S-3B Training
Pilot and Naval Flight Officer training is provided by the Fleet Readiness Squadron, Sea Control Squadron (VS) 41, at Naval Air Station North Island, California. Maintenance Training Unit (MTU) 1037 at Naval Air Maintenance Training Unit (NAMTRAU) Jacksonville, Florida, and MTU 1036 at NAMTRAU North Island, California, provide maintenance training on both coasts. Intermediate level maintenance training is provided by MTUs at various locations.
The Conventional Weapons Technical Proficiency Inspection (CWTPI) includes classroom examinations, numerous practice loads of all ordnance carried by the S-3 Viking, and a final exam of loading and delivering live ordnance. The Sea Control Squadron is scored on Release and Control, Weapons Delivery, and Inert Loading. The grading criteria is to deploy the ordnance, have it detonate properly, and return "Winchester" with a pre-set number of chaff rounds remaining. In the weeks leading up to the inspection and during the inspection, the squadron's Aviation Ordnancemen (AOs) carry the vast majority of the effort.
In preparation for deployment, the Sea Control Squadrons participate in and complete the Sea Control Advanced Readiness Program (SCARP). The program lasts about a month, and includes two weeks of ground training followed by two weeks of flight training at NAS Fallon.
During ground training, there are a variety of briefs on different topics including carrier operations and capabilities of other airborne platforms in the United States Navy. After the completion of the briefs, air crews consisting of one pilot and two navigators are tasked with three different, challenging War-at-Sea Simulators.
At NAS Fallon, the crews fly a variety of combat-training sorties. These flights delivered Mk-20 Rockeye, Mk-82 Snakeye, as well as different types of inert ordnance including the Mk-83 General Purpose Bomb on different ranges at Fallon and Yuma, Arizona. An assortment of ordnance is utilized to maximize aircrew proficiency, enabling both pilots and navigators to achieve specific qualifications for weapons training.
In order to ensure ordnance was effectively employed in a safe and productive manner, each type of ordnance is analyzed and computed using different graphs and charts. A range of parameters such as type of weapon, release angle, release altitude, and target elevation are used in these calculations to ensure a safe flight and enable crews to release on a single run on target. Tactical Coordinators in the back seat of the jet are able to release ordnance using the Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) Camera in conjunction with the General Purpose Digital Computer (GPDC).
In addition to the ordnance flights, all aircrew are exposed to the Electronic Warfare Site in Dixie Valley at NAS Fallon. The range enables the crews to practice detecting various Early Warning (EW) and Surface-to-Air missile (SAM) sites using the ALR-76 Electronic Support Measures System. Once the plane is "locked on" by a radar site and a simulated missile was launched, crews practice their break lock maneuvers, while utilizing the ALE-39 Electronic Counter Measure System to dispense both chaff and flares to defeat the missile. After completion of the scenario, crews are debriefed on their overall proficiency including site detection and accuracy, as well as the effectiveness of the break lock maneuvers. The debrief includes a computer generated display of the scenario, which allows the crews to view their plane on a large video screen.
Once this phase of training is completed, the Sea Control Squadrons train at NAS Fallon for three weeks along with the other squadrons which comprise the Carrier Air Wing. The intense integrated tactical training evolutions were designed by the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center (NSAWC). The mission of the training period is to hone skills, identify strengths, expose weaknesses, and improve the ability to execute as an integrated Air Wing.
The training period is divided into three different phases; Mission Level Training (MLT), the Intermediate Training Phase (ITP) and the Advanced Training Phase (ATP). Strike Planning Teams comprised of the airwing aviators are tasked with planning and executing a wide variety of missions during each of these phases. Each phase provides different threats and challenges and proved to be a building block for the next phase, and every mission provided an opportunity for the Air Wing to integrate its assets in the most efficient manner to successfully complete its assigned strike exercise.
The MLT phase lasts five days and consists of self-escort missions designed to target simulated Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS). Two missions are flown daily with each strike package consisting of at least twenty aircraft.
The ITP phase lasts four days and involved a twelve-hour planning timeline to plan and conduct a stand-alone contingency strike operation against a specified threat. Two strikes are flown daily, one during the day and one at night, with the strike packages consisting of at least twenty-four aircraft. An Expeditionary Warfare Event concludes the ITP phase, and involves combined operations in a high threat littoral environment.
The ATP phase involves planning and conducting integrated strikes in a campaign environment. Two missions aere flown daily, one during the day and one at night, and the strike packages includes about twenty-five platforms.
The S-3B is vital in the success of the strike packages due to the Viking's multi-mission capability. The roles provided by the S-3B include Electronic Support, Mission Tanking and destroying simulated enemy naval vessels using a variety of ordnance. Crews use ALR-76 Electronic Support Measures System to detect various Early Warning (EW) and Surface-to-Air missile (SAM) sites and report the status of the sites to the E-2C Hawkeye and other assets. The timely reports provided by the S-3B enable the strike package to be aware and, if required, avoid or destroy imminent SAM activity. The S-3B also provides crucial Mission Tanking for the different platforms of the strike packages. Being the only organic tanker in the Air Wing, the success of a mission can hinge on the S-3B's airborne tanking ability. In certain strikes, the S-3B is tasked to fill a more aggressive role, to locate and destroy enemy naval vessels using a variety of methods to accomplish the task. Crews release the ordnance manually as well as using the Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) Camera in conjunction with the General Purpose Digital Computer (GPDC). All of these individual tasks are essential to the success of the strike missions, however the ability of the crews to perform two or even all three of them in a single mission demonstrates the versatility of the S-3B and the proficiency of the aircrews.
The squadron's first combined training event of the Inter-Deployment Training Cycle (IDTC) is known as Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA) II/III. This underway period combines both flight operations for the Airwing and shipboard drills for the carrier crew including General Quarters, Damage Control, Man Overboard, and fire drills. The S-3B squadron plays an active part throughout TSTA. The first few days are spent getting Carrier Qualifications (CQ) for twelve pilots. After CQ, cyclic operations began and the S-3B hits the deck running, flying over 30 hours a day. Missions ranged from aerial refueling, Surface Search and Control (SSC), and War-at-Sea Exercises (WASEX).
The Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) is a six week at-sea period, during which aircrews fly over 580 hours in support of the Battlegroup Exercise. COMPTUEX is an exercise designed to provide integrated training to the Battlegroup, focusing on strike planning and execution, surface and subsurface warfare.
The MISSILEX is an important part of training and workups for VS-22 in preparation for a deployment. The exercise provides an opportunity to evaluate and validate procedures for preparation, training, loading, arming, and firing of air-to-surface missiles. More importantly, the exercise provides aircrew training in the employment of air-to-surface missiles against moving seaborne targets, as well as an opportunity to evaluate present and developing tactics in a simulated combat environment. The MISSILEX begins in the early morning hours with positioning the targets in the target area. Target area surveillance and clearance is accomplished by two additional aircrews prior to exercise commencement.The target for the Maverick event is a QST-33 SEPTAR, an eighteen-foot speedboat. This target was to be remotely controlled by an HS-7 SH-60B.
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