride the brakes on wheel-landing-equipped aircraft.

a. Given the signal from the LSE and with concurrence from the aircraft commander, chocks and tie-downs are applied after landing. They will remain attached until the aircraft is ready to take off. During short on-deck times, such as when troops or supplies are rapidly loaded, only the chocks may be applied. Tie-downs will be installed according to the individual aircraft operator's manuals.

b. Personnel Debarkation. Pilots of helicopters with ramps will not lower the ramps to discharge passengers until the LSE gives the signal. For troop off-load, the LSE will not signal for the ramp until CCO troop handlers are present and recoveries or launches are complete on adjacent spots. As directed by the CCO, CCO handlers escort the troops from the flight deck to the troop shelters. Flight deck, flight crew, or CCO personnel will escort passengers to safe areas.

c. Rotor Disengagement and Engine Shutdown.

(1) Before disengagement and/or engine shutdown, the LSE ensures that the signal to disengage is received from the flight deck officer who in turn receives the signal from the air officer. The LSE ensures that wheels are chocked, personnel are clear of rotor blades, and tie-downs are installed properly.

NOTE: The landing gear, external auxiliary fuel tank, and ordnance safety pins will be inserted before the rotor blade is disengaged and/or the engine shut down.

(2) The pilot should not disengage the rotor blade while the ship is in a turn unless authorized by the ship's commanding officer or his designated representative. The aircraft commander must be informed of wind parameters and the ship's heel before the turn starts.

a. A ship's air plan is a complete daily schedule of flight operations performed on board the ship. Disseminated by the ship's operations department, the air plan becomes an order of the ship's commander.

b. Normally, Army aircraft are not under OPCON of the ship's commander. Therefore, the sequence for processing air requests and scheduling Army aircraft flights requires close coordination and cooperation between the aviation unit's scheduling authority, the CTF, and the ship's air operations officer. CTF fragmentary orders and/or unit requirements are reviewed first by the aviation unit. These requirements and plans to support task force missions are coordinated with the ship's air operations officer.

c. The air operations officer balances flight requirements against ship capabilities and the requirement to formulate the air plan. The aviation unit flight schedule is the coordinated end-product of the air plan. Distribution of the air plan and flight schedule is made according to ship requirements. All changes to the air plan and any changes to the assigned aviation unit's flight schedules that will affect the ship's air plan must be approved by the ship's air operations officer.

d. If mutually approved by the aviation unit commander and the ship's commander, the air plan may be expanded to include normal flight scheduling information provided by the aviation unit. This eliminates the requirement to publish a daily flight schedule. When this scheduling method is used, the aviation unit commander or OIC maintains authority and responsibility for scheduling assigned aircraft and crews.

NOTE: Any last-minute changes in aircraft assignment will be relayed immediately to AOCC/HDC and PriFly immediately.

a. As a minimum, the air plan contains the following information:

· Event number.

· Launch time.

· Recovery time.

· Number and model of aircraft.

· Mission.

· Fuel load required.

· Call sign.

· Controlling agency.

· Circuit designator.

· Date.

· Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and moon phase.

· Aircraft armament or ordnance loading.

· Emergency final bearing.

· Emergency marshals.

b. Additional notes may include the following data, if appropriate:

· The ready deck schedule.

· Aircraft readiness conditions prescribed by the officer in tactical command.

· Flight identification procedures in effect.

· Readiness condition of standby aircraft.

· EMCON and HERO conditions.

· Any other information required, including restrictions or hazards to flight.

c. AOCC/HDC prepares a mission brief/card for each helicopter performing a logistics mission. While not a routine mission for Army aircraft, pilots assigned the logistics mission can expect the mission brief/card to contain, at a minimum, the following information:

· Order of ships to be visited.

· Ship names, hull numbers, call signs, NAVAIDs.

· Expected bearing/distance to each ship.

· Pertinent radio frequencies.

· Number of passengers to be delivered and/or picked up and pickup and delivery points.

· Weight and description of cargo to be delivered and/or picked up.

· Certification/waiver status of ships to be visited.

a. After receiving a request, the aviation unit operations officer schedules maintenance test flights through the ship's air operations officer. When feasible, these flights may be scheduled as part of routine multiple aircraft launches. When operations allow, a dedicated spot should be available to launch nonscheduled test flights.

NOTE: Test flights are prohibited during night or IMC (less than 1000/3).

b. Auxiliary power plant starts, rotor blade folding or unfolding, engine starts, and aircraft movements must be coordinated between aviation unit personnel and the ship's air department.

a. Written authorization, either as an air plan, daily flight schedule, or a local flight clearance, is a prerequisite for all flights. Unscheduled flights will be kept to a minimum. The requirements for filing flight plans and advisories vary with each operating area and are contained in the Foreign Clearance Guide, flight planning documents, and fleet operating directives. Whenever possible, maintenance test flights should be scheduled on the air plan.

b. As a rule, flights originating on board the ship and terminating at a shore station, proceeding over land, or penetrating an ADIZ require the filing of a written flight plan with the ship by the pilot in command or flight leader. When firm information concerning departure and arrival times is available, the ship sends a message as soon as possible and before the ETA of the aircraft. Whenever possible, voice communication is established with the destination airfield on administrative aviation frequencies (US Air Force HF/SSB airways and command control stations, and USN/USMC Rasberry nets).

c. DD Form 175, (Military Flight Plan), ICAO, or DOD international flight plan will be filed according to the appropriate FLIP documents.

d. A departure message (IMMEDIATE precedence) is sent from the ship. The message will include the type of aircraft, aircraft bureau number, and actual time of departure. This procedure applies specifically to flights of such distance that radio communication between the ship and the aircraft will be lost before communications are established with the shore station. The time is annotated on the ship from which the flight originated. The original copy of the flight plan will be retained for three months. When the flight is completed, the PC or AMC will close his flight plan by sending an IMMEDIATE message to the ship.

e. Flight advisories will be filed for flights within ADIZ boundaries for all aircraft that will land back on board the ship and are not covered by a flight plan. Aviation units will prepare the necessary flight plans (DD Form 175 or ICAO) and file them with AOCC/HDC as far ahead of scheduled launch times as possible. AOCC/HDC files the flight plan or advisory with the appropriate agency through the available facilities.

f. While embarked, aviation units will continue to perform risk assessments according to AR 95-1.

The guidelines for manning and using the AFFF system are in NAVAIR 00-80R-14. Army aviation personnel are encouraged to participate in all flight and/or hangar deck fire and crash drills. These drills provide invaluable training on the AFFF system and on mobile fire-fighting equipment.