Ike in the Med and looking back on a record setting Delta Dagger
Navy weapons used in the conflict vs the Houthis and remembering a very fast F-102
“Well, we did not build those bombers to carry crushed rose petals.”
-Gen Thomas S. Power, USAF
Mission Briefing
Carrier Air Wing 3's Historic Combat Deployment
Navy fighter jets from Carrier Air Wing 3, embarked aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, recently concluded a groundbreaking deployment to the Middle East. During this mission, they battled Houthi attacks and struck targets held by the Iran-backed group in Yemen, achieving several historic combat milestones.
Historic Achievements by the "Gunslingers"
F/A-18 Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 105, known as the "Gunslingers," became the first Navy squadron to deploy the AIM-9X infrared-seeking missile in combat. This achievement came as they neutralized Houthi one-way-attack drones targeting civilian merchant ships.
In addition to this milestone, the squadron led the first strikes against Houthi facilities in Yemen in January, marking another first by launching the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) from an F/A-18E Super Hornet. The AARGM is designed to suppress or destroy enemy air defenses, enhancing the squadron's combat capabilities.
Moreover, the Gunslingers successfully deployed the Joint Standoff Weapon-C Variant for the first time in combat. This air-to-ground network-enabled weapon can target both stationary land and moving maritime targets, underscoring the squadron's versatility and precision.
Commendations and Commanders' Insights
Cmdr. Travis “Sweet T” Amerine, commanding officer of the Gunslingers, praised the unwavering support from their families and friends, who enabled their continuous combat operations. "For nine months straight, the entire Gunslinger family, those deployed and those back home, banded together to fight evil and save innocent lives. I could not be more proud nor more humbled to have been a witness to them all," Amerine said in a Navy news release.
An F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot from Strike Fighter Squadron 32 became the first American woman to engage and destroy an air-to-air contact, successfully taking down a Houthi air drone targeting civilian vessels. This historic engagement highlights the growing role of women in combat aviation.
Carrier Air Wing 3 also celebrated firsts for Electronic Attack Squadron 130. The squadron became the first E/A-18G Growler squadron to secure an air-to-air kill and to fire an AARGM in combat. Cmdr. Carl Ellsworth, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, remarked on the deployment's challenges, noting it was the most kinetic action at sea since World War II.
Recognition and Honors
For their exemplary actions during the deployment, the crew of the Dwight D. Eisenhower earned the Combat Action Ribbon (CAR), awarded to sailors and Marines who actively participate in ground or surface action. This prestigious award has been rarely issued since the 1991 Gulf War.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro also approved the Air Medal with the "Strike/Flight" designation for those conducting sustained aerial operations in the region.
Transition to the Theodore Roosevelt
As the Dwight D. Eisenhower's deployment concluded, the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt arrived in the Middle East to take its place. This transition aims to deter aggression, promote regional stability, and ensure the free flow of commerce in the region, according to U.S. Central Command.
Carrier Air Wing 3's deployment not only marked significant combat achievements but also showcased the resilience, skill, and dedication of the entire strike group, setting a high standard for future missions.
This week in aviation history
Captain Kenneth D. Chandler's Record-Breaking Bendix Trophy Race Victory
29 July 1957: Captain Kenneth D. Chandler of the 11th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 343rd Fighter Group (Air Defense), U.S. Air Force, clinched the 1957 Bendix Trophy Race. Flying a Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, Chandler soared from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. The journey spanned 619.73 miles (997.36 kilometers), completed in just 54 minutes and 45.5 seconds, achieving an average speed of 679.053 miles per hour (1,092.830 kilometers per hour).
The race saw six F-102A interceptors departing from O’Hare at five-minute intervals, with Chandler taking off fifth at precisely 1320 hours. His commanding officer, Colonel Robert L. Gould, also in an F-102, secured second place.
The Chicago Daily Tribune chronicled the event:
KOREA JET ACE WINS BENDIX TROPHY RACE - Sets New Record of 679 M.P.H.
Capt. Kenneth D. Chandler, a Korean War jet ace, set a new Bendix Air Race record of 679 miles an hour today.
Chandler, 33, flew a Convair F-102 delta wing interceptor 620 miles from Chicago’s O’Hare field to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Md., in 54 minutes, 45½ seconds. Five other Air Force pilots made the race, flying F-102s.
Second place went to Col. Robert L. Gould of Baltimore, with an elapsed time of 55:16:8.
Chicagoan Is Third
Captain Leroy W. Svendesen of Chicago placed third with an elapsed time of 55:17:2. There was a difference of only about two minutes in the times of the first and last place planes.
Chandler smashed the 666 mile an hour set last year by Maj. Manuel (Pete) Fernandez. Fernandez flew an F-100 from Victorville, Cal., to Oklahoma City.
The Ricks Memorial trophy flight today also ended at Andrews. The winner of the 2,680 mile flight from Fresno, Cal., was Maj. Peter R. Phillipy, 35, of Pittsburgh. Phillipy made the trip in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 40 seconds, averaging 638 miles an hour.
Springfield Pilot 2d
Second place was won by Capt. Shirley V. Drum, 29, of Springfield, Ill.
Chicago area pilots in the race were Maj. Aloysius X. Hiltgen, 33, of Park Ridge, whose time was 4:31:7, and Capt. John C. Nowacki, 34, of Cicero, 4:31:36.
The Bendix and Ricks air races were highlights of an air show sponsored by the Air Force Association, in a salute to the 50th anniversary of the United States Air Force.
A crowd estimated at more than 75,000 persons witnessed the first public flights of the Ryan X-13 Vertijet and the Republic F-105 supersonic fighter-bomber.
—Chicago Daily Tribune, Volume CXVI—NO. 180, Monday, July 29, 1957, Part 1, Page 15, Columns 1–3.
About Captain Kenneth D. Chandler
Born on October 14, 1923, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Kenneth Donald Chandler grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and Compton, California. He was the second of six children to Thomas Brown Chandler, a cabinet maker, and Gladys A. Smith Chandler.
Chandler's aviation career began in World War II, where he piloted Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter bombers in Europe. In 1950, he flew a North American Aviation F-86A Sabre as Captain Chuck Yeager’s wingman during the filming of Howard Hughes’ movie, “Jet Pilot,” starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh.
On November 18, 1951, flying an F-86 Sabre with the 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Chandler destroyed four enemy MiG-15s parked at Uiju Airfield, North Korea, flying just ten feet above the ground. Later, on December 13, he shot down a MiG-15, but debris from the enemy aircraft crippled his Sabre. He bailed out near Chŏ-do Island and was rescued by South Korean airmen.
Tragically, on March 28, 1958, Captain Chandler and 1st Lieutenant Frank Latora perished in a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star crash near Parker, Colorado. Chandler’s remains are interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.
Captain Chandler’s legacy as a skilled and daring pilot lives on, marking an indelible chapter in aviation history.
In case you missed it
How drones can help augment the F-35:
Photo Outlet
The US Navy Leap Frog team opens the show with this great display. According to the Navy’s website: Every member of the team has joined this performance group after years of real-world special operations work. Comprised of active-duty Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combat Crewmen (SWCC), Divers (ND), Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians (EOD) and Aircrew Survival Equipmentmen (PR), the Leap Frogs demonstrate best-in-class training offered by Navy Special Warfare.
Post Flight Debrief
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-Tog