Professional reading

Naval Aviation News, Nov-Dec, 2004 by Peter B. Mersky

Holmes, Tony. US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part One. Osprey Publishing, 1st Floor Elms Court, Chapel Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 9LP, UK; Motorbooks International, 729 Prospect Ave., PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 2004. 96 pp. Ill. $18.95.

This excellent book looks at the F/A-18 Hornet community during its post-1991 involvement in Iraq. From the start of Operation Southern Watch following Gulf War I, the author gives a first-class overview of Hornet operations. Besides the stalwart F/A-18C units that operated in the northern Arabian Gulf, this first volume of a planned trilogy on Hornet squadrons in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) also describes the squadrons that recently transitioned to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and their first taste of combat. Seldom has a new aircraft entered combat so soon after entering fleet service.

The first Super Hornet squadron, VFA-115, gets its fair share of exposure, having dropped the Echo's first ordnance in combat on 6 November 2002. The F/A-18E's greatly increased size compared to the Alpha and Charlie versions is immediately apparent in the photos, especially when ground crew members are in the picture.

Holmes has written a quality, up-to-date account. Part of the story is the new weapons that saw their first combat. The author gives due regard to these "smart" bombs and the highly trained crews who used them to such telling effect in OIF. In fact, the description of how the Hornet drivers used their munitions--bombs, laser-guided bombs, 20mm cannon--adds to the narrative, such as the unusual strike against Saddam Hussein's yacht that was thought to be providing battlefield communications with its suite of radios.

Holmes also describes the detailed planning that preceded the war--air plans and flight schedules encompassing all carrier-based Hornet squadrons. The immediacy of Holmes' reporting, with some events occurring barely a year before the book's publication, and the complexity of the overall operation make the narrative even more unusual. The intense experiences of the pilots as they plan and fly their missions, strike targets and wade through flak and surface-to-air missiles make the book a truly up-to-the-minute account. Coordination and weather played major roles and the details of these components give high marks to senior leaders for using their air assets to the fullest extent.

As the war progresses to the assault on Baghdad, known as "Thunder Run," the account gives the modern version of the now-traditional role of the forward air controller (FAC). Like their A-4 Skyhawk and A-7 Corsair II predecessors, Hornet crews worked with these airborne controllers who flew all types of aircraft, including helicopters, F-14 Tomcats and A-10 Thunderbolts. Ground FACs also worked with the Hornets.

Note that this is one of three volumes devoted to the Hornet and its crews in OIF. The second and third books will describe F/A-18 squadrons of the Marine Corps and Royal Australian Air Force, and those in the eastern Mediterranean during the same period. These small paperbacks continue to offer great value for the money.

By Cdr. Peter B. Mersky, USNR (Ret.)