Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Newsome | Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Deon Brown, assigned to the "Spartans" of...... read more read more
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Flying over the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG) is a specialized community of naval aircrewmen who operate various aircraft systems to support anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), electronic warfare (EW), as well as search-and-rescue (SAR) inside MH-60R Sea Hawks.
The naval aircrewman (tactical helicopter), also known as AWRs, assigned to the “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70, are the eyes and ears of the GRFCSG.
The naval aircrewman community is broad and encompasses many different specialties. The AWR rate is specialized in ASW and are also trained search and rescue swimmers.
“Most people think that we are just rescue swimmers, which we are, but that’s actually our secondary mission,” said Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 2nd Class Deon Brown, from Huntington Beach, California, assigned to HSM-70. “We are sensor operators, our primary mission is ASW, tracking submarines.”
The MH-60R Sea Hawk, also known as Romeos, is the U.S. Navy’s primary anti-submarine warfare helicopter. Romeos are specially designed to support anti-submarine mission equipment such as the Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) or the dipper as the aircrewmen call it.
“The dipper gets lowered into the water by a reeling machine, since it’s an active sensor, we are able to ping it and see if there is anything in the area, like a submarine,” said Brown. “Sonobuoys are like mini portable dippers that we carry to do the same thing passively and actively while on the go, since we aren’t able to move while utilizing the dipper.”
Everything in the water that makes noise gives off a different frequency. Submarines are the biggest threat to a naval vessel, especially an aircraft carrier. AWRs use sonars that detect sound frequencies and provide feedback on the location of any object producing sound in the water.
“It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack,” said Brown. “Our job is to sort through all of the frequencies that are picked up and decipher where they are coming from and which ones are coming from submarines.”
There are many risks that come with being an AWR, from flying to tracking enemy contacts. It takes perseverance, determination, courage, but most of all passion to do their job.
“There’s a great satisfaction that comes with this job,” said Brown. “When you’re training with real subs, the subs are practicing their evasive maneuvers and there’s one person against a whole crew trying to find this sub, and when you find them it feels amazing.”
From their extensive initial training to experience in the fleet, AWRs have been successfully completing their mission for decades, saving lives and keeping some of the Navy’s most valuable assets safe.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG) is conducting a scheduled deployment in the Atlantic Ocean in support of interoperability and maritime security. The GRFCSG provides an inherently flexible naval force capable of deploying across combatant commands to meet emerging missions, deter potential adversaries, reassure allies and partners, enhance security and guarantee the free flow of global commerce. In total, the GRFCSG is deployed with more than 6,000 Sailors across all platforms ready to respond globally to combatant commander tasking.
Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. Ford-class aircraft carriers introduce 23 new technologies, including Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System, Advanced Arresting Gear and Advanced Weapons Elevators. The new systems incorporated onto Ford-class ships are designed to deliver greater lethality, survivability and joint interoperability with a 20% smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, paving the way forward for naval aviation.
For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/ and follow along on Facebook: @USSGeraldRFord, Twitter: @Warship_78, DVIDS: www.dvids.net/CVN78 and LinkedIn at USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2023 10:27 |
| Story ID: | 458041 |
| Location: | MEDITERRANEAN SEA |
| Hometown: | HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 223 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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