Ready Five, also referred to as Alert Five in the film ''
Top Gun
''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired ...
'', is a condition of high alert for aircraft crews on the flight deck of an
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
, in which they are ready to launch within five minutes. Fighter aircraft are placed on the steam catapult complete with flight crew, armament, and fuel, ready to defend the
carrier battle group from any unforeseen threat.
Flight crews sometimes dread being assigned Ready Five, as they can be ordered to remain there for hours on end, in addition to the high probability of being sent into combat on short notice.
* Alert 5: Aircraft is on the catapult with electrical and starting power already hooked up but not started, and the crew strapped in to their ejection seats. (Crews rotated every 2 hours.)
* Alert 15: Same as above, except the crew remains in the ready room in full flight gear.
* Alert 30: Aircraft remains on the cat, but the crew is free unless called.
* Alert 60: Aircrew is assigned; maintenance is allowed on the aircraft, as well as minor maintenance on the
catapult
A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...
and
arresting gear
An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBA ...
.
[
]
See also
*
Alert crew In the armed forces, most often in military aviation and in land-based missile forces, an alert crew is a group of members of units and formations that maintains a group level of combat readiness. Although it sometimes encompasses the entire unit, ...
*
Alert state
An alert state or state of alert is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a state against natural disasters, terrorism or military attack. The term frequently used is "on high alert". Examples scales ...
*
COGCON
COGCON ("continuity of government readiness condition") is a United States government readiness level, roughly analogous to the DEFCON alert state system, tracking the readiness of the government in the event of an emergency.
For example, the Rave ...
*
DEFCON
The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. For security reasons, the U.S. military does not announce a DEFCON level to the public.
The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Sta ...
*
Mobilization
Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...
*
Scrambling (military)
In military aviation, scrambling is the act of quickly mobilising military aircraft. Scrambling can be in reaction to an immediate threat, usually to intercept hostile aircraft.
Battle of Britain
The term was used during the Battle of Britai ...
*
List of established military terms
This is a list of established military terms which have been in use for at least 50 years. Since technology and doctrine have changed over time, not all of them are in current use, or they may have been superseded by more modern terms. However, th ...
References
External links
Naval aviation
{{mil-aviation-stub