In the Cockpit Flat Tops
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00:00:00A7 Corsairs, F-14 Tomcats, A6 Intruders, and F-4 Phantoms are all modern warplanes, but
00:00:26they are all members of a special breed. Instead of operating from land airfields, they are
00:00:32carried in or on an airfield that goes to sea. A floating city with a population of
00:00:39over 6,000, the Giant Carrier is the biggest and most expensive kind of warship in history.
00:00:46And though it has few weapons of its own, the carrier's striking power is many times
00:00:51greater than that of the biggest battleship. Its real power resides in its aircraft.
00:01:12The F-4 Phantom, for instance, became operational with the U.S. Navy in 1961. Yet, even in the
00:01:19mid-sixties, here looking astern from the USS Forrestal, it was still quite a new shape
00:01:25in the sky. Noted for its smoky J-79 engines, an F-4B comes in at a steady 150 miles per
00:01:35hour and slams onto the deck. This is the F-4 Phantom. It is the first of its kind
00:01:49These Phantoms belong to Fighter Squadron VF-74, the Bedevillers, which was the first
00:01:55F-4 unit to join the Atlantic Fleet. The detailed pre-mission briefing is usually a model of
00:02:05routine efficiency. This is followed by the flight crews completing the process of donning
00:02:11survival equipment over their flying suits.
00:02:20At the correct time, the flight crews go topside and proceed to their aircraft.
00:02:36Each flight crew takes care to check its airplane and its ordnance, and then they board their
00:02:41Phantom. The exact launch weight of the aircraft is chalked up for the catapult control team.
00:02:50The Phantom was the last airplane to need a giant bridle to connect it to the shuttle
00:02:58of the catapult. The bridle pulls the Phantom from two strong forgings under the roots of
00:03:09the wings, and though it costs many hundreds of dollars, it is used only once, because
00:03:14it goes into the ocean at the same time as the airplane goes into the sky. With canopies
00:03:21closed and checks completed, the Phantom taxis to the allotted catapult.
00:03:33There are four catapults, two at the front of the angled deck, and two leading straight
00:03:37over the ship's bow. After the previous launch, the solid steel shuttle is sent back
00:03:45to its starting point. The flight deck director positions each airplane for launch. In the
00:03:53case of the F-4, the twin nose wheels have to pass over the shuttle and drop back onto
00:03:59the deck. The bridle is looped over the shuttle and
00:04:07its rear hooks secured to the Phantom. The shuttle is then inched forward to take up
00:04:13the slack, while the Phantom's nose gear is extended to its full height to jack the airplane
00:04:19up to takeoff attitude. With all checks complete, the deck director
00:04:27signals the pilot to run up to full after-burning thrust. In seconds, the power is on. The director
00:04:35drops to one knee and points down the deck. The shooter presses a button, and the cat
00:04:40controller fires the catapult. The catapult, powered by steam under tremendous
00:04:46pressure, develops such brutal thrust that in two and a half seconds, and in three seconds,
00:04:53and in a run of just two hundred feet, it can fling a loaded airplane off the ship at
00:04:59full flying speed. As soon as the aircraft have gone, the next pair are ready. As they
00:05:07taxi into launch position, large deflector panels are raised to protect the aircraft
00:05:12behind from engine blast.
00:05:23Once again, back comes the shuttle.
00:05:29Over goes the nose gear.
00:05:33In comes the bridle.
00:05:36And up goes the nose as the nose leg extends.
00:05:40It's all done in seconds, and nothing is forgotten.
00:05:45In this case, four aircraft, three F-4Js and an A-4, are launched almost simultaneously.
00:06:06During the launch cycle, more airplanes come up to deck level on the four huge elevators.
00:06:15Everything possible is done to maintain the rhythm of launching groups of aircraft, in
00:06:20this case, three.
00:06:35The result is perhaps 30 or 40 aircraft going about their business, protecting the battle
00:06:40group, searching ahead for submarines, maintaining radar surveillance, and flying many other
00:06:45kinds of mission.
00:06:51At the end of each mission, the aircraft are handled by air traffic control and fed into
00:06:56the landing approach pattern. The approach has to be right in attitude, height, rate
00:07:03of descent, engine power, and obviously, in keeping exactly lined up with the flight deck.
00:07:12This is complicated by the need to line up with a deck mounted diagonally across a ship
00:07:17that is moving at high speed through the sea.
00:07:23The one favorable feature is that if possible, the carrier is steered so that the wind is
00:07:28blowing straight down the angled deck to assist the landing.
00:07:45Every arrival is studied through binoculars to check that the landing gear, flaps, air
00:07:50brakes, hook, and wing suite are in the correct configuration, and the aircraft is then talked
00:07:56down by the LSO, or landing signals officer.
00:08:03The pilot tries to grab number three wire, and the latest fighters hit the wire at over
00:08:08150 miles per hour.
00:08:18For the pilot, this is a time for real concentration. He keeps his eyes on the meatball, the bright
00:08:26amber light on the right of the landing area.
00:08:30The meatball must be exactly lined up with green lights on each side of it. This pattern
00:08:35of lights is set to a different height and angle for each aircraft type.
00:08:42Once the LSO has given the okay with the words, clear deck, meaning the previous plane is
00:08:47out of the way, the next man can come in.
00:08:51During the approach, the LSO, a veteran pilot, talks the incoming pilot down, mostly giving
00:08:58reassurance, but instantly warning of any departure from a good landing. In the worst
00:09:04case, the LSO waves the pilot off for a second attempt.
00:09:11As soon as the aircraft comes to rest, the deck crew rush up and remove the cable from
00:09:15the hook. The plane taxis forward out of the way, and the crew disembark.
00:09:24Often after recovery back on deck, an aircraft is struck down below for maintenance.
00:09:36Simple jobs can be done on deck, but all heavy maintenance has to be done in the hangars.
00:09:42The giant U.S. carriers have three and a half acres of hangar, enough for about half
00:09:47the carrier's complement of aircraft.
00:09:51The biggest and latest U.S. carriers can carry over 90 aircraft. The flight deck, compared
00:09:57with a land air base, is very small. Therefore, every movement on deck has to be choreographed
00:10:03as accurately as a ballet to move everything to the right place at the right time.
00:10:10To see a great carrier at work is like watching a huge, well-oiled machine. Aircraft are fueled,
00:10:18loaded with quadruple launchers for Zuni rockets, and with Mark 82 slick general purpose bombs.
00:10:25All is made ready for the careful walk-round inspection undertaken by each pilot.
00:10:32His entry into the cockpit is accurately timed. Everything aboard the plane must work, or
00:10:37it will miss its launch slot in a busy schedule.
00:10:43The USS Enterprise, CVN 65, demonstrates the launch of different aircraft from her four
00:10:50powerful steam catapults. First, an F-4J Phantom. Next, an A-4 Skyhawk on a practice attack
00:10:58mission. Then, another F-4 to join up with the first. And finally, a mighty R-5C Vigilante
00:11:10for a far-ranging reconnaissance mission.
00:11:21Navy A-4s were particularly active in Vietnam, such as here at Tan Lin, where they are peeling
00:11:27off in succession. Such attacks were tight on timing and tight on fuel, but every man
00:11:33tried to put his ordnance dead on target. The left turn becomes a half-roll to the inverted
00:11:40position, followed by an almost vertical dive to ensure maximum accuracy. Nothing pleased
00:11:47the pilot more than to hear the forward air controller exclaim, you got him.
00:11:54Undoubtedly, the number one naval warplane of the Vietnam War was the Phantom, often
00:12:00armed with the AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground missile. Even early versions of the Phantom
00:12:06could carry four Sparrow and four Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. They were equipped with
00:12:15an outstanding multimode Westinghouse radar and an advanced bomb aiming system. Wisely,
00:12:22the Phantom was given a crew of two. The pilot in the front cockpit had his hands full with
00:12:27flying the airplane and with selecting and arming the attack weapons. He was also busy
00:12:34keeping a constant lookout for other aircraft, especially hostile ones.
00:12:47The radar intercept officer in the rear cockpit would spend most of his time in the battle
00:12:51area monitoring the tactical situation as seen on his radar display and in advising
00:12:57the pilot on what was happening. The F-4 Phantom, in many versions, was one of the few aircraft
00:13:09to serve in Vietnam in both the fighter and attack roles, and there was also a reconnaissance
00:13:15variant. Occasionally, the 580-pound Bullpup radio-command guided missile was used, as
00:13:27in this attack on a barge just off the coast of Vietnam.
00:13:46Eventually, much of Vietnam became covered with craters, mostly made by 500, 750, and
00:13:551,000-pound bombs. Of course, there was always plenty of flak coming the other way. Small
00:14:03arms fire was usually intense enough to prevent airplanes flying below about 3,000 feet, unless
00:14:09there were special reasons. Aircraft often had to come low, in spite of especially intense
00:14:15fire, to hit the vital Tan Ho and Paul Doomer bridges in North Vietnam. One weapon used
00:14:22against the bridges by the Navy was the water cannon, which was used by the Vietnam War
00:14:27in North Vietnam. One weapon used against the bridges by the Navy was the walleye television-guided
00:14:34glide bomb. At the end of a mission, nothing seemed better than to have one's wheels slam
00:14:49brutally onto the friendly deck and to feel the colossal pull of the arrestor cable.
00:14:58One of the best-loved fighters in the Navy was the Vought F-8 Crusader. It was the first
00:15:07supersonic aircraft to be based aboard carriers in 1957, and was faster and had longer range
00:15:14than the Air Force's F-100 Super Sabre, though fitted with the same engine. The F-8D version,
00:15:22fitted with retractable in-flight refueling probe, was the fastest of the F-8s, with a
00:15:27speed of 1,230 miles per hour. Early F-8s had an armament of four 20-millimeter cannon
00:15:36and 32 rockets. Later versions added four sidewinder missiles on the sides of the fuselage
00:15:42and a better radar. Finally, provision was made for up to five
00:15:51thousand pounds of bombs, rockets, bullpup missiles or other air-to-ground ordnance.
00:15:59Typical practice bombing missions were flown, usually in a shallow dive. The pilot used
00:16:05the gunsight in the depressed reticle mode to aim the bombs at the target.
00:16:22Another ground attack weapon was the 5-inch Zuni rocket. Up to 24 Zunis could be fired
00:16:37from six underwing pods. Though unguided, these rockets could bring down a massive barrage
00:16:45on enemy troop concentrations. It was said that ripple-firing 24 Zunis was roughly equal
00:16:53to a broadside from a battleship. If necessary, to restore full air combat performance, the
00:17:06empty Zuni launchers could be jettisoned, though they were usually brought back for
00:17:10refurbishing. A unique feature of the F-8 was that the wing
00:17:22was pivoted on the fuselage and could be set at a high angle for maximum lift while the
00:17:27fuselage was level or even slightly nosed down to give the pilot a good view ahead during
00:17:33carrier landings. Until December 1978, the F-8 was the first
00:17:41British Royal Navy to deploy conventional fixed-wing air power at sea. Once, the Royal
00:17:46Navy had a large fleet of carriers, but in 1978 there was just one, the Ark Royal, and
00:17:53its chief strike aircraft was the Buccaneer. The requirement which led to the Buccaneer
00:18:03was drafted as long ago as 1952. It was so far-sighted that it called for the ability
00:18:09to attack at the lowest possible level, approaching under the beams of hostile radars, which is
00:18:15a present-day tactical requirement. Crewed by a pilot and navigator, the Buccaneer
00:18:22has proved to be a most valuable aircraft, with sufficient fuel for far in excess of
00:18:27the specified combat radius of 400 miles. Without using the in-flight refueling probe
00:18:35above the nose, it can fly well over 2,000 miles, and what's more, it can carry 4,000
00:18:42pounds of bombs faster at low level than any other aircraft, about 695 miles per hour.
00:18:51That's because the bomb load can be stowed in an internal weapons bay. If necessary,
00:18:56a further 12,000 pounds can be hung on wing pylons, or alternatively, these pylons can
00:19:03be used for Martell ground attack missiles or Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles.
00:19:18The projection at the tail is a pair of powerful air brakes which open out sideways on landing.
00:19:26Buccaneers have now been in service for 25 years and are being completely upgraded and
00:19:31fitted with improved radar and other updated avionics. All surviving Buccaneers now fly
00:19:37from the Royal Air Force's land air bases, though they are often tasked with maritime
00:19:42and coastal strike missions.
00:19:46Okay, I see the links. Selected. Roger.
00:19:58Most observers consider it was a costly mistake for Britain to have phased out her conventional
00:20:04carriers.
00:20:07This is a Vought A-7 Corsair II, an airplane we have seen already. Like all good designs,
00:20:15the A-7 was progressively improved, and this is the ultimate carrier-based version, the
00:20:20A-7E. Its most important difference is that it is now fitted with a much more advanced
00:20:27navigation and weapons system. In this, a computer integrates the inputs from an inertial
00:20:34navigation system, a Doppler radar, a main forward-looking radar, a radar altimeter,
00:20:40and today, a forward-looking infrared pod hung below the right wing.
00:20:46Corsairs can carry a wide range of ordnance, including the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missile,
00:20:53which homes onto hostile emitters.
00:20:57Another option is the AGM-65 Maverick, which can be guided by TV, infrared, or laser, and
00:21:10which has a good reputation for hitting its target.
00:21:15With the FLIR, forward-looking infrared, the A-7E has excellent ability to find and attack
00:21:22targets at night or in bad weather.
00:21:29Corsairs are flown by many Navy and Marine light attack squadrons, operating from carriers
00:21:34such as USS America.
00:21:45Though the big flat tops operate their own early warning and reconnaissance aircraft,
00:21:49additional and vital information is provided to the carrier battle group by land-based
00:21:54maritime patrollers.
00:21:57Most have been derived by converting civil airliners, but the European Atlantique was
00:22:02designed from the start for the Ocean Patrol and ASW, anti-submarine warfare missions.
00:22:19Features include a long wingspan, two 6,000 horsepower Rolls-Royce turboprop engines,
00:22:35and a spacious pressurized fuselage.
00:22:39There is plenty of room for the crew of 12, and a complete spare relief crew is carried
00:22:43for improved efficiency during an 18-hour mission.
00:22:50Atlantique is fitted with a black retractable ray dome deployed below the forward fuselage.
00:22:59In the nose is a visual search station, but the Atlantique's most important single task
00:23:05is ASW, and here the main sensor is the powerful radar.
00:23:11Atlantique also carries more than 100 sonobuoys of both passive and active kinds, which, with
00:23:17flare and smoke markers, fill most of the rear fuselage.
00:23:21Also vital is a MAD, a magnetic anomaly detector, in a long boom projecting behind the tail.
00:23:29ESM, electronic support measures, are also comprehensive.
00:23:48The FLIR turret gives almost perfect thermal pictures for night and adverse weather operations.
00:23:57Infrared is particularly useful in sea control and search and rescue missions.
00:24:03There is a large weapons bay, and four underwing hardpoints for a wide range of ordnance.
00:24:09A typical internal load might be three ASW torpedoes and an Exocet anti-ship missile.
00:24:15Eight Mark 46 torpedoes can be carried.
00:24:19Surface ships can be destroyed by first feeding in their target coordinates and then firing an Exocet missile.
00:24:26This can hit a target out to about 35 miles.
00:24:30Britain's counterpart is the Nimrod, the biggest and most powerful of all current maritime patrol aircraft.
00:24:38Among its impressive array of sensors is a 70 million candle power searchlight out on the starboard wing
00:24:45for use in sea control and search and rescue missions at night.
00:24:49The Nimrod is the largest and most powerful of all current maritime patrol aircraft.
00:24:54The Nimrod is the largest and most powerful of all current maritime patrol aircraft.
00:25:12Under the rear fuselage are hinged flaps covering vertical reconnaissance cameras.
00:25:18The crew can also aim handheld cameras from bulged observation windows.
00:25:25The main sensor is the search water radar in the nose.
00:25:29Almost every kind of sauna boy can be carried, and Nimrod is fitted with a MAD in the long tail boom
00:25:35and electronic support measures on top of the vertical tail.
00:25:38The internal weapons bay is the biggest of any maritime aircraft,
00:25:49and it can carry a vast range of torpedoes, depth charges, mines and other stores in six rows,
00:25:55one load including nine torpedoes.
00:25:58Nimrod has a large crew, a flight crew of five and a tactical crew of six or seven.
00:26:05The Nimrod MR2 is extremely popular with its crews,
00:26:09for it gives a much quieter and smoother ride than propeller aircraft,
00:26:13and can accomplish more in a shorter time.
00:26:24Powered by four Rolls-Royce spay turbofans, Nimrod is much faster than other oceanic aircraft
00:26:30and can get out to its patrol area at 575 miles per hour,
00:26:36even though it weighs twice as much as an Atlantique and is 130 feet long.
00:26:51Unlike other maritime aircraft, it can hold station at a radius of over 1,500 miles for as long as five hours.
00:27:01Once on station, the flight engineer shuts down two of the engines to conserve fuel.
00:27:07Range and endurance can always be extended by in-flight refueling,
00:27:12another unusual feature for an ocean patrol aircraft.
00:27:16The search water is probably the best radar in the world for locating and identifying targets in rough seas.
00:27:24Target bearing and range is automatically fed into the main computer
00:27:27and is also shown on the tactical display.
00:27:35There is also a separate display for routine navigation.
00:27:39In the rear fuselage are the stores of sonobuoys, more extensive than in any other aircraft.
00:27:46They include the Australian Barra, Canadian Tandem, American Buoys, and the Ultra Sonobuoy,
00:27:52with performance similar to helicopter dipping sonar.
00:27:56The computers record which launchers are ready to fire.
00:28:10Meanwhile, another crewman is studying the pen chart fed by the MAD.
00:28:15As soon as a contact is obtained, a smoke marker can be retrofired so that the spot is accurately marked.
00:28:29Within minutes, a single aircraft can close the net around a target submarine.
00:28:35At the exact moment, NIMROD can release a parachute-braked anti-submarine torpedo, such as the new Stingray.
00:28:42At the exact moment, NIMROD can release a parachute-braked anti-submarine torpedo, such as the new Stingray.
00:28:52The patrol aircraft can instantly transfer its entire tactical radar to the target submarine.
00:28:58This allows it to track the target submarine's movements,
00:29:02as well as determine the exact location of the target submarine.
00:29:07The patrol aircraft can instantly transfer its entire tactical plot to a relieving aircraft.
00:29:17The U.S. Navy's shore-based patroller is the PC-3 Orion, powered by four turboprops.
00:29:24At the start of a patrol, during takeoff, the four throttles are held wide open,
00:29:30with all ten crew on board ready at their posts.
00:29:36The P-3 can patrol for three hours at a radius of 1,500 miles.
00:29:57The P-3 can patrol for three hours at a radius of 1,500 miles.
00:30:03Like NIMROD, it can conserve fuel by shutting down one or even two engines after arrival on station.
00:30:10As usual, the P-3 has radar, ESM gear, and a mad stinger in the tail.
00:30:17But in the ASW role, the chief sensing technique is underwater acoustics,
00:30:22using sonobuoys whose outputs are analyzed by advanced processing electronics.
00:30:27Sonobuoys can detect the precise acoustic signature which betray the presence of a submarine,
00:30:32which is immediately reported to the aircraft.
00:30:35Next, the threat library of acoustic traces is compared with the new, unknown trace
00:30:41to identify the actual type of submarine.
00:30:44Sometimes the crew are skilled enough to identify an individual submarine that they may have met before.
00:30:50Occasionally, submarines are spotted on the surface.
00:30:57All sonobuoy data, like that from other sensors, is fed to the main computer.
00:31:02Humans could never begin to handle the amount of information received,
00:31:06and so the computers compile and constantly update the stream of data.
00:31:33Five seconds. Mark on top. Now.
00:31:39Each P-3C can carry up to ten tons of weapons in a shallow internal bay and on ten underwing pylons.
00:31:47The load can include eight anti-submarine torpedoes and three nuclear depth charges.
00:31:52Up to six harpoon cruise missiles can also be carried for attacking surface vessels.
00:32:15Like other patrol aircraft, the P-3's duties range from putting down a geometrically correct barrier pattern of sonobuoys
00:32:22to humanitarian search and rescue, or police duties, such as offshore surveillance and anti-smuggling missions.
00:32:34For such duties, the FLIR turret under the nose really comes into its own,
00:32:40presenting the crew with clear pictures of objects of interest at night or in bad weather.
00:32:45Every bit of data gathered by the sensors can be transmitted to a shore base,
00:32:49a friendly ship, or another P-3C, and in any case,
00:32:54everything is recorded on tape for subsequent analysis and for updating threat libraries.
00:32:58Sensor three, flight, be sure to get this on IRD spell, and TC, are you taking a look at this contact?
00:33:13Roger, flight. I'll make sure intelligence sees this.
00:33:17Though powered by turboprops, the P-3 is not slow,
00:33:22for it is comparatively light and has a maximum speed of 473 miles per hour.
00:33:29By 1988, the U.S. Navy had already defined an update four for the P-3C,
00:33:35with ESM passive detectors and wingtip pods,
00:33:39and is presently engaged in studying a next generation replacement aircraft.
00:33:46Elevators bring SH-3 Sea Kings up to the flight deck.
00:33:51Even on big carriers, there is plenty of work for helicopters.
00:33:54It takes only minutes to unfold the five blades of the main rotor,
00:33:59to fire up the engines, and depart on a patrol mission.
00:34:03In the ASW role, the Sea King normally carries two torpedoes.
00:34:08Its chief sensor is a dunking sonar,
00:34:11which is lowered into the water to detect submarines by active or passive means.
00:34:16If a contact is obtained, its position is fixed by a smoke marker.
00:34:20Sea Kings can remain on station for over three hours,
00:34:24but mission endurance can quite simply be multiplied
00:34:27by taking on fuel from a friendly ship in the helicopter's own battle group.
00:34:35Sea Kings have been flying almost 30 years,
00:34:38and the U.S. Navy now has a next generation, also from Sikorsky.
00:34:44It is the SH-60 Seahawk.
00:34:46A totally revised version of the Army's Black Hawk troop carrier.
00:34:50Powered by two 1,690-horsepower engines,
00:34:54the Seahawk is big, complex, expensive, and very capable.
00:34:59The initial type, now in wide service,
00:35:02is the SH-60B, for use from destroyers, frigates, and cruisers
00:35:07in the ASW and anti-ship surveillance and targeting roles.
00:35:10ASW sensors include a battery of 25 sideways-firing sonar buoys.
00:35:15A MAD is carried in a brightly-painted bird trailed on the end of a cable.
00:35:20As usual, the main weapons comprise two ASW torpedoes.
00:35:25These may be the new Mark 50 type, braked by parachute.
00:35:30Besides the sonar buoys, a radar and infrared sensor are also carried.
00:35:35Special tests were undertaken of the ejector system
00:35:39where all 25 sonar buoys were rippled away indiscriminately.
00:35:43To permit such a big and costly machine to operate from small, slippery decks,
00:35:48which may be rolling and pitching in a gale,
00:35:51the RAST, Recovery, Assist, Secure, and Traverse system is used.
00:35:55This links the helicopter and ship by cable,
00:35:59halts the ship's movement,
00:36:01this links the helicopter and ship by cable,
00:36:05halts the helicopter down against the upward pull of the rotor,
00:36:08secures it to the deck, and then guides it into a hangar.
00:36:13Also built by Sikorsky, the MH-53E Sea Dragon is the Navy's biggest helicopter.
00:36:20On each side, it has a giant streamlined tank
00:36:24which extends mission endurance to more than six hours.
00:36:27The lifting power of its seven-blade main rotor
00:36:31with 13,140 horsepower behind it is immense.
00:36:35The Sea Dragon is an MCM, or Mines Countermeasures Aircraft.
00:36:40The large fuel tanks are needed because during each mission,
00:36:44its three engines have to run at constant high power
00:36:47as the helicopter is attached to any of a series of giant mine-sweeping sledges.
00:36:52These have to be pulled through the sea and also supplied with electrical power.
00:36:57Each sledge is supported on hydrofoil blades
00:37:01and clears or detonates mines by mechanical impact
00:37:05or by magnetic, acoustic, or pressure-influenced methods.
00:37:09Here, the Sea Dragon is towing a Mark 166 magnetic-influenced sledge.
00:37:14In combat duty, a four-hour mission is more usual,
00:37:19but it can always take on more fuel via an extendable flight refueling probe.
00:37:24Despite the cost, France still operates two conventional carriers.
00:37:29The main French naval attack aircraft is the Super Etendard,
00:37:34famous from its use by Argentina during the Falklands War.
00:37:38It is easy to fire off the deck because it is quite a small aircraft.
00:37:43Where it does pack a punch is in the AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missile,
00:37:49which knocked out the British destroyer Sheffield with a single hit.
00:37:53Usually, only one missile is carried.
00:37:56The Super Etendard is the only known non-U.S. jet
00:38:00currently operated from conventional carriers with cat launches and arrested landings.
00:38:06Less glamorous than a dedicated strike aircraft, but still doing a vital job,
00:38:11the Lockheed S-3 Viking is the U.S. Navy's standard-embarked ASW,
00:38:17anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
00:38:20To do its job, it has to package into one small airframe
00:38:24a flight crew of two, a tactical crew of two, a radar,
00:38:29MAD gear, and a mass of sonobuoys and acoustic subsystems.
00:38:33It also has an FLIR turret, comprehensive navigation and weapons delivery systems,
00:38:39a heavy load of anti-submarine weapons,
00:38:42a large electronic support measures installation,
00:38:44a high-power computer and cockpit displays,
00:38:48and fuel for 12 hours.
00:38:52The chief ASW sensors are, as usual, the sonobuoys.
00:38:57These are laid to form a barrier through which a hostile submarine may pass.
00:39:02The types and positions of each buoy appear on the tactical display,
00:39:07and the sensor operator and tactical coordinator
00:39:10can call up from the computer memory
00:39:13a threat library of the acoustic signature of hostile submarines
00:39:17and thus identify the actual type of each submarine detected.
00:39:22The vast array of highly sensitive equipment on board
00:39:25nevertheless has to remain serviceable
00:39:28despite repeated catch shots and harsh arrested deck landings.
00:39:32Radar and acoustic data from each mission
00:39:35can be transmitted in real time back to the carrier.
00:39:38It is also stored on tape for subsequent analysis
00:39:42and, for example, to update the fleet's threat libraries.
00:39:45As the threat develops, it is studied by the TAC coordinator in the Viking
00:39:50and also relayed to the carrier command centers
00:39:53where major assets can be allocated.
00:39:56Combat, we've confirmed 704's contact.
00:39:59Roger, ASW, thank you.
00:40:01Flag KO.
00:40:03The carrier's tactical air officer can, for instance,
00:40:05issue orders to harden the battle group's defensive screen.
00:40:14The S3's economical turbofans burn little fuel
00:40:18at the 160 knots loiter speed,
00:40:21but can immediately slam to full power,
00:40:23turning the long-span machine into a surprisingly agile foe.
00:40:27The ESM pods on the wingtips listen to all hostile emitters
00:40:31such as weapon guidance signals, radars and communications
00:40:35and feed the locations and types of each source into the tactical plot.
00:40:39The MAD boom can be seen extended behind the tail
00:40:43where it can detect small anomalies in the Earth's magnetic field
00:40:46caused by a submerged submarine.
00:40:54Up to 7,000 pounds of ordnance can be carried in the weapon bay
00:40:58and on two wing pylons.
00:41:00Stores can include nuclear and general purpose bombs.
00:41:11Mines and rockets can also be used.
00:41:14ASW torpedoes are usually carried for naval attacks
00:41:18as are harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles.
00:41:23As if 12 hours were not enough,
00:41:25the mission can be extended by plugging into the refueling drogue
00:41:29trailed by a KA-6D intruder tanker.
00:41:49Back on station, the Viking can resume its task of tracking,
00:41:52comparing acoustic signatures and identifying hostile subs.
00:41:56The combined information from the different sonar sources
00:42:00give range and direction of the target
00:42:03and the net can be quickly closed.
00:42:23At the end of its allocated patrol time,
00:42:26the S-III recovers in an arrested landing,
00:42:29folds its slender wings and parks,
00:42:32while its tired crew go to their debriefing.
00:42:53One of the longest operational careers
00:42:56is that of the Grumman A-6 intruder.
00:42:59Introduced in 1965 at the same time as Britain's Buccaneer
00:43:03and designed to fly the same mission,
00:43:06it is likely to fly on to the end of the century.
00:43:09For many years, the standard aircraft has been the A-6E,
00:43:13powered like its predecessors by two J-52 turbojets,
00:43:18but progressively updated in avions.
00:43:21Unlike the Buccaneer, the A-6E carries all its weapons externally,
00:43:26up to 18,000 pounds being theoretically possible on five hardpoints.
00:43:39Another difference is that the crew of two sits side by side,
00:43:44the bombardier navigator being slightly to the rear
00:43:47and at a lower level than the pilot.
00:43:51Capability at night and in adverse weather
00:43:55has been vastly enhanced in some A-6Es by adding a tram turret,
00:44:00meaning target recognition and attack multi-sensor under the nose.
00:44:04This stabilized turret contains an FLIR sensor
00:44:09and a laser spot detector,
00:44:11which automatically indicates any point on the ground
00:44:14illuminated by a friendly laser designator.
00:44:21Boeing is supplying new carbon fiber wings
00:44:24for an initial batch of 102 A-6Es
00:44:28and may re-wing the entire fleet.
00:44:31A possible total of 150 new A-6Es are to be built by 1995,
00:44:37and throughout this period,
00:44:39the whole force will be operating on the A-6E.
00:44:42The A-6E will be the first of its kind,
00:44:44A-6Es are to be built by 1995,
00:44:47and throughout this period,
00:44:49the whole force will be updated,
00:44:51keeping them in the front line.
00:44:58Though all it seems to do is cruise around at up to 30,000 feet
00:45:03and try to avoid any kind of trouble,
00:45:05many people aboard U.S. carriers would say
00:45:08that the E-2C Hawkeye was the most important plane on the ship.
00:45:12It is the Navy counterpart of the land-based AWACS,
00:45:16or Airborne Warning and Control System.
00:45:19Much of the tube-like fuselage
00:45:21is filled with a powerful surveillance radar
00:45:24and radar processing system.
00:45:26The main radar antenna is mounted on a pylon
00:45:30in an aerodynamic 24-foot diameter rotodome.
00:45:35Orbiting some 200 miles from the battle group,
00:45:37the Hawkeye's radar can see at least 230 miles,
00:45:41and its passive detection system
00:45:43can identify hostile emissions out to about 400 miles.
00:45:49The processing system analyzes friendly and hostile
00:45:53land, sea, and air targets
00:45:55within a volume of 3 million cubic miles,
00:45:58picking out up to 300 selected targets
00:46:01and simultaneously directing friendly fighters to 30 intercepts.
00:46:08The Hawkeye does not only manage
00:46:11and enhance the defense of the fleet,
00:46:13but it also controls attacks
00:46:15by Hornets and intruders, for example,
00:46:17increasing accuracy and reducing losses.
00:46:31Continually being updated,
00:46:33the Hawkeye is popularly called a force multiplier.
00:46:37Because it enhances the capability
00:46:39of every aircraft in the carrier battle group
00:46:42and of friendly surface ships as well.
00:47:00The brilliant Sea Harrier jet,
00:47:02which can fly off very small deck areas,
00:47:04stemmed from an airplane first flown in 1960,
00:47:07which pioneered the simple concept
00:47:09of having a powerful turbofan engine
00:47:12with four nozzles which can be directed
00:47:14backwards for thrust,
00:47:16downwards for lift,
00:47:18or slightly forward for reverse thrust.
00:47:20It was soon shown that the Sea Harrier
00:47:23was a viable proposition,
00:47:25able to operate from a small deck
00:47:27without any catapults, arrester wires, or landing aids.
00:47:30And what's more,
00:47:32it can do it around the clock
00:47:34in blizzard or fog,
00:47:36or other conditions that would reduce
00:47:38a huge, expensive carrier
00:47:40to a complete standstill.
00:47:42Both ashore and embarked,
00:47:44it is usual to make a VL,
00:47:46a vertical landing on a designated spot.
00:47:57One advantage of the Sea Harrier
00:47:59is that it is very small.
00:48:04Four can move about the small hangar
00:48:06and on the elevators
00:48:08of Britain's invincible class ships
00:48:10without needing to fold their wings.
00:48:16The aircraft's nose radar, Blue Fox,
00:48:18proved effective in terrible conditions
00:48:20in the Falklands War,
00:48:22both for surface attack and air interception.
00:48:28In the forthcoming Sea Harrier FRS2 update,
00:48:31it is being replaced
00:48:32by a bigger and more powerful radar,
00:48:34the Blue Vixen.
00:48:42With a lightened load,
00:48:44Sea Harrier can rise vertically
00:48:46from the deck with nozzles at 90 degrees
00:48:48and then transition into forward flight.
00:48:55In 1977,
00:48:57the British developed the Ski Jump.
00:49:02This is an up-curved end to the deck
00:49:04so that as the aircraft makes a rolling takeoff,
00:49:07it leaves the deck
00:49:09in an arching upward trajectory.
00:49:11This imposes no penalties
00:49:13and makes it easier and safer
00:49:15to take off at maximum weight
00:49:17with less headwind.
00:49:20One of Sea Harrier's main weapons
00:49:22is the recently developed Sea Eagle cruise missile,
00:49:25which, with its large warhead,
00:49:27can cripple surface ships
00:49:29with a single round.
00:49:33Sound of jet engine.
00:49:39Sound of explosion.
00:49:43Sound of jet engine.
00:49:50The shriek of F404 engines
00:49:52announces the F.A.18.
00:49:56Named the Hornet,
00:49:58this is the newest combat aircraft
00:50:00in the U.S. Navy
00:50:02and it is exciting in every way.
00:50:05A Hornet in low visibility gray
00:50:07lines up on the catapult.
00:50:10The twin rudders automatically
00:50:12tow in towards each other.
00:50:14This increases drag
00:50:16but has the effect of putting
00:50:18a big download on the tail,
00:50:20raising the nose,
00:50:22and keeping the airplane flying
00:50:24as it comes off the end of the flight deck.
00:50:28The barrier comes up.
00:50:30The engines slam
00:50:32and with an urgent scream,
00:50:34the Hornet is flung off the bows
00:50:36and into the sky.
00:50:42The Hornet has a massive nose gear,
00:50:44stressed to take the pull of the catapult
00:50:46on a nose tow bar.
00:50:48With the tow bar,
00:50:50there is no need
00:50:52for the flight deck crews
00:50:54to wrestle with a bridle.
00:50:56Again, Hornet is flung into the air
00:50:58and with light loads,
00:51:00there is no need
00:51:02to select full afterburner.
00:51:04Sound of jet engine.
00:51:07Sound of jet engine.
00:51:09Sound of jet engine.
00:51:11Sound of jet engine.
00:51:13Sound of jet engine.
00:51:15Sound of jet engine.
00:51:17Sound of jet engine.
00:51:21Hornets were ordered
00:51:23by both the Navy and Marine Corps
00:51:25and they were designed
00:51:27to be equally good
00:51:29at both the attack mission,
00:51:31replacing the Corsair,
00:51:33and the fighter mission,
00:51:35replacing the Phantom.
00:51:37Sound of jet engine.
00:51:39Sound of jet engine.
00:51:41Sound of jet engine.
00:51:43Sound of jet engine.
00:51:45Sound of jet engine.
00:51:47Sound of jet engine.
00:51:49Sound of jet engine.
00:51:51Sound of jet engine.
00:51:53Sound of jet engine.
00:51:55Sound of jet engine.
00:51:57As the Hornet hits the deck,
00:51:59the note of the engine
00:52:01suddenly changes
00:52:03because this is one
00:52:05of the most responsive
00:52:07engines ever made
00:52:09and that's important
00:52:11for carrier operations.
00:52:13Sound of jet engine.
00:52:15In contrast,
00:52:17the F-14A has been
00:52:19for 14 years
00:52:21troubled by its engines,
00:52:23but today,
00:52:25while the original
00:52:27TF-30 engine is now
00:52:29turning in a good performance,
00:52:31the F-14A plus
00:52:33and F-14D are powered
00:52:35by the very much
00:52:37more powerful F-100 engine.
00:52:39F-14As fly
00:52:41with Navy fighter squadron
00:52:43VF-84.
00:52:45With the TF-30 engine,
00:52:47the F-14 is a most
00:52:49agile fighter,
00:52:51its pivoted wings
00:52:53being automatically
00:52:55positioned by a
00:52:57computerized program
00:52:59for maximum flight
00:53:01performance up to
00:53:03Mach 2.34.
00:53:05No other fighter
00:53:07has the M61 gun,
00:53:09sidewinder dogfight,
00:53:11sparrow medium range
00:53:13and the mighty
00:53:15Phoenix long range missile.
00:53:17The F-14A
00:53:19looks at them
00:53:21from that distance.
00:53:23Each Phoenix is guided
00:53:25to its own target.
00:53:27The AWG-9 weapons
00:53:29control system
00:53:31can pick up hostiles
00:53:33at ranges out to
00:53:35195 miles,
00:53:37pick out 24 individual
00:53:39targets,
00:53:41track them continuously
00:53:43and automatically select
00:53:45the six posing
00:53:47targets for the F-14.
00:53:49But as it nears its target,
00:53:51it switches on its own
00:53:53small active radar
00:53:55so that its accuracy
00:53:57increases the nearer it gets.
00:53:59The targets can be aircraft
00:54:01or supersonic missiles
00:54:03arching up to over
00:54:05100,000 feet
00:54:07or sea-skimming
00:54:09anti-ship missiles
00:54:11flying just above
00:54:13the wave tops.
00:54:15A crucial role
00:54:17of the F-14A
00:54:19is its ability
00:54:21to intercept
00:54:23and destroy
00:54:25enemy missiles.
00:54:27The F-14A
00:54:29has the ability
00:54:31to intercept
00:54:33and destroy
00:54:35enemy missiles
00:54:37and destroy
00:54:39enemy aircraft.
00:54:41The F-14A
00:54:43has the ability
00:54:45to intercept
00:54:47and destroy
00:54:49enemy missiles
00:54:51and destroy
00:54:53enemy aircraft.
00:54:59AIM-7 Sparrow Missiles,
00:55:01AIM-54 Phoenix Missiles
00:55:03and 675 rounds
00:55:05of 20mm ammunition
00:55:07for the M61 gun
00:55:09are loaded into the
00:55:11left side of the fuselage.
00:55:13Each Phoenix missile
00:55:15weighs over 1,000 pounds
00:55:17and costs over a million dollars.
00:55:19The Phoenix has been
00:55:21improved over the years
00:55:23and so has the F-14.
00:55:25Today's F-14D
00:55:27has completely upgraded
00:55:29avionics including
00:55:31new cockpit displays.
00:55:33Other improvements include
00:55:35the new Martin-Baker
00:55:37Navy ejection seat
00:55:39and the F-110 engine
00:55:41which not only gives
00:55:43much more power
00:55:45but also burns
00:55:47so much less fuel
00:55:49that combat air patrol time
00:55:51is extended by 35%.
00:55:53The F-14A
00:55:55has been improved
00:55:57by the addition
00:55:59of a new
00:56:00cockpit display
00:56:02and the new
00:56:04F-110 engine.
00:56:06Also,
00:56:08deck-launched intercept radius
00:56:10is extended by
00:56:12an amazing 60%.
00:56:31At the end of each mission
00:56:33it is the same routine.
00:56:35Wings forward
00:56:37and slats and flaps down,
00:56:39gear down and hook dangling,
00:56:41get in the slot,
00:56:43watch the meatball
00:56:45and listen to the reassuring
00:56:47voice of the LSO.
00:56:49Never, never watch the deck
00:56:51until you feel the 50-ton
00:56:53pull of the wire.
00:56:55It's a brutal sequence,
00:56:57a challenge for skilled men
00:56:58but the Navy has made it
00:57:00into a safe, routine operation.
00:57:03It goes on around the globe
00:57:05aboard 15 of the greatest
00:57:07ships in the world.
00:57:09Each of these mighty carriers
00:57:11is home to 6,500,
00:57:13the center of a carrier battle group
00:57:15which can move 500 miles in a day.
00:57:18Its F-14s rule the sky,
00:57:20its A-6s rule the surface,
00:57:22its F-A-18s can do both
00:57:25and its E-2Cs,
00:57:26warn of foes and guide friends.
00:57:56...
00:58:16...
00:58:18...
00:58:20...
00:58:22...
00:58:24...
00:58:26The area covered by a carrier battle group is huge.
00:58:45If a carrier were to be in Washington, D.C., its escorting frigates and guided missile
00:58:50cruisers would be as far apart as Pennsylvania, the southern part of Virginia, or West Virginia.
00:59:05Its patrolling F-14s and E-2Cs would be searching the skies over Maine, South Carolina, Kentucky,
00:59:14and Michigan.
00:59:24Its S-3 Vikings would be sub-hunting far ahead in Ohio, while its A-6E intruders would be
00:59:32hitting targets in Missouri or Illinois.
00:59:36A sixth fleet carrier could cover the entire central and eastern Mediterranean and surrounding
00:59:42countries.
00:59:45In northern Europe, the same battle group could embrace Finland, the Western Soviet
00:59:51Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany, and almost all of Western Europe.
01:00:04Its escorting cruisers can fire standard missiles.
01:00:10The carrier itself has close-in defense with Sea Sparrow missiles.
01:00:16In the past, the symbol of global power was the proud galleon or the awesome battleship.
01:00:22Today's power at sea is deployed by mighty ships with flat tops.