Night operations by Super Hornet naval fighter jets with an eye on Venezuela

The US Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier continues to sail through the Caribbean Sea with its eyes on Venezuela.

The United States Marines' Harrier IIs are preparing for their final war
The Gerald R. Ford class, the world's largest aircraft carriers, seen from the inside

With a length of 337 meters, the USS Gerald R. Ford is the world's largest aircraft carrier and also the most modern. Its powerful embarked air wing consists of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft, and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

The presence of the Ford in the Caribbean Sea is due to Operation Southern Spear organized by the United States against the Nicolás Maduro dictatorship, because of its criminal activities related to drug trafficking that are seriously affecting American society.

Last Saturday, the U.S. Navy released a series of photos taken a week earlier aboard the aircraft carrier in Caribbean waters. The images show nighttime flight operations by F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft, presumably training for a possible attack against the Nicolás Maduro regime, should such an attack ultimately occur. You can see some of these photos here with accompanying information. The photos show various units of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), the carrier-based wing of the USS Gerald R. Ford, based at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

An aircraft movement director signals to an F/A-18E Super Hornet of Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87) "Golden Warriors," one of the squadrons assigned to this aircraft carrier, on December 22. Aircraft movement directors are recognizable by their yellow vests. Here you can read the meanings of the different vest colors.

An aircraft movement director pointing out the launch of an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213) "Blacklions" from one of this aircraft carrier's magnificent catapults on December 21.

Weapons personnel loading ammunition onto an F/A-18E Super Hornet of Strike Fighter Squadron 37 (VFA-37) "Ragin Bulls" on December 17. The weapons personnel are identified by their red vests.

Another image of the weapons loading process on that F/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-37. I've searched high and low to find out what they're loading and haven't found any information. It looks like an AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER cruise missile, but there are some differences.

A movement director signals the launch of an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-213 "Blacklions" on December 21. An aircraft carrier's flight deck is the most dangerous workplace in the world, a risk that increases during night operations.

A movement director pointing out the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet from VFA-37 "Ragin Bulls" on December 17.

A flight deck officer monitoring operations on the aircraft carrier. He wears a yellow vest and carries two flashlights with yellow torches to guide aircraft in the dark.

An aircraft movement director signals the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet from VFA-37 "Ragin Bulls". Each U.S. Navy carrier-based Super Hornet squadron operates only one variant of the aircraft. Some squadrons have only single-seat F/A-18Es, such as VFA-31 "Tomcatters", VFA-37 "Ragin Bulls", and VFA-87 "Golden Warriors", while others operate only two-seat F/A-18Fs, such as VFA-213 "Blacklions". All four of these squadrons are currently assigned to CVW-8 aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.

A movement director signals the launch of an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-213 "Blacklions" on December 21. In the background, the aircraft is attached to the magnetic catapult and ready for launch.

A movement director signals the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-37 "Ragin Bulls" on December 21. The aircraft in the photo carries two AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles on wingtip pylons, two AIM-120C AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles on fuselage pylons, and an 1,800-liter external fuel tank on its ventral pylon. An AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) glide bomb is visible on one of the underwing pylons on the starboard wing.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-37 "Ragin Bulls" at the moment of launch. On the right, we see the movement director raising his flashlight to signal the launch. Behind him, we see the raised jet deflector. These deflectors are used to prevent afterburners from damaging other aircraft operating on the flight deck during takeoff. On the port wing of this aircraft, we see an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile on the wingtip pylon and an AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile on an underwing pylon.

An excellent photo of a Super Hornet launch on December 21. We see the movement director looking outwards, and behind him, the jet stream (in white) generated by the Super Hornet's engines in afterburner at the moment of liftoff. Below, we see the rails of one of the magnetic catapults.

The launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet from VFA-37 "Ragin Bulls" on December 22. In this case, we see a member of the movement team, wearing a blue vest, giving the launch signal. The aircraft in the photo displays an AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile on the wingtip pylon of its starboard wing, an AGM-154 JSOW glide bomb under the wing, and an AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile on the fuselage.

A movement director signals to an F/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-87 "Golden Warriors" as it taxis on the flight deck on December 22. Several MH-60 Seahawk helicopters are folded in the background.

A movement director guides an F/A-18F Super Hornet of VFA-213 "Blacklions" across the flight deck on December 22. It's a very interesting photo, as the fighter in the image is performing tanker duties. We can see 1,800-liter external fuel tanks under its wings and an A/A42R-1 "Buddy" refueling gondola on its ventral pylon. This gondola is part of the "hose and drogue" system, which is used by U.S. Navy aircraft.