During the long conflict in Southeast Asia, U.S. Marines Corps jets regularly flew from bases on land in direct support of troops on the ground. However, only one of the airbases that the service operated from in South Vietnam was actually outfitted with arrester wires and even catapult launch gear. This was at Chu Lai, where the Marines built themselves what was basically a land-based “aircraft carrier” that was utilized by A-4 Skyhawk light attack jets and, later, F-4 Phantom II fighters.
The story of Chu Lai Air Base is inseparable from that of the A-4’s service during the Vietnam War, where it was, quite rightly, recognized as one of the signature aircraft of the conflict. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Skyhawks bore a significant brunt of the air war for the first half of the conflict. In the process, pilots routinely flew into harm’s way on unglamorous missions, and the A-4 eventually accounted for more than a third of all Navy fixed-wing combat losses—Marine attrition rates were similar.
While Navy A-4s had been operating in Southeast Asia ever since 1964, when the Gulf of Tonkin incident led to more direct U.S. engagement in the conflict, Marine Skyhawks arrived later on the scene, as the ground war was becoming more intense. The Corps F-4 Phantom IIs, as well as RF-8 Crusader reconnaissance jets and EF-10 Skyknight electronic warfare aircraft, were already operating from Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam when the service elected to throw its A-4s into the fray.
However, with Da Nang’s capacity to support additional aircraft increasingly stretched to the limit, the decision was made to set up a new airbase from scratch. This was Chu Lai, located on the coast, around 55 miles south of Da Nang. It would be a Marine-led effort that included the installation of a Short Airfield for Tactical Support (SATS) system, which would launch jets via a trackless catapult and recover them using aircraft carrier-style arresting gear. Unlike a catapult found on an aircraft carrier, which runs down a trackway recessed in the deck, the trackless version was based on a wheeled dolly and a cable-tow driven by a capstan, powered in turn by turbine engines.
The entire arrangement would enable aircraft to get into the air and land back at the base without the need for a lengthy, traditional runway. This would also help address the performance limitations that came from the hot and humid conditions. As well as extra capacity, the new base would bring airpower closer to where it was needed, reducing flying time to targets, as well.
Work on the land-based catapult as a part of the SATS system been launched more than 10 years previously, inspired at least in part by experiences in the Korea War, when pierced steel matting had been laid to form extemporized airstrips close to the troops. By the early 1960s, there were experimental SATS sites at Bogue Field, North Carolina, and Quantico, Virginia. At one stage it was planned for SATS to accept a range of carrier-capable naval aircraft, including the A-6 Intruder, F-4 Phantom II, F-8 Crusader, and even the ultimately abortive F-111B.
Testing the CE-2 trackless aircraft launcher as part of the SATS system at Quantico, in 1963:
However, Chu Lai seems to have been the only facility in which SATS was used operationally and the task of building the new base fell upon the Seabees, the Navy’s Construction Battalions. Working in temperatures of 100 degrees or more, the Seabees laid a runway made of AM-2 aluminum planks — roughly 1.4 million square feet in all — soon nicknamed “the tinfoil airstrip.”
By the end of May 1965, taxiways, a parking ramp, and arrester gear had also been built at Chu Lai. The catapult arrived sometime later. All this was constructed in an area that was not only unstable but also prone to becoming seriously waterlogged after heavy rain.
The basic SATS concept envisaged a rapidly established airfield with a runway that was 2,000 to 3,000 feet long and 72 feet wide. But since Chu Lai was expected to be in use for a considerably longer period than a typical expeditionary operation, and host many more aircraft, the design was adapted, with a planned length of 8,000 feet and width of 107 feet. Initially, however, only 4,000 feet was actually completed, while work continued to stabilize the ground below the other half. Thereafter, constant attention was required to keep the runway planking from sinking into the mud. Later on, Chu Lai also got its own conventional runway, located in parallel to the SATS airstrip.
The first jets to arrive at the base were the A-4Cs of Marine Attack Squadron 225 (VMA-225) and the improved A-4Es from VMA-311, both of which touched down on June 1, 1965. Missions began the same day. The E-model Skyhawk featured various improvements compared to the C variant, perhaps most important being five external hardpoints for stores instead of three, allowing a heavier load of weapons to be carried.
In Peter Mersky’s authoritative US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War, former A-4 pilot retired Colonel Ned Carroll recalls what it was like to operate from the tinfoil airstrip in the early days:
Because of an engineering fluke, the bed material for the fabricated aluminum panel that made up the expeditionary runway had been laid over what we thought was laterite rock. However, once the monsoon arrived, we quickly learned that what we had presumed to be rock was actually clay! Softened by the heavy rains, the bedding material soon began to shoot out between the planks every time an aircraft passed over them. Deep voids quickly formed, which made takeoffs an adventure, with bumps so bad that eventually bombs were jarred loose and rolled down the runway! These bombs still had safening wires through their fuses, so there was no immediate danger of them exploding. Still, aircraft-bomb collision, with disastrous results, was always possible.”
Until the catapult arrived, A-4s were boosted into the air using rocket-assisted take-off (RATO) bottles. Each RATO bottle provided around 3,500 pounds of thrust for five seconds, approximately halving the takeoff run. Even so, the jets had to takeoff with a reduced fuel load, before quickly finding a KC-130 Hercules tanker to take on more gas.
Using the RATO gear was also not without its hazards, and pilots had to keep a close eye on the bottles to ensure both had fired properly. If not, and if carrying a heavy load, they would have to eject, since they would likely not make it off the runway.
Returning to Chu Lai was a case of lining up to catch the wire of the M-21 arrester gear, located around 1,000 feet further down the runway from the standard touchdown point and which could bring a Skyhawk to a standstill within as little as 250 feet. This was especially useful if the jet was returning to base in a damaged state, providing an extra degree of safety.
In the months that followed, Chu Lai’s Skyhawks saw heavy action, flying day and night in support of Marines and South Vietnamese troops sometimes engaged only half-a-dozen miles from the base perimeter. At times, Chu Lai itself came under attack from North Vietnamese forces, and the A-4s were required to defend their own base, which they did successfully.
Jets frequently returned to Chu Lai with significant combat damage, while poor weather led to a suspension of flying activity in late November 1965. By this time there were four Skyhawk squadrons at the base, with the addition of VMA-211 and VMA-214, and each unit had a complement of around 20 aircraft.
Ultimately, four squadrons of A-4s were considered the maximum that Chu Lai could accommodate, but different units were rotated in and out of the base as the demand for close air support continued to grow.
The catapult system finally became operational in May 1966 and was powered by a pair of General Electric J79 turbojets (as used in the F-4, among others), providing almost 35,000 horsepower. This could launch A-4s off the runway in either direction and, from a pilot’s perspective, reportedly made operations remarkably similar to flying to and from a real carrier deck. There was even a mirror landing aid to aid their recovery. Once up and running, the catapult could launch a fully armed Skyhawk into the air once every 90 seconds.
By the summer of 1966, the A-4 squadrons were reportedly averaging between 600 and 700 combat flying hours a month out of Chu Lai, with the close proximity of the fighting allowing pilots to fly multiple sorties each day. The rotational A-4 squadrons began “hot pad” alerts at the base, with a section of jets standing armed and ready to scramble, engines running and with pilots in the cockpits, should the need arise.
Much heavier and more powerful than the A-4, the Marine Corps F-4 was the other type to make extensive use of the SATS system in an operational capacity. During tests of the catapult, a Skyhawk was found to require 1,165 feet to take off, while a Phantom II needed 1,485 feet.
Armed with 12 500-pound bombs, an F-4B from VMFA-323 completed a first catapult shot from Chu Lai in August 1966, but it was not the smoothest start, as the pilot, retired Colonel Robert Jonhson, recalls in Peter E. Davies’ US Marine Corps F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War:
About halfway down the track, the aircraft seemed to lurch to a higher, nose-high attitude, and simultaneously with hitting the end of the catapult track, the starboard engine suffered a catastrophic failure (it exploded). My attention at this time was directed to my immediate front, which consisted of numerous trucks, Marines, and civilians waiting at a checkpoint off the end of the runway. Slowly climbing, I next noticed the base ammunition dump below my flight path. My briefing on emergency jettisoning of external stores did not cover this eventuality, but we were still flying… albeit only briefly.
I made a slight turn to the right in the direction of what appeared to be a clear area where we could jettison. As I tried to level the wings the stick bucked and froze in my hand. All I had to say was, ‘Eject, Jim, Eject.’ Jim responded instantly, and after hearing the second explosion, canopy and seat, I followed suit. Out altitude at the time was 100 feet or less. When my seat fired the aircraft was nearly 90 degrees to the horizon. As advertised, seat separation and chute opening occurred automatically, and I got a 90-degree swing in the chute before landing in a the-wire concertina fence. I looked up to see Jim come down in his chute about 30 yards away, The aircraft disintegrated about 50 yards beyond that, but none of the bombs detonated.
Colonel Johnson’s cool head saw him get a Distinguished Flying Cross and it was later found that the catapult shuttle had likely been incorrectly attached to the cable, leading to a near-deadly disaster.
In October 1966, the runway was extended to 10,000 feet and provided with a concrete surface, as well as parking ramps and taxiways. This made the airbase better suited to the Marine F-4s and the additional ramp space permitted three Phantom squadrons to be operated alongside the A-4s, although facilities on the ground remained basic, with most maintenance conducted in the open air.
Chu Lai survived the onslaught of the Tet Offensive that began in January 1968, during which the airstrip came under rocket attack, injuring two and damaging four Skyhawks. However, by September 1970, Chu Lai’s tenure as a Marine airbase had come to an end and it was handed over to the Army as the U.S. began withdrawing combat units. What became of the SATS system is unclear, but the Army would not have had any use for it. Thereafter, the remaining Marine combat squadrons in the country were concentrated at Da Nang. In fact, VMA-311 became the last U.S. combat squadron to leave Vietnam, which it did in January 1973, shortly before the ceasefire came into effect.
The “instant airfield” at Chu Lai was destined to be a one-off, but the lessons of SATS continue to this day, as the Marines continue to work on their Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept, a modern approach to bringing tactical airpower to bear anywhere it might be needed. The 2019 Marine Corps Aviation Plan describes the EABO concept as follows:
“A future naval operational concept that mitigates peer competitors’ anti-access/area-denial capability by creating a more survivable, resilient, and persistent forward-postured force. The EABO concept is designed to re-establish the force credibility required to have a deterrent effect. Using key maritime terrain in the vicinity of close and confined seas, EABO provides decision-makers with sea denial options that are coercive, but not escalatory.”
Paralleling the way the A-4 and F-4 were adapted for land-based “cat and trap” operations, the Marines have been exploring the potential for the F-35C carrier-capable variant to undertake short-field and austere operations.
To prepare for real-world EABO scenarios, Marine F-35Cs have been using the M-31 expeditionary arresting gear, permitting operations from smaller runways. Moreover, within the U.S. military right now there is now an increasing focus on rapidly building up austere air bases. In particular, as the Pentagon continues its “pivot” toward the Pacific theater, there is an understanding that a conflict with China would likely see established infrastructure, including traditional airbases, quickly destroyed. In Europe, too, expeditionary base concepts are seen as vital for any conflict with any near-peer threat nation.
Meanwhile, although SATS was destined to be something of a footnote to the conflict in Vietnam, the effort to set up an airbase from scratch was indicative of the determined and innovative approach of the Marines in the air war in Southeast Asia.
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Wakati wa vita vya Asia ya Kusini-Mashariki, ndege za jeshi la wanamaji la Marekani zilikuwa zikiendesha ndege kutoka kwenye vituo vyao vya ardhini ili kuunga mkono kikamilifu majeshi ya Marekani. Hata hivyo, ni moja tu ya vituo vya ndege kwamba huduma kuendeshwa kutoka katika Vietnam Kusini ilikuwa kweli outfitted na waya arrestor na hata catapult uzinduzi gear. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Marines"" ilijenga ""meli ya kubebea ndege"" iliyotumiwa na ndege za A-4 Skyhawk na baadaye ndege za kivita za F-4 Phantom II." Chu Lai Air Base ni moja ya ndege za kwanza za A-4 katika vita vya Vietnam, na inaonekana kuwa moja ya ndege za kipekee za vita hivyo. Ndege za Skyhawk za Jeshi la Wanamaji la Marekani na Jeshi la Wanamaji zilikuwa na jukumu kubwa katika vita vya angani katika nusu ya kwanza ya vita hivyo. Katika mchakato huo, marubani mara kwa mara aliruka katika njia ya madhara juu ya misheni unglamorous, na A-4 hatimaye alishiriki zaidi ya theluthi ya wote Navy imara-mabawa mapigano hasara. Ndege za kivita za A-4 zilikuwa zikiendesha kazi katika Asia ya Kusini-Mashariki tangu mwaka 1964, wakati tukio la Ghuba ya Tonkin liliposababisha ushiriki wa moja kwa moja wa Marekani katika mzozo huo, lakini ndege za kivita za Skyhawk ziliwasili baadaye, wakati vita vya ardhini vilikuwa vikizidi kuwa vikali. Ndege za jeshi la Marekani za aina ya F-4 Phantom II, pamoja na ndege za upelelezi za RF-8 Crusader na ndege za vita vya elektroniki za EF-10 Sky Knight, zilikuwa tayari zikiendesha kutoka Da Nang Air Base huko Vietnam Kusini wakati jeshi lilipochagua kutumia ndege za A-4 katika mapigano hayo. Hata hivyo, kwa Da Nang uwezo wa kusaidia ndege za ziada zaidi na zaidi kunyoosha hadi kikomo, uamuzi ulifanywa kuanzisha msingi mpya wa hewa kutoka mwanzo. Mji huo unaitwa Chu Lai, na uko karibu na mji wa Da Nang. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, mradi huo ulijumuisha kuanzisha mfumo wa ""Short Airfield for Tactical Support"" (SATS) ambao ungeweza kuzindua ndege kupitia catapult isiyo na njia na kuzirudisha kwa kutumia vifaa vya kukamata vya mtengenezaji wa ndege." Tofauti na catapult iliyopatikana kwenye meli ya kubebea ndege, ambayo inaendesha chini ya trackway iliyoingizwa kwenye deck, toleo la trackless lilitegemea dolly yenye magurudumu na cable-tow inayoendeshwa na capstan, inayoendeshwa na injini za turbine. Mpangilio huo wote ungewezesha ndege kuruka angani na kutua kwenye kituo cha ndege bila kuhitaji njia ndefu ya kawaida ya kuruka. Hii pia itasaidia kushughulikia mapungufu ya utendaji ambayo yalitokana na hali ya joto na unyevu. Pamoja na uwezo wa ziada, msingi mpya ulileta nguvu za hewa karibu na mahali ilihitajika, kupunguza muda wa kuruka kwa malengo, pia. Kazi ya kutengeneza catapult ya ardhi kama sehemu ya mfumo wa SATS ilianzishwa zaidi ya miaka kumi iliyopita, ikichochewa angalau kwa sehemu na uzoefu katika Vita vya Korea, wakati mattress ya chuma iliyopigwa ili kuunda ndege za ndege karibu na majeshi. Katika miaka ya 1960, uchunguzi wa SATS ulifanyika katika maeneo ya Bogue Field, North Carolina, na Quantico, Virginia. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo awali, ndege za kivita za aina ya ""A-6 Intruder,"" ""F-8 Crusader,"" na ""F-111B"" zilitumiwa katika ndege za kivita." "Mfano wa ndege ya ""C-2"" iliyotumiwa katika mashambulizi ya kuendesha ndege huko Quantico, Marekani, mwaka 1963 ilijengwa na kikosi cha ""Seabees"" cha jeshi la wanamaji." "Kwenye hali ya joto ya juu ya 100 ° C, Seabees kuweka runway ya AM-2 alumini mbao, karibu milioni 1.4 mita za mraba katika wote, hivi karibuni jina la utani ""Tinfoil runway,"" mwishoni mwa Mei 1965, taxiways, parking ramp, na gear arrestors walikuwa pia kujengwa katika Chu Lai." Mlipuko huo ulifika muda fulani baadaye. Jengo hilo lilijengwa katika eneo ambalo halikuwa na utulivu tu bali pia lilikuwa na uwezekano mkubwa wa kuzama kwa maji baada ya mvua kubwa. "Sasa, mradi wa ""SatS"" ulikuwa na uwanja wa ndege wa mita 2,000 na mita 2,000 kwa upana wa mita 72." Lakini kwa kuwa Chu Lai ilitarajiwa kutumika kwa muda mrefu kuliko operesheni ya kawaida ya safari, na kuwa mwenyeji wa ndege nyingi zaidi, muundo ulibadilishwa, na urefu uliopangwa wa futi 8,000 na upana wa futi 37. Hata hivyo, mwanzoni, ni futi 4,000 tu zilizokamilishwa, huku kazi ikiendelea ili kuimarisha ardhi chini ya nusu nyingine. Baada ya hapo, ilihitajiwa uangalifu wa daima ili kuzuia mbao za barabara hiyo zisianguke ndani ya matope. Baada ya hapo, Chu Lai pia alipata runway yake mwenyewe ya kawaida, iliyoko sambamba na uwanja wa ndege wa SATS. Ndege za kwanza kufika kwenye kituo hicho zilikuwa A-4Cs za Marine Attack Squadron 225 (VMA-225) na A-4E zilizoboreshwa kutoka VMA-311, zote mbili zilikwenda chini Juni 1, 1965. Ujumbe ulianza siku hiyohiyo. Skyhawk E-model ilionyesha maboresho mbalimbali ikilinganishwa na aina ya C, labda muhimu zaidi kuwa na vituo vitano vya nje vya kuhifadhi badala ya tatu, kuruhusu mzigo mzito wa silaha kubebwa. "Katika kitabu chake ""Uwezo wa Jeshi la Wanamaji la Marekani na Jeshi la Wanamaji la Marekani A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War,"" Koloneli wa zamani wa A-4 aliyestaafu, Ned Carroll, anakumbuka jinsi ilivyokuwa kufanya kazi kutoka uwanja wa ndege wa tinfoil katika siku za mapema: ""Kwa sababu ya bahati mbaya ya uhandisi, nyenzo ya kitanda cha jopo la alumini lililotengenezwa ambayo ilifanyiza njia ya safari ilikuwa imewekwa juu ya kile tulichokiona kuwa mwamba wa lateriti." Hata hivyo, mvua za mvua zilipofika, tuligundua upesi kwamba kile tulichokuwa tumefikiri kuwa mwamba kwa kweli kilikuwa udongo! Kwa sababu ya mvua kubwa, vitambaa vya kulala vilianza kutiririka kati ya mbao hizo kila wakati ndege ilipopita juu yao. Upesi mapengo makubwa yakafanyizwa, ambayo yalifanya kuruka kuwa jambo la kusisimua, na maporomoko yalikuwa mabaya sana hivi kwamba hatimaye mabomu yalifunguliwa na kuingizwa kwenye barabara! Mabomu hayo bado yalikuwa na waya za kulinda kupitia fusi zao, kwa hiyo hakukuwa na hatari ya papo hapo ya kulipuka. Hata hivyo, mgongano kati ya ndege na bomu, na matokeo mabaya, ulikuwa daima inawezekana. <unk> Hadi catapult ilipowasili, A-4s walikuwa kuongezwa katika hewa kwa kutumia roketi-msaidizi take-off (RATO) chupa. Kila chupa ya RATO ilitoa karibu pauni 3,500 za msukumo kwa sekunde tano, karibu kupunguza nusu ya kukimbia. Hata hivyo, ndege hizo zililazimika kuondoka na mafuta machache, kabla ya kupata haraka tanker ya KC-130 Hercules kuchukua mafuta zaidi. Kwa sababu ya hatari ya kutumia vifaa vya RATO, marubani walihitaji kuangalia kwa makini chupa hizo ili kuhakikisha kwamba zote mbili zilikuwa zimetumiwa vizuri. Ikiwa hawangeweza, na ikiwa wangebeba mzigo mzito, wangelazimika kuruka, kwa kuwa yaelekea hawangeweza kuondoka kwenye barabara ya kuruka. Kuja Chu Lai ilikuwa kesi ya line up kukamata waya wa M-21 arrestor gear, iko karibu 1,000 futi zaidi chini ya runway kutoka kiwango cha touchdown na ambayo inaweza kuleta Skyhawk kwa kusimamishwa ndani ya kama kidogo kama 250 futi. Hilo lilikuwa muhimu hasa ikiwa ndege hiyo ilikuwa ikirudi kwenye kituo cha ndege ikiwa imeharibiwa, na hivyo kutoa kiwango cha ziada cha usalama. Katika miezi iliyofuata, Chu Lai's Skyhawks aliona hatua nzito, kuruka mchana na usiku katika msaada wa Marines na majeshi ya Vietnam Kusini wakati mwingine kushiriki tu nusu-dazeni maili kutoka msingi perimeter. Wakati huo huo, Chu Lai mwenyewe ilishambuliwa na vikosi vya Vietnam Kaskazini, na A-4s ilihitaji kulinda msingi wao wenyewe, ambao walifanya kwa mafanikio. Ndege za ndege zilirudi Chu Lai mara kwa mara na uharibifu mkubwa wa vita, wakati hali mbaya ya hewa ilisababisha kusimamishwa kwa shughuli za kuruka mwishoni mwa Novemba 1965. Wakati huo kulikuwa na vikosi vinne vya Skyhawk kwenye kituo hicho, pamoja na VMA-211 na VMA-214, na kila kitengo kilikuwa na ndege 20 hivi. Kwa kweli, makundi manne ya A-4s yalichukuliwa kuwa kiwango cha juu ambacho Chu Lai angeweza kukaribisha, lakini vitengo tofauti viligeuzwa ndani na nje ya msingi kama mahitaji ya msaada wa hewa wa karibu yaliendelea kukua. Mfumo wa catapult ulizinduliwa mnamo Mei 1966 na kuendeshwa na General Electric J-79 turbojet, ambayo ilitoa nguvu ya farasi 35,000 kwa kila ndege. Hii inaweza kuzindua A-4s nje ya runway katika mwelekeo wowote na, kutoka mtazamo wa rubani, inaripotiwa alifanya shughuli sawa na kuruka na kutoka kwa deck halisi ya kubeba. Kulikuwa hata na kifaa cha kutua kwa kioo ili kuwasaidia kupona. Baada ya kuanzishwa, catapult inaweza kutolewa Skyhawk silaha kikamilifu katika hewa mara moja kila sekunde 90. Kufikia majira ya joto ya 1966, A-4 squadrons walikuwa taarifa wastani kati ya 600 na 700 kupambana saa kuruka mwezi kutoka Chu Lai, na ukaribu wa mapigano kuruhusu marubani kuruka sorties nyingi kila siku. "Sikodra za A-4 za mzunguko zilianza "" hot pad "" maonyo katika msingi, na sehemu ya ndege kusimama silaha na tayari kwa scramble, injini mbio na na marubani katika cockpits, lazima kutokea." Kwa kuwa ilikuwa nzito na yenye nguvu kuliko A-4, F-4 ilikuwa aina nyingine ya ndege iliyotumia mfumo wa SATS kwa kiasi kikubwa. Wakati wa majaribio ya catapult, Skyhawk iligunduliwa kuhitaji 1,165 futi kupaa, wakati Phantom II alihitaji 1,485 futi. "F-4B kutoka VMFA-323 ilifunga ndege ya kwanza kutoka Chu Lai mnamo Agosti 1966, lakini haikuwa mwanzo mzuri, kama rubani wa ndege, Kanali Robert Johnson, anakumbuka katika ""Umoja wa F-4 Phantom II wa Jeshi la Wanamaji la Marekani katika Vita vya Vietnam: Karibu nusu ya njia ya chini ya njia, ndege ilionekana kuanguka kwa mtazamo wa juu, na wakati huo huo na kugonga mwisho wa njia ya catapult, injini ya mrengo wa kulia ilipatwa na kushindwa.""" Wakati huo, nilitazama mbele yangu, ambapo kulikuwa na malori mengi, wanajeshi wa majini, na raia waliokuwa wakisubiri kwenye kituo cha ukaguzi kwenye mwisho wa barabara. Nilipopanda polepole, niliona ghala la risasi chini ya njia yangu ya kuruka. Taarifa yangu juu ya kutupwa kwa dharura kwa maduka ya nje haikujumuisha uwezekano huu, lakini bado tulikuwa tukiruka... ingawa kwa muda mfupi tu. Niligeuka kidogo upande wa kulia kuelekea kile kilichoonekana kuwa eneo wazi ambapo tungeweza kutupa. Nilipojaribu kusawazisha mabawa hayo fimbo hiyo iligongana na kuhifadhiwa mkononi mwangu. "Nilikuwa na kusema tu, ""Eject, Jim, Eject"" Jim alijibu mara moja, na baada ya kusikia mlipuko wa pili, canopy na kiti, mimi kufuatana na mfano." Wakati huo, kilele cha ndege hiyo kilikuwa chini ya futi 30. Wakati kiti changu kilipopigwa risasi, ndege ilikuwa karibu na digrii 90 kuelekea upeo wa macho. Kama ilivyoonyeshwa, kutenganishwa kwa viti na kufunguliwa kwa chute ilitokea moja kwa moja, na nilipata swing ya digrii 90 katika chute kabla ya kutua katika uzio wa waya wa concertina. "Nilimwona Jim akishuka kwa kutumia chombo chake cha kuteleza, ndege ilivunjika mita 50 hivi baada ya hapo, lakini hakuna bomu lililopigwa.""" "Kulingana na ripoti ya gazeti la The Guardian, Johnson alipewa tuzo ya ""Distinguished Flying Cross"" na baadaye iligunduliwa kwamba ndege hiyo ilikuwa imefungwa kwa njia isiyo sahihi kwenye kebo, na kusababisha msiba wa karibu na kifo." Mnamo Oktoba 1966, runway iliongezwa hadi mita 10,000 na kupewa uso wa saruji, pamoja na ramps za maegesho na taxiways. Hii ilifanya kituo cha ndege bora inafaa kwa Marine F-4s na nafasi ya ramp ziada kuruhusiwa tatu Phantom squadrons kuendeshwa pamoja na A-4s, ingawa vifaa juu ya ardhi alibaki msingi, na matengenezo zaidi uliofanywa katika hewa ya wazi. Chu Lai aliokoka mashambulizi ya Tet Offensive ambayo ilianza Januari 1968, wakati ambapo uwanja wa ndege ulishambuliwa na makombora, na kuumiza ndege mbili na kuharibu nne za Skyhawk. Hata hivyo, mnamo Septemba 1970, muda wa Chu Lai kama kituo cha ndege cha wanamaji ulikuwa umekwisha na ilitolewa kwa Jeshi la Marekani wakati Marekani ilipoanza kuondoa vitengo vya vita. Hata hivyo, mfumo wa SATS haujatumiwa na jeshi. Baada ya hapo, vikosi vya kivita vya wanamaji vilivyobaki nchini vilikusanywa huko Da Nang. VMA-311 ilikuwa kikosi cha mwisho cha jeshi la Marekani kuondoka Vietnam mnamo Januari 1973, muda mfupi kabla ya makubaliano ya kusitisha mapigano kuanza. "Uwanja wa ndege wa ""instant"" huko Chu Lai ulikuwa umepangwa kuwa wa mara moja, lakini masomo ya SATS yanaendelea hadi leo, kwani wanajeshi wa majini wanaendelea kufanya kazi kwenye dhana yao ya Operesheni ya Msingi wa Advanced (EABO), mbinu ya kisasa ya kuleta nguvu za hewa za kijeshi mahali popote inapoweza kuhitajika." "Mapango ya 2019 ya Jeshi la Wanamaji yanaelezea dhana ya ""EABO"" kama ifuatavyo: ""Mfumo wa baadaye wa uendeshaji wa majini ambao hupunguza uwezo wa ushindani wa wenzao wa kupambana na upatikanaji wa eneo kwa kuunda nguvu ya kuendelea, thabiti na ya kuendelea." "Kifungu cha EABO kimekusudiwa kuanzisha tena uaminifu wa nguvu unaohitajika kuwa na athari ya kuzuia.""" "Kwa kutumia eneo muhimu la baharini karibu na bahari zilizofungwa, EABO hutoa watoa maamuzi na chaguzi za kukataa bahari ambazo ni za kulazimisha, lakini sio za kuongezeka. ""Kufanana na jinsi A-4 na F-4 zilivyobadilishwa kwa shughuli za ardhi za ""paka na mtego,"" Wanajeshi wa baharini wamekuwa wakichunguza uwezekano wa aina ya F-35C inayoweza kubeba ndege kufanya shughuli fupi na za ukali." Ili kuandaa kwa ajili ya matukio ya kweli ya EABO, Marine F-35Cs wamekuwa kutumia M-31 expeditionary kukamata gear, kuruhusu shughuli kutoka runways ndogo. Kwa kuongezea, ndani ya jeshi la Marekani sasa kuna mwelekeo wa kuongezeka kwa kujenga haraka vituo vya ndege vya ukatili. "Hasa, wakati Pentagon inaendelea ""pivot"" yake kuelekea ukumbi wa michezo wa Pasifiki, kuna uelewa kwamba mgogoro na China uwezekano wa kuona miundombinu imara, ikiwa ni pamoja na misingi ya kawaida ya hewa, haraka kuharibiwa. """ Katika Ulaya pia, dhana za msingi wa safari zinaonekana kuwa muhimu kwa mgogoro wowote na taifa lolote la tishio la karibu. Wakati huo huo, ingawa SATS ilikuwa imekusudiwa kuwa kitu cha maelezo ya chini kwa mgogoro wa Vietnam, juhudi za kuanzisha kituo cha hewa kutoka mwanzo zilionyesha mbinu ya kuamua na ubunifu wa wanajeshi wa majini katika vita vya hewa katika Asia ya Kusini. Wasiliana na mwandishi: jina la kwanza. jina la mwisho@example.org