In every mans life (at least the ones that build model airplanes) there comes a time that you have to have your name on one, for Brian and I, this is that time. It is kind of hard to see in the photos but the pilots name is Capt C L Henthorn Jr. and the WSO is Capt. B R Marbrey.

The story behind this aircraft starts in the near future (at least at the time it was written). While the debate in the U.N. continues as to weather Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and weather or not to use military force against them, Saddam Hussein ordered a first strike against coalition forces massing in Kuwait. This strike caught coalition forces completely off guard. The Iraqis used low flying aircraft to strike airbases in Kuwait with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. The nuclear weapons were primarily used to strike at the carrier battle groups in the Persian Gulf. F-14B Tomcats from VF-103 aboard the U.S.S. George Washington were able to get air born and eliminate the incoming threat. For the first time the Tomcat was used the way it was intended. The entire squadron took off with a full load of AIM-54C Phoenix missiles. It has been reported by the skipper of the GW the several Tomcats used their full potential and engaged up to 6 targets simultaneously. This strike severely crippled Air Force and Marine aviation units. 50% of the aircraft in theater were destroyed and chemical and biological agents killed 75% of the flight crews. The Navy was left to stand alone in the air. With an urgent need for pilots the commanding generals of both the Air Force and Marine Corps put out a call for anyone in their services with any kind of flight experience, from crop dusting to pc flight sims, be trained to replace the ranks of their decimated flight crews (hence the pilot and WSO). With new flight crews pouring into the region and still a reduced number of operational aircraft the operational tempo is extremely high. Ground crews have barely enough time to keep the plane airworthy. As soon as a plane hits the ground it is prepared for another mission. If the pilot from the previous mission does not report any major problems it is sent right back up. This makes it extremely difficult to keep the planes clean giving them the appearance of WWII war horses not modern jet fighters.

She is armed 2 AIM-9Ls on the wing tips, 2 fuel tanks on the inboard wing pylons, 2 AGM-88 HARMs on the outboard wing pylons, a data link pod and an AIM-120 on the cheek stations, and a Mk. 20 Rockeye II on the center line pylon. I asked a pilot with VMFA-332 one time what a good load out would be for an ATARS bird. He told me any thing the regular Hornets carry. They use the ATARS equipped birds like any other they just can’t shoot anything with a gun. I chose this load out because it seamed like a good self-defense load out for a recon mission.