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military

F-14’s first air-to-air kill was a gun kill but not scored by a US Navy Tomcat

by Till Daisd October 28, 2023

According to a US Navy legend, a few veteran F-14 pilots pledged to build a monument honoring the first person to score a gun kill in combat

Every war begins with the realization that no plan can maintain contact with the enemy for very long. This maxim undoubtedly applied to the F-14A’s use in Iran. The aircraft was designed to counter massive formations of Soviet bombers and protect aircraft carriers from attack by employing long-range air-to-air missiles, as stated by the US Navy, which considered the F-14A a ‘fleet defender’.

According to Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop’s book Iranian F-14 Tomcat units in combat, US Navy Tomcat operators never anticipated becoming “feet dry” and conducting prolonged over-land operations during conflicts, such as in 1986 or 1991 against Libya or Iraq. Nevertheless, this was a necessary aspect of the work for Iranian pilots, even though it negatively impacted the jet’s AWG-9 radar’s performance.

IRIAF-F-14-M61 — IRIAF F-14 Tomcat’s M61A1 Vulcan

Even more surprising was the nature of the first air-to-air battle that F-14s engaged in and won. On September 4, 1980, Iraq and Iran engaged in their first skirmishes. Soon afterward, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) began bringing back a growing number of F-14s to service. The majority of the 77 airframes that survived were either non-operational or had non-functional AWG-9s, and the crew members lacked up-to-date training and expertise. Ground control became increasingly important to F-14 units when it came to intercepting Iraqi aircraft because of malfunctioning radar and “green” crews. This quickly changed as conflicts increased because Tomcat and AWG-9 reliability improved and crew confidence grew with more sorties flown, which made it easier for crews to remember their training.

Soon after the initial battles with the Iraqis, about twelve F-14s were operational again, conducting combat air patrols (CAPs) along the border. Five attack helicopters—an export version of the Soviet Mi-24—from the 1st Combat Transport Helicopter Squadron, 4th Composite Wing, Iraqi Army Air Corps (IrAAC) attacked multiple border stations in the Zain al-Qaws region on September 7 in the afternoon after breaking into Iranian airspace. Two F-14As were vectored to intercept when the nearby IRIAF radar station detected their appearance.

After a short while, the lead Tomcat pilot detected the Mi-25s on his radar and swiftly dove to pursue them. The pilot released one of his Sidewinders and tried to lock-on despite the heat from the ground. Although they weren’t all that great, the AIM-9P Sidewinders were unquestionably a significant upgrade over the AIM-91B/Es of the Vietnam era. The first missile lost lock-on and flew into the ground behind the Iraqi who was furthest behind. The Iranian pilot launched another Sidewinder, turning around quickly to prevent the Mi-25s from having a chance to fire back. Once more, the missile hit the ground after losing track. Technically, the engagement should have now been over.

An expensive interceptor like an F-14A is not expected to engage a heavily armed helicopter in close-quarters conflict, per most tactical manuals and current rules of engagement. The Iranian pilot, however, did not think twice. After choosing “GUN” on his control column, he fired, covering the rearmost Mi-25 with the gunsight pipper. The M61A1 Vulcan gun installed on the aircraft fired 400 rounds. Numerous bullets struck its target, and the Iraqi attack helicopter burst into a dazzling ball of flames.

Therefore, the first kill of this type came from an Iranian F-14A, about a year before the US Navy did. It was also surprising what weapon was employed. According to Navy legend, a few veteran F-14 pilots pledged to build a monument honoring the first person to score a gun kill in combat. The pilot who shot down the Mi-25 that September afternoon in 1980 is unlikely to be revealed publicly, though.

Iranian F-14 Tomcat units in combat is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Navy, Tasnim News via Wikipedia and U.S. Air Force

October 28, 2023 0 comment

History

The B-17 Memphis Belle legendary Pin-Up Nose Art

by Till Daisd October 27, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Though it’s technically captioned “I’m the one with the part in the back,” the painting on the nose of the B-17 Memphis Belle is frequently referred to as “The Memphis Belle.”

During World War II, the B-17 Memphis Belle blazed a path of invincibility through the flak and fighter-filled skies over the Third Reich.

When the Belle, by happenstance, became the first bomber of the 91st Bomb Group over an enemy target, she distinguished herself at her very first taste of combat. Naturally, she went on to become well-known for being the first bomber in the Mighty Eighth Air Force to finish the necessary twenty-five sorties and return to the United States. Memphis Belle was attached to the First Combat Wing’s First Air Division. She is the first bomber ever assigned to a morale and war bond tour.

Memphis Belle was the first American bomber to be reviewed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and King George VI of England after completing her twenty-five missions. Belle’s skipper, Bob Morgan, rode into more American military history after fulfilling his mission requirements. In November 1944, he led the first B-29 Superfortress raid on Tokyo, Japan.

The Memphis Belle holds particular meaning as the initial American bomber to be recognized for its unusual nose art.

According to Brent William Perkins’ explanation in Memphis Belle: Biography of a B-17 Flying Fortress, men have used the feminine metaphor to show their love for their vessels for as long as they have gone to sea in ships. Furthermore, the only person who might possibly qualify as a suitable analogy in the eyes of a combat airman is a debutante of the species and her “class.”

She was first seen in the pages of Esquire magazine. The publication was popular for printing the works of Alberto Varga and George Petty as gatefolds or centerfolds. Along with thousands of other servicemen, Lt. Morgan was an avid reader. At some point during 1941, Morgan noticed one of the girls in the magazine and knew immediately that it was the work that would grace the nose of whatever bomber would be assigned to him.

Her initial appearance was in the pages of Esquire. The magazine gained popularity by printing George Petty and Alberto Vargas’s works as centerfolds or gatefolds. Like hundreds of other servicemen, Lt. Morgan loved to read. Sometime in 1941, Morgan saw a picture of a girl in the magazine and knew right away that this was the piece of art that would be displayed on the nose of the bomber he would be flying.

He requested permission to use the painting in a letter to the magazine. They supplied their permission and a copy of the print, which was quickly put to Morgan’s bomber, and were only too delighted to assist. This occurred in the final days before his crew departed Dow Field in Bangor, Maine, for England.

Memphis-Belle-pin-up-nose-art — Reproduction of the pin-up girl painted on the nose of the Memphis Belle B-17 bomber during World War II. The nose art was originally by Corporal Tony Starcer of the 91st Bombardment Group

The Petty Girl was applied on Morgan’s B-17 by a base worker he discovered there, but the result wasn’t very good, so Corporal Tony Starcer cleaned it up and repainted it when he got to England. He was gaining a reputation for being a rather skilled painter within the 91st BG, and he actually ended up painting more than 150 B-17s for the unit!

The title of the artwork is actually “I’m the one with the part in the back,” however it is sometimes misidentified as “The Memphis Belle.” The sixteen-year-old daughter of the artist, Marjorie Petty-Macleod, served as the model for this piece.

During the war, the word spread throughout the German fighter pilots stationed in England. They swore to shoot down the B-17 that had the leggy girl on its nose.

It was even claimed that a threat had been made during a radio broadcast of German propaganda. The announcer reportedly said, “If the Memphis Belle comes back to Germany, she will never go home again.”

At least eight German fighter pilots risked their lives in an attempt to keep that reporter to his word. Pilot Robert Morgan’s wartime girlfriend, Miss Margaret Polk, is depicted in the artwork. Their engagement terminated during the war bond tour, despite their well-publicized love story. Contrary to popular belief, Margaret is not directly depicted in the picture.

Memphis Belle: Biography of a B-17 Flying Fortress is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Margaret-Polk-with-Robert-Morgan-1 — Margaret Polk with Robert Morgan in front of the Memphis Belle. (Image courtesy of the Preservation and Special Collections Department, University Libraries, University of Memphis)

Photo by U.S. Air Force and MLWatts via Wikipedia

October 27, 2023 0 comment

History

The 50th anniversary of the mighty F-15 Eagle’s first flight

by Till Daisd October 26, 2023

written by Till Daisd

These incidents complete fifty years of undefeated air superiority missions for the F-15 Eagle, the fighter that has never been shot down in combat

The F-15 Eagle celebrated its 50th birthday, and there were celebrations all around the country.

According to AFLCMC Public Affairs’ Daryl Mayer, who was mentioned in the article, Eagle to celebrate golden anniversary, the ceremony was scheduled for July 27, 2022, at the Boeing plant in St. Louis, where all F-15s were and are currently made.

On July 28, there was a program office personnel celebration and a static display at Wright-Patterson. Col. Cesar Rodriguez, the MiG kill leader since the Vietnam War, retired. In 1991, during the Gulf War, he shot down two MiGs; in 1999, he shot down another one over Kosovo.

The F-15 Expo and the Gathering of Eagles banquet took place at the US Air Force National Museum on July 29. Ultimately, a celebration honoring the F-15 included a cake ceremony, a scavenger hunt, and community activities on August 5 at the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB in Georgia.

F-15-Prototype-1200x950-1 — McDonnell Douglas F-15A (S/N 71-0280, the first F-15A prototype). Note the square wingtips and unnotched stabilator.

The fighter that has never been shot down in combat celebrated fifty years of unbeaten air dominance operations.

On an episode of AFLCMC’s Leadership Log podcast, Craig (BJ) Hunnicutt, a program manager for the F-15 Division at Robins AFB, and Greg (Sherlock) Watson, an IPT lead for the F-15 Division at Wright-Patterson AFB, spoke about this remarkable platform. Together, they have logged almost 5,000 hours in the F-15E.

Subsequently, in 1967, after the company was chosen to compete in the US Air Force’s FX competition, McDonnell Douglas developed the concept for the F-15. Confronted with the F-4 Phantom II, which was becoming known as a formidable fighter, McDonnell applied lessons acquired from the Vietnam War to his competition against Fairchild Hiller and North American Rockwell. Following over two years of rigorous testing and assessment, the Air Force awarded McDonnell Douglas the contract for the F-15 Advanced Tactical Fighter on December 23, 1969. Out of the three competitors, the McDonnell Douglas team had the lowest contract price and placed first in every round of the competition.

The goal of the McDonnell Douglas Group was to develop innovative technology. The Eagle’s exceptional acceleration and maneuverability are its most noteworthy features. It was the first US fighter to be able to accelerate during a vertical climb thanks to engine thrust that was higher than the aircraft’s basic weight. The Eagle’s strong power, lightweight, and large wing area all work together to provide exceptional agility.

“It was designed with energy maneuverability in mind, with the most power we could put on an airplane with two Pratt & Whitney F-100 engines at the top of their game and with the biggest radar that we can put on an air-to-air fighter in the APG-63 out of Hughes, which later became Raytheon,” Watson said.

First-F-15E — The first McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle, was used on March 2, 1987, at Edwards Air Force Base for Developmental Test and evaluation.

They combined that with as many missiles as they could carry and a 20-mm gun.

“We could fly further, we could fly faster, we could fly longer than any other fighter out there,” Watson said.

The two-seat F-15B (formerly TF-15A) trainer made its maiden flight in July 1973, while the F-15A made its first flight in July 1972. In November 1974, the first Eagle (F-15B) was delivered. The first Eagle to be assigned to a combat squadron was delivered in January 1976.

F-15EX-173rd-FW — F-15EX Eagle II prototype

In 1979, the Air Force began receiving the single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D variants into its inventory. On June 24th, 1979, Israeli F-15s began their 104-0 combat record when they shot down three Syrian MiGs. The F-15E Strike Eagle was created to meet the US Air Force’s requirements for air-to-ground missions. It took off for the first time in December 1986 from St. Louis.

“In addition to being revolutionary, the jet has been very evolutionary as well,” Hunnicutt mentioned the switch from analog to digital computers, the adoption of touch screens in place of dials and knobs, and the inclusion of GPS.

The F-15EX Eagle II, the most sophisticated model to date, was delivered to the USAF on March 11, 2021. The F-15EX will essentially carry out the F-15C/D’s mission, but as the F-15E is nearing the end of its useful life in the 2030s, the EX may begin to perform more ground-attack duties similar to those of the Strike Eagle variant.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

October 26, 2023 0 comment

History

The USAF F-117A stealth fighter coming dangerously close to the left wingtip of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 747

by Till Daisd October 25, 2023

written by Till Daisd

As far as is known, this was the first time an Iraqi pilot had ever encountered the US Air Force’s stealth fighter

In answer to an Air Force request for an aircraft that could attack high-value targets without being picked up by enemy radar, Lockheed created the F-117A. During the 1970s, engineers were able to create an airplane that was “stealth” or could avoid radar thanks to new materials and techniques. The outcome was the F-117A, the first stealth aircraft to operate in the world.

On June 18, 1981, the first F-117A took to the air, and on October 1, 1983, the 4450th Tactical Group—later renamed the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing—achieved initial operational capability. On December 19, 1989, two F-117As from the 37th TFW attacked military objectives in Panama as part of Operation Just Cause. The 415th and 416th squadrons of the 37th TFW relocated to a base in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990–1991; this was when the F-117A saw action once more.

According to E.R. Hooton and Tom Cooper in their book Desert Storm Volume 1: the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield 1990-1991, CENTCOM was able to investigate behind enemy lines during Operation Desert Shield by using a range of platforms in addition to satellite photography. SAC’s Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint was the first USAF aircraft to be employed; it started Burning Wind SIGINT missions infantry on August 9 and was providing round-the-clock coverage two days later.

Since imagery was essential, SAC’s Lockheed U-2 very high-altitude photo-reconnaissance aircraft and Lockheed TR-1 tactical reconnaissance with side-looking radar began operations on August 29. On September 8, McDonnell-Douglas RF-4Cs flew the first medium-altitude photographic reconnaissance missions. As of December 2, 469 tactical, 421 strategic, and 2,800 ELINT sorties had been flown by Gen. Charles Horner, the Commander of US and allied air operations for Operation Desert Shield (and later Desert Storm), while 253 sorties had been flown by AWACS, which supported the shield and kept an eye on IrAF activity.

The Joint Surveillance Target Acquisition System (J-STARS), an airborne battlefield surveillance radar system with a 150-kilometer range that was mounted inside a modified Boeing 707 and renamed the E-8A, was one reconnaissance system that arrived late. In early September, the Joint Chiefs denied Schwarzkopf’s request for its deployment, stating that “Desert Shield is not suitable in time or place for introduction J-STARS.” Schwarzkopf had requested its deployment as early as August 10. The Pentagon only changed its mind just before the two available aircraft landed on January 12, 1991, with 44 remote terminals provided by six ground stations and four support vehicles.

The US-led Coalition uses a variety of aircraft, not just conventional ones, to keep an eye on the developments in Kuwait and Iraq. The crew of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 747, traveling over Najaf late on December 16, 1990, reported seeing an F-117A fighter near the left wingtip of the aircraft. Captain Remzi, a former fighter pilot with a lengthy career of flying Sukhoi Su-7BMKs and Su-20s during the war with Iran, led the crew. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first-ever interaction between an Iraqi pilot and the US Air Force’s stealth fighter.

Even if it’s still unclear what the latter was doing at that precise moment, 200 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, we might presume the F-117A was there to test the air defenses of the Iraqi Air Force. However, Remzi’s sighting of the F-117A stunned the IrAF leaders, leading them to believe they lacked the means against the most sophisticated US combat aircraft.

Desert Storm Volume 1: the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield 1990-1991 is published by Helion & Company and is available to order here.

The weird story of the USAF F-117A that flew close to the left wingtip of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 747 during Operation Desert Shield (and a quick look at pre-Desert Storm Intelligence gathering) — Iraqi Airways Boeing 747

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Steve Fitzgerald via Wikipedia

October 25, 2023 0 comment

History

The B-17 outfitted with the Fulton also flew the longest flight ever before saving Agent 007 in the Thunderball film

by Till Daisd October 24, 2023

written by Till Daisd

A Taiwanese pilot flew the longest B-17 Flying Fortress mission, which lasted more than 19 hours, over China

One of the most recognizable aircraft ever constructed is the Flying Fortress. July 28, 1935, saw the first flight of the B-17 prototype. Even though there weren’t many B-17s in use on December 7, 1941, production swiftly picked up once the US entered World War II.

Manufacturing ceased in May 1945, with 12,726 units produced. The B-17 served in every combat zone and was still in service after World War II, despite being best known for its daylight strategic bombardment of German industrial targets.

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) formed an uneasy alliance with the nationalist Chinese government in Taiwan after Mao’s communists seized power in mainland China in 1949.

In 1953, the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) and the CIA formed the Black Bat Squadron, also known as the 34th Squadron. Its job was to conduct secret air operations over the mainland, dropping agents’ propaganda and gathering signals, images, and nuclear intelligence – using B-17, B-26, and P-2 aircraft.

The Fulton-equipped B-17 that saved 007 in the movie Thunderball had also flown the longest B-17 mission ever (it lasted more than 19 hours and was flown over China by a Taiwanese pilot)

The 34th Squadron had just one B-17 left at the end of May 1959. The Black Bats: CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan, 1951–1969 by Chris Pocock and Clarence Fu includes recollections from a former member of the 34th Squadron crew.

“We were preparing to send our last B-17 back to the US. A Chinese crew stripped the airplane of all the ELINT equipment. But after this work, someone forgot to reconnect the airspeed line to the pilot tube. During takeoff on the subsequent test flight, the airspeed indicator failed to register. But instead of flying by instinct, the Chinese pilot pushed the throttles all the way forward — and fire-walled the engines. He flew round the circuit for an emergency landing. If he didn’t make it on the first pass, he told the tower that he would ditch at sea. Fortunately, a flight engineer from Lockheed was onboard and realized what the problem was. He pulled the throttles back so that a safe landing speed was achieved.”

This final B-17 did perform a few more missions over the mainland in late 1959 and early 1960, despite the P-2 Neptune (named P2V by the US Navy until September 1962) being unquestionably superior for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) missions. One of these might have been the longest flight a B-17 has ever made, anywhere at any time. The ancient WWII bomber was flown over the regions of Guangdong, Hunan, and Guizhou on February 26, 1960. It then flew over the Yunnan plateau before returning on a roughly parallel track. Additional fuel tanks were installed for this flight, which took off from Hsinchu at 1600 on Feb. 26, 1960. The next morning, at 11:10, they finally arrived—19 hours and 10 minutes later!

It’s noteworthy that this journey lasted even longer, 20 hours and 40 minutes, according to a display in the former 34th Squadron museum! Long-distance flights in the B-17 were made possible, in accordance with former Black Bat pilot Dai Shu Qing, by the installation of an auxiliary fuel tank in the bomb bay. On the P-2, a comparable tank was added.

But in November 1960, the B-17 left the 34th Squadron. In 1961, it was delivered to the Skunk Works, where the ATIR jammer was installed in preparation for yet another covert operation. Four new engines have to be installed. Later, the B-17 was equipped with the Fulton Skyhook and used in Operation Coldfeet to drop and then rescue two Americans who were looking into a Soviet Union ice station that had been abandoned in the Arctic. The same B-17, as demonstrated in the video below, rose to fame when the Skyhook was employed to pick up James Bond and his girlfriend at the conclusion of the movie Thunderball.

The Black Bats CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan 1951-1969 is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Screenshot from video and unknown

October 24, 2023 0 comment

History

Operation Allies Refuge, the largest non-combatant evacuation operational in US history

by Till Daisd October 23, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Eight C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, seven KC-10 Extender aircraft, and one C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft were used by Team Travis to transport 10,310 refugees and 2 million pounds of airlifted cargo

Operation Allies Refuge, which witnessed the effective evacuation of 124,334 people from Afghanistan, was the US Air Force’s (USAF) greatest non-combatant evacuation operation in US history.

“We love data. We can roll numbers and metrics into a report to demonstrate effect,” said Chief Master Sgt. Keith Scott, 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief, during an event earlier this year. “For this operation alone, I could rattle off countless more stats that attempt to capture the impact of our Travis Airmen, but so much of what made this operation incredible was not what we did… rather who did it and how.”

According to Nicholas Pilch, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs, Operation Allies Refuge: One year later, there were 347 Airmen in total, 202 support personnel, and 143 aircrews readily available for deployment from the 60th Air Mobility Wing. That means a 45-minute notice for some airmen. These numbers, however, do not take into consideration the Travis AFB Airmen who have already been sent to other sites to assist with this operation.

“I found out on August 24. I had just gotten off a night shift, and I went to bed about 7 a.m.,” said Airman 1st Class Thomas Gustafson, 60th Aerial Port Squadron fleet apprentice. “I got a call at 10 a.m. asking if I had my COVID vaccine and my GTC (Government Travel Card), and I said yes. Approximately 45 minutes later, I was sitting in a briefing, getting ready to leave.”

Eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs, seven KC-10 Extenders, and one C-5M Super Galaxy were used by Team Travis to transport 10,310 refugees and 2 million pounds of cargo.

The medical task group at Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport consisted of a total of 62 Air Force medics. 29 of those medics, or roughly 50% of the whole Air Force medical force, were from Travis AFB.

‘We took off with 270 children, and we landed with 271.’ C-17 crew helped to deliver a baby aboard a Globemaster III carrying Afghans evacuated from Kabul — Medical support personnel from the 86th Medical Group help an Afghan mother and family off a USAF C-17, call sign Reach 828, moments after she delivered a child aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Aug. 21, 2021.

“We found out that we would have to go to the Hamid Karzai International Airport Hospital, which is a NATO-run hospital,” said Senior Master Sgt. Louella Campbell, 60th Medical Group and Task Force Medical-Afghan austere ground surgical team and administrator. “We were just going to go there for maybe a couple of weeks to help things settle down and potentially take over, if necessary until we completely withdrew forces, but we stayed to the end.”

Security personnel escorted aircraft to ensure their safety, and the team lead for the 60th Security Forces Squadron Phoenix Raven was Staff Sgt. Riley McFerran. McFerran related how he was 30 minutes away from his C-17 when he received a note alerting him to the possibility of two young suicide bombers on the flight line.

“When the aircraft landed, it was pitch black, and only tracer rounds could be seen flying through the air, said McFerran. “I stood there in complete darkness with my night vision goggles on, looking for any possible threats, when I saw a sea of glow sticks and hundreds of army personnel walking up to the jet with their rucksacks and all their gear on. As soon as they boarded, we loaded them up, and the reaction and relief on their faces was heartwarming to see.

“While we were leaving, the aircraft took fire. We popped off flares, but no rounds hit the aircraft, and all of us were able to leave the airfield unscathed.”

The 60th Aeromedical Evacuation Flight Nurse, Capt. Kayleigh Migaleddi was heading to the Abbey Gate in Kabul when a newborn baby was handed to her and passed over the fence, forcing her to head elsewhere.

“August 26, 2021, at 5 p.m., I was tasked by a doctor to report to the Abbey Gate to assist in a medical emergency,” said Migaleddi. “On my way to the gate, three Marines handed me a beautiful baby girl that we later called ‘Joy.’ I was told that Joy was tossed over the fence in hopes for a better life.

“While taking care of Joy, I received an alert saying there was a mass casualty event at the Abbey Gate, the gate I was headed to before Joy was handed to me. Baby Joy saved my life so I could help the patients who had arrived at the hospital.”

In addition to the effort being made by support personnel on the ground, aircrews were also expeditiously evacuating residents of Kabul. Capt. Marcial St. John, a C-17 pilot with the 21st Airlift Squadron, spoke about the challenges of transporting refugees to other theater locations and how they moved the first plane loaded with Afghan nationals to Isa Air Base, Bahrain.

The KC-10s were modified for passenger transport after Lt. Col. Gary Sain, the pilot of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron’s KC-10 Extender, and Capt. Marcelli Magday, the 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron’s maintenance officer in command, were expecting an aerial refueling mission.

“This is part of history. This doesn’t happen every day,” said Magday. “For me, the most rewarding part was meeting them at the bottom of the stairs and seeing the looks on their faces, thinking, ‘wow, this is what I joined the Air Force for.’”

While visiting family in Afghanistan, some who had been evacuated from that country desperately needed a lift out.

“I was talking to one of the moms of one of my kids’ teammates, and she was in Afghanistan visiting her family in July and left right before everything happened,” said Sain. “Her sister, also visiting, actually ended up getting stuck there and was evacuated on a C-17. She eventually made it out and back to the States through the way of our efforts.

“It’s like this giant operation that happens, and then it’s over now that it’s not affecting my day-to-day life,” he continued. “Every one of those 120,000 people, they’ve got a story, and they’re still living with it.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

October 23, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The story of the T-33 pilot watching a nuclear bomb test without wearing safety glasses

by Till Daisd October 22, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘One of my friends participated in a nuclear air burst test in Nevada. He was flying an instrumented T-33 jet at about 40,000 feet…,’ Bruce Gordon, former USAF fighter pilot

Between 1946 and 1962, in the years following World War II and during the height of the Cold War, the US detonated more than 200 above- and undersea nuclear bombs. Throughout World War II and the Cold War, hundreds of thousands of American soldiers observed atomic weapon tests.

They were mostly pilots. The majority of them were without safety glasses. How securely can you observe a nuclear explosion from an airplane?

‘I don’t believe there is a safe distance,’ Bruce Gordon, former F-86, F-100, F-102, and F-106 fighter pilot at the US Air Force (1958–1971), said on Quora.

‘One of my friends participated in a nuclear air burst test in Nevada. He was flying an instrumented T-33 jet at about 40,000 feet, some miles away. He wrote: “I was flying the plane… I had put a patch over my left eye and was to be looking down, with my head down, into the cockpit. I can remember that I was holding my breath as I heard 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1! Then everything went white. I mean, it was so bright that you could not see the floor of the plane. Then a very odd thing happened: I could actually see through the floor of the cockpit and see the ground below us! Yes, I could see the ground through the floor of the plane. I could see a bright light even in the eye over which I had put the patch. I find it hard to describe the brightness of the bomb blast. It was not like anything I had ever seen. It was much like how I had envisioned the brightness one would experience if in the presence of God.”

‘He told me that during debriefing, he reported being able to see through the floor of the airplane. They told him that several other people had reported the same phenomena.’

Gordon concludes;

‘I think this may be related to the “Livermore Light” that has been reported, but only in a few cases, because not many people have been looking anywhere near the fireball. In the book “You must be joking, Mr. Fineman,” he was at a nuclear test in the Pacific. He had misplaced his dark glasses, so he just looked away from the blast—at all the other people who were wearing the very dark glasses. He said he could see them as skeletons, with the bones showing. I think there is a lot more to the Livermore Light than we know now…’

Photo by U.S. Air Force and National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office

October 22, 2023 0 comment

History

A-6 Intruder and F/A-18 Legacy Hornet are like a ’65 Ford F-100 and a ’84 Pontiac Fiero

by Till Daisd October 20, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘I’m tremendously thankful to have flown both and while the Hornet got me in and out of combat, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the venerable Intruder,’ Tim Hibbetts, a former US Navy A-6 and F/A-18 pilot

The A-6 Intruder was the first fully all-weather attack bomber in the world, able to locate tactical or strategic targets in low visibility and deliver both conventional and nuclear ordnance on them. Two turbojet engines were used to power this incredibly precise, low-altitude, long-range, subsonic weapons system, which was largely hidden in its chubby fuselage. The Intruder didn’t win any beauty contests, but there was no denying that it was excellent at the task it was given. The A-6’s five exterior store stations, which could hold a combined payload of 18,000 pounds, could accommodate all air-to-ground weaponry developed by the US and NATO.

The A-6 was superseded by the then-newer F/A-18 Hornet, and the final A-6 was decommissioned from active duty service in 1997 despite efforts to extend the aircraft’s service life with improved variants and the rewinging of older Intruders.

How does flying the F/A-18 Hornet compare to the A-6 Intruder?

‘So, you just got your license, are fired up about being mo-bile, when your dad hands you those magical keys… to a ’65 Ford F-100. It is not sexy; it is not fast,’ Tim Hibbetts former US Navy A-6E Intruder and F/A-18 Hornet pilot, recalls on Quora.

‘Nor is it going to win any car awards with its odd-colored passenger door, creeping rust, and occasional dent. But it’s got a big motor and a set of wheels, and you’re stoked to just find yourself barreling down those back roads (though it starts to shake pretty good once you get up to 60, highway or no). You have a lot of fun, with your best friend sliding around on the slick, cracked bench seat—laughing and hanging on for dear life when you take those corners a little too fast. You’re only a little wistful when the girls are more attracted to that little sports car next to you in the parking lot. The dang thing looks better dirty than clean.

‘After a couple years, dad upgrades you to an ’84 Pontiac Fiero. It is fast, sexy, and turns the girls’ heads. You can hug corners, take it over 100, and jump off the line like nobody’s business. It isn’t as fast or good-looking as the Corvette, but it’s a lot more fun to throw around corners than the ol’ truck. It’s got a Blaupunkt and cruise control and just all the bells and whistles you’ve been missing. But, with your books and gear, there’s no room for your best friend anymore. You also can’t haul very much in the back, and it really sucks gas quickly from its tiny tank. And while the power steering makes driving a pleasure and all the lights work (day and night), it might lack a little character. You have a new cadre of Fiero friends, but any time you run into your F-100 brothers, you slip right into badmouthing the unappreciative Pontiac sots. They’ll never know the challenge of bolting down a dirt road at night—only the running lights working—hauling a load of 22 tires in back and hoping you’re going to make that turn coming up, your best friend counting off the bushes until it’s time to crank it hard over.’

Hibbetts continues;

‘The A-6E Intruder, from the famed Grumman Iron Works, was a Clydesdale with a crooked unicorn growth poking from its forehead. You could fly deep into enemy territory, hugging the bushes day or night in all weather, and deliver twenty-two 500-pound bombs, or four 2000-pounders, or a number of guided weapons. It could also be configured to carry a “buddy store” in order to transfer some of its impressive gas load to your buddies (hence the name). It was not fast nor overly agile, but it was a Hell-a-good bomber, very stable and dependable. While there was virtually no air-to-air capability, it could carry the AIM-9 but was minus any cuing, only the Sidewinder growl to note lock-on. It was really nice around the ship in the daytime, but the scan at night was challenging. Some old Pong graphics on the display worked, but once you got close, shifting your scan in and out was like checking the fridge while watching the game—not ideal. It was supposed to be replaced by the A-12, but that was canceled, and the A-6 slid into the history books, unable to hand off the football.

‘The F/A-18 Hornet (not to be confused with the Super Hornet, or “Rhino”) was a modification of the losing aircraft in the competition that saw the F-16 come to fruition. It replaced the A-7 Corsair II and they made tremendous improvements on the basic design. It soon became the backbone of Naval Aviation, inspiring a larger brother that finally started to take over the real duties of the A-6E (minus the huge load). While not as fast as many other fighters, it was quick and agile, its advanced flight control system helping even middling pilots look like stars. It was the jack-of-most-trades, able to carry everything from mines to bombs to air-to-air missiles (minus the F-14’s fat baby, the Phoenix). This made it immensely flexible, but its size and fuel load limited its carry. It also meant that the pilots had to keep up on the delivery of all these weapons with near endless study. The official early tag line was, “One plane, one pilot, two missions.” An unofficial ending was soon put on, “one hour, two bombs” referencing its limited range and load. Naval Aviation modified many of its procedures to better wield the Hornet, to include more gas airborne and shorter cycle times (the amount of time between launch and recovery around the boat). It is a very capable air-to-air platform either beyond visual range, or in-close. It doesn’t have as much feel in the seat when coming aboard, but the Hornet’s HUD is a magic ring for getting aboard at night. You put the velocity vector where you wanted to land and that’s where you go—no looking inside required.’

Hibbetts concludes;

‘An overall comparison could be summed up as the old, capable attack aircraft that could carry a lot, a long way, versus a new, capable multi-role fighter able to carry just about anything and deliver it anywhere (as long as there was enough gas available and you aren’t expecting a huge delivery).

‘I’m tremendously thankful to have flown both and while the Hornet got me in and out of combat, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the venerable Intruder.’

Photo by Cdr. John R. Leenhouts, U.S. Navy

October 20, 2023 0 comment

History

The first and only live test of a USAF AIR-2 Genie nuclear-tipped air-to-air rocket by an F-89 Scorpion interceptor

by Till Daisd October 19, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Photographed on July 19, 1957, the first and only live test of a USAF Genie rocket with a nuclear warhead is shown in the video in this post, which was carried out by a USAF Northrop F-89J Scorpion

The video in this post shows a US Air Force (USAF) Northrop F-89J Scorpion carrying out the first and only live test of a USAF Genie rocket equipped with a nuclear warhead on July 19, 1957.

According to This Day In Aviation “On Friday morning, July 19, 1957, a United States Air Force Northrop F-89J Scorpion interceptor, serial number 53-2547, flown by Captain Eric W. Hutchison, Pilot, and Captain Alfred C. Barbee, Radar Intercept Officer, launched a Genie MB-1 unguided rocket at an altitude of 18,500 feet (5,640 meters) over NTS Area 10.

“The rocket accelerated to Mach 3 and traveled 2.6 miles (4,250 meters) in 4.5 seconds when, at 07:00:04.6 a.m., Pacific Daylight Savings Time (14:00 UTC), its W-25 warhead was detonated by a signal from a ground station. The resulting explosive yield was 1.7 kilotons.”

For the Air Defense Command, Northrop created the F-89 as an all-weather fighter-interceptor. The F-89 could find, intercept, and kill enemy aircraft day or night in any weather, with the radar operator in the back seat guiding the pilot. The first F-89 took to the air for the first time in August 1948, and the Air Force started receiving them in July 1950. For the Air Force, Northrop produced 1,050 F-89s in all.

As the first fighter-interceptor for the Air Defense Command to carry nuclear weaponry, Northrop modified 350 F-89Ds into J models. The F-89J’s cruising speed was 465 mph, and it was powered by two Allison J35 engines, each of which had an afterburner and could provide 7,200 pounds of thrust.

For use against enemy bomber formations, the air-to-air AIR-2A Genie rocket has a nuclear warhead. It is propelled by a solid-propellant rocket motor and has no guiding system. The AIR-2 (formerly known as the MB-1) was test-launched for the first time in 1956 and went into service in January 1957.

Interceptor planes like the F-89J, F-101B, and F-106A were principally used to transport the AIR-2A. Before manufacture ceased in 1962, thousands were constructed for the USAF; they were still in use until the mid-1980s. The ATR-2, a training version of the Genie without a nuclear warhead and with an inert rocket motor, was also in use.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

October 19, 2023 0 comment

History

Carmine Vito, the sole U-2 pilot to fly over Moscow, nearly bit his poisonous cyanide pill

by Till Daisd October 18, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘He started to suck on it. Luckily, he realized his mistake in a split second and spit it out in horror before it could take effect. Had he bit down, he would have died instantly and crashed right into Red Square.’ Marty Knutson, the first pilot selected to fly the U-2

Even now, the U-2 is regarded as one of the most cutting-edge aircraft ever created. Since its primary function was strategic reconnaissance, its development in 1954 was shrouded in intense secrecy. It is essentially a powered glider with a sail-plane-like wing and a lightweight structure, designed to fly for extended durations at very high altitudes.

The aircraft was built with high-altitude communications intelligence, electronic intelligence, and all-weather surveillance in mind. Depending on the mission, the U-2 has been equipped with a variety of cameras, electronic intelligence systems, and radar homing and warning systems.

In the late 1950s, early flights over the Soviet Union gave the president and other US decision-makers crucial information on Soviet military capability.

Marty Knutson the first pilot chosen to fly the U-2, recalls this in Ben Rich’s book “Skunk Works.”

‘I was the first pilot selected to fly in the U-2 program and made the third flight over the Soviet Union on the morning of July 8, 1956. I was a twenty-six-year-old with a thousand hours of fighter time. Now here I was flying over Russia in a fragile little airplane with a wingspan as long as the Brooklyn Bridge—and below I could see three hundred miles in every direction. This was enemy territory, big time. In those days, especially, I had a very basic attitude about the Soviet Union—man, it was an evil empire, a forbidding, alien place, and I sure as hell didn’t want to crash-land in the middle of it. I had to pinch myself that I was actually flying over the Soviet Union.

‘I began the day by eating a high-protein breakfast, steak, and eggs, then put on the bulky pressure suit and the heavy helmet and had to lie down in a contour chair for two hours before taking off and breathe pure oxygen. The object was to purge the nitrogen out of my system to avoid getting the bends if I had to come down quick from altitude.

‘I knew from being briefed by the two other guys who flew these missions ahead of me to expect a lot of Soviet air activity. They tracked me from the minute I took off, which was an unpleasant surprise. We thought we would be invisible to their radar at such heights. No dice. Through my drift sight, I saw fifteen Russian MiGs following me from about fifteen thousand feet below.

‘The day before, Carmine Vito had followed the railroad tracks right into Moscow and actually saw two MiGs collide and crash while attempting to climb to his altitude.

‘Vito had a close call. The ground crew had put his poison cyanide pill in the wrong pocket. We were issued the pill in case of capture, torture, and all that good stuff, but given the option whether to use it or not.

‘But Carmine didn’t know the cyanide was in the right breast pocket of his coveralls when he dropped in a fistful of lemon-flavored cough drops. The cyanide pill was supposed to be in an inside pocket. Vito felt his throat go dry as he approached Moscow for the first time—who could blame him? So, he fished in his pocket for a cough drop, grabbed the cyanide pill instead, and popped it into his mouth.

‘He started to suck on it. Luckily, he realized his mistake in a split second and spit it out in horror before it could take effect. Had he bit down, he would have died instantly and crashed right into Red Square. Just imagine the international uproar!

‘I kept my cyanide pill in an inside pocket and prayed that I would not have an engine flameout.’

Check out the Habubrats Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

October 18, 2023 0 comment

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