Tag:

aircraft

Minot B-52 Stratofortness bombers are deployed for combat operations

by Till Daisd April 21, 2023

In support of U.S. Central Command’s Operation Inherent Resolve, the 23rd Bomber Squadron delivered several B-52s to the Middle East

The interesting pictures in this post depict a B-52H Stratofortress crew from Minot Air Force Base (AFB), North Dakota, completing a training flight in close air support (CAS) scenario in anticipation of aiding Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) on January 31, 2017, in the airspace above North Dakota.

More than 400 Airmen from the 5th Bomb Wing (BW) recently deployed to the Middle East in support of U.S. Central Command’s Operation Inherent Resolve, according to Senior Airman Justin Armstrong of the 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs in his article 5th Bomb Wing Members Deploy in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. This will be the first time in 12 years that aircraft from Minot AFB has deployed in support of combat operations, as the 23rd Bomb Squadron (BS) sent several B-52H Stratofortresses to take over daily operations.

According to Capt. Erik Nelson, commander of the 23rd BS B-Flight, the unit undertook a rigorous spin-up strategy before this deployment. Additionally, they made use of the mission-related lessons they picked up from the 20th and 96th Bomb Squadrons, who have deployed to and are presently operating in the U.S. CENTCOM area of responsibility.

“I couldn’t think of a better squadron to deploy with,” pointed out Nelson, who will undertake combat operations for the first time. “I think I can speak for the entire squadron when I say we are well-prepared and ready.”

When conducting combat operations out of the Middle East, the 23rd will command the 5th BW.

“The Bomber Barons are 100 percent ready,” said Lt. Col. Michael Maginness, 23rd BS commander. “They are experts in the mission sets that they can expect to execute downrange.”

Notably, the 23rd BS will commemorate its 100th birthday during this deployment, according to Maginness.

“One of the greatest honors I can think of is serving your country in combat,” said Maginness. “I can think of no better way to cross the century mark, than answering our nation’s call – as the 23rd has been doing since 1917.”

The squadron was founded on June 16, 1917, at Kelly Field in Texas, making it one of the earliest in the United States Air Force (USAF). It participated in World War I as an aircraft repair squadron and deployed to England as a member of the American Expeditionary Forces. During the Cold War, the unit joined the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and participated in action during World War II.

The 23BS’s primary duty today is flying the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress long-range bomber. The squadron is ready to deploy and fly its B-52H aircraft at any time to implement national security policy by being able to instantly unleash devastating conventional or nuclear firepower to destroy targets anywhere in the world.

Photo by Senior Airman J.T. Armstrong / U.S. Air Force

April 21, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

Descending into Armageddon

by Till Daisd April 21, 2023

written by Till Daisd

If requested, the orbiting crews would open their top-secret decoders and confirm the “Go Codes” radio-transmitted from SAC’s Omaha headquarters. Crews were given the go-ahead to complete their dreaded missions if the Go Codes were validated

Jay Lacklen is a former B-52 pilot with 12,500 flying hours and the author of two books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command.

SAC Go Code

My new assignment to Loring AFB, ME, as I returned from Vietnam transitioned me from a hot war in the jungle to the Cold War with the Soviet Union where the stakes could be the survival of civilization itself. Strategic Air Command (SAC) had no sense of humor; it was as sober as a nuclear bomb, the delivery of which was its prepared-for mission as outlined in the Emergency War Order (EWO).

This war order used codes that were transmitted to the crews of bombers and air refueling tankers, possibly in tactical orbits over the Arctic. The “Go Codes” transmitted by radio from SAC headquarters in Omaha, NE, would be verified by the orbiting crews if told to do so by opening their top-secret decoders. Crews were given the go-ahead to finish their dreaded missions if the Go Codes were validated.

Things would presumably be quick and simple for the tankers. The tankers would have just enough fuel to travel out to the Arctic Ocean and ditch if they had to supply almost all of their fuel to their mated bombers (down to the “standpipe”).

I always thought they might do something else. Since the Go Order would mean a worldwide nuclear war had erupted and presuming their home base would probably already be incinerated along with their families, they might have favored flying up to 35,000 feet, depressurizing the cabin, and having everyone remove their oxygen masks. The time of useful consciousness at this hypoxia-inducing altitude is about fifteen seconds, just long enough to think of your incinerated loved ones before you joined them.

The ordeal would linger a little longer for the bomber crew. If they could clear their first target by twenty-five miles, they had to proceed with their mission. They could then parachute to the countryside and introduce themselves as the US crew who just nuked a nearby city.

My navigation team assured me, only half-jokingly, that they had the charts to fly us to Rio de Janeiro to “establish the reconstitution force,” if I wanted. From one viewpoint, the nuclear weapon threat standoff (mutually assured destruction) would demonstrably have failed, so why continue with it? Completing our assigned mission would only “make the rubble bounce” after our missiles from continental silos had hit their Russian targets, so why bother?

If we had proceeded, I imagine I’d preferred to drop the first bomb and then circle slowly above it until it went off. Or, to climb up well into defense radar coverage, squawk “emergency,’ and hope a Soviet fighter got us before we reached the target if there were any Soviet fighters left.

This provides an opportunity to ponder the end of mankind, to be the generation that turned out the lights on our hallowed fifty-thousand-year human experience.

At least the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs was not self-inflicted. We would be the first creature to attain self-awareness who, nonetheless, snuffed itself out. With the quantum leap in mental ability came the quantum reap in self-destructive capability. I suppose this mental capability, coupled inextricably with a reptilian brain stem, may have doomed us from the beginning.

Descending into Armageddon: SAC Go Codes

It might even be extraordinary that we have lasted as long as we have. So perhaps we could cheer ourselves, ruefully, in the bomber, in the end, for perseverance in the face of a preordained losing hand, for reaching such a high level of accomplishment before our fatal contradiction finished us.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

April 21, 2023 0 comment

Military

USAF say goodbye to the first HC-130 in service, “KING 52”

by Till Daisd April 20, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The only dedicated fixed-wing Personnel Recovery platform in the Air Force’s inventory is the HC-130P/N “King”

On March 6, 2017, King 52, the first HC-130 designed for U.S. Air Force (USAF) rescue in 1964, was retired after more than 50 years of devoted service and rescue operations performed all over the world.

In the article Air Force’s first HC-130 takes its final flight to retirement, Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice of the 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs revealed that the HC-130, tail number 4852, left Patrick Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, where it had been stationed since mid-2015.

“It was about to retire when we acquired it from Moody Air Force Base,” said Tech. Sgt. Norberto Nieves, 720th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) expeditor and former crew chief to King 52. “It was a workhorse; that’s for sure.”

“It’s sad to see it go,” Nieves pointed out. “As crew chiefs, we dedicate a lot of time, sweat, and sometimes blood to these aircraft. They become a part of us.”

“Like Nieves said, these aircraft become a part of you and it’s tough to see something you’ve worked so hard on going into retirement,” King 52’s current dedicated crew chief, Tech. Sgt. Matthew White explained. “The most rewarding part of being a dedicated crew chief is seeing the aircraft you spent so many hours on takeoff and came back home safe and sound.”

King 52 conducted local training missions, trips to Key West, Florida, and cross-country trips to Davis-Monthan AFB while stationed at Patrick AFB.

It is a privilege for Maj. Nick Philpitt, chief of the 920th Rescue Wing Inspector General Inspections and a navigator on the HC-130 that has flown King 52 a few times to take part in the aircraft’s final flight.

“I haven’t flown a lot of missions with #52; however, it is somewhat sentimental to be flying her to retirement denoting it’s the end of an era,” Philpitt said. “Like a classic car you’ve owned and driven, an airplane becomes an extension of you. Putting it to bed for the last time is moving.”

King 52’s career comes to an end at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG) of the Air Force Materiel Command, where it will be housed with other retired military and governmental aircraft in the “boneyard.”

Senior Airman Liam Miner, 720th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron dedicated crew chief, stands by ready to marshall King 52, the first HC-130 configured for Air Force rescue, down the Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, taxiway for the last time on March 6, 2017.

The HC-130P/N maintenance teams of the 920th RQW continue to put in a lot of effort both at home and overseas to keep the fleet prepared for rescue missions. The only dedicated fixed-wing Personnel Recovery platform in the Air Force’s inventory is the HC-130P/N “King.”

The aircraft, which made its first flight in 1964, has performed a variety of tasks. It was first modified to carry out search and rescue missions, serve as a command and control platform, refuel helicopters in flight, and carry extra fuel to increase loiter time and range.

The HC-130P/N’s mission is to quickly deploy to difficult airfields and restricted areas in order to carry out personnel recovery missions in all weather conditions whenever and wherever necessary. King crews frequently carry out tasks such as airdrops of personnel and equipment at both high and low altitudes, personnel infiltration and exfiltration, refueling of helicopters from the air, and forward area refueling points. Depending on the task, the aircraft can also be used for disaster relief, security cooperation, emergency aeromedical evacuations, casualty evacuations, noncombatant evacuation operations, and, during the Space Shuttle program, NASA space flight support.

Crew members from the 39th Rescue Squadron and 720th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron pose in front of King 52, the first HC-130 configured for Air Force rescue in 1964, before taking it on its final flight from Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

Source: U.S. Air Force; Photo by Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice and Steve Kraus / U.S. Air Force

April 20, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

B-52 Vs F-14

by Till Daisd April 20, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“The F-14, however, flown by “nasal radiators,” kicked our ass. Most incredibly, the Tomcat got immediately on our ‘six’ despite coming at us head-on and having to turn 180 degrees for his initial approach, while the Air Force interceptors had arrived from behind, to begin with, a great advantage,” Jay Lacklen, former B-52 pilot

Dancing with Interceptors, 1975

One of the few times we got to maneuver forcefully at high altitudes was during intercepts by Air Defense Command interceptor fighters, which included the F-102 and F-106 from the USAF, and the F-14 from the U.S. Navy.

Later, in the C-5, I had intercepts run on me, without maneuvering, by NATO fighters that were usually F-16s or British Tornadoes as we flew across Europe. I enjoyed the American intercepts in the B-52 because we got to “dance” with the fighter boys. As the interceptor checked in on frequency, I would tell him we were ready and “had our dancing shoes on.”

Former BUFF driver tells the story of the most unusual dogfight: B-52 Vs F-14

As the intercept began, the EW would call the range and clock position of the fighter, such as “eight o’clock, ten miles,” so I would know where he was and when to maneuver. The F-102s and F-106s proved the easiest to shake. They would come smoking in on us at high speed, but below Mach 1, and line up directly behind us at our six o’clock position, which is the missile launch or cannon firing position.

I would push our speed up to three hundred knots or so to keep him at high speed as he approached. When the EW called his position about three miles at a high rate of closure, I would roll into forty-five degrees of bank, pull the throttles to idle, and raise the speed brakes. Then I would pull hard, putting the bomber into a tight decelerating turn. This would invariably cause the F-102 or F-106 to badly overshoot, since, with swept wings, designed for high speed, they had greatly degraded turning capability. The long B-52 wings and airbrake deployment allowed a far tighter turn than the F-100 series fighters could manage, and we invariably “lost” them with this maneuver.

F-14 Tomcat Vs F-15 Eagle: the pilots' perspective

The Navy F-14, however, flown by “nasal radiators,” kicked our ass. The Tomcat could sweep its wings forward to nearly seventy degrees from its swept-wing, high-speed configuration and match my best turn, which infuriated me. Most incredibly, the Tomcat, of the movie Top Gun and “Maverick” fame, got immediately on our “six” despite coming at us head-on and having to turn 180 degrees for his initial approach, while the Air Force interceptors had arrived from behind, to begin with a great advantage. As the F-14 swung behind us and approached, my EW, Buddy, called his position “six o’clock, three miles.” Going into my maneuver, I racked the B-52 into a steep turn, groaning at the g-forces I put on the plane.

The EW, however, made the maddening call, “Target six o’clock, one mile,” repeatedly from the time I broke into the turn until I rolled out, defeated. The Tomcat stayed in perfect formation with me one mile behind in perfect shooting position. At this point, had I been in a B-1 perhaps, I could have gone to the afterburner and left the F-14 far behind. The standard complaint about the F-14 was poor acceleration from low speed, as the wings were swept back for high speed from the extended position. The ratio of relatively low power to relatively high aircraft weight made acceleration an all-day thing in a dogfight. The added weight was necessary to provide beefed-up landing gear structures for punishing carrier landings, but it hampered acceleration from low speed.

B-52 Vs F-14: former BUFF driver tells the story of an unusual bomber V fighter dogfight

But for purposes of this combat exercise, the F-14 would have shot us down easily, had our gunner not shot him down first. If he used a missile from ten miles or so behind us, he’d have nailed us; if he had to come into cannon range, however, our fifty-caliber rear cannon might have nailed him first. This is another reason why we knew we would fly our nuke mission low level, so the fighters would have a difficult time even finding us against the ground clutter.

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

April 20, 2023 0 comment

Carriers

“VAQ-130 Zappers Cruise 2016”, the best Growler video ever

by Till Daisd April 19, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The oldest U.S. Navy electronic attack squadron, VAQ-130 Zappers, flies the EA-18G Growler

Called “VAQ-130 Zappers Cruise 2016,” the following cool video is probably the best EA-18G Growler footage you have ever seen so far.

The clip contains six chapters and was recorded during the unit’s most recent deployment as a component of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR).

– Intro/History of the Zappers
– OIR/Welcome to Ready One
– Rocky
– Continuous Thunder
– Holidays/Coming Home
– End Credits

The United States Navy’s Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), popularly referred to as the “Zappers,” is an EA-18G Growler squadron stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island. The oldest electronic attack squadron in the US Navy is VAQ-130.

The combat-tested F/A-18F Super Hornet is available in an airborne electronic attack derivative called the EA-18G Growler, as we’ve already mentioned.

The aircraft can carry out a variety of tasks thanks to its cutting-edge sensors and weapons, such as Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), Stand-off and Escort Jamming (where the Growler not only flies the conventional stand-off jamming mission but also provides the escort for other air assets thanks to the speed and agility inherited from the Super Hornet), and Non-Traditional Electronic Attack (the EA-18G can carry out this task where thanks to its Advanced Electronically Scanned Array [AESA] radar, digital data links, and air-to-air missiles, the EA-18G has self-protection capability and is also highly effective for target identification and prosecution).

Source: U.S. Navy; Photo from video screenshot

April 19, 2023 0 comment

Military

An F-15 and F-22 join forces to attain a stunning 41-1 kill ratio during mock combats over Tyndall AFB

by Till Daisd April 18, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“We flew 4 F-15s and 4 F-22s against 14 ‘red air’ fighters: Blue Air killed 41 enemy aircraft and lost just one. While pretty phenomenal, perfection is our goal so the debrief focused on how we could have had a 41-0 ratio,” Col. William Bladen, 104th FW

In order to participate in the Weapons Systems Evaluation Program (WSEP), over 250 Airmen and 9 F-15 Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing (FW), Massachusetts Air National Guard (ANG), as well as Canadian F-18, F-35, F-16, and F-22 aircraft, recently deployed to Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida.

As stated in the article 104th Fighter Wing Eagles on Target at the United States Air Force’s Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, the aircraft is loaded and fires live missiles as part of WSEP, according to Master Sgt. Julie Avey of the 104th Fighter Wing. The WSEP assesses the technical data, maintenance, aircrew, weaponry, weapons delivery systems, and weapons. The aim is to assess operational effectiveness, confirm the performance of weapons systems, establish dependability, and assess capabilities.

“The WSEP does two things,” said Col. Jeffrey Rivers, Commander of the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, Weapons Systems Evaluation Program. “It feeds Combat Air Force’s (CAF) training and readiness. We get aircrew experience for the first time subsequent to the events, sounds, sights, smells, and noise of a real missile coming off the jet in a realistic scenario they would find normally in training but now it is with real weapons and real targets to shoot at.”

Only nine of the 221 missions were not flown by the unit because of weather. Additionally, the 104th FW flew 293.1 hours during WSEP with an 83% mission-competent rate and successfully deployed 17 missiles.

Additionally, the 104th FW fired 14,661 bullets, totaling a flawless shooting rate of all aircraft weapons.

“Our deployment to Tyndall really had two different but complementary themes,” said Col. William Bladen, 104th FW, Operations Group Commander. “The WSEP portion focused on exercising and testing the kill chain from the missile build all the way through its destruction of a target. It takes several miracles for a missile to complete an intercept. If anyone of them fails, the kill chain is broken. WSEP tested our people and our machines and both performed exceptionally well.”

According to Bladen, the second component of the deployment included large force exercises (LFEs) and 4-ship training with an emphasis on air-to-air confrontations.

“With several other fighter airframes on the Gulf Coast, we were able to put together daily outnumbered scenarios that we cannot produce up here at Barnes. On the last day of the trip, we flew 4 F-15s and 4 F-22s against 14 “red air” fighters. For our training, we allowed the red air to regenerate after being killed by a blue air fighter. The final results of that mission: Blue Air killed 41 enemy aircraft and lost just one. While pretty phenomenal, perfection is our goal so the debrief focused on how we could have had a 41-0 ratio.”

Although the results of the mock battles are pretty remarkable, they are not a surprise. As we’ve already written, the F-15 is a real “air superiority master” with an unsurpassed air-to-air kill ratio of 104 to 0. When the Eagle is combined with the fifth-generation capabilities of the F-22 stealth fighter, the odds of an adversary aircraft winning an air-to-air battle are extremely slim.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker, Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald / U.S. Air Force

April 18, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

An ex-SR-71 pilot explains the purpose of the Blackbird’s post-takeoff refueling

by Till Daisd April 18, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“We had to refuel right after takeoff for only one reason, and it wasn’t because we leaked JP-7 fuel on the ground…” Col. Richard H. Graham, former SR-71 Blackbird pilot

If it weren’t for the SR-71’s ability to refuel in the air, its range would only be about 2,000 NM. The aircraft’s range was increased through numerous air refuelings to the limit of the crew’s endurance. Several missions have exceeded more than 12,000 NM. The SR-71 and KC-135Q tankers’ forward basing enabled them to respond more quickly, conduct missions with shorter ranges and shorter durations, require fewer air refuelings, and operate more efficiently overall.

There were various ways in which KC-135Q crews and their aircraft were different from the rest of the Air Force. Their boom operators were the only ones qualified to refuel the SR-71, and their aircrews were the only ones certified in Blackbird’s special radio-silent rendezvous procedures. The JP-4 and JP-7 fuel could be moved between different tanks thanks to the Q-model tankers’ unique plumbing between fuel tanks. Their engine could burn transfer JP-4 or JP-7 fuel.

If the SR-71 landed somewhere where JP-7 fuel was not accessible, the Q-model tankers flew in with the fuel and were able to refill the SR-71 using transfer hoses on the ground. One of the best advantages of flying the Q-model tankers is that their crews did not have to be on twenty-four-hour alert status as the rest of the SAC’s tankers’ crew members.

The development of the iconic SR-71 Blackbird: how the world's fastest plane was conceived

The importance of the KC-135Q tankers and their crews to the effective and secure completion of every mission cannot be underestimated in any story of the SR-71. Indeed, after takeoff, the majority of SR-71 operational flights began with refueling.

“Many people believe we refueled after takeoff because the aircraft leaked fuel so profusely that we needed to fuel up quickly,” says Col. Richard H. Graham, a former Blackbird pilot, in his book SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of THE BLACKBIRD The World’s Highest, Fastest Plane. “We had to refuel right after takeoff for only one reason, and it wasn’t because we leaked JP-7 fuel on the ground. Yes, the plane does leak fuel, but not enough to require refueling after takeoff.

“The JP-7 fuel reaches temperatures well over 300 degrees F. during Mach 3 cruise, making the fumes in each of the six fuel tanks very volatile and potentially explosive. The metal skin of the aircraft approaches 400 degrees F., adding to the volatility of the fuel inside the tanks. One of our aircraft limitations was a maximum speed of Mach 2.6 without an inert atmosphere inside the fuel tanks.

“The aircraft had three liquid nitrogen Dewar flasks containing 260 liters of liquid nitrogen, located in the nose wheel well. The only way to ensure a 100 percent inert atmosphere in each fuel tank was to refuel the plane inflight completely full of JP-7, allowing ambient air in each fuel tank to vent overboard. Once full of fuel, gaseous nitrogen would now dominate each fuel tank’s empty space above as it burned off JP-7. The nitrogen gas pressurized each fuel tank to 1.5 psi above ambient pressure and inerts the space above the heated fuel to prevent autogenous ignition. This is why we refueled after takeoff. Then we could safely accelerate beyond Mach 2.6.”

Graham says in his conclusion:

“There was one other way of achieving tank inerting, called a “Yo-Yo,” but this was a maintenance nightmare. A few of our missions required the SR-71 to accelerate to Mach 3+ right after takeoff with a 65,000-pound fuel load. The Yo-Yo procedure had the crew chief completely refuel the plane to full tanks of 80,000 pounds of fuel. Then, with the nitrogen pressurization system working, they de-fueled 15,000 pounds of JP-7, ending up with a 65,000-pound fuel load and a plane that was capable of going immediately to Mach 3+.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

April 18, 2023 0 comment

Military

A flight control system test for F-16 Vista at Edwards test pilot school

by Till Daisd April 17, 2023

written by Till Daisd

When outfitted as a C-17, for example, VISTA’s highly modified F-16 will react like a C-17, not an F-16, simulating the flight characteristics of many different aircraft

Students at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) Test Pilot School (TPS) finished testing an innovative aircraft control system that is intended to add a margin of safety to aviation in 2016, as stated by Christopher Ball, 412th Test Wing Public Affairs in his article VISTA gives TPS a clearer view of the new flight control system.

When installed as a backup system in any fly-by-wire aircraft, the L1 Adaptive Control System is a software system that can quickly learn the flying characteristics of the aircraft and then help the aircraft in the event of a control surface or system failure.

It was created and tested here by a team of TPS students from class 16A. It was conceived and built by a professor and two graduate students from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign.

The Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI, Italian Air Force) Capt. Raffaele Odesco, French Air Force Maj. Nicolas Langevin, and test pilots Capt. Daniel Edelstein, as well as flight test engineers Capts. Craig Porter and Clark McGehee made up the TPS team.

After finishing the one-year program, graduates of the Test Pilot School are awarded a master’s degree in scientific in-flight testing.

“In order to get a master’s, you need to do a project of some sort,” Cotting said. “Typically you do a master’s thesis. We have our students do a group project. The idea is we want them to take the lessons they’ve learned in how to plan and execute a flight test and actually go do that.”

The typical flight test procedure might have been costly and time-consuming because the controller is adaptive and made to work on any fly-by-wire aircraft. The NF-16 Variable-stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, also known as VISTA, was chosen by the class to test the system.

The F-16 VISTA is an experimental aircraft that is based on the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which General Dynamics and Calspan jointly modified for use by the USAF.

The multi-axis thrust vectoring (MATV) engine nozzle on the F-16 VISTA testbed aircraft allows for more active management of the aircraft in a post-stall scenario. The end product is a super maneuverable aircraft that maintains pitch and yaw control at angles of attack when conventional control surfaces are unable to change attitude.

Although the VISTA program was deemed successful, fighter versions without thrust vector control (TVC) were never produced.

U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School students with Class 16A — Capt. Daniel Edelstein, Capt. Clark McGehee, Capt Craig Porter, Italian Air Force Capt. Raffaele Odesco, and French Air Force Maj. Nicolas Langevin – tested the L1 Adaptive Contol System recently using the F-16 Variable In-flight Stability Test Aircraft or VISTA.

Additionally, the program was significant for the creation of Direct Voice Input and the “Virtual HUD,” both of which were subsequently included in the cockpit design for the F-35 Lightning II (with the F-35B variant additionally employing MATV while hovering to offer attitude control).

Calspan currently runs and maintains the VISTA aircraft for TPS. It is frequently employed in academic projects like the one discussed in this article as well as other unique student curriculum initiatives.

This heavily modified F-16, however, can mimic the flight characteristics of numerous different aircraft. If the aircraft is configured as a C-17, for instance, when the pilot uses the flying controls, the aircraft will react like a C-17, not an F-16, according to Ball.

“We can make the aircraft fly like anything we want within its performance envelope. We have safety trips on it so if the aircraft goes to an attitude we’re uncomfortable with it will trip off and a safety pilot will have the original aircraft fly safely,” Cotting said.

“This allows us to put research flight control laws on there without having to go through the normal flight test process so we can literally go from basic design, test in a simulator, and go fly all in the same day, as opposed to the months it would take to go through the normal process,” Cotting said. “From a researcher’s point of view, you can see where that could be very advantageous.”

The L1 controller, according to Cotting, is a relatively innovative concept in that it doesn’t have to be aware of the characteristics of the airplane you’re placing it on.

“You give it some basic information about the airplane and the adaptive controller should be able to configure itself to make the aircraft fly like anything I tell it I want to fly like,” he said.

“So in our case, we use something called a reference model which is a set of dynamics we would like the airplane to fly,” he said. “We tell it some information about the aircraft, but not a lot, and then it goes and sorts out how to make the aircraft fly like the reference set of dynamics.”

Installing the controller on VISTA and evaluating the team’s performance estimates’ accuracy were also steps in the procedure. “We also wanted to test some different configurations of VISTA that are normally unsafe to fly and see how well this controller can recover the aircraft back to a reference set of dynamics that we do think is safe to fly,” Cotting said.

Any fly-by-wire aircraft can use the adaptive control system. The C-17 Globemaster II, the F-16 Falcon, the F-22 Raptor, and the F-35 Lightning II are a few of the fly-by-wire aircraft at Edwards. Fly-by-wire aircraft are also being produced for commercial usage by a large number of aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus.

Photo by Capt. Craig Porter / U.S. Air Force

April 17, 2023 0 comment

History

F-16 Vipers of the Alabama Air National Guard carry on the Red Tail legacy

by Till Daisd April 17, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard’s F-16 Vipers carries on the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy

The Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy has given the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) airmen a strong sense of pride. A significant part of the wing’s history has once more made its way back to its flightline, as stated by Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson of the 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs in his article Red Tail Legacy comes full circle.

When the Civil Aeronautics Administration approved the Tuskegee Institute’s request to start civilian pilot training in the fall of 1939, the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen was established in Montgomery, Alabama. After about a year, the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided Tuskegee, Alabama would be the location for the Army Air Corps to start training black military pilots.

Thus began the Tuskegee Airmen’s illustrious past. Under the crest of the 332nd Fighter Group, the Airmen bravely fought during World War II while piloting P-51 Mustangs with distinctive red tail paint. A red-tailed fighter plane from Montgomery is once more flying with the 332nd after more than 75 years.

The 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard has received the Tuskegee Airmen’s lineage. One of the squadrons assigned to the 332nd AEW is the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS), where an F-16 Viper from the unit is currently operating.

“It is well documented that our WWII bomber pilots would look out their windows and gain confidence from Red Tail fighters flying beside them. It has been stated they took comfort in knowing their chances for survival were higher with a Red Tail escort than from any other outfit in 12th and 15th Air Force,” said Col. David C. Lyons, 407th Air Expeditionary Group commander. “Now we have one of those Red Tails on our flight line, once again flying with the 332nd and creating the next chapter of Red Tail history.”

The unit’s goal is to assist the Combined Joint Task Force commander’s Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in the fight against ISIS by supplying air-to-ground combat airpower when needed. With more than 500 missions flown, more than 800 weapons delivered, and substantial contributions to the fights in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria, the 134th EFS has been deeply involved in the conflict.

“We are talking about liberating cities,” Lyons said. “That is something we haven’t talked about in this way since World War II.”

The Vermont Air National Guard (ANG) is deploying the Airmen of the 134th EFS to fly missions to liberate cities in Iraq and Syria.

To make sure the squadron had enough capable aircraft to meet the short-notice deployment to support OIR, the red tail was sent to the Vermont ANG along with F-16s from the New Jersey and Wisconsin Air National Guards. The sight of the red tail on the flightline alongside his unit fills at least one Vermont ANG airman with a special sense of pride.

Chief Master Sgt. Brian Senecal, 407th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, had the chance to host Col. Charles McGee at a formal dinner given by the Vermont ANG. As a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and having flown 409 combat flights in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, McGee holds a record for the U.S. Air Force.

“Honestly it was the highlight of my whole military career to spend time with the guy – to meet someone who gave some much,” Senecal said. “Most Soldiers and Sailors were welcomed back from World War II with open arms and the Tuskegee Airmen had to come back to a still-segregated America.”

Despite the prejudice they encountered at the time, the Tuskegee Airmen’s pioneering work has established a legacy of which all Airmen can be proud.

“It is an honor to continue the tradition started by the original Tuskegee Airmen and to be carrying on their good name 75 years later,” Senecal said.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Bruch / U.S. Air Force; Airman 1st Class Hayden Johnson / U.S. Air National Guard

April 17, 2023 0 comment

Military

A B-52 flight instructor reaches a milestone of 10,000 hours

by Till Daisd April 16, 2023

written by Till Daisd

On March 2, 2017, Lt. Col. Steven R. Smith, a flying instructor with the 93rd Bomb Squadron, surpassed the 10,000-hour milestone in the B-52 Stratofortress

At Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), a remarkable record has been achieved. Lt. Col. Steven R. Smith, a flying instructor with the 93rd Bomb Squadron (BS), surpassed the 10,000-hour threshold in the B-52 Stratofortress on March 2, 2017.

The ironic part is that, according to Tech. Sgt. Theodore Daigle of the 307th Bomb Wing in his piece A 10,000 Hour Love Affair, Smith’s initial feelings upon learning of his deployment to the B-52 were resentment and wrath.

“I was in the top 10 percent of my class in navigator school and the B-52 was not even on my wish list, so I was really upset,” said Smith. “I remember my advisor trying to tell me I was going to love it, but I didn’t believe him.”

Smith’s feelings for the machine have significantly changed thirty years later, in addition to the fact that he has logged more flight hours in the aircraft than any other pilot now serving in the Air Force.

“It does not mean I’m smarter or better than anyone else here, there are lots of people in this unit smarter than I am,” he said. “It just means I love the B-52. It has been the center point of my whole career.”

But Smith never intended to fly in the BUFF for so many hours (Big Ugly Fat Fucker, as the B-52, is dubbed by its aircrews). In fact, there were speculations going around the bomber community when he reported to his initial duty station that his time flying would be limited.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Smith, 93rd Bomb Squadron flight instructor, fields questions from the media at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., March 3, 2017. Smith just returned from a training mission where he surpassed 10,000 flight hours in the B-52 Stratofortress. During his career, Smith helped train more than 1800 B-52 aircrew members. He was also instrumental in developing a targeting pod for the jet that improved weapon accuracy.

“There was talk about a new bomber coming into the inventory soon, so I thought I would just stick it out until they replaced it,” he said. But, since the change never happened, Smith’s affection for the B-52 grew with each passing year.

“I was on active duty for seven years so I flew quite a bit and it was something I just found myself enjoying,” he said.

Smith joined the Air Force Reserve and was assigned to the 93rd BS after he left active duty. Smith attended as many mission briefings as he could because the unit had a combat mission and a fast operational pace.

“I figured each time I went to a briefing, there would be a 25 percent chance I’d get on the jet,” he said. “Turns out, I got on almost every time.”

“He is the B-52 warrior of warriors”, said Col. James Morriss, III, 307th Bomb Wing vice-commander. “When he is part of the flight crew, you know there is nothing to worry about on that mission.”

Smith’s appointment as the 93rd BS instructor when the squadron turned into a flight training unit did not come as a surprise for this reason.

“His training and mentorship are directly responsible for preparing two generations of B-52 pilots,” pointed out Morriss. “People all around the world owe their capabilities to him.”

Morriss’ opinion was shared by Col. Rob Burgess, commander of the 307th Operations Group.

“His experience and credibility are priceless for the students,” he said. “At 2000 hours, a pilot really has their respect, but at 10,000 hours you are a B-52 legend.”

Smith said he never intended to be an instructor, but is grateful for the duty.
“It has been extremely rewarding, watching the students learn the jet and it has been a great privilege to see them perform so well in combat,” he explained.

His accomplishments go beyond the schoolhouse, though. He has taken to the air in numerous combat missions, some of which he completed while still working as an instructor. He also contributed to the development of the targeting pod, which improves target precision.

Smith stated that maintaining his current pace is becoming increasingly challenging, but he still intends to try.

“I’ve got another two years to go and I’ll probably ask for an extension,” he said. “I’d like to fly another 1,000 hours.”

The 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) and the 96th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit (EAMU) launched their 201st sortie on January 5, 2017, breaking the previous record for the highest B-52H Stratofortress “sortie streak” during a flight supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. It should be noted that this is not the first record set by the B-52 community this year (OIR).

When you consider that the first U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-52H was introduced to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) fleet in May 1961, this accomplishment is quite remarkable.

Photo by Senior Airman Curt Beach, Airman 1st Class Stuart Bright, Tech. Sgt. Ted Daigle / U.S. Air Force

April 16, 2023 0 comment

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