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aviation

The close call in 1969 off the Korean Peninsula that nearly triggered WWIII

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

“This is the Chief-of-Staff: Launch the alert five.” Immediately above, on the flight deck, we could hear the A-6 engines starting.

The unknown story of the close call that almost started World War III off the Korean Peninsula in 1969

An unarmed EC-121 propeller-driven aircraft was shot down by a North Korean MiG-21 on April 14, 1969, when it was on a regular reconnaissance patrol over the Sea of Japan from its base in Atsugi, Japan. The 31-man crew as a whole perished. Task Force 71 (TF-71) was created as a result of the American response to protect such aircraft over those international waters in the future. The battleship New Jersey, three cruisers, 16 destroyers, and the carriers Enterprise, Ticonderoga, Ranger, and Hornet made up the original TF-71. In the Sea of Japan, to the east of South Korea, at a location known as Defender Station, the task force’s components gathered.

In order to assist American forces fighting in Vietnam, USS Enterprise was in operation at Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf. As the Assistant Combat Information Center (CIC) Officer, I was associated with Enterprise. At the moment, Rear Admiral Malcolm Cagle was appointed Commander Task Force 71 (CTF-71), and he was onboard Enterprise with his staff. We were two of four officers tasked with keeping Flag watches in Enterprise CIC because my boss, the CIC Officer, and I were given a temporary assignment to the Admiral’s staff. The other two were Flagstaff members.

A Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 Badger aircraft flew over the task force the day after their rendezvous at Defender Station. I seized control and started directing the launch of F-4 fighter aircraft from the Ranger and F-8 aircraft from the Ticonderoga to intercept and escort the Badgers while I was in CIC at the time. Admiral Cagle participated in the operation from CIC. I was told to report to Captain Kent Lee on the bridge once the Soviet aircraft had left the area. Captain Lee and Admiral Cagle were waiting as I entered the bridge.

Captain Lee looked at me and said, “John, the Admiral tells me that there was a lot of confusion in CIC during the intercepts of the Soviet aircraft.” The Admiral had sent his aide to me during the operation to ask me technical questions. I ignored him since I was busy keeping an eye on the intercepts, especially their fuel levels. I look Captain Lee in the eye and replied, “If there was any confusion in CIC, Captain, it was on the part of the Admiral and not my crew.” Lee broke into a grin and said, “Thank you, John. You’re dismissed.” I walked off the bridge without experiencing any negative effects from my shot at Admiral Cagle.

I was given the duty of keeping watch from midnight to six in the morning as the junior officer of the four officers doing six-hour flag watches in CIC (balls to six in Navy lingo). I was keeping watch in CIC a week or so after the initial meeting. It was around 2:30 in the morning when a man calling me over to see a surface contact that was traveling directly toward the force at 31 knots was watching the surrounding surface picture on a 50″ raw radar scope.

This was a potential threat that I could not ignore because we were aware that the North Korean Navy possessed quick patrol boats armed with devastating surface-to-surface missiles. I made a call to the flag war room on the phone. An intelligence staff member responded. He promised to contact the Admiral and get back to me after I explained to him how I perceived the issue. My phone rang a little while later. The Chief of Staff for the Admiral, Captain Kennedy, was there. He introduced himself as the chief of staff. “Launch the alert five.”

Four heavily armed and crewed A-6 attack aircraft that could be launched within five minutes of command were part of alert number five, and they were stationed on the flight deck. The ship’s air operations officer, Cdr. Tom Cawley, and I promptly exchanged the directive. We could hear the A-6 engines starting on the flight deck just above us in a matter of minutes.

Squawk boxes (main communications systems, or MC) were the traditional means of communication between departments on aircraft carriers back then. For obvious reasons, we never reported the issue with our CIC MC box to maintenance. We could hear conversations taking place between the Captain’s bridge and the Admiral’s War Room. Admiral Cagle informed the bridge, “Kent, we are launching alert 5,” prior to the deployment of alert 5.

Captain Kent Lee’s reply was, “Negative.” Just one word. After a long very pregnant pause, the Admiral meekly said, “Well, alright Kent.” This conversation did not surprise me because I was aware of how much respect these two men had for one another. I was unaware that Captain Lee had been observing the situation on a Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) console in the mini-CIC immediately off the bridge. On the Captain’s console, the contact that our radarman in CIC had precisely tracked at 31 knots appeared to be traveling at 24 knots.

But Lee, being the cunning leader that he was, surmised who the contact was, and it turned out that he was right. It was a Russian Soviet destroyer that had left the region to refuel and was now coming back.

I was summoned to the Captain’s sea cabin around ten minutes after the alert 5 launch was canceled. When I was seated across from Captain Lee, he looked at me and said, “John, do you realize that you may have started world war three?” I was shaken by this charge by a leader I so much admired but I knew that he would respect the truth and I laid it out for him.

He interrupted me when I was about to say that the NTDS system’s computer monitoring of surface targets was much less precise than the raw radar scope tracking. He said, “That never occurred to me.” The truth is that the staff came dangerously close to starting World War III by ordering the launch of armed aircraft to attack the unidentified contact, and it was Captain Kent Lee’s commitment (he was up very early to monitor the tactical situation) and wisdom that stopped that terrible possibility.

A terrifying command involving a nuclear attack on North Korea was given to the unit while TF-71 was stationed there. An Air Force unit on alert in South Korea informed the CTF-71 Staff to be ready to support a nuclear strike. According to Anthony Summers and Robyn Power’s book “Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon,” he was drunk when he gave the order. When Nixon awakened the following morning, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger informed him of the potential strike.

The Navy depends on outstanding commanders to succeed, according to the events I saw during that time. That night, Captain Kent Lee wasn’t dozing off in his ship’s quarters. When the Admiral’s staff and I were involved in deciding to destroy a Soviet ship, a decision that may have triggered World War III, he was seated at an NTDS console just off the bridge. What may have been a catastrophe that changed the course of history was averted because of Captain Kent Lee’s exceptional leadership and meticulous attention to tactical details.

Photo by PH3 Kris White / U.S. Navy, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Navy via John Newlin

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

The story of the X-15, which set the highest speed ever for a manned aircraft

by Till Daisd August 26, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The Hot Peroxide warning light on Knight’s X-15 turned on when he was doing some rudder pulses to collect data with the yaw damper off following the burnout at a speed of Mach 5.5.

A well-known and important figure in aviation history is the X-15. Its goal was to fly quickly and high, testing the aircraft and putting the pilots through challenges that might later face astronauts. In addition to being the first piloted aircraft in the world to reach hypersonic speeds, or more than five times the speed of sound, it made the first manned flights to the farthest reaches of space. In the 1960s, the X-15 was a crucial tool in the development of spaceflight, and X-15 pilots who flew at altitudes greater than 50 miles were awarded astronaut wings.

In total, 199 flights were made by the three X-15 aircraft between 1959 and 1968. It was a collaborative project between the US Air Force, US Navy, and US NASA.

The story of the X-15's official world record for the highest speed ever set by a manned, powered aircraft

The X-15 was launched midair from a B-52 “mothership” at a height of around 45,000 feet, similar to other rocket aircraft. After its potent rocket was detonated, the X-15 soared to the uppermost point of the atmosphere before gliding powerlessly to a dry lake bed.

The average flight time was ten minutes.

William “Pete” Knight, one of the pilots who flew this unique research aircraft, had the most memorable experience of all the X-15 pilots. In fact, he did achieve the maximum Mach number for the X-15 on October 3, 1967, according to John Anderson and Richard Passman in their book X-15 The World’s Fastest Rocket Plane, and the Pilots who Ushered in the Space Age. He accomplished this while flying the X-15A-2, which was covered in a white ablative heat shield and had extended fuel tanks as well as additional external fuel tanks that increased the full thrust time from 90 to 141 seconds.

As part of the research program to create a scramjet (a supersonic combustion ramjet engine), a dummy model of NASA’s high-speed research engine (HRE), was attached underneath the aircraft for the sortie.

Knight finally took off at 1:20 PM, after spending almost an hour under the B-52’s wings, and headed for Mud Lake, where he was dropped after two failed launches. Pete remembers reading about the initial launch attempt in X-15: Extending the Frontiers of Flight by William H. Dana and Dennis R. Jenkins. “Reached up and hit the launch switch and immediately took my hand off to [go] back to the throttle and found that I had not gone anywhere. It did not launch.”

Knight made another effort two minutes later, and this one ended with a good release. He then increased his speed and climbed with a high lift at an angle of attack of 12 degrees (the angle between the wing chord and the direction of the free stream airflow) until he reached a climb angle of 32 degrees (the angle between the horizontal and the flight path). At 102,100 feet, he leveled off and accelerated to 6,600 feet per second (Mach 6.7), which is still the top speed for a manned powered aircraft.

However, at a speed of Mach 5.5, Pete was doing some rudder pulses to collect data with the yaw damper off after the burnout when the Hot Peroxide warning light activated.

The X-15’s bottom surface was struck by a shock wave from the engine cowling, which prompted a warning. However, the attachment pylon was actually burned through by the strong aerodynamic heating in the impingement location, which separated the dummy scramjet from the aircraft. Additionally, the vertical tail was also affected by the shock waves, which resulted in some melting and skin rollover that badly damaged the aircraft and compelled Knight to shoot the remaining peroxide into the air to prevent its explosion.

The X-15 arrived at the so-called “high key” (actually the plan to reach an altitude of about 35,000 feet at a speed of 290 to 350 miles per hour on the highest approach to the runway at Edwards Air Force Base) at supersonic speed rather than the originally intended subsonic speed because Pete was preoccupied with this unpleasant excitement. Knight attempted to jettison the scramjet from its X-15 to lower the kinetic energy of the aircraft, but it didn’t appear to have any effect. As a result, Pete had to dissipate the extra kinetic energy by flying past the landing site, allowing aerodynamic drag to slow the aircraft, and then landing at the proper speed.

This trip was the X-15A-2’s final flight, and the aircraft is now on exhibit at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio’s Air Force Museum.

However, what actually transpired with the mock scramjet? Without a doubt, Knight was fortunate to survive its record-breaking trip. If the dummy scramjet had stayed attached to the aircraft any longer, the shock wave would have blasted a hole into the main structure of the fuselage, killing the X-15 in flight. Instead, it was later discovered on the lakebed.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and NASA

August 26, 2021 0 comment

History

Pilot of SR-71 Blackbird reports about his ground speed check

by Till Daisd August 26, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?’ There was a longer than normal pause … “Aspen, I show 1,942 knots.” No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.

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 could survey 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from an altitude of 80,000 feet.

It is therefore not surprising that the aircraft has consistently broken records for both speed and altitude due to its astounding flight qualities.

Nevertheless, as SR-71 pilot Brian Shul describes in his book Sled Driver, the Blackbird wasn’t a simple aircraft to operate. “There were a lot of things we couldn’t do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane—intense, maybe, even cerebral.”

However according to Shul “there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment. I’ll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn’t really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed. ’90 knots’ Center replied. Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same. ‘120 knots,’ Center answered. We weren’t the only ones proud of our ground speed that day…as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, ‘Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout.’
There was a slight pause, then the response, ‘620 knots on the ground, Dusty.’ Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison.
‘Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?’ There was a longer than normal pause … ‘Aspen, I show 1,942 knots.’ No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.”

Major Brian Shul narrates the story of this renowned ground speed check in the video that follows, which was shot at the Hiller Aviation Museum at San Carlos Airport in San Carlos, California.

Photo by Brian Shul / U.S. Air Force

August 26, 2021 0 comment

History

How the Mohawk became a MiG killer

by Till Daisd August 26, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Although it wasn’t intended, the Mohawk actually shot down a MiG during the Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War, the OV-1 was responsible for the U.S. Army’s air-to-air win.

The Grumman OV-1 was a full battlefield surveillance aircraft that could provide almost any information a battlefield commander would need, and could even destroy it if required. It was created to satisfy the U.S. Army’s request for a tiny, two-seat, twin-engine surveillance aircraft.

A MiG was something that the Mohawk wasn’t intended to shoot down, yet it did so during the Vietnam War.

OV-1 Vs MiG-17: the story of how the Mohawk became a MiG killer

Two OV-1As from the 131st Aviation Company were flying at 2000 feet above the Ashau Valley on a morning in mid-February 1968. The Ashau Valley was one of the North Vietnamese Army’s two strongholds in South Vietnam, the other being the U Minh Forest to the north of Saigon. One of the most seasoned Mohawk pilots in the squadron, Capt. Ken Lee piloted the flight. The two pilots maintained their altitude to use the OV-1 side-looking radar and infrared detection equipment to observe the enemy activity in the valley because they were aware that there were more than 6,000 permanent troops and one of the most technologically advanced complexes of anti-aircraft batteries in the world in the jungle below them.

According to Wayne Mutza’s account in U.S. Army Aviation in Vietnam, Lee suddenly felt his aircraft being hit. He turned right away when his wingman cried at him from half a mile away, “You got a MiG behind you!” As Lee leveled his wings, a MiG-17 flew by at 275 speeds to his left, emerging from a dive 200 feet below him and turning around to retaliate on the two Mohawks. Lee realized that engaging the MiG would have been his only opportunity to avoid being shot down. Lee was carrying a load that allowed the OV-1A to carry a 2.75-inch rocket pod and a.50-caliber machine gun under each wing.

The MiG pilot made a serious error when he slowed down to launch his attack, and Lee launched 38 rockets in two shots, four of which connected with the MiG. Additionally, Lee fired numerous machine gun shots at the adversary fighter. I fired around 100.50-caliber bullets at him, and I could see the tracers entering the fuselage. His power was stopped when he hit his engine. When Lee opened fire, the MiG was climbing, so they dipped into a cloud bank. Three to five seconds after pulling to the right to emerge from the clouds, Lee spotted the MiG emerging.

The airplane had an overturned nose, a low right wing, and orange flames. The MiG circled one of the Ashau’s surrounding mountains before turning into what Lee knew to be a blind valley, but since he was flying so low, Lee would not have been able to exit the valley without colliding with the hillside and he was unable to observe the MiG crash.

Lee saw numerous bullet holes in the tail and aft fuselage of his aircraft after they arrived back at Phu Bai Airbase, but he and his wingman were told not to discuss Lee’s likely MiG kill with anybody. The Army actually feared that the U.S. Air Force (USAF), who had designated shooting down MiGs as their sole domain, would have forced them to either disarm the Mohawks or possibly hand them over to the USAF.

A few weeks later, Lee took a flight from Phu Bai to Ubon, where he met Col. Robin Olds, commander of the 8th TFW. Olds revealed to Lee that he had heard reports of a Mohawk shooting down a MiG and was curious to learn that Lee was the pilot in that particular duel. In May, Lee flew a different mission that made a stop in Ubon. After he landed, Robin Olds and Chappie James asked him to follow them to the Officer’s Club, where they informed him that the MiG he had been describing had in fact been shot down. When Lee asked how they knew, Olds said to him “We know things you guys don’t and will never find out.”

Photo by U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, J. S. (Steve) Bond, and Atsushi Tsubota via Wikipedia

August 26, 2021 0 comment

History

How IRIAF F-14 crews learned to shoot down the MiG-25 Mach 3 Fighter Jet

by Till Daisd August 26, 2021

written by Till Daisd

From a distance of more than 100 kilometers, the F-14 Tomcat launched one AIM-54A. (60 miles). The MiG-25 Foxbat was soon closed in on by the missile, which smacked into it and created a massive ball of flames

The then-Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF; renamed Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, IRIAF, after the Islamic Revolution) sought a fighter with better mobility and armament, as well as a highly adaptable area defense interceptor when it bought the F-14 Tomcat. The IIAF desired a whole system with excellent sensors and efficient long-range missiles.

Tomcat Vs Foxbat: the story of how IRIAF F-14 crews learned to shoot down the MiG-25 Mach 3 fighter jet

The F-14 was so effective that her AWG-9 radar could track up to 24 targets at once and direct six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles against them while simultaneously detecting airborne targets at great distances. The AWG-9/AIM-54 combo also made it possible to intercept high-speed airborne threats like the MiG-25 as well as low-flying cruise missiles.

The performance of the Tomcat during the conflict with Iraq proved the Iranian choice beyond a shadow of a doubt.

According to Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop’s book Iranian F-14 Tomcat units in Combat, the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) began employing MiG-25RBs to strike Khark Island oil infrastructure in the fall of 1981. It was incredibly challenging to intercept the Foxbats because they flew at such great speeds and heights. Even the best and most aggressive IRIAF Tomcat aircrew experienced enormous workloads in the cockpit during the ultimate exercise in precision flying and high-speed operations intercepting a MiG-25.

However, IrAF MiG-25RBs began conducting flights deeper into Iran in September 1982, attacking civilian targets. The F-14As stationed at Mehrabad began to conduct 24-hour Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) over Tehran as a result of these missions. The F-14 was initially flying these sorties at 30,000 feet, but as the MiG-25 got closer, it had to climb to 40,000 feet and speed up to Mach 1+. The IRIAF F-14 crews had to alter patrol altitudes, positions, and speeds in order to intercept the Foxbats because they typically flew at speeds of Mach 1.9 to 2.4 and between 60,000 and 70,000 feet.

According to Cooper and Bishop, the precise moment that an IRIAF Tomcat shot down an IrAF MiG-25 for the first time is unknown. The IrAF had lost 98 fighters and 33 pilots to Iranian F-4 and F-14 aircraft, including a MiG-25 and an F-14-launched Phoenix missile, the defector told his Syrian interrogators on May 4, 1982.

Iranian sources claim that the first confirmed IRIAF F-14 kill of an Iraqi Foxbat occurred on September 16, 1982. On that day, a single contact going close to Mach 3 was approaching Khark at 70,000 feet and was detected by ground-controlled intercept (GCI) by two F-14As on a CAP between Bushehr and Khark. The lead RIO began the intercept of what was obviously a MiG-25RB by activating his AWG-9 as the F-14s came into danger.

After a short while, the F-14’s radar found the target. Over 100 kilometers away, one AIM-54A was launched (60 miles). The Foxbat was struck by the missile, which quickly closed the gap between them, creating a massive ball of fire. The Persian Gulf’s shark-infested waters are likely to blame for Iranian helicopters’ failure to locate the pilot after he reportedly ejected over the water.

This triumph demonstrated that the AWG-9/AIM-54 combo was capable of engaging and destroying MiG-25 aircraft traveling at nearly Mach 3.

The following battle between the Foxbats and Tomcats happened once more close to Khark. According to Cooper and Bishop, Maj. Shahram Rostami was flying an F-14A on a CAP on December 1, 1982, between Khark and Bandar-e-Khomeini, covering a convoy of commercial ships sailing into Bandar Abbas. After spending two hours at the station, Rostami received a GCI alert about a single contact, a MiG-25, flying at 70,000 feet and Mach 2.3 from the north.

The Foxbat was swiftly closing in on the F-14, which was flying at barely Mach 0,4 at 40,000 feet and 113 kilometers (61 miles) above ground. The crew had to act quickly.

Rostami accelerated while the target was being pursued by his radar intercept officer (RIO). The pilot of the MiG engaged his Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) equipment and decreased the distance to 71 kilometers (38 miles). As the F-14A accelerated to Mach 1.5 and rose to 45,000 feet, Rostami’s RIO was still able to get a positive radar lock-on and fire a single AIM-54A from 64 kilometers (34 miles) away.

In order to avoid approaching the MiG too quickly, Rostami moved his Tomcat slightly to the west once the missile successfully separated. Just inside the radar envelope, he held the target. The hit symbol lighted on the radar screen as the computer-calculated time-to-impact on the weapons panel counters approached zero, and seconds later GCI confirmed that the Foxbat had vanished from their radar scope. Despite a significant IrAF SAR operation, the pilot of the MiG-25RB that crashed into the sea was not recovered.

When two MiG-25PDs breached the airspace above northern Iran on December 4 and attempted to intercept an airliner flying from Turkey as it passed over Tabriz, IrAF Foxbats sought to avenge a few days later. Maj. Toufanian, one of the first Iranian F-14 pilots, was flying an IRIAF F-14A when it was vectored into the region without the knowledge of the Foxbat aircrews. The Phoenix was launched by the Tomcat crew as they saw their intended target try to escape the AIM-54 that had been fired at it.

Due to mechanical issues, the Phoenix sped past the Foxbat. Maj. Toufanian launched a pursuit after accelerating his Tomcat to Mach 2.2. The IrAF pilot eased down after the initial AIM-54 missed, feeling secure. Instead, by approving his own death certificate, the MiG-25 was destroyed by a second Phoenix.

Photo by Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force official site, Dmitriy Pichugin, and gire_3pich2005 via Wikimedia and U.S. Air Force

August 26, 2021 0 comment

History

The last Guns-only Aerial Victory in U.S. Naval Aviation

by Till Daisd August 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

As of right now, the F-8 has only been officially credited with one confirmed guns-only MiG kill thanks to lt. Cdr. Kirkwood’s aerial win

The U.S. Navy’s first fully operational supersonic aircraft, the F-8 Crusader built by Chance Vought, entered service in 1957. The Crusader, a powerful “MiG Killer” in Vietnam who was capable of Mach 1.8 speeds, achieved the final gun-based U.S. aerial victory in naval aviation history.

According to Peter Mersky’s account in his book F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War, Lt. Cdr. Robert L. Kirkwood recorded this kill on July 21, 1967. Kirkwood really called the kill he achieved with his Colt-Browning Mk 12 20mm cannons on a North Vietnamese MiG-17 that day “a much-desired guns-only” kill.

Kirkwood, the commander of the second section and a Target Combat Air Patrol (TARCAP) pilot from VF-24, locked on to a MiG-17 with an AIM-9D and fired, but VF-24 Executive Officer (XO) Cdr. Marion Isaacks’ missile struck the Fresco first. Kirkwood positioned himself behind a second MiG and fired a third AIM-9. As the Sidewinder exploded, the enemy fighter veered to the left, and Kirkwood engaged the MiG with 20mm cannon fire at a distance of roughly 600 feet before continuing to fire at approximately 300 feet. The MiG crashed, and the pilot could be seen ejecting.

Mersky claims that Kirkwood wrote the account of his engagement as soon as he got back onboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31).

The story of the the last guns-only aerial victory in Naval aviation history

“We only saw the first four MiGs initially; the second four got behind us undetected. I lit my ‘burner, put my nose on a MiG, and selected a missile. In my excitement, I had buck fever, didn’t wait for a tone, and fired. The missile went ballistic,” Kirkwood recalls.

Kirkwood launched the third missile at a third Fresco after firing a second Sidewinder at a second MiG that had been struck by Cdr. Isaacks. “I fired a third missile. It ran hot and true, but after it detonated, the MiG was still flying. The pilot reversed to the right. I cut him off and charged my guns. I was in a good position, at his 6 o’clock, and not pulling too much G. I wanted to shoot from close in. I resisted the temptation to fire until I was at about 600 ft. I squeezed the trigger and closed it to 300 ft. I could see my shells hitting the MiG’s fuselage – patches of skin appeared to dissolve and bright, the white fire seemed to fill the fuselage and leak out through the lacy skin.”

Kirkwood swerved to the left to avoid a collision while examining the MiG. “I didn’t think there was much chance he would turn to attack me, but I couldn’t turn my back on him. The pilot ejected after I passed him.”

He linked up with the other Crusaders as they were heading back to their ship after he had taken the kill. At this time, Isaacks informed Kirkwood that the combat had resulted in the shooting away of three-quarters of Kirkwood’s starboard horizontal stabilator. Kirkwood approached his carrier as usual, but the LSO waved him away when he noticed the missing stabilator. Thus, the remainder of the returning air wing was kept from landing while the severely damaged Crusader was kept from colliding with the flight deck. Following the recovery of the carrier’s other aircraft, the LSO brought Kirkwood in for a routine landing.

As of right now, the aerial victory won by Kirkwood remains the only confirmed guns-only MiG kill credited to the F-8 (despite though previous kills recorded by Crusader drivers during the Vietnam War used a combination of 20mm fire plus a well-placed Sidewinder strike).

Photo by Pete Sakaris / U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force

August 25, 2021 0 comment

History

When a RAF E-3D Sentry AWACS aircraft was almost shot down by a Serbian MiG-29

by Till Daisd August 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

On May 4, 1999, a Serbian MiG-29 piloted by Lt. Colonel Pavlovic targeted an RAF E-3D aircraft flown by a No. 23 Squadron crew

During Operation Allied Force, the RAF E-3D AWACS aircrews faced some challenging situations.

Even though offensive weaponry was drastically reduced during the Cold War, between 1989 and 1991, new conflicts that occurred a few months after the Warsaw Pact’s breakup made Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) planes even more crucial.

When the old Yugoslavia broke up into six sovereign republics in the summer of 1991, the Balkan Peninsula actually entered a period of unrest. Yugoslavia was reduced to the state of Serbia and Montenegro after losing Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. Slobodan Milosevic’s ethnic cleansing effort was the result of Serbian Nationalists’ eventual subjugation of the Kosovar Albanian community.

NATO was forced to employ force after Belgrade rejected the deployment of peacekeepers inside Kosovo, and a strategy was designed to strengthen the coalition that would have pushed Serbia to cede authority over Kosovo. On the evening of March 24, 1999, Operation Allied Force started.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) E-3Ds were one of the air assets stationed in Italy to coordinate the air operations over Serbia. In 1992, three E-3D aircraft from No. 8 Squadron moved to Aviano Air Base (AB), and more AWACS operators from No. 23 Squadron joined this detachment in 1999.

In the book Beyond the Horizon The History of AEW&C Aircraft, Ian Shaw, who spent 32 years in the RAF, discussed his experiences working closely with the RAF E-3D unit during Operation Allied Force, and co-wrote with Sergio Santana. Shaw claims that the AWACS aircrews’ most important lesson from this conflict was that their planes were a prime target for the enemy.

As he explains “we had been alerted as a wing at Aviano to the MANPADS threat in the area. Intel had been received that possible Yugoslav special forces had got on to mainland Italy with some shoulder-launched SAMs and were heading for Aviano.”

That time a RAF E-3D Sentry AEW&C aircraft was nearly shot down by a Serbian MiG-29

The fast aircraft altered their departure profile, lit their burners, and spiraled ascended overhead to lessen the MANPADS threat, while the E-3Ds were obviously unable to do this and could only climb straight ahead at full speed regardless of the threat. This statement was frequently repeated to E-3D pilots because the MANPADS threat was considered serious: “You’ve got four engines, you’ll only lose one!”

The most terrifying incident happened on May 4, 1999. On that day, a Serbian MiG-29 piloted by Lt. Colonel Pavlovic from the 127th Fighter Squadron, 204th Fighter Regiment of the Air Force of Serbia and Montenegro engaged an RAF E-3D being flown by a No. 23 Squadron crew (Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo Srbije I Crne Gore – RVSiCG). Without permission, Pavlovic took off from Nis and flew quite low before landing at 12:41 local time.

A female weapons controller (WC) selected and tracked Pavlovic’s Fulcrum. As a sizable NATO strike package was leaving the target area, she noticed him approaching the AWACS. Although the majority of the allied aircraft had left the region, a few USAF Wild Weasel F-16Cs remained. When the AWACS link manager reached them and handed the two F-16s to the WC, the two Vipers were out of gas and on their way to the tanker.

She was able to successfully direct them toward the MiG-29 that was destroyed at 12:46.

When the E-3D crew returned to Aviano and entered the operations room, according to Shaw, there was a tangible sense of relief. “Although not a ‘Top Gun’ moment the crew were congratulated on an excellent and professional job and immediately phoned the F-16 pilot who if I recall had also been flying out at Aviano that day. I must admit that episode bought it home to me how vulnerable our crews were and how this wasn’t a game or an exercise…”

Photo by Crown Copyright, Srđan Popović, and claudiu_ne2000 via Wikipedia

August 25, 2021 0 comment

History

The last F-14 Tomcat to ever land on an aircraft carrier

by Till Daisd August 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

On July 28, 2006, Lieutenant Chris Rattigan and Lieutenant Paul Dort of VF-31’s “Tomcatters” flew the F-14D BuNo 164346 “Sweet Little Miss” to perform the final scheduled arrested landing of a Tomcat

The main image of this post, which was taken on July 28, 2006, in the Atlantic Ocean while aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), depicts an F-14D Tomcat, aircraft number 110, BuNo 164346 “Sweet Little Miss,” flown by Lieutenant Chris Rattigan and Lieutenant Paul Dort and assigned to the “Tomcatters” of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31), completing the final scheduled arrested landing of an F-14 fighter aircraft.

On September 22, 2006, the F-14 was formally retired after 32 years of fleet duty. The National Naval Aviation Museum offered the Museum of Flight, located in Rome, Georgia, the scarce chance to host and show Georgia’s lone Tomcat, a living relic that recounts the tale of brave people who have flown and fought in the powerful F-14.

The Museum of Flight website explains that the costs of moving the aircraft were estimated at $40,000. The museum was concerned that paying such a high fee might ruin its chance of locating such a historic aircraft.

Christine Lewis, the director, contacted the F-14 Tomcat Association to try to save Sweet Little Miss. The Association volunteered to help the Museum of Flight save this iconic aircraft from being scrapped in addition to supporting the museum’s GoFundMe campaign by publicizing it in their newsletter, website, and Facebook page.

From the end of the Vietnam War until 2006, the F-14 Tomcat served as the U.S. Navy’s primary fighter aircraft. The fighter was hailed as the best aircraft of its era by its pilots and aviation engineers, and it was idealized on the big screen in films like The Final Countdown and Top Gun. However, while the U.S. Navy Tomcats were being demilitarized and the F-14s were being removed from service, there were worries that Iran might start purchasing the spare parts on the black market.

In truth, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) continues to operate a number of the F-14s that the United States sold to Iran in the 1970s, when relations between the two nations were still cordial. As a result, the Department of Defense started destroying the aircraft and its components. Oregon senator Ron Wyden then created the Stop Arming Iran Act in 2008 to forbid the sale of any components to organizations other than museums.

The greatest sites to honor this distinctive fighter are museums, which are currently the only locations where the F-14 can be celebrated.

The Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond featured BuNo 164346. This F-14 began its career with VF-31 before flying with the VF-101 Grim Reapers and VF-2 Bounty Hunters. It was given to the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX-4) Evaluators in 1992. Operation Iraqi Freedom involved combat missions flown by BuNo 164346.

Unfortunately, the Virginia Aviation Museum shut down, thus it was unclear what would become of this famous aircraft.

Then Sweet Little Miss would be disassembled and transported from Richmond, Virginia, to Rome, Georgia. She needed to be assembled, transported, and recovered from her current state (and keep her in good condition).

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Laird and Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Tony Foster / U.S. Navy

August 25, 2021 0 comment

History

The reason why pilots loved flying the F-104 Starfighter

by Till Daisd August 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“Along with the SR-71, the F-104 is Kelly Johnson’s greatest creation,” Ed Carney, U.S. Navy A-7 Corsair II pilot who flew the Starfighter with the West German Navy from ’79-’82

The first operational aircraft able to maintain speeds exceeding Mach 2 was the Lockheed F-104.

When contrasted solely to the old subsonic and “forgiving” jets, the Starfighter represented a significant advancement. However, the F-104 was outmatched by more conventional fighters when the air-to-air battles occurred at subsonic speeds because its ability to turn in this environment was crucial. Thus, it was crucial to prevent the Starfighter from slowing down below Mach 1 so that he could utilize his unparalleled speed and vertical ascent at the time.

Additionally, the F-104’s short-range and restricted weaponry carried worked against it because it was only temporarily in use by the U.S. Air Force (USAF).

Nevertheless, despite these flaws, the F-104’s pilots grew to love it, as was evident from multiple accounts provided to Ted Spitzmiller for his book Century Series: The USAF Quest for Air Supremacy, 1950–1960. As a member of the South Carolina Air National Guard, James C. Parham, Jr., piloted the Starfighter and recalled that “Although limited in range with two Sidewinders and no drop tanks, the F-104 was the quintessential high altitude interceptor. The pilots had a love affair with the F-104. The cockpit was simple, compact, and comfortable. The canopy was straightforward, light, and manually opened and closed. At Mach 2, it was quiet-and the long flexible fuselage rippled ever so gently.”

Early in its career, the F-104 was sold to foreign governments due to its unsuitability for USAF service. The Canadian Air Force went on to become one of the primary Starfighter users, and several American pilots had the opportunity to fly it during squadron exchanges, as was the case for Dudley Larsen, who transitioned from the F-4 Phantom to the CF-104.

The “Zipper” made a favorable impression on Larsen.: “It was an easy transition because the plane was very honest to fly-it talked to you. It had a good feeling when it settled in. The engines were the same as the F-4 (J79).” Due to its speed and size, the Starfighter excelled in the visible multi-bogey ACM (Air Combat Maneuvering) arena. On the other hand, if the pilot rotated more than 30 degrees, he became a target due to the F-104’s poor turning ability caused by its high wing weight. The CF-104 held its own against the F-4, according to Larsen, and the pilot’s skill made a significant difference.

Ed Carney, a U.S. Navy A-7 Corsair II pilot who flew the Starfighter in Germany for the West German Navy for three years from 1979 to 1982, was utterly fascinated with it, “Coming from the A-7E it was like transitioning to jets all over again. Crazy fast and light, and would outrace anything out there. Flying slow (defined as less than 450 kts) could be dicey if you tried to pull any G’s.” As Carney explains, as long as the fighting never slowed down, the jet could supercruise at sea level and maintain its maneuverability.

“It demanded a skilled pilot and rewarded him with amazing performance, but was the least forgiving airplane I have ever flown. On the deck, plugging in the burner would shove you from 450 to 750 knots so fast it was almost scary. We were always pulling it back to keep from exceeding a speed or temp limit.”

Here's why, despite its many limitations, pilots loved flying the F-104 Starfighter

However, the F-104 was more than just a powerful fighter, in Carney’s opinion, since “Along with the SR-71, it is Kelly Johnson’s greatest creation.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Luftwaffe

August 25, 2021 0 comment

History

The story behind the SR-71 Blackbird Super Low Knife-edge Pass

by Till Daisd August 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“… The cadets now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their faces as the SR-71 leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass…”

The stunning cover photo of this article shows the well-known image of an SR-71 Blackbird making a very low flyover. Brian Shul explains the intriguing backstory behind this incident in his book Sled Driver.

“I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.”

“Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from the 325 knots we were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically over the field yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that looked like a field.”

“Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast. Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us but in the overcast and haze, I couldn’t see it. The longer we continued to peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point, we weren’t really flying but were falling into a slight bank. Just at the moment that both afterburners were lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was), the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.”

“Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn’t say a word for those next 14 minutes. After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet hats were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I both understood the concept of “breathtaking” very well that morning and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight suits, we just sat there-we hadn’t spoken a word since “the pass.” Finally, Walter looked at me and said, “One hundred fifty-six knots. What did you see?” Trying to find my voice, I stammered, “One hundred fifty-two.” We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, “Don’t ever do that to me again!” And I never did.”

The story behind this famed SR-71 Blackbird's super low flyby

“A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer’s club and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, ‘It was probably just a routine low approach; they’re pretty impressive in that plane.'”

Top image: courtesy of Robin Harbour

Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 25, 2021 0 comment

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