The “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70, attached to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, have been working hand-in-hand with the fleet’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during the month of September, as a part of Independent Steaming Event 12 and the ship’s 18-month post-delivery test and trials phase of operations.
The Spartans have been helping to fulfill the logistic requirements of Ford, and have been the alert plane guard search-and-rescue asset during fixed wing operations. Ford serves as a platform for HSM-70’s pilots to receive training on all their mission requirements, but especially the more junior members of the squadron. Many of these junior pilots are working from a ship for the first time.
“It’s definitely intimidating at the beginning, showing up knowing you have this big syllabus to get through in order to reach our goals,” said Lt. j.g. P.J. Oristian, a junior pilot assigned to HSM-70, originally from Bethesda, Maryland. “When we show up, our first goal is to make helicopter aircraft commander or what we call HAC.”
HSM squadrons act as a jack-of-all-trades within the air wing, focusing primarily on anti-submarine warfare (ASW), surface warfare and electronic warfare. The MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, flown by HSM-70 pilots, has command and control capabilities as well.
“HSM within the air wing is really growing,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joey “Queen” Kühn, from Los Angeles, the detachment’s officer in charge. “The world is really developing into this near-peer competition, where we are coming back to an open ocean fight, and HSM in general is starting to take a premiere role in that fight.”
HSM-70 has three core principles which they try to live out every day: people, pride and professionalism.
“We are a very family centered squadron,” said Kühn. “We take great pride in what we do and we try to maintain a high professional standard.”
While HSM-70 is in a maintenance phase of operations with one detachment deployed with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), they have also pushed farther into the ASW mission set in order to protect aircraft carriers like Ford, serving as an organic ASW asset for the strike group.
“We can go out and be the eyes and ears of the strike group,” said Kühn. “To help with long range targeting or the basic task of identifying who is around us.”
While underway with Ford, HSM-70 had the opportunity to further integrate strike group operations with the guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), on Sept. 5. Ford and Arleigh Burke steamed within range for junior pilots assigned to HSM-70 to complete deck landing qualifications and conduct a vertical replenishment.
“Those are experiences that these pilots won’t get everywhere,” said Kühn. “They are valuable experiences as future helicopter aircraft commanders because at the end of the day those are the pilots that are going to replace us old guys.”
For more news from USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit www.dvidshub.net/unit/CVN78