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The “Fighting Tigers” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 participated in an amphibious exercise (AMPHIBEX) as part of Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 2024 in the Kingdom of Thailand, March 1, 2024.
VP-8 is based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, and is currently forward deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, as part of Commander, Task Force 72. The squadron conducts maritime patrol and reconnaissance as part of a rotational deployment to the U.S. SEVENTH Fleet area of operations.
What exactly does a P-8 bring to an AMPHIBEX? It provides a bird’s eye view of a battlespace, directing multiple military assets, like ships, amphibious vehicles, and aircraft.
“Bringing a common operating picture to this exercise is huge,” said Lt. Kelly Baze, a naval flight officer with VP-8.
Baze and a crew of 9 Sailors fly aboard a Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft as part of Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 2024. Their mission is to give the entire AMPHIBEX an extended view of the battlespace.
The P-8 brings a variety of detection capabilities to the exercise, Baze explained.
Furthermore, the aircraft can communicate with and relay battlespace information to other assets in the area, making it a crucial part of military operations and exercises.
The Poseidon is equipped with an array of sophisticated sensors, radar, and cameras, making it the Navy’s ideal aircraft for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
During the Cobra Gold AMPHIBEX, the VP-8 crew gathered and relayed key data to the various multinational assets on water and land to coordinate the large-scale beach landing.
“Everyone is relying on us to relay what we’re seeing in real-time,” Baze said. “The Poseidon can provide so much to the battlespace picture.”
From 11,000 ft. in the air, the P-8 helps give exercise commanders and participants a complete perspective of what’s happening on the surface. The P-8 crew can even direct other aircraft in the battlespace to where they need to be, Baze said.
As part of the AMPHIBEX, naval ships and an amphibious combat unit seized an opposing force’s beachhead. After reaching the beachhead, the amphibious combat unit breached the opposing force’s territory and secured the beach.
U.S. SEVENTH Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners throughout the region with the intent of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2024 00:19 |
| Story ID: | 465342 |
| Location: | RAYONG, TH |
| Hometown: | PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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