Exercise Southern Fury - Final Report

Exercise Southern Fury proved to be an interesting monitoring target. I thoroughly enjoyed the three days of Close Air Support and Convoy Escort activity. To me, this kind of activity is amongst the most interesting things to listen to on the radio. It could be compared to monitoring an active fireground channel in the field of public safety monitoring. Listening to how each participant has a role to fill and how different aircraft and different services fit into the puzzle is fascinating to listen to. The convoy escort work in particular was good monitoring; in that role, the aircraft served just as much as an "eye in the sky" for the convoy as they did as "bomb-dropper."

If anyone remembers exercise Carolina Guardian from July, the activity was very similar.

Southern Fury featured participants from at least three different services and eight aviation units (not counting the ground units that I could not hear). From the USMC, there was VMFA-115, VMFA-122, VMFA(AW)-224, VMFA(AW)-533, and VMGR-252. From the South Carolina Air National Guard, there was the 169th Fighter Wing. From the South Carolina Army National Guard, there was 1-151 AVN. An E-8C from the 116th Air Control Wing, a blended USAF/Georgia Air National Guard unit participated as well.

Frequencies
277.400 = Jax Center Brunswick Low
282.200 = Jax Center Jekyll Low
322.500 = Jax Center Savannah Low

139.700 = Safety of Flight
228.400 = Townsend Range, CAS
252.900 = Townsend Range, CAS
301.950 = Convoy Escort (normally VMFA-312 Tac 1)
300.200 = Fighter Check-in with FAC-A
358.900 = MAG-31 Base
302.200 = Check-In/Out with JSTARS
261.600 = Aerial Refueling with OTIS 13

225.725 = JSTARS Discrete
376.125 = JSTARS Discrete
388.225 = JSTARS Discrete (unencrypted/encrypted)
355.250 = JSTARS Discrete (encrypted)
372.150 = JSTARS Discrete (encrypted)
381.000 = JSTARS Discrete (encrypted)

339.500 = VMFA-115 Tac 1
225.675 = VMFA-115 Tac 2
274.500 = VMFA-115 Tac 3
283.400 = VMFA-122 Tac 1
354.325 = VMFA-122 Tac 2
250.300 = VMFA-224 Tac 1
258.900 = VMFA-224 Tac 2
336.225 = VMFA-224 Tac 3
299.300 = VMFA(AW)-533 Tac 2
141.825 = 169th FW V14
50.450 = 1-151 AVN air-to-air

Callsigns
STARGATE = E-8C, 330 CTS
HONCHO = FAC/JTAC
SMOKEM(?) = unknown Ground Station
KAISER = MAG-31
BLADE = F/A-18A+, VMFA-115
NIKEL = F/A-18C, VMFA-122
BENGAL = F/A-18D, VMFA(AW)-224
HAWK = F/A-18D, VMFA(AW)-533
OTIS = KC-130, VMGR-252
MACE = F-16CJ, 169th FW
MARAUDER = AH-64, 1-151 AVN
KNIGHT(NIGHT?) = unid ground station wkg JSTARS

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net