This Is The Most Incredible Super Hornet Footage We Have Ever Seen

By Thomas Newdick and Tyler Rogoway

Updated Sep 23, 2021 2:09 PM EDT

With the long, long-awaited Top Gun 2 movie delayed yet again, naval aviation fans can probably be excused for feeling at least some symptoms of fast-jet withdrawal. It’s good news, then, that the latest cruise video from the U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 154 , or VFA-154, also known as the “Black Knights,” has just dropped. And the real-life result, running to a full 30 minutes in high definition, is well worth your time. In fact, it’s the best Super Hornet footage we have ever seen.

The video, which you can watch in full below, was shot during VFA-154’s 2020-21 cruise to the Western Pacific on board the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) with its F/A-18F Super Hornets . Navy Lieutenant Taylor “Gary the Snail” Barrett and other members of the squadron — which has the rallying cry “Black Knights Rule!” or BKR — put it together using a combination of gimbal-mounted cameras, GoPros, and cell phones.

That carrier’s back-to-back overseas deployments , which were completed in May this year, did not involve combat missions but were not without incident, extending ultimately across 16 months. The vessel spent months in port in Guam last year following a serious COVID-19 outbreak among its crew that devolved into a major political scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of then-Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly. There was also the crash of an F/A-18F from the Theodore Roosevelt into the Philippine Sea in June 2020, which we reported on at the time. Both crew members were, fortunately, able to eject safely.

Naval aviation rarely looked so darn fun as in the latest “Black Knights” cruise video., YOUTUBE SCREENCAP

The tone of the video, however, is in keeping with the high spirits of a squadron on a high after an otherwise successful cruise, which included two separate periods operating in the South China Sea, including sailing alongside its sister ship , USS Nimitz (CVN-68), apparently to send a message to China, which had been increasingly flexing its military muscles in this hotly disputed region .

The result is no-holds-barred access to the daily routines of a deployed squadron, starting with getting kitted-up, the ever-dramatic cat shots (set here to the sounds of Mötley Crüe), all the way through to live weapons drops on the training range, dogfights over the Pacific with Hawaii-based U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors and Indian Su-30MKI Flankers , and the downtime in the squadron’s ready room.

A Hawaii Air National Guard F-22A off the wing in formation with a pair of Super Hornets., YOUTUBE SCREENCAP

VFA-154 Supers blasting by a Ticonderoga class cruiser. , Youtube Screencap

During its WESTPAC cruise, VFA-154 was one of four F/A-18 squadrons aboard the Theodore Roosevelt , but the footage is really all about the “Black Knights” and truly captures the drama, adrenalin, and precision of carrier aviation.

A VFA-154 Super Hornet roaring over a sailor’s head during a cat shot., Youtube Screencap

From around the 06:38 mark in the video there are some exceptional captures of aerial refueling from the cockpit of the Super Hornet, emphasizing the exacting art of putting the probe into the basket, whether the tanker is an Air Force KC-135 or KC-46 or one of the carrier’s own F/A-18Fs outfitted with a buddy pod. There is even video of a couple of Super Hornet aerial refueling fails, with the basket tearing away.

Hitting the tanker — in this case, another Super Hornet., YouTube Screencap

A KC-46’s basket tearing away from a Super Hornet’s probe., YouTube Screencap

The air-to-air sequences featuring joint exercises with Indian Air Force Su-30MKI and SEPECAT Jaguar combat jets are also especially noteworthy. These clips were taken during March of this year when the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and its embarked Carrier Air Wing 11 were operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. As well as the Indian jets, U.S. Air Force F-16s are briefly seen performing a flyby of the carrier, apparently the same heavily armed jets that arrived from their base in Japan for a show of force in the South China Sea in April.

A Super Hornet pilot gets a Su-30 in its sights for a fleeting moment., YouTube Screencap

Other notable exercises include VFA-154’s participation in the Air Force-led Exercise Northern Edge , which provided an opportunity for some spectacular low-level flying over Alaska’s snow-capped mountains and mighty glaciers. That was back in May, when the “Black Knights” joined the U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) maneuvers over the expansive Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex and the Gulf of Alaska.

VFA-154 pilot down low during Northern Edge. , YouTube Screencap

More official footage of VFA-154 on Exercise Northern Edge 2021:

On top of all this, there are the carrier traps — still, in many ways, the litmus test of a naval aviator’s proficiency — night-time sequences including both full afterburner and gunnery, as well as operations from a rain-lashed carrier deck as the Theodore Roosevelt passes through a Pacific storm.

Finally, we see VFA-154’s fly-off from the carrier and the squadron’s emotional return to its home station at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.

A light-hearted moment on the deck of the ‘TR.’, YouTube Screencap

VFA-154 arriving back at NAS Lemoore triumphantly. , YouTube Screencap

While there may not be a shortage of exhilarating video shot from inside the cockpit of Navy Super Hornets and various squadron cruise videos set a high bar in terms of both excitement and production standards, we think you’ll agree that the latest offering from the Black Knights is the best yet.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com

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作者：托马斯·纽迪克和泰勒·罗戈韦

更新于美国东部时间2021年9月23日下午2:09

备受期待的《壮志凌云2》再次延期上映，海军航空迷们难免会感到有些“喷气式战斗机戒断反应”。好消息是，美国海军第154攻击战斗机中队（VFA-154，又称“黑骑士”）的最新巡航视频刚刚发布。这段长达30分钟的高清视频绝对值得一看。事实上，这是我们迄今为止见过的最精彩的超级大黄蜂战斗机影像。

这段视频（完整版可在下方观看）拍摄于VFA-154中队2020-21年度西太平洋巡航期间，当时他们正搭乘“西奥多·罗斯福”号航空母舰（CVN-71），舰上装备有F/A-18F“超级大黄蜂”战斗机。海军中尉泰勒·“蜗牛加里”·巴雷特和中队的其他成员——他们的口号是“黑骑士称霸！”（Black Knights Rule!，简称BKR）——使用云台摄像机、GoPro和手机等设备拍摄完成了这段视频。

这艘航母今年5月结束了连续的海外部署，虽然没有执行作战任务，但也并非一帆风顺，最终历时16个月。去年，该舰因舰上爆发严重的COVID-19疫情而在关岛港口停留数月，疫情最终演变成一场重大的政治丑闻，导致时任海军代理部长托马斯·莫德利辞职。此外，2020年6月，一架F/A-18F战斗机从“西奥多·罗斯福”号航母坠入菲律宾海，我们当时对此进行了报道。所幸两名机组人员均安全弹射逃生。

海军航空兵很少像最新发布的“黑骑士”巡航视频那样看起来如此有趣。（YouTube截图）

然而，视频的基调与一支刚刚完成一次成功的巡航任务、士气高昂的中队相符。此次巡航任务包括两次在南海执行任务，其中一次是与姊妹舰“尼米兹”号航空母舰（CVN-68）并肩航行，显然是为了向中国发出信号，因为中国一直在这个充满争议的地区不断炫耀其军事实力。

其结果是，影片毫无保留地展现了一个部署中队的日常运作，从装备齐全、激动人心的猫式射击（配乐是 Mötley Crüe 的音乐）一直到在训练场进行实弹空投、与驻扎在夏威夷的美国空军 F-22 猛禽战斗机和印度苏-30MKI 侧卫战斗机在太平洋上空进行空战，以及中队在准备室的休息时间。

一架夏威夷空中国民警卫队的F-22A战斗机脱离机翼，与两架超级大黄蜂战斗机编队飞行。（YouTube截图）

VFA-154 超级战斗机向提康德罗加级巡洋舰轰击。（YouTube 截图）

在西太平洋巡航期间，VFA-154 是“西奥多·罗斯福”号航母上的四个 F/A-18 中队之一，但这段影像实际上都是关于“黑骑士”的，真实地捕捉到了航母航空兵的戏剧性、肾上腺素飙升和精准性。

一架VFA-154超级大黄蜂战斗机在进行空中扫射时从一名水兵头顶呼啸而过。（YouTube截图）

视频大约在 6 分 38 秒处开始，有一些从超级大黄蜂战斗机座舱拍摄的精彩空中加油画面，着重展现了将探管放入加油吊篮的精细操作，无论加油机是空军的 KC-135 或 KC-46，还是航母自身配备伙伴吊舱的 F/A-18F。视频中甚至还有几段超级大黄蜂空中加油失败的画面，加油吊篮甚至被撕裂脱落。

击中油轮——这次是另一架超级大黄蜂战斗机。（YouTube截图）

KC-46的吊篮从F/A-18超级大黄蜂的探管上脱离。（YouTube截图）

与印度空军苏-30MKI和SEPECAT美洲虎战斗机联合演习的空对空片段也尤为引人注目。这些片段拍摄于今年3月，当时“西奥多·罗斯福”号航母打击群及其搭载的第11舰载航空联队正在美国第七舰队作战区域执行任务。除了印度战机外，美国空军的F-16战机也短暂地出现在航母上空进行低空通场飞行，这些装备精良的战机显然与4月份从日本基地飞抵南海进行武力展示的战机相同。

一架超级大黄蜂战斗机的飞行员短暂地将一架苏-30战斗机纳入瞄准范围。（YouTube截图）

其他值得一提的演习包括VFA-154参与由空军主导的“北方边缘”演习，该演习为飞行员们提供了在阿拉斯加白雪皑皑的山峰和雄伟的冰川上空进行壮观低空飞行的机会。那是在五月份，当时“黑骑士”中队加入了美国太平洋空军（PACAF）在广袤的联合太平洋阿拉斯加靶场综合体和阿拉斯加湾上空进行的演习。

VFA-154中队飞行员在“北方边缘”行动中低空飞行。（YouTube截图）

VFA-154中队参加2021年“北方利刃”演习的更多官方视频：

除此之外，还有航母陷阱——在许多方面，它仍然是检验海军飞行员熟练程度的试金石——夜间飞行序列，包括全加力燃烧室和炮击，以及在西奥多·罗斯福号航母穿越太平洋风暴时，在暴雨肆虐的航母甲板上进行的作战行动。

最后，我们看到 VFA-154 中队从航母上起飞，以及该中队激动地返回位于加利福尼亚州勒莫尔海军航空站的母港。

“TR”号甲板上的轻松时刻。（YouTube截图）

VFA-154 战机凯旋返回勒莫尔海军航空站。（YouTube 截图）

虽然从海军超级大黄蜂战机驾驶舱内拍摄的激动人心的视频并不缺乏，而且各种中队巡航视频在刺激性和制作标准方面都树立了很高的标杆，但我们相信你会同意，黑骑士中队的最新作品是迄今为止最好的。

联系作者：thomas@thedrive.com

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