15th MEU squadron trades flight deck for flight line
Submitted by: 15th MEU
Story Identification #: 2005220114611
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Knoll

UDAIRI RANGE, Kuwait (Feb. 20, 2005) -- After conducting a massive humanitarian assistance operation and being at sea for more than two months, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)’s aviation combat element finally got to “spread their wings” over land in preparation for potential future combat operations.

The Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (Reinforced) is currently taking part in sustainment training in Kuwait to do “the kind of training you can’t do over water,” according to Maj. Jason Leighton, 35, the 15th MEU air officer and native of Minnetonka, Minn. The squadron will spend about one month doing close air support missions, terrain flights also known as “TERF,” door gunner live-fire exercises and external cargo lifts.

CAS, which is the process of attack aircraft firing at enemy targets on ground, is being made more realistic by infantry Marines directly calling in fire missions to the pilots, according to Maj. Aaron Marx, 34, future operations officer and native of Hammond, Ind. “We’ve been working since December to get the range time and work out our tactics, techniques and procedures.”

This training is important to the squadron because they’re the kind of missions the unit will be doing if they move forward, Leighton added. “They’re training toward tactics they’re going to use.”

The CAS for this exercise is provided by the AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1N Huey helicopters and while all pilots are getting flight time, the emphasis has been placed on training junior pilots. “We’re going out twice a day [and] the junior pilots are the training focus. They’re the next flight leaders,” Marx said. Additionally, the Forward Air Controllers in Battalion Landing Team 1/1 are working with young NCOs and SNCOs training them to call in CAS missions to further increase their proficiency on the battlefield.

The ACE is also refreshing their pilots on TERF, where pilots fly at low altitudes to avoid radar and known enemy anit-aircraft gun positions. TERF is important because it gets the pilots comfortable at flying at lower altitudes, which is something they haven’t been able to do since the start of the deployment, Marx said. They are conducting this training during the day, and night using night-vision goggles.

To share the benefits of this training, all CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters will head back to the ship after the first week to assume the responsibility of all sea-based missions. This will allow the squadron to send their CH-53E Super Stallions here for the same training package. They will continue to trade out each week to ensure each detachment gets an equal amount of training time in the desert.

In addition to CH-46s and 53s, the squadron’s Cobras and Hueys, will also be trading pilots and maintenance Marines during this training evolution to ensure adequate time on land while still keeping a significant presence on ship.

“The training plan is built around transition,” Marx said. “It’s nice to get off the ship.

joined the Marine Corps to go different places and do different things.” But during this training evolution, the ACE is still responsible to provide a capability to perform nearly any type of MEU mission from a Visit Board Search and Seizure to a direct-action raid, he added.

The other advantage for sharing the training time at Udairi is to have the opportunity to fly at high and low-level light conditions. As the lunar cycle changes, differences in moon light levels affects how the pilots see and navigate the terrain when wearing night vision devices. “Everything slows down at night,” Marx said about how the pilots fly and navigate in low light situations.

According to Marx, pilots use speed and altitude to mitigate threats during the day, but at night, they use the cover of darkness and being proficient with night vision devices helps the aircraft and pilot’s survival in those conditions.

In addition to the TERF and door gunner live-fire exercises, the CH-46E pilots also brushed up on lifting external loads. Many of the pilots conducted some medium sized external lifts during the MEU’s humanitarian assistance missions in Indonesia so the need to be proficient is extremely apparent. Pilots and air crews took their turns externally lifting a piece of concrete weighing nearly 2,000 pounds at the airfield here. The squadron’s CH-53E helicopters will conduct the same training during their stay at Udairi.

To make sure this training was possible, the squadron’s maintenance Marines spent extra time conducting detailed inspections and other required functions before deploying to the field. “The birds are doing good,” said Sgt. Armando Arvizu, 30, a CH-46 maintenance controller and native of Tucson, Ariz. He said the Marines spent extra time working on the aircraft before this exercise to reduce the chances of the aircraft having issues in the field.

Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey Whitlock echos Arvizu’s feelings on aircraft readiness. “As long as the birds are happy, we’re happy because it means less work for us,” he said. And unlike on ship where two separate maintenance crews work a day and night shift, the Marines at Camp Buehring work one long shift centered around the flight schedule, said Whitlock, 36, a maintenance administrative division chief and native of Greensville, S.C.

Whitlock has been addressing many of the troop welfare concerns and says that the squadron doesn’t have it easy like some think. “A lot of people think we have it made, but we’re still isolated,” he said about their location of the flight line to the rest of the camp. Initially, their distance from the flight line posed a problem getting network services, but his work with the communications Marines solved the problem.

“They’re pretty pleased with the base,” Whitlock added. Marines aboard Camp Buehring have been enjoying a camp exchange, fast food, phone trailers and host-nation laundry services.

In addition to the ACE, the 15th MEUs other elements are conducting similar training at ranges throughout the base here, and all will have to prove their combat readiness before moving on to follow on missions.