A Crash and a Collision

Fighter jets collide during training mission
by Sabrina Salas Matanane ,
KUAM News
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
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Two fighter jets collided while in mid-air Saturday evening over the Western Pacific Ocean. The jets were the F/A-18 Hornets assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 146 and the Carrier Air Wing 9 aboard the USS John C. Stennis. The collision happened at approximately 8pm while the Hornets were conducting and air defense training mission.

The jets were able to continue flying after the collision and in fact landed safely at Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo. The pilots are both reported to be in good condition. The Stennis group is transiting the Western Pacific to participate in the Valiant Shield exercises that begin today off of Guam's shores. The cause of the collision is currently under investigation.
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Navy jet crashes into sea
Pilot ejects, is rescued 400 miles southeast of Guam
By Eric Palacios
Pacific Daily News
ejpalacios@guampdn.com
Article published Aug 1, 2007
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The pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 195 is safe today after his jet crashed at sea Monday night during a training mission from USS Kitty Hawk, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The pilot ejected and was safely recovered by a U.S. Navy helicopter shortly after the incident, which occurred about 400 miles southeast of Guam.

"He was treated by medical professionals for injuries that were non-life threatening," the U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs Office said via telephone from Hawaii.

The aircraft was conducting routine training at the time of the crash, around 9 p.m., the 7th Fleet public affairs officer said.

The pilot's name is not being released and the Navy is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. The F/A-18C is a single-seat fighter-and-attack aircraft. The squadron operates from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and is embarked on Kitty Hawk.

The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is on its summer deployment in the western Pacific Ocean and is expected to take part in the upcoming Valiant Shield exercises with other U.S. forces and partners throughout Australia and Asia later this month.

The carrier made a port visit to Guam in June and is the U.S. Navy's lone overseas-based aircraft carrier. The carrier is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.

The Kitty Hawk strike group is the U.S. Navy's largest and includes the carrier, seven ships of Destroyer Squadron 15, two Aegis weapons-system-equipped guided-missile cruisers and CVW 5, according to the Navy. $35M price tag

The jet that crashed at sea Monday night had an estimated $35 million price tag in 2003. The primary users of the jet are the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Spanish Air Force.

The jets are manufactured by McDonnell Douglas/Boeing Northrop and designed by McDonnell Douglas. They were first introduced Jan. 7, 1983, and 1,458 of the Hornets were built. Valiant Shield '06

In June 2006, the island and its waters played a major role in an impressive display of American power that was observed by a Chinese delegation.

Valiant Shield was the largest gathering of aircraft carriers in the Pacific since the Vietnam War.

The exercise brought together more than 20,000 personnel, three carriers, more than 20 ships and more than 200 aircraft.

The exercise also served as a diplomatic bridge between U.S. officials and the 10-member Chinese delegation of politicians and military commanders.

Guam has been key to the U.S. approach to dealing with China. The U.S. approach is centered on turning a potential foe into a friend.

Valiant Shield 2007

Valiant Shield 2007 Begins
By Trina A San Agustin
Variety News Staff
Tuesday 7 August 07
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VALIANT Shield 2007, the largest naval war games in Guam waters, began yesterday.

Participating in this year’s event are over 20,000 U.S. military personnel and three carrier strike groups — the USS John Stennis, the USS Nimitz, and the conventionally powered carrier the USS Kitty Hawk.

Valiant Shield ends on Aug. 13.

U.S. Air Force personnel are said to have 60 fighters, bombers, air refuel tankers, as well as cargo planes.

The Valiant Shield series of exercises focuses on integrated joint training among U.S. military forces and enhances real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces and in detecting, locating, tracking and engaging units at sea, in the air, on land, and in cyberspace in response to the range of mission areas, according to the Valiant Shield 2007 Web site.

In addition to the field training exercises, staff training exercises will take place concurrently for the Joint Task Force. The task force consists of 519 staff and component staffs at their headquarters in Hawaii and San Diego, according to the Valiant Shield 2007 Web site.

The exercises will bring together Air Force and Navy personnel and their assets to “work through a range of war fighting skills such as maritime interdiction and command and control.”

“This exercise, the greatest concentration of naval and air power in the Western Pacific since the Vietnam War, demonstrates joint command, control and communications of U.S. forces while highlighting continued U.S. commitment to allies and friends of the region. We are also hosting observers from many nations, including China,” the Web site reads.

This is not the island’s first time to play host to a large exercise. Last summer, naval war games involved more than 22,000 U.S. military personnel, 30 ships, and 280 aircraft. Officials say the number of this year’s participants mirrors that of last year.

Because of this exercise, residents can expect more traffic on Guam roadways, an increase in retail shoppers, as well as increased foot traffic in Tumon as the participants of Valiant Shield may have several days off to visit the island.

Valiant Shield Tuma'lo

US Military Holding Massive War Games
Associated Press
Sunday, August 5, 2007 (Pearl Harbour)
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070021509
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The US military expects to amass more than 22,000 troops off the coast of Guam starting on Tuesday for a weeklong exercise involving dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft.

''The exercise demonstrates to our friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific ... how important the security of the region is to the United States,'' said Navy Captain Matt Loughlin, deputy chief of staff for Task Force 519, the Hawaii-based unit directing the drills.

Last year's exercises coincided with rising tensions over a possible test launch of a North Korean long-range missile, prompting two ships participating in the games to be assigned off the Korean coast to monitor the activity.

US military officials at the time stressed the exercises were not held in response to the North Korean activity and they were not directed at any one nation.

Similarly, officials said this year's war games are not connected in any way to world events or targetted at any country.

The US military also did not invite foreign observers to this year's drill, unlike last year when it hosted observers from 10 countries, including China, India, Japan and Australia.

The 2006 Valiant Shield drill marked the first time the US had invited a Chinese delegation to officially observe US maneuvers in the Pacific. Beijing sent a 10-member delegation headed by an admiral to watch.

Loughlin said hosting the observers was logistically costly, and commanders decided to limit foreign participation during this year's drill and focus on the training.

However, foreign media have been invited again.