Third Marine Aircraft Wing put on the annual MCAS Miramar Air Show October 12-14. The Marines always put on an excellent show at Miramar and this year was no exception.
One of the highlights is always the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) demonstration. It is a coordinated aviation and ground combat forces exercise with ground force insertions and extractions by MV-22 Ospreys, CH-46 Sea Knights and UH-1Y Hueys with force protection from AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom gunships. M1A1 main battle tanks, LAV-25 assault vehicles and HMMWV race into the battle area with an M777 155mm howitzer in tow. CH-53 Super Stallions deliver equipment to the battle area while F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harriers provide air support and recon and a KC-130J Hercules provides airborne refueling.
It is an excellent display of Marine personnel and assets asserting control over a battle space and a consistent crowd pleaser. I saw my first MAGTF about 22 years ago when the Marines were using Vietnam era OV-10 Broncos to perform battlefield recon. The battlefield has become a battle space and the technological advances are remarkable.
Other highlights included the US Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team, USAF F-22A Raptor Demonstration Team and Heritage Flight, F/A-18 Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration, AV-8B Harrier Demonstration, US Army Golden Knights and US Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Teams.
Civillian acts included John Collver, Sean Tucker, Mike Wiskus, Steve Stavrokakis, Kirby Chambliss and Chuck Aaron as well as a trainer parade, B-25 Mitchell and T-6 Texan II.
The MV-22 Osprey has been integrated into the MAGTF for the past few years, but this year we were treated to a Level III Demo of the Osprey. This demo is very similar to the Harrier demo. The aircraft demonstrates a short take off and returns with a low-altitude, high speed pass. It returns, hovers and rotates 360 degrees over a fixed point, flies backwards and forward in hover mode, performs a vertical landing and vertical takeoff.
The Osprey greatly enhances the deep insertion and extraction capabilities of the the Marines and the technology has been battle proven in the harsh environments of Iraq and Afghanistan. The sophistication of the tilt rotor system is something to behold. Its reliability is no longer in question and for those that don't remember, even a seemingly simple weapon system such as the M-16 rifle had development issues that had to be resolved over time.
A new gallery has been requested & I will begin posting to it and add the url to this post shortly. I have about 20 photos ready to post and will be adding many more over the coming weeks. Enjoy.
MCAS Miramar 2012 - Military Pictures - Air Force Army Navy Missiles Defense
One of the highlights is always the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) demonstration. It is a coordinated aviation and ground combat forces exercise with ground force insertions and extractions by MV-22 Ospreys, CH-46 Sea Knights and UH-1Y Hueys with force protection from AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom gunships. M1A1 main battle tanks, LAV-25 assault vehicles and HMMWV race into the battle area with an M777 155mm howitzer in tow. CH-53 Super Stallions deliver equipment to the battle area while F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harriers provide air support and recon and a KC-130J Hercules provides airborne refueling.
It is an excellent display of Marine personnel and assets asserting control over a battle space and a consistent crowd pleaser. I saw my first MAGTF about 22 years ago when the Marines were using Vietnam era OV-10 Broncos to perform battlefield recon. The battlefield has become a battle space and the technological advances are remarkable.
Other highlights included the US Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team, USAF F-22A Raptor Demonstration Team and Heritage Flight, F/A-18 Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration, AV-8B Harrier Demonstration, US Army Golden Knights and US Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Teams.
Civillian acts included John Collver, Sean Tucker, Mike Wiskus, Steve Stavrokakis, Kirby Chambliss and Chuck Aaron as well as a trainer parade, B-25 Mitchell and T-6 Texan II.
The MV-22 Osprey has been integrated into the MAGTF for the past few years, but this year we were treated to a Level III Demo of the Osprey. This demo is very similar to the Harrier demo. The aircraft demonstrates a short take off and returns with a low-altitude, high speed pass. It returns, hovers and rotates 360 degrees over a fixed point, flies backwards and forward in hover mode, performs a vertical landing and vertical takeoff.
The Osprey greatly enhances the deep insertion and extraction capabilities of the the Marines and the technology has been battle proven in the harsh environments of Iraq and Afghanistan. The sophistication of the tilt rotor system is something to behold. Its reliability is no longer in question and for those that don't remember, even a seemingly simple weapon system such as the M-16 rifle had development issues that had to be resolved over time.
A new gallery has been requested & I will begin posting to it and add the url to this post shortly. I have about 20 photos ready to post and will be adding many more over the coming weeks. Enjoy.
MCAS Miramar 2012 - Military Pictures - Air Force Army Navy Missiles Defense
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