[Llarry]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Interesting article about the Air Force's "Rapid Dragon" initiative to use large cargo planes as attack platforms by using palletized weapons:

https://www.businessinsider.com/soco...-weapon-2024-3

Sort of makes sense when the C-17 can carry three times as many long-range precision munitions (such as cruise missiles) as a B-52 bomber.....

I take @flybigjet's point on the vulnerability of cargo aircraft to air defenses, but if you eliminate the palletized part of the concept, you potentially are talking about an AC-130 gunship, which does routinely operate over the heads of Bad Guys and has the EW equipment and an EWO to help keep it safe. The C-17, not so much. As far as the pallets of weapons, I suspect an AC-130J cannot open the rear ramp and there would be equipment in the way of any pallets anyway. The article mentions MC-130Js and C-17s. The MC-130J, like its AC brother, has a decent countermeasures capability, I think.

If the C-17A production line -- long cold -- were hot, I suppose you could consider an AC-17.

[Llarry]

The U.S. Air Force's fleet of Northrop T-38 trainers is getting old, and the successor T-7A trainer has been selected and under development for several years. 2025 plans indicate a further delay of about a year: The USAF will buy 7 T-7As in 2025 and now projects a total of 346 total aircraft when the buy is complete.

[Llarry]

U.S. Navy patrol and maritime reconnaissance aviation - an update.

For a number of years, the USN has maintained 12 patrol squadrons (VP) with 6 P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft each: 6 VPs based at Jacksonville, Florida and 6 VPs based at Whidbey Island, Washington. The Navy Reserve has also operated two VPs with older P-3C Orion turboprop aircraft, but they have now transitioned to the P-8A as well. Apparently longer-term Navy planning is to disestablish two active-duty VPs in a few years as there are not enough P-8As to go around.

In addition to the above patrol squadrons, there is a Fleet Replacement Squadron with P-8As at Jacksonville that trains aircrews and maintainers.

There is also a Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron, VQ-1, that flies SIGINT collection missions worldwide with a few aging EP-3E Aries II aircraft. This mission is to be assumed by unmanned aircraft in the near future.

The unmanned aircraft, the MQ-4C Triton, is now fully operational in the Pacific and based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, with 4 MQ-4Cs assigned. A second forward location at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, is soon to be operational with 4 more MQ-4Cs. A third operating location -- at a yet to be disclosed location -- is planned. All the MQ-4Cs are operated by Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19 based in Jacksonville and its detachments.

The final piece of the patrol and reconnaissance force is Special Projects Patrol Squadron (VPU) 2, also based at Jacksonville and flying the P-8A. Not much is known about this secretive unit.

With the exception of the P-8A training squadron, all of these units deploy worldwide, either as whole squadrons or detachments, as required.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

U.S. Navy patrol and maritime reconnaissance aviation

A bit of elaboration on the last post:

Each patrol squadron (with 6 active P-8As) has 12 aircrews assigned. Each aircrew has 3 Naval Aviators (pilots), 2 Naval Flight Officers (tactical coordinators), 3 enlisted sensor operators and an inflight technician, for a total crew of 9. That's a total of 108 aircrew per squadron; with maintainers and other personnel, the squadron has a total of 270 personnel. See attached photos of the P-8A flight deck and the mission consoles. Note that there are also crew rest seats for long-duration missions.

Each MQ-4C operating location has 43 personnel assigned to maintain and turnaround the assigned unmanned aircraft. That operating location also is assigned 10 aircrews, who may be elsewhere, as satellite communications are used for the aircraft. Each aircrew has one air vehicle operator (pilot), one tactical coordinator and two enlisted mission payload operators. I've been unable to find a photo of the operating console for the MQ-4C.

With three operating locations, the total number of active MQ-4Cs at any one time will be 12. The Navy plans to buy 27 MQ-4Cs to allow for periodic depot-level maintenance or losses.

[Llarry]

After Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of World War II, there were many in the military who thought that any future wars would be fought using nuclear bombs. The Army Air Force's (and soon the U.S. Air Force's) Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the proven delivery platform. Many in the Air Force, and in the other services as well, thought that the Air Force would play an overwhelming role in any future conflict.

There was some thought in the Navy, however, that recognized the role that naval aviation could play in a future war. But existing carrier aircraft were simply too small to carry the massive early nuclear bombs. The first series-produced bomb, the Mark 4, was 60 inches in diameter and 128 inches long and weighed almost 11,000 pounds. The Mark 4 was soon succeeded by the Mark 6 which was about the same size but lighter.

The first effort in the Navy came in the adaptation of the Lockheed P2V Neptune patrol plane as a nuclear bomber. 11 P2V-3s were modified as P2V-3Cs. Takeoff would be using JATO rockets and a tailhook was provided for landings. Preliminary tests showed that landing aboard would be impracticable, and the tail hooks were removed. The concept then became a carrier takeoff, dropping the bomb and a flight to a friendly country. If that was impossible, the P2V-3C would ditch near a U.S. Navy ship with the hope of recovering the crew.

A more usable solution would come with a very large carrier aircraft and the North American AJ Savage was chosen. The AJ was a three-engine plane with 2 R-2800 prop engines and a jet in the tail behind the large bomb bay. Unfortunately, the AJ proved to be marginal as a carrier aircraft; it was just so large that deck handling proved a major problem. While it had folding wings and vertical tail, it did not help that ground crews using special equipment had to do the folding and unfolding. Despite the fact that the mission was considered critical, the AJ was unpopular on carrier decks. The AJs were frequently sent ashore in Morocco or Japan on alert to return to the carrier to load the bombs if needed.

In the meantime, the Korean War had demonstrated that not all wars would not become inevitably nuclear, which took some of the pressure off the situation.

The ultimate solution would come with the AJ's replacement, the Douglas A3D (new A-3) Skywarrior and with new larger aircraft carriers that could better handle such large aircraft. At the same time, smaller nuclear bombs were developed that eliminated the need for a very large bomb bay.

[Llarry]

This was a gas station and snack bar in Portland, Oregon, for many years (1950s? 1960s?) -- long gone now.

[Llarry]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are coming, like it or not. The U.S. Navy has purchased Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout helicopter UAVs to operate from the Navy's littoral combat ships (LCSs). The Independence-class LCSs with their odd trimaran hull are all based in the Pacific and operate detachments with one manned MH-60S helo and one MQ-8C UAV helo per ship when deployed. The Navy hemmed and hawed a bit, but in the end decided not to arm the MQ-8C but to use it to extend the ship's sensors.

The MQ-8C is based on the Bell 407 helicopter and has good performance for the UAV mission, including excellent endurance. Of course you want to maintain contact with the UAV which minimizes the distance you want it to travel but stationing the MQ-8C several dozen miles from the ship for 10+ hours is a real advantage.

The Navy has not jumped in with both feet, though: They bought 38 MQ-8Cs, all stationed on the west coast. 10 Fire Scouts are active at any given time, with the other 28 in storage and available to cover potential losses, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northr...-8C_Fire_Scout

[Llarry]

In the early days of Navy helicopter use, it was difficult to find a place to land the helicopter on a surface warship. In this 1951 case, the heavy cruiser USS Albany (CA 123) offered the top of one of the gun turrets as a clear area where a helo might hover like this Sikorsky HO3S is doing.

Note that it's got to be at least 15-20 feet above a standing person's head that those rotor blades are a danger, but everybody ducks anyway.

[Llarry]

Here's a rarely-photographed aircraft -- no, not the EA-18G Growler in the foreground -- but a Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force OP-3C intelligence collection aircraft.

[ash_schwin]

Love me some F-22 Raptors

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by Llarry

This was a gas station and snack bar in Portland, Oregon, for many years (1950s? 1960s?) — long gone now.

Crawled up to the cockpit as a youth. Took it down in 2014 for restoration. I think they did the story on Strange Inheritances. Believe covid killed the restaurant in 2020. Sad.

Llarry didn't they take it to a warehouse in Milwaukie?

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

Crawled up to the cockpit as a youth. Took it down in 2014 for restoration. I think they did the story on Strange Inheritances. Believe covid killed the restaurant in 2020. Sad.

Llarry didn't they take it to a warehouse in Milwaukie?

The non-profit B-17 Alliance is restoring the B-17 in Hangar “C” at Oregon’s historic McNary Field/Salem Municipal Airport.

https://b17alliance.com/mission/

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

The non-profit B-17 Alliance is restoring the B-17 in Hangar “C” at Oregon’s historic McNary Field/Salem Municipal Airport.

I knew there was an M in the name. It's been 10 years. Any progress reports?

Edit... duh. Didn't see your link

Edit x2.....OK, they've raised enough to clean 2 of the landing gear. They are a loooooong way from completion. Gonna be awhile.

[Llarry]

It's Tomcat Day!

Here's a Jolly Rogers F-14 posing nicely for the camera, and one playing with Mach 1 and the shock waves.

[Llarry]

The Grumman A-6A and later A-6E were the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps' standard all-weather medium attack aircraft for many years from the mid-1960s until the end of the century.

Ever-increasing demand for inflight refueling caused the Navy to undertake the conversion of earlier A-6As into KA-6D carrier-based air refueling aircraft. Much of the complex attack avionics was removed and a refueling hose reel was installed behind the wings with the outlet visible under 'NAVY' on the aircraft pictured. The fuselage-mounted hose reel occasionally gave problems and so there was a backup refueling pod often installed on the aircraft belly. And to maximize available fuel, four external fuel tanks were usually carried as well.

By the time this photo was taken, the traditional gray uppers and white lowers had been replaced by the tactical paint scheme with shades of gray. However, KA-6Ds such as this one were not expected to see combat and so often retained their previous gray & white scheme.

This KA-6D belongs to Attack Squadron 185, mostly assigned A-6Es but with a couple of KA-6Ds as well. VA-185 was one of two small A-6 squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing Five on the USS Midway (CV 41) homeported in Japan This one is landing: Note the open speed brakes on the wingtips.

[Llarry]

The Radia Windrunner is a proposal for the world's largest aircraft -- built solely to transport huge wind turbine blades to their turbine locations. As such, it would use unimproved (or perhaps barely improved) temporary runways.

The Windrunner's dimensions are amazing: 108 meters long x 80 meters span. The relatively small span probably makes sense given that the cargo (two wind turbine blades at a time) is relatively light.

The underlying principle is that larger wind turbines would be more cost-effective, but transporting the turbine blades of such size is currently impossible. The Windrunner would make such transport viable.

https://radia.com/windrunner

[Llarry]

A possible candidate for the world's ugliest fighter: The SAAB J29 Tunnan (barrel), which first flew in 1948 and was a pioneer of swept-wing technology.

https://en.wikipeida.org/wiki/Saab_29_Tunnan

[Llarry]

Discussing colors and markings on military aircraft is a good way to get into an argument, but I would say that my favorite of all time is the livery on VF-84 Jolly Rogers F-4 Phantoms of the 1960s-70s. This photo is an F-4N from 1975.

Here's a close runner-up, though; another F-4N but from the VF-161 Chargers based in Japan. VF-161 later got F-4Ss and ultimately was replaced by a Hornet squadron.

Note that these were the days when all the aircraft were colorful; not just the two per squadron allowed these days.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Discussing colors and markings on military aircraft is a good way to get into an argument...

On the other hand -- arguing with myself here -- I've already gone on record as saying the best-looking aircraft of all time is the Vought F-8 Crusader.

So, combine an F-8 with some cool squadron markings and what do you have? A potential winner!

This is an F-8H of VF-211 'Checkmates' on board the aircraft carrier USS Hancock during a 1968-69 Vietnam War cruise.

VF-211 went on to fly the F-14 for a number of years and currently flies the F-18E Super Hornet. As you can see from the second and third photos, the 'Checkmates' tradition continues.

The fourth photo shows a painting of a VF-211 FJ-3M from 1956 -- those markings have a long tradition.

[Llarry]

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps adversary squadrons are all Reserve units (with some active-duty personnel attached as well). As previously reported here, the paint jobs are interesting.

The Navy & Marine F-5s came from the Swiss Air Force, where they were well-maintained low-hour aircraft. They were given some modifications and designated as F-5N (16 single-seaters) and kept their F-5F designations (6 two-seaters). They are now being given glass cockpits and as they are modified become F-5N+ and F-5F+ aircraft. I think the intent is to keep them around for quite a while. They are assigned to two Navy and two Marine adversary squadrons.

Anyway, the paint schemes on the adversary aircraft are always entertaining.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Llarry

This was a gas station and snack bar in Portland, Oregon, for many years (1950s? 1960s?) -- long gone now.

Treating a B-17 like that is sacrilege. Same, same P-51's on a stick somewhere in South America. Sacrilege!

[vreihen16]

So, tell us how you feel about gate guardians?????