Super Hornet struts its stuff

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, March 15, 2003

ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN — In the early morning hours somewhere in the Persian Gulf, planes of all types begin launching off the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

To keep pilots night-qualified, crews on the Everett-based aircraft carrier conduct operations under the light of the moon.

The stars are not those burning in the sky, but are the Boeing-made F-18 Super Hornets, the Navy’s newest strike fighter. Aboard the Lincoln, the "Eagles" are the first Super Hornet squadron to deploy.

It’s another night of Operation Southern Watch, a mission enforcing the southern no-fly zone over Iraq.

And the planes, usually shot at in vain by Iraqi artillery, cruise high above, searching out possible targets violating United Nations resolutions.

During those moments above the rogue Middle East country, pilots have little time to observe life below.

"You can see the cities down there, and they are lit up like any other cities," said James "Marvin" Haigler, a 12-year Navy veteran who has piloted F-18 Hornets and Super Hornets.

"I’ve been airborne over Iraq at three in the morning and seen all the lights and seen cars going down the highway," Haigler said. "And you kind of wonder what their lives are like down there."

The attention of the Navy, the media and top decision makers has been squarely on this Super Hornet squadron — the only one now deployed.

The USS Nimitz, the San Diego-based aircraft carrier, is on its way to the Persian Gulf with two Super Hornet squadrons, including the brand-new two-seat version.

Able to carry more ordnance, more fuel and fly longer missions, the Super Hornet has more than proved its capability on its extended eight-month deployment aboard the Lincoln. The planes, and those who pilot them, have completed more sorties and flown more hours than any other squadron in the Lincoln air wing.

Able to carry nearly 18,000 pounds of ordnance on 11 load stations along the wings and undercarriage, the Super Hornet delivers its conventional and laser-guided bombs with an air-to-air radar and a control system for greater accuracy.

The lone question before this inaugural cruise was mechanical reliability. Testing a plane on land is one thing, but sending the Super Hornet out to take a pounding on an aircraft carrier for eight months is totally different.

After the extended time at sea, the plane’s reliability has proven to be outstanding, said Cmdr. Jeff Penfield, commanding officer of the Eagles.

"There have been no new issues with reliability," said Penfield, who has been with the Super Hornet program since the early days of testing. "It’s proved to be every bit reliable as they expected it to be, every bit as maintainable.

"Maintainability is how readily you can fix it after it breaks, and it has been excellent."

Reliability is a key issue. Different versions of the Super Hornet are to replace the F-14 Tomcat, F-18 Hornet and the EA-6B Prowler in coming years. By the end of the decade, most of the planes on a carrier flight deck will be Super Hornets. The Navy plans to buy a minimum of 548 of them.

The Navy won’t say how many bombs have been dropped by F-18 Super Hornets during Southern Watch, and pilots aren’t allowed to discuss the topic. But there is one indication for all to see.

"We have planes with little bombs on them, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions," Haigler said of the icons painted on the sides of the planes.

Each pilot has logged more than 80 hours over Iraq since November. The familiarity with the territory and the mission will be an advantage if war breaks out.

"What’s the difference, really, between going to war and what we’re doing now?" Haigler said. "We’re going over Iraq, we’re getting shot at, there are bombs being dropped. It’s not a huge mind-set shift to go from one to the other."

Even Super Hornet rookie Lt. j.g. Ryan Jackson has had ample time over Iraq. The Super Hornet is the plane he has wanted to fly since he first saw plans for it on the Boeing Web site.

"It’s freakin’ awesome," said Jackson, a native of Austin, Texas. "It’s extremely impressive. The systems, the cockpit interface, the capabilities — we’ve picked a winner. I’m not sure what I did, but I did something right to be here."

Chris Barron, military affairs reporter for The Sun in Bremerton, arrived Feb. 26 aboard the Everett-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and will be reporting from the Persian Gulf through at least March 23.

Barron will report on the ship’s crew and their activities. He will respond to reader questions about the crew, the ship and his experiences. To submit a question to him, e-mail Barron at askChris@thesunlink.com.