VA-115 transitioned from the A-6A to the A-6E during the summer of 1977. Photographer A. Watanabe.

This slide was taken from the flight deck of USS Midway. KA-6D NF-523 of VA-115 refueling EA-3B Bureau Number 142671 of VQ-1 as part of the Midlink 75 exercise airshow. One of the guests aboard CV-41 for the airshow was the Shah of Iran. As the A-3 was not the easiest a/c to take on fuel from a tanker a/c under normal circumstances this is an impressive display of airmanship by the "Whale" pilot.

This KA-6D is the high tanker and is holding above the USS Midway (CV-41) awaiting some "customers" who need fuel. I took this slide from a VA-93 A-7A "Corsair II" that was in tanker configuration. There were two tankers airborne overhead the ship for every launch and recovery, normally one KA-6D and one A-7. The KA-6D refueling hose was installed permanently under the rear fuselage as seen in the photo. The A-7 was easily configured into a tanker by temporarily mounting a D-704 air refueling store with hose under the left wing, and two fuel tanks under the right wing.

The USS Midway was homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Normal operations in the mid 1970s were conducted all over the western Pacific including the Sea of Japan, the South China Sea, as well as cruises into the Indian Ocean. Here a KA-6D is tensioned on the starboard bow catapult. CV-41 had the highest operations tempo of any Pacific Fleet carrier, and the air wing a/c had a well used look to them.

A well worn VA-115 A-6A about to trap aboard USS Midway. The ship was operating in the Pacific south of Japan and east of Okinawa.

USS Midway (CV-41) was operating in the South China Sea west of the Philippines when I took this slide.