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Cold War

After a mission on the day of the Chernobyl Disaster, an SR-71 Blackbird was checked with a Geiger counter before being allowed to taxi into the hangar

by Till Daisd July 4, 2024

The Blackbird

Developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft, the SR-71, sometimes known unofficially as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, received the first SR-71 to begin service in January 1966. The first SR-71 flight occurred on December 22, 1964. On January 26, 1990, the US Air Force (USAF) retired its fleet of SR-71 aircraft.

For almost 24 years, the SR-71 held the record for being the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world. It could cover 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from 80,000 feet. The Blackbird’s extraordinary capabilities allowed it to gather intelligence in some of the most hostile environments.

SR-71 Blackbird Mission on the day of the Chernobyl Disaster

Former SR-71 RSO, Lt. Col. Doug Soifer, recalls in Richard H. Graham’s book SR-71 Revealed The Inside Story;

‘Mike Smith and I were TDY for our first time to Mildenhall for our normal six-week rotation. We went to the Det one morning to fly a routine six-hour sortie—the Barents and the Baltic. During the preflight briefings, the intelligence officer said a nuclear power site (Chernobyl) in the Soviet Union had an accident a few hours earlier. They had no other information on it yet. The weather briefing officer gave his normal briefing but also mentioned they double-checked with the weather service at Offutt AFB that we would not fly through any of the fall-out from Chernobyl. With the briefings done and no one concerned about our route of flight, we went to the jet and flew a normal mission.

‘The normal routine after an operational mission is to land and continue to taxi off the runway and directly into the hangar so they could download the mission take. But as we landed and turned off the runway, we were told to stop way before the hangar. We both thought this was very strange and couldn’t understand why we were stopping here. Then one person, and only one, dressed in very funny-looking gear, came walking up to the plane.’

Soifer continues;

‘As he got closer, we could see he was in full chemical gear and had a Geiger counter. After they had guaranteed Mike and I that we were in no danger of through radiation from Chernobyl, they were checking the plane before any of THEM would get close to us! Once he walked about the plane with the Geiger counter, we were allowed to continue to taxi into the hangar.’

Photo by NASA and Unknown

July 4, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

US Navy F-14 pilot recalls when he and his RIO fired 6 AIM-54 Phoenix missiles against 6 different targets

by Till Daisd July 3, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The AIM-54 Phoenix

The controversial F-111B, which was being developed for the Navy’s carrier fighter inventory, was replaced by the F-14 Tomcat in 1968. The F-14 Tomcat was built with a focus on close-in fighting with “claws” and standoff missile fighting.

Overall, among the Free World fighters of the Cold War, the F-14 was unmatched. The AWG-9 weapons control system on the Tomcat could guide six long-range AIM-54A Phoenix missiles against six different threat aircraft.

The AIM-54 was a large missile with a 1,000lb weight and a Mach 5 speed. It has the potential to reach a height of 100,000 feet, where, in loft mode, it can fly unheard-of distances before tipping over and using its own terminally active radar to complete an intercept upwards of a hundred miles away.

US Navy F-14 pilot recalls when he and his RIO fired six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles against six different targets simultaneously during the six-on-six missile shot test

The six-on-six missile shot test

The ability to launch six Phoenix against six different targets was unprecedented and became a force multiplier as F-14 Tomcat pilot John ‘Smoke’ Wilson explains in the book Half Century, Baby! by David ‘Hey Joe’ Parsons and Mads Bangsø.

‘As the F-14 gang at Pt Mugu were aware (sometimes painfully) Program Office (PMA) 241’s deputy for weapons trials was Clyde Tuomela. I came back from a flight and had a message that he wanted to see me. Clyde said to me ‘Swoose’ (as in Snead, the PMA at the time) was getting a lot of pressure from Congress to demonstrate the six-on-six shot: “He wants YOU to do it ASAP but don’t screw it up.”

‘As the senior pilot of the Joint Evaluation Team (JET) and the Flight Test Officer of the Naval Missile Center, I probably could have opted for the test, but Swoose designating me was a convenient cop out. Jack Hawver and I had many discussions within the JET team, and with the Hughes people both at Mugu and at Conoga Park, as to what the test was going to look like. We (and the Hughes crews) had fired several multi-target shots before (up to 4v4), and their parameters were taken into consideration. Once we decided, Jack and I flew’ simulations on every AWG-9 simulator that was available in the country. We then briefed the PMA on what we proposed. Part of the work up also included discussions with the test conductors and the targets people to see if it was possible to do a six-target presentation.

Six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles against six different targets at the same time

‘The formation consisted of one BQM-34E at Mach 1.2, three BQM-34Cs at Mach 0.9, and two QT-33s at Mach 0.7. They were to be in a line abreast at the 30-mile ‘open fire’ with the AWG-9 prioritizing the targets, making the supersonic target automatically the #1 priority since it was the greatest threat. During our simulation, we discovered that if we shot it first, we would not have had six missiles tracking at the same time. So, after the initial detection at 58 miles, Jack reset the priority so six missiles would all be heading down range towards their targets at the same time.

‘Per a preflight agreement, I fired the first and last missile from the front cockpit and Jack fired the other four using the RIO launch button, getting them all off in 38 seconds. At that range, the Phoenix missiles began their climbs towards 100,000ft as I looked up; the six contrails looked like SA-2 smoke trails over downtown Hanoi during an Alpha Strike! The missiles all carried telemetry packages in lieu of warheads to provide accurate measurements of performance.

‘The first missile was a direct hit on a BQM-34C. The missile fired at the BQM-34E took the miss distance-scoring pod off the wing of the drone. Both QT-33s were hit in the empennage area. When they slowed down for recovery, they lost control and spun in short of San Clemente Island. Of the other two BQM-34Cs, one had a missile within lethal range and the other experienced an internal malfunction before the Phoenix could get to it, but not before demonstrating that the AWG-9 could guide six missiles concurrently.

The video of the actual firings

‘In retrospect, the fact that the operation was accomplished at all, let alone within two months’ time with only one dry run, was a tribute to all who participated in the ‘six-on-six’, which only happened that one time. It was certainly my privilege to have been the shooter.

‘The videos of the actual firings were taken/recorded/telemetered to the ground by an experimental system on an F-4 piloted by Roger Box, soon to be my relief as the Flight Test Officer, and subsequently, my relief as CAG-14.’

The following video is the original six-on-six missile shot clip.

Half Century, Baby! is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here and here.

Photo by U.S. Navy

July 3, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

Why no cockpit requires as much concentration as a Blackbird’s

by Till Daisd July 2, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The Blackbird

The Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft were the basis for the long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft known as the SR-71, or “Blackbird,” as it was informally called.

The 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, received the first SR-71 to begin service in January 1966. The first SR-71 flight occurred on December 22, 1964.

Everything that had come before the Blackbird was not comparable. “Everything had to be invented. Everything,” renowned aircraft designer Kelly Johnson of Skunk Works recalled in an intriguing article that appeared on the Lockheed Martin website.

Unique SR-71 Cockpit photos show why no cockpit demands as much intense focus as a Blackbird’s

The SR-71 was created to operate at extraordinary velocities, altitudes and temperatures: actually, it was the first aircraft constructed with titanium, as the friction caused by air molecules moving over its surface at Mach 2.6 would melt a standard aluminum frame.

No cockpit demands as much intense focus as an SR-71 Blackbird’s

The SR-71’s mission was to capture images, detect electronic surveillance using its sensors, and fly in a safe manner near the enemy’s border. The Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) handled all of that and more.

According to Curt Mason, the owner of the Project Habu website, who kindly shared the unique images in this post, “No cockpit demands as much intense focus as an SR-71 Blackbird’s, and in frustrating irony, no cockpit offers a better view,” because of the Blackbird’s special capabilities.

“There was no time to look out the window. The plane knew when your eyes started to wander to the spectacle of earth from 85,000 feet; that’s when something would go wrong. There was much to monitor.* The many “steam gauge” instruments reflect a bygone era, giving the pilot information ranging from heading to compressor inlet temperature, each dial representing a critically important system.

“Even though this cockpit was operated through 2,854 flight hours, it looks brand new. That’s because it was only ever flown using the gloved hands of a crew member wearing the essential high-altitude pressure suit. Every control is large enough to be adjusted with those bulky pressure suit gloves.

“You sit atop your throne, the SR-1 ejection seat, which carries a rare 100% success rate. To operate the circuit breakers, you must reach beside and behind your seat, outside your field of view through the pressure suit helmet. To make sure you actuate the correct breaker, you count down the rows and columns by feel.”

SR-71A 17975 with her cockpit open

Mason concludes;

“March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, is kind enough to display SR-71A 17975 with her cockpit open. This gives us a rare peek inside the world of the Blackbird, allowing us to look inside something that was formerly top secret and reserved only for a privileged few crew members. These photos were captured using a camera extended into the cockpit via monopod. At no point did I or my equipment come in contact with the artifact.”

Photo by Curt Mason / Project Habu and U.S. Air Force

*SR-71 pilot David Peters gives more details about “looking out the Blackbird window.” He recalls: “Buzz Carpenter (pilot) and John Murphy (RSO) were flying a DMZ mission out of Kadena and were about 75,000 in bound when John spotted an object out his left window, which turned out to be a weather ballon. He told Buzz to look out the left window and Buzz said no, he was busy. John gave him a bad time and Buzz finally said you don’t look outside because the airplane knows and does weird stuff. Of course, that was a joke between them but I honestly don’t know anybody after a few flights that were not comfortable with the airplane. I looked out as much as I could because it is obviously the greatest seat in the world.”

Check out Habubrats SR-71‘s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

July 2, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

When an SR-71 pilot and his RSO pushed their Blackbird to Mach 3.5 and outran Gaddafi’s SAMs during a BDA flight in Libya

by Till Daisd June 29, 2024

written by Till Daisd

Operation El Dorado Canyon

Operation El Dorado Canyon began on April 14, 1986, with a strike group consisting of eighteen US Air Force (USAF) F-111 fighter bombers, supported by a large number of US Navy and US Marine Corps (USMC) A-6, A-7, and F/A-18 attack aircraft. This retaliation occurred in response to a bombing of a Berlin nightclub, which was sponsored by Libya and resulted in the deaths of one US serviceman and one civilian in addition to injuring 200 people, of whom 63 were US military personnel.

Following the raid, on April 16, 1986, famous Blackbird pilot Maj. Brian Shul and RSO Maj. Walter Watson flew SR-71 #64-17960 into Libyan airspace at a blistering 2,125 mph to take pictures of the targets for bomb damage assessment (BDA). They began getting launching indications from Libyan surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites below as they neared the end of their sweeps.

In his book Sled Driver, Shul narrates the story of how the SR-71’s amazing capabilities allowed them to hold their course, outrun the missiles, and land safely back at RAF Mildenhall.

“In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi’s terrorist camps in Libya. My duty was to fly over Libya and take photos, recording the damage our F-111s had inflicted. Qaddafi had established a ‘line of death,’ a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra, swearing to shoot down any intruder that crossed the boundary. On the morning of April 15, I rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph.

Flying the SR-71 Blackbird during a BDA flight of Libya in support of Operation El Dorado Canyon

“I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world’s fastest jet, accompanied by Maj Walter Watson, the aircraft’s reconnaissance systems officer (RSO). We had crossed into Libya and were approaching our final turn over the bleak desert landscape when Walter informed me that he was receiving missile launch signals. I quickly increased our speed, calculating the time it would take for the weapons-most likely SA-2 and SA-4 surface-to-air missiles capable of Mach 5 – to reach our altitude. I estimated that we could beat the rocket-powered missiles to the turn and stayed our course, betting our lives on the plane’s performance.

“After several agonizingly long seconds, we made the turn and blasted toward the Mediterranean. ‘You might want to pull it back,’ Walter suggested. It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles full forward. The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well above our Mach 3.2 limit. It was the fastest we would ever fly. I pulled the throttles to idle just south of Sicily, but we still overran the refueling tanker awaiting us over Gibraltar.

SR-71 pilot recalls when he and his RSO outran Gaddafi’s SAMs with their Blackbird during a BDA flight of Libya in support of Operation El Dorado Canyon — SA-2 Surface-to-Air Missile on display in the Southeast Asia War Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The Mach increases

“[…] With the Libyan coast fast approaching now, Walt asks me for the third time, if I think the jet will get to the speed and altitude we want in time. I tell him yes. I know he is concerned. He is dealing with the data; that’s what engineers do, and I am glad he is. But I have my hands on the stick and throttles and can feel the heart of a thoroughbred, running now with the power and perfection she was designed to possess. I also talk to her. Like the combat veteran she is, the jet senses the target area and seems to prepare herself.

“For the first time in two days, the inlet door closes flush and all vibration is gone. We’ve become so used to the constant buzzing that the jet sounds quiet now in comparison. The Mach correspondingly increases slightly and the jet is flying in that confidently smooth and steady style we have so often seen at these speeds. We reach our target altitude and speed, with five miles to spare. Entering the target area, in response to the jet’s new-found vitality, Walt says, ‘That’s amazing’ and with my left hand pushing two throttles farther forward, I think to myself that there is much they don’t teach in engineering school.

Libya like one huge sandbox

“Out my left window, Libya looks like one huge sandbox. A featureless brown terrain stretches all the way to the horizon. There is no sign of any activity. Then Walt tells me that he is getting lots of electronic signals, and they are not the friendly kind. The jet is performing perfectly now, flying better than she has in weeks. She seems to know where she is. She likes the high Mach, as we penetrate deeper into Libyan airspace. Leaving the footprint of our sonic boom across Benghazi, I sit motionless, with stilled hands on throttles and the pitch control, my eyes glued to the gauges.

“Only the Mach indicator is moving, steadily increasing in hundredths, in a rhythmic consistency similar to the long distance runner who has caught his second wind and picked up the pace. The jet was made for this kind of performance and she wasn’t about to let an errant inlet door make her miss the show. With the power of forty locomotives, we puncture the quiet African sky and continue farther south across a bleak landscape.

SR-71 Blackbird outrunning Gaddafi’s SAMs

“Walt continues to update me with numerous reactions he sees on the DEF panel. He is receiving missile tracking signals. With each mile we traverse, every two seconds, I become more uncomfortable driving deeper into this barren and hostile land. I am glad the DEF panel is not in the front seat. It would be a big distraction now, seeing the lights flashing. In contrast, my cockpit is ‘quiet’ as the jet purrs and relishes her new-found strength, continuing to slowly accelerate.

“The spikes are full aft now, tucked twenty-six inches deep into the nacelles. With all inlet doors tightly shut, at 3.24 Mach, the J-58s are more like ramjets now, gulping 100,000 cubic feet of air per second. We are a roaring express now, and as we roll through the enemy’s backyard, I hope our speed continues to defeat the missile radars below. We are approaching a turn, and this is good. It will only make it more difficult for any launched missile to solve the solution for hitting our aircraft.

“I push the speed up at Walt’s request. The jet does not skip a beat, nothing fluctuates, and the cameras have a rock-steady platform. Walt received missile launch signals. Before he can say anything else, my left hand instinctively moves the throttles yet farther forward. My eyes are glued to temperature gauges now, as I know the jet will willingly go to speeds that can harm her. The temps are relatively cool and from all the warm temps we’ve encountered thus far, this surprises me but then, it really doesn’t surprise me. Mach 3.31 and Walt is quiet for the moment.

The Mach continues to rise

“I move my gloved finder across the small silver wheel on the autopilot panel which controls the aircraft’s pitch. With the deft feel known to Swiss watchmakers, surgeons, and ‘dinosaurs’ (old-time pilots who not only fly an airplane but ‘feel it’), I rotate the pitch wheel somewhere between one-sixteenth and one-eighth inch location, a position which yields the 500-foot-per-minute climb I desire. The jet raises her nose one-sixth of a degree and knows I’ll push her higher as she goes faster. The Mach continues to rise, but during this segment of our route, I am in no mood to pull throttles back.

“Walt’s voice pierces the quiet of my cockpit with the news of more missile launch signals. The gravity of Walter’s voice tells me that he believes the signals to be a more valid threat than the others. Within seconds he tells me to ‘push it up’ and I firmly press both throttles against their stops. For the next few seconds, I will let the jet go as fast as she wants. A final turn is coming up and we both know that if we can hit that turn at this speed, we most likely will defeat any missiles. We are not there yet, though, and I’m wondering if Walt will call for a defensive turn-off our course.

Mach passing beyond 3.45

“With no words spoken, I sense Walter is thinking in concert with me about maintaining our programmed course. To keep from worrying, I glance outside, wondering if I’ll be able to visually pick up a missile aimed at us. Odd are the thoughts that wander through one’s mind in times like these. I found myself recalling the words of former SR-71 pilots who were fired upon while flying missions over North Vietnam. They said the few errant missile detonations they were able to observe from the cockpit looked like implosions rather than explosions. This was due to the great speed at which the jet was hurling away from the exploding missile.

“I see nothing outside except the endless expanse of a steel blue sky and the broad patch of tan earth far below. I have only had my eyes out of the cockpit for seconds, but it seems like many minutes since I have last checked the gauges inside. Returning my attention inward, I glance first at the miles counter telling me how many more to go, until we can start our turn. Then I note the Mach, and passing beyond 3.45, I realize that Walter and I have attained new personal records. The Mach continues to increase. The ride is incredibly smooth.

A confirmed trust in the jet

“There seems to be a confirmed trust now, between me and the jet; she will not hesitate to deliver whatever speed we need, and I can count on no problems with the inlets. Walt and I are ultimately depending on the jet now – more so than normal – and she seems to know it. The cooler outside temperatures have awakened the spirit born into her years ago, when men dedicated to excellence took the time and care to build her well. With spikes and doors as tight as they can get, we are racing against the time it could take a missile to reach our altitude.

SR-71 Blackbird screaming past Tripoli during BDA flight of Libya in support of Operation El Dorado Canyon

“It is a race this jet will not let us lose. The Mach eases to 3.5 as we crest 80,000 feet. We are a bullet now – except faster. We hit the turn, and I feel some relief as our nose swings away from a country we have seen quite enough of. Screaming past Tripoli, our phenomenal speed continues to rise, and the screaming Sled pummels the enemy one more time, laying down a parting sonic boom. In seconds, we can see nothing but the expansive blue of the Mediterranean. I realize that I still have my left hand full-forward and we’re continuing to rocket along in maximum afterburner.

“The TDI now shows us Mach numbers, not only new to our experience but flat out scary. Walt says the DEF panel is now quiet, and I know it is time to reduce our incredible speed. I pull the throttles to the min ‘burner range and the jet still doesn’t want to slow down. Normally the Mach would be affected immediately, when making such a large throttle movement. But for just a few moments old 960 just sat out there at the high Mach, she seemed to love and like the proud Sled she was, only began to slow when we were well out of danger.

“I loved that jet.”

Photo by Pinterest, U.S. Air Force

June 29, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

F-14 test pilot recalls when his Tomcat was scorched after a Mach 2+ test sortie

by Till Daisd June 27, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The F-14 Tomcat

In the 1986 movie “Top Gun,” the F-14 Tomcat had a key part. The Navy required an aircraft to defend its surface fleets from hostile aircraft and long-range anti-ship missiles. The Air Force’s F-111 fighter bomber’s naval version was not suitable for aircraft carrier operations, so its radar and long-range AIM-54 Phoenix air intercept missile systems were moved to a completely new design, the F-14, which could engage multiple enemies over a distance of 90 miles.

Because this heavy weaponry required an interceptor to move quickly, Grumman created the F-14’s extremely efficient variable-sweep wing, which allowed the aircraft to fly at a range of air speeds.

Mach 2+ test sortie

Doyle Borchers, a former US Navy F-14 test pilot, recalls on Quora an exhilarating Mach 2+ test sortie flown in a Tomcat.

‘I was a Navy Test Pilot on the F-14A project, so I got lots of supersonic time in the Tomcat. When I commanded an F-14 squadron on a test flight, I took a new Radar Intercept Officer supersonic for his first time. It was a neat thing to go Mach 2 also.

‘The F-14 was limited to about 1.7 indicated Mach. The Mach meter got squirrely in that region. The airframe was limited to a much higher true Mach. I looked up the meteorology info for that morning and checked out the temperature at 45000 feet. (True Mach is a function of air temperature).

F-14 Tomcat scorched after a Mach 2+ test sortie

‘Anyway, I saw that if I got us to 1.72 indicated Mach that morning, we would exceed a true Mach 2 at that altitude. So, we launched and got to altitude and lit the burners, and accelerated to 1.72 indicated Mach. Mission accomplished.’

Borchers concludes;

‘We landed and as I was taxiing into the line the plane captain seemed excited. I got out and post flighted the airplane. The whole rear end of the airplane was scorched. Got in to debrief and rechecked the air temp at 45K and metro had screwed up. At the temp that we actually flew at, we must have exceeded Mach 2 considerably since the epoxy paint on the airplane was designed to withstand temperatures up to 2.4M.’

Photo by Dave “Bio” Baranek

June 27, 2024 0 comment

Boeing-KC-135Q-refueling-SR-71-1200x790-1

Cold War

When a KC-135Q Stratotanker flew into Northern Laos to save his Blackbird after a Double-Engine Flameout

by Till Daisd June 26, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The SR-71 Blackbird

A group of Lockheed members led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson—then vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Company Projects, also referred to as the “Skunk Works” and currently a part of Lockheed Martin—designed the SR-71, the most sophisticated Blackbird—including the A-12 and YF-12.

Beginning in the late 1950s, the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft—which made its first flight in April 1962 and remained classified until 1976—served as the model for the Blackbird. The YF-12A interceptor variant was first made public by President Lyndon Johnson on February 29, 1964, which was more than six months after it made its first flight. On December 22, 1964, the SR-71’s maiden flight was completed.

The Blackbird was built to reach altitudes of up to 85,000 feet and cruise at “Mach 3+,” faster than three times the speed of sound, or more than 2,200 miles per hour.

Checking out in the Blackbird like a cowboy

Col. David P. Dempster, Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) who was also part of the first US Air Force (USAF) contingent to fly operational SR-71 reconnaissance sorties from Okinawa into “denied areas” (the term “denied area” was referred to a specific area over or around a foreign country where you could encounter anything and everything… from MiGs to SAMs), recalls in Richard H. Graham’s book SR-71 Blackbird Stories, Tales and Legends:

SR-71 RSO recalls when a KC-135Q Stratotanker flew unprotected into Northern Laos to save his Blackbird after it had a Double-Engine Flameout

“Jim Watkins was a great pilot to be crewed within the Blackbird. A Texas cow-boy who raised horses in his off time, Jim loved, breathed, and lived for flying.

“But, like his horses, he ‘felt’ and handled them with cowboy common sense. Imagine checking out in the Blackbird, a World War II B-24 pilot who flew fighters, transports, KC-97 tankers, and KC-135 tankers at Beale. In tanker, Jim was on the initial OXCART team and provided the air refueling support for the A-12s flying from the Ranch. Jim checked out in the SR-71 like a cowboy putting on an old familiar leather glove!

“We were honored to be among the four SR-71 crews selected to deploy for the first time to Okinawa in March 1968. On 21 March, the first operational sortie flew and the crew encountered a double-engine flameout during descent to their tanker as they exited the target area. After refueling, they returned to Okinawa. A week later the second operational sortie flew, and again, with a different crew and different Blackbird, they encountered the same double-engine flameout at the start of their descent. They landed in Thailand due to the left generator not working. What was happening? Both planes checked out good on the ground after landing and we had lots of jaw-boning among ourselves and with Lockheed tech reps, with no conclusions.

KC-135Q saving an SR-71 over Laos

“Then, on 19 April 1968, Jim and I launched on the third operational sortie (the first for us and Crew Chief Technical Sergeant Bud Martin’s #974). We zipped through the target area with no problems and began the start descent checklist. As Jim pulled the throttle back to the rpm setting called for in our procedures, we had a double-engine flameout. Excitement, adrenaline pumping, and we dropped like a rock into Northern Laos! Jim got both engines started around 30,000 feet, and we headed south.

“Our [KC-135Q Stratotanker] tanker, the real hero of this story, saw our rate of closure on him stop. He knew what had happened and headed north immediately, unprotected, into enemy territory and rendezvoused with us. Refueling with him, we headed back into Thailand and proceeded to our preplanned end refueling point.

“What to do now? We were scheduled to go back to the target area for another ‘hot loop.’ Over the intercom, I heard this commonsense cowboy say, ‘Dave, I think if when we start our descent, we hold a higher-than-normal rpm we can avoid the flameouts. Want to give it a try?’ ‘Sure,’ I answered. We accelerated back to Mach 3-plus and on course into the target area. We eyeballed adding about 30 miles to the start descent range and when the time came Jim’s theory worked perfectly. No flameouts and a smooth descent.

‘Ichiban,’ the ‘number one’ Habu

“What was the secret and why did this work? The answer turned out to be the way the engine’s fuel controls were programmed. They used standard adiabatic lapse rates, which engineers all over the world assumed depicted the height of the tropopause and outside air temperatures at varying altitudes. WRONG! What we discovered was that in Southeast Asia, the tropopause (and magnificent thunderstorms we would look down on) could go as high as 65,000 feet, rather than the textbook 55,000 feet. Moreover, the air was much colder. Lockheed and Pratt & Whitney Co. eventually reprogrammed the fuel controls correctly and the problem went away. In the interim however, all of the crews adopted the cowboy’s technique and the flameout problems disappeared.

“The day after this flight Jim, Technical Sergean. Bud Martin, and I proudly stenciled the first Habu on the side of #974, which went on to be so successful that it was dubbed ‘Ichiban,’ the ‘number one’ Habu in the 1968 period on Okinawa.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

June 26, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

During a night training Mach 2 bomb run, the B-58 navigator remembers his pilot turning in his wings after their Hustler went in a nose-high stall

by Till Daisd June 24, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The B-58 Hustler

On November 11, 1956, the B-58, the US Air Force’s first operational supersonic bomber, took off. Apart from its delta wing design, the Hustler was distinguished by its advanced inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, its slender “wasp-waist” fuselage, and its extensive use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in both the wings and fuselage. The thin fuselage made it impossible to carry bombs inside; thus, a nuclear weapon, additional fuel, reconnaissance equipment, and other specialized gear were all stored in a droppable, two-component pod beneath the fuselage. The B-58 crew consisted of a pilot, navigator/bombardier, and defense systems operator.

Richard “Butch” Sheffield volunteered for the then-new B-58 while serving as a navigator and bombardier on the B-47. He had to return to his previous rank of lieutenant after losing his spot promotion. In his book “The Very First,” which he left for his family, he writes about it.

‘I entered the B-58 Combat Crew Training School (CCTS) as a student. The school was about two months long with academics and simulators. I was crewed with Captain Sparks (Sparky), aircraft Commander (AC), and Lt. Patrick, Defense Systems Officer (DSO).

The first crew to pass Central Evaluations Group

‘We soon started flying, and I loved the B-58. The bombing and navigation system, plus the cockpit, were excellent. We became combat-ready fast and were one of the first crews checked out in the aircraft, number fourteen, I believe.

‘General LeMay wanted all SAC crews to be changeable. Each crew and crew position were to have procedures alike for the aircraft they were flying in. The Central Evaluations Group (CEG) visited each wing and tested and evaluated the crew force to see if all wings performed the same procedures. To pass CEG was a big deal in B-47’s.

‘The CEG people wanted to get their foot in the door on this new program, so they decided that they should come in and give a check ride to one of the crews. We were selected.

‘It was a joke; they didn’t know anything about the aircraft, but they went through the motions and checked us; it was a piece of cake; we passed. So, we became the first B-58 crew ever to pass CEG.’

B-58 Hustler nose-high stall over Dallas

He continues;

B-58 navigator recalls when his pilot turned in his wings after their Hustler went in a nose-high stall during a night training Mach 2 bomb run over Dallas — Richard Butch Sheffield (in the middle) B-58 crew.

‘About six months after we became combat-ready, we flew a Mach 2 bomb run on Dallas at night. When the run was over, and we went to start our descent from fifty thousand feet, Capt. Sparks pulled back the power but FORGOT to take the altitude hold off.

‘The aircraft went into a nose-high stall, and we began to drop quickly; the engine’s compressor stalled, and the generators all went offline. We lost all electrical power; I had only a tiny battery-powered light in the cockpit. The only thing I could see was the airspeed and altimeter. I called the pilot, who said the flight controls had locked up.

‘It took one hundred and fifteen pounds of pressure to override the autopilot. He was a petite guy trying to override it, not knowing that altitude hold was on. It was a wild ride down. We were falling tail first with very little forward motion.

‘I decided to eject at fifteen thousand feet as we were trained. At about twenty thousand feet, I felt the nose of the aircraft starting to drop, and he said, I think I have got it (he had overridden the autopilot). Once the nose came down, the engines could be re-started, and we recovered at about ten thousand feet; we landed at Carswell. No one said a thing.’

The pilot quits

Sheffield concludes;

‘The following day, when I went into the Squadron, everyone was saying, did you hear about “Sparky?” I said no. They said he went into the commander (CO) office this morning, and threw his wings on his desk, and said, “I quit!” He then went around the Squadron bad-mouthing the B-58 and telling the other crews they should quit the program, too, because the aircraft was unsafe; the CO told him to get out.’

Up until 1964, when he was hired away to the SR-71 program, he continued to serve with the B-58s. In 1965, he arrived at Beale Air Force Base after passing the astronaut physical at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas.

Check out Habubrats SR-71‘s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Convair Thought to Transform the B-58 into a Supersonic Airliner. And to Store 5 Passengers in Hustler’s MB-1C Pod.

Photo by Linda Sheffield Miller and U.S. Air Force

June 24, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The US Navy F-14 pilot who created the DACT technique

by Till Daisd June 23, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The F-16N Viper

The US Navy purchased an F-16N Viper, a version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon used by the US Air Force, to simulate fourth-generation Soviet fighters as adversary aircraft in air combat training. The smaller, more maneuverable F-16N proved an extremely difficult opponent for the F-14.

The Story of how US Navy F-14 Tomcat crews learned to score simulated Gun Kills against the lethal 9G capable F-16N (Captured in a Beautiful Artwork)

Designed by aviation artist Mads Bangsø in collaboration with former F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) David Parsons, the artwork in this post is featured in their book Half Century, Baby! and was realized by Aircraftprofileprints.com.

The DACT technique that made gun kills on F-16Ns possible from the much larger F-14

As the artwork (named Fight’s On) shows, the theme of the print is dogfight: specifically, in a close air-to-air combat scenario, who will win? The F-14 Tomcat or the F-16N Viper (possibly the finest adversary fighter ever flown by the US Navy)? The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. The story behind the artwork is that of CDR Keith “Okie” Nance, who developed a Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) technique that made gun kills on F-16Ns possible from the much larger F-14.

‘The beautiful weather and pristine sea surrounding Naval Air Station Key West has been ideal for those seeking the sun and for DACT. By 1989, the penultimate Adversary Aircraft was the F-16N “Viper,” which had an amazing thrust-to-weight ratio and ability to execute 9G turns. That made for a formidable adversary for Tomcat Aircrews, as they learned out to fight their aircraft during the Fleet Readiness Squadron (FRS) Tactics Phase typically conducted out of Key West to take advantage of the weather.

‘Experienced Tomcat pilots found that even the F-16N was not that invincible if the Tomcat was flown to its advantage and stayed out of the situations in which the F-16N could prevail. One of the masters of this type of encounter was CDR Keith “Okie” Nance, who was not intimidated by the F-16N and routinely took it on in the so-called knife fight in a phone booth and prevailing.

The spirit of attack

‘In this depicted encounter, “Okie” has merged in a VF-101 F-14A+ with a VF-43 F-16N and entered a one-circle fight in which there can only be one victor. “Okie” has used the Tomcat’s ability to pitch and maintain energy as the F-16N is bleeding energy and will soon be at a disadvantage as the Tomcat uses the altitude advantage to pull down in behind the F-16N for a guns solution with its M61 Vulcan Cannon.

‘Although experienced Tomcat pilots like “Okie” were able to take on nimble adversaries like an F-16N or A-4F Skyhawk known as the “Super Fox”, the tactics they used were imparted to the Replacement Aircrews under instruction at VF-101 so they could also perform similar feats.

‘LTGEN Adolf Galland, the famed WWII German Ace, once said, “Only in the spirit of attack, born in a brave heart, will bring success to any fighter aircraft, no matter how highly developed it may be.” This was certainly true over the skies of Key West.’

Half Century, Baby! is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here and here.

June 23, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

A-7 Corsair II pilot once used a $40K AGM-62 Walleye to destroy a $2K broken-down pickup truck blocking a road intersection during the Vietnam War

by Till Daisd June 22, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The AGM-62 Walleye

The Martin Marietta AGM-62 Walleye, although designated as an air-to-ground missile (AGM), was actually an unpowered glide bomb guided to its target by a television camera attached to its nose.

The pilot’s television screen received a picture of the target from the Walleye’s camera. The pilot fired the weapon after he “locked” onto the target. The Walleye’s onboard guidance system adjusted its direction by independently comparing the locked image with the current image. The Walleye was dubbed a “fire and forget” weapon since the pilot did not have to control the bomb to the intended target.

When a target was well-contrasted with its surroundings, walleyes had no issue hitting it; they struggled when the contrast was not enough. In addition, the weapon’s light weight rendered it useless against structures like bridges.

Using a $40K precision weapon to take out a $2K broken-down pickup truck

The AGM-62 worked well against pickup trucks, as David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II, explains on Quora;

‘When I first joined Naval Aviation, a number of senior pilots had flown in Vietnam. They flew A-7s, A-4s, and A-1s(!) on ground attack missions.

‘One A-7 guy told me this story of being diverted from his primary mission (due to weather) and was handed off to a Forward Air Controller (FAC). He was instructed to destroy a broken-down pickup truck that was blocking a road intersection.

‘The only weapon he had was a TV-guided precision weapon, the AGM-62 Walleye.

‘And so, it went…he targeted the broken-down pickup truck with the Walleye, and destroyed it.’

Tussey Concludes;

‘So…we took a precision weapon costing about $40K and in short supply, and took out a $2K broken-down pickup truck. Good grief!

‘But it was a good example of pretty specific targeting — a single truck.’

US Navy A-7 pilot recalls when a Corsair II driver used a $40K AGM-62 Walleye to destroy a $2K broken-down pickup truck blocking a road intersection during the Vietnam War — An AGM-62 Walleye glide bomb mounted on the wing pylon of a US Navy Ling-Temco-Vought A-7C Corsair II

Photo by U.S. Navy

June 22, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The F-15N Sea Eagle, the navalized version of the F-15 Eagle that never was

by Till Daisd June 18, 2024

written by Till Daisd

US Navy’s search for an advanced carrier-based air superiority fighter

In an effort to support the Department of Defense’s goal of commonality with the Air Force and its F-111A, General Dynamics’ F-111B was evaluated as part of the US Navy’s search for an advanced carrier-based air superiority fighter. After being modified to fulfill Navy mission requirements, the F-111B was found to be too heavy for carrier operations, and the contract was canceled in April 1968.

The Navy then launched a new design contest for the so-called VFX program, with McDonnell Douglas and Grumman as the main competitors.

The F-15N Sea Eagle

Grumman suggested the Model 303, a two-seat, twin-engine, variable-geometry aircraft based on the Hughes AWG-9 weapons system (which eventually led to the development of the F-14 Tomcat). Meanwhile, McDonnell Douglas presented the F-15N Sea Eagle, a “navalized” variant of its then-new F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.

The F-15N Sea Eagle was developed by the US Navy as a lighter, faster, and less expensive alternative to the F-14.

Among the changes for the F-15N were strengthened landing gear, an appropriate arresting hook, and a wing hinge. DriveTribe claims that the F-15N was predicted to outmaneuver the F-14 despite the weight imposed by these modifications. But neither the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles nor the AN/AWG-9 radar required to target and fire them were part of the original proposal. The US Navy studied the possibility of adding the radar and AIM-54s, but doing so would have made the aircraft 10,000 pounds heavier than an F-15A, erasing any potential advantage the Sea Eagle may have had. A plan to adapt the F-15’s AN/APG-63 radar to interface with the AIM-54 was developed by McDonnell Douglas and Hughes Aircraft, the manufacturer of the radar and AIM-54.

The fly-off between the F-14A Tomcat and F-15N Sea Eagle that never was

The idea was first studied by a Senate subcommittee in 1973, and it was later expanded to include an updated F-4 and a stripped-down F-14 variant. Although discussed, the F-14A and F-15N were never involved in a fly-off.

In the end, the Navy stuck with the F-14 since it was a very capable aircraft. The new “Tomcat,” named for Grumman’s tradition of naming its aircraft after cats, flew for the first time in December 1970. The first F-14As were delivered to the Navy in June 1972 after a series of modifications during flight testing, with Fighter Squadron (VF) 124 designated for crew training. The new aircraft was first flown by operational squadrons VF-1 and VF-2 on the West Coast and by Atlantic Fleet Tomcat squadrons VF-14 and VF-32 on the East Coast.

Photo by Combat Ace and McDonnell Douglas/Boeing via DriveTribe

June 18, 2024 0 comment

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