Electronic Attack Squadron 141 (VAQ-141), also known as the “Shadowhawks”, is an EA-18G Growler squadron of the United States Navy that is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, located in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan. VAQ-141 falls under the cognizance of Commander, Electronic Attack Wing Pacific (COMVAQWINGPAC) and flies in support of Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).
History
Electronic Attack Squadron One Four One (VAQ-141) was established in July 1987 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington as the twelfth operational EA-6B Prowler squadron. Assigned to Carrier Air Wing EIGHT (CVW-8), the squadron embarked on board USS Theodore Roosevelt for her maiden cruise to the Mediterranean Sea.
Gulf War, The Balkans & Iraq
The squadron deployed in early 1991 on board the Roosevelt in support of Operation Desert Storm. VAQ-141 was the first CVW-8 squadron to deliver ordnance in that conflict, firing AGM-88 HARM missiles on the first night. Following hostilities, the Roosevelt and CVW-8 sailed back into the eastern Mediterranean and provided airborne protection for humanitarian relief efforts in northern Iraq as part of Operation Provide Comfort.
In 1993, VAQ-141 deployed again on board Roosevelt, this time to the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Provide Promise humanitarian relief efforts and Operation Deny Flight no-fly zone enforcement over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Following numerous Deny Flight missions, the TR/CVW-8 team steamed into the Red Sea to support Operation Southern Watch, ensuring Iraqi compliance with post-Gulf War United Nations resolutions.
The squadron deployed once more with the Roosevelt Battle Group in March 1995, supporting Operation Southern Watch missions from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. In June, the squadron flew ashore to Aviano Air Base, Italy to support Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia. During this period, VAQ-141 flew defense suppression cover for the successful Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) effort for downed Air Force pilot Captain Scott O’Grady. Operation Deliberate Force began in late August and the squadron again provided Suppression Of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) coverage for NATO airstrikes throughout Bosnia. The squadron returned home in September.
In 1996 VAQ-141 and CVW-8 embarked on board USS John F. Kennedy and made the first aircraft carrier visit to Dublin, Ireland. In April 1997 the squadron deployed on the Kennedy to the Mediterranean/Adriatic Seas and Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Deliberate Guard and Operation Southern Watch, respectively.
In 1999, the squadron and CVW-8 reunited with the Roosevelt, deploying in March to execute major combat operations over Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo as part of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. During that intense 70-day conflict, the squadron distinguished themselves by not losing a single Coalition aircraft to enemy air defenses while a squadron jet was on station. Following Allied Force, the TR Battle Group steamed through the Suez Canal and began combat operations in support of Operation Southern Watch the following month, finally returning home in September 1999.
Afghanistan and Iraq
In April 2001, the squadron deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing 8 on board USS Enterprise. They participated in exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and North Sea and took part in enforcing the Iraqi no-fly zones as part of Operation Southern Watch. The squadron was on its way home when the September 11 attacks occurred. CVW-8’s deployment was extended and they were sent to join other U.S. Navy assets in the northern Arabian Sea. Shortly thereafter, VAQ-141 provided electronic attack in support of coalition air and ground forces during the opening stages of the invasion of Afghanistan also known as Operation Enduring Freedom.
At the end of January 2003, just as USS Theodore Roosevelt finished its training exercises with VAQ-141 and CVW-8 on board, CVW-8 deployed to the Mediterranean 5 months early, to support VAQ-135 & CVW-11. In March, VAQ-141 provided support for the attack aircraft, leading the initial attacks on Baghdad in support of the Iraq War.
In September 2005, the squadron once again deployed with CVW-8 to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While still in the Mediterranean 2 EA-6Bs and a detachment of support personnel from VAQ-141 left USS Theodore Roosevelt and flew to Al Asad Airbase, Iraq to augment VMAQ-1 to fill the void left by the previous carrier leaving the AOR. With this, VAQ-141 became the first EA-6B squadron to conduct split ship-shore operations in Iraq.
In September 2008 VAQ-141 departed Naval Station Norfolk aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt, steaming south to visit Cape Town South Africa, becoming the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to visit the port. The ship soon rounded the Cape of Good Hope and sailed north, Setting up station in the Northern Persian Gulf, flying missions in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan. In April 2009, VAQ-141 flew off the Roosevelt landing at NAS Whidbey Island for the last time as an EA-6B squadron.
On February 12th, 2010, the squadron was deemed “safe for flight” with the EA-18G Growler, becoming the second operational squadron to transition to the aircraft.
In July 2011, the squadron deployed to the Middle East aboard USS George H.W. Bush. The squadron conducted the first ever combat operations of the EA-18G from sea, supporting both Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom. During the deployment, the squadron’s commanding officer, Commander Karl Pugh, was removed as CO after an “alcohol-related incident” in Bahrain.
Forward Deployment to Japan
In February 2012, the Navy announced that VAQ-141 would be transferred to NAF Atsugi in the spring of 2012 to join Carrier Air Wing 5 and USS George Washington/Carrier Strike Group Five replacing VAQ-136.
In November 2013, USS George Washington in coordination with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade assisted the Philippine government in relief efforts in response to the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in the Republic of the Philippines.
In 2015 Carrier Air Wing Five cross-decked to USS Ronald Reagan, which replaced the George Washington as the forward-deployed carrier home-ported in Yokosuka. When the carrier is in port, the squadron is based nearby at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture. It relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni at Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan on November 28th after the conclusion of USS Ronald Reagan’s fall patrol of 2017.
VAQ-141 is currently the largest, most advanced, and only permanently forward-deployed electronic attack squadron in the U.S. Navy.
Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Grummman EA-6B Prowler ” Eve of Destruction” 163527, VAQ-141 “Shadowhawks”, Operation Desert Storm, 1991
Check out the latest Hobbymaster Prowler announced for pre-order last week. Already selling well as it is an Operation Desert Storm example. Please click on the link / image below to go straight to the model page.
In early 1991 VAQ-141 “Shadowhawks” deployed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt in support of Operation Desert Storm. VAQ-141 was the first Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) aircraft to deliver ordnance by firing AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) on the first night. EA-6B Prowler 163527 “Eve of Destruction” was the aircraft assigned to the commanding officer of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 141. The air crew were Pilot/CO Cdr Frank “Axel” Folly, ECMO 1 LCdr Rick “Flash” Morgan, ECMO 2 Lt. Steve “Psycho” Schwing, ECMO 3 Lt.. John “Gordo” Gordon.
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Following their successful amphibious invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, if the Argentinean government were hoping that the 8,000 mile distance between them and the British mainland would present them with an uncontested territorial victory, they had seriously underestimated the situation. Just one day after their troops had secured Port Stanley, the British Government announced they would be sending a powerful naval Task Force to re-take the Islands, built around the two aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible, with their compliment of highly capable Sea Harrier FRS.1 jets.
The relatively small size of the Sea Harrier enabled the Fleet Air Arm to retain a fixed-wing fleet defender aircraft capability and armed with the latest AIM-9L Sidewinder air to air missile, the Sea Harrier was an exceptional aeroplane, but one which would be tested to the full if a diplomatic resolution to the Falklands situation could not be negotiated as the Task Force steamed south. With just 20 Sea Harrier FRS.1 aircraft onboard the two carriers which left Portsmouth on 5th April, their pilots knew they would be facing overwhelming odds if called into combat, however, they were well trained and extremely confident in both their own abilities and the fighting qualities of their unique aircraft.
As the powerful British naval Task Force left Portsmouth harbour bound for the South Atlantic on 5th April 1982, it only had a modest force of 20 Sea Harrier FRS.1 jets aboard the two aircraft carriers Hermes and Invincible, which at that time were still wearing their respective FAA Squadron markings. In preparation for the coming air battles, all aircraft would be made ‘low visibility’ by having their white areas and all squadron markings overpainted during the voyage, using brushes on HMS Hermes and spraying equipment on HMS Invincible.
These aircraft would later be joined by a further eight Sea Harriers, which were initially being hastily prepared, having been either taken from storage or re-assigned from other duties, meeting up with the Task Force later at Ascension Island. Making its first flight on 15th December 1979, Sea Harrier FRS.1 XZ457 arrived aboard HMS Hermes for South Atlantic deployment on 2nd April 1982 and would soon lose her No.899 NAS identity, becoming ‘Black 14’ of the HMS Hermes Air Group. Once the Task Force had arrived in the South Atlantic, she would be used to deliver three delayed action 1,000lb bombs on the airfield at Goose Green, just hours after the RAF had bombed Port Stanley Airfield after mounting the first of their ‘Black Buck’ Vulcan raids.On the 21st May, when piloted by Lt. Clive Morrell, this Sea Harrier destroyed an Argentinean A4 Skyhawk with a Sidewinder missile and damaged a second using cannon fire from its ADEN gun pods. Three days later, Lt. Cdr. Andy Auld used XZ457 to destroy two Argentinean Israeli built IAI Daggers, again using the effective AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles it was equipped with. By the end of hostilities on 14th June 1982, Sea Harrier XZ457 had flown an impressive 66 operational sorties, dropped three 1000lb bombs, fired 680 rounds of 30mm cannon ammunition and fired three AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles. As the top scoring Sea Harrier aboard HMS Hermes, she returned to Portsmouth sporting victory profile stencils below her cockpit, on the port side of the fuselage – two IAI Daggers above an A4 Skyhawk. Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes flew 1,126 sorties during the Falklands Conflict and had an impressive 16 aerial victories to their name – Lt. Cdr. Andy Auld flew 62 combat missions and would have two of those victories credited to him.Later upgraded to FA2 standard, this historic aircraft is now one of the prized aviation possessions in the care of the Boscombe Down Aviation Museum, where she is now on display.
When an Argentinean scrap metal salvage team landed at a derelict whaling station on South Georgia in March 1982 and immediately ran up an Argentinean flag, little did they know that this relatively innocuous incident would spark one of the most serious international military confrontations of the post war years. A small British military force aboard HMS Endurance was dispatched from Port Stanley to remove the Argentinians, a move which would escalate the situation dramatically. On receipt of this information, the new political regime in Buenos Aires, keen to bolster nationalist fervour in the country, immediately put full invasion plans in place and on the morning of 2nd April 1982, a small force of commando troops landed on the Islands to be followed by a much larger amphibious force, far stronger than was needed to achieve their objective. Despite the valiant efforts of the small force of Royal Marines troops based on the Island, the Governor ordered them to cease firing at 09.25, fearing the intense fighting would put the lives of civilians at risk. With Argentinean forces now in control of the Islands, the task of moving in more troops, supplies and heavier equipment began in earnest, as military planners and government officials awaited the British response. They were hoping that possession of the Islands would give them a significant advantage and that a positive resolution for Argentina could be negotiated without the need for conflict, however, by the following day, they had their answer and knew what they would be facing. With the world now watching, the British Government announced that they would be sending a powerful naval Task Force to retake the Islands without delay and the South Atlantic was heading for conflict. As the South Atlantic erupted into conflict during April 1982, the need to effectively transport and supply troops in the battle zone was brought starkly into focus. The most effective aircraft for this task during the Falkland air war was the mighty Boeing CH-47 Chinook, with both British and Argentinean forces deploying examples of these helicopters to theatre, but with all but one of the British machines destroyed during the Exocet missile attack on the Atlantic Conveyor, the ship on which they were being transported. Once Argentinean forces had landed and secured the Islands, the two serviceable Chinooks they had available at that time were flown in to operate from Stanley Airport – AE-521 would be the harder working of the two aircraft, until it was destroyed on the ground by cannon fire from a Harrier jet, whilst AE-520, the aircraft modelled here, was apparently beset with persistent engine problems and used rarely. Following the surrender of Argentinean forces, Chinook AE-520 was discovered relatively intact on land behind the Governor’s residence and was later stripped of parts and sent back to the UK. Interestingly, the RAF’s famous ‘Bravo November’ Chinook which was the only British CH-47 to take part in the conflict, suffered damage to its port cockpit door during operational use and a replacement was fitted using one taken from the captured Argentinean machine.Later transported to RNAY Fleetlands in Hampshire, the captured Chinook was given a UK serial number and used as a ground instructional airframe, but that was not to be the final chapter in this fascinating story. Royal Air Force Chinook HC.2 ZA704 sustained significant damage conducting a run-on landing whilst on exercise, with its rear rotors striking the ground and ripping off the aft transmission and rear rotor stack. Rather than scrap the aircraft, it was sent to Fleetlands, where engineers repaired ZA704 using components from the captured former Argentinean Chinook AE-520. With the aircraft eventually returning to squadron service, it is fascinating to think that parts from this captured Argentinean Falklands War Chinook continued flying on two serving RAF machines long after the end of the conflict.
With the ‘Black Buck 1’ bombing raid against Port Stanley Airport on the night of 30th April/1st May 1982 showing a watching world that Britain had both the capability and the resolve to mount such an audacious strike attack, Argentinean forces occupying the Falkland Islands knew they about to face a committed enemy and could come under attack at any moment. The ‘Black Buck’ raids required the use of a complex airborne refuelling plan, involving as many as eleven Victor tankers to get a single Vulcan over its intended target and seven such operations would ultimately be planned. ‘Black Buck 6’ was mounted in an attempt to take out Argentinean anti-aircraft radar installations on the Falkland Islands and would see Avro Vulcan B.2 XM597 equipped with four AGM-45 ‘Shrike’ missiles for the task. Loitering over Stanley Airfield for 40 minutes in an attempt to try and get radar operators to turn on their equipment, two missiles were eventually fired and a Skyguard fire control radar unit destroyed, but with lack of fuel now a major concern, the Vulcan headed back to rendezvous with a waiting Victor tanker over the ocean.
Unfortunately, the Vulcan’s refuelling probe broke during the transfer procedure and the aircraft’s Captain was left with just two options – ditch his aircraft in the ocean, or attempt a divert to land at Rio de Janeiro Airport. Heading for Brazil, the aircraft put out a mayday call and requested an immediate fuel critical landing at the nearest airport. At the same time, crew members threw sensitive documents into the ocean and attempted to ditch the two remaining Shrike missiles prior to landing, but despite their best efforts, one simply refused to release. Controllers in Brazil were becoming increasingly irate and would not grant authority until the aircraft identified itself and its airport of departure, also scrambling a pair of fighter jets to intercept the approaching aircraft. After several minutes of increasingly heated conversation, the Vulcan Captain informed the controller, ‘We are a British aircraft low on fuel, with a loss of cabin pressure and we are from Huddersfield!’ Finally cleared to land, the Vulcan touched down with so little fuel remaining that it would not have had enough to make a circuit of the airfield, but significantly with a single Shrike missile still attached to its pylon. With the aircraft now impounded, the crew would have some difficult questions to answer over the next few days.
Eventually, a high-level diplomatic deal was struck to release the Vulcan and its crew, with a fully fuelled up aircraft allowed to head back to Ascension Island on 10th June 1982, in return for spare parts for Brazilian military Lynx helicopters. The covertly supplied Shrike missile remained in Brazil. Avro Vulcan B.2 XM597 had a new refuelling probe fitted at Wideawake Airfield and flew back to RAF Waddington on 13th June. The aircraft is now preserved at Scotland’s National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, East Lothian.
The amphibious invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands by Argentinean forces on 2nd April 1982 resulted in military planning which had already been taking place in Britain increasing in pace dramatically. In addition to assembling a powerful naval Task Force, planners were also exploring ways in which they could prevent the main airport at Port Stanley from being used as a base from where Argentinean strike jets could operate from, with their fleet of ageing Avro Vulcan B.2 bombers seen as being the only option for such a mission. As the Vulcan was scheduled for service withdrawal later that same year, the use of these Cold War sentinels for this huge undertaking would not be without its challenges and was underlined by the fact that the aircraft didn’t even have all the bomb rack components they were going to need for the task – these had to be bought back from the scrap metal dealer they had previously been sold to. The aircraft would also have to be given an in-flight refuelling capability if this plan was to be a viable one, so this was a time of feverish activity at Vulcan stations. On 29th April, just two weeks after training had begun, the first two Avro Vulcan bombers left RAF Waddington and set out for Ascension Island, arriving nine hours later having flown non-stop to Wideawake Airfield, refuelling from supporting Victor tankers twice each during the flight. On the night of 30th April/1st May, ‘Operation Black Buck 1’ saw Vulcan XM607 bomb the runway at Port Stanley, which was at that time, the longest-range bombing mission ever attempted.
In an attempt to neutralise Argentinean anti-aircraft radar installations operating at Port Stanley Airport during the Falklands War, the RAF mounted the sixth of their long-range ‘Black Buck’ missions, sending Avro Vulcan B.2 XM597 carrying four AGM-45 ‘Shrike’ anti-radiation missiles to undertake this specialised task. Loitering over Stanley Airfield for 40 minutes as they tempted radar operators to turn on their equipment so they could be targeted, two missiles were eventually fired and a Skyguard fire control radar unit destroyed, but with lack of fuel now a major concern, the Vulcan headed out to sea and a rendezvous with a waiting Victor tanker.
The refuelling procedure did not go to plan and a broken probe left the pilot with just two options – either ditch the aircraft in the ocean or attempt an unauthorised divert to Brazil. Heading for Rio de Janeiro airport, the Vulcan broadcast a mayday call requesting an immediate fuel critical landing, whilst at the same time attempting to jettison the two unused Shrike missiles, along with the many sensitive documents they had on board. Safely landing, but with so little fuel left they could not have stayed in the air for a minute longer, the Vulcan touched down with one of the Shrike missiles still attached to its pylon, creating an embarrassing international incident as the Falklands War raged on.
Latest Hobbymaster model delivery now in stock at Flying Tigers.
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That is all this week.
Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.
Richard.
Flying Tigers.