MAG-31 aims in, locks on target

[USMCRET6391]

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SC (June 23, 2006) -- It’s at least 98 degrees on a hot and dry Wednesday afternoon in Beaufort. The mission is to successfully load a live AIM-7 missile onto an F/A-18, so that the aircrew can successfully fire upon a designated target. The sweat drips off the four ordnance Marines as they carefully muscle the missile onto the jet; the success of the overall mission literally rests on their shoulders.

This was a common scene this past week on the flight line here as five Marine Aircraft Group 31 squadrons took part in the annual Air-to-Air Missile Firing Exercise June 12-16.

The mission of the exercise was twofold: to increase aircrew proficiency in the tactical employment of live weapons systems, and to train ordnance personnel in the preparation and loading of live air-to-air missiles. Both skills that are not routinely practiced here at the Air Station.

The exercise, planned by the MAG-31 Headquarters staff, included VMFA-115, VMFA-122, VMFA-312, VMFA(AW)-224 and VMFA(AW)-332.

“MAG training is usually on a larger scale than squadron-organized training,” said Lt. Col. William Lieblein, the officer in charge of the exercise. “We do this to reduce the workload on the squadron training officers and improve the quality of training.”

The exercise consisted of three firing days and two night exercises. Each squadron was allotted a certain number of missiles with 33 total missiles being launched in a safe area over the Atlantic Ocean.

“Ordnance played a major role in the exercise,” said Sgt. Travis Hutchings, an ordnance Marine with VMFA(AW)-224.

The ordnance Marines felt the pressure of working with live ordnance and their attention to detail was heightened throughout the exercise, according to Hutchings.

More missiles were used this year than ever before and all except two of the missiles were live. The two inert missiles were employed to create a large white cloud and mark the impact points.

“We don’t get to work with live ordnance often,” said Lance Cpl. Luke Geist, an ordnance Marine with VMFA-115. “We only work with live ordnance when we go on deployments, but hardly ever here, so this is good training.”

Planning and preparations for the missile exercise began two and a half months ago. Each squadron also conducted its own preparations and the individual sections within the squadrons had their own training for the exercise.

“We have been planning intensely for the past month,” Lieblein said.

“Two days prior to the exercise, we ran through our check list and did dry runs on what we needed to load,” said Hutchings. “We did lot of planning on what to do and to make sure that our Marines were up to date on the loading evolutions.”

Even though the training was intense, working from the Beaufort flight line offered many advantages. For example, the exercise was not only cheaper, but also more convenient.

“We used to do the exercise down in Puerto Rico, but that is more costly, harder to coordinate and Marines had to go on det,” Lieblein said. “It also took the aircraft away for a longer time than flying right off the coast.”

“Being at our home base makes it a lot easier, said Capt. Matt Halbert, a pilot with VMFA(AW)-224. “Since this is our home station and all the squadrons and support maintenance are here it makes everything easier to work out of.”

Part of the training involved the aircrew interacting with the ordnance Marines. According to Lieblein, this training provided a great opportunity for all the Marines to learn from each other.

“It’s a great opportunity for both the aircrew and ordnance to actually employ something they simulate everyday,” Lieblein said.

“We see the [ordnance Marines] everyday,” said Halbert. “This is as much training for us as it is for them. They get to use live ordnance and we both get to see and interact with each other and ask each other questions. We learned a lot from them and from working with the live ordnance.”

The training the Marines received here will help improve the combat readiness of the participating squadrons. Exercises such as the live-fire exercise better prepare all shops within the squadrons.

“We should do more training like this,” said Pfc. Steven Galgani, an ordnance Marine with VMFA-115. “We should do more live training. It’s more realistic when it’s live. Everything is more intense working with the live missiles.”

“This training will pay off in full in combat,” Lieblein said. “If you don’t ever employ live missiles in training, you can make a lot of errors in combat. When you get to do it in training you can eliminate a lot of errors that can be made in a combat situation.”