326
UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995
1980-Contin ued
5 February Coral Sea relieved Midway which had
been on contingency operations in the Arabian Sea
since the Iranian hostage crisis broke out in November
1979.
29 February VMO-l began flying the new OV-lOD
Bronco observation plane at New River, N.C. The D
version, manufactured by Rockwell International, had
the FUR and laser rangefinder designator systems. The
new systems enabled the pilot to locate a target at
night or in bad weather and then pinpoint the exact
range and location with a laser beam. An automatic
video tracker computer system locked on to a moving
target with information provided by the infrared sys-
tem. The TV-like video display gave the pilot and
observer a computer-assisted sighting capability.
Conventional improvements included the upgraded T-
76 turboprop engine, larger fiberglass propellers and
an increased fuel capacity.
1 March It was reported that the CNO had proposed
to the Secretary of Defense a plan to reactivate the
Essex-class carrier Oriskany and several other major
moth-balled ships to help fulfill the Navy's missions in
the Indian Ocean and other areas.
6 March Nassau began a month-long cruise to the
Caribbean to demonstrate U.S. capability to defend the
Panama Canal in accordance with the 1979 treaty with
Panama. Nassau had a 400-man Marine detachment,
CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters
and AV-8A Harriers on board.
16 April Dwight D. Eisenhower and her nuclear-
powered escort ships departed East Coast ports en
route to the Indian Ocean to relieve Nimitz. This was
the second all nuclear-powered task force to head for
the Indian Ocean since the beginning of the Iranian
hostage crisis. Two days later, Constellation and her
escort ships departed Subic Bay, R.P., steaming to the
Indian Ocean to relieve Coral Sea.
24 April Eight RH-53D Sea Stallions operating from
Nimitz in the Arabian Sea took part in a joint task
force operation to rescue the American hostages in
Tehran, Iran. The mission was later aborted at a desert
refueling site. Subsequently, one of the helicopters
collided with a C-130 Hercules aircraft resulting in the
loss of eight lives. All other personnel were evacuated
on the remaining C-130s.
30 April Constellation and her task group relieved
Coral Sea and her escort ships. Coral Sea had been on
station for 89 days in connection with the Iranian crisis.
5 May Saipan and other Navy ships provided
humanitarian search and rescue support operations for
the vast sealift of Cuban refugees heading for the U.S.
through the Florida Straits. The Navy ships had been
diverted from the annual combined training exercise
Solid Shield to undertake the mission.
8 May Arriving in the Arabian Sea from the U.S. via
the Cape of Good Hope, Dwight D. Eisenhower conduct-
ed turnover with Nimitz, which had been involved in
Iranian contingency operations for 115 consecutive days.
26 May The President embarked on Nimitz off
Norfolk, Va., and thanked the men of Nimitz and her
escort ships for their sacrifice during an extended
nine-month deployment to the Mediterranean and the
Indian Ocean. Nimitz had spent 144 straight days at
sea in connection with the Iranian hostage crisis.
27 May Coral Sea was diverted to standby duty
south of the Cheju-Do Islands in the Sea of Japan in
response to conditions of civil unrest in the Republic
of Korea. She was relieved by Midway three days later.
31 May P-3 Orions from various patrol squadrons of
Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, Seventh Fleet, con-
tinued their search, begun the previous year, for
refugees in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.
These aircraft had investigated more than 15,000 radar
contacts and dropped radio transmitters and/or
refugee survival packs to people in distress. To this
date, over 2,500 refugees had been rescued through
efforts by all elements of the Navy.
3 June The first AGM-65E laser Maverick missile was
fired at Eglin AFB, Fla., from a Marine Corps A-4M
Skyhawk. The missile was the laser-guided version of
the USAF's air-to-ground Maverick with a heavier war-
head. It was being developed by Hughes Aircraft
Company for use by the Marine Corps in close-air sup-
port of combat troops.
15 June A loading demonstration of the F/ A-18
Hornet was held at NATC Patuxent River, Md. The air-
craft showed off some of its weapons capabilities,
among them the 20mm Vulcan cannon, AIM-7F
advanced Sparrow, AIM-9L Sidewinder, flare dis-
pensers, rocket launchers, advanced fuel-air explo-
sives, and a Rockeye and other bombs. Hornet
weaponry also included Walleye, Maverick, Harpoon
and HARM missiles, and laser-guided bombs.

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