SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Originally designed during the cold war to hunt enemy submarines, the P-3C Orion has become somewhat of a jack of all trades, monitoring both the land and maritime domains throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
"Out of here, we really have two primary mission sets," said Cmdr. Sean Liedman, Patrol Squadron EIGHT commanding officer. "The first is flying missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing over watch and indications and warning for coalition ground forces and collecting intelligence on [enemy forces] on the battlefield. The second mission is maritime security operations, to protect America's maritime interests in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea."
Although the P-3C is capable of carrying up to 18,000 pounds of ordnance, it is primarily used in an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance role here.
"We have a number of sensors we can use to detect [events] throughout the battle space, and then relay that information back to task force commanders via a satellite communications suite," said Commander Liedman, a Kimball, Minn., native. "We have an electro-optical and infrared turret that can collect images in both the visible and infrared spectrum, similar to the turret on the [RQ-1] Predator. We also have radar that's capable of operating in both the maritime and over land environment."
Since the P-3 began deploying here seven years ago, its community has adapted well to the changing mission set, said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Hockran, VP-8 operations officer.
"Whether the mission is over water or over land, the skill sets required to do each mission aren't very different," said the Andover, Ohio native. "So it was very easy for us [to adapt]."
The squadron, who's home station was originally Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, but officially became NAS Jacksonville, Fla., June 1, has flown slightly more missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom than it has missions in support of maritime security," Commander Liedman said.
"We are a part of the constellation of airborne assets that provide surveillance and reconnaissance over Iraq and have contributed to the improving security and stability conditions," Commander Liedman said. "In the Maritime security realm, there have been no major incidents in the Arabian Gulf, including incidents of piracy or tactical incidents. So, it has been a very rewarding deployment for our Sailors."
One change that's occurred since the last time the squadron was deployed here in 2006-2007 is the addition of a detachment at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, whose primary mission is coalition counter-piracy operations.
"Down there we have flown more than 50 counter-piracy missions," said Commander Liedman. "We have witnessed pirate attacks in progress and have executed shows of presence where we descend to a low altitude and fly over the skiff or mother ship that's suspected of engaging in piracy in an attempt to deter the attack. The maneuver has been successful in stopping pirate attacks on several occasions."
He said they also flew in support of the Maersk Alabama piracy crisis in April, providing video footage and communications relay to Navy leadership.
"More than a hand full of times this deployment, we have flown a mission and the next day you read about it in a regional newspaper, or see it on the U.S. news," said Commander Liedman. "It doesn't require a bunch of motivational speeches to make people understand why what they do here is important."
For maintenance workers, one of the biggest challenges they face here is keeping the P-3C's running with all the heat and sand.
"A lot of [the P-3C's] systems are supposed to use the outside air to cool the onboard systems, but the outside air is 120 degrees and full of sand," said Petty Officer 1st Class Mark Hodio, a VP-8 aviation mechanic." It definitely requires more man hours for a flight than at other places we operate."
In addition to their counter-piracy mission, Sailors at Camp Lemonier have enjoyed opportunities to volunteer at two orphanages as part of community relations program designed to further U.S. interests in the region.
"The program was set up through the chapel at Camp Lemonier," Commander Liedman said."One of our hospital corpsman, Petty Officer Second Class Diego Davila, discovered the program and took a few shipmates out there, and it was so personally rewarding for everybody that the program became self sustaining."
Commander Liedman said he expects VP-8 will continue to operate here for some time due to the strategic importance of the squadron's mission. "Our mission is centered on presence and partnership, showing America's commitment to stability in the region and our commitment to all of our coalition partners."