3 minute read
Allied Seas Lead to Allied Skies
By LT Joshua "Shrek" Simon, USN
It is an extremely rare occurrence for a United States MH-60R to get operational time with a foreign ship while not on deployment. Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) 79 seized such an opportunity on May 7, 2024 out of Naval Station Rota, Spain with German frigate Baden-Württemberg (F222). Four days prior to operating with Baden-Württemberg, myself and another HSM-79 helicopter crew visited the ship and received a tour. The tour consisted of the flight deck, Combat Information Center (CIC), and the bridge. The first aspect of the ship that we all took notice of was the size of the flight deck. A flight deck that was built to receive NH90 helicopters would surely be more than suitable for two MH-60R crews. Armed with the knowledge that flight deck size and aircraft weight wasn’t going to be an issue, we cross checked the HOSTAC (Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers) and the Shipboard Aviation Facilities Resume to verify everything was within limits. We finished our tour by advancing international relations and sharing German brewed beer inside the wardroom with our hospitable hosts onboard the Baden-Württemberg.
The day prior to the event, the flight crews conducted a final brief with the Baden-Württemberg flight deck team to review the intended flight operations. The flight operations included a simulated vector attack (VECTAC), followed by 16 approaches (with chocks and chains every other landing for flight deck crew proficiency), two ELVAS, and two smokelight approaches shared between our two helicopters. Our biggest concern leading up to this event was the language barrier, but we quickly deemed it to be a nonfactor due to the ease of the brief. The ship allocated two hours for our operations. Upon arrival, the BadenWürttemberg vectored us for a simulated VECTAC along the port side of the ship. We immediately shifted into the landing evolutions utilizing a wagon wheel pattern. The German pattern was not the traditional flight deck approach that the U.S. uses for our Flight II Destroyers. Instead, the German approach was to the side of the flight deck, followed by a slide in, and then a descent to landing. This method posed the largest CRM barrier due to a different sight picture for the pilots. We found that keeping the same visual checkpoints worked well for the crews. For example, we used, “Feet on the HRS (Horizon Reference System) Bar” before sliding in for landing. The launch was a reversal of the same procedure. The German EVLAs are conducted in the same fashion as the U.S. Navy ELVAs. The smokelight pattern was flown using the same profile, with the caveat that the German ship used actual flares on the practice approach. This presented us the benefit of visualizing what an actual smokelight profile looked like since the U.S. does not use flares during smokelight practice approaches.
After all was said and done, we wished them well as they began their transatlantic sail to New York for Fleet Week. Overall, this was a wonderful coordinated exercise that benefitted both countries. The HSM-79 aircrews achieved unique air capable ship training, and the German ship crew benefited from the allied helicopter repetitions. This event strengthened the relationship between the U.S. and Germans and further advances the interoperability of NATO allied nations.
