to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander
Atlantic (SACLANT).
Esquadra 302’s secondary task was
air defence. One of the principal reasons
for choosing the A-7P over the F-5E was
to ful l Portugal’s commitment to NATO in
defending Europe from possible invasion
from the west by guarding the mid-Atlantic.
At rst the Corsair was employed
primarily as a ghter-bomber, using its
cannons and dropping ‘dumb’ bombs to
achieve its mission. The A-7P was tted
with two 20mm Colt Mk 12 cannons either
side of the air intake, while the bombs it
could carry were the general-purpose Mk
80 type and the French-designed BAP-100
cluster bomb.
The jet could also be equipped with
CRV7 FFAR (Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets)
and for self-defence it relied on the AIM-9L
and ’P Sidewinder missiles.
During their time with the FAP the
aircraft regularly underwent armament
upgrades – and technological advances
in electronic warfare systems in the 1980s
and 1990s also enhanced their capabilities.
These included the AN/ALQ-131 self-
protection pod, the Israeli SPS-1000 radar
warning receiver (RWR) and the AN/ALE-
40 CMDS (Counter Measure Dispenser
System) for releasing chaff and ares to
confuse homing missiles.
FROM THE COCKPIT
Coronel João Manuel Cardeiro Caldas, who
ew the Corsair with Esquadras 302 and
304, recalled the training for the maritime
role: “Since TASMO was the rst mission of
302 Squadron for a long time, we used to
practise it a lot. Apart from the normal day-
to-day training we would carry out exercises
with the Portuguese Navy; and a lot of air
defence practice, including the ring of
CRV7 FFAR and 20mm guns against towed
targets. We used to engage in passing
exercises with the majority of the warships
that travelled along the coast, en route to,
or coming from, the Mediterranean. We also
participated in all NATO exercises in our
area of interest.
“We always played the role of the
aggressors in TASMO exercises [Offensive
TASMO], meaning that we would ‘attack’
the warships. We used, preferably, the
AGM-65G [Maverick air-to-ground missile]
but also practised the mission with AGM-
65B, Mk 80 dumb bombs series, CRV7 and
20mm guns.
“We used the ALQ-131 for self-protection
jamming, the SPS-1000 as radar warning
receiver, the ALE-40 to drop chaff and ares
and the aircraft radar [AN/APQ-126 Forward
Looking Radar] to acquire the ships. The
radar was very good and we could acquire
targets far away.”Regular NATO exercises formed an
important part of the training for Esquadras
302 and 304. One such workout was Strong
Resolve which took place every four years
and, in 1998, focused on the North Atlantic
and the Iberian Peninsula. There were
two scenarios running concurrently: Crisis
North, centred in Norway, and Crisis South,
which focused on southern Europe. It was
as a part of the latter that the FAPs Corsairs
were engaged.
NATO’s press brie ng for the war
games noted: “Crisis South is under way
in Portugal and Spain with forces from 11
NATO nations and ten partner countries. A
NATO-led combined task force is practising
peace-keeping operations and a non-
combatant evacuation in the Southeastern
Atlantic, Western Mediterranean and
Iberian Peninsula.
“While the land-based combined
joint task force concept has been tested
previously, Crisis South is NATO’s rst
test of a sea-based task force. The
concept involves NATO’s ability to rapidly
deploy forces and command elementshttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 79
Corsair II, 15524, at Monte Real, Portugal,
shortly before the type was withdrawn from
service. Key CollectionA ‘clean’ single-seat Portuguese Corsair
during a sortie from Monte Real. Key Collection