This is the worst nightmare for pilots conducting trap landings on an aircraft carrier.

This video was filmed on Mar. 18, 2016 and shows an E-2C Hawkeye performing a trap landing on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

As the footage shows, the cable used to catch the landing aircraft snapped: you can see the E-2C, slowed down by the #4 wire, continue toward the end of the flight deck, disappear off the flight deck while falling toward the sea before reappearing several seconds later, miraculously managing to gain speed and altitude.

According to the Virginian-Pilot media outlet, U.S. Navy investigators blamed human error and an improperly programmed valve for the incident in which eight sailors were injured.

Aircraft performing for an arrested landing on a carrier apply full throttle immediately after touchdown for two reasons: they may miss the cable or, worst case scenario, the cable might snap. In both cases, the aircraft needs to

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All you can see is pitch black!

This impressive video was shot years ago from the cockpit on an A-6 Intruder about to land on USS Carl Vinson in the Indian Ocean.

A night carrier trap landing is always a challenging task, even more so if a generator failure occurs during the approach.

Here’s how the author explains what is shown in the footage:

“The dimly lit ship is barely a speck in the night at about three miles (time 1:22). Warning tones are (1) radar altimeter (set to 1200′ and 375′) and (2) a rapid warning tone from the radar altimeter due to a generator failure. LSO [Landing Signal Officer] calls for “Wing lights,” which were lost due to the electrical malfunction (unknown to LSO). Expeditious emergency procedures for an electrical failure to regain lost electrical buses were completed while performing demanding tasks involved in landing a jet aboard the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night.”

H/T to our reader “brightlight” for the heads-up

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Recent satellite imagery showed Tehran is building a fake U.S. aircraft. New photographs prove that Iran’s Nimitz class mock flattop hosts several (fake) planes, including some CAG birds and a Jolly Rogers F/A-18 Hornet.

Iran is not only working on a mock American aircraft carrier. New images posted on Facebook show that the USS Nimitz class ship being assembled in an Iranian shipyard on the Persian Gulf most probably for propaganda purposes (do you remember the F-313 Qaher stealth jet?) or as a movie prop, now features also some embarked planes.

Noteworthy, along with some F-5 Tiger aircraft (serving with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force but not existing in a carrier-variant) parked on the flight deck of the fake Iranian carrier there are also some fake F/A-18 Hornets.

One of the two in special color scheme sports the unique livery and markings of the legendary VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers”.

The Jolly Rogers are one of the most famous squadron in U.S. Navy. They currently fly the F/A-18F Super Hornet adorned with Ensign Jack Ernie’s skull-and-crossbones on all-black tails, their symbol and probably the most recognizable one in Naval Aviation (to such an extent you can find it in Disney’s “Planes” cartoon).

The reason for using CAG (Carrier Air Group) planes in special colors makes Iran’s mysterious aircraft carrier’s flight deck slightly more realistic but the question remains: why did Tehran spend so much money to build such a huge model?

As mentioned before, it might be a prop for an upcoming movie (about an Iranian airliner shot down by a U.S. cruiser in 1988) as reported by some media outlets; still, considering the effort in building the mock up it is also possible that the ship will serve for more military purposes: for instance testing new technologies and/or training warplanes to attack a U.S. flattop in the Persian Gulf exploiting its vulnerabilities.

In either cases, just a waste of money…

H/T Guido Olimpio for the heads-up. Image credit: IRIAF Facebook page

 

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The following cool image shows USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier passing through a thunderstorm during maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, as flashes of lighting can be seen over the horizon.

Image credit: U.S. Navy

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The following picture shows Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as it steams aside the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) during a replenishment at sea.

Three SH-60 helicopters appear to be flying around the ships carrying supplies delivered on the aircraft carrier’s flight deck by means of a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) operation.

Although they are nuclear powered (hence they do not need “energy supplies” for some 20 years), aircraft carriers have to take on fuel and supplies (including food, mail, etc.) during the RAS (Replenishment At Sea) to “feed” the embarked planes and personnel.

Image credit: U.S. Navy