Navy fighter jets issued reflective belts to reduce friendly-fire incidents
THE PENTAGON — Weeks after a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down in a friendly fire incident, the Chief of Naval Operations directed all fighter jets to be outfitted with reflective belts, effective immediately.
Bypassing the standard safety investigation in favor of swift action, CNO Adm. Lisa Franchetti announced the new measure yesterday.
“My predecessor, trusting the ingenuity and stellar safety record of the Army, elected to equip our submarines with reflective belts following a collision with an underwater mountain,” Franchetti said in a press conference. “Three years later, that decision is battle-tested, and our submarines remain accident-free. I see no reason to waver on making the same choice for our fighter jets.”
The reflective belts are expected to greatly assist Navy surface vessels with identifying friendly aircraft. Preliminary investigations revealed that visual identification, radar signatures, rules of engagement, deconflicted timing, radio contact, ship engagement zones, and standard transponder codes were insufficient.
“What it comes down to is this – our junior sailors failed,” said Lt. Hugh G. Reck, Tactical Actions Officer on the USS Gettysburg. Reck, a vocal advocate of the proposed solution, added: “Reflective belts will ensure we solve this problem without wasting precious time and resources investigating shortcomings in ship-based training, procedures, or, uhhhh, leadership.”
To maximize safety, all fighter squadrons must equip their jets with reflective belts, including the F/A-18s and the newer F-35s. While reflective belts were initially designed to maximize visibility to the naked eye, they have the added benefit of vastly enlarging the jets’ radar signature. This will ensure the aircraft are better identifiable in all circumstances, regardless of weather, time of day, or previous stealth capabilities.
When asked about the viability of reflective belts during night operations, Lt. Reck said, “Even if we do accidentally sling a missile towards one of those jet jockeys at night, the belt should reflect the light from the missile’s big ass rocket motor.”
“This way, we’ll know we fucked up right away, and won’t try to pop off a few others,” Reck continued. “So that’s still a win to me.”
Jordan Hemlock is a Duffel Blog diversity hire, sharing the unsought opinions of a second lieutenant (USN).
