Editor’s Note: FighterSweep Fans, I believe we have the best, most talented, credible team of contributors in aviation journalism. The majority of our writers are pilots, and most of those are either currently or former military aviators. Those who aren’t pilots work in the aviation industry in some capacity or other. So for all of us, flying is in our blood. I love talking about our team, because they’re just that awesome, and here is another example. “Wingnut” is one of ours, and you get to go inside the cockpit with him as he and his shipmates from the “Fist of the Fleet” take the fight to some bad people downrange.
Here is a snippet of the transcript for the accompanying video:
Overseas now to Martha Raddatz, who spent the week in the Persian Gulf on the USS Truman. She brings us this exclusive inside look at the crucial effort to wipe out [Daesh].
“Three, two, one. Pickle.”
They’re flying in the dead of night over enemy territory. Armed with thousand-pound bombs, zeroing in on their target.
“We only have the 30-minute window.”
The U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, a Nimitz-Class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)
We followed this heart-pounding, breathtaking mission with the fighter pilots beating back [Daesh]. Crossing Iraq into Syria. Through a gathering storm.
“Whatever you can do to avoid some of the weather.”
We joined the mission hours before, on the USS Harry S. Truman. Even from high above, the Navy’s massive aircraft carrier delivers a powerful message. Deployed to the persian gulf, the Truman is the mother ship of the carrier battle group. And the heart of the fight against [Daesh]. Home to more than 5,000 sailors and a jaw-dropping amount of military might.
This is what they call the bomb farm. Hundreds of precision-guided weapons. Millions and millions of dollars worth of ordnance waiting to be loaded on to the aircraft. Rear Admiral Brett Batchelder, an F-18 fighter pilot himself, commands the battle group.
“It seems to have intensified in the last couple of months. After the attacks in Paris, I think there has been an uptick in the aggressiveness. So, we have had a constant stream of taskings since we have got here and fly sorties up into Syria and Iraq every day.”
You can view the original piece on ABC News right here.
(Featured photo courtesy of Zone-Five.net)