Aviation ordnancemen load an AIM-9 Sidewinder short range missile on an F/A-18 Hornet.
Aviation ordnancemen load an AIM-9 Sidewinder short range missile on an F/A-18 Hornet on the flight deck of the USS Independence (CV 62) while the ship operates in the Persian Gulf on Feb. 10, 1998. Independence and its embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 are on station in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch which is the U.S. and coalition enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq.