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History

When the U.S. Navy F/A-18 was shot down by a U.S. Army PAC-3 Patriot missile battery

by Till Daisd September 10, 2021

“The Patriot is by far the most lethal SAM system in the world, and there is no aeroplane in existence that is going to get away from it. The missile itself is also designed to bias its impact on the nose of the aircraft so as to kill the pilot. If a Patriot is fired at your aircraft, you might as well eject, as there is nothing you can do to get away from it,” Lt. Cdr. Ron Candiloro, VFA-151’s 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.

Between March 19 and April 18, 2003, the F/A-18s and other Naval TACAIR types performed an incredible 5568 combat missions, dodging hostile AAA and SAMs, bad weather, and crowded skies to guarantee a Coalition victory in the shortest amount of time. No Navy aircraft was lost as a consequence of enemy action due to the forceful pre-war training, vast air supremacy, and effective tactics. One navy aviator, regrettably on his own side, was killed in action during OIF.

In accordance with Tony Holmes and Chris Davey’s explanation in their book U.S. Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part One), Lt. Nathan White of CVW-5’s VFA-195 had taken off from USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) on the night of April 2, 2003, on what was intended to be a routine kill box interdiction/close air support (KI/CAS) mission in support of troops approaching Baghdad.

Since March 19, White and his squadron mates have been actively engaged in the ground campaign, working particularly alongside components of V Corps. When White and his wingman entered Iraq, their E-2 controller gave them directions to Karbala, which is located 50 miles south of Baghdad. In order to clear the way for mechanized units moving north, air support was requested since elements of the 3rd Infantry Division were experiencing fierce resistance in the area.

When Lt. White’s Hornet was assaulted by a U.S. Army-manned mobile PAC-3 Patriot missile battery in south-central Iraq, it is unknown if he had already bombed his targets and was returning home or was still on route there. The shattered F/A-18C crashed into a lake in an Iraqi Air Force bombing range near Karbala, and its location subsequently hampered efforts made by the U.S. Army’s Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel or TRAP team to recover Lt. White’s body. His jet was destroyed by the weapon, and neither the aircraft nor the pilot’s remains were discovered for another ten days. The pilot’s remains were eventually found in the lake on April 12; 12 days later, he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

Ironically, in the final email he sent to his family before his unfortunate death, Nathan White made a passing reference to the threat posed by the Patriot batteries. “When going in on a strike, there is always a lot going on. Here is a brief snapshot – brief for an hour or more to map out the flight, get catapulted from standstill to 140 miles an hour in less than two seconds, navigate through a maze of airborne highways that try to deconflict aircraft, and of course, steer you clear of the Army’s Patriot batteries, jump from radio frequency to radio frequency at least 12 different times, shifting from controller to controller, avoid a sky full of AAA, surface-to-air missiles and ballistic rockets, set up your weapons system, acquire your target, drop on target, fly to an airborne tanker, join up, get gas and then fly back and land on a boat bobbing around in the middle of a sandstorm. Make it nighttime and throw in thunderstorms, and then it really gets exciting.”

Prior to the start of OIF, Navy pilots had expressed concerns about the deadly Patriot missile, but their worries increased after No. 9 Sqn RAF lost a Tornado GR 4 on the morning of March 23 while it was returning to Ali Al-Salem airport in Kuwait following a strike operation.

VFA-151’s Lt. Cdr. Ron Candiloro explained: “Although I remained wary of the Iraqi SAM threat, I was actually more afraid of our own Patriot batteries. We would commonly get lit up by the missile’s fire control radar, and that was really scary. These lock-ups increased in frequency as our forces moved further north into Iraq, and this prompted my CO. Cdr Hubbard, to investigate a daily briefing that told us all where the Patriot batteries were all over the country. A copy of this information was also painted onto a card that we carried with us in the cockpit. I felt that this was the most important briefing card issued to me before every mission, and it was always at the top of my knee war pack – I was terrified by the Patriot.

“It is by far the most lethal SAM system in the world, and there is no aeroplane in existence that is going to get away from it. The missile itself is also designed to bias its impact on the nose of the aircraft so as to kill the pilot. If a Patriot is fired at your aircraft, you might as well eject, as there is nothing you can do to get away from it.

Blue-On-Blue! The story of the U.S. Navy F/A-18 that was shot down by a U.S. Army PAC-3 Patriot missile battery during OIF — Four Patriot missiles can be fired from the highly mobile transporter erector launcher (TEL)

“We could clearly tell if a Patriot battery was looking at us, as our ALR-67 radar homing and warning system would clearly indicate that we had been locked up by the missile’s search radar. When this happened, the jet’s Mode 4 IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) was supposed to ‘squawk’ (reply) to the Patriot’s radar with an encrypted signal which indicated to the missile that its ‘target’ was in fact friendly. […] The Patriot batteries were initially operated in automated mode, which meant there was no human interaction in the way it interrogated targets. For 99.9 percent of the time, the system worked fine, but twice it did not, although there is some question as to whether the Tornado GR 4’s IFF functioning correctly when it was shot down.”

Candiloro explains: “We had started to get concerned about the Patriot in automated mode after the Tornado was lost, and when the Hornet was downed we really started to question what exactly the Army was doing with the weapon. Our concerns traveled ‘up the chain’, and that was when the Army changed the Patriot’s engagement parameters from auto to manual, which meant that a human operator had to input the direction to fire. That gave us more peace of mind, but unfortunately, it had cost three lives to get this change made.”

“Psychologically, the loss of tow jets to Patriot missiles had a big impact on the air wing,” concludes Candiloro. “Heading into Iraq, I was confident that I could handle literally anything that the enemy threw at me. Indeed, I was more scared of what our guys were going to do to me, and in particular the Patriot batteries. It was a big relief when you finally got out of Iraq and left the last of the Army’s missile batteries behind you near the end of every sortie.”

Photo by Photographers Mate 3rd Class Jonathan Chandler / U.S. Navy

September 10, 2021 0 comment

History

From the F-4X to the F-4E(S), Israel’s reconnaissance Phantoms’ Odyssey.

by Till Daisd September 10, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The F-4X would have had an increase in engine thrust of 150%, allowing it to cruise at Mach 2.4, reach altitudes of 78,000 feet (23,775 meters), and reach dash speeds of Mach 3.2

The McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, which Israel purchased in 1969, immediately established itself as the mainstay of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) due to its payload, range, and bombing precision.

In addition to ordering several RF-4s, the IAF also ordered F-4Es. The service reconnaissance assets were pleased to have these aircraft. They were able to fly more sophisticated missions with less risk to people and equipment than had been conceivable with the Mirages and Vautours thanks to their speed, range, and superior camera systems.

The Israel Air Force (IAF) was only the second customer for the RF-4, and these were the first to be outfitted to operate with AIM-9 missiles for self-defense, employing wing pylons with twin launchers, while also maintaining the bombing systems, as Bill Norton explains in his book Air War On The Edge: A History of the Israel Air Force and its aircraft since 1947. The IAF reconnaissance Phantoms were outfitted with the aft fuselage ejector systems for photo-flash cartridges to be employed during night missions, as is typical with RF-4s. The majority of the F-4 squadrons were split up among the reconnaissance aircraft.

From the ultrafast F-4X to the F-4E(S): the Odyssey of Israel's recce Phantoms — IAF F-4Es

According to Norton, “during the War of Attrition recce aircraft were important assets in keeping track of the Egyptian missile boxes and locating targets for follow-up strikes. Photo reconnaissance was especially critical immediately following the War of Attrition. The cease-fire terms required that Egypt freeze its missile batteries in place, and not continue to move SAM boxes closer to the Canal. These terms were very important to Israel, and very hazardous recon flights were made to verify compliance and then monitor movement when the cease-fire terms were clearly violated. Flights into the area were made at 600kts and at such a low altitude that the major hazard was from bird strikes and hitting fishing boat masts.”

The RF-4E aircraft, which the IAF had ordered, did not start to arrive until February 1971, and they did not fly their first mission until March 9. Two IAF F-4Es (coded 17 and 19) were locally modified in a two-month crash program to install a camera in the nose to assist the service in doing this crucial mission. Either a Fairchild KA-52 low-altitude panoramic camera or a Zeiss RMK 15/23 medium-altitude mapping camera could be carried by removing the cannon and making appropriate environmental and electrical changes.

On March 24, 1970, these two aircraft started performing operational duties at 69 Squadron. By September, they had transferred to 201. The rumors that the United States loaned Israel two RF-4Cs as part of Operation Night Light (or Peace Night Lite) between August 1970 and March 1971 may have originated from this IAF initiative, for which Israel allegedly paid $143,000. They were operated by 69 Squadron during their short stay.

As Norton says “it has been suggested that Israel had much earlier exposure to the RF-4. One source asserts that the crews and aircraft of the USAF 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron were deployed from Spain to Israel – probably Hatzerim – to provide their services during the Six-Day War. The RF-4Cs were supposedly given IAF markings and operated in the area until Jun. 12. While the American administration had certainly begun to lean towards the Israeli side in the Middle East conflict by 1967, this kind of material assistance during wartime was very unlikely. The IAF could certainly have used the help, freeing up their recon planes for strike missions. Another book records an even more unlikely event in 1962 when what may have been Israeli pilots collected a number of USN F-4Bs at Wheelus AB in Libya and flew them to an undisclosed location in the east. There has also been an extraordinary claim made that the U.S. Navy provided carrier landing training in the Red Sea to some 100 IAF F-4 aircrew in 1971.”

Shortly after, the SAM batteries were seen being shifted forward. However, due to the potential repercussions of resumed hostilities, neither the United Nations nor the United States, nor even many Israelis, welcomed this news. The United States specifically did not want anything to scuttle the planned Geneva peace talks.

Nothing was done right away. The next summer, two RF-4Es, one piloted by Aviem Sella, flew fast over southern Syria for 20 minutes to get the first clear images of mobile SA-6 batteries. Months of preparation and training went into the mission, which went completely unnoticed by Syrians because it was carried out on a vacation without top cover or ECM. As in October 1971, when an RF-4 returned with an SA-7 lodged in one engine, the risks of such operations were evident. The IAF started high-altitude reconnaissance flights with their RF-4s in April 1973, which required the crew to wear pressure suits.

According to Norton, the IAF sought a way to preserve this priceless source of intelligence in the face of growing threats to overflights of target areas since the picture intelligence produced by its high-speed RF-4E aircraft was so crucial. The IAF became interested in Americans’ 1,228lb (557kg) CAI KA-90 HIAC-1 ultra-long focal length (66in or 168cm) Long Range Oblique Photography (LOROP). The Israelis were able to monitor events close to their boundaries without physically crossing the border thanks to this amazing camera’s ability to resolve a 10 in (25 cm) object at a 20 nm range. The American RB-57Fs modified to carry the system were offered to the Israelis in exchange for one or more of them. However, the US rejected these inquiries.

General Dynamics (GD) later created the G-139, a podded 1,500lb (680kg) version of the camera. The camera was housed in a massive pod that was 22 feet (6.7 meters) long and 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms) in weight, with the associated environmental control system. The G-139 aircraft were exported to Israel in 1971 after approval from the US Congress; they arrived in October. The G-139 was used on the centerline of the RF-4s and on two F-4Es that had undergone special modifications. It is known that at least 119 Squadron operated it but how long the podded camera operated is unknown.

The IAF considered the system to be quite efficient, but the Phantom’s speed was severely hindered by the drag of the enormous pod, making it impossible to use. According to reports, this can only reach an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and a top speed of slightly about Mach 1.5. More important photos would be possible at higher altitudes, but the decreased performance also put the pricey and special asset in serious danger should an enemy try to intercept it and prolonged exposure to static anti-aircraft systems.

Norton explains: “To answer the limitations imposed by the G-139, GD began work to boost the performance of the F-4 engines with a series of airframe modifications under a program named Peace Jack. In 1971 the Israelis were invited to participate in the American effort. The Peace Jack airframe was initially to have included a radically revised inlet design and special low-drag external ‘saddle’ tanks. The latter, including pumps, were to provide fluid for an engine pre-compressor cooling (PCC) water injection system to cool the intake air and increase overall engine mass flow. The two 2,500lb-capacity (1,134kg) tanks were to be mounted atop the jet, between the inlet ducts and the spine of the fuselage. These changes would, in theory, have increased engine thrust by 15% to allow dash speeds of Mach 3.2, cruise at Mach 2.4, and flight up to 78,000ft (23,775m) altitude. The conceptual aircraft was tentatively identified as the F-4X, but no actual airframe ever bore this designation.

“By 1974 a reduced size and weight LOROP camera had been designed that could be enclosed in a revised F-4 nose cavity lengthened by 12in (30.5cm) for 70ft³(2m³) of volume. The nose included two windows on the bottom quadrant and two on either side. The entire camera could be rotated to view from any one of these windows. A separate environmental control system in the nose maintained the camera within an optimal temperature range. The design was termed the RF-4X but, again, no actual aircraft was identified with this designation. The IAF provided F-4E 69-7576 in December 1974 to General Dynamics at Fort Worth, Texas, which, over the next five months, served as the basis for a mock-up of the envisioned modifications. The combination was calculated to have allowed a Mach 2.7 cruise speed.”

The USAF had been funding the Israelis up to this time, but it eventually withdrew from the Peace Jack effort. The program would need at least another year to build, but the Israelis were in dire need of a functional HIAC capacity. The saddle tanks and PCC were omitted since the IAF could only afford to pay for the camera installation on its own. The S stands for “Special,” thus this design was given the name F-4E(S). A separate KS-87 vertically mounted camera was introduced by the IAF after the HIAC.

The bulky nose could accommodate a variety of extra optical sensors, and the Air Force undoubtedly created more packages over time. On one or both of the canopy sills was a sight that was used to make sure a photo target was in the cameras’ oblique field of vision. Two other IAF F-4Es (69-7567 and -7570) joined 69-7576 in Fort Worth to undergo modification. The first flight of the F-4E(S) was on Dec. 20, 1975, and the first of three modified aircraft was delivered on Jul. 30, 1976, the rest shortly afterward to 199 Squadron.

In an effort to hide the change, the aircraft’s noses were painted to look as though their black radomes were still there while in Texas. After repatriation to Israel, the (S) planes, according to Norton, were kept under the highest level of security until 1998. The type may have taken on more of an electronic warfare role late in the 1980s and ’90s and is known to have had Elta jammers installed (the EL/L-8230 internal unit having been mentioned).

Photo by Lockheed Martin, Israeli Air Force, and Bukvoed via Wikipedia

September 10, 2021 0 comment

History

An overview of the F-107A Ultra Sabre, a fighter that was never built

by Till Daisd September 9, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The USAF decided to purchase the F-105 Thunderchief after giving the F-107A production significant consideration

The successful F-100 Super Sabre was developed into the North American F-107A Ultra Sabre in the middle of the 1950s. The F-107A had unique characteristics such as an engine air intake above the cockpit, an always-moving vertical fin, and a system that automatically adjusted how much air was delivered to the jet engine.

The F-107A (serial number 55-5118), the first of three prototypes, flew in September 1956 and reached Mach 1. A few months later, an F-107 flew at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound).

As had happened with almost every Century Series aircraft, the F-107A ran into issues “tuning” the intake at the high Mach number throughout its flight test campaign. Some undesirable flying properties were discovered during the subsequent, more thorough study. The automatic variable inlet duct system developed a persistent issue as the flight test campaign went on, limiting the maximum altitude for sustained flight to 51,000 feet.

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) did not finally decide to cancel the F-107 and replace it with the F-105 Thunderchief until March 1957, as Ted Spitzmiller explains in his book Century Series, The USAF Quest Air Supremacy 1950-1960.

A quick look at the F-107A Ultra Sabre, the Century Series fighter that never was

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), then leased the first and third F-107A prototypes for use in high-speed flight research, with the third F-107A’s variable intake serving as one of the primary investigation points. A fixed intake subsequently replaced the variable-area inlet duct, which reduced the top speed to Mach 1.2. However, the variable-area inlet duct proved to be a recurrent cause of mechanical issues.

According to Spitzmiller, “the second area of interest to NACA and the USAF was the evaluation of a “side-stick” installed on the right side of the F-107A cockpit in addition to the traditional center position. The North American Aviation X-15 rocket plane, then in the final stages of design, would use a ‘hand-controller’ that cradled the pilot’s right arm so that the high acceleration forces imparted by the rocket engine would not cause unintended control input. The traditional center stick was for use after burnout of the rocket engine.”

As Spitzmiller explains, “the first prototype had so many problems that NACA eventually grounded it and used it as a spares donor for the other two. The third plane, which was turned over to NACA in February 1958 for the variable duct research and side-stick evaluation, completed forty flights before an incident ended its flying days. Test Pilot Scott Crossfield, who was preparing to fly the X-15, was piloting 55-5120 [F-107A third prototype] during take-off when he encountered control problems. The plane ground looped, blowing both main tires, and a small brake fire resulted. Although the airplane was not badly damaged, it was decided not to invest in repairs. Crossfield indicated that the desired attributes of the side stick had been demonstrated and that no further testing was needed. The plane was cut up for use as a fire-fighting training form.”

The second prototype (F-107A 55-5119, which was employed for weapons testing with both conventional and atomic bombs) is on display at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Airframe 55-5118 was purchased by the Pima Air Museum in Tucson.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

Additional source: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

September 9, 2021 0 comment

History

Former Marine Recalls Raid on Camp Bastion happened in September 2012

by Till Daisd September 9, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“We heard the first explosion, then a second, and then a third. The Taleban was on base and we were under attack. Believe me, there was not a rifle in the rack one minute later, which left me looking for one,” Willie Walker, Boeing airframe specialist and former Marine who witnessed the raid on Camp Bastion

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) bought the Harrier from the U.K. in the 1970s because of its special vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) characteristics. It has been used for close air support (CAS) for more than four decades. In late 2001, as part of the “War on Terror,” it led the USMC air attack on the Taleban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in AV-8B Harrier II form.

From the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) to the withdrawal of NATO forces, Harrier II squadrons were almost always present in the theater of operations until their role was completed in September 2013.

In spite of this, the USMC Harrier IIs sent to Afghanistan suffered the biggest loss of American air power in a single occurrence since the Vietnam War when eight AV-8Bs were lost or severely damaged by a Taliban raid on Camp Bastion in Helmand province on the night of September 14, 2012.

The Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211) CO, Lt. Col. Chris Raible, and Capt. Kevin Smalley had just finished a routine mission and parked their jets that night when Camp Bastion came under attack from a force of 15 Taleban insurgents wearing U.S. Army uniforms, according to Lon Nordeen’s account in his book AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom. After breaking through the outer perimeter of the base, the insurgents divided into three groups of five and assaulted the VMA-211 personnel in tented quarters close to the flight line, the AV-8Bs in their temporary hangars on Lima Ramp, and aircraft refueling stations.

Former Marine relives September 2012 raid on Camp Bastion — U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211), Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), replace the wings of an AV-8B Harrier at Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan Sep. 2, 2012.

Lt. Col. Raible and his aircraft maintenance officer (AMO), Maj. Greer Chambliss drove back to the flight line from the operations hut after hearing gunfire and explosions and planned a counterattack.

Regular soldiers, members of VMA-211, and a quick reaction force of 15 RAF Regiment gunners in their Jackal patrol vehicles engaged the Taleban and eventually killed all but one of them; the lone survivor was captured. Air support was provided by a British Army Air Corps Apache and a USMC aviation attack team composed of an AH-1W and UH-1Y. Six AV-8Bs were destroyed, and two more were severely damaged, during the fighting, which also claimed the lives of Lt. Col. Raible and technician Sgt. Bradley Atwell of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 (MALS-16). Several other Marines and a civilian technician were also injured.

Willie Walker, a former Marine and a Boeing airframe expert saw the attack while working with a small group of civilian “tech reps” to maintain VMA-211’s crew flying their Harrier IIs in 2012:

“We had just come off maintenance, and all the jets for the next missions were refueled, loaded, and ready to go. I was in the airframes workshop and as part of we had one jet in phase inspection having its blast shield repaired. We heard the first explosion, then a second, and then a third, which I thought were RPGs. At about the same time two guys ran into the hangar shouting that they weren’t rockets [they were actually F-1 anti-personnel grenades], the Taleban was on base and we were under attack. Believe me, there was not a rifle in the rack one minute later, which left me looking for one.

“As the Marines covered the doors, there were rounds coming in through the side of the hangar and then flying out the opposite wall. We were in a metal-covered workshop, with dividers for workstations and no protection. The CO, AMO, and other Marines raced up to the workshop in a vehicle, and Lt. Col. Raible came in and ordered the Marines out into the ditches surrounding the Lima Ramp in an attempt to fight back. It was at this point he got hit. Then an RPG came into our side of the hangar and detonated when it hit a door, wounding a few of the Marines who worked in the powerline [engine] shop. We just hunkered down while the guys outside fought back, and the guys inside passed their ammunition to those firing from the ditches. Eventually, several helicopter gunships appeared overhead and they contained the enemy threat.

“In the days following the attack, we helped with battle damage assessment on the two jets that had survived and worked with the Marines to get them prepared for shipment back to Cherry Point. The two VMA-211 jets that had been on detachment in Qatar [the Squadron received orders to reduce its debt commitment to eight AV-8Bs and 140 personnel for the final six weeks of the deployment] at the time of the attack came back to Camp Bastion, and VMA-231 sent six jets over from Cherry Point [ahead of the unit’s OEF deployment scheduled for October 2012]. We worked hard to clean up the mess and extend the flight line so that it was ready for the replacement aircraft.”

Six percent of the USMC’s Harrier II attack jet fleet was made up of eight destroyed or damaged aircraft. The USMC’s Harrier planes typically lose two airframes each year to attrition.

Prince Harry, who was stationed at the site at the time, was allegedly the objective of the operation, according to the Taleban, who also claimed that it was in retaliation for the film Innocence of Muslims.

The attack “bore all the hallmarks of the Haqqani network,” according to the BBC. A week later, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said that it had apprehended one of the raid’s organizers.

Photo by Sgt. Keonaona Paulo / U.S. Marine Corps

September 9, 2021 0 comment

History

A-10 was able to RTB after her right engine had been struck by an Iraqi SAM

by Till Daisd September 9, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“This is a true testament to the combat survivability of the A-10,” Maj. Gary “Wolfman” Wolf (retired), former A-10 pilot

The then-110th Fighter Wing (FW) was operating A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft in direct support of Coalition ground forces during the early phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The A-10, affectionately referred to as “Warthog,” has a well-deserved reputation for toughness, which was strengthened by the 110th’s involvement with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.

As stated in the article A-10A 80-0258, History of Excellence by Tech. Sgt. Alec Lloyd of the 217th Air Operations Group, on April 8, 2003, tail number 80-0258, flown by then-Maj. Gary “Wolfman” Wolf, took off from Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait to support Coalition forces as they approached Baghdad. An enemy surface-to-air (SAM) missile destroyed the aircraft’s right engine as it was doing low-altitude overhead reconnaissance for a coalition convoy commander.

“Although the initial impact was substantial, the aircraft never departed controlled flight. This is a true testament to the combat survivability of the A-10.” said Major Wolf (retired), “I was fortunate to be flying the mighty Warthog on that fateful day.”

How this A-10 was able to RTB after her right engine had been struck by an Iraqi SAM [today the aircraft's damaged cowling is on display at the National Guard Museum] — A-10 maintenance members from the 392 Air Expeditionary Wing inspect their aircraft for any additional damages after it was hit by an Iraqi missile in the right engine. The A-10 made it back to the base safely.

Major Wolf was able to maintain control of his aircraft, put in place defenses, and make a turn for friendly territory. He kept the severely damaged aircraft in the air despite the considerable damage for 45 minutes until he traveled 120 kilometers to Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq, where he could find shelter. Pilots, ground personnel, and even media photographers were in awe by the magnitude of the damage the Warthog had sustained while still being able to fly after he landed it safely.

The story might have ended there, but in 2011, Colonel Ronald Wilson—the 110th’s vice commander at the time—mentioned that the damaged engine had been transported back to Battle Creek Air National Guard Base after the unit had been renamed the 110th Airlift Wing by that point. In 2014, the unit underwent a second name change to the 110th Attack Wing. The second stage of the process—the restoration and reassembly of the cowling for display—began after the parts of the cowling were discovered at the base scrap yard after some searching.

“The cowling was destined for the scrap pile,” said Colonel Wilson, “we had been out of the A-10 business for some time. When I approached our maintenance folks to see if there was any possibility to save this historical piece of our heritage, they jumped right in.”

This task was unusual. The 110th Maintenance Squadron staff was accustomed to removing and replacing broken parts, but recovering war damage rather than simply repairing was new.

Tech. Sgt. David Harris from the 110th Airlift Wing Maintenance Squadron was one of many to have these very thoughts, “The first thought from everyone in the shop was, where do we start?” he said. “It was like a jigsaw puzzle. The structural repair shop got together and devised a plan of attack to manufacture parts and panels to reconstruct damage the missile had caused.”

To meet the task, Tech. Sgt. Robert Robinson, Tech. Sgt. Steven Roman, Staff Sgt. Brian Nelson and Senior Airman Douglas Powers created a thorough restoration plan.

The cowling was repaired to its “original” damaged state after more than 150 man-hours of labor. It was now prepared for both shipping and display.

The service members who put in a lot of effort to make sure that the wing as a whole and not just the A-10 were recognized as exceptional warfighters were thanked by Colonel Wilson and Major Wolf.

“This is a testament to all the great men and women of the 110th Fighter Wing who went to war in 2003, who through machine and sweat and perseverance prevailed and made a difference in the world as the 110th Fighter Wing made a mark in history forever.” Said Colonel Wilson.

“I will always think of the A-10 when I remember Battle Creek. We did some amazing things around the world in the Warthog.” Said Major Wolf (retired). “I hope you can find a good home for the cowling – well deserved after all the hard work performed by your maintenance folks. I will always cherish 258 for bringing me home… -Wolfman (callsign).”

At the National Guard Museum in Washington, DC, the A-10 cowling is currently on exhibit.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo / U.S. Air Force and Master Sgt. Sonia Pawloski / U.S. Air National Guard

September 9, 2021 0 comment

History

The Lockheed ACMA

by Till Daisd September 7, 2021

written by Till Daisd

A transport aircraft design that was almost 20% larger than a C-5 Galaxy was created as part of a study known as ACMA or Advanced Commercial/Military Aircraft

Two very huge cargo aircraft could transport even more than one could, wouldn’t you think?

That was the fundamental tenet of this hypothetical design, which engineers at the former Lockheed-Georgia Company in Marietta, Georgia, examined in the early 1980s. A transport aircraft design that was almost 20% larger than a C-5 Galaxy was designed as part of research known as ACMA, or Advanced Commercial/Military Aircraft. The multibody transport depicted above, according to Code One Magazine, utilized the fundamental ACMA design with a connected wing and six engines. Notably, the flying deck is only present on the left fuselage. Although this aircraft could figuratively transport tons of cargo, it was difficult to find enough runways that were broad enough to handle it.

In comparison, the C-5 can fly on runways that are 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) long, which is an impressive capacity (especially given its size).

Compared to other USAF airlifters, the C-5 has a larger capacity able to transport 81 troops and 36 regular pallets at once. The Galaxy can also handle any air-transportable combat equipment available to the Army, even large objects like the 74-ton mobile scissors bridge. Reduced freight transfer times are achieved by ground crews’ ability to load and unload the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo slots. The C-5’s other features include:

– To disperse weight, there are five sets of landing gear, totaling 28 wheels;
– Faster and simpler loading is made possible by the nose and aft doors, which open to the entire width and height of the cargo compartment;
– A “kneeling” landing gear arrangement that enables the aircraft to be lowered to allow for drive-on/drive-off vehicle loading and raises the cargo floor to a height appropriate for a truck bed;
– Double rows of vehicles can be loaded onto full-width drive-on ramps at either end;
– A maintenance diagnostics system that reduces maintenance/repair time by collecting and analyzing data from more than 800 (C-5A) and 7000 (C-5M) test points.

Photo by Lockheed Martin

September 7, 2021 0 comment

History

The Top Secret D-21 spy drone air-launched from an A-12 aircraft

by Till Daisd September 7, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The D-21 was created to carry a single, high-resolution camera over a predetermined route, release the camera module for collection, and then self-destruct

The highly developed Lockheed D-21 was a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built for high-speed, high-altitude strategic reconnaissance missions over hostile territory. The D-21 employed technology from the A-12/YF-12/SR-71 “Blackbird” series of high-speed manned aircraft, which was developed by the renowned Lockheed “Skunk Works” in the 1960s. The D-21, however, was propelled by ramjets as opposed to the Blackbird’s turbojet engines.

According to Lou Drendel in his 1982 book SR-71 Blackbird In Action, the Lockheed D-21 Drone was not well known until many of them began to appear at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base’s aircraft storage and disposition center in late 1976. Even though it was an unplanned retirement celebration, the fact that the D-21s were escorted to their retirement residence by armed guards revealed just how covert their operative lives were.

The top secret D-21, the high-speed, high-altitude spy drone air launched from the the back of a Mach 3 A-12 aircraft

According to Drendel “it wasn’t long before D-21s were spotted languishing in the Arizona sun, more than slightly incongruous among the T-34s and T-28s in neighboring parking areas. Pictures were taken, questions were asked, and various versions of what they were, what they did, where they came from, and how many were built began to emerge.”

In its Oct. 31, 1977 issue, Aviation Week & Space Technology quoted an ‘Official’ as saying “that the drone was conceived as a subscale prototype for the initial proof-of-concept flight testing of design features that were applied to the A-11 [the A-12’s precursor].” 38 D-21s were constructed between 1964 and 1967, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology, and they served as an interim strategic reconnaissance platform while the SR-71 was in development. They asserted that the drone was launched at high speed and altitude after being carried aloft partially submerged in the belly of the A-11/YF-12A.

Drendel continues: “Whether the drone was indeed conceived as a proof-of-concept model for the Blackbird may be open to speculation. And as long as we are speculating, is it possible that the D-21 was conceived and designed to overfly sensitive areas, thus circumventing Ike’s promise to stop manned overflights of the USSR?”

We now know that Drendel’s hypothesis was accurate.

President Dwight Eisenhower suspended all manned flights over the Soviet Union after Francis Gary Powers’s U-2 spy plane was shot down on May 1, 1960, according to documentation from the Air Force Test Center History Office. Even though the United States government intended to use satellites for reconnaissance, the technology wasn’t ready yet, therefore the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) concluded that unmanned drones could cover the void until satellites became a feasible option.

The creation of D-21 started in October 1962. The founder of Skunk Works, Kelly Johnson, came up with the idea for a long-range drone that made extensive use of the A-12’s technology. The CIA and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) gave Lockheed the order to research the idea of a fast, high-altitude drone in October 1962. Johnson proposed a range of 3,000 nautical miles (3,500 mi; 5,600 km), speeds of Mach 3.3-3.5, and an operational altitude of 87,000-95,000 feet (27,000-29,000 m).

Due to its ramjet engine, which needed to be air-launched at a specific speed to ignite, the D-21 required a mothership to launch. To air-launch the D-21 drone at first, Lockheed testers utilized an M-21, which is essentially a Lockheed A-12 variant. The M-21’s back would be used to launch the D-21. The D-21 was built to carry a single, high-resolution camera over a predetermined route, release the camera module for collection, and then self-destruct after that.

The D-21, however, encountered an “asymmetric unstart” during the fourth flight test as it moved through the M-21’s bow wake, which caused the mothership to pitch up and collide with the D-21 at Mach 3.25. Bill Park and Ray Torick, two crew members, ejected the M-21, but Torick drowned in the ocean as his flight suit ruptured and filled with water.

The M-21 launch program was discontinued following the disaster, but testers continued to feel that the D-21 would make a useful surveillance drone and chose to launch the drone from B-52Hs as part of a top-secret test program known as Tagboard. The D-21 project’s new codename was Senior Bowl.

The first D-21 launch from a B-52 was successful on June 16, 1968, following a number of unsuccessful attempts. At 90,000 feet, the drone covered 3,000 miles. The CIA and the Air Force decided to execute four operational launches after a few additional flight tests, all of which failed in some way. Despite two successful flights, the imagery from the D-21’s hatch could not be retrieved. One of the other two operable flights was lost in a fiercely guarded location, and the other D-21 just vanished after takeoff.

On July 15, 1971, the D-21 program was terminated, and both of the B-52s used for the program were delivered back to active Air Force units.

As we’ve previously mentioned, the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) commissioned renowned aviation artist Mike Machat in October to create a nose painting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lockheed D-21 supersonic reconnaissance drone.

The bomber, one of two B-52Hs used in Project Senior Bowl, was mounted on B-52 #60-0036.

Nose art celebrates Lokcheed D-21 drone 50th anniversary — Aviation artist Mike Machat recently completed nose art on the 419th Flight Test Squadron’s B-52 #60-0036. About 50 years ago, the bomber was used in a top-secret test program named Tagboard.

Photo: Kenji Thuloweit / U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin

September 7, 2021 0 comment

History

Why this B-52 bomber is sitting on a massive Trestle

by Till Daisd September 6, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The ATLAS-I program’s objective was to examine how harmful electromagnetic pulses would affect SAC aircraft

Sandia National Laboratories created their own testing facility for the newest developments in weapon design in response to the feared threat of a nuclear attack on American territory during the 1940s when developments in the field of atomic weapons helped establish the foundations for the Cold War. Scientists in this area were more focused on creating technologies that wouldn’t be impacted by a different component of a nuclear explosion than on the problem of radioactive fallout.

In order to test this kind of technology, a top-secret testing facility, code-named Trestle, was established adjacent to Kirtland Air Force Base (AFB), in the southeast of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico, according to the article ATLAS-I – Top secret EMP testing site that published on Abandoned Spaces. The facility’s full name, Air Force Weapons Lab Transmission-Line Aircraft Simulator (ATLAS-I), is fairly lengthy but clearly states what it is used for.

Do you know why this B-52 bomber sits on this giant trestle? — *ATLAS-1, Trestle facility at Kirtland AFB, NM being load tested with TEREX dump trucks. Notice Air Force 1 in the background being tested at the neighboring VPD EMP test site.*

ATLAS-I was a matchless testing contraption for the effects of electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) on damaging radiation. The world’s most sophisticated non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse generator was created in the 1970s. It is believed that a certain amount of high-energy electromagnetic and particle radiation is present when traveling through space, at great altitudes, and in the vicinity of nuclear reactors and particle accelerators. Additionally, and critically during the Cold War, these sorts of EMPs are produced by nuclear explosions.

Electronic components must be “radiation-hardened” to prevent malfunctions due to the amount of radiation they are exposed to. This may be accomplished by the use of non-standard electronic chips made of insulating materials during the manufacturing process, physical shielding of electronic components, and software development. The purpose of ATLAS-I was to evaluate the radiation tolerance of various component designs and materials.

The $60 million facility was made up of two components: a massive wooden trestle built in a bowl-shaped arroyo to elevate the test aircraft above ground interference and position it below the pulse similarly to how it would be seen in mid-air; and a pair of potent Marx generators that could simulate the electromagnetic pulse effects of a high-altitude nuclear explosion (HANE) of the type expected during a nuclear war.

The Trestle is the largest wood and glue laminate structure in the world.

Trestle’s main wooden structure was 1,000 feet long, 125 feet (about 12 stories) tall, and made of 6.5 million board feet of lumber, which was enough to support a fully loaded B-52 (at the time the biggest and heaviest strategic bomber in the US inventory) while also reducing any chance of interference from the ground or the structure itself, creating an accurate representation of airborne conditions.

The timbers were made from a combination of Southern Yellow Pine and Douglas Fir since they both showed outstanding EMP transparency, with the latter having the best weather resistance and the former having the best tensile strength. Large amounts of ferrous material in the building would have a negative impact on measurements from the EMP tests, but this could be avoided by employing an all-glued laminated timber framework with woodworking joints to mate the enormous timbers.

A small amount of metal was employed in the building process because the severely loaded joints included a steel sheer ring that encircled the wooden bolt that clamped the joint. Fiberglass was used to build everything from the vast fire suppression piping to the fire escape along one side of the trestle.

Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombers were the main target of the tests due to their higher flight altitude and nuclear payload, although fighters, transport aircraft, and even missiles were also tested for EMP hardness on Trestle. Numerous sensors positioned inside, below, and to the sides of the aircraft would collect additional information on the airframe’s EMP permeability to be used in design considerations for future Cold War aircraft and to identify areas that needed more EM hardening, in addition to conducting electronics survivability tests.

The ATLAS-I program was terminated in 1991, ending the damaging EMP testing of airplanes and replacing it with significantly less expensive computer simulations as technology advanced. It continues to be the largest metal-free wood laminate construction in the world and all of the wooden trestle structures are still intact today. However, since the automated fire sprinkler system was turned off in 1991 and the creosote-soaked wood dried up significantly in the desert climate, the trestle has significantly increased the risk of a fire. Although attempts are hampered by the structure’s location on the top-secret Sandia/Kirtland site, efforts are underway to secure the funding required to have the monument protected as a national historic landmark.

Around a mile to the southeast of Runway 26’s threshold, the trestle structure is still clearly visible from commercial aircraft making landing and takeoff at Albuquerque International Sunport.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

September 6, 2021 0 comment

History

F-20 promotional video feat. super ace Chuck Yeager’s intro

by Till Daisd September 3, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Yeager praised the Tigershark in his autobiography, which he wrote after the F-20 was canceled, calling it “magnificent.”

Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier and at the time a spokesperson for Northrop provided the introduction to this fascinating F-20 promotional video from the 1980s.

Yeager praised the Tigershark in his autobiography, which he wrote after the F-20 was canceled, calling it “magnificent.”

Northrop designed and produced the F-20 Tigershark (formerly the F-5G), a light fighter that was privately financed. It started to take shape around 1975. The aircraft, which was a development of Northrop’s F-5E Tiger II, was propelled by a new engine with significantly better overall performance and a cutting-edge avionics suite with a potent and adaptable radar.

The F-20 was far faster than the F-5E, included beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air capability, and had a full complement of air-to-ground modes that could fire the majority of American armaments. The General Dynamics F-16/79 (a modified export-oriented version of the F-16A/B designed for use with the antiquated General Electric J79 turbojet engine) and other modern fighter designs were able to compete with the F-20 as a result of these advancements, but the F-20 was significantly less expensive to buy and operate.

A large portion of the F-20’s development was carried out as part of the “FX” project run by the US Department of Defense (DoD). While avoiding critical front-line technologies used by U.S. Air Force (USAF) aircraft, FX aimed to create fighters that would be capable in combat with the newest Soviet aircraft. The military export plans of the Carter administration, which attempted to give foreign countries high-quality equipment without running the risk of American front-line technology falling into Soviet hands, gave rise to FX. Northrop had great expectations for the F-20 on the global market, but once Ronald Reagan was elected, policy changes meant that the F-20 had to compete for sales against the F-16’s newest variants rather than the downgraded F-16/79.

When three prototypes had been built (two of which crashed after their pilots blacked out from too much g-force), and a fourth that was only partially finished, the F-20 Tigershark program was abandoned in 1986.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

September 3, 2021 0 comment

History

The restored Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic transport aircraft

by Till Daisd September 3, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The outside of the Tu-144 was finished, but work has not yet started on the aircraft inside.

The first phase of the restoration of the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic transport aircraft (SST) was finished, according to News in Flight. In Russia’s Chetaeva Street, the Kazan Aviation Institute (KAI) building, which will be on display for educational purposes, is seen in the background of the photo in this post, which shows the aircraft standing close to it.

The work on the aircraft exterior has been finished, but work on the aircraft cabin has not yet started, as stated by a spokeswoman for the business in charge of the project during the ceremony that marked the conclusion of the first stage of the restoration.

The Tupolev Tu-144 (Russian: Tyолев y-144; NATO reporting name: Charger) is a decommissioned jet aircraft and commercial SST. The Anglo-French Concorde is the other of the two SSTs that have entered commercial service. The Alexei Tupolev by Tupolev design bureau created the plane during the Cold War, and the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association in Voronezh, Russia, built it. At an average operating height of 16,000 meters (52,000 ft), it flew 55 passenger flights while traveling at a speed of about 2,000 kph (1,200 mph, or Mach 1.6).

Two months before the Concorde’s inaugural flight, on December 31, 1968, the prototype made its first flight close to Moscow. On June 5, 1969, the Tu-144 achieved supersonic flight for the first time, and on May 26, 1970, it became the first commercial vehicle to reach Mach 2. The development of the Tu-144 was halted when one crashed at the Paris Air Show in 1973. On November 1, 1977, the aircraft entered passenger service, nearly two years after Concorde.

After only 55 planned flights, the passenger fleet of the Tu-144 was permanently grounded in May 1978 due to the crash of another Tu-144 (an enhanced version known as Tu-144D). Up until 1983, the plane was still in use as a cargo carrier. Later, the Tu-144 was employed by NASA for supersonic research and by the Soviet space program to train Buran spacecraft pilots.

The Tu-144 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.

Photo by News in Flight

September 3, 2021 0 comment

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