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History

The F-16AM: An aircraft that packs a punch

by Till Daisd October 17, 2022

The F-16AM is a single-seater aircraft that can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2 and has a service ceiling of 15,000 meters and has a maximum take-off weight of 18,100 kg. The length of the F-16AM is 15.06 meters and its wingspan is 9.96 meters. The maximum range of the F-16AM is 3,300 km.

It has a pilot, who flies the plane and mans the weapons systems and is designed to fly in air combat missions and can be armed with air-to-air missiles or air-to-ground weapons.

The service ceiling is the maximum altitude at which an aircraft can fly. It’s determined by the temperature and pressure at its cruising altitude. The F-16’s service ceiling is 15,000 meters (50,000 feet). This means that if you want an aircraft with a high service ceiling for your mission, you should look for one with a high service ceiling—like the F-16AM!

The F-16AM’s baseline weight is 6,300 kg. This is the weight of the aircraft without weapons or fuel. The actual weight of an F-16AM can vary based on its configuration and loadout, but a full fuel load will add another 1,500 kg to this figure. If a pilot is flying it, they will weigh around 80 kg (176 lbs).

The aircraft can carry a maximum fuel load of 7,000 kg externally and 5,000 kg internally.

The F-16AM is a single-engine fighter that’s 15.06 meters long and 9.96 meters wide. The wingspan is the distance from tip to tip of the wing, while the length is measured from front to back of the aircraft (you can see this in most photos of planes).

This fighter jet was designed in the USA by General Dynamics, now Lockheed Martin. The first F-16A flew in 1976 and was used by the USAF until 1999 when it received its successor, the F-16C block 50/52+. In 1982 these aircraft were delivered to Holland which used them to replace their aging F-104G Starfighter fleet. By 2017 there were 83 F-16AMs in use by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) with another 10 scheduled for delivery between 2019 and 2020.

One major advantage is its weight which makes it easier to reach high speeds quickly without compromising on maneuverability. This aircraft truly packs a punch!

The F-16AM still serves as the backbone of the Belgian Air Force, and it is supplemented by the smaller F-16B. Belgium’s Air Force headquarters is at Kleine Brogel Air Base, one of the most modern military installations in Europe. The end of the Cold War and recent defense cuts have not been kind to Belgium. However, those cuts have actually helped Belgium to retain a very potent fighting force, albeit a small one.

The F-16AM has been a considerable asset for the Royal Netherlands Air Force when patrolling the skies above both Dutch and NATO territory. The aircraft is reportedly utilized to secure large-scale military exercises, national celebrations, as well as peacekeeping missions.

October 17, 2022 0 comment

History

The F-4: An Aviation Icon

by Till Daisd October 16, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the military’s first supersonic, twin-engine all-weather fighter-bomber. The Phantom II had a top speed of over 1500 mph and a combat range of more than 1000 miles. Nearly 5000 F-4s were built. It was used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, plus the British Royal Air Force. After the war, the F-4 became one of the most important aircraft in U.S. history: it took part in several conflicts around the world including Vietnam, where it served as an air superiority fighter as well as providing close air support for troops on the ground; during Operation Desert Storm where its air-to-air capabilities helped take down enemy planes like MiG 21s; then again during Operation Iraqi Freedom when its precision-guided munitions strike struck targets like Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad from high above (an act that would have been impossible with earlier generations of American fighters).

The F-4 Phantom II was also the first aircraft to have a two-man crew and a two-man cockpit.

The F-4 was developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (now part of Boeing). The prototype first flew on May 27, 1958, and entered service in 1960 with squadron VF 101 at NAS Oceana, Virginia; it has since been retired from U.S. Navy service but remains in use with many other air forces around the world today as an air superiority fighter as well as ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft (a total of 5,195 units were built).

The aircraft’s airframe was designed for ease of maintenance and could be modified for varied roles with relative ease.

The F-4 had numerous variants including reconnaissance aircraft, interceptors, and trainers. In addition to the U.S., Israel also flew the plane as well as Iran, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey.

The F-4 continued to perform well throughout the Vietnam War, and its prowess as a fighter was underscored by its ability to go head-to-head with enemy MiGs. During this conflict and the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Israeli pilots used the Phantom extensively to destroy Syrian and Egyptian aircraft.

After its service in these wars, it became one of the most important aircraft in U.S. history when it entered service with NASA as America’s first operational space shuttle carrier aircraft (SCA). The F-4 was also used for reconnaissance missions during Operation Desert Storm under Operation Provide Comfort that ensuring humanitarian aid reached Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq following Saddam Hussein’s attempts at genocide against them in 1988/1989.

The F-4 was a versatile aircraft, used for air-to-air combat and ground attack missions. It could climb at more than 50,000 feet a minute, making it useful for both air-to-air missions as well as ground attack missions. The Phantom was able to fly at supersonic speeds above Mach 2 (1,600 mph).

It didn’t just excel in speed and strength but in its ability to carry huge amounts of weaponry for anti-ship attacks and other missions as well as nuclear weapons. The F-4’s versatility was a major factor in its success, whether it was dropping ordnance on a target or flying reconnaissance missions. The Phantom II could also be equipped with electronic countermeasures (ECM), electronic warfare systems, or jamming equipment that could confuse enemy radar tracking systems.

The aircraft’s sheer size also meant that it could carry more than any other fighter at the time—27,000 pounds worth of bombs or missiles—which made it ideal for attacking ground targets from longer distances than most fighters could achieve. The F-4 had an especially large internal fuel capacity for long flights over water too; this helped further expand its range when carrying out missions across oceans or continents with little chance to refuel midair during transit.

The F-4 was used by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1963 through 1986 and by the United States Navy (USN) from 1965 through 1986.

Even after being replaced by newer models such as the F-14A Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet, the Phantom remained in service with Iran, Turkey, and Greece until 1999 with some nations still flying limited numbers up to this day.

The aircraft is one of just a handful of military airplanes that have been continuously produced for over 50 years (the other examples being the Boeing 737, Cessna T-37 Tweet/O-2 Skymaster, and North American P-51 Mustang). The Phantom will always be remembered as an aviation icon.

In short, the F-4 Phantom II was a fast and deadly aircraft that had a long history of service. It deserves recognition for being so instrumental in helping win the Cold War.

One thing the F-4 has proven is that it still can pull its weight in aerial combat. (And it’s getting a second life as a fighter-bomber). And all of this was done in service to air forces from over a dozen unique countries. The longevity and universal appeal of the F-4 Phantom mean that no aviation enthusiast should go without the thrill of seeing such an icon up close.

October 16, 2022 0 comment

History Military

The top aircraft built by car manufacturers

by Till Daisd October 15, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Air travel has been revolutionized over the last century by the development of faster, more efficient aircraft. However, that innovation hasn’t just come from big aerospace companies or government funding—it’s also come from car manufacturers. To help you understand just how far automakers have gone in their quest to build planes, here are five examples of cars that were once built into airplanes:

Piaggio P180 Avanti

The Piaggio P180 Avanti is an Italian twin-engine turboprop executive aircraft built by Piaggio Aeronautica. It was first flown in 1986 and delivered to its first customer in 1988.

The second-generation model (designated as the P180B) first flew in 2002 and was certified for sale later that year; it was followed by a third-generation variant (designated as the P180C) which made its maiden flight on 30 September 2013, was certified in late 2014, and entered service with BizJet International.

Bugatti 100p

The Bugatti 100p was an aircraft built by the French car manufacturer Bugatti during World War II. It was their first and only attempt at building an aircraft, which they did to promote their brand. They started work on it in 1940, but progress was slow due to the war. Finally, they were able to start testing it in 1943 after designing a propeller that could withstand high speeds.

The 100p first flew on 25 October 1944 with test pilot Jean Daninos at its controls. During this flight it reached 302 mph (486 km/h), making it the fastest aircraft ever flown at that time. However, this record was broken when Chuck Yeager broke Mach 1 (the sound barrier) on 14 October 1947 while flying a Bell X-1 rocket plane with Air Force Captain Joe Walker as his co-pilot. The next year Georges Pelletan flew the 100p faster than Mach 1 for 5 minutes before returning safely home.

The 100p held several other speed records: On 27 April 1946 Georges Pelletan took off from Paris in order to break them all when he reached 2,205 km/h (1,379 mph) over Paris; also on 27 April 1946 he set another record by reaching a 10-kilometer altitude above ground level which was then beaten three weeks later by Jules Verne who used another one of these aircraft called “Oiseau de Feu” (“Bird Of Fire”).

Fiat G.80

Fiat for the Italian aircraft manufacturer and G.80 was the designation of a twin-engine, twin-boom, light tactical transport aircraft built by Aeritalia (since merged into Alenia). The aircraft was originally designed to replace both the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Lockheed P-3 Orion in service with the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare), as well as other NATO countries; however, after its first flight on 19 October 1974, it failed to win any orders due to high operating costs. It remained in service until July 2002 when replaced by the Alenia C-27J Spartan.

Mitsubishi MU-2

A small aircraft that was designed to be a low-cost transport vehicle, the Mitsubishi MU-2 was first introduced in 1967. The aircraft was specifically built to be affordable, reliable, and easy to fly.

The new design incorporated several features that had been proven over time on other aircraft types – such as the wing flaps and slats that allowed for steep descents or slow landings on short runways. However, one major difference from previous designs was its engine placement; unlike most other airplanes which placed their engines between two wings (and thus were called twin-engine) this one had its engines mounted directly under each wing instead of being positioned between them (making it a single-engine). This configuration made for improved maneuverability at high speeds while also reducing drag caused by having extra structures sticking out from underneath your plane!

Rolls-Royce Eagle

The Rolls-Royce Eagle is a twin-engine turbojet STOL utility aircraft designed and built in the UK. It was developed from the Avro 730 VSTOL research aircraft, which first flew in 1964. The Rolls-Royce Eagle is a two-seat aircraft with a low wing, fixed tricycle landing gear, and powered by two Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 101 turbofans mounted side by side on pylons above the wings. It was designed for use as an executive transport but could also be used for emergency medical evacuation or search and rescue missions (SAR).

Built at Woodford Aerodrome near Manchester during 1966–67 to meet a requirement of the British Ministry of Defence (MOD), the prototype first flew on 25 July 1967 with Geoffrey Pike at the controls. The second prototype flew on 9 February 1968 with Bill Bedford at the controls; trials continued through to 1970 when it became clear that no production orders would be forthcoming from either Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) or Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA).

Never underestimate the power of car manufacturers to diversify into the aircraft industry! Car manufacturers are capable of building aircraft and they have more money, time, and experience than you do. Car manufacturers also have a lot of engineers, which makes them great at building planes. They even have all sorts of resources at their disposal—from factories to offices and all kinds of other facilities—that make it easy for them to build airplanes on top of cars or vice versa.

The bottom line is that if you plan on competing with an established car manufacturer in terms of creating your own airplane design then odds are pretty good that you’re going to get crushed by their high-end models which will likely outperform yours by miles per hour or kilometers per hour depending on how fast each individual model can go (some may even be able to break through barriers).

Car manufacturers have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to building airplanes, especially in the post-war era. With such diverse and impressive designs as the Piaggio P180 Avanti or Bugatti 100p, we can only wonder what will happen next!

In the early days of aviation, most manufacturers got into some sort of aeronautics business naturally following the advent of their respective mainstay products. The overwhelming majority of aircraft in WWI were made by civilians, often in their spare time, so there was no need for contracts or government regulation. This meant that most manufacturers were involved with some kind of aeronautics business one way or another.

One might think that there’s little connection between the car manufacturing business and the aircraft manufacturing business, but there’s actually a great deal of similarity. Aircraft are designed to be fast, sleek, and attractive to customers. And that makes sense—whether you’re dealing with planes or with cars, you want your product to look good. It suggests high quality, which is a good thing for both buyers and sellers.

October 15, 2022 0 comment

History

How American B-17 bombers intended to gain air superiority over Germany

by Till Daisd October 14, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The destruction of the Luftwaffe and its industries was the Eighth Air Force’s top mission in 1943, and its B-17s were dedicated weapons for long-range, daytime precision bombing

The destruction of the Luftwaffe and its industries was the Eighth Air Force’s top mission in 1943, and its B-17s were dedicated weapons for long-range, daytime precision bombing.

The gyrostabilized Norden M-4 bombsight, developed in the middle of the 1930s, ironically for the US Navy, was one of the factors that led the US Army Air Force (USAAF) to commit to daytime precision bombing, as Marshall L. Michel III explains in his book Schweinfurt-Regensburg 1943. The Norden was ordered by the USAAF for its brand-new B-17s, and tests of the Norden/B-17 combo under perfect weather and visibility conditions revealed that it much outperformed the accuracy of its forerunners and would enable precise bombing from a tremendous height. The Norden garnered much attention from the media, and to increase its mystery, no images or information regarding how it operated was ever made public.

However, the Norden was most effective when used by single aircraft that could independently maneuver to line up on the target. The maneuvering required for the Norden to perform at its peak couldn’t be met in combat, and the Nordennbombsight, with its delicate adjustment, lost much of its value. All aspects of the bombing mission, aside from the brief moments of the bombing run, were dominated by defense-related considerations.

Even under ideal circumstances, more than half of the bombs hit more than 1,000 feet from the target. These circumstances were the best for accuracy and protection from flak, but they would not give enough defense against aircraft strikes in combat. An inferior sight that required less careful adjustment was briefly considered, which would have significantly jeopardized the American bombardment theory’s foundational accuracy ideal.

Norden Bombsight, Formation Bombing and Lead Crews: How American B-17 Bombers Hoped to Achieve Air Superiority during Long-Range Daylight Precision Bombings over Germany — *Norden bombsight on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford*.

It was necessary to create techniques to hit the German objectives with sufficient accuracy while maintaining the bombers in their tight defensive formation since the Eighth Air Force Bomber Command hoped to survive over Germany unescorted by their heavy firepower and tight formations. Flak was also a danger to the target, even if German fighters were the main danger. Flak hindered efficient bombing operations more by forcing the aircraft to bomb at high altitudes, which decreased accuracy, than by actually killing or injuring the bombers.

Because of the German fighter defenses, it was clear that each bomber could not disperse and conduct a separate bomb run. As a result, formation bombing, in which all bombers drop their bombs simultaneously with the lead aircraft, was successfully tried as early as January 1943. The VIII Bomber Command’s Operational Research Section strongly advised using this method in March 1943. Although it would be difficult to maneuver the large formations onto the bombing run and the resulting bomb pattern would scatter more widely than was ideal for the desired accuracy, in July 1943 VIII Bomber Command’s leadership agreed and ordered that the combat wings begin to plan to use formation bombing.

The wings had to build well-coordinated pilot, navigator, and bombardier teams in order for formation bombing to succeed. In order to do this, VIII Bomber Command ordered the formation of special “lead crews” in each squadron at each station. Squadrons were required to identify their top bombardiers before joining with a carefully chosen navigator. The lead crew pilot was picked for his ability to fly smoothly and make modifications gradually to keep the formation together. These lead crews alone would be responsible for identifying the target, guiding the unit on the bomb run, finding the release point, and delivering the order to release.

Only three other aircraft in each group carried bombsights in case the lead aircraft was shot down: the high and low squadron leaders and the wingman of the lead aircraft. The other crews’ task was to remain in strengthened defensive positions and release when the commander was freed.

To serve as squadron or group lead crews on combat missions, the lead crews received extensive training. They frequently carried an extra navigator, and typically an officer pilot served as the tail gunner, giving the pilot advice on the formation’s status. Finally, the lead crew’s tour would be curtailed by five missions, and they were only allowed to take part in combat as a lead crew. In addition to these crews, each squadron had two extremely dependable B-17s that were designated as “lead bombers” and outfitted with every device necessary to accurately bomb a target as it became available.

The few seconds before the lead bombardier launched the bombs when he had to carry out his final sighting operation and find the bomb release site, were the most crucial in the entire mission. This required that the lead bomber be kept as close to a constant course without slips, skids, or changes in altitude. VIII Bomber Command decided that a mechanical instrument could maintain this precise position better than a pilot, who might be distracted by flak or advancing fighters.

This automatic flight-control equipment (AFCE), sometimes known as an automatic pilot, was created and successfully deployed for the first time on March 18, 1943. By synchronizing sighting and pilotage, the AFCE allowed the bombardier to control the aircraft on the bomb run with mechanical precision, allowing him to produce a steadier bombing run than even experienced pilots could. The AFCE was soon given to all of the B-17s that had been assigned as “lead” aircraft.

However, as the Combined Bomber Offensive in 1943 gained momentum, two infamous raids compelled the Americans to reconsider the viability of long-range daylight precision bombing. The Americans lost 60 bombers and hundreds of troops when they launched a massive and ingenious double-strike against the factories in Schweinfurt and Regensburg, flying far outside the P-47 escorts’ range. This temporarily crippled VIII Bomber Command. The devastation was only duplicated in the raid that followed on Schweinfurt.

To weaken the Luftwaffenfighter force and secure the necessary air supremacy for the accomplishment of Operation Overlord, the American campaign goal for the daylight bombing sorties deep into Germany in 1943 was to do so. Because the Germans were successful in achieving their own goal of destroying so many Eighth Air Force bombers, the Americans were unable to complete their campaign objective by the middle of October 1943.

The North American P-51B Mustang was the actual answer to this problem. In reality, the long-range P-51B not only reduced bomber losses but also soon established air superiority over Europe, which helped pave the way for D-Day in numerous ways.

Schweinfurt-Regensburg 1943 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Robert Taylor via Aces-High.com, U.S. Army Air Force, and Rama via Wikipedia

October 14, 2022 0 comment

History

The worst Italian aircraft

by Till Daisd October 14, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Breda Ba. 88 “Lince” or “Lynx”, an Italian WW2 heavy ground-attack fighter

According to a user on Quora, the worst aircraft is the Italian Breda Ba. 88 “Lince” or “Lynx”.

The Lince was theoretically a remarkably good plane when it was first created in Fall 1936. Its sleek exterior and two Plaggio P11 radial engines, the typical Italian bomber engine, allowed it to reach an amazing speed of nearly 520 km/h, which at the time even exceeded the airspeed record.

Its decent armament of three or four 12.7 mm machine guns and three 250 kg bombs allowed it to perform its intended function as a heavy-fighter bomber. It was oddly one of the few planes at the time to have retractable landing gear and self-sealing fuel tanks. The Lince might have truly been a capable heavy ground-attack fighter, similar to the well-known Russian IL-2 Shturmovik if things had worked out differently.

However, the Lince’s performance suffered as a result of production inefficiency (which was frequent among Italians in World War II) and the addition of bulky military equipment. It ultimately turned out to be quite overweight and aerially unstable, which are both very undesirable characteristics for an aircraft that wants to stay in the air and not end up as a burning wreck on the ground.

In 1940, two air groups on Sardinia armed with the Lince used them to target enemy airfields for the first time in combat. Pilots initially gave the Lince disproportionately unfavorable feedback, describing it as being incredibly sluggish, ponderous, and underpowered. They did, however, manage to have a little success because there was no hostile fighter cover. As a result, the Italians chose to send the majority of their active aircraft to North Africa, where things swiftly turned bad.

The Italians made the choice to employ a few Linces for ground assaults against the British in their initial offensive in North Africa. One of the three aircraft utilized in the mission was unable to even take off from the airfield, and the other was unable to turn once in the air, forcing it to fly straight ahead in order to land at another Italian air base. Sand filters were installed to the Lince’s engines to cope with the harsh African climate, which increased the aircraft’s weight and further decreased its already pitiful performance. And from that point forward, everything deteriorated.

The Ba 88 Lince’s already weak engines immediately overheated as a result of the added strain from the filters, and they were only able to maintain a limited top speed of 250 kmph. And even then, it couldn’t have taken off. In other units, things got so bad that no planes could even take off! Additionally, the situation was equally awful on the rare occasions that a formation of Linces was able to maintain flight. The majority of the attacks in which the Linces participated were abandoned, in addition to the apparent issue of serving as target practice for enemy pilots. Simply because the planes were unable to maintain their height or even maintain a formation flight. Only a few months after its debut, the Lince’s operational performance was so dismal that, by the end of 1940, the Italians stripped their entire Ba 88 fleet of military equipment, leaving them to rust on different airfields as Allied aircraft decoy targets. This was a humiliating end for this new aircraft.

Despite the Ba88’s appalling performance, some special moron at Regia Aeronautica decided it would be a good idea to keep making the aircraft with the insane notion that it may perform better. Fortunately, the second series of Linces were all quickly scrapped afterward, with none seeing any battle, saving whatever dignity the Regia Aeronautica still had. After the Italian Armistice, a few original Ba 88s were modified and made it to 1943, where they were delivered to be tested by the Luftwaffe.

What may have been a promising and powerful ground-attack-heavy fighter ended up being such a colossal flop that its only useful use was as a decoy target.

October 14, 2022 0 comment

History

The YF-23’s debut on the world stage

by Till Daisd October 11, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The video clip in this post also includes commentary from the news media at the time regarding the YF-23 and the YF-22, a rival that later evolved into the F-22 Raptor

The video in this post, which was captured in the summer of 1990, shows YF-23’s debut on the World Stage and its maiden taxi tests. The video clip also includes commentary from the press at the time on the YF-23 and the YF-22, a rival that later evolved into the F-22 Raptor.

The contractor team of Northrop and McDonnell Douglas created two aircraft, including the YF-23 prototype, for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) selection program of the U.S. Air Force’s demonstration and evaluation phase. The aircraft, the product of thousands of aerospace specialists working for 60 subcontractor companies in 31 states and Northrop and McDonnell-Douglas’ $700 million investment in developing the ultimate jet fighter, was unveiled to the world.

There were two YF-23 prototypes produced. Both YF-23 prototypes were moved from Northrop to Dryden after the Air Force chose the YF-22. The two YF-23s had no engines, and NASA had no intention of using them in any scientific projects.

One of the two aircraft would be used extensively by NASA to research strain gage load calibration methods, with the other one remaining at Dryden in storage. But both planes stayed in storage until the summer of 1996 when they were moved to museums. On a protracted loan from NASA, the YF-23A Prototype Air Vehicle 2 (PAV-2), serial # 87-0801, is on display at the Western Museum of Flight in Hawthorne, California. YF-23A PAV-1 (87-0800) is currently on display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Dayton, Ohio’s National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The contractor team Northrop and McDonnell Douglas created both YF-23 prototypes as part of the demonstration and evaluation stage of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter selection program, which was completed in 1990. Unofficially, the YF-23 was referred to as the “Black Widow II,” a nod to the NorthropnP-61 Black Widow night fighter from World War II.

Photo by Northrop / U.S. Air Force

October 11, 2022 0 comment

History

NASA Tupolev Tu-144LL research program

by Till Daisd October 10, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Researchers contrasted full-scale supersonic aircraft flight data with findings from models in wind tunnels, computer-aided procedures, and other flight tests using the Tu-144LL to conduct flight tests

For a lengthy period, NASA collaborated with the American and Russian aerospace industries on an international research project that employed the Russian-built Tu-144LL supersonic aircraft. The program’s goal was to develop technologies for a second-generation supersonic airliner that was envisioned for the twenty-first century. After 19 research flights, the aircraft’s initial flight phase ended in February 1998. It started in June 1996. A more condensed continuation program with seven flights started in September 1998 and ended in April 1999.

A quick look at NASA Tupolev Tu-144LL research program

From Tupolev’s location at the Zhukovsky Air Development Center outside of Moscow, all flights were made within the Russian Federation. The centerpiece of the research program was the Tu 144LL, a first-generation Russian supersonic jetliner that was modified by its developer/builder, Tupolev ANTK (aviatsionnyy nauchno-tekhnicheskiy kompleks-roughly, aviation technical complex), into a flying laboratory for supersonic research.

Researchers contrasted real-world supersonic aircraft flight data with findings from computer-aided simulations, wind tunnel models, and other flight tests while conducting flight research experiments with the Tu-144LL. Unique information about supersonic passenger aircraft’s aerodynamics, construction, acoustics, and operational conditions was contributed by the experiments. The technology foundation for a future supersonic airliner that would be produced in the United States was being developed using data gathered from the research effort. A market for up to 500 of these aircraft may emerge by the third decade of the twenty-first century, according to commercial aviation specialists, despite the fact that the actual development of such an advanced supersonic transport (SST) is now on hold.

The Tu-144LL employed in the research program funded by NASA was a “D” model with different engines than those found in planes in production. Eight investigations, comprising six flying tests and two ground (engine) tests, were chosen from the fifty that were submitted for the program.

The aircraft’s exterior surface, internal structure, engine temperatures, boundary-layer airflow, the wing’s ground-effect characteristics, interior, and exterior noise, handling characteristics in different flight profiles, and in-flight structural flexibility were all studied during the flight experiments. The ground testing looked at how air inlet architecture affected airflow into the engine and how supersonic shock waves changed location in the engine air inlet quickly.

With additional hardware attached to aid in data collection and analysis, the first six in-flight experiments were analyzed in greater detail during the testing phase’s second iteration. A fresh experiment was also carried out to gauge the wing and fuselage’s in-flight deflections. American-made transducers and sensors were inserted to more precisely measure the pressures in the nose boom, the angle of attack, and the sideslip angles.

During three flight tests in September 1998, two NASA pilots—Robert Rivers of Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and Gordon Fullerton of Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California—assessed the aircraft’s handling at subsonic and supersonic speeds. After four additional data-collection flights in the spring of 1999, the program came to an end.

The new Kuznetsov NK-321 turbofan engines that powered the Tu-144LL variant had a full afterburner thrust rating of almost 55,000 pounds. The plane had a wingspan of 94 feet, 6 inches, and measured 215 feet, 6 inches long and 42 feet, 2 inches high. The majority of the aircraft’s structure was made of a light aluminum alloy, with titanium and stainless steel used for the rudder, elevons, and underside of the rear fuselage.

Source: dvids

Photo by NASA

October 10, 2022 0 comment

History

The F-15E crew that dodged 2 Iraqi SAMs

by Till Daisd October 9, 2022

written by Till Daisd

“It is only the size of a dime, but the black words backlit on the square red light jumped at me larger than life – ‘SAM’. At the same time my WSO, Maddog, shouted ‘ROLAND’!” Capt ‘Hacker’ Haskin, 4th FW F-15E Strike Eagle pilot

A dual-role fighter with the capability of carrying out air-to-air and air-to-ground operations is the F-15E Strike Eagle which is equipped with a variety of avionics and electronics equipment that let it fight at low altitudes, day or night, and in any weather.

For more than ten years, the F-15E has served as the backbone of American and coalition operations in the Middle East. As part of Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch, it has flown over northern and southern Iraq. As Coalition aircraft carried out this operation, Iraqi SAM and AAA emplacements were constantly being attacked by the Strike Eagle.

Operation Iraqi Freedom, which was started in mid-March 2003 to liberate the people and guarantee the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s purported weapons of mass destruction, marked the end of the USAF’s usage of the F-15E in the area. In the end, the F-15Es of the 4th Fighter Wing (FW) were used most frequently, taking out Iraqi armor before Coalition ground troops advanced and giving soldiers and Special Forces close air support (CAS) as they engaged the enemy.

In carrying out such missions, the mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) threat remained very real for the first few weeks of the conflict despite the bad condition of the Iraqi integrated air defense system (IADS) and the battlefield preparations carried out by Coalition aircraft during Operation Southern Watch.

On March 31, 2003, while piloting a 4th FW F-15E, Capt. “Hacker” Haskin (pilot) and Capt. “Maddog” Farrell (Weapons System Operator, WSO) were tasked with hitting targets in a kill box near Baghdad city, according to Steve Davies’ account in his book F-15C/E Eagle Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The crew of the Strike Eagle (No. 2 of “Junker 67” flight), which was forced to descend below 14,000 feet due to bad weather, made numerous passes over the target area in an effort to find Iraqi Republican Guard vehicles, which were rumored to be present in large numbers.

ROLAND! Read the story of the F-15E crew that dodged two (very fast) Iraqi SAMs in few seconds

But on the third and final pass, all hell broke loose, as Hacker relates: “We were climbing up to conserve fuel on the way home, and I had barely finished my turn when the RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) screamed its stuttering wail in my headset. The noise chilled me to the bone – it was the missile launch tone. Before I looked at the RWR itself, my eyes cued in on the blazingly bright red warning light on the instrument panel, located just below the glare shield at eye level. It is only the size of a dime, but the black words backlit on the square red light jumped at me larger than life – ‘SAM’. At the same time my WSO, Maddog, shouted ‘ROLAND’!”

Two French-built Roland SAMs that ripple-fired one after the other had to be directed towards Junker 68.

Hacker recalls: “What was strange was that the RWR was telling me I was right on top of the SAM site. That wasn’t a situation we had really trained for back at Seymour Johnson, so I knew I had to get my eyeballs on the missile ASAP.

“My first move was to plug in maximum afterburner and make a hard turn 30 degrees to the right, dumping out two bursts of chaff, then another hard jink 45 degrees back to the left. At this point I was still at just under 400 knots – a good fighting airspeed – so I pulled the throttles back out of the blower. I didn’t want to present an overly ripe heat signature since at 13,000 ft I was also in a WEZ [Weapon Engagement Zone] for several IR-guided SAMs. I looked over my left shoulder and down the wing line at the target area, trying to visually acquire the missile in flight. Since the Roland is very fast, I knew I only had seconds to locate the missile and outmaneuver it. Unfortunately, I saw nothing. With the missile site most likely have been at my ‘low six o’clock’ position, the fuselage and wings would have been blocking my line of sight regardless of how much I was turning and jinking.

“My initial defensive moves out of the way, it was time to tell ‘Junker 1’ that I was getting shot at. Many times on this trip I’ve run into occasions where my training kicked in and I just reacted to circumstances without thinking about it. This, however, was not one of them! If it were a training sortie where we were practicing SAM threat reactions, I’d have said ‘Junker 2’s’ defending south. Mud Roland’. Instead, I simply blurted out – yelled, practically – ‘One Roland launch!’ with my Bullseye location, followed by ‘I don’t see the missile!’ over the intercom. Maddog was maintaining his composure much better than I was, saying simply ‘I don’t see the missile’ while twisting himself up like a pretzel in the back seat trying to turn around and see it.

the F-15E driver who scored the drone kill on Jun. 8, reveals some interesting details about the air engagement

“After two more hard turns, many more chaff actuations, and even a few flares dropped, the Roland indication left my RWR scope. ‘Two’s naked’, I said and began to let out a sigh of relief that we were still flying and, apparently, had neither been launched on nor evaded the missile.

“Almost as quickly as it had gone away, the Roland symbol flashed on my scope again, this time at my very close ‘six o’ clock’. The missile launch tone also returned to my headset. I continued pumping out the chaff and modified my maneuvering. Although the electronics were telling me that there was a missile in the air, neither of us could see one.

“Maddog and I were going through the same thought processes, evidently, because as my left arm moved off the throttles and toward the combat jettison button on the lower left instrument panel, he commented, ‘Think about the tank’. Dropping the external fuel tanks lightens the airplane’s weight, reduces drag, and improves maneuverability – all things that I want while I’m fighting a missile shot at me. With my left index finger I punched the red button once, and with a satisfying little ‘clunk’, much like the feeling when a 500-lb bomb is dropped, the tanks fell away from the wing stations. Looking back to my ‘six o’clock’, and with the jet in a hard right 90-degree bank, I saw the light grey tanks bobbling end-over-end through the air as they dropped away.

“More chaff and maneuvering followed, and eventually my RWR went quiet. I was still frantically looking for the missiles, but I never saw them. My flight lead after the sortie commented that he watched both missiles zip up toward us from below, leaving two white smoke trails, then detonate on chaffless than a mile behind us.

“I can’t help taking being shot at personally. Many times, flying airplanes and dropping bombs seems a very impersonal way to fight. This time, however, it feels like it was mano-a-mano – me versus the SAM operator – and I won. It’s just too bad that I couldn’t go back and cram a ‘500-pounder’ down his throat as a going-away present to the loser of the fight – I was too low on fuel!”

Cockpit Voice Recording Transcript of the Roland Incident

2A = Capt Haskin (pilot)
2B = Capt Farrell (WSO)
1A = Flight lead (pilot)

2A: Five (seconds to bomb drop)
2B: Negative (WSO cannot capture target in TP)
2A: Okay
(RWR Launch Tone)
2B: Roland!
2A: (Under G) Chaff, Chaff
2B: (Grunting) I didn’t see the missile
2A: (UHF2) One, Roland launch, bullseye…
2B: Chaff
2A: (UHF2) … 161 for 80
2A: (UHF2) I don’t see the missile
2B: I didn’t see it, either
2A: (UHF2) Two’s naked (No RWR indications)
(RWR Launch Tone)
2B: Roland Launch
2A: (UHF2, under G) Two’s Roland launch, still 162 for 82, BRA 030
2B: (Under G) Think about the tanks…
2A: (Still under G) Jett! Tanks are gone
2A: (UHF 2) Two’s naked
1A: (UHF 2) One’s naked
2B: Dude, I’m tempted to go back there and f***in’ kill ’em!
2A: No way, man!
2B: (Laughing) Ya big p***y!

The crews of the 4th FW were starkly reminded by this and other similar close encounters with death that the Iraqi Republican Guard was more than capable of retaliation under the right circumstances.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Harris, Senior Airman Rae Perry, and Master Sgt. Terry L. Blevins / U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and Teddy Techer

October 9, 2022 0 comment

History

The F-16 mission that signaled the first combat use of the GBU-38 JDAM

by Till Daisd October 8, 2022

written by Till Daisd

“The two guys on the wanted list step out from the overhang of the building and you could see them in the FLIR picture. One guy took a drag off of a cigarette and you could see the heat from it. As he took it out of his mouth the GBU-38 impacted and the war ended for him. We went home to got chow,” Maj Brian Wolf, 160th EFS / 187th FW F-16 driver

For more than ten years, the F-16, also known as Viper by her pilots, has been the most productive fighter in American and Coalition operations in the Middle East. It has been the workhorse of U.N.-sanctioned operations in the area since the 1991 Gulf War, performing in “Wild Weasel,” “ground attack,” and “air superiority” roles.

Operations For more than ten years, Southern Watch and Northern Watch required daily and ongoing combat patrols over Iraqi land. This duty was made easier by the abundance of F-16s in use by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the fact that the aircraft has always been capable of performing a variety of tasks. The F-16CJ was the second aircraft to enter enemy airspace when U.S. President George W. Bush ordered his forces into Iraq in March 2003 (the first was the F-117A). It swept the sky for electrons in an effort to discover, identify, and destroy Iraq’s extensive air defense system. After the operation was completed, swarms of additional Coalition fighters, including F-16CGs, followed. These aircraft were successfully employed to strike a variety of targets.

The Viper did, however, play a significant part in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) even after the shooting war was over, as described by Steve Davies and Doug Dildy in their book F-16 Fighting Falcon Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

There had been considerable suspicion that the most recent JDAM, the GBU-38, may soon enter the theater, as recounted by Maj Brian Wolf, an F-16 pilot with the 160th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) / 187th Fighter Wing (FW) at the time, in September 2004. The Mk 82 500-lb dumb bomb was quickly transformed into the GBU-38, a weapon perfectly suited for the Urban Close Air Support (CAS) mission. It employed strap-on guidance and control systems identical to those used by the 2000-lb GBU-31, but it was far safer to operate in the confined spaces of Iraqi cities and villages, the insurgents’ native country.

It is perhaps more than a little ironic that Wolf’s story serves as the launching point for what would later develop into the battle for Falluja, a significant effort to clear the city of any insurgents hiding there, and that it also marks the first-ever GBU-38 drop in combat, in a setting for which it was created.

The unknown story of the F-16 mission that marked the first combat use of GBU-38 JDAM and the beginning of the battle for Falluja — USAF F-16C block 30 #87-0336 at Al Udeid AB, Qatar during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Wolf recalls: “We got in-country and the loadout we were carrying was GBU-38 and slant loads of GBU-12s. We also had two AMRAAMs, 500 rounds of 20mm, and the AT Litening II pod. We were running oil pipeline routes looking for sabotage or leaks, and running ‘Crown Jewels’, which were the power lines that people were wrecking to steal and sell the copper contacts.”

‘Crown Jewels’ and the pipeline patrols were ongoing at that time, and Wolf recalled that there was a constant flow of saboteurs: “That night my wingman and I were on a three-hour vul, and late into the sortie. At about daybreak, we got a call to contact the controlling agency, which we did. They asked us to go to secure radios and they then passed us coordinates, telling us, ‘we’re going to need a TOT, run in heading and read back of coordinates’. We put the coordinates into the jet and determined a good run-in heading based on winds. We were looking at the target complex with our Litening II pods – the FLIR was really good, and we could see the target from more than 20 miles away. We didn’t want them to know we were inbound, so we stayed north of the target, which was in Falluja.”

The softening up of the city was just beginning, and a major drive to kill insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, was underway: “By whatever means (I truly don’t know), the troops on the ground had determined that there were Zarqawi operatives in this particular section of Falluja. In our targeting packs, there were these DMPIs (Desired Mean Point of Impacts) with commensurate coordinates on all of the safe houses and buildings in the area. They asked us if we had this specific DMPI in our packs, and we replied that we had because our Intel brief had covered them. They told us ‘look at the following DMPIs because they are potentially very high-value targets’, and they verified the coordinates. That was the critical thing to do with JDAM, even though we had DMPIs in our racks.

“When you’re dropping JDAM we call it ‘O6 bombing’, because even the colonels can hit the target. There are a few things to do before we drop – I have to cursor-zero my system to make sure there are no slews or errors in the navigation system, and I make sure I’ve got a GPS ‘High-High’ guidance system because all that data is going to the JDAM.”

Wolf and his wingman held north of the target until they were satisfied with their plan, then they called their controlling agency and advised them they were inbound to the target: “By now they had taken their Predator UAV and moved it away from the immediate area, but not too far away because they wanted to film and get BDA in real-time back to the CAOC. We rolled in on-airspeed, on-heading, and on-attack axis, and we reached the release parameters and hit the pickle button. There was a little dip in the wing as cartridges fired, and I was now 500 lbs lighter on station 7 on the right wing. I checked left and put the pod in a good position to film some BDA, waiting approximately 35 seconds until the bomb impacts. The building just shacked – two bombs put onto the same DMPI where they had assessed that there were Zarqawi operatives. At this point, the sun was just starting to come up, and I put away the NVGs. It was a distinct and exact impact, and the bombs had hit within a second of each other.”

Wolf and his wingman, ‘Rocky’, went off-target and circled around for BDA. “We picked up in our orbit in case they need more help, and as we were spinning, I got the distinct impression that it was ‘Shark Week’ on The Discovery Channel! There was a F/A-18 circling above us, two more were below us and not too far away were a pair of F-16s. Word had obviously gotten out because it was like sharks converging for the kill.”

Still unaware that they were the first to drop the GBU-38 in combat, Wolf and his wingman were cleared to return to Al Udeid Air Base: “When we got home, the most surreal thing was debriefing – watching our tapes on huge black and white screens versus our small MFD. The GBU-38 had only taken out the target building, leaving the walls of the building on either side completely untouched.”

Moving to the chow hall at Al Udeid, the two sat down to omelet, hash browns, and bacon in front of one of the giant TV screens: “We heard Fox News talking about Coalition forces attacking Falluja early in the morning, and they showed the building reduced to rubble. We look at each other and smiled. ‘Hey dude, that was us!’.

“We watched our tapes one more time on the big screen, and you could see just seconds before impact the two guys on the wanted list step out from the overhang of the building. They came walking out and you could see them in the FLIR picture. One guy took a drag off of a cigarette and you could see the heat from it. As he took it out of his mouth the bomb impacted and the war ended for him. We went home to get chow.”

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

October 8, 2022 0 comment

History

When a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet did a high-speed flyby that dispersed a riot

by Till Daisd October 7, 2022

written by Till Daisd

“I smiled to myself and breathed a prayer: ‘Lord, please let that little guy grow up to be a pilot – he’ll never forget his first up-close glimpse of an aeroplane!”, Capt Mark Fox, VFA-137 F/A-18 Hornet pilot

Around 250 F/A-18 Hornets participated in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from land bases and the six U.S. Navy supercarriers stationed in the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG) and the eastern Mediterranean. The F/A-18 Hornet served as the “universal soldier” of the war effort.

The Iraqi Republican Guard’s T-62 tanks and the government buildings in Basra, Baghdad, and An Najaf were just a few of the targets that the F/A-18 dropped hundreds of thousands of pounds of ordnance on during the battle. The Hornet was capable of firing anti-radar missiles, operating as an aerial tanker, intelligence surveillance, and reconnaissance platform for other strike types, in addition to dropping precision explosives like JDAM and LGBs.

Capt. Mark Fox, Commander of CVW-2, launched from the deck of USS Constellation (CV-64) on his 12th OIF sortie on April 10, 2003, according to Tony Holmes and Chris Davey’s account in their book U.S. Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part One). In a F/A-18C BuNo 164698, he was flown by his wingman, Lt Cdr Steve Cargill of VFA-137, and they held south of Baghdad.

Fox recalls: “Flying as ‘Minx 11’, and tasked with providing Close Air Support (CAS), I checked in with the E-2 controller. Lt Cdr Cargill and I then started working down a list of frequencies in search of a Forward Air Controller (FAC) who might need our help. Finally, the E-2 controller told us to go and check in with ‘Diablo 69’, but I couldn’t raise him on the radio. I told the E-2 that we had no comms with ‘Diablo 69’, so he instructed us to head further south, giving us the FAC’s location – 85AS, Keypad 3. We then realized that he was down in An Najaf, about a hundred miles south of us.

“We started driving south, and the controller informed us that our guy on the ground was using a weak hand-held radio, desperate for help. This did not sound good, as we had captured An Najaf weeks ago. We finally checked in with our contact and turned out that he was a GI trying to distribute humanitarian aid in the plaza outside the city’s Imam Ali Mosque. Dealing with desperate, starving people, he was facing a near riot. Assuring us there was no threat, he asked us to fly a series of high-speed, low-altitude passes to distract or disperse the crowd.

“Skeptical of the FAC’s ‘no threat assessment, I was greatly concerned about AAA or MANPADS. Carefully scoping out the scene, and maintaining good mutual support, Lt Cdr Cargill and I came up with a game plan – we’d swap roles, keeping one set of eyes looking for ground fire while the other made a high-speed flyby, always coming from a different direction.

That time a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet performed a high-speed flyby that dispersed a riot and... Wowed an Iraqi child — Arabian Gulf (Apr. 10, 2003) – An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron One Three Seven (VFA-137) launches in full afterburner from one of four steam-powered catapults aboard USS Constellation (CV 64).

“We flew several passes over An Najaf, which looked like something out of the Bible – surrounded by desert plains and set amongst palm trees on a tributary of the Euphrates River. Seemingly untouched by modern structures, there were lots of single-story, dull brown buildings, and in the middle of them was this huge, gold-domed mosque.

“I was looking at my gas gauge and my watch, thinking ‘how much time can I give this guy?’ On my first pass, I was 100 ft above ground level at 500 knots, just about co-altitude with the mosque’s dome. I then rolled into a left ‘knife-edge’, using the dome as a ‘pylon’, Reno air races style, pulling about 5Gs. I stroked the afterburner for noise as I passed the city center in the turn, popping chaff and flares and moving the jet around fairly aggressively.

“Glancing down on the plaza as I rocked up on my wing in the turn, a snapshot freeze-frame image of a startled Iraqi boy looking up with his mouth in perfect “O” and his eyes literally on stalks registered in my mind. He was standing with his mother on the corner of the square, diagonally across from the Imam Ali Mosque.”

Fox concludes: “I smiled to myself and breathed a prayer: ‘Lord, please let that little guy grow up to be a pilot – he’ll never forget his first up-close glimpse of an airplane!

“Diablo 69 seemed happy with our help, and he thanked us as we climbed away.”

Photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Felix Garza Jr. and Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain / U.S. Navy

October 7, 2022 0 comment

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