Residents of Washington state turned their eyes to a clear blue sky Thursday and found themselves staring at a cartoonish rendering of male genitalia, sketched in smoke by at least one Navy EA-18G Growler jet flying out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The image stretched hundreds of feet high over the Okanogan highlands, based on photographs shared on social media.
Lt. Cmdr. Leslie Hubbell, a Navy spokeswoman, called the incident "absolutely unacceptable," saying it holds no training value and is under investigation.
The unit involved, Electronic Attack Squadron 130, flies a two-person variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet and specializes in electronic warfare. The aircrew responsible has not been identified.
"We will not tolerate this behavior," Hubbell said. "This is not indicative of the overall population of our folks."
The Defense Department has placed heightened emphasis on sexual harassment and sexual assault in the ranks. And while it's not immediately clear what this investigation will yield, it's evident that the Navy is taking it very seriously.
This is not the first time a military pilot has drawn similar images. As the Drive pointed out, a Royal Air Force jet drew what appeared to be a penis in the sky over Scotland in 2014. The RAF later concluded the suggestive smoke trails were caused by a pilot circling in a holding pattern while waiting to land.
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