{"id":29468506,"date":"2026-10-25T10:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T09:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-urgent-fury-grenada-1983-air-war-ac-130-cobra-a-7\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T10:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T09:05:28","slug":"operation-urgent-fury-grenada-1983-air-war-ac-130-cobra-a-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/operation-urgent-fury-grenada-1983-air-war-ac-130-cobra-a-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Urgent Fury: The Air War Over Grenada, 1983"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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They jumped from about 500 feet, low enough to stay under the anti-aircraft fire. Below them lay a half-finished runway, blocked with vehicles and barricades, and around it Cuban and Grenadian guns were already shooting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Circling above were the aircraft that made the jump survivable: <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ac-130-gunship\/\">AC-130<\/a> Spectre gunships of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-air-force\/\">United States Air Force<\/a>, hunting for the guns that were firing at the transports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Forty-three years ago today, Operation Urgent Fury began. On the ground, it was a short, sharp campaign against a small army. In the air, it was a crowded, improvised and sometimes tragic fight over an island of 133 square miles, and the lessons it taught reshaped how the US military goes to war.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Operation:<\/strong> Urgent Fury, US-led invasion of Grenada<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Began:<\/strong> 05:00 H-hour, 25 October 1983; Rangers jumped at 05:30<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Commander:<\/strong> Vice Adm. Joseph Metcalf III, Joint Task Force 120<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Key aircraft:<\/strong> AC-130H Spectre, MC-130E Combat Talon, C-130, AH-1T SeaCobra, UH-60A Black Hawk, CH-46, CH-53, A-7E Corsair II<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Jump height:<\/strong> About 500 feet over Point Salines<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Helicopters lost to fire on day one:<\/strong> Two AH-1T SeaCobras plus Black Hawks at Richmond Hill<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>US casualties:<\/strong> 19 killed, 116 wounded (US Army figures)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Legacy:<\/strong> Goldwater-Nichols Act, signed 1 October 1986<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The runway that started it all<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The trigger was an airport. Grenada&rsquo;s revolutionary government, led by Maurice Bishop, was building a new international airport at Point Salines with help from Cuba and several other countries. Its runway, about 9,000 feet long according to most accounts, could take the largest Soviet transport aircraft. Bishop&rsquo;s government said it was for tourist jets, which could not use the short strip at Pearls Airport in the north.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Washington did not believe it. In March 1983 President Ronald Reagan warned that the runway and its fuel tanks suggested a future Cuban-Soviet military airbase. Then, in October, the island&rsquo;s government tore itself apart. Bishop was placed under house arrest, freed by a crowd, and executed by firing squad on 19 October. A military council under Hudson Austin took over and imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/point-salines-airfield-grenada-reconnaissance-photo-1983.jpg\" alt=\"Annotated US Air Force aerial photograph of the Point Salines airfield under construction in Grenada, 1983\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A US Air Force reconnaissance photo of the Point Salines airfield under construction, released in 1983. The US annotation labels a 10,000-foot runway; most accounts give about 9,000 feet. US Department of Defense photo \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>About 600 American medical students were on the island. With the Iran hostage crisis still fresh, and after an appeal from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Reagan ordered an invasion. The carrier USS <em>Independence<\/em> and an amphibious group led by USS <em>Guam<\/em> were diverted towards Grenada. Planning had to be done in days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Combat Talons and Spectres over Point Salines<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Rangers came from Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, led in by five MC-130E Combat Talons of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, two of them guiding formations of <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/c-130-hercules\/\">C-130<\/a> transports. The plan was to land on the runway. Mid-flight, word came that it was blocked, and the Rangers rigged for a parachute assault inside the aircraft.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Things went wrong early. The lead Talon lost its radar in cloud about 20 miles out, and the formations had to reorganise, costing roughly half an hour. The Army&rsquo;s official history says the first two planes carrying the lead assault company had to abort their drops after navigation and radar failures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;The Cubans and PRA were very well placed. They had occupied the high ground and strategically placed their anti-aircraft positions around the airfield before the initial assault by U.S. and Caribbean forces.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Capt. Thomas Scott, US Navy<\/strong> &mdash; US Atlantic Command assistant chief of staff for current operations, in <em>All Hands<\/em>, 1984<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Talon 64-0568, flown by squadron commander Lt Col James Hobson with Twenty-Third Air Force commander Maj Gen William Mall aboard, finally dropped the Ranger runway-clearing teams under searchlights and heavy fire. Two Spectres suppressed the guns so the rest could follow. Hobson received the Mackay Trophy for the mission.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The AC-130H crews of the 16th Special Operations Squadron stayed busy all day. They knocked out anti-aircraft positions, scouted the runway, and around 15:30 destroyed a BTR-60 armoured personnel carrier that charged the Ranger lines. The official Army account records the airfield declared secure at 07:35, with the first C-130 landing moments later.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Send me battalions until I tell you to stop.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Maj. Gen. Edward Trobaugh<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, 82nd Airborne Division, by satellite radio to Fort Bragg on 25 October 1983 (US Army Center of Military History)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Cobras down at Fort Frederick<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>In the north, Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines flew from USS <em>Guam<\/em> in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ch-46-sea-knight\/\">CH-46 Sea Knights<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ch-53-sea-stallion\/\">CH-53 Sea Stallions<\/a> and took Pearls Airport against light resistance. When a heavy machine gun opened up on the helicopters, Marine <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ah-1-cobra\/\">AH-1T SeaCobras<\/a> silenced it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Around St. George&rsquo;s, the capital, it was a different war. A team of Navy SEALs sent to protect Governor-General Sir Paul Scoon was trapped at his residence by Grenadian armoured cars, and called in AC-130s, Marine Cobras and Navy A-7s to hold them off. Fort Frederick, above the town, bristled with anti-aircraft guns.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/a-7e-corsair-va-87-over-point-salines-grenada-1983.jpg\" alt=\"A US Navy A-7E Corsair II of VA-87 flying past the Point Salines runway in Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An A-7E Corsair II of Attack Squadron 87, flying from USS <em>Independence<\/em>, passes the Point Salines runway during Operation Urgent Fury. US Navy photo via <em>Naval Aviation News<\/em> \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Two SeaCobras of HMM-261 attacking positions near the fort were shot down. Capt. Tim Howard, badly wounded and with his right arm shattered, put his burning Cobra down in a sports field. His front-seater, Capt. Jeb Seagle, pulled him clear, applied a tourniquet and then drew Grenadian soldiers away; according to the US Naval Institute&rsquo;s <em>Proceedings<\/em>, he was captured and killed. Seagle was awarded the Navy Cross.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A CH-46 landed in the field under fire to rescue Howard while the second Cobra covered it. That Cobra was hit, spiralled down and crashed into the sea, killing Maj. Pat Giguere and 1st Lt. Jeffrey Scharver. Three of the four Cobra crewmen were dead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=658340027127062528&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:560px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Black Hawks and a hospital<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Army&rsquo;s brand-new <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/uh-60-black-hawk\/\">UH-60 Black Hawks<\/a> also paid. Daylight raids on Richmond Hill prison and Fort Rupert ran into anti-aircraft fire that nobody had briefed. Two helicopters went down and Task Force 160 pilot Capt. Keith Lucas was killed. One damaged Black Hawk reached USS <em>Guam<\/em> with its pilot shot through the leg, and a deck crew had to hose water into its intakes to stop the engines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/a-7-corsair-ii\/\">A-7E Corsair IIs<\/a> from <em>Independence<\/em> struck Fort Frederick and Fort Rupert the same day. One raid aimed at anti-aircraft guns hit a mental hospital close to Fort Frederick. The Army&rsquo;s official history says eighteen patients were killed; it also notes the Grenadian military had placed gun positions near the hospital.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/ah-1t-seacobra-crash-site-st-georges-grenada-1983.jpg\" alt=\"Grenadians gathered around the burnt remains of a US Marine Corps AH-1T SeaCobra in a sports field in Grenada, 25 October 1983\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Grenadians inspect the burnt-out remains of Capt. Tim Howard and Capt. Jeb Seagle&rsquo;s AH-1T SeaCobra of HMM-261, shot down near Fort Frederick on 25 October 1983. Official USMC photo, from <em>U.S. Marines in Grenada 1983<\/em> \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>More mistakes followed. On 27 October, an A-7 called in by a Marine air-naval gunfire team strafed the command post of the 82nd Airborne&rsquo;s 2nd Brigade, wounding seventeen soldiers, one of whom died. That afternoon, a rushed air assault on the Calivigny barracks ended with three Black Hawks wrecked in a tangle on the landing zone and three Rangers killed. The barracks turned out to be almost empty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WX2SZlCh_xY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Maj Gen William J. Mall Jr., who flew aboard the lead Combat Talon into Point Salines, gives his account of Operation Urgent Fury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Tourist maps and Goldwater-Nichols<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Organised resistance collapsed within days, and on 3 November Reagan declared the mission completed. The Army&rsquo;s figures list 19 Americans killed and 116 wounded, 25 Cubans killed and 59 wounded, and 45 Grenadians killed and 358 wounded. At least 24 Grenadian civilians died, 18 of them at the hospital.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The post-mortems were blunt. Some troops went in with tourist maps overlaid with hand-drawn grids. Army and Marine units on the same island could not talk to each other directly, and on 28 October an Army battalion stumbled into Marines near Ross Point with neither side aware of the other. Only luck prevented a firefight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/a-7e-corsair-ii-va-87-uss-independence-off-grenada-1983.jpg\" alt=\"A US Navy A-7E Corsair II of Attack Squadron 87 in flight off Grenada in late October 1983\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An A-7E Corsair II of VA-87 &ldquo;Golden Warriors&rdquo; from USS <em>Independence<\/em> off Grenada in late October or early November 1983. Carrier aircraft flew close air support throughout the operation. US Navy photo, USS <em>Independence<\/em> 1983-84 cruise book \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A Senate staff study later found that Grenada revealed &ldquo;serious problems in the ability of the Services to operate jointly.&rdquo; Together with the disaster at Desert One in 1980, it drove the Goldwater-Nichols Act, signed on 1 October 1986, which gave the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the unified commanders the authority to make the services fight as one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OOAc3bNCX5Y\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">The Army Heritage Center Foundation on why Urgent Fury became the catalyst for joint-service doctrine, told by a battalion commander who fought there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Today the runway at Point Salines carries tourist jets, under a new name: Maurice Bishop International Airport. The Spectres that circled it that dawn are long retired, but every joint operation since, from Panama to Iraq, has been planned under rules written because of what went wrong in the skies over Grenada.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1673692664112484353&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: US Army Center of Military History (Operation Urgent Fury, CMH Pub 70-114-1), Naval History and Heritage Command (Grenada, Operation Urgent Fury, adapted from All Hands, May 1984), US Naval Institute Proceedings (August 2025), US Air Force biography of Maj Gen James L. Hobson Jr., Air Force Historical Foundation, Wikipedia (United States invasion of Grenada; Lockheed MC-130; Goldwater-Nichols Act)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was Operation Urgent Fury?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Operation Urgent Fury was the US-led invasion of Grenada that began at dawn on 25 October 1983. Some 7,600 US troops, with Caribbean allies, overthrew the military council that had seized power after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was executed. The stated aims were to protect about 600 American medical students and restore order.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What role did the AC-130 play in the invasion of Grenada?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">AC-130H Spectre gunships of the 16th Special Operations Squadron circled Point Salines as the Rangers jumped on 25 October 1983. They suppressed anti-aircraft guns, scouted the blocked runway, destroyed a BTR-60 armoured carrier that attacked the Ranger lines, and supported the SEALs trapped at the governor-general&rsquo;s residence.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the Point Salines airport so important in 1983?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Point Salines airport was being built with Cuban help, and its runway of around 9,000 feet could handle large Soviet transport aircraft. The Reagan administration feared it would become a Cuban-Soviet military airbase, while Grenada said it was for tourist jets. Its capture was the Rangers&rsquo; first objective in Operation Urgent Fury.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many US helicopters were shot down over Grenada?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 25 October 1983 two Marine AH-1T SeaCobras were shot down near Fort Frederick, killing three of their four crew, and Army Black Hawks were brought down by anti-aircraft fire during raids at Richmond Hill. Two days later three Black Hawks were wrecked in a crash at the Calivigny barracks landing zone.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happened in the A-7 strike on the Grenada mental hospital?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 25 October 1983 Navy A-7E Corsair IIs from USS Independence attacked anti-aircraft positions near Fort Frederick and hit a nearby mental hospital. The US Army&rsquo;s official history says eighteen patients were killed and notes that Grenadian gun positions had been placed near the hospital.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many people died in the US invasion of Grenada?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">US Army figures list 19 Americans killed and 116 wounded, 25 Cubans killed and 59 wounded, and 45 Grenadians killed and 358 wounded. At least 24 Grenadian civilians also died, 18 of them in the accidental bombing of a mental hospital during Operation Urgent Fury.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How did the invasion of Grenada lead to the Goldwater-Nichols Act?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Operation Urgent Fury exposed incompatible radios, poor intelligence and weak coordination between the US services. A Senate staff study cited serious problems in operating jointly, and Congress passed the Goldwater-Nichols Act, signed on 1 October 1986, which strengthened the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the unified commanders.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was Operation Urgent Fury?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Operation Urgent Fury was the US-led invasion of Grenada that began at dawn on 25 October 1983. Some 7,600 US troops, with Caribbean allies, overthrew the military council that had seized power after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was executed. The stated aims were to protect about 600 American medical students and restore order.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What role did the AC-130 play in the invasion of Grenada?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"AC-130H Spectre gunships of the 16th Special Operations Squadron circled Point Salines as the Rangers jumped on 25 October 1983. They suppressed anti-aircraft guns, scouted the blocked runway, destroyed a BTR-60 armoured carrier that attacked the Ranger lines, and supported the SEALs trapped at the governor-general\u2019s residence.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the Point Salines airport so important in 1983?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Point Salines airport was being built with Cuban help, and its runway of around 9,000 feet could handle large Soviet transport aircraft. The Reagan administration feared it would become a Cuban-Soviet military airbase, while Grenada said it was for tourist jets. Its capture was the Rangers\u2019 first objective in Operation Urgent Fury.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many US helicopters were shot down over Grenada?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 25 October 1983 two Marine AH-1T SeaCobras were shot down near Fort Frederick, killing three of their four crew, and Army Black Hawks were brought down by anti-aircraft fire during raids at Richmond Hill. Two days later three Black Hawks were wrecked in a crash at the Calivigny barracks landing zone.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happened in the A-7 strike on the Grenada mental hospital?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 25 October 1983 Navy A-7E Corsair IIs from USS Independence attacked anti-aircraft positions near Fort Frederick and hit a nearby mental hospital. 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A Senate staff study cited serious problems in operating jointly, and Congress passed the Goldwater-Nichols Act, signed on 1 October 1986, which strengthened the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the unified commanders.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/the-ac-130-a-cargo-plane-with-more-guns-than-a-destroyer\/\">The AC-130: A Cargo Plane With More Guns Than a Destroyer<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-eagle-claw-desert-one-1980\/\">Desert One: The Night Everything Went Wrong<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/a-7-corsair-ii-sluf-attack-aircraft-history\/\">A-7 Corsair II: The SLUF Attack Jet That Never Missed<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/ah-1-cobra-bell-209-origin-vietnam-gunship-history\/\">Birth of the Snake: How Bell Built the AH-1 Cobra in Eight Months<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 25 October 1983 the US invaded Grenada. Spectre gunships, Combat Talons, SeaCobras, Black Hawks and A-7s fought an improvised air war that changed the Pentagon.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":29468415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29468506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Operation Urgent Fury: The Air War Over Grenada | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Operation Urgent Fury, 25 October 1983: Spectre gunships, Combat Talons, SeaCobras, Black Hawks and A-7s in the air war over Grenada.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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