[MilCom] MDTC Ongoing at MCAS Beaufort

[kf4lmt at gmail.com]

It sounds like there is a Marine Division Tactics Course (MDTC) ongoing at MCAS Beaufort. Once the fog burned off this afternoon, I heard a SNIPER flight of F-5Ns from VMFT-401 working with a SALEM flight of MAG-31 F/A-18s from MCAS Beaufort, SC. In the past, F/A-18s from Beaufort flying as LATCH or SALEM flights have been associated with aircrews involved with in an MDTC. A prerequisite for personnel attending the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course at MCAS Yuma, the MDTC provides training in aerial combat for both fighter pilots and intercept controllers. The training is conducted by instructors from MAWTS-1 (Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 and personnel and aircraft from VMFT-401.

The aerial training takes place in the offshore Special Use Areas off of the South Carolina and Georgia coasts controlled by SEALORD. So far, VMFT-401 has been using their squadron frequencies with the MAG-31 flights apparently using their respective squadron frequencies. MAG-31 flights are apparently also checking in with their Squadron Base on normal Base frequencies and with what sounds like KAISER Base (KAISER is a callsign associated with MAG-31) on 274.500 (normally a VMFA-115 frequency). MCAS Beaufort squadron frequencies can be found on the MilAir page of my blog (link below in signature); other frequencies to monitor for the MDTC are below:

274.500 – KAISER(?) Base
264.925 – VMFT-401 Tac
268.300 – VMFT-401 Tac
284.500 – SEALORD North Primary
349.800 – W-137 Discrete
376.900 – W-137 Discrete

Based on what I’ve been able to find, the MDTC consists of one week of classroom training followed by three weeks of intercept training. I didn’t hear any MDTC flight activity last week, so I’m guessing this is the first of the three weeks of flight training. If I get the chance to hear more, I’ll post an update.


Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
Savannah/Brunswick, GA
https://kf4lmt.wordpress.com/