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UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1979-Contin ued

14 February The Tomahawk missile was launched

from the nuclear powered attack submarine Guitarro

(SSN 665) off the California coast. This successful test

was part of a planned series of three submarine launch-

es and flight tests of the Tomahawk conducted between

February and June which demonstrated the missile's

over-the-horizon capability to search for, locate, and

conduct simulated attacks on a target ship at sea.

27 February The Navy took delivery of the last A-4

Skyhawk from the McDonnell Douglas Corporation,

setting a record for the longest production run for any

U.S. military aircraft. Built as an attack bomber and as

a two-place trainer, the A-4 had been in continuous

production for 26 years. The final Skyhawk off the

production line was an A-4M attack bomber built for

operation by the Marine Corps. It was the 2,960th

Skyhawk manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and

was delivered to VMA-331.

7 March Constellation and her escort ships were

ordered to the Gulf of Aden in response to the conflict

between North and South Yemen. The Gulf of Aden and

the Persian Gulf were considered vital waterways for the

passage of petroleum products to the U.S. and her allies.

11 March A P-3B Orion from NATC Patuxent River,

Md., flew the first transoceanic flight guided by

NavStar, the space-based radio navigation system. The

six-hour flight was from NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, to

NAS Moffett Field, Calif. The NavStar system com-

prised 24 satellites in earth orbit providing radio navi-

gational information.

20 March The last variant of the P-2 Neptune rolled

off the production line at ceremonies in Japan. This

was the longest production run of any aircraft type in

history, 34 years from the first model which was built

in 1945 in Burbank, California by the Lockheed

Corporation. The P-2 was the mainstay of the U.S.

Navy's ASW patrol fleet during the 1950s and early

1960s until it was replaced by the P-3 Orion.

26 March The AV-8A Harrier was used at NATC

Patuxent River, Md., to test a new ski jump ramp

developed by the British to cut down the takeoff dis-

tance for the Harrier. The new ski jump ramp was

designed with a 12-degree angle of elevation and was

130 feet long. The total takeoff distance for a Harrier

using the new ramp was 230 feet compared with the

930-foot runway necessary for a Harrier to make a no-

catapult, flat-surface launch. NATC Patuxent River was

evaluating the ramp for possible use in the fleet.

16 April Midway relieved Constellation as the Indian

Ocean contingency carrier. Midway and her escort

ships continued a significant American naval presence

in the oil-producing region of the Arabian Sea and

Persian Gulf.

21 April The Navy's Supersonic Tactical Missile test

vehicle made its first flight at the Pacific Missile Test

Center, Point Mugu, Calif. This advanced integral rock-

et/ramjet test vehicle was developed by Vought. It was

described as a major step toward development of a

new generation of high performance, air-to-surface

tactical standoff missiles.

23 April In a ceremony at NAS Norfolk, Va., Vice

Admiral Forrest S. Petersen transferred ownership of

the last Kawanishi H8K2 flying boat to the Japanese

Museum of Maritime Science. Code named Emily by

the allies during World War II, the big craft was

brought to the United States by the Navy late in 1945

to undergo tests at Patuxent River, Md. When the

tests were completed, the Emily was stored at

Norfolk and outlasted all its sister aircraft. In July

1979, the Museum of Maritime Science transported

the Emily to Tokyo.

30 April A RH-53D Sea Stallion from HM-12 set a

new nonstop, transcontinental flight record by flying

from Norfolk, Va., to San Diego, Calif. The helicopter

flew 2,077 nm in 18.5 hours, air refueling from an Air

National Guard HC-130 Hercules. The flight demon-

strated the long-range, quick-response capability of

the RH-53D helicopter and was commanded by

Lieutenant Rodney M. Davis.

22 May The first of two McDonnell Douglas AV-8C

Harriers arrived at NATC Patuxent River, Md., for ser-

vice acceptance trials. Improvements built into this air-

craft over the AV-8A included a new UHF radio, a chaff

and flare dispensing system, lift improvement devices,

a radar warning system and secure voice equipment.

30 May Midway and her escort ships were released

from contingency operations in the Arabian Sea and

departed for the Pacific.

12 June The Deputy Secretary of Defense approved

the mission element need statement for the VTXTS.

This system represented a major step toward meeting

the continuing requirement to provide undergraduate

pilot training for student Naval Aviators and transition

students of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.