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10-17-2024, 07:09 AM | #3147 |
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Tomcat Thursday!
Two squadrons of F-14D Tomcats on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The only other aircraft on deck are four MH-60 helicopters, folded and parked by the carrier's island.
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10-17-2024, 09:25 AM | #3148 |
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The Grumman S-2 Tracker or "Stoof" was a long-serving U.S. Navy carrier-based antisubmarine aircraft that was one of the last operational piston engine-powered aircraft produced for the Navy. It also saw widespread use in other countries as both carrier- and land-based ASW and maritime patrol aircraft.
In the 1960s, the Navy decided that a modern replacement aircraft was needed for the S-2. Various options -- and various engines -- were considered and Lockheed, not normally a supplier of carrier aircraft but very experienced in land-based patrol & ASW airplanes such as the P-2 Neptune and the P-3 Orion, was selected to develop what became the S-3 Viking. The prototype S-3 first flew in early 1972. It was powered by a new small turbofan engine, the General Electric TF34 (which also powered the A-10 Warthog). The test program went fairly smoothly and the first fleet S-3As were delivered in 1973, with the first full squadron deployment in 1976. The S-3A was greatly improved over the S-2, with jet performance that far exceeded the older airplane's. Although initial plans were for embarkation on ASW carriers (older World War II-era ships that had been updated with angled decks, etc.) the Vietnam War had worn those ships out and they were retired about the time the S-3A entered service. The revised plan was to embark a small air ASW S-3 squadron on each attack carrier. The Navy took delivery of 187 S-3As, and starting in 1987 updated the force with newer systems as the S-3B. In the fleet the S-3 acquired the nickname "Hoover" due to the distinctive sound of its TF34 engines. With the end of the Cold War, the need for carrier-based ASW aircraft was considered less important. In 1999, the serving S-3Bs began to have their ASW systems removed, and the aircraft became an important asset in the aerial refueling role while retaining some weapons capability in low-threat environments. In 2004-2008 the refueling mission was assumed by F-18E/F Super Hornets and the S-3 was retired. There was some sentiment afterwards for the return of S-3s from the boneyard to carrier decks, but that never happened and the carrier-based ASW mission is filled by MH-60R helicopters, which of course have far less range than the S-3. Post-script: Six early S-3A airframes were converted to carrier-capable COD (transport) airplanes and flown by VRC-50 "Foo Dogs" for a number of years. They could carry a cargo pod on the wing station. See last photo (cargo pod not depicted.)
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10-18-2024, 07:59 AM | #3149 |
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Here's a comparison between the Vought F-8 Crusader -- the first truly supersonic U.S. Navy/Marine fighter, which first flew in 1955 -- and the Vought A-7 Corsair II -- a design derived from the F-8 but optimized for the attack mission, which first flew in 1965. The A-7 took the basic design of the F-8 and:
-- Shortened the airframe to allow more aircraft on the crowded decks of aircraft carriers -- Replaced the afterburning J57 engine of the F-8 with a fuel-sipping non-afterburning turbofan -- Modified the wing for additional fuel capacity and subsonic flight -- Added more wing pylons for carrying weapons or external fuel -- Substituted attack-oriented radar for the fighter's air intercept radar Here an A-7B of VA-155 "Silver Foxes" refuels an F-8J of VF-191 "Satan's Kittens" during the Vietnam War.
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10-18-2024, 09:10 AM | #3150 |
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The F-8 Crusader also brought Navy and Marine Corps photo reconnaissance into the supersonic age with the RF-8A variant (old F8U-1P). The F8U-1P first flew in late 1956 and 144 were delivered to the Navy and Marines through 1960.
One of the early production F8U-1Ps, flown by Marine Major John Glenn (later astronaut and U.S. senator) set a transcontinental speed record in July 1957 at an average speed of 726 mph. In 1962, Navy and Marine RF-8As played a major role, along with Air Force RF-101s and U-2s, in the Cuban Missile Crisis by flying hazardous low-level missions over Cuba to photograph missile sites. Probably the most important contributions of photo Crusaders came during the Vietnam War. RF-8As flew missions over North and South Vietnam. Many were lost to enemy air defenses. Navy RF-8s were organized into two very large squadrons -- one on the East coast and one in the West -- which would send detachments of 3-4 RF-8s on aircraft carrier deployments. Marine photo Crusaders were assigned to three composite squadrons which also operated electronic warfare aircraft. In 1965, a remanufacturing program was started to update 73 RF-8As to an improved RF-8G configuration with stronger wing spars, ventral fins for improved stability at high speed and other changes. A couple of years later, the Marines replaced their RF-8s with RF-4B Phantoms; The two Navy squadrons and several small Marine Corps Reserve squadrons continued to fly the RF-8G. The photo Crusaders were the last F-8s to serve: Long after retirement of the type from active duty, two Naval Reserve squadrons operated RF-8Gs until 1987, long after the retirement of the F-8 fighter versions.
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10-18-2024, 10:23 PM | #3151 |
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I've posted quite a few times about vintage U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviation and there's always the issue of the massive change of aircraft designations that took place in 1962, when the Navy system of designations (used by the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard) was changed to conform to the Air Force system. (1962 also changed the Army designations to conform to the USAF system, but I post less about Army aviation.)
Here's a cheat sheet, with the new designation and the old equivalents for the most important aircraft types: New designation . . . . . . . . . Old designation A-1 Skyraider . . . . . . . . . . . . AD A-3 Skywarrior . . . . . . . . . . A3D A-4 Skyhawk . . . . . . . . . . . . A4D A-5 Vigilante . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3J A-6 Intruder . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2F C-1 Trader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TF C-45 Twin Beech . . . . . . . . . . SNB C-47 & C-117 Skytrain . . . . . . R4D C-54 Skymaster . . . . . . . . . . R5D C-118 Liftmaster . . . . . . . . . . R6D C-121 Constellation . . . . . . . . . R7V (The EC-121 was formerly the WV) C-130 Hercules . . . . . . . . . . . . GV (G = tanker) E-1 Tracer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WF E-2 Hawkeye . . . . . . . . . . . . . W2F F-4 Phantom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F4H (USAF Phantoms were also redesignated from F-110 to F-4) F-8 Crusader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F8U F-9 Cougar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9F F-11 Tiger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F11F H-2 Seasprite . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HU2K H-3 Sea King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HSS-2 H-34 Seahorse/Seabat . . . . . . . .HSS (Seabat), HUS (Seahorse) P-2 Neptune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P2V P-3 Orion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P3V P-5 Marlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P5M S-2 Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S2F T-2 Buckeye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T2J U-16 Albatross . . . . . . . . . . . . . UF Sorta makes your eyes glaze over, huh? And this is a simplified list.
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10-20-2024, 08:55 AM | #3152 |
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Both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan pursued extremely long-range bombers to attack their U.S. enemy, but none became operational. In the case of Japan, the Nakajima G10N Fugaku was a Japanese Navy concept for a six-engine very heavy bomber that existed only on paper.
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10-20-2024, 09:13 AM | #3153 |
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Assuming it was pressurized and would cruise at altitude maybe on 4 engines vs using six?
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10-20-2024, 09:24 AM | #3154 | |
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Some other (conceptualized) specs: Length 40 m (131 feet) and span 63 m (207 feet). Loaded weight 160,000 kg (352,000+ pounds.) It would have dwarfed the B-29.
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10-22-2024, 06:31 AM | #3155 |
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I've previously posted about the U.S. Navy's TACAMO aircraft -- these are the airplanes that provide critical links between national command authorities and the strategic missile submarines (SSBNs) and Air Force ICBM forces of the United States.
The TACAMO aircraft date to the 1960s, when the concept of an airborne very low frequency communications link to submerged submarines was born. By 1966, modified C-130s were being used to communicate with the SSBNs. In 1990, the Boeing E-6A based on a 707 airframe was introduced to replace the EC-130s. In 1998, the Navy E-6 force also assumed responsibility for communicating with land-based USAF strategic forces with an updated E-6B. The Navy's force of E-6Bs, based at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma but deploying both east and west, are getting long in the tooth and are now to be replaced by a new C-130J variant. But the Navy has a small problem -- they can't designate it as an EC-130J as the Air Force already had an aircraft with that designation used for electronic warfare. The solution? Drop the C and call it the E-130J. These electronic mission -130Js are not the only problem with C-130J variants. There are already two different aircraft designated HC-130J: A USAF HC-130J used by special operations for helicopter refueling, etc., and a Coast Guard HC-130J used for traditional USCG search and rescue duties. E-130Js are scheduled to replace the current small E-6B force and will continue to be based in Oklahoma. The first E-130J will be produced in 2026.
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10-22-2024, 02:27 PM | #3156 | |
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our local airport when I was a kid. The sight of these 2 awesome aircraft sitting on the ramp created quite a stir among local “puddle jumper” pilots. The 2 Crusaders were getting low on fuel, so made the precautionary landings, even though the runway length was just barely adequate. Navy support personnel arrived in soon thereafter to guard the airplanes and refuel. I remember the noise when they departed the next day.
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10-22-2024, 04:10 PM | #3157 | |
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Yesterday, 07:27 AM | #3158 |
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I'm not sure that faster was a major determining factor, although in an emergency I suspect you want to get over water sooner. I think loiter time is a big deal for the TACAMO mission. Perhaps the twin engine versus four engine angle played a role in the selection of a C-130.
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Yesterday, 08:33 AM | #3159 |
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It was probably all congresscritters looking out for the defense contractors in their districts, and not based on any actual technological reason.....
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