Salvo Away

[Knight26]

Well as some of you know I was recently away for three weeks on a trip for work, got a buttload of Over Time for it too. The trip was to the USS JFK, CV(A)-63 where we certified our launchers and trained the crew. Well it culminated in a 2 week underway period during which we shot about ten missiles. Four RAM BTVs (Blast Test Vehicles) which are used for structural test firings, basically to see what effect the rocket motor blast has on the ship's structure. We fired two BTVs from each launcher, though I didn't get watch the second set of shots because the space I was in has bad doors seals and an open stuffing tube that let exhasut gas into it, not fun but everyone was fine. Anyway we then fired a single Block 1 round at a drone for a certification shoot, nailed it, but since it was telemtry round with no warhead it tore up the drone but did not destroy it. Well we brought the drone around again to shoot the second launcher ar it, but it was so damaged from the shot that its radar was unusable and so we couldn't fire at it witht he Block 0 round. The range was a bunch of idiots and they did not launch a second drone so we couldn't shoot the second launcher, ugh. After that we went out to NATO test range and over the next two days fired five NATO Sea Sparrow missiles. I was off the ship by that point, took the COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery) off, got to take a cat shot, was too cool. Anyway was a cool trip, though it got really cold since we were off the coast of Virginia for the shoots. Anyway attached is the only good picture the ship took of one of the BTV launches, thought you would all get a kick out of it.