I learned to Tow the TDU in VC-12 while TAD in the early 80's.
Then some one learned that I had this "skill" in my VA-196 I became the
airwing TGT expert. The deal was that there was no way a reel could be repaired
on the ship so once we birdcaged the 35,000 feet of wire on the reel we were
done for at least 3 months while the reels wer shipped back to Cubi for I lever
repairs. So I got to tow for the Connies Cheez Wiz as well as the small boys.
For the c-wiz we ran out only 10,000 feet of wire. The presentation had to be
pretty close since the radar/computer had to evaluate the TGT as a threat
otherwise it wouldn't shoot. On a perpendicular run you would actualy fly over
the bow of the ship at about 3k and hope the TDU was in the less than 500'
altitude but above the bridge hight.And would pass just aft of the ship, (lots
of kentucky windage used to figure that out!) It was a real bad deal to drag
the tgt through the ship as people had been killed in the past and needless to
say a carreer ender for the flight crews regardless of the damage inflicted.
I prefered the parallel presentation safer for all involved, ( I don't think
the black shoes had any clue how much more difficult the perp presentation was)
anyway on this particulaer run it was for the Connie.We made several cold runs
and the gunners made sure everthing was working. It was my understanding that
they had some one standing behind the Cwiz that would actually look to see were
the thing was aiming before they gave a cleared to fire to avoid the drumstick
attack. Anyway the first hot pass they fired but didn't get any hits so I set
up for a second pass. I waited til I was about 1.5 dme outbound gave a cleared
to fire the first 5 rounds went right through the TDU it did a split s into the
water with a tug on the wire felt in the plane. The radar was so good it
started to track and shoot up the wire scoreing several hit on the wire itself
! It also birdcagged the wire so the Cag gunner was happy since that was one
more that was going off the ship on the next unrep.
In the wardroom that evening I saw the gun boss and chidded him about taking 2
runs to bag the tgt. apparently it was the first time in over 5 years that it
had taken 2 runs and they were pretty much all bummed out over the situation.

I'm glad I never had to fly against the cwiz because if it worked it was
deadly.


Any way regardless of the outcome of the Cwiz shoot if there was any rounds
shot at the Tgt it was SOP to cut the wire and jettison the TDU since it may
have DU smeared all over it.


As an aside, I know that the CIWS was a really good shot. I never reeled a
target back in.

Then there was the A-A missle shoots with 30,000' feet of wire out being
dragged.

Sparky