NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – NAVAIR’S Naval Aviation Training Systems program office (PMA-205) deployed a Tactical Combat Training System (TCTS) to Guam March 9 through April 2 in support of a biennial Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP).

TCTS is a GPS-based training instrumentation system that allows real-time monitoring of tactical missions as well as high resolution post-flight debriefing for the aircrews.

The PMA received a request for the system from the Capt. Ross Myers, commander, Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5), Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and immediately responded by sending the system and a combined government-contractor team, including Cubic Defense Systems and DRS Technologies from Fallon, Nev., to Guam.

“I’m very proud of our joint 205/contractor team for being able to provide the fleet this kind of critical training capability,” said Capt. Darryl “Spike” Long, PMA-205 program manager.

Thirty TCTS pods and the three ground stations were shipped to Guam. The pods were flown on both F/A-18C Hornets and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets of CVW-5 and F/A-18A+ Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 204 (VFA-204), the River Rattlers, a Naval Air Reserve adversary unit based at Naval Air Station New Orleans, La., that flew the adversary missions during the exercise.

According to Myers, CVW-5 deemed the training exercise an unprecedented success.

“We flew 1,522 successful sorties using the TCTS system with a 97 percent success rate”, said Myers. “As a comparison, we flew 516 successful TCTS sorties during a similar exercise in 2008. The debriefing capability of the TCTS system was a significant enabler for increasing our combat readiness, which is critical for CVW 5 since we are the nations only forward deployed carrier air wing.”

The next scheduled SFARP exercise for CVW-5 is 2012.

Photo 1: “An F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA 102), the Diamondbacks, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, carrying a Tactical Combat Training System pod during the latest biennial Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP) for Carrier Air Wing 5 held on Guam March 9 thru April 2.” U.S. Navy photo.

Photo 2: “The Transportable Ground Subsystem, part of the Tactical Combat Training System.” U.S. Navy photo.