samedi 12 juin 2010

FLEET UTILITY SQUADRON FIVE, VU-5 WORKHORSE OF FLEET



UTRON 5 F8U-1 (F-8A) 143807 landing at NAS Atsugi on 11-6-62. (T. Matsuzaki) Colors were engine gray fuselage, yellow vertical and horizontal tailplanes and wings with a red-orange rudder and wing stripe. Landing gear and interior gear doors and engine Intake were white.



Fleet Utility Squadron Five (VU-5) was established on 16 August 1950 in order to provide utility services to the fleet in and around the islands of Ja­pan. As the squadron and its services expanded, UTRON 5 was required to send detachments to carriers and bases as far from its home base of NAS Atsugi as NAS Cubi Point, Phil­ippines. VU-5's primary mission was to provide targets for both the aerial and surface components of the fleet. Other missions consisted of photo services, adversary missions, air­borne control of surface launched missiles, and carrier on-board delivery (COD) services.


VU-5 F-8A 143763 at the Naval Air Rework Facility (NARF), NAS North Island on 6-12-65. The vertical and outboard wings were yellow and the rudder was red. (Jansson)

UTRON 5 received five F-8A Cru­saders in 1962 to use as high speed target tugs and adversary aircraft. Some of the F-8As were replaced with four F-8Ds in 1965, with the squadron being redesignated Fleet Composite Squadron Five on 1 July 1965.

















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