and matures through fundamental
safety checks. Eventually it reaches
a point where the bugs have been
worked out and it’s ready for formal
OT, ahead of its release to the eet.
VX-9 ies it and uses it just like the eet
would, and the ‘Vampires’ then provide
recommendations on whether that
piece of equipment should be signed
o as suitable and e ective. Hirzel says,
‘Here we are focused on working with
talented engineers that do a lot of the
heavy lifting behind the scenes, making
sure that the programs are a success.’
Being at the ‘Vampires’ gives
personnel the chance to develop a deep
understanding of a particular system
or capability. According to Noronha,
‘Aviators change jobs almost every six
months in the eet, whereas here there
are a lot more opportunities to deep-
dive into the platform. I have learned
more about [the Growler] in the almost
two years that I have been here than I
ever would have thought possible.’
High desert
There’s a lot on the horizon for the high
desert iers of VX-9. It is currently deeply
involved in rolling enhancements for
the Hornet, Super Hornet and Growler
communities. Indeed, the elding of the
http://www.combataircraft.net // October 2018 79