US Navy’s Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, and Destroyer Squadron 1 participated in various bi-lateral training events May 10 in the South China Sea with Malaysian air and surface units in support of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet theater security cooperation objectives.
The strike group conducted a photo exercise (PHOTOEX), a 5-inch gun exercise, dissimilar air combat training (DACT), and concluded with an expendable maneuverable acoustic training target (EMATT) exercise.
During the DACT portion of the training, CVW 17 F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets joined Malaysian SU-30, MiG-29N, and FA-18D Hornets to train in multiple combat scenarios. Events ranged from single aircraft engaging single aircraft to complex multi-aircraft combat scenarios. With the Malaysian SU-30s maneuvering at speeds estimated close to Mach 1, training was aggressive and realistic.
The EMATT exercise allowed the guided-missile USS Gridley (DDG 101) to work with their Royal Malaysian Navy counterpart, KD LEKIR (FGS 26), and practice dual-ship anti-submarine warfare.
The United States and Malaysia share a diverse and expanding partnership and cooperate closely on a number of security matters, including counterterrorism, maritime domain awareness, and regional stability.
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
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Image: US Navy