Author

Till Daisd

Till is an aviation enthusiast blogger who has been writing since 2013. He started out writing about personal readings since expanded his blog to include information and stories about all aspects of aviation. Till's blog is a go-to source for anyone interested in learning more about aviation, whether you're a pilot or just a curious onlooker.

Airshows

RAAF AEROBATIC TEAM ROULETTES WILL FLY PC-21 TRAINERS FEATURING NEW LIVERY

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The PC-21 will replace the present team’s plane, the PC-9/A which Roulettes fly since 1989

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aerobatic display team Roulettes will fly new aircraft – in the form of the Pilatus PC-21 – featuring a new livery. The PC-21 will replace the present team’s plane, the Pilatus PC-9/A which Roulettes fly since 1989.

The aircraft will receive a brand new color scheme inspired by technology and energy themes and its motif will retain RAAF traditional colors (white, blue, and red) while incorporating the Australian flag, the team logo, and Southern Cross.

According to RAAF “The color design better enables our pilots to distinguish if an aircraft is viewed from above or below – aiding judgment of flight paths whilst also increasing visibility during day flying.”

However, it is not known when the team will transition to the PC-21 aircraft.

Noteworthy the Roulettes carry out breathtaking displays, using only hand-eye coordination to fly at speeds of up to 590 kilometers per hour and they can pull up to 4.5G (or 4.5 times the normal force of gravity) during their flying program.

Roulettes members are qualified instructors that when they’re not flying with the team they teach qualified RAAF pilots to become flying instructors at RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria.

The PC-9/A, which is used for pilot training, will be replaced by the PC-21, the newest of the Pilatus trainers, of which Australia ordered 49 examples.

Photo by Royal Australian Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

Books

BOOK PROVIDES NEVER TOLD STORIES OF VF-14 TOPHATTERS SQUADRON AND THE F-14 TOMCAT

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“The F-14 Tomcat was a pure air-to-air fighter and our mission, in the words of Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron), was ‘…to patrol our area of the sky and shoot down any enemy aircraft that are in that area. Anything else is rubbish,’” Bill “Pinch” Paisley, former F-14 RIO

“The platform was the F-14 Tomcat, the ship was the USS John F Kennedy and the squadron was the VF-14 Tophatters. The mission, in the words of Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron), was ‘…to patrol our area of the sky and shoot down any enemy aircraft that are in that area. Anything else is rubbish.’ The Tomcat was a pure air-to-air fighter then, only becoming a fighter bomber in the years after,” says former F-14 Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Bill “Pinch” Paisley in his cool book 99 Camelots, Fighter Squadron Fourteen, 1987-1990.

As Pinch explains 99 Camelots “is a collection of my personal Tophatter memories as seen through the lens of my camera during the three years I had the privilege of serving with the best group of warriors one could hope for.”

Book provides never told stories of VF-14 Tophatters Squadron and the F-14 Tomcat

As Paisley reports in his book of all the training environments faced by a Tomcat crew, one of the most challenging was “FFARP. Also known as the Fleet Fighter ACM Readiness Program. It was about a 2-week program where your squadron would go thru a series of escalating scenarios against both scripted and unscripted (but extremely wily) enemy air capabilities, ultimately ending up in numerous air combat sessions as the ‘war’ escalates.”

Pinch and his pilot Dave “Doc” Hicks were in the middle of one of these dogfights, specifically one where they were up against an unknown number of bad guys. “Could be you and your wingman against a similar number of ‘enemy’ aircraft (2 versus 2), or you, alone and unafraid against an unknown number of bad guys (1 versus unknown). The idea, of course, is that you never really knew what to expect ‘out there so you must tailor your tactics based on what you know and what you don’t know.”

One of the things that U.S. Naval Aviators who must use their aircraft to the very limit of their capability learn is how best to fight their aircraft. According to Paisley “this no limited, of course, to which weapon use, but rather includes intimate knowledge of things like what the best speed is in each phase of the fight, what the capabilities are of the expected enemy aircraft, what the best turning speeds and rates are, what the max G’s are in any part of this flowing dynamic called air combat maneuvering, any number of a dozen or more factors that oftentimes determine life or death in an aerial duel.”

As Pinch explains the Tomcat had two “dogfight radar modes” where the crew could command the radar to go into an automatic-lock routine where the first thing it comes across in its scan volume would get locked on. “Typically, when you became engaged in a dogfight (or ACM – air combat maneuvering), the pilot might call for VSL high (or low), or Vertical Scan Lock-on, which would put the radar into a concentrated scan volume and would go to a single-target track lock on the first thing that entered into its scan.” But as Paisley recalls the interesting aspect to this was that the switch to activate VSL was placed on the left-hand side console. “Down just to the left of where my G-suit encased thigh was, and consisted of a toggle switch about an inch high. Surrounded by other toggle switches about an inch high. Needless to say, not a very easy switch to find in normal circumstances, let alone in the hectic world of a dogfight. Yes, as you become more experienced in the management of your cockpit duties finding such seemingly obscure yet important switches and knobs and controls become easier, and ingenious ‘fixes’ were thought up to assist in the usage of this particular switch-such as cutting a small 3″ piece of stiff plastic tubing to put over the switch so instead of looking down and searching for this minuscule thing, all you had to do was sweep your hand over in that direction and you’d hit that plastic extension and activate VSL mode. This particular plane we were in did not have such advanced technology, however, so I had to do the hunt and peck routine anytime we needed that particular ACM radar mode.”

Back to the furball Pinch and Doc were “in this one particular FFARP evolution, probably 1 v 2 (us against other aircraft), and as the good, dutiful radar intercept officer, I was watching our backside (“Six is clear, Doc”!) as he was pushing the fight on one of the bad guys – meaning the other one was still out there somewhere. I just had to find him.”

Pinch found the second bogey shortly after Doc had “shot down” the first A-4 Skyhawk. “I caught sight of the other still – alive bogey, off the right side, a little high, not quite nose on to us. It was important to get Doc’s eyes on the A-4 as soon as possible, so my call to him was short and succinct – ‘Right 2 o’clock, a little high!'[…] That call told Doc to get his eyes over to the right side of the aircraft, look just a bit to the right of the nose (12 o’clock being dead ahead, so 2 o’clock will be right of that), and a little above the horizon. Crew coordination is one of the things we work on incessantly in the Tomcat, and as soon as I made that call to Doc, I knew exactly what he was going to do and I knew exactly what I needed to do. He was going to roll the aircraft to the right and get lift-vector (the ideal aerodynamic position in the longitudinal plane of the jet to put the best G force on the aircraft) on the bogey and pull like crazy to get our nose on the target, and I would reach down and hit the VSL high switch to get the radar in that dogfight mode to try and get a lock.”

But as Paisley turned his head down and to the left to find the VSL switch, Doc rolled the aircraft right and snapped a rather significant amount of G on the aircraft in getting the jet moved around to face a new threat. Which for Pinch meant his head “leaning down and looking to the left side console for this idiotic little inch-high switch, instantaneously became fused with and part of my left knee. I can’t remember exactly how much G we pulled in that maneuver. I met up with Doc at the 2006 Tomcat Sunset at Oceana and we chatted about this hop. He doesn’t remember anything more than the standard Tomcat limit of 6.5 G. I remember something well in excess of that. Whatever it was, it was a lot.”

However, Pinch was able to hit the VSL high switch, as he recalls. “I wrestled with getting my head back up into a more elevated environment (by now I was past my knee and down around my ankles, I think), and getting my eyes back into the fight. VSL locked on, we got a good shot off and killed the second bogey rather expeditiously and by then it was time to head back to Oceana and down the jet for overstress. And wonder if i should call a chiropractor. Doc had no problem – he was set and ready for such a maneuver, while I, even though I knew what was coming, still had to look for that damn switch.”

Anyhow, as Paisley concludes, “we didn’t get into too much trouble when we got back (overstresses are expected sometimes in this training regime – note: the manufacturer’s, Grumman, advertised “g” limit on the aircraft was higher than 6.5, but the Navy dropped it to this lower limit to extend service life on a rather pricy investment), but we did get told that if we did it again, the next flight would be without G-suits.”

Photo by Bill “Pinch” Paisley

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

When Argentine Air Force Dagger Fighters severely damaged HMS Ardent

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“It was a Sea Harrier going for Captain Robles’ aircraft. Almost simultaneously I saw fire in my mirror and immediately I felt the impact of a missile in my Dagger, which remained without controls,” 1st Lieutenant Luna, Argentine Air Force

The Malvinas/Falkland Islands, an archipelago 300 miles off the coast of South America that was the subject of a dispute between this country and the UK, were invaded by the Argentine Navy and tens of thousands of troops on April 2, 1982. The First Vulcan bomber raids on the islands started British operations on May 1; twenty days later, on May 21, British landings on the Falklands took place.

The Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA, Argentine Air Force) undertook numerous attack missions against the Royal Navy fleet.

Escuadrón III Aeromóvil, which was stationed at Naval Air Base Rio Grande in Southern Argentina and outfitted with the Mirage 5A Dagger, was one of the units that participated in the air raids (how the FAA renamed its IAI Nasher examples purchased from Israel before the war). The second round of strikes was started in the afternoon of May 21 after the morning’s initial sorties failed to seriously damage the British ships. Together with Libra flight with Captains Cimatti and Robles, Cueca flight with Captain Mir González, Lieutenant Bernhardt, and First Lieutenant Luna took off at 13.55.

The story of how Argentine Air Force Dagger fighters severely damaged HMS Ardent during the Falklands War — HMS Ardent (F184)

Due to an oil leak, Cimatti Dagger soon started to leave a thick, black contrail, forcing the pilot to return home as Robles boarded Cueca’s flight.

The Hornby Mountains, which the Daggers had to fly over to get to the target area, were obscured by clouds, so the pilots had to find another route to the Royal Navy ships. Robles explains this in the book Latin American Mirages Mirage III/5/F.1/2000 in Service with South American Air Arms by Santiago Rivas and Juan Carlos Cicalesi, “we flew along the hills until we found a small valley through which we could see the other side. We went through it. Now we were only three as we supposed Luna crashed against a hill… On the other side of the sound, at Ruiz Puente Bay/Grantham Sound, we saw a frigate close to the coast. We started the attack thinking ‘For Luna’!” The British ships started firing on them as they were flying quite close to the surface of the ocean. In addition to opening fire with his cannons, Mir González detonated a bomb 10 meters from one of the ships, creating a large wave that struck the ship’s hull.

González was followed by Lieutenant Bernhardt, who detonated his bomb and damaged the upper half of the ship. As he turned, Robles let go of his ammunition and flew dangerously close to the ship’s antenna. He then observed a missile coming in the direction of Bernhardt’s Dagger, which he managed to dodge by swerving to the right. The three Argentine jet pilots could clearly see the frigate blazing as they were returning home.

They were unaware that Luna had missed the hill because, according to Luna, five Sea Harriers intercepted their flight while the Daggers were only three minutes from the target. But because of the terrible weather, Luna was the final Argentine pilot to pass through the valley. Next, he saw a shadow passing above him and to his left, as he explains: “It was a Sea Harrier going for Captain Robles’ aircraft. Almost simultaneously I saw fire in my mirror and immediately I felt the impact of a missile on my aircraft, which remained without controls. I tried to climb and the aircraft turned upside down, I thought I would die. I left the stick and searched desperately for the upper ejection handle. I think I found it when I was again flying normally, as the ejection was normal.”

Lieutenant Andy Auld and Lieutenant Commander Rod Frederiksen piloted the Sea Harriers that intercepted the Daggers. Therefore, it appears that the Sea Harrier element that intercepted the Argentines was made up of only two fighters that were passing close to King George Bay and not five aircraft as previously thought. HMS Brilliant directed the British aircraft towards the Daggers, and when the Sea Harriers were able to see the enemy jets, Frederiksen fired the Sidewinder, striking Luna, who was later saved by the islanders.

The HMS Ardent was the vessel that the Daggers struck. The Mk 17 bomb dropped by Bernhardt, while the bomb dropped by Robles impacted the ship but did not explode, caused the assault aircraft to fully destroy the vessel hangar, the ship’s helicopter, and the Sea Cat missile system.

Later that day, Ardent was struck by three A-4Q Skyhawks from the Argentine Navy. At least two bombs were dropped on the ship’s stern, and numerous unexploded bombs tore into the hull.

The Ardent sank the following day as a result of the airstrikes carried out by Dagger and Skyhawk.

Photo by Jorge Alberto Leonardi and Horacio Claria via Wikipedia, U.S. Navy, and screenshot from YouTube video

August 28, 2021 0 comment

Airshows

THESE INCREDIBLE PICTURES SHOW SOME OF THE COOLEST LONDON AIRSHOW 2017 PARTICIPANTS

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

London Airshow 2017 celebrated Canada’s 150th birthday

Some cool photos from London Airshow 2017.

These incredible pictures show some of the coolest London Airshow 2017 participants

Canada “the true north strong and free” celebrated a most prestigious milestone this year since its inception as a country in 1867. With its 150th birthday this year it seemed only fitting that a special air show would be in the works and London, Ontario had the honor of hosting this exciting event.

London is a city of just under 500,000 people in the greater metropolitan area in the southwestern part of the province of Ontario. London Airshow 2017 started on Friday, Sep. 22, 2017, with an evening twilight demonstration while Saturday and Sunday saw a mix of different performers.

The static display remained constant on all three days. The static aircraft that really generated a lot of interest were as follows:

There were three F-16C’s of the Toledo, Ohio ANG that were resting side by side on the tarmac. A new camouflage/paint scheme is being applied to USAF/ANG F-16s. Gone was the light ghost grey that surrounded the cockpit area which was replaced with the overall dark ghost grey which had previously covered the majority of the jet.

The nose cone was still in medium ghost grey. According to the recent Aviation Classics issue F-16 Fighting Falcon, The Free World’s Most Popular Fighter, the new camouflage/paint scheme is called the Have Glass V “which links radar absorbent material and paint to reduce the F-16’s radar cross section.”

Two U.S. Navy VFA-14 Tophatters F/A-18E Super Hornets were in attendance based at NAS Lemoore California. Both pilots were by their aircraft taking photographs with spectators answering questions. The intake covers that were on both jets proudly display the Tophatters famous squadron logo.

There was a U.S. Navy C-2A(R) Greyhound belonging to VAW-120/Greyhawks of NAS Norfolk Virginia. The crew was incredibly friendly and spent quite a few minutes describing the aircraft and what it does for the U.S. Navy. This particular squadron is a Fleet Replacement Squadron responsible for the training of crews on the E-2 Hawkeye along with the C-2 Greyhound.

The most interesting thing regarding this particular aircraft is that their squadron logo recalls that of VF-1, one of two fictional squadrons in the 1986 blockbuster hit Top Gun. The only noticeable differences were the squadron names and the fact that in the movie the logo was blue, orange, and white as opposed to the real-life squadron logo being black, white, and silver. An E-2C Hawkeye of the same squadron was also a part of the static display.

The aerial demonstrations that generated a lot of interest were as follows:

The tanker which took part in the flying display was the KC-135R of the Pennsylvania ANG from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Probably what impressed most people was its display of the operational usage of its aerial refueling boom.

The KC-135R is a variant of the very famous Boeing 707 airliner which revolutionized air travel with its speed and range. This version of the KC-135 has also equipped with more modern, fuel-efficient, and noise-reducing engines.

The U.S. Navy did us proud with an exciting display of their F/A-18F Super Hornet demo team of VFA-106 Gladiators based at NAS Oceana Virginia.

Probably the most interesting part of the display was the simulated carrier landing starting with the break where the aircraft comes in at a relatively high speed, banks, and then slows down and prepares itself for landing with flaps gear and arrestor hook set to bring the airplane back on the carrier deck.

One performer previously seen at the annual air show in Toronto was Randy Ball and his MiG-17PF. The MiG 17 is a high-subsonic Soviet designed fighter jet whose roots stem from the MiG-15. The MiG-17 made its debut in the early 1950s and Randy’s jet was in the markings of the Polish Air Force.

Unlike the MiG-15, the MiG-17 is equipped with an afterburner and Randy made good use of it when thrilling us with high speed passes at an extremely low altitude above the runway, high-g turns to showcase the highly maneuverable characteristics of the aircraft along with some amazing climbs for a fighter jet of that era.

One aircraft which many people were curious to see fly was the F-35A Lightning II belonging to the demo team based at Luke AFB in Arizona. The F-35 has faced much skepticism in the news yet the crowd was interested to see this fifth-generation fighter aircraft in action. The pilot successfully held our attention right from the beginning of his display, performing a brief but loud vertical departure and sharp bank angle coupled with an afterburner.

From then on in the jet impressed us with its incredible acceleration capabilities, its tight turning radius along some incredible vertical climbs. One thing that struck us about this aircraft was how loud it was and although its demonstration was brief we were given a taste of what the F-35 can do. It also performed a heritage flight with a P-51D Mustang doing some great flybys providing those in the crowd with some great photo opportunities.

An aircraft that impressed the spectators was the RCAF CF-18A Hornet belonging to the Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 Demonstration Team. This year’s aircraft was very special as its design celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday. The top of the aircraft is painted in red with a modified maple leaf design consisting of 13 geometric parts representing Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories which are most noticeable on the upper spine and outside vertical tails of the aircraft.

The left and right trailing edge flaps and ailerons say “1867-2017 and Canada 150” respectively. The demonstration pilot who had the honor of showcasing the CF-18A’s capabilities was Captain Matthew “Glib” Kutryk, a native of Alberta. The high-speed sneak pass and vertical departure maneuver with vapor coming off of the jet were an incredible sight to see.

The airplane looked fantastic in clear blue skies and as it can be seen in this article it was a joy to photograph. Another bonus about this performance was that it was longer than others.

The jet in fact also took part in a heritage flight with a de Havilland DH-115 Vampire which was another photographic delight for spectators on the ground.

A 1/72 diecast model of this year’s spectacular RCAF CF-18A Hornet Demonstration Team would certainly be appreciated by all who collect aircraft models.

The show was wrapped up with the elegant and graceful performance of the RCAF 431 Demonstration Squadron, the Snowbirds with their 11 Canadair CT-114 Tutor aircraft. It was a fitting ending to a great air show.

Despite the hot and humid conditions, London Airshow 2017 really outdid itself and provided Canadians with many wonderful memories in celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday.

Photos by jetstreamphotography.com website.

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

How the Buff was trasformed into a MiG Killer by B-52 tail gunners

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The two BUFF MiG kills occurred during Operation Linebacker II, the Christmas-time strategic air assault against the logistical and industrial hub of North Vietnam

The Boeing B-52 is the quintessential example of strategic airpower in action. Originally designed to carry a hydrogen bomb over intercontinental distances, the Stratofortress saw extensive use in conventional bombing during the Vietnam War, turning it into a MiG killer by downing two MiG-21 fighters.

Both MiGs were destroyed during Operation Linebacker II, the Christmas-time air onslaught against North Vietnam’s logistical and industrial core that got underway after the Paris peace talks ended in failure. Two B-52D tail gunners from the 307th Strategic Bomb Wing stationed at U-Tapao RTAFB (Royal Thailand Air Force Base), Thailand, continued the long tradition of tail gunners from prior wars by shooting down two North Vietnamese Fishbeds during this air operation.

Here's how B-52 tail gunners made of the BUFF a MiG killer

The four.50-caliber M3 machine guns installed at the rear of the D model of the Stratofortress made it possible for these accomplishments, and they possibly made the B-52 the last strategic bomber to shoot down an enemy fighter. The 600-round weapons on board the A-3A fire control system search and tracking radar may be handled remotely from the forward fuselage by the gunner or manually by a tail gunner.

On December 18, 1972, 129 bombers (42 B-52Ds from U-Tapao, 87 BUFFs between B-52Ds and B-52Gs from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam) were launched to attack rail yards and logistical facilities in and around Hanoi as well as the MiGs bases at Kep, Hoa Loc, and Phuc Yen. This was the first of the two MiG kills. B-52 Stratofortress: The Story of the BUFF from Drawing Board to the Skies over Afghanistan by Bill Yenne claims that the bombers flew in three aircraft cells for mutual ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) defense.

The B-52D Tail No. 56-0676, callsign Brown III, which had Sgt. Samuel O. Turner working as a tail gunner was one of the bombers. Numerous SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) were fired throughout the bomb run to the target, and anti-aircraft fire of all calibers exploded close to Brown III.

When the B-52Ds arrived at their objective and dropped their bombs, several MiGs took off to intercept them as they were flying back to base. Turner was able to lock on to the incoming Fishbed and, as it was in the firing line, he opened fire on it, hitting the back of the MiG-21, which burst into a big inferno. One of the MiG-21s was prepared to launch its missiles toward Brown III. According to Donald J. McCarthy, Jr. in his book MiG Killers A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973, this kill was the first for a bomber crew since the Korean War, and it had also been confirmed by MSgt. Lewis E. Le Blanc, who was a tail gunner on another B-52.

At the Fairchild AFB Heritage Park in Spokane, the B-52D with the tail number 55-0676 is still on display and still carries the iconic MiG Killers logo, a red star under the cockpit.

On December 24, 1972, Christmas Eve, the second Stratofortress aerial victory of the Vietnam War occurred. During the bomb run, the B-52s were assaulted by the MiGs, and thirty BUFFs that took off from U-Tapao had to hit rail yards at Thai Nguyen and Kep, 40 miles north and northeast of Hanoi. A1C Albert E. Moore, the tail gunner of the B-52D Tail No. 55-0083, Diamond Lil, noticed one of them on the radar sight. At 4,000 yards, he latched onto the Fishbed and started firing at the blip on his radar scope until it vanished.

In his combat report, according to a lengthy essay by Tom Docherty that was published in FlyPast magazine’s December 2015 issue, Moore wrote: “I observed a target on my radar scope 8 o’clock low at 8 miles. I immediately notified the crew, and the ‘bogey’ started closing rapidly. It stabilized at 4,000 yards, at 6 o’clock. I called the pilot for evasive action and the EWO for chaff and flares. When the target goes to 2,000 yards, I notified the crew that I was firing. I fired at the bandit until it ballooned to three times in intensity then suddenly disappeared from my radar scope at approximately 1,200 yards. I expected 800 rounds in three bursts.”

This kill too was confirmed by another tail gunner, TSgt. Clarence W. Chute, reported: “I went visual and saw the ‘bandit’ on fire and falling away. Several pieces of the aircraft exploded, and the fireball disappeared in the undercast.”

Also preserved and on display at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado is the B-52D tail number 55-00083. According to Vietnamese authorities, a B-52 downed a MiG-21 on April 16, 1972, earning its third air-to-air win.

General George L. Butler, who was in charge of Strategic Air Command (SAC) at the time, announced the removal of the gunner post and the deactivation of the B-52’s guns on September 16, 1991. As a former B-52 gunner explained to us “we (Gunners) were done away with for two reasons 1) Budget. It was very expensive to maintain the Fire Control System. It was the ONLY system on the jet that had never been updated. It still used vacuum tubes! If a part broke and couldn’t be located, it had to be made. This was very expensive. And 2) Missile technology had become advanced enough to shoot aircraft down from beyond visual range. The guns were obsolete unless a fighter was dumb enough to try and get close enough to use its guns on the BUFF. Those are the facts.”

Since then, a generation has passed since the BUFF had a tail gunner, and the days of a fighter having to be cautious when attempting to get behind a B-52 are long gone.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

The first official American aerial victory of the Vietnam war

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Murphy and Fegan’s kill remained unsubstantiated for many years even if the Chinese claimed the destruction of the F-4 immediately following the fight because it was not deemed politically wise to counterclaim a MiG-17

On April 9, 1965, Lt. (j.g.) Terrence M. Murphy and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), Ens. Ronald J. Fegan of Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96), shot down a Chinese MiG-17 while departing from the USS Ranger (CVA-61) in an F-4B Phantom II BuNo 151403, callsign “Showtime 602,” to claim the first recognized American aerial victory of the Vietnam War.

The unknown story of the first official American aerial victory of the Vietnam War

Three VF-96 crews were assigned to Barrier Combat Air Patrol (BARCAP) duty on April 9; this duty required them to fly a racetrack pattern over the water roughly 25 miles off the coast of Haiphong. The mission’s target, as stated by Peter E. Davies in his book Gray Ghosts, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 Phantoms, was to thwart hostile aircraft’s attempts to attack components of the 7th Fleet. Pairs of aircraft flew the circuit’s legs in roughly three minutes while cruising at a speed of around 300 kts and 20,000 feet. However, they frequently slowed down and gently steered towards the shoreline on the inshore side of the circuit to entice one or more MiGs to surface.

CDR Frazer was in charge of the BARCAP on April 9, and LT Don Watkins was his wingman. When their Phantom II experienced an engine failure on takeoff, LCDR Greer and his RIO LTJG Bruning were forced to eject and fly the third F-4B. Murphy and Fegan made their official debut in Showtime 602 as replacement section leaders under the guidance of LT Watkins and LTJG Mueller.

Watkins attempted to overtake Murphy while they were passing Chinese MiG-17s as they were flying north from Hainan Island, but Murphy heard him send “Three in contrails.” A fourth MiG-17 attacked Watkins’ F-4 from behind, according to Davies, and Murphy reported that he was being fired upon. After being called back from their BARCAP, Frazer and Don Watkins engaged the MiGs. When two AIM-7s were launched, the engine of one failed to ignite while the other went ballistic.

Additionally, two AIM-9s were fired, although only one connected, and the other was dodged. Murphy and Fegan went missing shortly after, and the three Phantom crews discovered this while they were making their way to the tanker. “Out of missiles,” had been their most recent transmission. Going back to base Watkins and Mueller, however, had witnessed a MiG-17 going down in a fiery crash after ejecting the other robbers. A second blip appeared behind Showtime 602 as it headed away from Hainan on the radar of the Fleet’s Combat Information Center (CIC), and the F-4 subsequently vanished from view.

Even if the Chinese had immediately after the combat claimed the loss of the F-4, it was not seen as politically wise to claim a MiG-17 in response, and Murphy’s kill remained unconfirmed. Additionally, according to some Chinese reports, one of the Phantoms’ inaccurate missiles is what brought Murphy and Fegan down.

The destruction of the Chinese MiG was handed to Murphy and Fegan after the air war, while they were piecing together the events.

This engagement, however, quickly brought to light issues that would continue throughout the Vietnam War. According to Davies, these problems were:

Poor missile performance. None of the four missiles fired hit their intended target.
With the MiGs moving at a moderate speed, Murphy and Fegan attempted to turn. They lost when their Phantom ran out of energy during the turn, making them maybe the first of many to learn that this maneuver could be lethal in an F-4.
Communication difficulties. Frazer’s and Murphy’s, the two aircraft in the air fight, were using various radio frequencies and different radar controllers. Only after the MiGs had indicated that they intended to attack and had dropped their wing tanks were they permitted to engage in combat. The mutual effects of the two portions may have been compromised if each F-4 had only one primary radio.

Overall, the only solace was the knowledge that Murphy and Fegan’s deaths would have been VF-96’s only casualty to enemy aircraft during wartime.

Gray Ghosts, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 Phantoms is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

Carriers

FIRST TO FIGHT, FIRST TO STRIKE: VFA-41 BLACK ACES WESTPAC ’16 CRUISE VIDEO

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

On Jan. 2016 VFA-41 deployed aboard the USS John C Stennis, CVN-74 to the South China Sea to ensure Freedom of Navigation

The cool video in this article is the short film that features the most sierra hotel clips chronicling the 2016 Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment of the F/A-18F Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 Black Aces aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) aircraft carrier.

Noteworthy Strike Fighter Squadron 41 personnel began the transition from the F-14A Tomcat to the F/A-18F Super Hornet in Dec. 2001 and from Mar. to Nov. 2003, VFA-41 undertook its first WESTPAC cruise since the Vietnam era.

On Jan. 2016 VFA-41 with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 deployed aboard the USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74 to the South China Sea to ensure Freedom of Navigation. Ports of call during this deployment included Guam, Busan, Singapore, Manila and Pearl Harbor.

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

The Project Blue Book and how UFO sightings covered high-altitude U-2 flights

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Numerous U-2 spy planes testing at high altitudes were the primary cause of many UFO sightings reported to Project Blue Book beginning in 1955

Midway through the 1950s, the USAF and CIA covered extremely high-altitude flights of their then-secret U-2 surveillance planes with UFO sightings.

The United States Air Force (USAF) program known as Project Blue Book was established in March 1952 at General Cabell’s request to research unidentified flying objects. Despite the fact that this research team continued to work until 1969, it is still uncertain if Project Blue Book was actually employed to keep an eye on unidentified flying objects in American airspace or to cover “black programs” that the team itself was well aware of.

Airliners flew between 10,000 and 20,000 feet in the middle of the 1950s, while military planes like the B-47 and B-57 soared below 40,000 feet. However, in 1955, the then-covert U-2 spy planes started flying over 60,000 feet, an altitude above which no aircraft was known to function, according to Bill Yenne’s account in Area 51 Black Jets. Due to this, U-2s conducting high-altitude testing were a common cause of UFO encounters reported to Project Blue Book beginning in 1955.

Project Blue Book and the story of how UFO sightings were used to cover high altitude U-2 flights

The aircraft were difficult to see because they were in the troposphere and had no trailing contrail; they could only be seen if sunlight reflected off of their silver wings. This assertion is confirmed by Gregory Pedlow and Donald Welzenbach, who stated in their book The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974 that the reports of U-2s as UFOs “were more prevalent in the early evening hours from pilots of airliners flying from east to west.”

These evening sightings occurred because an airplane flying at 20,000 feet was in darkness as the sun descended below the horizon. However, if a U-2 was flying nearby at the same time as the aircraft, its horizon would be farther away from it at 60,000 feet, and because it was flying so high in the sky, its silver wings would reflect the sun’s rays and seem to the airliner pilot 40,000 feet below as fiery objects.

But even during the day, when their silver bodies might reflect the sun even on the ground, the high-flying U-2s could be mistaken for UFOs. An object that was high in the sky was not anticipated to be observed at the time since no one thought an airplane could fly above 60,000 feet.

When Blue Book members received a letter reporting a UFO sighting, they called the CIA in Washington and requested that the Agency’s Project Staff check U-2 flight logs. By doing this, the investigators were able to rule out the majority of the UFO reports, even though they were unable to inform the letter writer of the true cause of the UFO sighting.

By the time Project Blue Book was formally shut down, its investigators had looked over a total of 12,618 UFO reports, classifying all but 701 of them as misinterpretations of regular objects.

According to Pedlow and Welzenbach, the majority of the “unidentified” sightings were U-2s and other dark aircraft, while the other inexplicable sightings remain unsolved.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

Brazilian Mirage Fighters intercepted an Il-62 during Falkland War

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The two Mirage jets prepped their air-to-air missiles as they both climbed above the clouds and increased their speed from Mach 0.98 to Mach 1.15

Brazil never considered getting involved in the Falklands war, despite being close to the battle area.

However, after conflicts over control of the islands between Argentina and the U.K. on April 2, 1982, Brazil expressed its support for Argentina, and its bases were alerted.

The radars of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) noticed a massive aircraft coming from the north without permission at about 20:00 on April 9. (FAB, Brazilian Air Force). The aircraft was identified as a Cubana Ilyushin Il-62 traveling to Buenos Aires and carrying the Cuban envoy to Argentina by the air defense operators who made contact with it.

The two QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) Mirage IIIEBRs were scrambled after its pilot refused to comply with the order to land at Brasilia, but due to a strong storm the pilots, Major Aviador Paulo César Pereira, the section leader, and 1° Tenente-Aviador Eduardo José Pastorelo de Miranda, the wingman, were only able to take off at 21:00, but because of a problem with his navigation system, Pastorelo was forced to take off a few minutes later.

Pereira moved in the direction of the airplane that was passing above Porto Nacional. He was flying at roughly 31,000 feet and the wingman was following him at 29,000 feet. The high cloud cover prevented him from using the onboard radar to find the intruder. As a result, the target was located by the Ground Control Intercept (GCI) when it was wheeling to the left.

Here's how Brazilian Mirage fighters intercepted an Il-62 that was bringing Cuban ambassador to Argentina during the Falklands War

While the leader and wingman both readied their air-to-air missiles, the two Mirages rose above the clouds and increased their speed from Mach 0.98 to Mach 1.15.

The Ilyushin was recognized by the two fighters after they were able to establish visual contact. The flying crew responded that they were headed to Ezeiza International Airport in Argentina when the ground controller again ordered the plane to land at Brasilia.

The leader moved to the left of the Ilyushin and the wingman to the right until they were quite near to the cockpit as per the command to the Mirages to make them visible to the airliner. In their book Latin American Mirages Mirage III/5/F.1/2000 in Service with South American Air Arms, Santiago Rivas, and Juan Carlos Cicalesi detail how they made one more contact with a Cuban airplane from the ground while communicating in English: “Cubana 1225, you have been intercepted! There are two fighters alongside your aircraft. You are ordered to land in Brasilia immediately!” The Il-62 pilot responded after a while, “Roger, Roger, Brasilia! Give me instructions! The Mirages closely tracked the airliner over Brasilia, but when they ran out of gas, the fighters returned to base just in time for the Il-62 to touch down.

Five hours after landing, the Il-62 was given the go-ahead to take off once more. The attempt by the Cuban envoy to mediate in the conflict before the arrival of the American ambassador in Argentina was later identified as the cause of this unauthorized flight.

Even though they weren’t scrambled again, the FAB Mirages were kept on guard for the duration of the conflict.

Photo by Força Aérea Brasileira

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

A B-1B Lancer doing the first-ever low-altitude terrain following

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

On December 12, 2017, precisely thirty years later, a B-1B crew successfully fired two LRASMs in production configuration simultaneously during a test at Point Mugu’s sea range

The fascinating video in this post shows a B-1B executing a terrain-following flight to test the Lancer automatic terrain-following system on December 12, 1987, at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).

On December 12, 2017, exactly thirty years later, a B-1B crew successfully fired two Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) in production configuration simultaneously during a test at Point Mugu’s sea range.

“This continued success with LRASM provides confidence in its upcoming early operational capability milestone, putting a proven, unmatched munition into the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force inventories,” said David Helsel, LRASM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The successful flight demonstrates LRASM’s continued ability to strengthen sea control for our forces.”

Check out this video of a B-1B Lancer performing low-altitude terrain following at Edwards AFB

By utilizing cutting-edge technologies that lessen reliance on platforms for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, network connectivity, and GPS navigation, LRASM is intended to detect and kill individual targets inside groups of ships in electronic warfare scenarios. Due to its improved capacity to distinguish and perform tactical engagements from extended ranges, LRASM will play a vital role in securing military access to operate in open ocean/blue waters.

Precision-guided Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range-based LRASM is an anti-ship standoff missile (JASSM-ER). It is made to accommodate the demands of American Navy and Air Force warfighters operating in hostile circumstances. The air-launched variant gives the U.S. Navy’s offensive anti-surface warfare Increment I requirement an early operational capability that could be integrated onboard the B-1B of the U.S. Air Force in 2018 and the F/A-18E/F of the U.S. Navy in 2019.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy

August 28, 2021 0 comment

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