350

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1986-Contin ued

deployed VAQ squadrons and the HARM missile capa-

bility of the VA squadrons. VA-81, with its A-7E Corsair

lIs, participated in the retaliatory strike against the Surt

SA-5 missile site by acting as the decoy group for VA-

83s A-7Es, which fired their HARMs against the site,

putting it out of action. On the same day, A-6A

Intruders from VA-34 attacked and damaged a Libyan

Combattante II G-class fast attack missile craft with a

Harpoon missile. This was the first operational use of

a Harpoon in combat. A follow-up attack by VA-85 air-

craft using Rockeye bombs resulted in the sinking of

the Combattante. More action followed-Intruders of

VA-85 attacked a Libyan Nanuchka II-class missile

corvette and dropped Rockeye cluster bombs on the

corvette. The damaged Nanuchka II was forced to

return to the port of Benghazi. On 25 March a second

Nanuchka II-class missile corvette was attacked by a

couple of VA-55 Intruders. However, their Rockeyes

missed the corvette. This attack was followed up by

Intruders from VA-85, firing a Harpoon which

destroyed the vessel.

25 March The final carrier launching of a Navy fleet

F-4S Phantom II was completed by pilot Lieutenant

Alan S. Colegrove and radar intercept officer

Lieutenant Greg Blankenship of VF-151. The aircraft

was launched from Midway during flight operations in

the East China Sea. The F-4 was scheduled for replace-

ment by the F/ A-18 Hornet.

28 March VFA-106, the Atlantic Fleet F/A-18 readi-

ness squadron, graduated its first class of replacement

pilots. Nine of the 10 graduates were aviators assigned

to the VFA-137 Kestrals, which were established in

1985.

29 March Lieutenant Commander Donnie L.

Cochran, the first African American member of the

U.S. Navy's precision flight demonstration squadron,

the Blue Angels, completed his initial performance

during the team's air show held at Luke AFB, Ariz.

Lieutenant Commander Cochran was selected in

September 1985 for the number three position on the

flight team based at Pensacola, Fla.

14-15 April Operation El Dorado Canyon-F/A-18

Hornets from CVW -13 aboard Coral Sea and A-7E

Corsair lIs from America conducted air-to-surface

Shrike and HARM missile strikes against Libyan sur-

face-to-air missile sites at Benghazi and Tripoli, min-

utes before attacks by the Navy's A-6Es from the two

carriers and the Air Force's F-111 s. Intruders from VA-

55 and -34 conducted a low-level bombing raid on ter-

A VA-55 A-6E Intruder lands on Coral Sea. Intruders from VAs 55

and 34 struck terrorist targets in Benghazi, Libya.

rorist targets in Benghazi, Libya. Aircraft from VA-55

hit the Benina airfield and VA-34 struck the Benghazi

military compound. Navy E-2C Hawkeyes and EA-6B

Prowlers, along with Marine Corps Prowlers, provided

electronic countermeasures and command control

capabilities for aircraft involved in the strikes against

Libya. CVW-1's F-14A Tomcats and CVW-13's F/A-18

Hornets provided fighter support for the operations.

28 April Enterprise transited the Suez Canal, becom-

ing the first nuclear-powered carrier to do so, as it

steamed toward the Mediterranean to relieve Coral

Sea. The transit began at 0300 and took approximately

12 hours to complete.

2 May The feasibility of blimps for active duty was

determined by a Navy board and later recommended

to the Secretary of the Navy for funding. Studies con-

cerning the usefulness of Navy airships were complet-

ed earlier in 1985.

2 May The Navy initiated a contract for the V-22 tilt-

rotor aircraft with the team of Bell Helicopter Textron,

Fort Worth, Tex., and Boeing- Vertol Company,

Philadelphia, Pa., as codevelopers of the joint-services

aircraft.

5 May The Secretary of the Navy designated 1986 as

the Diamond Anniversary of Naval Aviation, during

which significant historical Naval Aviation achieve-

ments would be recognized in events throughout the

year.