[Llarry]

The Vietnam War saw continuous moves and countermoves by the combatants centered around U.S. air strikes and Vietnamese air defenses.

The most famous U.S. Air Force effort in this regard was the series of aircraft known as Wild Weasel.

Initially, North Vietnamese air defenses were rudimentary but as pressure from U.S. airstrikes increased, Soviet (and some Chinese) assistance was provided to N. Vietnam to increase air defenses. This included command and control systems, radar fire control for larger antiaircraft guns and ultimately surface-to-air missiles.

The U.S. watched these improvements and devised countermeasures of several kinds. The Wild Weasel program was specialized USAF fighter units who would deliberately provoke air defense systems in order to locate and destroy them. A dangerous business and the motto of Wild Weasel was YGBSM (You've gotta be shitting me!)

The first platform for Wild Weasel was the two seat North American F-100F Super Sabre (the Hun) with a pilot up front and an electronic warfare officer (EWO) in the rear seat. Wild Weasel I, as it was known, did not really have the required performance and was short-lived.

The next step was Wild Weasel II, the Republic F-105F two seat version of the Thunderchief (Thud). This had the required performance, but the systems were not quite up to the task. A number of F-105Fs were converted to dedicated Wild Weasel III F-105Gs and they carried the load for much of the war.

The F-4 Phantom II was a natural platform for the task and 36 F-4Cs were modified into Wild Weasel IV aircraft mid-war. The ultimate Wild Weasel, though, was the F-4G Wild Weasel V, a conversion of F-4E airframes that deleted the cannon and other equipment and incorporated sophisticated electronic support measures. The F-4G also had greater weapons capability but did not become operational until the end of the Vietnam War.

The Wild Weasel mission after retirement of the F-4 in the 1990s became a mission assigned to variants of the F-16C Viper and remains to this day.

Wild Weasel weapons included the AGM-45 Shrike radar-homing missile, the larger AGM-78 Standard ARM missile and a variety of other missiles and bombs. One issue with using radar homing was that the missile homed in on and destroyed the antenna, but not necessarily the missile launchers or operators.

Wild Weasel was an Air Force mission. The same mission by the Navy was designated Iron Hand and did not have nearly as many specially modified aircraft assigned.

[Llarry]

The U.S. Marine Corps is well along in the process of converting its fighter force to predominately short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) fighter with the F-35B.

That process started in 1968, when three Marine officers went to the UK to test-fly the Royal Air Force's new Harrier STOVL aircraft. They immediately saw the potential for increasing the Marine's combat power and convinced the leadership of the Corps that the Marines had to buy and deploy Harriers. Harriers could be deployed on amphibious assault ships and could operate from austere facilities ashore.

The funds for the first dozen USMC AV-8A Harriers came quickly as funds were reprogrammed from F-4 purchases. There was some talk of building the aircraft in the USA but in the end, Hawker Siddeley produced all first-generation Harriers. 108 single seat AV-8As and 8 two seat TAV-8A trainers were purchased.

By 1972 the first Marine AV-8A Harriers were ready; Three Marine attack squadrons were each assigned 20 AV-8As and there was also a small training squadron.

Marine Harriers soon went to sea, both on aircraft carriers and on helicopter carriers. But the AV-8A's limitations were recognized early-on -- the plane's range, endurance and weapons-carrying capabilities were limited. Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce continuously improved the Pegasus engine, designated F402 by the U.S. but the improvements came slowly.

In the late 1970s, the Harrier took a major step forward with a collaborative effort involving Hawker Siddeley, McDonnell-Douglas and Rolls-Royce. The latest F402 put out 24,500 pounds of thrust. A new graphite composite wing of greater area that also held more fuel was developed. The cockpit of the new AV-8B was 10 inches higher that the AV-8A's, greatly improving pilot view. The AV-8B became a largely American project, as the RAF lacked funding for a new Harrier.

The prototype AV-8B first flew in 1981 and 306 AV-8Bs were bought by the Marines, which resulted in an all-STOVL force of light attack aircraft. The Corps also bought 20+ TAV-8B training versions, which were considered essential, as the Harrier had a relatively high accident rate.

Further developments followed. Night attack AV-8Bs came off the production line and included a forward-looking infrared sensor just ahead of the windscreen. Older models were updated. The ultimate version, though, was the AV-8B Plus of the 1990s, which added a radar nose in addition to the FLIR.

Large-deck amphibious assault ships normally deployed with a detachment of six AV-8Bs in addition to the many helicopters assigned.

The final step for Marine aviation was giving the fighter force STOVL capabilities and the Marines are now going to an all-STOVL force of supersonic low-observable strike fighters with the F-35B. The two remaining AV-8B squadrons and two F-18 squadrons will transition to F-35Bs by 2030. (Note, however, that the Marines also plan to augment Navy carrier air wings with four F-35C carrier versions.)

The final photo shows an uninstalled Pratt & Whitney/Rolls-Royce F135 engine of the F-35B. The Pegasus engine of the Harrier never gave more than 25,000 or so pounds of thrust. The F135 totals 41,900 pounds of vertical thrust!

[M-technik-3]

So complex it's no wonder it has so many issues.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

So complex it's no wonder it has so many issues.

Agreed. In warfare, the KISS principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid) is often overlooked-- and it shouldn't be.

In the (paraphrased) words of Scotty from Star Trek-- "The more complicated they make the pumping, the easier it is to stop up."

R.

[SpeedBuggy]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Active U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps units have all transitioned to the improved C-130J model. Many Air National Guard airlift squadrons have upgraded to the J and the Marine Corps Reserve transition to KC-130Js is well underway. Two Air Force Reserve and the Navy's five small Reserve C-130 units continue to fly old C-130H aircraft — C-130T in the case of the Navy Reserve. (There are no Navy active C-130 transport squadrons.)

The Navy C-130Ts were some of the last pre-J aircraft built, so they are likely to be last in line to upgrade, if they upgrade at all.

Here is a C-130T of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 55 (VR-55) from Point Mugu, California. preparing to land. Note that this aircraft has been fitted with upgraded 8-blade propellors. (The C-130J uses different 6-blade props.)

Local Youngstown 910th Air Wing Air Reserve Station getting 8 of the C-130J-30, stretched version over the next couple of years. These are replacing C-130H that been out here for 30 years. Two have arrived and have seen them up flying, still trying to get familiar with them as they pass over. Can tell slightly larger and a bit of different sound.

We're only about 5 miles by the way the crow flies from the air base, typically see these guys on low approach as they are taking off/landing.

We also get the occasional C17's and KC135's and other air force planes in for flight operations. Sky's get pretty interesting around here on occasion.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by SpeedBuggy

Local Youngstown 910th Air Wing Air Reserve Station getting 8 of the C-130J-30, stretched version over the next couple of years. These are replacing C-130H that been out here for 30 years. Two have arrived and have seen them up flying, still trying to get familiar with them as they pass over. Can tell slightly larger and a bit of different sound.

Is the 910th still flying the Hs alongside the new Js during the transition or have the Hs all gone away?

[SpeedBuggy]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Is the 910th still flying the Hs alongside the new Js during the transition or have the Hs all gone away?

Yes, still flying the H's alongside the J's.
Sometime thru 2026 suppose to deliver the last J. The H's are being assigned to undisclosed National Guard units.

[aerof16]

My contributions from my (now) part-time job…

[M-technik-3]

This is my buddies airframe.


He is a EE Contractor that gets to put all sorts of things in and on these.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

This is my buddies airframe.
He is a EE Contractor that gets to put all sorts of things in and on these.

Dornier Wolfhound C-146 (Do-328-120)

[M-technik-3]

Yeah he gets to play with all sorts of toys. I miss aviation at times and other times I like my boring 40 hour week with 4 day work week.

[aerof16]

300’ AGL and 500 knots through the Sierra Nevadas.

[Lady Jane]

Bréguet Atlantic. A room with a view.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%..._1150_Atlantic

[vreihen16]

.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Attachment 3690073



.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an airline pilot with a beard. Something about
how the emergency oxygen mask doesn’t seal well. ��

[JJ 911SC]

Positive pressure should take care of that. Gaz mask is another story ask me how I know. We had to go in the gas chamber to be able to keep the beard.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an airline pilot with a beard. Something about
how the emergency oxygen mask doesn’t seal well. ��

A lot of Asian and European carriers allow it.

Funnily enough, it's not a FAR requirement. But, none of the US carriers that I know of allow beards. The old "the O2 mask won't fit" line has been the excuse that's always been used since the FAA came out with a 1987 advisory circular, "The Influence of Beards on Oxygen Mask Efficiency".

Personally? I suspect it's simply more along the lines of "We don't want to have scruffy pilots or be the beard police."

R.

[Llarry]

The Rockwell XFV-12A was a prototype supersonic VTOL fighter of the 1970s. It was powered by an extremely powerful F401 afterburning turbofan -- the same engine that the Navy wanted to put into the F-14B Tomcat but never funded. (It would be the 1980s until the F-14 got a proper engine.)

To some extent, the problem was a lack of imagination... taking off vertically with a full load of fuel and weapons was a formidable task, and the XFV-12A simply did not have enough lift power. Had the design been recast as a short-takeoff/vertical landing design (a la F-35B today) there might have been a chance of success.

The very powerful engine also suffered power loss from extensive ducting. In addition, the XFV-12A concept was a Navy project for an aircraft to operate from small aircraft carriers and those never materialized. Testing of the single prototype began in 1977; results were disappointing, and the project was cancelled in 1981.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell_XFV-12A

[Llarry]

A gaggle of F-5Ns of VMFT-401 based at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, and tasked with adversary training. -401 has a VMFT-402 counterpart based at MCAS Beaufort, S. Carolina. Both small squadrons are reserve units.

The F-5Ns are former Swiss F-5E and are being upgraded with glass cockpits.