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Marines Pfc. Juvahne Bramwell, left, an assistant gunner and a Stephen City, Va., native, and Lance Cpl. Rawshean
Haynes, a gunner and a Warren, Ohio, native, both with Alpha
Battery, 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, spot and prepare to
lock onto a notional enemy aircraft on San Clemente, Calif., March
14, 2012. The battery Marines use a shoulder-fired Stinger training
missile during a training exercise, preparing for future
deployments. Photo by USMC LCpl. Kevin Crist
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SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (3/16/2012) - An assistant gunner looks through
his binoculars to see an aircraft coming his way and points it out
to the other two Marines in this three man team of 3rd Low Altitude
Air Defense Marines.
The LAAD team has been instructed that
any aircraft flying this day is considered an enemy. In other words,
if it flies, it dies.
The gunner of the group picks up his
shoulder-fired Stinger training missile, locks on to the target,
super-elevates and pulls the trigger. A loud, ear-piercing pop sends
the missile on its way. The missile's heat-seeking system tracks
down the enemy aircraft, causing an explosion and sending it
crashing to the ground. The team of Marines then sends in their
engagement report.
This is a hypothetical scenario.
The mission of a LAAD unit is to provide close-in, low altitude
surface-to-air weapons' fire in defense of forward combat areas,
vital areas and installations. LAAD specializes in ground-based air
defense, explained Lance Cpl. Ethan Navajar, a gunner with Alpha
Battery, 3rd LAAD Battalion and a Chicago native.
Alpha
Battery was sent to San Clemente Island, Calif., March 12 through
16, for training at an attempt to replicate what it would be like if
enemy aircraft were spotted on a deployment. Although there were no
live rounds or missiles, the Marines did everything possible to
simulate the real deal.
“The mission scenario LAAD was put
into, on San Clemente, Calif., was that terrorists took over Marine
Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.,” said Lance Cpl. Rawshean
Haynes, a gunner with 3rd LAAD and a Warren, Ohio, native. So the
LAAD Marines went to defend the island from further intermission and
make sure the terrorists couldn't |
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use it as an airfield for other operations. |
Approximately 20 vehicles carrying about 66 Marines
arrived on the island via Landing Craft, Air Cushion, March
12. The team was sent to practice their communication skills
and work on their reaction time with getting a Stinger
missile out when an enemy aircraft is spotted.
Haynes
explained that when an aircraft is spotted, the first thing
that has to be done is visually identify the aircraft.
Once that is done, the
Identify Friend or Foe system is used. This system sends a
coded tone to the aircraft and the aircraft sends a tone to
indicate whether the aircraft is friendly or unknown. If the
aircraft is unknown, the team must to wait for the okay to
engage it. If the approaching aircraft is hostile, the
gunner will lock on it with his Stinger missile.
Marines then super-elevate the weapon because when the
missile first comes out of the barrel it drops before it
chases the target.
After the Marines shoot down an
aircraft, the Marines have to send in an engagement report
to let the other teams know the specific details of the
engagement. This includes the time, type of aircraft, and
total number, as well as how many were shot down, Haynes
explained.
While sending in an engagement report,
the Marines have to quickly move to another position to
avoid giving away their position with the trail of gas left
behind by the missile.
The M-16A4 service rifle, the
M-240B medium machine gun and the M-2 .50-caliber machine
gun are brought and used to defend from ground forces,
explained Navajar.
“Aircraft aren't the only thing we
have to worry about,” said Navajar. “We have to worry about
troops heading in on foot. We always have our personal
weapons, because you never know who's out there.”
“Different teams could lose communication with other teams,
so all teams have to cooperate to make sure everyone knows
what is going on,” said Haynes.
He explained that
communication is very important in LAAD because if an
aircraft is shot down too close to another team, the debris
may fall on that team.
The teams also need to make
sure two missiles are not fired at the same aircraft due to
the high expense of the missile. If the aircraft is out of
their range, the team needs to let the other teams know an
aircraft may be heading their way.
With their primary
mission in mind, LAAD is scheduled to head to Marine Corps
Air Station Yuma, Calif., for a monthlong Weapons and
Tactics Instruction training course where LAAD Marines will
use actual Stingers and gain a more realistic view of what
combat is like for someone in this job field.
By USMC Lance Cpl. Kevin Crist
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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