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UTILITY SQUADRON FIVE (VU-5)

ATSUGI-BASED Utility Squadron Five is organized, equipped, and motivated to provide air service to elements of the Pacific Fleet, whether the mission be towing targets for ships or aircraft, providing photographic coverage, taking part in CIC crew trying, or furnishing drones for air-to-air or surface-to-air missilery.
VU-5 aircraft came naturally by the title, "Work Horses of the Fleet," for, in towing sleeves for surface ship gunners, squadron JD-1's literally tow the "bucket."  The bucket is a sleeve target, usually red, 20 feet long and two feet in diameter, designed to inflate like a carnival balloon as it trails at the end of 7000 feet of especially designed cable.
The tractors themselves deserve special acclaim, for in this day of supersonic aircraft, the venerable JD-1 - a holdover from the day of WW II when it was operated as an A-26 bomber by the Army Air Corps - remains the ideal plane for towing large sleeves.
Four JD's are in service at Atsugi and a fifth is deployed with Detachment Alfa in the Philippines.
Detachment Alfa also uses the AD-5 Skyraider as a target-tow aircraft.
Target services for missile system are furnished by the drone units of VU-5.  The surface unit (KD-25)


[[image caption - top left]]
FHC L. H. SHANKEL AIMS 60-POUNDS CAMERA FROM HATCH OF SNB
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[[image caption - center]]
JD-1 'TRACTOR' STREAMS ITS BUCKET IN PREPARATION FOR SEVENTH FLEET GUNNERY
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[[image caption - bottom left]]
S. C. JOHNSON, AD2, MINISTERS TO NEEDS OF JD-1, A HOLDOVER FROM WORLD WAR II
[[image caption]]


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NAVAL AVIATION NEWS