as a two-seat F/A-18F squadron, they
also handle the forward air controller —
airborne (FAC-A) mission. ‘Every F-model
unit is required to have four FAC-A-trained
crews, except for CVW [Carrier Air Wing]
One, which has two F/A-18F squadrons,
so they have three crews apiece,’ explains
Craig. ‘Those crews need to complete an
evaluation flight here and then they have
currency requirements they need to meet
before they go on cruise.’The path to deployment
On completion of SFARP at Fallon, the
‘Jolly Rogers’ had three weeks back at
Oceana before heading down to Key
West in June for their air-to-air SFARP.
Following on from that comes TSTA,tailored ship’s training availability, which
Craig likens to ‘an SFARP for the carrier
crew.’ He adds that the primary aim is
‘getting the carrier crew familiar with
having the air wing on board. The whole
air wing will be out there for three to
four weeks.’
After that comes Air Wing Fallon,
where the entire CVW comes together
for a five-week exercise that brings
together all the elements of the air
wing, working together in complex
exercises on the Fallon ranges. The final
part of the process is COMPTUEX (the
Composite Training Unit Exercise), which
Craig says is ‘basically Air Wing Fallon,
but on the carrier. That’s the last big test
for the air wing before deployment.’It’s extraordinary how the many
moving parts of the air wing and carrier
group all disperse at the culmination of a
cruise, and then rebuild under a carefully
structured and proven methodology. It’s
a long path to deployment, and getting
the manning and essential capabilities
in place takes a huge effort, which is
impressive to behold.
For VFA-103, the aim is to enforce,
uphold and perpetuate the squadron
motto and heritage dating back 75
years: ‘Victory’.The author wishes to thank CDR Westphall, LCDR
Craig, Zip Upham, the 152nd Airlift Wing and all
at VFA-103 for their support in the preparation of
this feature.Above: With
remnants of
snow on the
higher peaks of
the Sierras, the
VFA-103 CAG jet
heads to NAS
Fallon for the
squadron’s SFARP
detachment.48 July 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
UNIT REPORT // VFA-103
42-51 VFA-103 C.indd 48 20/05/2018 11:31