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F-15E used a 2000-pound laser-guided bomb to bring down an Iraqi Mi-24 attack helicopter

by Till Daisd June 8, 2023

“I said, ‘There’s no chance the bomb will get him now,’ even though Dan was working hard to keep the laser spot on him. I got a good lock with my missile and was about to pickle off a Sidewinder when the bomb flew into my field of view on the targeting IR screen. There was a big flash, and I could see pieces flying in different directions. It blew the helicopter to hell, damn near vaporized it,” Richard T. Bennett, F-15E Strike Eagle Driver

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat, dual-role, fully integrated fighter for all-weather, air-to-air, and deep interdiction missions that was created to replace the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark.

During Operation Desert Storm, the campaign that took place between January 17, 1991, and February 28, 1991, with the goal of rescuing Kuwait from the Iraqi assault, the F-15E saw its first action. The 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS, now 335th Fighter Squadron, FS) “Chiefs” F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487, sometimes known as “487,” is credited with one of the most unusual air-to-air kills in aviation history during this combat.

On February 14, 1991, Capt. Richard T. Bennett, a pilot, engaged in an air battle. Weapon systems operator (WSO) Daniel B. Bakke achieved the first air-to-air victory for an F-15E Strike Eagle.

“On one flight, we used a laser-guided bomb [LGB] to shoot down a helicopter,” Bennet explained to Barry D. Smith for his article Tim Bennett’s War. “This occurred on February 14, Valentine’s Day. The mission was a Scud CAP [combat air patrol] in northwestern Iraq. During the Scud CAPs, we would look around with either the FLIR targeting pod or the radar to find the mobile Scuds. My wingman had twelve Mk. 82s and I had four GBU-10s-2,000-pound LGBs-four AIM-9s and two external fuel tanks. I was leading the flight.

“Our CAP time on this mission was 1:00 to 3:00 in the morning. We went up and hit the tanker and then proceeded north. Our patrol area started up at Al Qaim, near the Syrian border, and ran east about halfway to Baghdad, south to just beyond H-2, and then back to the Syrian border.

“The weather was bad that night, with clouds from about 4,000 feet to about 18,000 feet. We were cruising above the weather, waiting for AWACS [an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft] or someone else to pass us some coordinates on some Scuds.

“AWACS gave us a call and said that a Special Forces team was in trouble. They had been found by the Iraqis, who were moving to cut them off. We had ten to fifteen Special Forces teams in the general area looking for Scuds. This team was about 300 miles across the border.

“Five Iraqi helicopters were in their area-about fifty miles to our west. As we headed in their direction, I put my wingman in a four-mile trail formation behind me because I had to go down through the weather. When I was about fifty miles from the team, Capt. Dan Bakke, my back-seater, began working the radar to look for the helicopters. We got contacts on them moving west to east, just like the AWACS had said.

“Dan and I started talking about what we were going to do. We knew there were helicopters down there, but if we were going to shoot them down, we wanted confirmation that they were bad guys. We called up AWACS, call sign Cougar, and asked them if there were any friendly helicopters in the area. The AWACS controller said, ‘We don’t have any friendlies in the area. Any helicopters you find, you are cleared to shoot.’

“We got a little closer and kept going down to get below the weather. I wanted to confirm, one more time, before we lost contact with AWACS, that these were definitely bad guys and not some of our Special Forces helicopters coming to get the team. We had a few based in Syria that would have been following the same general course and could have gotten to the area fairly quickly. AWACS confirmed there were no friendlies in the area.

“We continued to press in and were down to about 2,500 feet along the major road between Baghdad and the Syrian border. That area was always hot with a lot of AAA. I was working the radar, and Dan was working the high-resolution FLIR in the targeting pod to find the helicopters. When we popped out of the clouds fifteen to twenty miles from the team, Dan could see the helicopters with the pod. They were moving pretty much abreast, with the lead out in front in the middle. They were still moving west to east. They were moving and stopping at regular intervals.

“There was also a group of troops on the ground to the east of the team. We started getting AAA fire from these troops. To us, it looked as if they were trying to herd the team with the helicopters into the troops to the east. The helicopters were keeping an even distance from each other, and we figured they might be dropping off troops to help herd the team.

F-15E Driver explains how he shot down an Iraqi Mi-24 attack helicopter with a 2000lb laser-guided bomb — Mil Mi-24 Hind gunship

“The image on the pod was good enough to identify the helicopters as probable [Mi-24] ‘Hinds,’ five to ten miles out. Hinds can carry troops and are heavily armed with rockets and machine guns. As soon as the helicopters picked up and started moving, we were getting hits off them on the radar. The radar would stay locked on them when they were on the ground because the moving rotor blades were picked up.

“Dan and I discussed how we wanted to conduct the attack. We decided to hit the lead helicopter with a GBU-10 while he was on the ground. If we hit him, he would be destroyed. If he moved off before the bomb landed, it would still get the troops he just left on the ground. It would also give the other helicopters something to think about, which might give the team a chance to get away from the confusion. We would then circle around and pop the others as we could. We passed our plan to our wingman and told him to get the first helicopter he saw with an AIM-9.

“By this time, we were screaming over the ground, doing about 600 knots–almost 700 mph. The AAA was still coming up pretty thick. Our course took us right over the top of the Iraqi troops to the east of the team.

“[…] Dan was lasing the lead helicopter. We let the bomb go from about four miles out while the leader was on the ground. Because of our speed, it had a hell of a range on the it-more range than an AIM-9. I got AIM-9 guidance going and uncaged a Sidewinder. I was ready to fire the missile as soon as we were in range.

“Just as we released the bomb, the airspeed readout on the radar showed the target at 100 knots and climbing. The lead chopper had picked up and started moving. I said, ‘There’s no chance the bomb will get him now,’ even though Dan was working hard to keep the laser spot on him. I got a good lock with my missile and was about to pickle off a Sidewinder when the bomb flew into my field of view on the targeting IR screen.

“There was a big flash, and I could see pieces flying in different directions. It blew the helicopter to hell, damn near vaporized it.

“We sat there for a few seconds, just staring. By that time, the AAA was getting really heavy and the other helicopters were starting to scatter. I told my wingman to put three Mk. 82 500-pounders in that same spot to get any troops that the helos dropped off.

“We beat up the area with bombs and were going to circle around and come down on them again. I popped up above 10,000 feet and talked to AWACS to tell them what was going on. They said, ‘I understand you visually ID’ed that as an Iraqi helo.’

“I said, ‘No, it’s still dark out here, but I saw a FLIR image of what I took to be a Hind.’

“At that point, my stomach hit the floor. I told AWACS to get the AWACS commander on the radio. Dan and I were thinking, ‘We hit a friendly helo.’ But when we got the AWACS commander on the air, he confirmed that there were no friendlies in the area.

“With that confirmed, I told Dan, ‘OK, let’s go back down and get the rest of the helos.’ We got down low and the AAA was just as bad as before. The helicopters scattered and were running north. My wingman and I were sorting them out and waiting to get within the AIM-9 range. We were about ten miles behind and closing fast.

“I was running in on them and getting ready to be a hero and knock a few more down when, all of a sudden, I started seeing flashes on both sides of us. I thought, ‘What have they done? Here we are in the middle of a bunch of SAMs!’

“Then it hit me: Those weren’t SAMs. They were bombs! AWACS had sent another flight in and told them to drop bombs on a set of coordinates. Those coordinates happened to be us!”

Bennet concludes:

“I figured we had pushed our luck far enough, and we got the hell out of there. AWACS gave the orders to that other flight on another frequency. If it had been on ours, I would have heard the bombers’ side of the conversation and could have canceled the drop. I decided we had had enough for one day, but our night wasn’t over yet. We still had fifteen minutes left on our Scud CAP and were directed to a site near H-2. We found a mobile Scud on a launchpad, attacked it, and then headed home.

“The Special Forces team got out OK and went back to Central Air Forces headquarters to say thanks and confirm our kill for us. They saw the helicopter go down. When the helos had bugged out, the team moved back to the west and was extracted.”

Today, “487” is still assigned to the same squadron it made history in 1991. It’s the Chiefs’ flagship and still has a small green star adorned on the aircraft’s port side representing that moment in the squadron’s history.

Photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung, James D’Angina and MSGT STEVEN TURNER / U.S. Air Force

June 8, 2023 0 comment

History

Lightning vs Spitfire: Mach 2 interceptor struggled to prevail against the WWII aircraft in mock dogfights

by Till Daisd June 7, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“We did find that the piston-engined fighter presented a very poor target to infra-red homing missiles, especially from the rear aspect,” Wing Commander John Nicholls, former Lighting Pilot.

The interesting image in this post shows a Spitfire PR XIX PS853 parked next to an English Electric Lightning Mach 2 fighter plane at RAF Binbrook in 1963.

In that year, PS853 was flown in a series of test flights against Lightnings from Binbrook by Wing Commander John Nicholls, who served as the Officer Commanding the Air Fighting Development Squadron under the Central Fighter Establishment (CFE). He wrote about the reason for these unusual sorties, as well as the flights themselves, in Alfred Price’s 1974 book Spitfire At War (later made available in John Dibbs and Tony Holmes’ book Spitfire The Legend Lives On). He was a veteran of combat in Malaya in the Spitfire XVIII and a MiG killer while on exchange with the USAF during the Korean War.

‘This was at the time of the Indonesian confrontation and, since the Indonesian Air Force operated a large number of P-51 Mustang fighters, we were very interested in discovering how best a Lightning might engage such an aircraft. In the RAF we did not have any Mustangs, but at Binbrook, we did have our Spitfire with a performance that was, in many respects, similar. Thus it came about that our Spitfire came to be involved in a short battle trial pitted against a fighter that was her successor by three generations.

‘Of course, from the start we knew that the Lightning could overtake the Spitfire by nearly 1,000 mph – there was no need to run a trial to prove that. But we did find that the piston-engined fighter presented a very poor target to infrared homing missiles, especially from the rear aspect. And, since the Lightning would therefore very likely have to follow up its missile pass with a gun attack, a high overtaking speed would have made accurate firing very difficult. On the other hand, if the Lightning pilot slowed down too much he could end up playing the slower and more maneuverable fighter’s dogfighting game and lose. None of this was new – we had learned the same thing during trials between the Lightning and the Hunter. Another problem was that if the Spitfire pilot had sufficient warning of the attack he could spin around to meet it head-on – and thus present the most difficult target of all.

‘In the end, we evolved a type of attack that was the antithesis of all I had learned from my own operational experience of fighters-versus-fighters combat over Korea. Instead of trying to get above the enemy and diving on him to attack, we found it best to use the Lightning’s very high power-to-weight ratio to make a climbing attack from behind and below. From that angle the field-of-view from the Spitfire was poor, there was a good chance of achieving surprise and the infra-red source gave the best chance for missile acquisition. If the Lightning pilot did not acquire the target or bring his guns to bear on his first pass he could continue his steep climb – which the Spitfire could not possibly follow – and when out of range he could dive and repeat the process. Using such tactics, we felt that in the end, a competent Lightning pilot could almost always get the better of an equally competent Spitfire (or Mustang) pilot.

‘Almost certainly that trial at Binbrook was the final operational act carried out in earnest in the Spitfire’s long career.’

PS853, which had been completed on September 5, 1944, joined the BBMF in Coltishall, Norfolk, in April 1964. Four years later, it took part in The Battle of Britain filming.

Spitfire The Legend Lives On is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Lightning Vs Spitfire: why the iconic Mach 2 interceptor struggled to win mock dogfights against the legendary WWII plane during the trial flights conducted by the RAF between the two types

Photo by Crown Copyright

June 7, 2023 0 comment

History

The urban legend of Kelly Johnson receiving a bag containing $30M. to pay the first six CIA U-2s

by Till Daisd June 6, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The contract for the first six U-2s the CIA bought is the subject of an urban legend

David Peters, an SR 71 pilot, was accepted into the program in 1976 and continued flying until his retirement in 1986. His hometown is Tacoma, Washington. It was 1967 when he first saw the SR 71. He was flying F-4s when they ran out of fuel and had to land at Navy Fallon in Nevada. He witnessed something there that he had never seen before. It just so happened that John Storie and George Bull, two SR-71 pilots, were flying the “B” type at the time and had to land due to a fuel issue. Dave said to his backseater, “Someday I’m going to fly that plane.”

In Lockheed’s “Skunk Works” in Burbank, California, a group led by Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson developed and produced the U-2 to carry out surveillance missions in perfect secrecy. The first flight of this single-engine aircraft, which had sailplane-like wings suitable for the thin atmosphere over 55,000 feet (over 70,000 feet for subsequent models), took place in August 1955. After going into operation in 1956, its employment was kept a secret until a surface-to-air missile shot down a U-2 aircraft being flown by a civilian over Soviet territory on May 1, 1960.

The urban legend of the brown bag with $30 million in cash delivered to Kelly Johnson to pay for the first six CIA U-2 spy planes — David Peters in SR-71’s cockpit

The deal for the first six U-2s that the CIA bought is the subject of an urban legend. Kelly Johnson received a call from the CIA while he was in his office. He received instructions to meet a man at a specific Georgetown restaurant. He would be in the back, they claimed, and wear a pink carnation as a lapel. He received a time and date. Johnson arrived, and sure enough, a sketchy-looking figure was seated in a booth near the back.

The man was wearing a trench coat with a pink carnation pinned to the lapel, along with a fedora. Johnson claims that after approaching the man and sitting down, the man simply stared at him for a short while. “We will take six for 30 million,” he continued. Johnson felt something on his leg and looked down after they continued to stare at each other for a moment. When he looked up, the man had left and there was a sizable brown paper bag under the table. He searched the bag and founds bundles of $100,000 dollars. “Kelly you’re a*s is dead.” Johnson reportedly thought as his first thought. Brown bag in Georgetown, downtown Washington, DC, contains $30,000,000 in cash.

U-2s — Above: Initial U-2 testing was done at a remote dry lake in Nevada nicknamed “The Ranch.” Disassembled aircraft were airlifted in pieces from Lockheed’s Burbank, Calif., plant to the Ranch and assembled there. Note that these CIA aircraft carry fictional National Advisory Council for Aeronautics (NACA) insignia and numbers. Top image: Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson, chief designer at Lockheed’s secret “Skunk Works” facility, initially designed the U-2 around the F-104 Starfighter fuselage.

The only federal employee with spending authority over unvouchered government funds is the director of the CIA.

Peters recalls; ‘I obviously can’t prove the story but Kelly told it to me when I was just starting the program. He and Bill Parks were there for a ceremony dedicating Kelly Johnson Street at Beale. My backseater Ed Bethart and I were assigned to escort them. The only time he was under control was the actual ceremony. So, Ed and I had the unbelievable pleasure of escorting them anywhere Kelly wanted to go for about nine hours. The majority of that time the four of us alone.’

Check out Linda Sheffield Miller’s, (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Facebook Page Habubrats for amazing Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and David Peters

June 6, 2023 0 comment

History

The real reason for the P-51B/C/D Mustang’s range

by Till Daisd June 4, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The P-51 Mustang was mostly used as a long-range escort fighter because of its superb range and maneuverability

One of the best and most well-known fighters employed by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) in World War II was the P-51 Mustang. The USAAF received the first batch of P-51A fighters in March 1942.

The first P-51B/C Mustangs powered by Merlin entered action in Europe in December 1943. These P-51s gave the US bombing campaign against Germany the desperately needed long-range, high-altitude escorts. The P-51D became the main long-range escort fighter for the USAAF when it began to arrive in large numbers in Europe in the spring of 1944.

The Mustang was the first single-engine aircraft based in Britain to enter Germany, arrive in Berlin, and fly with heavy bombers over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania thanks to its prowess in long-range escort duty. How did the venerable Mustang manage to complete such distant escort missions? Its drop tanks are not the reason.

‘Lots of planes could carry drop tanks: P-47, P-40, P-38, etc.,’ says James Gibson, former MP&P Engineer at Boeing, says on Quora.

‘The real secret to the Mustang’s range was not the laminar flow control wing or the Merlin engine. It was the addition of a fuselage tank behind the cockpit halfway through the production of the P-51B. This additional internal tank increased fuel capacity by 85 gallons: original P-51Bs only had 184 gallons in the wings. The addition increased total fuel to 269 gallons or some 30%. Further adding two 75 gal drop tanks you reached 419 gallons. The later D&H models carried 110 gal drop tanks for 489 gallons.

‘But when you carried so much fuel you had to be aware of which tanks you were using at which point in the flight. On take-off, you used the rear fuselage tank. This tank affected the center of gravity of the plane. You didn’t want to tangle with a 109 or a Focke Wulf when carrying fuel in the rear tank. So you burned it first and then switched to the drop tanks about halfway to Berlin.’

Gibson concludes;

‘You would then burn off the drop tanks, hopefully before engaging enemy fighters. But if they struck early you could drop those tanks and thus be clean and maneuverable. This was the fight profile that allowed the Mustangs maximum range and best performance when over target.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force

June 4, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

30 years later, the World Speed Record Aircrew reunited with the Phantom “Black Mike”

by Till Daisd June 4, 2023

written by Till Daisd

A world record for the fastest time between John O’Groats and Land’s End was set on February 24, 1988, by RAF Phantom “Black Mike,” which traveled that distance in 46 minutes and 44 seconds at an average speed of 772.19 mph

2018 marks both the Royal Air Force’s centennial and the 30th anniversary of one of its record-breaking accomplishments. The world record for the fastest time between John O’Groats and Land’s End was established on February 24, 1988, by an RAF aircraft (McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom XV582) of the 43(F) Squadron, traveling at an average speed of 772.19 mph.

In order to commemorate this accomplishment’s 30th anniversary, the British Phantom Aviation Group (BPAG) brought the aircraft’s original crew back together with it. On August 12, 2018, RAF Cosford hosted this event. Paul Wright, the BPAG’s chairman, said:

World Speed Record Aircrew reunited with legendary Phantom 'Black Mike' 30 years on

“We are proud and happy to finally bring back together XV582, pilot John Brady and navigator Michael Pugh for the first time since their record-setting flight, over 30 years ago. To hear their recollections and stories of that day firsthand was truly wonderful and inspiring.

“Today’s event is made more poignant as it takes place during a year that has seen the aircraft displayed to the public once again and its future secured. We would like to thank RAF Cosford and, in particular, WO Steve Brown for providing us with the facilities to host today’s event, which will be the final appearance of the aircraft at Cosford before it moves to a new home”

Delivered to the RAF in May 1969, XV582 is a K model (designated FG.1 in UK service) derivative of the F-4 Phantom. It operated with the 43(F), 111(F), and ultimately 228 OCU Squadrons. The aircraft’s distinctive paint scheme made it earn the nickname “Black Mike.” The aircraft was the first Phantom to log 5000 flying hours and broke the speed record from John O’Groats to Land’s End. It was used for display by 228 OCU until it was retired.

The aircraft was disassembled, transported from Scotland to RAF Cosford, and then restored in time for a temporary exhibition at the 2018 Cosford Airshow. The aircraft is currently owned by GJD Services and maintained by the British Phantom Aviation Group. The aircraft was then relocated to a new location in St. Athan, South Wales.

Photo by John Kendal, Ian G. Topham / British Phantom Aviation Group and Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation via Wikipedia

June 4, 2023 0 comment

History

USAF F-15C Eagle drivers loved RCAF CF-18’s fake canopy during Cold War

by Till Daisd June 3, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“Some Eagle pilots mockingly suggested we should paint our aircraft like submarines: ‘Just think: That brief hesitation as he thinks What’s that submarine doing up there?’,” Robert “Scout” Winebrenner, former F-15C pilot

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet, designed as an all-weather fighter and attack aircraft, swiftly established itself as the core of the air forces of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. It is proudly flown by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron. For seven foreign customers, including Canada, Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain, and Switzerland, the Hornet serves as the aircraft strike force.

Noteworthy Compared to standard F/A-18As, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-18s have a few unique features, such as a bright identification spotlight integrated into the port fuselage immediately ahead of the cockpit, a distinctive ejection seat, and a fake cockpit shape painted on the underside.

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-15 pilots of the units stationed in Europe who, during the Cold War, conducted much dissimilar air combat training (DACT) missions against the Canadian Hornets based at Baden-Soellingen in what was then West Germany, thought the latter was a great idea.

In fact, the mock cockpit may initially leave the opponent in confusion, rendering him unable to determine whether the aircraft is turning toward or away from him. Several Eagle pilots made the insulting suggestion that we paint our planes to look like submarines: ‘Just think: That brief hesitation as he thinks What’s that submarine doing up there?’ may be all the advantage you need!” says the former F-15C pilot Robert “Scout” Winebrenner in Issue 23 “McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet” of Aviation Classics magazine.

When Winebrenner was assigned to the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron in Soesterberg, the Netherlands, he witnessed the Canadian Hornets in action. Winebrenner took part in a sortie in his F-15C along with a CF-18 being piloted by a Canadian Captain by the name of Greg “Claw” Morris while serving in the same deployment as a Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) instructor.

As Scout recalls “After checking the applicable national regulations, we determined that it was not allowed to fly dissimilar close formation. But there were no prohibitions on different tactical formations. So we found the best weather on Low Fly Area (LFA) 7 in southern Germany and briefed up a low altitude VFR ingress through France at a slower speed to save fuel, intercepts on target of opportunity in LFA7, and a high altitude recovery to individual instrument approaches at Florennes.”

Here's why Cold War USAF F-15C Eagle drivers loved RCAF CF-18's fake canopy

As they arrived at LFA7, a number of aircraft were already present, and the F-15C and CF-18 engaged in a number of combat missions against Neuburg Phantoms, Memmingen Tornados, along with some F-16s.

Scout and Claw got along great and the two planes were quite compatible, but Winebrenner realized that while everyone could see his F-15, no one could see Claw’s CF-18. Invariably, during the final part of the intercept, the targets of the intercept would respond and turn into the US F-15, searching for the “second Eagle,” leaving Claw with more close-range belly Sidewinder shots than he probably wanted to take.

Similar circumstances occurred as two CF-18s pitched up and turned toward Winebrenner’s Eagle, leaving Morris just behind them. However, Claw swiftly informed his buddies to check their six, as Scout remembers: “Hey, what are YOU doing back there? I’m with the F-15! Fox 2 on both of you!”

Even now, Winebrenner still considers that mission to be one of his best ones flown in LFA7, but there is another distinctive quality that causes him to consider the Hornet, as he explains: “After 26 years in the air force, I retired in 2005. Now my only exposure to the Hornet is watching the US Navy Blue Angels practice over my home in Pensacola. I did note disappointedly that they don’t have the fake canopy.”

Photo by Cpl. Manuela Berger / Royal Canadian Air Force and U.S. Air Force

June 3, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

BAe test pilot explained why he chose to fly a Tornado without a canopy

by Till Daisd June 2, 2023

written by Till Daisd

In his open-top Tornado XZ630, BAe Test Pilot Keith Hartley conducted the “cockpit habitability trial.”

British Aerospace (BAe) Test Pilot Keith Hartley is shown in the unusual images in this post performing the “cockpit habitability trial” in an open-top Tornado XZ630. The photos were taken in 1988.

As stated by BAE Systems on Twitter:

“In 1988, our test pilot Keith Hartley flew at 500 knots in a Tornado aircraft with the canopy off, testing the emergency escape procedures of the jet; just one example of the lengths we go to test the safety of the planes we build for the RAF.”

Here's why BAe Test Pilot Keith Hartley flew this Tornado with the canopy off

On March 14, 1977, the Panavia Tornado XZ630 made its first flight. It then took part in weapons release trials at the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) in Boscombe Down. Noteworthy A number of improvements over earlier prototypes were included in pre-production Tornados that would later be added to finished aircraft.

Ian Black, a former Lightning and Tornado F3 pilot, remarked: “While the first ten aircraft could be considered true prototypes, the first real Tornado for the RAF flew in March 1977 (XZ630) and it was quickly assigned to the A&AEE at RAF Boscombe Down in Wiltshire.”

Panavia Tornado XZ630 was retired to ground operations after a successful career as a trials aircraft, and it has served as the Gate Guardian at RAF Halton’s Recruit Training Squadron Parade Square since 2004. It was updated to look like a GR4 from 31 Squadron, also known as the “Goldstars,” which is currently based at RAF Marham. Serco contractors carried out the renovation.

Photo by Kate Yates, BAe Heritage Centre

June 2, 2023 0 comment

History

The F-15 BAZ Fighters’ transformation into bombers and their longest airstrike in IAF history

by Till Daisd June 1, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Many people still mistakenly assume that the F-15s used in Operation Wooden Leg were F-15E Strike Eagles, but the strike package was created by IAF F-15Cs and Ds that had been modified in the summer of 1985

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) chose the F-15 after assessing the aircraft’s air-to-air performance and whether the Eagle design would allow it to function as an all-weather strike fighter. The Baz, as the IAF referred to its F-15s, stunned the world in 1985 by carrying out the longest air attack in IAF history. This came after the aircraft had been modified to carry out long-range precision strike missions in the 1980s.

On September 25, 1985, three unarmed Israeli tourists who were vacationing on their yacht off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus, were killed by Force 17, a division of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). On October 1, 1985, the IAF launched “Operation Mivtza Regel Etz (Wooden Leg)” from Tel Nof Air Base against the PLO headquarters in Hammam al-Shatt, Tunisia, which is approximately twelve miles from the country’s capital, Tunis, in response for the unjustified murder of the three Israeli civilians.

Operation Wooden Leg: how the F-15 Baz fighters became bombers and performed the longest air strike in IAF history

The operation would have been the longest air strike carried out by the IAF since Entebbe in 1976, as noted by Donald J. McCarthy, Jr. in his book “The Raptors All F-15 and F-16 aerial combat victories,” and also the first time the F-15 Baz was employed as a fighter bomber. Two modified Boeing 707 tankers from the Desert Giant squadron would meet the strike aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea to complete the long-distance mission, which required the aircraft to fly more than 1,280 miles over the open sea.

The mission would have been overseen by an airborne command post on a Boeing 707.

The Eagles chosen for the mission were the F-15s from Spearhead Squadron. The actual airstrike for Operation Wooden Leg was to be carried out by two flights of F-15s equipped with GBU-15 electro-optical glide weapons, hence the aircraft and aircrews were all “GBU-15 qualified.” Notable qualities of the GBU-15 include its great maneuverability and ideal, low- to medium-altitude delivery capabilities with pin-point accuracy.

The first six F-15s (five of which were F-15D Nos. 280, 450, 455, 970, and 957) were tasked with delivering the GBU-15s to the PLO headquarters near the coast. Six 500 lb. Mk 82 bombs were carried on the centerline pylons of the final two F-15s (F-15C Nos. 530 and 840), which were outfitted with different weapons.

In six minutes, the airstrike destroyed practically the entire PLO complex, including the PLO’s chairman bureau and Force 17’s headhunters. In addition, 70 more terrorists were injured and between 60 and 100 terrorists were killed. The Tunisian and Syrian Air Forces were unable to stop the F-15s since the strike came as such a surprise. Indeed, the complex’s anti-aircraft defenses did not even attempt to attack IAF planes.

Israel’s attack on Yasser Arafat’s PLO was swiftly and unrelentingly condemned around the world; the United States, Israel’s closest ally, also voiced significant disagreements with Operation Wooden Leg.

But according to McCarthy Jr., the most pressing questions for Israel’s enemies were: “How did Israel carry out the longest-range attack in its history? How were they able to avoid detection from Egyptian and Libyan radar units, and even from U.S. Navy ships deployed in the Mediterranean?”

The IAF personnel had the vision to fully appreciate Baz’s multirole capabilities when the F-15 was chosen, which is the answer to the questions. Also, after the aircraft started serving the IAF, planning to enhance its capabilities was started right away. Even Nevertheless, a lot of people continue to think that the F-15s used in Operation Wooden Leg were F-15E Strike Eagles.

Instead, IAF F-15Cs and Ds created and modified the strike package used in Operation Wooden Leg in the summer of 1985, which was before the arrival of the first F-15Es in April 1988. In fact, improvements like the insertion of conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) provided the F-15s the capacity to carry out long-range missions, even if many crucial aspects of Operation Wooden Leg remain classified. Advanced weapons control, radar, and electronic warfare systems were other advancements.

The Raptors All F-15 and F-16 aerial combat victories is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Israeli Air Force Facebook Page

June 1, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

Spy aircraft that Israeli F-4 Phantom fighters were unable to bring down

by Till Daisd May 31, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The most concerning MiG-25 reconnaissance trip had place on October 10, 1971, when two Foxbats flew at Mach 2.5 and extremely high altitudes parallel to the Israeli and Sinai Mediterranean coastlines, 17 miles offshore. There was no success in trying to stop the intruders

It is obvious why the Israeli Air Force (IAF) fought so hard to acquire the F-4 and relied on it so heavily in the late 1960s. The large jet outperformed everything they had used up until that point in terms of range, payload, and bombing accuracy. In fact, the Phantom swiftly established itself as the IAF’s main pillar after its 1969 acquisition. By October 1973, the IAF had credited the Phantom with 11 kills.

The Phantom, however, would never be able to capture some enemies. The Soviet Union started conducting high-altitude surveillance flights over Israel in 1970 using the Yak-26 Mandrake aircraft. This aircraft proved to be out of reach. Beginning in March 1971, Soviet pilots flew MiG-25R (X-500) photo-recce missions out of Egypt at speeds up to Mach 3.2 and altitudes of 73,000 feet (22,250 meters). In October 1971, it’s possible that the first “Foxbat-B” flights took place, maybe into the Sinai and parallel to the Canal.

The most concerning reconnaissance flight took place on October 10 when two of the jets flew parallel to the Israeli and Sinai Mediterranean coastline, 17 miles (27 km) offshore, at Mach 2.5 and extreme altitude, according to Bill Norton’s book Air War On The Edge: A History of the Israel Air Force and its aircraft since 1947. The intercept was unsuccessfully stopped. At the time of the second MiG-25 intrusion (all flights with pairs of jets) over the Sinai on Nov. 6, the Israelis had a strategy for dealing with it, despite initially only being able to respond with their own reconnaissance overflights and booming Cairo.

The spy planes that the Israeli F-4 Phantom fighters were never able to shoot down

In order to increase performance, they had removed all unnecessary gear from numerous Phantoms, and their sole weapons were AIM-7 Sparrows. It was believed that by sitting alert, the planes could be launched with enough time to do a zoom climb from Mach 1.4 to 44,000ft (13,410m) and launch their missiles with a high nose-up attitude and leading the target. The proximity fuse of the missiles and the fire control computer of the Phantom, however, were not designed for such combat conditions, and the warheads detonated too late.

Because of this failure and US experimentation in response to the ‘Foxbat’ threat, Israel received the more sophisticated AIM-7F in 1974. On March 10 and May 16 of the same year, 1972, there were two further flights over the Sinai. These flights were highly concerning for the West, not because of any potential intelligence they could have gathered, but rather because of what they revealed about the MiG-25’s capabilities. As President Sadat ordered the Soviets out of his nation in July, Israel’s frustration with having its facilities photographed without repercussions came to an end.

The Soviets once more sent “Foxbat-Bs” to Egypt at the end of October 1973 to keep an eye on the locations and movements of the Israeli army. They were withdrawn after almost two years and appeared to be limited to flying to the west of the Canal. There are rumors that the EAF temporarily used a MiG-25R in 1974 and conducted one bold flight over Israel before the Soviets insisted that the aircraft be immediately returned. Then a “Foxbat” detachment showed up in Syria. Although flights over the occupied Golan Heights were likely made, particularly during the difficult time after the 1973 war, there have been no confirmed reports of efforts to penetrate Israeli airspace.

Also, the Americans flew U-2 over Israel in the 1960s and maybe later to monitor the Dimona nuclear plant and gather other intelligence. This aircraft was also uncatchable by IAF Phantoms and Mirages.

It has also been asserted that on October 13, 1973, during a sensitive time, IAF F-4s attempted to intercept and destroy a USAF SR-71 flying a reconnaissance mission over Israel or the Canal region (there were possibly two Blackbird intrusions). If this is the case, the SR-71 was unaware of the attempt to intercept, and the Israelis stood the risk of losing the information that was quickly relayed to them. The Blackbird easily climbed and sped away from the Israeli jets in any case. An SR-71 intercept attempt by the Egyptians was unsuccessful. Given that the USSR was flying MiG-25s above the canal, it’s possible that the goal was to deter all such sorties.

Only the F-15’s introduction to the IAF in 1976 put an end to intrusive overflights by both American and Soviet aircraft. On July 29, 1981, a Syrian MiG-25 was reportedly shot down over northern Israel by an F-4 escorted by F-15s.

Photo by U.S. Air Force, Oren Rozen, Itayba on he.wikipedia.org and Dmitriy Pichugin via Wikipedia

May 31, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The story of the SR-71 crew that successfully landed their Blackbird in the darkness

by Till Daisd May 30, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“With no forward visibility from the back seat, my RSO was looking through his view sight and had picked up the sequence of flashing lights beneath the aircraft. It was this bond or trust I had with him that made me pull the throttle to idle and sit there until I felt the runway,” Former SR-71 pilot Lt. Col. Bernie Smith

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft maintained its position as the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft for approximately 24 years. It streaked across hostile skies, gathering intelligence in a couple of seconds because of its extraordinary speed. It could survey 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from an altitude of 80,000 feet.

The most crucial ability that was taught and tested in the simulator was how to handle SR-71 emergencies while still being able to control the aircraft safely – all while traveling at 33 miles per hour. Until the aircraft reached subsonic speed and started to behave like a regular aircraft, crews had to control it while keeping it upright. High levels of crew coordination were needed for both routine and emergency operations, with the pilot and RSO collaborating closely to recognize and address any issues that may have arisen.

The one task that really put each crew’s strengths and weaknesses to the test was crew coordination. As crews were forced to deal with pressing problems that needed to be resolved and corrected as soon as possible, you could see their patience fraying and their personalities changing drastically. In the following account, a former SR-71 pilot Lt. Col. Bernie Smith (Ret) describes the value of crew coordination and other elements that make SR-71 crews function as a team in Col. Richard H. Graham’s book SR-71 Revealed: The Untold Story.

Read the story of the SR-71 crew that landed their Blackbird in zero visibility

“There is no doubt in my mind that the crew coordination between the pilots and RSOs was one of the strongest contributions to [the SR-71’s] outstanding safety record. In the airline business, this is called CRM, or cockpit resource management—the ability of a crew to function and communicate effectively in the cockpit.

The intense simulator program was the cornerstone of establishing crew coordination. Teaching a pilot to communicate the correct information to his RSO so that he could coordinate the right procedure was difficult but essential. As a simulator instructor taking a new crew through training, I was always amazed watching the crew transform from two separate individuals into one polished team.

This trust and bond between each other allowed two separate individuals, sitting in two separate cockpits, with two different roles, to perform like one individual in order to accomplish one very demanding job. This bond was a strong factor during an SR-71 emergency [Major] Eddie McKim and I had at night on December 22, 1982.

About one and a half hours into the mission while eastbound over Canada, we experienced a left generator failure. We selected Grand Forks AFB in South Dakota as the nearest suitable emergency recovery airfield. During the descent, a primary hydraulic system failed, indicating an accessory drive system (ADS) failure. An ADS failure is one of the most serious emergencies that can occur on the SR-71. Landing soon became imperative!

We dumped fuel to reduce our landing gross weight as we neared Grand Forks. The weather was deteriorating rapidly. It was now two hundred feet overcast, with one-half-mile visibility, and a slippery runway with freezing drizzle. During this emergency I flew the instrument landing system down to minimums; at minimums, where you should execute a missed approach if the runway environment is not in sight, the visibility was so bad I could not see anything.

Because there were no suitable alternate fields available and because we were low on fuel, the idea of a missed approach was not too exciting. I’ll never forget Ed’s words as I sat there at minimum staring into an opaque windshield: ‘I have the strobes insight. You’re on the centerline. Keep on coming.’ With no forward visibility from the back seat, he was looking through his view sight and had picked up the sequence of flashing lights beneath the aircraft. It was this bond or trust I had with him that made me pull the throttle to idle and sit there until I felt the runway.”

Photo by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force

May 30, 2023 0 comment

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