Carrier Air Wing
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A Carrier Air Wing ( CVW ) or Carrier Air Group is a squadron of fighter aircraft of the US Navy , which on a aircraft carrier stationed. The effectiveness of an aircraft carrier combat group is primarily determined by the Carrier Air Wing and its electronic warfare . It consists of several squadrons and departments.
development
In 1938 the first Carrier Air Group was formed. On December 20, 1963, the name was changed to Carrier Air Wing . The abbreviation CVW consists of the aircraft carrier identifier CV and the first letter of Wing .
The first Carrier Air Group entered service on the US Navy's first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley . Until mid-1942 there was no numbering of the air groups , they were simply named after the aircraft carriers. For example, the Lexington Air Group was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington . The numbering of the squadrons within the carrier squadron corresponded to the ship identification. So was the Lexington z. B. the aircraft carrier No. 2, "CV-2 USS Lexington", and the squadrons all had the number 2, Fighter Squadron VF-2, Bomber Squadron VB-2, Reconnaissance Squadron VS-2 and Torpedo Squadron VT-2. Each of the squadrons had about 18 aircraft.
However, after the Air Groups were severely decimated in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway , this practice had to be abandoned and a numbering system was introduced that was now independent of the carriers on which they were stationed.
The demands of the Pacific War also changed the composition of the carrier squadrons. The reconnaissance squadrons (VS) disappeared as early as 1942, while the number of fighters rose steadily until the end of the war. In 1943, a typical Essex-class carrier squadron had 36 fighters (VF), 36 bombers (VB) and 18 torpedo aircraft (VT) on board. In 1945 the number of fighters grew to 72 and the bombers and torpedo planes were reduced to 15 each. However, the fighters could also be used as fighter-bombers, which has not changed to this day.
During the Korean War , a carrier squadron consisted mostly of 4 fighter squadrons (VF) with approx. 58 aircraft and a fighter-bomber squadron (VA) with 14 aircraft. In addition, there were now for the first time 2–4 aircraft from squadrons for photo reconnaissance (VAP), for air surveillance (VAW) and for electronic warfare (VAQ). In the Vietnam War , a carrier squadron usually had one less fighter squadron, but an all-weather bomber squadron (VA) with 16 Grumman A-6 Intruders on the large aircraft carriers, while the squadrons on the Essex-class carriers with three squadrons with A. -4 Skyhawk or A-7 Corsair II were equipped.
1960 to 1973 there were also anti-submarine squadrons (CVSG). These consisted of two anti-submarine squadrons (VS) and one anti-submarine squadron with helicopters (HS). There were also three aircraft each for air surveillance, for photo reconnaissance and three fighter-bombers for self-defense (VA or VSF).
In 1975 the anti-submarine squadrons were integrated into the carrier squadron, so that it now consists of two fighter squadrons (VF), two fighter-bomber squadrons (VA), one anti-submarine squadron (VS), one anti-submarine squadron with helicopters (HS), one Airspace surveillance squadron (VAW) and a squadron for electronic warfare (VAQ) existed. In addition, there were usually a few courier helicopters and airplanes on board. The photo reconnaissance squadrons (RVAH) with RA-5C Vigilante were retired by the end of the 1970s.
In 2006 the last Fighter Squadrons (VF) with Grumman F-14 Tomcat were retired, or renamed to Fighter Bomber Squadrons (VFA) after the conversion to the F-18 . Furthermore, the anti -submarine squadrons equipped with Lockheed S-3 Viking are being retired by 2009.
composition
In 2018, a carrier air wing of the US Navy essentially consists of four attack squadrons ( Navy Strike Fighter Squadrons , VFA) with F / A-18E / F "Super Hornet" . They are supported by an electronic warfare squadron (VAQ) with four EA-18G, an early warning squadron (VAW) with four or five E-2C or D "Hawkeye" , a squad of the fleet logistics support squadrons (VRC) with two C- 2A “Greyhound” , a helicopter squadron for submarine combat (HSM) and a search and rescue squadron (HSC) with five MH-60R “Seahawk” (HSM) and five MH-60R “Sea Hawk” (HSC). At times, an attack squadron of the US Marine Corps (VMFA) with the F / A-18C (N) "Hornet" replaces an attack squadron of the US Navy in the carrier squadron .
| 1995 | 2015 | planned for 2025 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squadron type | used aircraft type |
Number of aircraft |
Squadron type | used aircraft type |
Number of aircraft |
Squadron type | used aircraft type |
Number of aircraft |
Modex |
| VF | F-14 | 12 | VFA | F / A-18F | 12 | VFA | F / A-18F | 12 | 1xx |
| VF / VFA | F-14 / F / A-18 | 12 | VFA | F / A-18E | 12 | VFA | F / A-18E | 12 | 2xx |
| VFA | F / A-18 | 12 | VFA | F / A-18E | 10 | VFA | F / A-18E | 10 | 3xx |
| VFA | F-14 / F / A-18 | 12 | VFA | F / A-18E | 10 | VFA | F-35C | 10 | 4xx |
| VAQ | EA-6B | 4th | VAQ | EA-18G | 4th | VAQ | EA-18G | 7th | 5xx |
| VAW | E-2C | 4th | VAW | E-2C / D | 4/5 | VAW | E-2D | 5 | 60x |
| HS | SH-60F, HH-60H | 8th | HSC | MH-60S | 6th | HSC | MH-60S | 6th | 61x |
| - | - | - | HSM | MH-60R | 5 | HSM | MH-60R | 5 | 7xx |
| VS | S-3B | 8th | - | - | - | VUQ det | MQ-25A | 5 | |
| VQ det | ES-3A | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| PRC det | C-2A | 2 | PRC det | C-2A | 2 | PRC det | CMV-22 | 3 | xx |
| Total number | 76 | 65/66 | 75 | ||||||
VF: Fighter Squadron , VFA: Strike Fighter Sqn , VAQ: Tactical Electronic Warfare Sqn , from 1998: Electronic Attack Sqn , VAW: Carrier Airborne Early Warning Sqn , HS: Helicopter Anti-submarine Sqn , HSC: Helicopter Sea Combat Sqn , HSM: Helicopter Marine Strike Sqn , VS: Air Anti-submarine Sqn , VQ: Fleet Air Reconnaissance Sqn , VRC: Fleet Logistics Support Sqn , VRM: Fleet Logistics Support Multi-mission Sqn , VUQ: Unmanned Fixed-wing Reconnaissance Sqn .
This composition allows an action range of several hundred kilometers around the position of the aircraft carrier. There is also such a wide line of defense and an early warning system against air, surface and underwater attacks.
A Carrier Air Wing is usually commanded by a Captain ( OF-5 ), the Commander Air Group (CAG). A carrier squadron currently has a staff of 2,480 officers and men. Of these, about 255 officers and 1490 men belong to the squadrons.
Squadron recognition
The US Navy has had a fixed system for identifying squadrons or squadrons ( Visual Identification System for Naval Aircraft ) since 1945 . Initially, this consisted of geometric patterns on the tail unit. However, since these were difficult to remember or to describe, letters were introduced as early as June 1945 to distinguish the squadrons. In 1957 the individual letters were replaced by doubles. In general, the squadrons of the Atlantic Fleet had an "A" as the first letter and those of the Pacific Fleet an "N". The individual squadrons of the squadron are numbered in steps of 100, the aircraft of the squadron commander ( Commander, Air Group (CAG) ) can be recognized by the tactical number ending in "00" (called double nuts ).
An example is the composition of the Carrier Air Wing Eleven in September 2018: Commander Air Group (CAG) is Captain Steven M. Jaureguizar. Nine seasons belong to CVW-11 which is stationed on the carrier USS Nimitz and tail code ( tailcode ) NH carries:
| Tactical number (Modex) |
Season / Nickname | Aircraft type |
|---|---|---|
| NH-1xx | VFA-154 Black Knights | F / A-18F Super Hornet |
| NH-2xx | VFA-147 Argonauts | F-35C Lightning II |
| NH-3xx | VFA-146 Blue Diamonds | F / A-18E Super Hornet |
| NH-4xx | VMFA-323 Death Rattlers | F / A-18C (N) Hornet |
| NH-5xx | VAQ-142 Gray Wolves | EA-18G growler |
| NH-60x | VAW-115 Liberty Bells | E-2C Hawkeye 2000 NP |
| NH-61x | HSC-8 Eightballers | MH-60S Seahawk |
| NH-7xx | HSM-75 Wolfpack | MH-60R Seahawk |
| NH-xx | VRC-30 Det. 3 providers | C-2A Greyhound |
The personnel working on the flight deck wear colored clothing for better differentiation.
| Landing officers | Catapult crew | Arms control room | Fuel crew |
| Aircraft control room | Guide | Flight deck crew | Pilots |
In detail, the following colors are assigned to the following activities:
| colour | English name | (approximate) German name |
|---|---|---|
| yellow | aircraft handling officers catapult and arresting gear officers plane directors |
Officers for the "handling" of the aircraft, officers for catapults and landing equipment |
| green | catapult and arresting gear crews air wing maintenance personnel air wing quality control personnel cargo-handling personnel ground support equipment (GSE) troubleshooters hook runners photographer's mates helicopter landing signal enlisted personnel (LSE) |
Crew of the catapults and landing facilities Maintenance staff of the CVW Quality control of the CVW Freight staff Troubleshooters Fishing hook staff Photographers Teams for the landing instruction of the helicopters |
| White | squadron plane inspectors landing signal officer (LSO) air transfer officers (ATO) liquid oxygen (LOX) crews safety observers medical personnel |
Aircraft controllers of the squadrons Landing officers Logistics officers Crew for liquid oxygen Safety observers Medical personnel |
| red | ordnance crash and salvage crews explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) |
Arms control aircraft accident personnel ordnance disposal service |
| blue | plane handlers aircraft elevator operators tractor drivers messengers and phone talkers |
Airplane-Personnel Elevator-Personnel Airplane-Tractor-Driver Detector |
| purple | aviation fuel handlers | Personnel for refueling the aircraft |
| brown | air wing plane captains air wing line leading petty officers |
CVW aircraft control center |
Since 1963, the carrier squadron has been recognized by a two-letter code on the aircraft's tail unit ("Tailcode").
| CVW | coat of arms | Tail code | Aircraft carrier | Home base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVW-1 |
 |
FROM | USS Theodore Roosevelt | NAS Oceana |
| CVW-2 |
 |
NE | NAS Lemoore | |
| CVW-3 |
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AC | USS Dwight D. Eisenhower | NAS Oceana |
| CVW-5 |
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NF | USS Ronald Reagan | NAF Atsugi |
| CVW-7 |
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AG | USS Harry S. Truman | NAS Oceana |
| CVW-8 |
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AJ | USS George HW Bush | NAS Oceana |
| CVW-9 |
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NG | USS John C. Stennis | NAS Lemoore |
| CVW-11 |
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NH | USS Nimitz | NAS Lemoore |
| CVW-17 |
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N / A | USS Carl Vinson | NAS Lemoore |
| TSW |
 |
AF | * | NAS JRB Fort Worth |
* The Tactical Support Wing is the squadron of the US Navy Reserve (until March 31, 2007 "Reserve Carrier Air Wing 20 (CVWR-20)").
- Carrier Air Wing Four (CVW-4)
- Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6)
- Carrier Air Wing Ten (CVW-10)
- Carrier Air Wing Twelve (CVW-12)
- Carrier Air Wing Thirteen (CVW-13)
- Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14)
- Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15)
- Carrier Air Wing Sixteen (CVW-16)
- Carrier Air Wing Nineteen (CVW-19)
- Carrier Air Wing Twenty-one (CVW-21)
- Reserve Carrier Air Wing Thirty (RCVW-30)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty (CVSG-50)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-one (CVSG-51)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-two (CVSG-52)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-three (CVSG-53)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-four (CVSG-54)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-five (CVSG-55)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-six (CVSG-56)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-seven (CVSG-57)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-eight (CVSG-58)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Fifty-nine (CVSG-59)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Sixty (CVSG-60)
- Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Sixty-two (CVSG-62)
- Reserve Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Seventy (CVSGR-70)
- Reserve Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Eighty (CVSGR-80)
References
- ↑ Swanborough, pp. 38f.
- ↑ Terzibaschitsch, Flugzeugträger , p. 31f.
- ↑ Terzibaschitsch, Flugzeugträger , p. 146f.
- ↑ Terzibaschitsch, Luftwaffe , p. 16
- ↑ Terzibaschitsch, Seemacht USA , pp. 209f.
- ↑ US Navy page on the S-3B
- ↑ Tom Kaminski: Strike from the Sea . In: Combat Aircraft October 2018, pp. 34–41
- ↑ Carrier Air Wings of the US Navy ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Mike Crutch: Air Wing Evolution . In: Combat Aircraft January 2019, p. 46
- ↑ Kinzey, Vol. 1, p. 4
- ↑ http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=200&ct=4
- ↑ http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/air_wing_11.htm
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/APP23.PDF
- ↑ Tom Kaminski: Strike from the Sea . In: Combat Aircraft October 2018, p. 39
- ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cv-design.htm
- ↑ Carrier Air Wings of the US Navy ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Commander Tactical Support Wing ( Memento of the original from August 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Gordon Swanborough; Peter M. Bowers : United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 . Naval Institute Press, Annapolis (Maryland) 1990, ISBN 0-87021-792-5 .
- Rene Francillion: US Navy Carrier Air Groups: Pacific 1941-1945 . (Osprey Airwar 16). Osprey, London 1978, ISBN 0-85045-291-0 .
- Bert Kinzey; Ray Leader: Colors and Markings of US Navy and USMC CAG Aircraft. Part 1: Fighters! F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat " (Colors and Markings, Vol. 10). Airlife Publishing, Shrewsbury 1988, ISBN 1-85310-602-X .
- Bert Kinzey; Ray Leader: Colors and Markings of US Navy CAG Aircraft. Part 2: Attack Aircraft. A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair " (Colors and Markings, Vol. 16). Airlife Publishing, Shrewsbury 1990, ISBN 1-85310-623-2 .
- Stefan Terzibaschitsch : The air force of the US Navy and the Marine Corps (military science reports 14). JF Lehmanns, Munich 1974, ISBN 3-469-00466-8 .
- Stefan Terzibaschitsch: US Navy aircraft carrier . Bernard & Graefe, 2nd edition, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-7637-5803-8 .
- Stefan Terzibaschitsch: Yearbook of the US Navy 1988/89 (focus: Air Force of the US Navy and the Marine Corps). Bernard & Graefe, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-7637-4792-3 .
- Stefan Terzibaschitsch: Sea power USA. Vol. 1. 2. revised edition, Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-86047-576-2 .
Web links
- Carrier Air Wings of the US Navy (English)
- Site from Japan with comprehensive information on squadrons and squadrons (English)
- Future Helo Concept of Operations (English)
- United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995. In: history.navy.mil. US Naval Institute, archived from the original on October 15, 2014 (English, table of contents; PDF documents for download).
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Active squadron: CVW-1 | CVW-2 | CVW-3 | CVW-5 | CVW-7 | CVW-8 | CVW-9 | CVW-11 | CVW-17
Disbanded squadrons: (CVW-4) | (CVW-6) | (CVW-10) | (CVW-12) | (CVW-13) | (CVW-14) | (CVW-15) | (CVW-16) | (CVW-19) | (CVW-21) | (RCVW-30)
Disbanded anti-submarine squadrons: (CVSG-50) | (CVSG-51) | (CVSG-52) | (CVSG-53) | (CVSG-54) | (CVSG-55) | (CVSG-56) | (CVSG-57) | (CVSG-58)
(CVSG-59) | (CVSG-60) | (CVSG-62) | (CVSGR-70) | (CVSGR-80)