CONTENTS Introduction Airco,cBeech Bell Boeing Cessna -_. Consolidated Convair Curtiss Douglas Eurocopter
6 10 12
_
Fa irchild~_-o_ General Dynamics Grumman Hiller Hughes Kaman Lockheed/Lockheed Martin Martin McDonnell/McDonnell Do.ugla,,,-s NorthAmerican Northrop Piasecki Piper Republic Rockwell Seversky Sikorsky _ Vought _ __ Vultee
20 36 _ _ _ _ _ _ 80 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 88 96
106 124 158 160 ---.0
_
168 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 172
214 218
220 224 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 276 _
292
_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _
334 362
372 _.
376 378 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _390
_
398 400 430 444
AMERICAN MIUTARY AIRCRAfT
INTRODUCTION Th is book features just some of the many hundreds of aircraft types developed for military use In the United States of America, and a few developed outside that have made a significant contribution to the US services. The early years USA was o ne o f the first nati ons to ex plore the lise o f hea vie r-than-air craft for m ilitary purposes , till" Arm y lest i n~ a \'('ri~h t biplane in I9OH, a nd prol,:uring thei r ve l)' first a ircraft (an other W'rig ht) fo r $2';,00 0 in l yOY, a fortune at the lime ,
TIl l '
Prog n.'s." wa s ra pid, an d in till" yva rs 1910- 11 ma ny firsts we re ach ieved in milita ry av iation. Ai rcraft we re fl own o n a nd o tT ships, the first military gun was fired from a n ae roplane ( in th e l ;SA, 'aeroplane' a nd 'a irp lane' we re more o r It·s s intercha ngeable in the ea rlj-
operated. In April 19l-i Curtiss Ali
flyin~
I:n lts
made the fi rst wartime operations hy Am erican m ilitary a ircra ft d uring the
Vl'r.l Cruz incident involving un re st in ~ !t' xico . An Arm y Aviation Sectio n (o f the Signa l Corps) was fo rmed just before the o ut bre ak of \Xhrld Wa r J ... A rrio o f F· 4B Phantom lis of VF·I02 pt'epCIres for launch from one of rhe bow catapuJls on the US S EntlHpfise.
•
that August. Active US in volvement in th e w a r be ga n in 19 17, but US pilots had flown with the E..cad nlle Am(orica inl' ( late r La fa yet te E..ca d rillc) s ince e a rly 1916. Despilt.' (he afon-mcnt toncd ploncen ng de velopme nts a nd am ple tim e to prepart' fo r war, the USA developed very few d fl't1in' comhat a ircra ft before 191 8. The Na\'y did useful work in Europe an W:ltl'r.> wit h a nu mber o f CS-hu ilt Jlyin~ bo ats an d seapla nes hut th e CS Army Air Service in France was ex cl usively equip ped with foreign
aircraft. including French SPAn and xieuport flghtcrs an d British Ain u DH A hglu bombers. TIll' DB A was the first military machine mas...-produccd in th e United Stales, The Th omas ~Iorse ~m- 3 s..:OU I (or 'To m my ~Iorse' ) was th e first Am eri ca n-designed fighter hui lt in la rge quant itie s, h ut it d id not appear until 1l.)1 9. Dur ing: the 1920s a nd ea rly 19.30s funding fo r the US ar med fo rces was kept a t a \'l'I)' low le vel hy succes si\'t' administranons . Ge ne ra l 'Billy' Mitch ell's demonstrations of the ability of la nd -ba sed aircraft 10 de stro y ships at sea fo ste red inte rsc rvice rivalries in a n e ra when the Anny a nd :-':avy had to fight for l'\uy budge t dollar .
INTRODUCTION
Pro pone nts o f str.lIe~ ic airpower and the Ita lian General Doubet's theory that 'the bomber wo uld always Ret throu gh ' de bated whet he r giant slr.lteRic bombers or \;I~l'r numbers of fasr. li~h liy armed aircraft weft;' the way ahead. Several huge o ne ..o ff ai rcraft were con....true-ted a nd impressed crowd... at inte rwar air races (as d id many Arm y Air Co rps 'pursu it ships '. o r fiHhlers ), hu t eventu ally two classes of bomber - "I ll-av)'" (such as the 1\-.-1 7) a nd 'Medium' th kc the B-2;) - were se ttled o n.
Carrier air power Following the Royal Navy's lead, the
us Navy developed airo ';lft carr ie rs mo re o r less as we know them. altho ugh it would ta ke fu rther British Invcnuons after Wo rld War I 10 make them the inst ruments o f globa l po w e r the y are today. The sa me few ships went from decks pack ed w ith ye llow a nd stlvcr b ipla ne s to blue a nd Rft;'y monoplanes able to carry useful and d Tt..' l1ive wa rloa dr.... a nd pave d the wa y
for the fleets of E...sex -Clast.. shi ps tha i would serve from World War II th ro ugh to the vietnam era. Various d ifferent ma nufacturers dominated the supply of c'a mer..based ai rcra ft in the yt."'.lrs after 'x orld War II. 'AII-DOlIKlas' air win Rs equipped wit h the Skyraidc r. Skyhawk. Skyr.ty a nd Skywamor gave way to so me 'a llGrumman' decks I'Ionu-at . Intruder. Prowle r. Hawke ye , Greyhound). Today Boeing ( th rough acquf ition. merger and partn ership ) st,."t... m. po i ~'I.1 to dominate lilt;' nt..·ar..lo..mid futu re wnh th e Hornet and Su per Ho rnet in various configurations. and the V-22 Os prey tiltroror.
Ge rman and japanese aircraft . new versions a nd new desiHns soon caught up. America 's 'a rse nal of democracy' hui lt over 100.000 ai rcraft for it~'l f and il:; allies. more tha n the OUlpUI o f a ll the Axis rowers combined. The US
•
A 80eirlg EJ. f 1 of Itle 7th 80mb Group
cames !he o6W chb Mtd grey eamoc.rl7age ~
appIfed to USAAC airuaft aft .. !he US _ tenfd WOrld W. II.
... Dougta:s SBD-S ~ ~ from. mission. The 1IIftNIst airual'J has irs a1f defensive 9IIlS deployed from fhe roaT cockpit.
World War II The mo nths be tween Se ptember 19j 9 and December 19·j} allow ed the USA 10 move its industry to a war footing an d to re place its last btpla ncs wilh moder n me tal monoplanes. Altho ug h the be st US figh ters and bombers \vere some wha t be hind the IX's! British . 1
AMERICAN M ILITAflY AIRCRAA
Army Air Corps grew so large that it was all hut a sepa rate service hy the time it actually became one in 1947.
Vietnam and the Cold War The decades follow ing World War II were a time o f great adva nces an d muc h cxpcrtme nta non. At a nyone time the US Air Force a nd Navy alone had nume rou s fighte r and bombe r aircraft types in serv ice or developme nt. The Army had ma ny program mes for helico pte rs a nd ot her ve rtical lift ve hicles. It was also a time in which the US sold or gave away thousa nds o f aircraft to friendly natio ns. Soo n the sk ies of Europe, Asia a nd Lati n Ame rica we re full of Mustangs. Sabres, Skvhawks o r Srarftg hters. not to me ntion Da kotas, t t ue vs a nd He rcu les. The particu lar suhjects for illust ration in this title reflect the success o f Ame rica n
The USAFE 's 48th Fighter ... Wing, ba sed a t RAF Lal
8
combat aircraft in the world market. Vietnam proved tha t the most sophis ticate d aircra ft intended for usc against the cutes an d massed forces of the Warsaw Pact we re uns uuabk- for usc in 'limited wars', although they were all that was availa ble to be gin with. The ne xt ge neration of aircraft an d \veapons were flex ible enough (as was the doctrine) to prevail w ithout great losses in two Iraq wars a nd elsewhere.
Mergers Of the 20 o r so majo r manufacturers of milita ry aircra ft active in 1950 and re presented in this hoo k, only four exist today un der the same name. The ot hers have eit her ceased to be , stopped making complete aircraft or have joined to fo rm massive dek'ncL' an d aerospace co nglomerates.
INTRODUCTION
res ponsible fo r evel1't binlot fro m ba ttle tanks to subrnarinc s a nd sate llites. Douglas. !\kDonnt.'1l DO ll ~ Ia S (itself the res ult o f a huge me rge r in the 196Qs), l"orth Ameri ca n an d Rockwell arc just some of the companies absorbed hy Boe ing. In the rea lm of fighter a ircraft they arc challenged today only hy Lockheed Ma rtin within the US marker. wit h No rthrop Grumman one of the few la rgt." 'auf ra mc rs' still competing for fixed-wing aircraft contracts. The manufacture of certain classes of aircraft . such as mihtary trainers, tactical tra nsport a if(.""'.lft and light hehcoprers. has just about slipped out of Amer ica n hand.. altogether. The p layers in the-e fidd.. a rc mainly Europea n . Wha t was o nce the aircraft divixhm of the m i~hty H ughes Corporation is now Dutch-o wned tah hough still huiklin~ he lico pte rs in
Arizona). Irue rnanonal col laborative pro jell.s, suc h as the Lock hee d/Alerua C-27J , Bell/Agusra BA (-,09 tiltrotor and Lockhe.."l.-d/\X'cstanlL!Ag usta US- IOl (EI f. 10l M erlin) look like hc Ing th e way forwa rd in some areas 10 fu lfil US military needs and sansfy laws about US content in a rms purchases. The most impressive of today's Ame rica n warplanes, the B-2 Spirit , cost.. one hundred thousand limes a... much as the first US milital)' aircraft . One way to cut ccees is to el iminate the crew. their training and the space they lake up. Sooner than in other countries, the future for America's combat. strike and reconnae....s auce platform... may lit: in unmanned air vehicles, hut for the hulk of military uses , the development and manufacture o f p iloted machines still has a long future.
'Y Dunng the D-Day landings this DougU!I C-f7 f7ew!rom .. Bntish base WIth the 8 '51 Troop Sqr 1 on o f the
c.mer
e-nw
... A US ""iJrlne Cotps: Mc~ DougMs TA-fF ~ finn ... Vf9,Jided rocJcet I/tIfWe on .. trairWlg some.
,
AMERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
AIReo
AIRCO
DH.4
DH.4 • Day bomber . British and US productloll • Powerful engines
... ON"'B air mailpioneer ~
OH-45 _ _ COIMiltted
foI' the US Postal Department to estabHsh an air mail setVi«t; the front cockpit hfJIdmail ~.1his lIircraft has wingtip /andiflg ligh t$.
at. 'Uberty Plane' With hundrtKis of surplus OO·4s 8vlli/able IJfter World War I, man y fou nd their WilY into civil opera fion . DH·4 s were used not only as mail cIJmeni. but also 115 airlinen and crop-dusfenl.
at. Steel·framed OH-4M·1 A5.23007 WQ one of IJ nurnbM of Amencan-buiIt DH-Q rebuiIr by Boefng and Atlant~ Nn;raft during the 192Os, wrtfI steel- tube fuse4ages. JlJese ~ f'f designlIted DH-4M-l s and -2s. ", t .a/).
wen!
at. Cabi,,-equipped OH-4A DH~
- ~~
I I DH.4 w as the first pupose-designed Briti sh bombef", and was one of t he m o st s uccessful a irc ra ft o f WW I. After its fi rs t ni ght In August 1916, the DH.4 was transformed by the Rolls -Roy ce Eagle e ng ine, which enabled the a ircraft's performance to match that o f contem pornry fi ghters. Nea rty 7000 Went built a nd production continued after the war, when severnl a ir forces, together wrth early a irlines, re tained the DH.4.
carried 8 pilot and two P" 'V*L HHte __ COlI' 6i 1ed from DH-4s, senoinQ wr1l'I the RAF MId on -'Y routes lICrU5S the English et-lneI.
Army lir Imbulance .. Among ~ 00·4 vllriarlts to ent. US military service were IJ number of OO-4Amb-2s which were able to ClIITy two stre tcher cases.
T: 10
FACTS AND FIGURES .. Thirty aircraft were buin for t he US Po st al
Depart men t. with increased -span wi ngs and two 149- kW l2OO-hPI HaIl-Scott engines.
at. A/fef' theW success in France durlng wend
war I. EJritish.buMf DH.45 and
~
DH-Q foondturtl'«~ in be;gn air fM:M, .ncA.ding Iho5e 01 8eIgitnl. Greece• .Japan and ~
.. A OH.4 sh ipped t o New Ze ala nd became the fi l'$t aircran to f ly oyer th at country's hi g he st mountain. 3760-m (12.336-ft) M o unt Cook.
)- To tal US DH-4 product ion reached 4846; 15 were built in Belg ium; 144910 the UK.
)- The Ai rc o DH.4 prototype new in August 1916 from its bMe at Hendon, London.
)- OH.4$ engines
)- For COBstal p.trot tasks,
~anged in POWf!f" output from 14 9 kW 1200 h p j t o 39 1 kW 1524 hpj.
ftoats to 8t
~st
tt>e RNAS fitted
one OH.4.
A IRCO DH.4
de Havilland's day bombing master
DH,,4 T,pa: lighl
._ ...
MaIIlM. InI'I speetI. 230 I
S
la~t"n:d win~, were used
t"n~ilk"!>.
nn the 1>11.4 10 ~i\t" lh..: plluc a !e',,-..t \K"VI 01 lilt"
w lll'l't" the l ;S Arm}' used DII - h unl il 19 32. 1llt' L:S ~a\)' and Marilltc" Corp!- a lso used tht" type . Aftt"l' tht" war. RAF airrra ft we:«: rc:tin.od. and man)' were Ir.,ln·.ft;"fll:'
1(I1"',.IIld fnr h"mhjn~ O ne: tlf twO kv"i, !(Un, IH"fl:' filled in 11K" .lI_"rH"I." l~,,'k pil, ..00 ooe Of"
rv.... for\\ard-filln~ \'kkl"f'>
j(Urn. Wl"fl:' mounled on Ilk" fu'<'blll' , ido..." In lhi, form tilt" OI H nwJ..: an ulUlk-diatt" impn......'jon ( JI-.;-f lilt" \\ C:-;t:..-m Fmnl in 1917. ~t"'.uh· 15(X) Wt"!l: hu ilt in titt" ( ·rut.....t ~ .n. and aim..... 'iu n with !9t'I-k\\ ' ( ....-. )..h pl lilk"lt), 12 ~.--
OOl' . , d&ho..sbalad ....-fO-air rMueAng lor the tnt tme. The rfJCII!INw was MJff lor lWW 37 hours.
t.I
Abooo8': The DH.4_ ~ from ApfI 1917, On 6Ap-ll No. 55 ~ lIew tom F~ on. missiorI lO bomb \oWtlo1C>iEW ....... Its ~ matched that allg1fIn: allhe lime.
{'unl ro l lr.tint"1"'o .m d a ir a mbu laOl.""'. A uaal ..I 100 1>1I-4lh were ..b " Il-se-d to t"'."Iahli»h Iitt" l 'S ..ir mail ';c.'T\·;u:. the ..in......,Ifl '>C."f' in~ until 19r ,
n.~d"rI'W'l"''''
&.
I'lours 45 ....
RMtr. 100 I
J
IlI'Jfl' 10 "*J'..-.g . .
'hI~
~...-..g
thellilcnlft the ndIrwT-. 'n.
FWrwlg QAoI'. '"!~::..
~
...
--...-
00d
N58n _ . . . of. t>.tc:to of 50 DH." built "" - . d Ain:fwft _ Rob-Royoe ~ ...-.
_-
inlP of No. 2 !>quDon, RNAS, p-;or to ib • _ ... t91. _
_1111111111I11111I11111111111111I11 .·J_ C ·_ · ·I_~ _
British land-baaed bombers of World War I AVRO 5(lot : 11'1 Noverrt:>er 191'. !our modofied ANAS 504 tr ......... 1rcm I !>tie in France made. raid on Zoppelirt IIheds It FfiedIiC.... h ;ilo,o:'l. •
• ROYAL AIRCRAn FAC TO RY 61';.2: Thos tw<>-seat nK:oI1/1aissar.ce type wlS adapted IS. ~, but was vulnefabl$ to o,o:'l8!'l1-y lig hl.-5
• SHDRT BOMBER : A laod-besed V
•
SOPWITH 1'10 STRUnER: Armed willi • lorward·li""ll g.... , this Sopw,t!'l design equipped RNAS and Rrc oorts a s ' bomtJM IlJld escort
C-12 • Mult i-role turboprop li ght traltSPort • Derived from ch'if design
Not a/l C- 12s supplied to air arms are USOO.s transpot1s. Some.,. camoutIaged and usoo fO# lIeriaI ~ and ofbet' tasks.
/ ..,.Mission support Designated uc- r2J, this b igger and more powerlul Beech 1900C is one of sUI vMd by the US AN National Guatd fO# mission Sl.J)pOrt from r98 7.
... Anny Hurons The US Army employs its C- 12AJClD H UI'OIls in the utility role. supporlJng Army unit$ and US embassies lJI"04Jnd the world.
-
Upgraded aircraft ... When the us Army took deliWK'f of the more powerluJ c -r2CJDs with P T6A- 4 1 turlJoprop$ it IIPfl'IIded its Iarve "eel c -r2As to the same stlJrtdllrd. This C- J20 leaflles ...... sed-span wings;
0'
nitia lly s u pplied to the US Army and USAF in 1975 as a light transport, the Beech C -12 is today in service w ith all th ree US s e rv ices a nd 18 o ther ai r a rms (in s o me c a ses in it s c iv il g u ise) in a wide v ariety of role s . The Beech 8 200 Su per King Air, from which the C 12 ts derived, w a s developed from the commef'Cial Model 100 in the early 19705. The new type fea t u red a T-tail, longer wing s a nd many In terna l re fi nements. Later versions have further improvements.
I 12
""" "'"II" """"
FACTS AND FIGURES
... Beechcnlff's C-r2F replaced theCT-39 ~ n an openIOOnaI ~
airuaff and lealured monI ~ engines, "eatpO door and imprcwed passenger facilit ies.
~
It took Beechcran fou r y ea rs t o develop the Model 200 Super King IUr/C-12 with its Iatge T-tH. from the Model 100 .
~
Ed .... sive aerial illTaysldentify the AC - 12 ",ariants used by the US Army for elecboolie. specla' m i ~.
~
The first C -12 entered senriee with the US Army at Fort M onroe in,JuIy 1975-
~
The 8eed'I B2OOCJC.12F can fly fa ster, higher and further than the A200 modet.
~
Two U SA F C·12s are operated by US Cu stoms for a nt i_sm ug g ling s urveilla nce.
~
Cargo dooR and provi sion o f wingtip fuel taok. are fe atu re s of t he C· 12D.
C -12
B E EC H
PROFILE
B
1.....'Ch ~"\·cklJlC.od us Super KinK Ai r 2(X) 0\'1.'1" 3.
four-yea r p<'riod from
1969 , using .he- su,,-,,-,,',;.,Jul King
A ir 100 execunve IUrhop rop
tra nsport as a hasis. It had
mor t.' po w erfu l c n~ i nl·s, a Titail and increased wmgsp.m :I.~ well as eq ui p m e nt d 1anlll's . II was hill~.wr, ('!.'It.'r and
mo re capable tha n
1m- Kin!! Airs
already in servsce ..... uh Ill<' US Ann)' as the U-21. A contract w"'-~ p laced for }t ( / thor fll"'1'.' aircraft as C-12s, (0.' Ihr: US Ann)' and USAF
,,----
C·12F
Military utility ' o ff the shelf'
T".: ldty \rrepor1 b
This uc·r2fl was operated by the US AWine
Below;
In m'~ le>PO~'''''l~ lht.""'l' .....ere ..u.ndmJ Supo.-r KinK A ir.< (RIm tI~ l"H'txllKtiofl lint.' , 001 with modin..-d 3\'ionics and '-'
Il.'qu in·rn...nts as staff transports. In 19n1lh... US Navy hought lht, firs! of 7H C-12 .s for U,'o(' as
personnel a nd utility transports. In on k r 10 accommodne fll."il(hl it...ms IIIt"M' UC- 121h had a 1
Sl in ) on !he port side.
nx.,..
ahu Iud 6}t·kU' (l:I';().h p) Pran & \1;lJiu...·)' PT6A.-11 engi ~ ,,00 a ulkT undc.TGlnUlo:'" iI-"''''l"ffihly.
3lM1 kin l2262 . . . . - . maxit'fun IuIIl 8110.&70 m P5.000 II}
Above: A numbel" o f Sou!h American air lU71I 5, inc luding !ha! of Argentina, have pu rchased Super King Airs a s affordable surveillance and maritime patrol plalfcxms.
$er. ln eillin, : more than to,870 m (36.000 tI} .I.,hla: operllting em pty 3656 kg (8060 Ib): muomum tal
The US Ann y roo ve n cd a numlxT of its new C- IlDs for special e lect ronic mis.sjon." and IxmJefIdd "UI'H:ilurKT as RC-I h . 11lese 1u~"C' a U~ array of aerial" and pod".
r
-s;.t .... *01" 1201 kl,ll2648lblote-go
D_
111.
opan
1881 m (50& tl8 i'lJ 13.38 m l3fIlI 5 i'lJ • .52m (l.11 tO q 21.15 rf'I l303 Iq It)
USAF. US """'Y .-d US Nmt e- 12s "-lwga 11.~., 19' ..cl1.32 rro'52 WI -:lei ca-oo ~
TAKE OFF RUN TO 15 M (50 rn
.""..
USAF/ANG light transports •
BRITISH AER OSPACE C·29 '" BAll's - .
I<8CUlNe jeI was adopI 8d by the U$.AJ' in the late 198011 b" the O:.rrt>al FIght 1nspecOOn..cl N8IogIMIon lC-AN)1I'JIa.
• FAIRCHILD C- 26'" Wlwl the US AA Naloonal Guard lANGl .-:led • new operallOl'llll Stlppo<1 transpon ain::
• GATES LEARJET C- 21A: In t he -'Y 1980s the then Mihlary Airlift Co
.
• SHORTS C ·23: f or It>8 distribu tiorl of spare parts ..-ound Europe. USAFE Doughl 18 Shorta J3() sn-pas lC·23As!. Ten w..... lat . boughl for the ANG. .....nile the I4Imy t:>ought fl X"'(:iyjI C·238a.
.... 13
AMERICAN MIlITARY AIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BEECH
BEECH
T-34 MENTORITURBO MENTOR Higher power ...
T -34 MENTORITURBO MENTOR • Primary trainer . Pist on and turbine engines . Armed versions
Gen«aI M'otofs o"effld thl s Allison 250B-engined AT.:J4 conversion to a num ber o f US6f"S.
A USAF trainer Itt 19531tle USAF adopI#Jd the Beech T-3ofA as its lint post-..... pnmwy train«
.&.. Spanlsh E.17 This T-3ofA ....a s one o f 25 E. '75 dfJIMKed to the Spanish air force. They _ _ used frx piIol traiJW>g by the Academi.I GenefiII del Aft s.n Javiw until ' 989.
.lit
.&.. Nawy T·34C Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada P TM -25 turboprop, the T-34C is still in US Navy sefYice.
Canadian·bullt ... C_dian Car & Foundry built 100 T-34s for lhe USAF and 25 for the Royal Canadian Air Fon;e .
B
ee c h 's T-34 M entor a nd T·34e Turbo M ento r are much - jc ved a nd st ri k in g ly s uccessf ul trainers which are us ed in s ever a l c o u nt r ie s arou nd the w orld. In it s pi ston· eng ined g u ise, the M entor was Americ a's fl yin g schoolroom o f the 1950 s a nd 1960s, and It re mains in u se training pilots in eight cou nt ries toda y. In structors h ave us ed the ad va nced, turboprop-powered T· 34e Tu rl30 M ent or t o tra in m o re than 10,000 US nava l av iat o rs.
FACTS AND FIGURES ~
Developed from the V-tailed Beech
ecoenee, the Model 45 Mentor was flown
.. US Na vy T-34C Turbo Menton were Intended to replace both the T-34B Mentor
lor the first time on 2 December 1948. A Early T-34 C Turbo Men tors en terod S6fViclJ ....ith ttllJ US Na vy 's Naval Air Training Command in NovembeT 1977, ..nth student training commencing ttllJ fol lowing JanuaT)'.
and N orth American T-28 Trojan .
.. T-34 s wenl ev aluat ed by the USAF liS e possible light close-support aircralt.
.. Beech otte«td an armament trainer, the T-34C ·l , which carried 544 kg o f weapons.
.. Fully aerobatic, the T·34 wa s s lie"glhe"ed
~
to withstand . 101-4. 511.
Bell's X·14 VTOl. re search a ircraft e ...ploJed 10 T-34 tail seetion.
B E E C H T-34 MENTOR!TURBO M E NT O R
Beech's evergreen trainer imp l.. an d anracnve airc ratt . the Beec h T-34 Mentor and T-34C Tu rbo Me ntor are rwo of dlt.' mOSI admired and pracucal fl ying m achin es in the sky . The srratghttorward . low -wing T-}( wit h retractable tricyd c
S
lan ding gea r, was OCSi.'lOL"t.! in
191tl but is still I(oing stro nl( half a century later because it provides reliable se rvice. 111e plston-engmed Men tor was used to train US military pilots from 19S4, as well as those of nations
T-34C Turbo M entor T, pe: lwo-seat turboprop pilot trainer
like A~cmina , Canada and Japan, where the aircraft were buill u nder lice nce . New a ir ca d ets con tin ue 10 receive in stru
,
Marlmum tnllsinll
e ng ined deri vative ol the T-34B,
'PIIMl: 397 I
Climb rail: 388 mimirl (12731pmf '" 3050 m {10 ,OOO ttl
Ranlll: 1205 km (745 miles) at 6100 m (20 .000 It)
Senici tilling: 914 5 m (3O,OOO It)
was first delivered in 1977.
Welgltb: empty 1193 kg {2625 Ib); maximum lak&-Oft 1938 1
Th e T -,}iC will co ntinue to train US Navy pilots until it is
OI""lI5lon s :
repla ced by the Rayth eon T-6A from 2004 . Turbo Mentors we rt: also exported
T·34C TURBO MENTOR Two pilots sit in tandem
Fuen.a Aere a Ec uat ori ana operates u.. T· 34C·1 _apons tra__, From 1979 a t otal 01 14 T-34A s a nd nina T-34C -b w ,",", dellveored to Ecu ador t o lKlulp u.. Escuad ron
in ee two co:::I<;piIs These 8J6 CO\Ieflld by &olP8I'ale
Ent remamianto .......... lit Salina . ,
one-p;eee, rearward·siding
ThII PraM & 'M1IIn8y CarIlIda PTBA·251ut:>oprop is restoctecto 298 WY 1400 11» in rl<)mIaI use to lI><1and engine lila and to provide oonstanI perlorm!n:e
Malllll... sp..d: 4 t 4 I
Above: This Turbo Men tor, in sand ca mouflage , is on e of 12 pu rc ha sed by the M oroccan air force for pilot ' raining at MarTskesh.
Mom!oT. a T 74 (J'T6 A) turboprop-
WJIIl~tec:lftiltrt
controls and
Powerplanl: """ 533-kW (715- hp f (lorq"" limited to 298 1
instn.me
e-:n oceesec the 5lrenglh 01 the igh t &loy, Sll""O-rnoooo:x:q..oe stndure 01 tI1e T...oo """"tOO' to permit higher SPOOds, eeecece and a IofVar tatiguo kle .., the pr'mary tranng roIa
1
ThII tail \riI is
-" span
....,
10.16m(33 n 4in)
S.75 m (28 n Sin} 3,02m(9 n7 J1} 16,7 1m'(1809Clltl
ACTION DATA
oIli1fl1 <>by
can_ strudure, n has
a b ed incidence tailpQ'le wrtIl maruaIy operaled trm labs on tI1e _ors and
""""'.
to lho F_ 5OCAT'" ~ ond 0 - E~ _ , trIOT-3U 1...:1 0 """'"' . - - """"". Thio.... _ in tho 19100 .......... Iho o.ogn .... rno P P J T·3o\C ~
•
....
! Il! ii! f M B """""'1' Iho _ boo
_
_ • ___
A HMzeIIltYoo-bI9cle, constant-speed,
1oAv-
feathemg mela! propeIer is used on ee T-34C A l&rgahI.tl-spinnef is r~ted to ~ aio1Iow.
T<34CS haYll a 1ow.!l8t wng 01 conventional constrldion n has no swaepbaok, bul incorporates 4' 01 ~a! and siogIII--sIot!ed trailng -8dge """'. This --sion has undIIrwtlg ~ WJIIl a pylon for air·lo·lIUI1""" weapons.
Woltlthe moosoo power 01the PTBA turtloprop, tI1e T-34C rBQl.-..d stn.ctur" modIfJcalO'lS to strengthen the raw tuseIage and tail. These ocooeo twn YIIOlrai fins .....oar the raw /I)oolage
Military trainers derived from civil designs • CESSNA 526 CITATtONJET, DllrivOO from \tie CrtationJet a~ecutive t ransport and firstl'\own in 1983, 1I1is was Cessna's losir>g cooteoder lor the USAFIUSN JPATS competrtoo.
• ENAER T-35 PlLLJ.N: Piper buiK lhe first two examples of Itlis fully .-obatic trai.based on \tie Piper Saratoga cabin mono"_ Eighty - . b1Ji~ by ENAER in Chi le
• NZA I CT-4 AlRTRAINER ; Based on the Australlan -deSigned Vtcta AirtOUfllt, the aerobat'c and mom powerIuI CT-4 first flew in 1972 Australia and Thailand were among its USIIrS
• SCOmSH AVIATION BULLDOG, OIIri¥ed from the Beagle Pup an", Scottish Aviation acquired the Beagle company, the aulldog still sen.rtoS with \tie RAE Production ended in t 982
idenMy this air'cralt as an RC· ' 2K.. nvs diffef>s trom !he ~ 12D .in using the P T5A-42 engine.
• Intelligence gathering . US Army semee • Based on SUPef King Air
'Y Strongerlanding gear ~
to the eMI Sc.opel" King Ai the RC· I2~ .. st' . i9thei oed ~ to cope wrth a.... .pd aH-up wefghts and .. potfside loading doO'.
... In the Gulf The Gu ff War saw extensNtt use o f Sig int aircraft in the battlefield support role. This is an RU -2 I, based on the Beechcraft 90.
... Antennas larm ThIs RC· I2Nhas pedlap$ the
most
extensiWe coIIecbon
0'
receiving ~ 01 ""1 o f the RC- 12'amIIy due to its r;JuaJ EIint and CominI roles. n is based on the RC·'2K.
Bases In Gennany ... 8S-0155 is an RC·12K attached to the 1st Militaty Inte&gence Battalion in GemIarI); one ot eight wdh the unit . BefonI the BIJd 01 the Cold W.. therv - e two ba ttalions in West Germany equipped wdh RC· 125: one at Stuttgart. the other a l we
a sed o n the civil Super King A ir 200 turboprop tran s port, the R C·1 2 Gu ardrail is indispensable in its mis s ion o f prying into a n e ne my's s ig na ls . Thi s o rd inary-looki n g Beech craft m achine is the US Army's m o st sophis t icated spy a ircra ft. Henry L Stimson, US Secretary o f State in the 19305, is quoted as saying: 'GenU&men do not read each othef"'s mail.' In the modem battlefield en....r onment, however, such act ivities are a neces si ty.
B 16
FACTS AND FIGURES
A
Differlng numbtn 01 cIipoJe ww:J blade aeriaJs disbngcJlsh RC· 12 w-arianls this is an RC· 121<. In common wdh other IirteAgeolOe ~
~tiwIY IitIJe
known 01 theit' opeo-aotions 0'
tIqII
t rnent.
is
.. I" common with othl>l' US Army aircraft, the C·12 family is named etter a natiw-e American tribe - Huron.
.. The US Anny's Chief of Staff called the Guardrail: 'O ne of our most important weapons on the battlefield.'
.. About 200 of the !iOOO King Ai rs delivered by the mid·1990s have been RC·12..
.. The first c iw-il Super King Air 200 made it. maiden fl ight on 27 October 1972.
~
.. US N avy R C·1 2F. a nd RC· 12Ms are uMd
0... 1>1' two doz..... R U·21. and RC -12s served in Operation Desert Storm.
to c le ar missile ranges before t est filing.
BEECHCRAFT
G
RC·12D
Below : The later RC · 12 was based on the larg er Super King Air 200. Low' visib ility mar/o;ings, as on this RC·12K,
are standard foday.
aircraft served in KOft'a and in V,UiOllS ~'l'rsions JHJ-l ll h and ltC-nD, in pa rticular saw service in the Gulf \'\'" r Although up 10 'i x 'yslt'llIs
(i'.. rmany
n> nfi"IW,Ilioll.', th., " G· Jl ;:('Jwr;l11y relics on ;I111om"l ion 10 intercept ellt'my l " " l1ll1uniC;lli,ltl., ,Ultl oft en f" rrit."s JlO <"'luipIllCIlI 0lx'r,llors ,I( all ( ;ll"rdra;[ ', n."rein'rs l,)('al." id.,ntify an d nuero-pr hostilt' l'ommunit'''lions and n.·by d at"
via a downlink 10 ground v., hid ..s for analysis. TIll' b le sl ve rsions, He·11 K, -12:'\ and · 111', hal''' ext ra l:'luipmelll fined 10 carTy our the clectronkintcllig.. nee ( Elint) role fonuerty erurusrcd 10 till" HV-J D Mohawk .
I"",
mostly lor the US Army's l s i and 2nd Military Inte! I' y...-..ce Batt.. lions in Oennany. This .. irerttll ..... s los t in .. n ItCcNJ.n t during Ope.ation On e" Storm,
ALO-l38 and -162 eIoclmnic OCU1t ~ equipmanl is contained .., the RC-120's .....v.gt ~ pods These f'lCfease ire .......-.g span 01 the aircraft by more \han a matr.. (Ihoo fool).
•
AI
us Army battlefield support aircraft INT ELLIGEN CE GATHERING: III order to tight ell ec livejy the us Army is heavily ,..ham 011 ill t ~ l i g...-.ce ga1hered abotJllhe enemy's ca pabilrt ies, collected by a variety of airc rafl types and pa s sed to grou nd cornr'Mlldar-s
Maximum s pe eel: 481 km,/h (299 mph)at 4265 m (13,993 It)
I
Range: 2935 10m0825 ""las) at maxImum """sing speed
first of the Guardrail the RU -2 1 series based Air 90. This RU-21E US Anny colours.
Tha heao1 of the RC· 12 e ue ANi1JSO.9(V)2 'Guardrail V' SIQMIS I'ltalligsoca (Sigrll) sys\9I'l1, Thos ru... capts """"'Y .adIo oomm.ricahOlls and incorporatoo a diraetionfildiog systen.
m.
Like eM! Swer Kng the RC·12 is filled with the widet)t-used Pralt & WM ooy PT6A fI09"'l'l, the RC·120 being po'W
Powe rpla nl: two 634 ·kW (850 ·hpj Prall! WMney Canada PT6A ·41 \urtx>p
CruIsIng speed: 438 kmllll/l12 mph)al 9145 m
operators can "1'OlIllllll>
GUARDRAIL
T, pe : twin'engil\ed communication it'lle1I>geooe (Com llll) a1fCfalt
(30 .000 11)
Abo ve: The fam ity were on the King wears ..arly
80-23315 is a Beec h RC-12D, one of 13 buih
GUARDRAIL
RC·12D Guardrail
Eavesdropping over the battle u a rd fa il is the o "lename urvcn by the US Army to the Comint aircraft programme (LHinlot fro m the Korean \'\'af, Guardrail be " a n a s an effort \0 pinpoint an cncmvs radio rransuuners. First u",rd ill ttl<' 1960., in KOfl'a, I' ll-l is ([kl,(,h Kin;: Air~ ) ascertained l hl:' location and inn-nnons of a n adve rsary from h is rad io tran snussions III the mid-J9iOs, 11o.'l"<,:ht 'r;,ti 's en bl).:t>d Sup...r Kin;: . \-ir l((} was dltN;'n \0 form t1w hasis o f 'Improved (~llardrJ.il v . T hese
RC -12
•
Service celllng: !J420 m (30.900
I
Ac commo dation : two pilots: Cormllt, data relay and seIl-proloct""" equipmool
DimaM lons:
All ot>vious
~
':or
'Jf~ .':';':\\ ~.
INTELLIGENCE GATHERERS
""""'"
dat a-linK. w1d "" ALQ- l 56 missoIe oetecico SY:S191'l1,
ANTONOV ""'·12 'CUB', _'em _
llin:ra ft on... form t!lo
_ ~ E ""' _.ond t!lo_iotruo"' t!lo _ E _.....
BIoc~, Thio An-12 ~ .... - . ~ lor ~1l"~ ,Notet!lo .. t r. _ "" t!lo ~ ond ths~cM""}iotr .."",
e' :;c..,-
\\\\\\\i : o",w" ,o,o",c, ,,," • •"
' .-
.. .'-' ,,'.,r
Electrolllc .,tell!9""C " was the;oo o t the Grumman RV-10 Moha wk and EH·6QA 'Ouock FI~' hehcopt""
90EltIG IIC·' 36: The USAF-.e-'36 _ GUARDRAIL IN TH E GULF: Du.rng lightillg wrth l.aq . US Army RC·1 2s lilled the communicatiolls II\tel ligance role, usua lly from a staoo-
11,63 m (51 It 10 in) 13.34 m (43 fl9 in) 4,51m(15Itj 28.15 Ill' (303 5Q It)
ralay Iac*Iy and radoo
-k
\
span lellgttl height WIng area
"=0_
eeceooc
Secordary s\'$tams incU:le a
1-......• \
It )
Weights: amply 3327 kg (7335 Ibl ; maximum ta ke- Oil appro.., 5885 kg (12,974 It»
N s .. Zv
t t 12-"
.. end _
......""
~ .... - . . - l e.o;t ~ ill tho """"'""'"' ond _~~mIs Thio" . . AC·13:;V
_"""' n-.. e >.ac1 ""le
SlIdl ....' _
"'" end """"' _ _ io ~ iII-..cy,
~"-~ .,....
17
AMERICAN M ILITARY AIRCRAn
PHOTO FILE
BEECH
B EECH
T-1A
T-1 A
JAYHAWK
JAYHAWK
• Civil design . Tanker-trainer . Military 'biz-jet'
... Classic lines The J,ayhawk dlspklys the Iow set wings and the rear-mounted engme$ thaI have become the haMmarfls of ct.om!'tJf 'tNz-jets '.
.. Bri ght fut ure Harmg been in serYice for only a relallvely shot1 penod ot time, the Beech JayfIawA: is e~ted to hltve a long tMitary career WIttJ the USAF.
Japanese use II> By ewfy 199-' ~ 's h SelfDefence FOI'CfI had also purchased the improved Amencan Ja)1lltwll to use as a light utJIity transporlllJrUlJft
...--
.-
U,S. AIR FORCE
"' Improyed design
-.-
One ot ItMt mihtaT}' modIlicatiofls spectfted involved the wings of ItMt Ja)1lltwll bemg st' d' '9 t1IdO>&d in CKdet" to withstand ItMt damaging effects or a heavy bUdstm.e. The pfIot 's cockpit glazing was also improved as a P"JC8l/tio11.
.---. -
C
utting a n unusual s ha pe In the s k y with It s all white c o lo ur sc heme and swe pt-b e c k wing s, th e 1· 1 J ay haw k is fa st b ecoming the standard t raining tool f o r t he United States Ai r Fo rc e . T he s horta g e of T·38 Talon t r ainers c o u p led with a shrinking d efenc e budget saw the United State s A ir Force undertak e the unusual s tep o f purcha sin g a c i vil ia n busi ness j et f or its training purposes. The a ircr aft required only minor modification.
18
... Training for all
-
-/1
The type passed ils trials wit h 1tying colours ', leading to the USA F quick ly ordering 148 Jayhawks. A rinal to tal o r 180 examples wa s ac quired.
FACTS AND FIGURES ~
. . De spite its civilian origins the Beec:h T-1 Jayha wk has proved suita ble for the rigoura of military tr aining. Crews have found the IJircraft a forgiving teaching 1001.
The T-1A Jaytlawk provides the U SAF with an advanced trainer f o r in structing futu re tank er/ t rans port pilot s.
... A shortag e o f T-38 Tal ons sa w t he
~
Durin g t raining nights a senior in structor pUot is ac com panied by at le a st fo u r st ud en ts to red uce o perating costs.
~
Ja yhawk s ere the f irst ai rc raft delivered under the new p il ot tra ini n g programme .
~
The Jayhawk is based on the c ivili an Boteeh Je t 400.
adopt ion of t he J a yha w k in US serv ice. ...
Inc re a sed fuel c a pacity is one o f the major changes to military J 8ytlawk • .
military servin', Th .. se saw an iner"""" in th .. ,strt.'lll'th or th..
provid ing the l :SAF with a unique [r ainin!,: tool. I n li ne with th.. curre nt trend of using civilian airc raft fo r military a pplications. futur.., USAF tan ker an d transport pilots no ", receive traininll at Re..,s<-' AFB
at
;l
much reduced cost
to
tlw
American taxpayer. OIW source
o f economies is that sen,,.,tl t rainees e m h.., tak en o n t';leh _,o n ie under the Hui
wing k'ading ...'t Ir:L's a nd :1 R'\'h..d cockpit windsc ....."ll . To R'duct' mainte-nance demands a s ingle rdudlinjo( poinl was also insf a lkd on the .un-raft . USAF exam ples are limited to the trainin~ ro k and therefore feature six fewer window., in the cabin aft>a tx·GlU.' ~> o f their r~'dun'd "-';ltin~ capacit y. I n ,t sorncwhat Ironic move gin> n the original ~li tsu hishi <.k'i~n o f rhc jayhawk . the Japam',~' Air Self· lkfence
8840 m (29,000 tt): cruising speed 828 kmlh
(5 14 mph) at 11,890 m 139.000 11)
Above: Ameri ca 's training fleet has worn a hos t of c oloor sc hemes. but the overall whi te is now used .
Range: 3575 km (2221 mIles) with lour passengers and max Imum intemalllJlll load Sef'llce c elllng : 12,495 m 141,000 It)
Force IjAS DI' ) followed the Anwrica n ~· xa m plt.' an d bought the aircraft for the- traininK role 1\~·KinninK in early 199 4. th e IAS])I ' took delivery o f three Beech "OOTs (equivalen t 10 tlw T ·!Al to u ,,-' fo r p ilot tT;tinin~ . These .un-ra ft M~> equipped with extra fuel tan ks and thrust n-ver-a-rs to «imulate the handlin~ of l:tr~~' transport aircraft fo r their pupil pilots.
Wei ghts: ""'ply 4588 kg (10,115 Ibl: maxorrn.m Ia ke-<>fl 7157 kg (15,778 Ibl Acc ommodat ion: one Instructo< pi k>t lour stt>dents Dimensi ons:
13.25m (43 116 in) 14,75 m (48 115 in) 4,I9m(13 119",) 22,43 m' (241 sq III
Abo ve: Having completed another sortie . a s tudent enten; the landing circuit at Reese AFB. where the first aircraft was delivered in 199 2.
ACTION DATA
i !iii iii (Mil Pilots destined 1(>" ee vast trar""lPOf1 and t8ri
Thi s T· 1A Jaytlawk is ba sed at Ree s. AFB in Texa s. operati ng und&r 11M TITS (Tank.rlTransport Tra i....... Syst em). The airc raft ia prmr ing 10 be an extntm&ly prllCtical !reining tool. Ful .... order's l or additional aircraft ar e c urrently being con&idered by the USAF.
us. AIR fORCE Avicrics fI
TO irrvO've tt>e sa laty record 01 the aircrallltle wngs 01 US Iv: Force JaytIa'w\
' \'" , , , \
,.,,~
'" ne ..., ,,,,."'""'"
l¥\ClerC.amage, This was seen as a weight 'saw>g measure but aloo """"'" the aircrallto be mainlained WIIhouI fequir'ng ~t"""
PoSIIiOned tq. on ltle .-Iusollage are lhe Pratt 8. IMlaney Canada JT l5D tUlOOfan engines. These receceo little modification >riOo" to the entry of ee Jao,.tlawk into military servo:;e, MaO"1lerwlCe persor"fl8I ha.... fI:u1d the eircrall to be e>
Serving their country • CESSNA CITATIO N: Operational WIth the Spanish Navy. the Citation IS used as a nav;gation tra iner and hght lransport air'Cfatt
"'" moo."",,, '~ -"••~~.,,~
I
• GRU MMAN GULF$TREAM: The large dimensk>tls 01tM Gulfstream III have made rt an ideai "allorm lor ha'$Q(I and VIP
~""
_..",".""'",.,-..
• NORTH AMERICAN SABRELINER: CUfrentfy feach'rIg the end of it s se-vce w,th the United States armed lorces, the T-39 Sabreiiner cconocee to seve w,th Soulh Ame<>can aif arms.
19
AMERICAN MIUTARY AIR eRAn
PHOTO FILE
BELL
P-39
B ELL
P -39
AIRACOBRA ... Car door
P-39 in the Pacific ....
AIRACOBRA
The Airacobra peilolmed well
Another unusual lvature o f toe P-39 was toe sid eopentng. car-style door.
toe Pacific agaiflSt Japanese opposition. ft was mainly ussd torground-811ac. missions.
several P-J9s ..-e snapped up at roc*-bottom prices and modified
toraIT racing.
... USAAF fighter \o\'hetI the US en !et'9d toe war in 194 J, the
P-39 was the best figh ter they had available. A few flew in Europe wi th the USAAF, but they were outclassed by German fightet'$ and were replaced by Spi tfires.
1 ilrlil/i v re vo lut io na ry desi g n, th e Airac obra h ad its engine located beh ind the pilot and w a s o ne of t he w orld's fi rst s ing le-seat fi ghters t o feature a tri cy cl e landing gear. But due to the p ac e o f fighter d evel opment In th e ea rly 19405 t he P-39 was rapid ly o utc la ssed. It fought well ag a inst h eavy odds in the ea rly days o f WOf1d War II in the Pacific and later w o n high praise from Ru ssi a , whk:h used its can non t o destroy German ground target s.
A 20
FACTS AND FIGURES .. The Airacobra w as t he lir$t US
... T1le most re marllable IfIature o f the P·39 wa s its mid-mounted engine, whic h drove the propelhK via a long cmvesha ft, T1le mai n reason toradopting this layout was so tha! the aNcra h coukI carry toe massive 37-mm cannon.
single -seat fig htet" wi th a nosewheel t o en ter service .
.. Although designed as a light er, soviet l o rces used t he P-39 f or grourtd attaCk , with gre at s ucce ss.
.. The prototype B ell XP -39 made it s fi r$t flig ht on 6 April 1939.
.. The RAF on:tered 675 A ira cobra s, but only o ne squa d ron wa s eller equipped.
.. Ru s sian lorces t ook delillery o f a bout 5000 P·39s d uring Wor1d War II .
.. P -39s w _ o pera t ed by the Itali an Co-Bell ig erent Air Fo rce d uring 1944.
BELL P -39 A IRACOBRA
PROFILE
Mid-engined attacker
O
ne of many p " " -WR'd
by the Be ll Arrcn.. fl C,om p,my. th... AirJ.H,hrJ "PPl~,iltxl to he fast a nd ht'avily a rn wd when it was firs[ pn>duo:d. Its t' nXinc . 'llUrk...r in tile fuselage IX'hind tlw pilol's ",-,at, w a" fi ll ~l with a n e X1t'mi"n shaft to rhe prop...·]k· r "umin" 1Il1< k r lhe o.x. kpit. A trilyd~' u rulc Ra rriagl' ami
:1
57 -111m cannon w .. r~, als"
incorporated
W'l wn war ,-a nw in 1959, RAF k'Sb revealed that thc I' ·yr.' overall performance did
P-39N Aira cobra Type: s
Po wl rpla nt : one 89~· kW (120l)./'pl Allison V-17lO·63 I'quid-cooIad eng .....
no!: match tha t of Uritish fig hte rs '111is and tilt' fact tha t th ... ,\ ir'K\ Il' r,.',' unusual "YS1t'IllS
could pn"'\.' unreh.rblc caused ;1 10 b." rejected for service. In the Pat-ilk , th.. USAAF had to usc any av aila ble filduers and the oUh: bs",>U Airal'O hra., were thrown into war sorties alo:;linSl the japane se d u ring 1942143 American pilots abo [lew il d u ring the early combat o pt'ralion s in th e ~Iiddk Ea st Bdl improved the aircraft. and wlwn US fighter lo:fOlll'S re-<-'
many Airacohras were p asSl.,<:l to tlw Red air fOI'<.'e. where the 'Lillie Shaver' p ro ved very popu lar. 'Shavin~ ' was Rus., ia n pilot slang fo r ground strafing. and the 1' -39 sooll earned great ,..'sllt....1 as a destroyer of German tanks an d H'hilk" Airacohra p ilo{S stendtled dozens of tiny stars on their m.n-hmcs to show ho w ad e pt the ·l.eml ·I...· asc· American fighter was a t this deadly a nd lb ngerous task , TIll' 1'-39 W,IS abo flown hy Italian and French pilots during tlK' war.
Mallmum speed: 642 kmltl (39Q m'*'l Ra nge : \207 km (750 milesl Abo~:
Alt houg h its performance c ould not match that of fighters such as the Spitfire , the P-39 had respectable figures and good manoeuvrability.
~_____________
prolected cod
in the I¥cu>d-attack rOO
Weights: ""'ply 2566 kg (5657 Ibl: IoOOed 3702 kg (8\62 Ibl ArmamBDt: one 37_rrm firing through 8If1iCnlW plus two 12.7-mm (,5O-caI.) mact1ine guns in nose and IOU' 7.62-mm (,30-cai.) ITI<'Chne guns in ~ ; tlombload 01 up to 227 kg (500 Ib)
left: "the RAF had only retained the P-39 with its original turboc harg ed engine , it might have found a winn er. Instead, It was .dIscarded,due to chromc unrelJablllty.
A l
The pilot sal n an e>;trernaly wet-
..._-
I
Ser,ici ceiling: 11.735 m (38.500 11)
10, 36 m (34 11) 9.19 m (30 112 in) 3.78 m (12 11 5 in) 19.79 m' (213SQ 11)
leng th heighl
wing"'''''
COMBAT DATA
I !ill liil (jm,. Tho..,.......,.;or f'4lN ....lorW """'" of"," lost ~ '" " - NfIy f'-39s by l'Io>m(I a mono -'u1~. ~ "",,Of
...... ,.,
"'-> alll l09, _
The lYIQIfIlI Was
span
Dimen sions:
.lII'ld gtOaaly_lO!I'la",,_ Vol<9
ff'I(MJf1l ed immadiataly
the pilot 's seat, and along shaft ran ....-oar the _ I. through the c:ockpIt to a gearOO' below the propeller shaft behir'oj
. ,~
1III_f435.....1.·.......
,e o
Wtli3iMi.i Ii
SoYiel fiOhton ...... _ .....-;ab!y _ .. .,.,. a/IItvcIa. III'ld .... P·39 ..... thw"*,,odly......,..r.or 10 y", 9 at """"",,, n ..... ~.0l0nI to lI'>a Bt ·109G, whid>
• P·39N A'RACOBRA In adcln 10 the m
D.Je to the <:WY1Of1 and engne iostalatiorl. Bell had 10 00sIgn a tricycle urdorcarriaga. the fi
"" operational lq1lar.
'-1.
•
.
" 1/OOd perl""'*" '" hoIIJhl
lIIUCtIIIlU. 11,13$.
•
eA, MO ItI
'e o
T he Airacobr a p1aylld an im poa hands of Soviet pilot's, The So viet ai, f<>r<::e not o nly lo und the 1)"1'$ ide a l lar t an k buslillll but also in the air-Io-ai, role.
It..
_
In .m ltl
Modified Airacobras • NAVA L XFL·1 : The XFL- 1 Airabon, ta was a naval vali an t w ilh a rai~heel . slrengthened fuselag" and arres t... hook . ~ was nol adopted by lhe US Navy due 10 un suc cess flJl l rials.
• V·TAIL: An " ,penrnentallnal o f taN sorlac es combu>ing elev al", and rud de< function s was flOt used in SllfVK:e, as if fedOCed 100 P-39 '. excel lent handling
• SOUARE TAIL: This Inal. Xp ·39E·s squa,,, ' cu t wing and tailhn was also nol adopled Powered by an AlI,son V·1710·47 . its ta il bore a slrong resemblance 10 Itlaf of a M usfang
•
••• •
• •
1 01.
f . 1U _
ee_
_
1. _
_
_
I·..... 1. __ _ _ ·I _~
,eo 21
AMERICAN MIUTARYAIRCRAR
PHOTO FILE
BELL
B ELL
P-63 KINGCOBRA
P-63 KINGCOBRA
... Silver l ingcobra 01 the few P.fi3s which remait>ed in the Ur'Iited States. some _ used loT feSt and traini1g ~ 1he ~ of the rast - . t to the USSR .
.. Nose guns M O$t P-63s had twin 12. l -mm (.5O-caJ.' machine guns installed in the upper engine co wling.
... Experimenta l variants Two XP-63Ns w ere flow n with 'b utt erfl y' tails, One W8S modified atter the war 10 L·39- 1 sl andard and fle w sw op t, wing tests for the US Navy.
.. lend-lease to Russia Fitted..mtl uo1deo • • rg drop- tanks. this P-6JA, IIyOng ..mtl the Soo-iet ail Iot'ce is typical of the 2400 OT moo-e deIiYet'ed undet' the Lend-Lease programme.
Allison power iiiRemoYai o f the engi ne acc ess panels from thi s preserved P-63A rev&als the 12-eylinder A1Ii~ V- I lI 0 eng Ine mounted behind the cocllpit.
C
re ate d as a n im proved vers ion o f th e Be ll P-39 Aira c obra, the P-6 3 King c obr a r etained th e tri c yc le lan di ng gear o f the ea r lier type, a n o se c a nnon and a n en g ine moun ted behind the pilo t driving the pro pell er th ro u gh a long s haft. L ik e the P- 39. it also had a car-type door f o r access to the c ock pit. U nfortunately, th e P-63 never m e asured up to the to p w artime fig hte rs, li ke the P -5 1, Bf 109 and Z ero.
22
FACTS AND FIGURES
A
Although no t
one o f the most
wcc:essful wartlme fighters. the KingcolJra
opwated successfully in the cJo$e-~ and attacll roles. It saw most serYICe wrttI $cwIet ton;esandwas foI" -
t
u, annedandannoured.
.. A Kingcobra on di splay In Sa n Antonio, Te.as , s u ~ iyed us e as a frangible bullet t arg et during 1946.
.. During the Korean War, some American pilot s sa id lhat they had en countered P -63s fl own by North Koreans .
.. More than 3300 Ki ngcobra s , in half a dozen v ersions , W Me produced.
.. Both prototypes were lost in mishaps earty In the night t est program me.
.. The f irst Ki ngc obra prototype m:ade
.. About 2400 K ingeobras w ere turned ove<' t o the Soviet Union.
its initial night on 7 Deeembet' 1942.
B ELL P ·63 K IN G C OB RA
PROFILE
Close-support over Europe
A
LS Arm v Air FOKt:
( USAA ") ord~'r for tw o rrotolyp,-,~
inju n... !'HI bundl....1 t he P.(d KinJolco hr:.l. FUl1lw r p"' )("lypl'~ f" lI"\H'd
Below: All ai rc raft up to the P-63A -5 were fitted with a c en tre -sec tion rac k bu t had no wing ra cks. The fou r 12.7-m m (.50-calibre) machin e guns wer e supplemented by a 3 7-mm c anno n ;n th e nose .
forces. and a sinjotk e xample was
01W
Ckl"h,:r 1'Yi3. II q uickly h.:GUlle d ea f tha t
the 1'..6:\ was m~ ad\' annxl ...noll ~h for fro nt-lin" ,.:tYke, and the lll'l~)rity of KingC( ~)ra s
o f lit,· most unusual. known
AA
l..KOil
AJIison V- 17 1O eogina OrtMl the
occeee-
f<»-blalcl9d 01 the P-63A via a long extension shaft, This 'afl Icwwards ftrough ttl9 cockpt afId belweOO the P*lt's legs .
V- 171Q--ro liq uid ·cooIed 12-eylOnder Vee piston engine driv ing a tou r-bl aded prope4 l
7620 m (25 ,000 III
Crutslng speed: 608 kmlh (378 mph)
.ksign which ......-rvcd American
WeI"'-' ddilrR...1 to til<: S
he foT" dd in,ries of tlw first p rt KI" <1i" n \"l'Ni"n bql:an in
Powerptant: one 988 · kW (1325·hpj A1lisorl
Maximum speell: 660 kmlh (410 mph) at
d"liH'Tl'd to t1w RAt'. St.·wra l were used as tlyinjot tt's tl-e,,-b TIlt' ]' .(1:'> was a low-wing for n:s w ell in a Irai ning GIjXll'ily hut was never used hy them in combat. The Kingl'ohra ",'as nOI an .'as\' aircraft to tlv, how e ve r. l'sped~lIr in tlw l'ir<:uit pancrn around an airfield. and pi lols 11<,\'<,r bestowed 011 u Ih.· affection Ih.·y extended 10 tlu- ),!lIsung, Thunderbolt and It d lGIt KiI1Jo(o ,h ra ., wen- grven a \'arkl y of ....oond-lmc duties In
P- 63A K i n g cobr a I fil l : 109!"'" and ground attac k 8IrCfall
Range: 724 km (450 miles) Servtce ce ili"g : 13,106 m (43,000 11) Wei ght s: empty 2692 kg (6376 Ibj: maximu m la~e- ofl 4 763 kg (10.500 lb)
Above: At leas t 300 P -63s were d elivered to the Free Frenc h ArmEie de I' Air. This ;s II P-63C with its distinctive ven tral fin.
P·63A K'NGCOBRA
as I'ro j...., Pinball. t11oditkd.
armoured t\ iI1Jo(l 'o h r..,
manned
1"l}i:l'\S
One 01 . 1", 9" mJmber of P-63A and P·63C Ki n.gcobras suppl ied to It>e Soviet air force duling WOtk! War II, tllia P--63A-9 WDD fitted wi lli a n M l 0 l in st ead 01 all M41 hub CllI1l1Qn and addilional armour.
fo r Jo(\I1llleT)
e Xl·Kis.:s b y fighters
,hoolinl'
frangible hull'·ls
~ """'" ~
-'" """""'"""- -
proiect,...,.
Dimensions:
.... """
""'"
wong a,ea
11.68 m (3811 4 in) 9.96 m (32 fI 8 in) 3.84 m112 117 ill)
23.04 m' (246 SCI ttl
COMBAT DATA
This Iw ga ;" l ake abcMl1he ....... fu<;oIage led air to lhe cart:umlor PIacng 1he engne llginoomg problems afId did_ _
""""""*'
Armam ent : one 37-mm cannon and tou r (two wiog -lTIOUI1led and lwo nose-mounted) l ixad lorward ·fIri.-.... 23T · kg (522-lb) bombs or six roc kel ~ l on It>e subv..... nt
I l ill iii
' )QUo.
T... p~ wOO """"" '. .I.. ...., tho P · olON WamowI<.o ojnce Iho e . . - fy>l....... ~Iho rod "' ~ . _ QOf. ...... Tho P.(l3 was m.JCI1 _ t!Ian. oryuobly. !hot grooteol us J;gr>t", " ' _ W.. N, Iho /oIoo1tl ~ P·510 Muot""'ol
~
._~
. . k.... ~I .....l .· . . . .~ U l ......... ....l .·. . . . ..
.......1'1....1·'"".... ~5
--
The P-63 tOO a taller.
n-.""""'" rcee
-"' ~
37-rrm <;:afYl(n, ...nich klld 1tIrol.4> the spfYlar_ SWt)opes ~ to the P ·63A 8 cwried crly tt>irt'; 37·........ rounds.
StreamlioBd
tairlnllS
the o.rderwing machirIe
_ ~~
!V'S- Starltlg w ith lhe P-63A- 6 , undarwing ~were f~ ted
Aircraft lilted WI1!l Oft.! 1he cenlreOn
mot1l
more ~ lail than 1he P ·39 Ao'acobfa The P-63's coo!igurafoo , ~~ s_fIow
was largely tesrec on ttl9 experimen lal )(fI.39E.
".;"g.
Bell fighters of the 19405 • P -39 AIRACOBRA : Desogned as a Iligll~ mar>oeowever.
• p .5Q AIRACOMET: PIar1f19d as a conlemporary 01 the Glosler E.28139 and He 178. the P·S9 dkj 001 iIllactlly lJIltil afte< ll!(l Me 262 and Met""', It was America's ~ffit jet fighter,
• ~l
XP _77: Using pm-war racing aorcraf1 deslgn as a bas,s, produced tilts lignt_iglll wooden figllte< proIoIJ'p
10 achoeWl acceptable P
-
... Mary rescue This TH- ,L uses its shng hotst during a demonstra tion at
,
EJIyson Field, Pensacola, Florida.
I A ... High-speed bird 5e¥efaJ tes' C(){I/'igIXliIhornI ~
~
used Oil the 'Huey ',
/he speed 10 «J2 kmlh (250 mph).
~ Overseas success &lin undtN kence by Agusta in Italy as !he AS 204. tI'tts 'Huey' SWW!$ in the 1IfIb-$Ubmarine role. Early ~ of the ~ in ~ thtooghout Europe.
(}H-'
... Weapons platform An Italian example demons trlltes the offensive capa bili ties of the UH - 1 by lifting o ff with two pylon-mo unted machine gun s and 2 1 rockets.
anti-tank missiles "
7ho _ _ ••n'........... .n thll Qe. ' ; ,;a N: 01 the frst 8/K-1o-fI'Ound missile lor the US Ann): which was used .n Vietna
B
e ll 's M odel 204 formed the b a sis fo r o ne of the m o st s uccessf u l se ri es o f helicopters ever built. Flown for the fi r st time in Oc t ober 1956 , it wa s designated X H -40, then HU- 1 by the US A rmy (wh o call ed it t he ' Huey'), before a d e si gnation c hange to HU -1 A Ir oquoi s . The HU· 1B introduced a more powerfu l e ngine and the HU-1C had a new rotor system. Later st ill the HU· destg naticn w a s changed t o UH-. Variant s were built by A gus ta in Italy.
"
FACTS AND FIGURES
... A doclI'-gurvoet' rides 'shotglrI ' wdtl his M60 as a pair of 'Hueys ' IIy ()lI$" !he Den. "'fliOII .n v.etnam. To ".". pt:H)pIe, Iha .... .n Souttte.;t$r ".,. was $)"l'IIbOtZed by images of !he UH-1.
.. Four prototype YU H-16s were orde<'8d In June 1959, with the l irst f1i9ht taking place in the following April.
)0
.. A total of 1010 UH.1Bs produced in ttaly, Japan and the United States.
)0
.. "The YUH-1 B N t .... unofficial work! speed record of 357 kmlh (221 mph) in May 1964.
)0 The
w_
Diff erences between the 6 and C models i ncruoeo a modified rotor system, wide r rotor blades and a larger fi n,
The ' Huey'
see
w." the first helic::opter to
oMclespre
as a gunship.
Roy al Au str,lia n Ait1 Fore e was the
tim ._._U S customer lor
eight UH - t B s.
B ELL UH - 1 azc I R O Q UO IS
PROFILE
Bell's ubiquitous 'Huey'
T
Below: The glossy overall olive drab, wi th a yellow ta il band and white le ttering, soon gave way to aon green when the 'Hv ey' enlered c omb at.
Ull-lI~,
he lurhi,w ....n ;:irw was on", of d l<: keys to the Model 204 S sll
wen: also built by Fuji in Jap an a nd ARw'u in Ita ly. AHlISI'1 modds Included the All l04AS ant i-submarine variant for thl' Italian and Spanish navi",. plus civil All 2(HBs with Lynmlilll-\ T53. {-;clll'ral Elcctrk- T'iH o r Ho lls-Ho r n :
[ TfI _l lIs n:t airHxJ th c LJII -1A "s
G nome
7 16..kW (,)(,O..h pl T"i3 cllKinl', b UI an Hl() ..k\'{' (1 HXl..hpj powerpla nt was soon stan dard. Th~' 'WI\' model was ddin'r<-"I from \ larch 1961 a nd co uld be armed ....'ilh rocket pods and machine Runs carried on the cabms _,id e.s.
The t .u- rc , which Hew in September 196;, used r binges" and wider blades. This p n ,\"ilb .l 1I\0l"<.· bft. ~·nahlin~ the fuel load to I.....· increased and illlpro\'in~ the mKh in~" s manoeuvrability
en~in~"s
UH -1C T,p.: sing ia-eng ined mU~I-roH! lJIlilty ",";copter
Powerplanl: one 82 ()..kW (1 100-hp) l ycom;r,g T53-l-I1 tul'b<.t$t1aft engine
-".
Maximum $fIeed: 238 kmlh 048 mpll) al
Initial cUmb rate : 427 mfmin (1400 !pm) Range: 815 km (381 mi~) w~h au. i'Ny IueI Service ceiling : 3505 m (11.500 It) Weight s: empty 2300 kg (5060 tb): maximum
Above: This is one of $iJ( test YH-4Qs seen dvring a proving night . There were few differences between ttlese and the first prodvction 'Hlle ys '. and 'I.....-ed. vanarns of II ...• V II-I C. with new dl~i~n'llion-'. were lI'txl IJ}' tht· US Air Force, S;'\"y
lake-oil 4309 kg (9480 Ib)
Dlmemlons:
TH·1L Pi<:I....ed in red and wh ile t raining colours , ttlis TH-1L, t he na vy desig na tion l or the ' Hue y' , ia u..... lor pilot train i ng. Th is involvas flying lrom ai rcraft ca~.... and ov er-wat er n avi gatK>n.
rotOf'diamet9l' 1341 m (44 It) length 12.98 m (42 II 7 in) he'ght 3.84 m (12 11 7 in) rotOf disc area 141.26 m' (1520 sq It)
COMBAT DATA
~on the lett _ o1 the
The cabin could tKlId nine pas.seng8fS and craw. and offemd excellont aJ-roonod W,;bIiIy. The machine was often lbwn WIth the doors I"ll
tad boom. the tned on the right-hand_ ThB tal SiZe was also inc::Rlased. t>ocause of the t.patad engones
to slow rf.(lid e .~.
...--
". Ull-It 1I1110oolS II2\I k · l ll llll~
,9_-
'Hoeys' wereofI.... caIIocl 'slid
Two skids supJXlrtad the UH -1 on the 1Jf(Uld. A~ tloI.ql
ees COIY'(.>Ia ~ !han wheekld
landing QIW. Ihei" use rastnct ad the helicq:>ter"s ~ <;JJ'Ql ~ had lardad
r
A taO sIOO, dasigned to protoct the rear roted on the Il/1d of the boom.
1IIl-1CIIIOOUOIS
•
\11I-11111I001IOII
;; -
Improving the breed • UH_1H : An imptO\lem<.lflt of the UH -l a design, advar>cflS ir>ch.id&d io'\Cfeased tilting capab the Taiwan ai, forc e
• M ODEl 2 12: OItenng the retiabilrty of an impro""",, tw in engir>a and a weather radar localed in the nose. th is Singapo
t
• MO DE L 2145Y: Possess;r,g littte commonality WIth ear1ier designs. Ulis V&f\eZueian 'Huey' features a str'9lched cabin, ~ ed ~ Ofm ance and cornpos
•
25
AMERI CAN MIlITARY AIRCRAR
PHOTO FILE
BELL
AH-1
B ELL
AH-1 HUEVCOBRA (SINGLE)
HUEVCOBRA (SINGLE)
• Gunship . Tank killer . Escort helicopter
Tank-busting missile. The BGM-71A TOW ueea in Vietnam w as a wira+fJUided anti· tank missila with a 3- km (2·mila} ranga.
Gun armament. The AM- 1"s undfJmosa turre t contains a Gemtral Electric M I97 thffift-barrellOO 2O-mm cannon which w as aimOO by the gunner in tha front seat .
.... US Anny Cobra The Cobra firs! saw service in 1968 attar the Army ordared 38 examplas. The curren! helicoptet'S are much improved.
Slim li nes . The AM-1 (c oo tra} was designed to present as small a targat as possibla to ene my ground fire.
E
a rly Bell AH -1 Hu eyCobras o pened a new era in warfa re . From the dawn o f rotary -wing av iat io n it was a p pa re nt that the h elic opter cou ld b ec ome a re volutionary weapon of w ar if it was a rm ed . The Hu eyC o b r a w a s th e first h elic opter d e s igned for a rmed batllefie ld duties. Although it had a number o f features in com mon with the famous UH-1 ' Huey ' , the AH -1 was th e first o f the re a l a nt i- tan k helic opter gunships.
26
FACTS AND FIGURES
.... The AM- t MlJ(IyCob ra rec eived its baptism o f fire in the jungles o f Sou theast Asia with the US Army. The AM- 1 took over the rol e o f premier tank- busting and specialised assault helicop ter from the UM-t O.
.. The AH-1 was designed with the rotor system, transmission and tailboom of the proven UH-1D 'Huey'.
.. The US Army Aviation Association voted the AH-1 one of four ' m o st valuable weapons' of the Vietnam War.
.. The AH-1 Cobra was first flown in prototype form on 7 September 1965.
.. Bell produced more than 1600 first generation, s ing le- eng ine Cobra s.
.. HueyCobras are equipped to carry TOW mis sil es.
.. AH -1s were ofter1 armed w ith two 4O-mm g re nad e- lau nc henlO.
\"i<.1nam. hut tho, Coord arrin..J on II...• ....'<..11<.. ju.........h,"Tl it "'.I~ n........ k-..J in rh••" SOUlhe.N :\ "';.1 ll lfl tl i<1, 1lM.· :\ 11-1 f...u rured .I
"fT"'fNH' , " In-oldy .........·......J1I1 ",j"l( /(un., ;uk! .",.-k"'h for ,lin...' ,urport of !V'llmd 1n."1)'..
I
l '~
.... n ·;1l1lhlk·.1 namlw·",iJth tu....·b ,l(t.· that an:ommoJ,u,'l.I .I two-man en- ..... in tandem .....·,1Is wuh tlw pi l, ~ aho'n' ;md IIl'hi nd the n" pil' II./~unn<·r Tl u- l iS Army progrv...,iwly
---
Ill\.' ""'Wih \ 'ictnank"'4"
th.., C..h ....1~ Wert' pilcht.'I1 Jfo/;:lin", C.ommllni'" 1'1"·""6 li~lll tanb ·Ih ..• "'arl)' de~i~n Wa~ .... df",,-'Iin' tha i impron-d n'r~i"n, of tIll" ....H-I ('''~lr.l w..·rt." onk·n...1 for Thl" A rm }" an..1 Till" l ;S .\ I;u i lll" C"rp~, Bq (i nn in).l in llll" 1 97()~.
'-tr. 57.
11m l355 ~
Senlce ntli.,: 3S3ll m (, 1,600 III The Hu
_.....-..
Wlritflts: ~ 2750t kg (60509 ~ .............. IIIl
a - t : .,.,. M' 91 :!O-n'm l*'flOfl .. , -
.' m llo' flll.lb sc...t the .....omh fiN armed hank,fM.-kI h,·[H:Up.,,,. tho> Ikll All -' COO"-.I. olt'T1 G1lk..J th., 1I...."·Cuo....... TIll' id._~.1 had ari "':-n hl-i"n' n I%'i th.:
.h n'qlllR."11lrnl f or
Tpr. attar;k;
.......
COMBAT DATA
Th& tar! a->d !usolaga
a-e Vf!lT'l lIlendor.
""
Thi s H... yCobr. .. . U S Arm ~ model in the thrMcolour ~ uwd in lhe lunvln of Noet. ..... durW>gthe figt>tng of the -'Y 111101..
~ to~"""
.
.-.:llow at tree· top _1o~ma9:.
n. row <:om'T"IOIl ta"Oarn -...g of !tlll ~ .-.:l pIoI: _ .... inIroci..oced f'IIO CO'ft* on •
A M ERICA N RESISTAt+CE : Atnerica"l _l..-.ce was provided by AC-,3O Spectre QUlShops and Iatga runberI <:A _ _
~al _tu
_re.
proved ""'·-.110 !IghI!nQ.... ~ In .,.,. ollb first (lpIInIIoOnS. the BGM-1 , A TOW . . - - was used aganst the . . Cong'. '-Y '-"'s.
--
T~
..
s.-. __
n..e-ftln"",,_lQ
_.-
~~
I MlI·_
..
~_
URBAN WARFARE: Th& Cobra
-"
_ _~ h
_"""l#"oo_'"
l 'IXAlI.•
,
, . f .l2 _
1 " -·1_
. .1 4 - . .'
-i
,,'U_
1'"
.....,.
21
AMERICAN MIUTARY AIR CRAR
PHOTO FILE
BELL
B ELL
AH-1 HUEVCOBRA
(T WIN)
AH-1 HUEVCOBRA (TWIN) • The first 'gunship' • Close support . Precision anti-armour
'" Minigun Early HueyCo bras carried the Mlnigun, a six ·barrelled machine gun which fired at rates of up to 100 rounds per second. Today the slower bu t harder-hitting
~:::::::::::::_~M:I9:7::;20-mm cannon is fitted. ... In the weeds
.... Riding 'shotgun'
Like its serpentine namesalle, tM HlIeyCobra is designed to fight down among the trees and bushes, where it can lurll undetected until it is time to rear up and strille.
As wall as tailing ovt enemy tanlls, the HueyCobra is charged with the vital tas k of escorting assault helicopters. Jnesa US Army helos are seen on exercise in Egypt during 1982.
- ~
--
--
'Y Rapid turnaround When it is ovt of missiles, the HueyCobra can be re-armed in mirn.stes by a well-drilled ground team. The TOW missiles are pre-paclled in their launch tllbeS and are strapped straight on to the helicopter.
... SuperCobra Derived fro m a project to supply tM Shah of Iran with an upgraded vet'Sion of the AH - fT. the SuperCobra prototype with its twin T-700 engines served as the basis tor the development o f the c urren t Marine Corps AH -1W.
B
e ll 's AH -1 HueyCobra wa s th e first true attack helicopter. Tw enty-five ye ars later, upgraded versi on s are st ill deadly weapon s, re aching out with guns and mis sil e s to halt the e ne my in it s tracks. Tod ay the twin -engined Hu ey Cobra is fl own by Marine pilots, e lite w arriors who us e the A H-1 's s peed and power t o fight a nd w in, no m atter wh at the o d d s. 28
FACTS AND FIGURES
'" In the front cockpit sits tM HlIeyCobra gU/lfl(Ir. A t his disposal is a fearsome erray o f guns and missiles which he can bring to bear with frightening rapidity.
~
The AH-1 first flew on 7 September 1965; new HueyCobras are produced today.
~
~
Building a HueyCobra requires 38,500 hours of factory-worker time.
)0- HueyCobra pilots use night vision goggles
~
In Operation Desert Storm, four Marine squadron s fl ew 1000 mis si on s, including o ne w h ic h de stro y ed 60 t anks.
The HueyCobra's stub wing provides some of the li ft which k ee p s it in the air. and electronic sensors to fight in darkness and bad weather.
)0- The c annon of the AH -1W 'W his k ey Cobra'
fire s a d epl eted uranium s hel1.
BELL AH ·1 HUEVCOBRA (TW IN)
PROFILE Helicopter IIiller - ttIe HueyCcbnt can cany ttIe SJ<1a id& mISSIle on Its stub pyfom to t/Ioot down OI1lw helicopters.
Strike like a snake
T
IM.' AIt-1 I h......O >hr.! t"\u1n-d (rum the fanxlU~ tklJ nt-I
Ih....,.·. \\ 'hm till: _'-H-IG
Ix" -a" .... tho: fiN ,,,.onTAft dc....i~-d s J1".-ifi"',llll 10 (".oIll)' dnn.. , ,, tonlt" U lfTlh a l. " 'jlll lho:
Iw:li<,nplt·'-' mir.lculou.. amli,y to k-.. p in and 0 ..1 o f light plan.".
;0111<,1 wilh a
<.k.lJI ~'
p
Wt~.. p"n.. hanp;inl( urnk.,. ils ..tuh winlols. till' Il u,, )-('.o hr .l is th•." in fanlr y m ;m "s Ix .,.. fri..-od
SuperCobra
IIIIacI< helicopter
" ' - .....: two GenaraI EIacfnc T·700
the Atmy'~ newer Apad... ....hi.:h
mi ...s ilo:. fired from I11;Iny
can.... aklrlp;
kilc'""'-1.....,. aw ay to kill a unk w ith pmpoint accuracy T...lav•.\lariflt."» u..., the Al l -IW :Wh i..kt'), C"l">r.l', a wa rrior for th..· hi-tech banlefjekt- as
'IXhi-sic..,.· Coh:!" .. ,,,,x is
f"nn iltl hl.. in rnany SilU;lIions ;Is
IurtloOIiI'IIII ..". rateel. 1212 kW 11625 hpj
""--.........
St"Yo". h;o rd -h inin~ Cohr,!... d~ ;l t "" Irk 'u•Iav. 11lC' t 'S Ann)" intrt ...un....i TO'" mi....ik-oi filth! tanks. l1Jr ~l .. ri ..................1 :;l '>l:'1l furttk-r with tbe """""'WJidl-d IIdlf,R."
arnphihioll s warfare , Ilyin~ from ,;h ip do.."Ck.~ or from land. Piklls of this thin. g racef ul ., hip rr-ai....· il.~ nimhk flyinll qualities and il.' Il...llihihty and fi~lu inll pf't ,,,, ,,,, ,.
..........
lor
guided-.........-or _ · _
~
DIIIIlIIIIl. 1It:
pods,
or ~
AH-1 W SUPERCOBRA
diamM_ tHI3 m (4ft ttl IuseIage length 13.87 m (45 II 6 in) />eighl
The stet> p-,1ons pn:Mdo not orl'; !he means 10 C
' _ ping
rn... .. ~ 2().rrm Mt 97 n.......,on hils ttow (3l h alII raled /
0W"'0f\. ~ IIfld
-.::c==:=
675 fOtI'WOIP8' ...-..Ie. ~
,.. t6
-.:fl tJ.nI
fOI.6di;.
II ~
10
The II.rn.lI QIn
_
s-"IlI !tYoI.9' 1 t r:t' EII:hEir IIIde <1the noee.
-------------------i ...
~ d D n a l' - " " " -
b"' _ ~ " " " ' _ " " , , ,,,,,_,,,,,,,,",,,
got ..... _ .....,.,.., • U _
L
..... • ._.d _ ot:. ._.d _ ~
_
..........
. ....
~
'.-i:-m-..
M . • 'Ll.X
TltAC IUHG: On the '-::k d the _ ..... " - - whicflllllow \hi guroow to iIs ~ He " - the sil;tit ...nod on targoll ..,.;Ithe_. ~ guided 10 the point d ...
"1<11'_' •••
29
AMERICAH MIUTARY AIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
, B ELL
B ELL
OH -58 KlowAITH-57
SEARAN G E R
'Y SeaRangm 01 USN Training SquadnJ. 8
OH-58 KlowAlTH -57
1U TH-5 7As htwe been ~ by~ TH-57lb
SEARANGER
• Jet Ranger military variants . USAF and Navy service .
and TH-5 7C5
8Ql ' .
'
as ins'"*'-'f rr--s.
Exports
.... Dual-control TH-57A trainer Selec ted in January 1968, 40 BeN 206A Je tRangen filled the Navy 's rotary-wing treiner ~t.
.... Blooded In Vietnam The Kiowa was deployed in Vietnam from late sum mer 1969 and was used throughout the war. Although intended as an observation platform, it was in demand as a trenspcxt aircrafT because of tts size and agil#)(
.... Civil Bell 2065 In military service Nun>erocJs . , forees. ~ 8rI.wlei's. opeo'I!" civil 'O!t.tI'..-sheIf' JetRangers for' b'aining purposes.
Jo:1 u Model 206B -I Kiowas (it! addmon to 12 built by Bell) for the Australian army and navy in the ' 91Os.
J
et Ra ngers have been bi g se llers in c ivil m arlc.ets throughout the W estern w orld. The M odel 206 has also found numerous military buyers, both in the US a nd abroad. With the US Army, a s the O H -58 Kiow a batUefleld observation he licoptet'", it saw service in Viet nam and has recentty been re Otdered as the TH -6 7 Creek for primary rotary-wing training. The US Navy employs the same machine, designated TH 57 SeaRanger, for helicoptet'" night training.
30
FACTS AND FIGURES ~
~==
.... The vef$,8hJf1y o f the civil JetRanger hQ been elCpIotted in the moIrtary variant$. n- _ used by BII tIvlIe o f the US services in a variety of
tr--.g and offensNe rtHes.
Ac cOf'ding to B ell , the OH -58 surpasse s all other m achines , even the UH -1 ' Hoey', as
~
military proto ty pe, the O H -4A, t hat lir1lt flew in December 1962.
the U S Army 's $afest helicop ter. .. Kiowas of the Ca nadian Armed Fon::es are designated C H -136; ~ are CH - 139!l.
~
~
~
The Royal AustTlIIli"'" N avy nicknamed it l Kiowas 'Ba ttle Budgies' .
Thi s helicopter trac es its origi ns to a
Bell claims that milItary M odel 206s na ve flown _
17 million hours.
U S Army O H -58A$, Cs and Os went wide+y used dunng the GUlf War.
BELL OH-58 KlowAITH-57 SEARANGER
PROFILE
JetRangers in uniform worldwide lthOll!o:h it was nOI offered a prod uction contract for a new ol"'....r.... arion and artillery srollin!' lu-hcoptcr, Bt'l l improved ilS 01 1-4 dcxign and dcwlop...d till' civil .' lodd 20() Jt' lIbnj.tt'r, 'echcn , in I9(Vl, Iht' Ar my rv-o p ...n..·d the compe uuon , th is design wa.' selected hy the Am l)" as the
A
O Il ·')H Ke ow a [0 augment till," Hughes 0 11-6 C;1y\1'C.· that had won Ih t· orij.(in'l l compeuuon
Ea rly examples of lht, Kio w a were wnt imm\"Ji"tdy 10 rill' Vi" (narn
\\; "I f,
fort"i J.(n air fon-e; have 1:><"'0 nUllle[Ou". altho llJ.(h ma ny of Ihl·.'" ha ve been ('i ,'il
w ht''''' thev
disl inl'uish"d lIwlll",:lw~
TH -5 7C SeaRanger Below : Sweden's navy operates seven Italian-built Ag ust a-B ell AB 206A Je tRa ngers 8S Hkp GAs. These can carry II torpedo or depth c harg es.
TJ1II: dllal-<:ontrol adv ancocl tra 'ning and transporll\elioap te<
Powlrplant: one 3 13·kW (420 ·hPl Allison 2W-C2OJ t urboshaft 236 ~ W (316 hpj
Malimum
eng'''''' ftat-r al ed 10
speld : 225 kmJh (140
Mallmum cruising
mph)
spi ed: 214 kmm (133
Abo~ e:
The US Army has adop ted the .le tRanger as i ts New Training Helic opter (NTH), or TH-6 7 Creek.
Ra ng e : 648 km (525 m iil>s) al 3050 m (10,000 It )
Ser,lc e celling : ov...- 6095 m (21),000 MovlI
maehi nes. Tr:linin l' a nd liai"on art' (Ollunon u nar med mil'S. hut ~w(x""n and Chil<' u.... afmed ,\ l'Kld 20(\" fo r ant isubmarine work
,,"oct
1016m (44 11 4"')
9.49 m (31 tt 2 in) heig ht 2,9 1 m (9 tt 6 in) rotor d isc area 81.10 on' (882 sq tt)
/usel3Qe length
KIOWA ACTION DATA
Be9inning in Ma~ HI69 , the US Army took de'i~"'Y 01 2200 OH ·58A$. SOv....a. t>undred OH-58A s ar>
<,
I
!fli iii milju
SpeOuItne hogI>or lOp opo«l <>l lt>o Goz_tiO_tt>o _ pilOI -,,-"_.;n traInOroo more powsrlu! _ las "" Iyp80 r.o '" _ ;0 ikel)o to ft)'.
sj 5AIl'Uf lIT," J
,
W I II I
1;1 iij,ii3' 11:1
w.m • 30 flO' <*"ll more pcworlU .-.gono lIttOCl _ whic!l io only I I f * conl _ . tho
Many OH- 58Cs can be fitted
wrth Stnger air-to-air rnssiIelI 00 mountogs 00 both sides of the fuselage behnd lhe maon caoo coo. These prOYide protactiOn /rom Ol her h9IicoptetS, bu t are
A number of CJH ·58s were CCI1\Ig the 1oסi< of the aircraft and optirrising rt as a supporI h9Iicopter to worI< WIth the AH--64 Apache an tH _ rnad'w>e. DH-560s have sftoIl boon aomod
'Mlile the QH .58A was powered by a 2365-kW Alison T63· A·700 Iu"boshaIt la ~ clerivatlVWa is an el is covered 00 ttws ~
lnIra.red SUJJpr8SS8d exhaust s and internal irroproYemenIs WQ ClJIIetS llfll ottllf1 titted abc7ve and below the Iorward tuselage
c eilillll:
Wei ght s: em pty 640 kg (1848Ibj ; maIomum tak &-
OH-58A
BatweeI1 75 and B4 OH· 58As have been '-'PlI'aded WIth lorward·1ooI
A total ot 435 OH -58As have boon CQrl'\Iilrtocl to OH -56C staro:lard WIth a l\a1 glass car<:lPY 10 reO..oce gi&'e. an uprated T63 eogio8.
us
mph)
Malimum rale of cli mb : 469 m,!min (1538 /pm) at sea lev..
Army observation helicopters
BELL O H·13 StOUX , Famous lor ils
exploits
dUfll"lg the Korean War, B&l1's Model 47
entered US --.-ice in 1946
• HtLLER OH- 23 RAVEN' The l irsl Ravens we<$ air eroreteoces O&Ii_eod to the Army in 1950.The ~Sl OH-23 s were supplieod in 196 7
•
HILLER YOH-& This ~
liI1't
observation protolypll was not put 1110 productKJn, but servO'Jd as the basis kM' the eM FH- 1100.
• HUGHE S OH·6 CAYUS E: Later to become a b
31
AMERICAN MIUTARYAIRCRAFT
BELL
OH-58D KIOWA • Two·seat armed scout helicopter . Special mast-mounted sighl It. Mast-mounted sight 111& MMS is mounted OIl /I non-vibnlbonaI bearing, It can swivel through 36Ir and PIt up Of' dowrl 3Ir.
rrUfj.fI.ateDon ~ (MFD$} lei ~ S)'Stem$, navigation and ~ data.
T1Mt OH-58O Kiowa Warriof" hits two m.M1 rootes: as /I scout heM;opt~ fOf' the wmy's land and airtlome ~ and. ~ required. as an armed attacl~ in Its own
The MFDs we designed to be used /II night wtlen Ihe crew __ n9'Jf-vision goggles.
-.
These wen! not u:sed in Ihe war- because of smoke l'rom t.urW1g oil '""""-
Fnt Gulf
... Naval support 111& 4th Sqor , cw~ 17th Cavalry. US Aim)/. is nned to opet'81. from US Navy ~ d necessary. OH-58O ope.ratioos wen! mounted at sea diNing the 1991 QJIf War.
=-- L "
It. Hellfire anti-tank missile launch The MMS also contains a laser rangefinder and designator. The latt er can be us ed 10 guide the OH·58D 's own mi$$i/es or those o r larger attack helicop ters, like the AH -64 Apache .
B
e ll 's O H·58D K iowa W arrio r com bines a proven des ign, Increased po w er and hi-te ch equipment In It s im portant rol e a s th e US Army 's main ba nlefield scout. The Kiowa Warri o r goes in to com bat in c a re f u l cc-crdlnetlcn w i t h ground c o m m a nd e r s a nd he avier hel ic o pters like the A pa c he. Th e O H-580 's main d uty Is to reco n noitre the enemy a nd p inpoint his forces , although it c a n al so c a rry guns, rock ets and guided m is s iles .
32
FACTS AND FIGURES
... The QH· 58D was originally an unarmed helicopter. In 198 7, however, when Iran began 10 threalen sllips in the PersUtn Gulf, armed Kiowas were used to protect 011 tarM:8f"lI againsl gunboal attacks.
The us Army's
1I17th Cavalry flies a stealth version with a laser-pt'OOf winds creen and m o re pointed nose.
)0- The OH -58D is named after the native
)00-
Saudi Arabia 's 1$ Bell 406 Com bat scoots have a roof -moun ted sig ht .
)0- Th e stea lt h version of the K io wa Warrior
)00-
The main rotor turns at 395 rpm and the tail rotOf' at 2381 rpm.
)0- Th e fi rst product ion u narmed O H -58D was
)00-
Ameri can Kiowa tribe . Other US Army helic opters are al so named i n thi s w ay . fi rst fl ew on 6 August 1990. delivered in M arch 1986.
PROFILE
The Cavalry's armed scout
-A ~a·7D
OH·58D K io w a Wa rri o r T,pe: _ 1SIOQl8-8fl9I""d """""
T
h~' army u........ II~· .( )II - ~[) to (l'p.: wIth th~' ,p.......J
l'.,nl, M,., .., ( of tho: jo\nlund to ..hidd ii, ri..in)l. on l )' 10 U'*" it.. ma-.c
;lnd ~nf11pkoXII)- "t
..iglll - known a.. "n:Ip of Ill<:
mod..:rn wasta....· , (;ruuoJ lllllllna...... k-r; ne-e" Ikxihil'lY I" -.t"y on l Op "f an ("0':111)' "
earth ", or '\OE. flyin",. 1\t lilt."
riJo:hl monwnl. thO' Oll-~D :lIIal'''.. on it.. own. or d in:<.1' WC".lpt>r'l' fmOll artilll"!1' halte~.
;lnd the Ki"",J,
rna....IO;"U\"l'\
U 'arrior u .,. a rn I>mounle..J '>')l.llI - a hill" al>" r 'h wh,rtlnlt nil."" - '0 "po' lilt.- <.-no..,ny. aim it., .:M-n wr.lpon.. and )fUidc.' II""....· of "lIlI,....... In .'oml"n. th.. 0 11 ·""'0 hd... ht.-no.-.Ith Ilk" hori,run. u ..in)l. lik'
. .
laf)o:l"T
a ir support fiRh1<-'l"-txllllhtTr.. 11k' Kjoo".';J '>':"arriot" nlfllrnnt."" Ilk' a....mdyrumic chape of tho> .....art;.,.- 0 1l ·Y\.-\. C "{lOl1<--r ..... ith a rOllr-t>laJeod roeor. amon' p'Mnful <"fl~f1<.'" and a TheQ-t-~
Abo...: On 26 January 199 1. during the FiBt Gulf War; two OH -58Ds !tying /rom • US Navy friQate /ibMeted en Iraqi-held iMand in ItMJ Gulf end tooII 29
-
scout heIioopt....
_ _I\.aI7().rrrn
>OCI
Q'I
trol port
'1tWIIJlIHt : one 485-kW (6OO-hpl Allison
-.»
T103-AO-700 tIA"boshafI
---- --......... the
1220 m l4000 II)
na-..o
'bll_
~~
"-98: 463 kin
_1wQ~(II
....- - . . n g -
~ "*'sl
........ cel liIII' 341$ m (11.2Oll III
.-d e .... dMectJcn . . Iot . .~
WeI.,..'s:
0IrT"iJlfV 1381 kg l303II llI;
n.'"'P'-",'ahk· wt."apo:""-' r .lJ"K il}". 1\<."11 al",) IlUiki, an t."llpon ,<-'1'ic)fl Ih.' O Il -SKIl kno"n
a r - t 12.1...... \.50aII.l.....aw.lJoI"5. _ _UloI 1(HTrn md
ur
~
a.. 1m' soe Cumh.. ! 'it1'UI In
b
"
SMger
HeIfir8i..........,...
19HH SoIudi ..\r.th i;l (Jnint."d
...... end
~
..... __ '*"'-1O.61mPJ" ..... length lV!!S m P1 112'" heigh! 3-93 m (9" 6 int
I" or 1"'-.....· ..... _ _
.....00lI:lrd8c_ 89-31rrilllll!lQlIl
1rJIae:l . . . . . . - ~ "lI't. Bon1d h t w o _ ....TV ...... .-dan.....u
The _ _ • Ioc8IIecI .. h ..,... penII (II h e"9'81iln1g. HoI
Soma Kowa wamen _ intillflded 10 be .InV1f;portable, WIIt1
OH·58D scout m ission
elilllll nil e: 469 mI .... (1540 lpn)
on the l8iIbocm. the
_
A major part ollh. Kio...." Warrior " job I, to acl as " .cOOl working Wilh gu".lilpla"ll-a80 u lural and manmade ,...t...... as cove< hil• .cool ing lor largetL
sp. ": 231 kmIh 1146 mph) . ~. at
'bl l_
APACHE SUP POR T: With lhe target in sighl lhe .coot can Ih"" radIO lor an an fi_armour ,,,,,ship h&licopter to .ngage with rock.ta, ",issil•• or gu nfire. ('
I
-'
.-.. • ~ _ _ .J
-=-'"
-~ :>
~~-
_._. 110M'.
~
DESTRUCTION : lIIing ii ' 1 _ deaignII lor. the ..:out C8r'i guode HeIfire anli·...... miMi ... hom the guoahip. 'Mthotrt the lat! . being _ to _ the larvet
33
AMER ICAN M IUTARY AIRCRAA
PHOTO FILE
BELL/BoEING
V-22
B ELL/BoEI NG
V -22
OSPREY Sea trials "
OSPREY
The Osprey 118s shown tha t if
--'" can opera te
• Assault tra nsport . Vertical take -aU . Multiple roles
from any <1« k
g;.,. sidew.~
-.n
....Osprey's forerunner The Bel X\t- ' 5 was Ihe cutnrJatJon o f along line of e~. ~and ... asthe dflIJct ancestot" oIlhe \'-22.
....High-tech
"'" """"" ~
Global reach .. The V-22 can be reIueIIed fl rrfght. If can be depk1yed (W'lIf" il. hilC ....,fHI6i.taI distances .. less than • day - which is .something that no heIicopler can do.
equipped with • modem 'g/as$'
•
f
coc/lpit. do<'IWIiJted
'"1
-,..
by mulb-ft.n=tion
~-
computerized 0'Iide0
... Marine assa ult ""'~, enthusiastic
-~
of the V-22 ... the US Marines, who
see the lIN'Cra ft as lJdding gnHI tty 10 the abi lity wi th which they can
cany out amphibious
assaults. S M a rin e s ha ve a p hra se l o r it : they ca ll it 'Vert ical Envel o p me n t '. T he Idea Is t o bypas s a d efended c o ast by flying troop s o ver the t op, las t , la nd in g t hem in the enem y re a r before the I ce ca n re act. And not hing c a n move Marines as l a st as the revolutionary V·22 O sprey, whi ch flie s lik e an aeroplane but take s o ff a nd lands like 8 helicopt er.
U
.... Folding wings The Osprey takes up a lo t of space. which i$ at a premium aboard I!WIIHl the Jargest carrier. To make more room. the rotO(lli fold and the wing swivels in lin e w ith the fu sfJIage.
FACTS AND FIGURES •
.it. The prototype '0'-22 Osprey is seen transitioning to horizonta l flight. It is this unique ability which wiN revolutionize the speed of US Marine Cotps amprobfous assaults.
The '0'- 22 first fl ew 0 0 19 M arch 1989. taking o ft vertically from B ell '. r ese arch facility at Ar1;ngto n . Te;o: as .
,... Fi l'$t trans ition from vertical t o horilontal n ight took p lioce on 14 September 1989.
,... The V· 22 has twice the speed a nd twic e the range of .. c ompar a ble tMt.iCopt .....
•
'0'-22. cao be d eployed anywhere in the w ol1d wlthlo 36 hours.
•
A typic al helic opter oeees thr ee times as m uch mainte nance as t he V-22.
,... Ospreys c an carTY II s ev en- toone lo ad slu n g beneath t he fuselage at speeds o f up to 375 km/h (233 mph).
B E U )'Bo EIN G V - 2 2 O S P RE Y
PROFILE
High-speed assault
A
MV-22A Osprey TrJIr. lW(>--(::t8W rTIIJtt--
r....,t.nt: two 459:l--ll"""""
T«l6-A0-400 IJ.6bopIop$ ...1.........: 556 _
\ la ri rw: ~'t,nunall<,k-r
a,.,.dllltin,ll. a
"'d~'Tkk..,j
-..
TIll;" O... ~- ha,
hi, Iro op ... and <:"': lu ipnkotll a...h, ...:
fa", . llu l l;ukhnJl. cratt a........I" w and mak .. ,"a,y 1..1')«1.... and Ik-lio.."'llf'll"t'> are homhly \"ulrkTallk' In n'll'Il1~- fi ...... l "nh l
dun~
allc"",inlllht.- o.flIl-·Y 'oily ""in." a'" fd'ol a, th.: fa ...,,,,,, 1l.;.-1H,.' tIf)(''''' Op.T..lln,ll. in nllljull
...
... ----. _ __
-
-.
~-~~
•
I
- ' .-
•
BeDlniDg •
(11119 ~ ..",..,
IIonriIII teiti.,: 4300 m (1" .IOOftj ~ .mpty 1".03 k'iJ 131.819 1*-1cmed ~".9018 log (!j6,00J III
1'OOI"l1rWl.. lIrgI
r.,IIoIlt .." 1025 ~ etMlPI'd ~ Ill" ol5OO log (9920 III cargo ~ Ill" 68lXI1r4j (1".Si90IIl-.-el"-l _(mb5l....-.g) 25J6m(&l1t6.JengIh 17.32 m II 10.IIeigtll 6.63 m l21 II Iil.IOIOr _ ~10.oo m' l22'6ll1Q III
...m phihit'l.l' 1.. ,1; f"n't" ' l Oflun... I1ol.k-r can .... "'" L.ull<'h hi' an ,,,k fRlm .... t -r lht" h"r17'1I1. ;l.OO .... i!l han" hi, In.,,,,, 'I.'ho >rt" in ;l. ,he,.".,. lim<;· l!un .....o...kl
::ru:~.~~~.~~::,:::."' . . __
_ . . . - - . pftonly'-
<::llIWO ... ~ b¥ . . - . 01., I/IIcIII:nc
_ 01"' ~
......
__ __ - .... --_.-
AcnON DATA
.Oopw,,,,,,-""....,....... _aw- .. _ . ..... --.-
.~n~n...,.
....
klIfI .., "'" If'IJ
100D km l63:2 t111111t: 332 _
_- ---
v.-22 n- - . -=-- to,.
.... b " .... I'l ..
The b.",,..,idous wj(Jffl Of Ihft Osprey's rorO<' bIadIts is clew in this photo landing on ..
Ik'i li llinJol th... ...,lor'o fo.....' ca rd... n ....\ '·Th Ihtc-m into rn"llO;"lk-r. .
XV·22 OSPREY
n. OIPWII' •
all
0'•
from a ,k ....• In ...h"n.. "... p''''...ih hul th at .. "p' ,Ik" irrepu-n"ahlo:"'....... ull ... hi' 10 danJo«'" fnllll ,Ik" l'Tl<..ny · 1"0/01r,,"~' anilk"l')' and mh...,k...
- - _ ..... -
""IICW:
on .. pt.oI, Soou'>g
tbat. '\X "jl h ib nOll''''' po;nli ol( upwanh. it em b ko: "ff and land \t"rti<:ally on ..hip 'll'" ;I...J"lre . W,up '-d.t$S assauII ship.
n..... . Iht- onl\- " 'J\' 10 m inimi....• Ilk- li n lho.- hdi<.~"I11l'n an- ;1.1 ri ... k ha ""-"'"11 In la urah Ih'em
F4B/P-12 • Biplane fighter. Inter-war defender of the US Fleet .. Last 01 th e line A la te-model P-12F above Hensley Field, Texas. This model was the equivalent o f the Navy's F4B-4, and often had radio fitted.
... Still going st rong This P-I 2C is a rare survivor of the 568 built. A Boeing F4B -4 that also survived is on display at the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida.
...;"
... Line abreast P-12Es of the 27th Pursuit Group practise thei r im maculate precision formation flying above Seffridge Field, Michigan.
.. fabr ic lighter Early P- 12s had a fab ric -eovered fuselage , but by 1930 Boeing w as building P·12Es with a stressed m etal skin for better strength.
Streamlining ~ Early P- 12 mocJeIs had uocow/ed Wasp engines. The Townend ring co wling fitted to la ter models stre am lined the engine and helped increase speed .
S
erv in g t h e US Na vy at t he e n d o f the b ip la ne e ra, t h e cla ssic F4B w a s the star o f a f amily of famous Bo ein g f ig h te rs w h ic h in clud ed the US Army Air Corp s ' P-1 2 a nd the export Model 100. Th e F4B was a s u per s h ip t o fl y and was t he m o st capab le c a rrier- base d f ighter of its time . Fo r all its e legance a nd m an o eu vrability, th e F4B triumphed succ essf ull y for o n ly a b rief t ime before being e c lipsed by the a rriv al o f the m onoplane in t he lat e 193Os.
36
FACTS AND FIGURES .. The first F4B ·1 went on duty aboard the carrier Lexington o n 8 August 1929.
.. Pilots loved the F4B for its superb manoeuvrability, massi ve strength and impressive performance. But by the end of the 19305 the day s o f open-eockpit bip lane fighters were numbered.
.. A s pecia l F4B ·1A s erv ed as a 't a xi' for A ssi stant Secreta ry of the US N avy Dougla s Ingalls, .. The first p rototype in this g re at fighter series flew on 25 J une 19 28 .
..
The F4B landed on a carrier deck at about 60 km/h , o r about one-third the speed of the modern F-14 Tom cat.
..
Many F4B-4 fighteffl 5e r'VOO as unmanned target drones during WoI'1d War II.
..
The F4B w as the fav ourite ae ropla ne o f st u nt pil ot hero Fra nk Tallma n.
BOEING F4B I P ·12
PROFILE
Boeing's great Navy biplane dJ ~-~
of carrk'1' a\Llliol1. the F-4H ""''':' the hUIIL-..l Ihm~ wnh wm~ . BOIl'IIl,I" .\ k ldd ~3 and i'l9 pr...ol)"pt.... k-d 10 four princip.d H,.., i"n .. of ,hi... superb bipla!1<.· fi!dUl·T. numlx.'1l'<1 F..H-I th rou)th Fl ll--l e Ilk' final \"t"TSiOfl i... lht" hl "'" n- membered amOfllt tht!Ol) ' If ... , ( .f I t - aircraft ..... hi...h . ...w actrve ..... r with fhl" "'''I'y betwc...-n 1<,131) and 1990 ,
I
n (·arty
o
"it.-..'
A
F48-4
r.,... ~ cam..- -baMd hghl",
11k..... 1t"".1 1 fi!o":hl........ Wl"ll.' ...,nlllllt ..00 colourfu l: mo'>l hold )1:"-' )" fu..... la )(t' and ..... inlt~ . .. hnllunl ~,.. now upper winll "u rf.., .... and squadron ('olou"," "n fu.....Ja~ and cowling Part .:llht- -,u ..:.."-",,. u f th<.· t'IU hc.·1"1I1l' (0 the.- 'oX'""p ... nJotirk· , o r R-I J-+O. which was thi ,. pt."r10 lr.. fin,,,,, te...:h nica l acheev m"'nl , 11.111 th..• """ ;11 m••'a..un- of th Fi ll ......... il.. pn,wl'." 3 ,' a filth!in).: p1J1W.
,...,Iaat: one
----......-_-
Touchdown landing on !he wooden deck ot !he USS lexington. Landing and W e-off acddent3 wenr common.
... ..---
Mu~.,.H:300 """" (1815 ~ .. 11130 m l&OOO 1'lI
......
Ierne. tell",,: I!f2OCI m ('2'6,903
-....: 600 kn'I1373 rnileaI
---~ --.gIl
The -.M:l yeIow
In t ilt- he)'dJ~' of Iht.o bipla ne , thi." alNu ·air dO¢IWlleT n.lUkJ nclll h...• ......i-..~awd . Unfortunately. rh..- nauance of lhi." era wa" all lnll hrid. th · lht.o late 19j(k. hsl,,'r ml )f}(;p lant' fi¢uef>o had nm."ij(n..' ll biplanes 10 hi""I)·.
• ...ts: ~ 1068 kg l2355
It)
t>l; Ioec*l
1838 kg (36 11 IbI
ar-t: _
1.62...... (.JO.cII.) b«l li:lrwanSgur-. or one 1,62 ...... and one 12.1 ...... (.5o-caI.)8n:Iwrang ....,.... gur-.. ffve 12-kll 12SoRlj bomba or one 221'kg (5Ol)-I;ll bomb or one ~ foI6--9al.1~ ....
IInng 8rDwning
~
Di. .lISlolIS: span
II I. m (30 II ) 6, 12 rn (20 II 1 in) 2.lW m 1911 . on) 21.13 m' 1221 oq II)
lengttl IWgIlt w"'ll area
COMBAT DATA
~ment
in the '-.!root the pjoI was Iofo9d to crash4ancl in ttIo see ThIt -..n 8lIO had II radio frttoo houged II
.1Q-kW ~ Prall &
WI'wtrWJ R· l:J,4Q-16..,.. posIon ..goM
----_.-.-----_ ---
Imll £_
"'''''' M1y dayO
--_h _--.... _ .,-__ _
_
...
lor
......
... f . . - - ,
The '1'IIlIt trw QII:. n.;,u. _ .... ~ t.::lge ot ~ Q.oDtro VF-6, ~ ":m USS~ in t935. The t.::lge • sal tlai'lg .-:l tldar ontrwF·t. ~otVF-31.
i ;Ili iii .-u.
F4B·4 bJ .... US"....,. toet- 11l2i ..-.d 1ll3lL
n.e F4G....M
........ 10 ..... .......,.. P - I 2E. with • •_ 1l).kW I550- hpI ...... but """h _... _ Wnphook_ wing bomb racka.
_ _ 11'
"" The ~ "'-"II ot .. F4Bt
•
_ bA ot ""'lk:lad stfMII!\.f:Ie b' ItrengIh. Str-=l meIaII ....... ~ Iatlric on tI>e 1uMllqt ot ttIo Iuter -...or-. b.A .. F.es reIan!Id alatlric·
"""""
....
....",.._III'I;llJd~US I'la-.y
l\o;1lIars ItoI:loJr,to.Jl World W8t I.
Carrier Air Power - then and now • USS KITTYHAWK has t-n in seov~ SInCe 196 1 and displaces moIlI ttla~ 90.000 tcones It CIIfJies an a" w'''II of 85 ad\l anced combat ", t5, ar>d willl rts nuclear arsenal dftpIoys moIlI f i'~ Itlan the US Navy of !hll193O& , and is able to ~ t IXI'!!'''' on. global basis
..,t""
• USS RANGER was .. d down N1 1931, It diSplaced only 14 ,SOO I""""" . but rt too cookl carry moIlI than 1IQ~ rcr a lt . MosI ....8 rll tlO)' bl~ , no-. and f i~ or ai, could bll s l.-d in Iha 5JlI'C'l • SKlQIemodem F-l. Tomcat <><><;upi
n. f" _ _ _
......
........
"._f1:13"'~
'l.JC.I1tIflI
The ,a II c,kldbi Pl-aIt & ~ Wasp rll
...,...
_ _ 11
"'
'''''
_
~
__•_
.. ... _18201_ • ....,,.. . . . ....
~.
~
01 8boul: 200 l.JMOd
_
n. F4B..... . _
Uti'"
,..
amoo-fogM_ "'
_
_
_ _ .....",.,.-...,
f_ ...
-
" ' ' ' ' II'N ' I
.... ---"
37
A MERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAR
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B OEING
P -26 PEASHOOTER
P-26 PEASHOOTER • Pioneering all-metal monoplane . China war veteran . Dogfighter
.. Open cockpit The P-26 was the las t open fi'ghter in US service. Tha roomy cockpit was waif lil
.. Fastest fighter Fw a shott time, the P·26 was the fastest fighter in service. The P-26s of the Philippine Anny Air Corps even managed to shoot do wn some faster Japanese fighters in December 1941 .
... In stripes This P-26 wears a typical inter-war colour scheme, with yallow wings and s tripes. This type of schama was abandoned betore the start o f WOrld War II. wh en less visible ton eddown colours were adopted.
.. Echelon formation SteP/Wd upwards away from ttlt! photographer, a P-26 pursuit squadron poses for the cam era.
... On parade Pilo ts and ground cra w of the f 7th pursuit group on f9 view at thair base in March Field. California.
h e B oeing P-26 Pea shooter w a s an in c redibly b old new v enture: the first a ll-metal fighter, and the first monoplane fig hter to e nter sq u ad ro n service . Pr ogres s wa s rapid in the 193Os, h owever, so the P-2 6 enjoyed g lo ry o n ly briefly. When Pearl Harbo r was attacked a decade after the P-26 wa s c o nce ive d , Pea shooters remaining in the ha n d s o f a few Fil ip ino p il ots be c ame ea sy pi cking s for the Japanese Zero.
T
J8
FACTS AND FIGURES
.. The P-26 was a major advance in fighter design, blending old features lil
.. Th e XP-936 prototype f or th e P -26 se r ies first flew o n 20 M ar c h 19 3 2.
~
.. Boeing in Seattle manufact u red 136 Pe ash o ot e rs of all v ersions.
.. The la st flight o f a P· 26 occ urred in 1964 w he n a rest o red 'warbird' went a lo ft in the United Sta tes.
.. On 12 De c em ber 1941, six Philippine P-26 s battled 54 J a pa nes e aircraft. shot down three . and s uffered three lo ss es .
~
Twelve Boeing Model 281 s, identic al t o tile P -26. w ere built l or ellport t o China .
Th e modern Boeing 747-400 weighs as much a s 300 'Peas hoot ers' .
BOEIN G P ·26 PEA S HOOTER
P·26A Peashooter
Last of the old, first of the new
Type: s ingle-seat pursu;t aircratt
Pawelplant : or>e373 ·kW (500·hPf P,att & Wt>;tney R·1340-27 Wasp nine-cylioder .... -<::o<>kld ' ad"'l eng ine dr rving a two- bl aded propeU..-
The P-268 of 1935 featured a fuel-injected he 1' -16 had fin ....t landing j.(~·;l r with IW$Y. high..draj.t whc....1 pants. and was feseooned with h r;K inll WiR'S. So although it was modern when introduced in 1951. it ,1],;0 marked the end o f an " fa: it was
T
tilt" !<1st open-oockpu fighter accepted by lilt" l;S Army . lilt" bSl with a fixed undercarr iage. and th e last with an e xter nally braced w ing 11K 1' -26 w as 011""
tilt" final p roduction fi" lu"'r from 1J.< ,...ing.
BJ ",-xl o n rh re....· XI'-956
p rotor yp•.'s, the 1'-26A. B an d C served with
Maximum speed: 377 kmIh (234 mph) at
engine, re",isoo con tro ls and landing " aps. The "aps were tmea to reduce the landing speed, which had been eJlcessillely high in the P-26A.
managed to down thn....· J
2250 m (7362 tt) Range:
5fl()
km (360 miles)
Servlu c eiling : 8500 m (27.687 It ) Weights: empIy 996 kg ~2196 Ib); loaded 1340 kg ~2954 lb) Armament: or>e 7.62·rnm ~.30·ca!.) and one t2 .7·mm (.50-ca!.) or two 12,7·mm machine
652 m (27 It 11 In) 7.19m(23tt7in) 3.07m(10ttlln) 13.89 Ill' (150 sq ttl
DimensiDns: span
""' ""'.'" WIng
a rea
P-26A PEASHOOTER This P-26A carnes the badge 01 the 95th Purs uit Squadron , k no wn as the ' Kic k ing Mutes'. The squadron used lhe P-26 In the g,o>und_attack role.
IlmlJ Tno p .2tj . . . ..-1han __ •
~"*"'. wn~
"*'-Y-._.~. . . - ••- i1:"; n..
_
totr>o¥1hg
-~. ~_eIIec1""
_0..-_
t r > o - " '' o _
~_ oo."w. """,, -,
tnOI4> b' t!lo ot>orl _ ~-" ... ~ "".n.
Q
Uo
It. ......
..•
nu:n ~ .....
".-lEI
~,~itO ,_.
'rill iii
IAIJIlTUr
(Mj,1
The P-26l1!llldlhe Pratt &. wntney
t
' ·261 '''''SIIOlI TUI
radial engines oorrtnon to most US figh ters , They worn strong md
JXlWll'fUI. but hOO a~ tron1a1
area, which
mear'll
high d
Monoplane fighters of the 19305
u
ITSUBISHI ASM ' CLAUDE': Th;s Jap.aneM eQMflllhter flew 1935, It waS or>e the mo st ~",I
in
of
ma~abkl
fight..... _
,
buill
~ .O -. _...---. •--\0' .......!~
.
_.. ..
,..... I'USIIOOIIR
carrier
•
POLIKAR POV 1-16 : Flying or>Iy two yooars alter IhfI P·26 enteghters to come. A powerIU eng ine and
retractable undeft::amage made ~ at leas t 100 kmIh (60 mph) fast er than IhfI P· 26.
"
~ . 1 J.7_ 1 ·!iO-oaI . )
...
_-
~ ~
11 ,7_
."
1.1.12_
1.3lQ-oaI,)
..._ _
39
AMERICAN MIUTARY AIRCRAA
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B OEING
B -1 7
FLYING FORTRESS (EARLY) .. In war paint
8 -17
Fro m Ma rch 194 1 army depo ts applied olive drab and grey pa int to their B-1 7Cs and Os. By the time the US en tered World War II, all the aircraft bee n painted. These early versions were relegated to training duties by 1944.
FLYING FORTRESS (EARLY)
• Heavy bomber . Maritime defence . Early wartime service
.. The $432,034 gamble For Boeing, a company of just 600 em ployees, the money spent in building the re volutionary Model 299 prototype represen ted II huge gamble.
.. Flying Fortresses overthe 'Big Apple' Six o f the 13 YB-17 (tater redesignated Y I B-17) test a irframes are seen here over New York. Ahhough similar to the Model 299 prototype, they had different engines and carried six crew.
....Newly delivered D-model The third B- 17 production model w as the B- 17D, which differed from the B- 17C only in having engine co wling flaps and an extra crewmember. Forty-two were built in all .
.. RAF Fortress Mk I This RAF Fortress carries the serial AM528, erroneously applied at the Boei ng factory in place o f the intended AN528. Twenty o f 38 Fortress M k Is. which were ordered as training aircraft, were delivered in 194 /.
o ll ed o ut in 1935, the B-17 Flying Fortre s s repre sented so me th ing very ne w a t a time w hen many b ombers in se rv ic e w it h t he w o rld 's air force s were eit her biplan e s, twin -e ng ined m onoplanes o r s low, lu m b e ring types. Th e 8 -17 w as so ld t o t he US Cong re ss as a coastal patrol aircra ft to g ua rd a pp ro ache s to is ol ated North Am eric a . Ho w e ver, Ame ri c a w as not isol at ed for long and the 8 -17 w a s soon t o d eve lop into a c ruc ial weapon .
R 40
FACTS AND FIGURES
... The B- I7 was designed to meet an exacting USMC specification calling for an aircraft which was capable o f 400 kmlh (250 mph) over a range of 3540 km (2000 miles) when carrying a 907-kg (2000-lb) bomb/oad.
.. RAF Fortresses later flew anti-shipping m issions in the Middle East and with Coastal Command in the UK until 1943.
.. On 8 December 1941 , 30 B -17Ds were wrecked on the ground in the Philippines by Japanese bombers.
.. The first B ·175 were delivered to the 2n d Bomb Wing at Langley Field in 1937.
.. A famou s earl y B -17, Swoose ('h alf s w an, half goo se '), is preserved in Wa shingto n .
.. RAF expe rience over Euro pa re sulted in better arma ment on lat er vari a nts.
»
Tot al Fortres s produ cti on am ounted t o 12,731 airc raft.
BOEIN G B ·17 FLYING FORTRESS (EARLY)
First Fortresses for the Air Corps
W
,. .-n I\< ...·injot u nvclled Il~ tlYlnjot F''''n·~~. ('nlK '~ al)(u<.,j rhal rllt" world wa~ oot n 'ady for ~'I(h a hi}: I. ,ml...-r. I>...~pir<· it~ k>/iy nalll(' and }:'><><.kl~. wirh Ihdr "'llC>
_.-.dcre".-, . . ~
..-v-
\X ',.~ C(l,,~
in 19-11 la<:kto'd guns or ammumllon Tn do..".,.. Ja py' April I'M!. Had tho.- plan .....-en impkmt-nlto'd. IIx- Padf,,· wa r o lUki han' been a H"f)' dill"'-rt-rll ~'lf)'. The fiN do=n Il- I -~ do:-tadto'd hy lIlt" plan do:-panto'd California for a -.top in Hawaii on rlxniWtr o{ 6 1)o,-('<;-rTI/ lt"r I'M I . and "m\t"tl I l htlU1"o 101'..... durinll: Ih.: J" p;I. ~ "ILK!.; on ""'.Irl H.lrb. ....
Mulrnultl SlIm: 515 ~"'" (320 mpI'l)
... l.lny of tlk' aill:r.lh in rlk ' Ph ilip p ilk... and I Ia" a ii wend,'StIl'} ,t.,j 'Ill rllt" Il:lllund. TIk' ~Ul'\i\ ,,,, o{ II,,' P<'arl 1I.1r1 .... attack I.......m<· tlk' li N l 'S ainr.. h in ,.rr,'n~in· a"j"n in \\'orld \\ '.Ir II . ..na,kin)tJ"p"Jle'< ,hippinj.\: frolll 10 I)o,-(t-mht-r Tbe folk'" in)t moruh . tI", tx"ll<"" armo....I!l-I -t: "'artro 10 emer '.:1'\ ;"-': . '\0. 90 ....juatlrlln. kAf, 1'><'" tb e Il- I-C In war ( .t' tilt" l"II1fl."" .\lk I ) ......-r Ger nl.lny in 1tJ-11 a nd Ial''''' in tlk' .\k.,j ilerr..no.-.In . hul wuh hilI.. ......, ........~
CtlIislq~: 373 kn\otl (232 mphl 1lI4267 m
(U .OOO It) ~a: (normaIl) ~
3380 km (2100 rNesI; 508S km (3160 milesl
..it~ cl_ rata: 396 nVrnn (1300 lpmj
I
The Fty;ng Frxtress was so-named lor fb original intended role - prolectlng NcKt1I Amwica 'J coast lines from maritime attack.
We+tllts: ~ 14.129l
in " " _ ~
_
rnact-.
1lU''''-' -=" d!hlt dorsal and - . I ~ and I'l1O 12.7--rrrn rnact-.lP"I tI'wouQh _
n p.;:e d It'e '-"**'lIe bisl
0'0eI opeYg k>r ..... !\WI _
lJ.->
~Each_~~ ~ 1 2 . 7 -mrn (. ~ mBd'oroll ~
a
•
_
.. ......,.._......,. 1Dr. . . . . . . _
,n
mm
AcWIImm It'e 8-299 prt)I~, 'Nhdl used tour F'l-illI & 'M1It""" Hemet ~ . tour v.I'ighI ~ _ It'e llWdilrd B·1 7 rx-PI8nts, TheC-J1'lOd8I's tour R· l820s proOO::ed 895
~W
(1200 Ilpl ~
Sell--*'!;! --.g UlI t
"".ro.oced on It'e B· H C. hmotx pro!8CI00 k>r It'e crew was also frtIod
The8 · I 7C .-.d 0 Ie8IInId It'e so-caled '1In bIIlhtt.tl' ~ lh It'e fuselage in place d the >U1lral 'blis t",' lJ.-> ~oo
Early bomber types of World War II • AVRO MANCHESTER: The Manchestef 0/1940 was judged 10 be a 1ar9. than~ s 10 JIS........
• JUNKERS Ju 86: The luItwaNe did noIlle1d a true Iour-eong.-.ed tJomber duriI1g V\Icwld W", II, The Ju 86 waa an eat1y !wIn•...-.goned type, v.t>ocf> was 1lI1'" used 10.-e" ,t<>jS rec:ornaoasance
•
VICKE RS WELLI NGTO N, TIl,s tw,n-""O'M<;l a
was in RAF service when wa' bfol
• "1II1·S
-.u,.,
",.Jj';~ ==
AMERICAN MILITARYAI RCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
8-17
B OEING
B-17
FLYING FORTRESS (LATE) "' Mass
FLYING FORTRESS (LATE)
production - - ' wa Amwica 's huge industrial might monI lIis'bIe than in the aircraft t«fOt>ft wI'Iietl tumed out huodreds of B·1 7s
• long-range heaY)' bomber . Backbone of Ill e US 8t1l Air Force
-
""""".
Daring missions ..
... A hard-fought battle Jl'Ie ForffflSS was lovgh, but the skies over Germany....-ere tilled w ith experienced fight er pilots and flail. bu rs ts, l&ading to heavy losses.
Dunng !he Iof'Q bomb-l'Ufl int o !he targer arM the bomb
r-----....,.. .- --------. fly
straigh t and level.
... The roung man's war ft was a rare B-1 7 pilot wtJo was older
than 30: most o f the ~ wtlo too.fr thfI big bomben; into battle _ _ barely in to thefr 2Os.
... Sliver machines Jl'Ie B -' 7 soldiered on after World War II in some oddbalt roles. This is a rescue aircraft ....,th a I,feboat carried lII'Ider the tuS&lllfJ6.
B
o e in g 's Fl yin g Fortre s s wa s one of t he most importan t bombers In history. 8 -17 5 f ought in e ve ry theatre o f Wo rl d War II , but won imm o rtality in th eir e p ic d aylight battles against t he L uftwaffe in which tho u sands 01 y oung A m e ric a n fl y ers lo st the ir live s transforming the impotent Uni t ed Sta te s Army Air Force 0 1 ea rly 1943 into a 10f'C8 01 devastat in g , destruct ive power just 12 mont h s later.
FACTS ANO FIGURES
.a. Jl'Ie F1ying For1res5 was Am«7ca's main strategic weapon in EIKOpft during World War II. From !he SUmmel" of 1943huge tJUmbets of Boeing"s ~t sitIvfIf' bird were to be Iound on English aif1iek1s.
.. A B -11 shot down by J apan e se Zeroes on the way t o Pean Ha rbor w as the fi rst American c o m b at lo s s in World War II.
.. At the hei ght o f the war in Euro pe, B·11 s occu pl ed more than 25 airfiel d s in t he south 1Inc! ellst of En g land.
.. The Boeing 299, t he Flyi n g Fortre ss prototype, fi rst flew on 28 July 1935.
.. MOAI t han 4 1,000 US 8th Air Force crew died in daylight rai d s o v er Gennany.
.. 12 ,131 B - 17s w _ built, with production of the B-1 7G ITIOdel ~hin9 8580.
.. A search and rescue S8 -11 flew the first AmMlcan sortie of the Korean War.
B O EI N G B -1 7
Castles the sky
I
8 ·17G Flying Fortre s s T,p. : 9- or 10-5881 long-
...
Pow erplant: four 895-kW (I 200-hp) Wright
A-1620-91 C yclone turt>ocharglld radIal pistoo
l lt ...,i n~
n IlK' mid 19.30,.
Rig ht : B-17s were used to m ake p rec ision d ayligh t a tta cks on German in du stri al centres.
In
F LYIN G F O RT R ES S (LAT E)
<:'n~in<:'t"rs sU KJ.(<:,st~>d a hi ~
bomber to till.' l:S Arm y Air
Corp s. T he best American
ho mbe r at the nun- was an inadequatc.uwtu-cngincd ad aptation 01 the DC-j uunx port . TIll.' d cc lsion to RO ahc
li m 'e hy till.' lime of the atta ck on Pe a rl Ha rb o r. Earl y n -i 7_ did not ha ve ...n ou"h Ru ns a nd wcrc no!: a vailabl e in ., uftk ie nt numbers. hut as th... war prowes "ed the FlyinR Fortre s,e s look command of the skies 11-17 a~' ws faced unsr....akabk horror, prcssint( ah e ad into Luftwaff... fiHhl...rs and flak while blindcd by smoke-, h..- aten by turhul ... nee ,
pbHUt'U w ith mechanical mishaps anu p
~,
Ma ximum SIlled: 46 ... kmIh l...81 mph) Se ..lce ce iling: 10.850 m (35.600 tI) Rang e: 3...20 km (2000 m iieos)
Weights: empty
16.391 kg (U ,1U Ib); loaded 29 ,110 kg (65.499 Ib)
Left: Hit by nak , a burning 8 -1 7 falls away from the protection o f its fellow s.
Armamelll: 13 1....7 -m m (.5O-caI .) machine guns; 8OOO-k9i11 ,63 7 Ib) maximum bombIoad
Dimllnsi OIl$: span lengttl
31.82 m (103 11 9 ",) "''''.66 m (14 11 4 in) heigtrt 5.82 m (19 111 in) Wing area 131.92 m' (1420 sq tI)
B-17F 'FAST WOMAN'
The "M>!t'ly Eil1JItJ'
a
' F" t Wo man' wn _ ol the first • ....nean B- 171 to ....riv. in Britain d ur ing World War II. Attached to the 359th Bomb Squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group, it w as based at Mo le s w orth In H""tingdon:lhw. ,
ForoB was tho premier lJSll( of the e. 17 FtyW1g Fortress
w<;«j among ee poneers aI Slrassed-ski'> oes;gn, and the B·17 was among thEI e.rieII ajI·metaI monoplane heavy bornb
Tho NorOOn I:xJmbsigtJt WIItl I'>tlid1 the B-17 WIIS lIed was repuloo to 00 at>Ie to 'drop a bomb ,.,to a pickle barrel ' from 4cm m (13,120 ttl
retlll1 to base with severe ba1I1e ClaoTIage, ar-o:j thEI big bomber cooId ~ <1'\10O wtltl Iarga sections allhe huge ~o::aI 1aiI shot away.
st.
w<;«j
•
undefsiOOs_ll
,~
t.,. a ball lo..rr'lI and t.,. the two waist {plIlflrS.
cavered
LEAD COMBAT BOX (7600 m/24,934 ftJ The form ation command&< fl"", in the lead bomber, WIth ",""""sil>< lity lor nav>gation
and ord..ong simultar>eoUS ,,, lea se 01 bombs
The 8 -17 was p:IWEi
Wr;t;Jrt Cyclone fadiaillfl9in8S. Theywem~ ,~
higher a/lilOJdas than its Eo..ropoon
The bonb ·bay was reI1Itively small, and aIIhouo,)'1 the B·17 cooId ~ WI\t'l an 9ioj1t-toroo borroIoad rt ll8""""1>11\1
oontan"Wl'f'ie5.
carried a Qla1... aI tha t amount
eoeoec the F<:wess 10 oparatea1
00
~It .
~~
...
-_ . -g -g -. _ -.....----. -- - - brno_ ot~oif
-~-
twin..-.g;no
I -II
tr>oB-l1 w.. its - - , .
SlIlIlJIIll
fllllllO fGUllt U
to carry
llIIERATDa
~
111M .....
l2OS1 .....1
m.och .,......
_ thln ~ .
1 _ ~,
l n7H III
"SI~ ·1II1
15111 ·11II
,um i3d 0ng0naIly _
t....ely
logntIy""""'.tr>o Flying F_
,
Layered defences n_
•• 1,1_(,)ll:J·....l _
.. _
on1ored ~ln
-.ou' ptale ......
witt1 an ...."..-,j
-_. • ~ 1il .A
bO .
"17F1"'f ~ 1 ~ ·,2.1_ I· SI-
..· ~ _
C
_to_onan
ott..,... corniI'og
""'"
.
totheB·17Ear-o:ja j l ~
operations.
COMBAT DATA
mm
-,
8 ·175 w<;«j rot ~ fitted wilh tall guns. A tail gunne<'s positlQll was nJod
hery 6-11 alrc'aft cont ribuled whole forma tlQll. Eac!l SQlJIIdlUl1 of six a ircraft moved '" ll,,,son in lormations called boxes. a nd squadrons were layed .e
to the oeteoce ot tM
"'-'" VIEW
2nd COM BAT BOX (7300 m/23,9 50 nl
Combe! ec-es manc>eo.N'lld in unison, alwa ys keeping in dose lormaflon lor mu tua l support agains t fight ers
I-MUIIlUf1IIl
, •• 12.1_1·_..·)....... _
""'f
43
AMERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
C/KC-97
B OEING
C/KC-97
STRATOFREIGHTER
." Israeli transport
STRATOFREIGHTER
• 8-29 development. In-flight refuelling tanker . Transport
A YC-9i' was supplied to Israel as payment for the cos t of main taining US aircraft, and one KC -9 i'F and eight KC-9 i'Gs were delivered later. They fle w military missions in civilian marlo:ings.
• !
....
Fast-jet refuelling
KC·9 i'L s rem ained in US Air Nat iona l Guard service unti/ 19i'i'. Ma ny of the m w ere fitt ed wi th auxiliary J 4 i' turbojet engines so that they c ould roach the speeds required for re fuelling figh ters .
Tanker transport versatility '" The KC ·9i'G gave the USA F an aircraft which was capablfl of carrying freight or passengers without removing i ts refuelling system . This was the most c omm on model.
....-L.I,
." Nose radcme When the C·9i'A en tered service i t introduc ed a dis tinc tive chin raOOme. which houS6d an ANIAPS·42 search radtu. All sub sequent aircraft featured radar.
....Wartime prototype The first o f three XC-9 i's new in 1944 . Its clam she ll rear carg o d oo rs and ramp can 00 cl early seen in this picture.
B
y com b in ing m ajor sect io ns o f the B-29 w it h an a ll -new upper fuselage . Boeing produced the Model 36 7, which fi rst fl ew on 9 November 1944. Known to the USAF a s the XC -97 Str atofreighter, this a ircr aft was to be the first in a long line o f tran sports, tankers a nd t anker /transports ba sed on the C -97 . The refuelling t echnique s adopted fr om th e KB-29P a nd refined o n the K C-97 remain much the same o n Boeing 's modern KC -1 35. 44
___ J
FACTS AND FIGURES
.... Using the wing s and othftr major components of the B·29, Boeing wa s ablfl to develop a large transport whic h wa s to become the ba sis o f the USAF tanker fleet
~
On 9 January 1945 the first XC -97. carrying a 9072·kg (20,OOO·lb) payload, flew from Seattle to Washington DC in 6 hours and 3 minutes .
~
With it s pres surized cabin. the XC-97 w a s able to cru ise at 9 144 m (30 ,000 tt) .
~
The YC · 97 us ed e ng ine na celle s d ev eloped f o r the B· 29 .
~
A sing le YC -97A flew in the Berfin airlift, carrying cargo such as c oa l. which was loaded by conveyor belt.
~
MC -97C was the designation of c asualty ev acuat io n aircraft in th e Korean War.
~
New s ys t ems all ow ed the K C -97G t o di spen se w it h a radio operator.
B O EIN Q C/KC ~97 STRATOFREIGHTER
Booming success for Boeing
B
' Ol:in~
ch.....: tht· ,i mpl..... -.tnl.1urJI roull' t.. prc.>Jun· t he C-97. The low t"r Iu....·w.!ot.· k>ilt.· w;" "f ,i mi ldr di;Jnlt.1vr I.. tl\;ll of tilt.· 1 ~ 19. whil.' th.: uppc fu_ se·Id~: ;lbo had ;I vircular .1l ,1i..1l but .....;" of I/:rc..· al,·r di;Irl 1t"r Comhininl( I~ ~\-t" n" d lll/: I"'U circular "'ttion t...hin,
""';1'
co prt""'oUri..... '" hi<:h ;I much ..a'k'T p..u rx ....lion tha n pn:>Ju<:inl( an d lifllil...1 pn...'oUri.....-d fu....·b~ o f Ilk" "" nk" ,i,,".
In Ja nu ;ll')- 194! a US Anny Air t'<1fi..... >nJO:r .-..-.llt."l! in Iht: .uo.-.truttion of Ih...-.: XC-97 pnol.oIY[k"'\. whil-h W . in tum . 10 tlk" pn llllllt i< 1fl of 10 YC-97 .....rv...... test "'if(T;lft_ ".,.,..... we-re 10 pr..ve the C-97 (,( >r1<.-.:pt "'00 ...........lually k-tI to pmdu.:ti
Below: Ten setVice test airc raft ...",. ordet'ed in July 1945 for US Army AN
Wl'lI!ney R-"360-598 radial pis lon engines
ForctJ trials. They had • ~ fuel
. . . ._ _ . . . .: 60( kmill l ~ ~I
CapM:ity ltIan
~
PttWefPl. lIt: Io1.o' Z6II).-kW (35O(Hlp) Ptan &
XC-97. CnII11I11IP. d: 483 kmI'h POO mph}
Abo" : Ber-J March and Augu$t '965, !he
CII...
KC-9lGs 01 !he WISCOnSIn AIr NaOOnaJ Guard __ brovght up to KC-97L standard.
o,erati .. ceili..: 9205 m Ptl,ooo flJ Wei,1lI$: empty 37....1 kg f70,ooo IbI;
ht't1:omintt Ih,.. moM idd)· huilt moJ.:'! of tlk" '1'i<..... S''''.-cT,l1 KC-97 \·ui.a nl ~ Wt'n' nude ;100 the Ulllll\;ll.. Ii:C-'T.'L 'O:'T\.<.'tJ ,•.-ilh Air '\';11;01'\;11 GU;lro unrtx until 19':'7.
rat.: 50 min to 6096 m 120,000 flJ
bat,: 8Q2O km (ol3OO ..-.sj
~ pkOI ~
D
--~
~
IIn\JIh IwJigtrI
loom hl YC-ll7....
"'"""11_
The 8OCf1II1 . . .
i'd.dnI!' ...,.... -v. llIrgiIr
- . , c t 10 _ _
.... _
1081h Ail
tnt _
d.- _
....
or_
e.-.t. This....".,.
~ ~
IARSl
..... from KC-IJ7G . - o .
~
d _28-qtrdor
~
&.......,
~""""'bhlKC&7"""*,,
_
apeciII- ~-~ , -.
~
n.1
... lISN'_. _ .. sa 14 .. _ _ ..... _ _
IN • . ~ &!SO Il'OldlIla __ o.A d......,.. The rTIO
"3_05 m (141 II 3 flt 3363 m (110 II. flt 11_66 m P3 II 3 flt 1~_3
ACTION DATA
I*tl PIUlIlkn-
Genlnl ~ J11 7 .(lE·25l6tlo18tS
. . . . PfO'Io'ded 2610 I
systam
~
' 111:
"'-1'9' 6-~ " ""
. . . ..-:! _
J47 turt>t1fMt1_1i Ii KC_IJ7\. by _ _ .. _
kg (130.000 IbI
~~_ 96 Ii'1)(lJla <;O' 69 ~
~_
~.
noa~"'ba.~
.... _ _ __
_ ~ " ' _
J4T~
1on:Mn• .,.,. .,I(C.-g7G.
•
m_lSN ... .
-------.--......
_
--II,.... '
mm
_dooo .. _
bJ IN Ole -tTG,
IIyrog.......
U
_ar
Meal KC·97Gs at'ld La wMl used lll'n08I ~ f1 ee roIit, Tholr.- ciIlmIf>fII doors __ "'flIBaKl by the boom
~<;O' ..
PO" bon at'ld ~1011~ .
Ma-ly K& SOs ~ pao1S cI \tlea' ut ~ system .... wei .... \tlea' 18I "'9"II!l810.,.,. KC·Il7L The an:ralt had a ....mad -.::n d .,.,. E\cJerogdeveloped Ilyirg boom used on \til KB-29P: The boom c1 \t11 modem KC·l35 hes c:hanged 'I8lY In.
Boeing tanker chronology •
KS -29P SUPERFORTRESS: 608ong thol use ot lhol ftyong-boom rel,,*l.ng $y$tem on lhol KB-<'9P ~
• K8·5lI: Some 136 B-50s ........ mod ilied to tan ker co"Iigvration. Here an early conversion from a B·5OD refuels lwo F·l00 &opel' saO<'es.
KC·l 3S STRATOT....NKER : ao.,;ng's has become a classic mil~ary a lfcraft deslgn and will 1)& in serviC$ to< many year$
M ODEL 70T : As SOlCoodhand T07 .i~,,,,,",
•
•
KC ·l~
became a.al~bi
~albair'll
.
•
ttttttHtIItlH "lttttttlltiH
----
"
.~.
•
Ittm"''''''1 lU",m".", ..... 1.___ c-l" ~
ttuttttttt"H
ml..... T4 _
__ c-ll11
45
AMERICAN MIlITARY AIRCRAFT
BOEING
B-47
Constant vigil ~ With the need to launch at a morntlnt ·s notice, 8 · 47 crews were required to maintain a 24-hour alert. Here a Stratojet pilot waits for the call that Will launch his bomber into the night·s sky. Practice operations were undertaken at aI/hours.
.... Combined operatio ns The nose o f a KC-9 7 tanker partly obscures a 8·47 positioned behind. These aircraft opera ted in close co-operation: the tanker supplied fuel to the bomber. allowing the Stra tojet to Strik9 targets at a greater distance. SAC pioneered routine IFR operations.
long range ~ A 8-47 commander brings his aircraft in to format9 with a KC·97 fankoc Thft refu9lling receptacle was posifioned on the nose o f the bomber.
EJ
•
A Fighter handling 8-47 pilots found the bombar had exceptional handling for fonnat!on"~ng.ffwasa~oable
to ac complish loops and rolls.
Late variants ~ A late produc tion Stratojet displays the bomber's unusual undercarriage design. r ac e fu l a nd beautiful, the Bo e in g B -4 7 Stratojet wa s an aircraft wi t h a deadly missi o n . For years, t he B-4 7 was t h e back bone of t he US St rateg ic A ir Command (SAC) , poised and r eady t o le ap into t he s k ie s c a rry ing a let ha l ca rgo of at o m ic bombs in re sponse t o a nucle ar attack. SAC ha d ne ar ly 2,000 Stra tojets in s erv ic e in t he m id-1950s, t he most p o te nt bomber for ce ever assem b led.
G
FACTS AND FIGURES
A
Operating fro m distant bases was part of the SAC requirement; to some crews of the 8-47 it meant ItHJ cold cO!ld itions of Ataska. Here a crew prepare its aircraft for take-off.
.. The tirst B-47 flew on 17 De cember 1947 , the anniversary of the Wright Brothers ' fi rst powered flight in 1903.
~
Production of the 8 ·47 had amounted t o 2041 of all variants when as sembly work ended in February 19 57.
~
A Stratojet set a tran satlanti c s peed reco rd from th e U S t o England.
.. Some 440 Stratoj ets were built f or non bombing dutie s such as recon naissance.
~
The first 8 -47 productio n con t ract was fo r 10 aircraft, costing $30 m ill ion in a ll.
.. Th e 8 -4 7 s trongly inf luenced t he design of th e Boeing 8 ·52 Stratofortress .
he 8o: lt.'in~ e-r- :-.tr...l n;.,. dtfe-... tro "",,-.er... 1 ri\'al~ 10 tx.·..:UIllt' IhOC' ni A,r f..o re..-s c hoice a\ ,t.~ prindpal ~tr.Il"·j{j(· ho..mh..r of Ilw 19">Os. StrJIOit-'ls ho.:'j{;ln 10 arrin.. at SAC lw'"."-, in Octoh....r 19'; 1. 111... S\T;lI"it'l "'a\ tilt" I1r\1 ~w ...pt ·"'inll it'! hom lll:'r ever produced. II wa~ appeahng to Ill<" q ... an d had breatht..kinj{ p rformarx'e. hUi lilt' cramped n kpit a rr; nW'-'lIk'fl1 ..... a~ awk .....ard a nd ' TOC' fati~OC' on lelflj{ m i~~ioos W;l~ a proI)\nn .' la n y 8--l-:"s '>by,-d 'lfl n ude a r
T
a l<.'11. ",,"ad\' tn launch wilh their dt--ad ly ca rlIn of atomic Ix lflll", So m.· partkipat..-d in Rdkx dt-ple lynWnl.\ betw ..•..-n Ihe l 'n it..-d StJt..'-'I and Gl"l'Jt nritain in su p po rt of worjdwidc .\ lr:l1q lk" r"';lU1UJ il W;L\ Slre...Jul on ere.....\ . the 1J.-4~ w as much -
Mal'- . . . . .: 117SkmIh lIlO8 mphIM <11970 m (t 8.Xlli ml
States: two SAC Str atojef$ await their"alert call to action.
CnIbi.. .,.n: 806 kmIh ~1 ITlPIIat l' ,73S m 136.SOOttl Cellllll : 12,34S m 1
lmro by neartv all who mainuin.-d a nd tkw il EW lllU..lly l"l'phK....1 b } th e 11-';.2 SlrJtofort l't'~~ , lilt' H--l7 remained in cll',,·r;lIi. >tl with SAC untiljhc 1'X1I)"'. TIl<" la st ho.lffiM w ..... i"l'1 W ...\ n.'1in.-'d o n I I Ft+oruary 191''16. but t he reconn...i ~ "" flt.-... Kf J--l- \';lria nls n.'T1'Uino.-d ' Jrl dUl y wrth lhe 5S1h SKU' u mi l 29 Ilnnnht-r 1967 .
OuInwer ....... - . lX'Sitooned wilt"W1 lh& out$( engine po,4i::lIw to pr.:Mde ....... dIIg88 of lolt... IIi ~ Qnth8 l1QO.nI. n,..,. __ .....
--
<:UrilI 1Ino:ir9I "
I..ocaI«l M h
B-47E-1 STRATOJET n.;. 8-41 S _.
___ IA_
......... 1~
1
.. _ l o p r o l K i - . n " " , " ,
SAC"_
__ tibbon iMignie Ie _ _ on the .......
_ . ~ ol~own
The two piIoIs sat n tBfldem lTIder a PIe>
n.. 35· -"-t.::l< --.g_ 1twl a"Id ...... ~ rq, ..-:t'lltll).'~I0_ '*'i .... ~ lIl'IcIercy, n.. -vi' __ ClOI'$nJCted ec
"*.
<:UrilI ~ they coo.*lllex up to 3 m (10 ftl. aIowng the bcw"rtJer 10
8CCOI\'"IPlollh IlloI»IWl t8nII roI!l
..--
•
it
2(krm <:aTO"I.
an.-.t: two
M24 A1 20-....., CW'Ir'lOI'I. MCh
- . 350 I'CIA'ldaof .......-. i'I w:lao doo tlld. . . . . " . . . . , . _ tail turTet. pUo UP 10 11071 kg 120.000 lbl of bI:InQ .......,;I ~
PC*I ooned 8b
Weig ht . : empty 36,630 kg (SO,7SS 1lI1 ; ma x"""", tak..af! 89,893 kg (198 ,1SO lb)
of
_
"'-'h_
BIt::&.of the \IWl......., """"'QIS. _ c:amod n two _ UIl _
RallO': 6437 km (4000_.
__ \-.
----...the~
of_
~
AbQw.. A $ighl repeated right across the conlin«ltlll Unil ed
AND YR
reIIecfug
advIr1c:e$ .., bOrTb dM9J.
U.S. Alfl fORCE
•
----.-. _a__. ... A~
",,", _ _
A _ \a'Idern ..-l
or 'bicyde' , ......,• ...... •t tor !he ...... 1M
1IICtl_ of.."..,. r.r.g _ of IhfI Dorm bftr.
~_
Stratojet bombing mission 1n -ftig ht ....luelli"il ' So thaI th(l 8-<17 $lratOf"! could attack la<'geIs at Ij
1
Lat... B·
~,
.
KADE NAAB
__
A 8 . ~
~-_.
",..", ..... S<>._ __
_.1' __
~.n.
_
.... -.x>_0'leI'.
_
......... ~ D y .
1
High perlonnanc., In Its HI to OlItrun enemy fighleors, a llllollgh some SAC recoov>aissance -.ionI did >elurn 10 baM aller misIOonI ha~ received darnaga '"'"' MoG· l !os.
Some aircraft were moamea for Elint-gathering duties and received the somewhat confusing designation, ERB-4 7H. They c arried a crew of five.
• Reconnaissance duties. Communist confrontations
... Rate birds For specialist photo-mapping and woatoo,. reconnaissance duties, 15 aircraft designated RB-47K were built. These served with the 55th Strategic RfJCOfIfliJissance Wing at Forbes AFB.
... International incident Seen on the ramp, this aircraft is an RB-47H, one of the lasllo romain in active service. This variant gained notoriety when one was intercepled and shot down by a Soviet MiG over the Barents Sea on I July 1960.
Last and first Ii"Although among the last aircraft to leave the production lines, the RB·47Es were also among the first to be wilhdrawn from service. Representing a tremendous improvement over the RB·5OG Superfortress, the type was prematurely retired after changes were made to SAC's operational requirements. thOU9 h t he Stratojet is be tter kno wn as a bomber, the B-4 7's m o st im portant worle. was done b y a irc raft that w ere opera ted as spy p la ne s, usin g ca mera s, radar and snoop ing devices t o keep tabs o n com m u n ist nations. T he Boeing RB 47 St ra tojet w as thus the b ackbone of t he Unit ed Sta tes' reconnaissance effort a ga inst the Soviet Union. Th e work in vol ved genu ine danger. Fo u r hundred RB -47 s were e ngaged in t hese, still-class if ied, mi ssi ons.
~
48
FACTS AND FIGURES
... The first of Stra tegic Air Command's swept-wing je t bombers, the B-47 Slratojet also proved adep t a t o ther roles, such as strategic I1lCOflnaissance and intelligence-gatOOring.
... Be cause of it s llnd er ca .....iag e layout, th e B -47 wa s so met imes reterred t o as the ' M idd le Ri ver St um p Jumpet" _
... Cre ws st at io ned with th e 55 t h SA W's Detachment 3 at Eielso n , Alaska . o ften flew so rties over th e No rth P ol e .
... The la st St ra to je ts in service were th e WB-4 7Es o f t he A ir Weather Se rv ice.
... In Britain , AB -4 7H s f lew f rom RAF Bri"e Norton and Uppe r Heyfo rd.
... RB -4 7H 53- 4296 ;s s ig nif ic ant in bei ng the last Stra to jet u S&(! by SAC.
... Airc raft belo nging t o t he 55th SRW were often re-s eriall ed t o c o nf use ob servers.
B OEIN G RB-47E/H S T RATO.JET
SAC's Cold War sky spy
RB·47E Stratoj et T,,.: r...-_I slral'9C 'GUU ,~IaIlt:
..
o.n... EIlcInc J47-GE-~ ~ Mu' " IfI'If: 975
n I ; October 1951 . two n ....f7" lo o k off from .~la ~Iu, ll<.-.ldinR. to....ard~ ~ l\'k1 ItTriIOI)· ....here a .'oliG-l ; "'luadRlll was in ;iI po:- ilion In chall ...n ll'" thnn, and then fk..... 0....·1· S,llt'ri a pholo~ua phinR.
O
o;(r.l I<1tK· 1.l1):t."fS W .l ~
rh e firct .o\m e nca n 'ove rfhg ht" of lh e Soviet tmon . 11
and rt marked rh e beginning o f a l" nR (·a m p .l iMn for rhe lJ,ool" inM RH-," Slr.lI0i<"I . Fo r mort." t han .I d",·;llk afterwards. ·R·' ·Ce · RU-47 Sl ratoj<'l~ pokl'd at lh e fringes of, ,HId ~om ...time s fl... w " ve r.
"It.,.
III'" Ls.-' R and ot h...r So'o'k1 Mo e cou nt n e ~.
ar.
within once cUllfi~rn.I III hold Ihcrnlf)fllK"k-.U wt"aporLs, w ams of rn'()fll1.li...'<;I nct." spt'ria lio;(s did their ~in io;(o:r work . Sorne 'd <,' ullniC"' a nd -recce Slratoit1_~ relied o n de<1Tl)flK- hl,Kk 1-><'' '0::;
Abo!I'e: Once i'I the tile Stnlto;et eovId be oWl uilfooo g••iilg ~ -.ld pilots ,.., to be COIl$'lWI!ty .-r.
In f... rret OUI ~Trt~ . AllhoURh
, hell down an RH---l: on.,.. the Ba n "l1 ls Sl~.1 in Jul y 1960, tl,,·
Di_ nlollS: Above: Besides sta felOOe basn. RB-47s W8fe offoo deployed to RAF Brize Norton IJfld Upper HfJ)'fo«I in Europe. Inc ir1lle in the Middle East and yalto 'a In the Far East
type still had a f... w y<:ar'!; left to
0lf8f5NS,
"-'f\ '<:. SOIll<" n"w sorti,',' in Vietnam bc for .. th .. GIR...·r of lhis aircraft .. nd,·d in 1967.
....,.teriou.
The largegwep!.bac!< tail held ee 1ao~ ~ /rom ltoo1useIago. 80th ~o;al 8f1(l horizontal t.rVis had large oontmIlU1acGs W!lh tabs IlOlIdose rtloaJd
Watchers and gatherers • LOCKHEED EC-1 21 WARNING STAR : W'lh lluge'adomGs mouot"" etxwG and below It>e fuseI"lI". tho EC ·1 21 ...85 /tfl ..-t>ot... ewty wamong varia'lt 01 Loc k'-" , ConsllHlallUl.
• GENERAL DYNAM ICS RB · 57F CANBERRA, Tho se hGav,l'f' modl/led Canberfas __ used lOt h;gh- aitllude reconna
• VICKERS VAUANT B ,(PR) I/IK 1: FirlI t 01 the RAF's V-bombefs·.!he Valoant ....1S also empioyGd in Ihe photographic roconnaiS$MCG role. wilh cemoras lin"" ., IhG woapoos bay
.
AMERICAN MIUTARY AIRCRAfT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
KC-135
B OEING
KC-135
STRATOTANKER
-4 Producing Str.rtoiankers
STRATOTANKER
I boil was a prionty as /tie USAF was equIpp«1 WIftI i .......'" ~ of ~jeI-powred.txwnt-s wfW:h __ l&:1 t.,.- pi , doi\o., 1iWlII8f1' IIIat COI.JkJ not lleap lop wrftIltIem. Ke-I35,..
• USAF tanker . Passenger and carta capability . Long serving
-..
-
~,.--_""'-
... New developments A KC-l 3SA in ilS original na lural me tal colout' is refuelled by the KC-I 35R development aircraft. New engines gava the 'R' improved perlormance,
....A·7D tap-up TlICtJcaJ jets lIf1IlIble to fly much longer affacll missions with pre- and post-smile refuellings.
... French tanker French C-l35Fs wen! MkJpted to the prot».anddrogue system of relueHing.
-4 Frying 'gas station' A pri$titwt KC· J35A. wrffl irs /arp9 C
a k in g a hug e risk, Boeing propos ed, built a nd funded a mihtary jet tankerltransport prototype in 1954. The a irc ra ft w a s ordered into producti on as t he KC -1 35, and one o f the g re ate st su cces s stori es in military avia tio n h ad begu n. St ra totan kers ha ve si nce se rved a round the w orld, s u p portin g a U types o f USAF m is s ions, and h ave been inv o lv ed in com b at opera ttons o ve..- Vie tnam and in the Gulf W ar.
T
50
FACTS AND FIGURES
... Flying the KC-I 35 requires grNI skiN and courage. The crew must eiffHK rvndezvous with ~ al kNtg range and at high altitude. tK maintaitl an accurate course so that the ~ lIHcnIft can fly to !hem.
)0
When t he 93rd Air Refuell ing Squadron o f the 93rd Bomb Wing receiv ed the KC-l35 in 195T, eac h tanker c ost $3 .670.000.
)0
O n 19 N ov em ber 1988, 'C herokee Ro se' , II KC_l35R , est ab lished 16 time-toheight records In lour weight c lasses.
)0
KC-l 35s powered b y the old J57 turbojet 8re nickl'amed 'st ovepipe' " irer"n .
)0
Ne w re f ue ll ing pods allow K C ·1 35s t o su pport probe-equipped receivers.
A S4 ,()()(). piece kit Is required t o convert K C -l 35A t o K C · l 35R lIter>cl¥d .
)0
The US Air N . t ionel Guerd received It ll first je t tenk ers, K C - 135As , in 1975.
)0
8
Boeing's immortal jet tanker
B
Bo e ing
reconnaissance aircraft and tra ns ps uts beyond the yt":ll' 202'i. '111t' aiRT.lft, wh ich b...·gao Js the p rivalt'-yc nlu re H' Il'in j.(
M,x ld 5I)7-l'() (o r 'J}-,tsh-Eighty') , hJS h. 'to'n l'o !lslantly up.bll',l kc.: p in;: pace with m ode rn (l'ch no[0l/:Y and rern" ininlo(
as .;af., ;Ind t·rrid.'nl now as it Was on 1') J uly 19S4 when th... 'I)ash-Ei!dll y' first lkw The add ition of a g , ,,,inw Jew!0p'l'l.1 refuelling boo m an d a sli/dllly w ide r fu",..lnge
KC- l .~ 'i
airframes have- u n d e l').loll<.· a coonnuoux c·v o lut io n
A h( ~ of special variants
produce d. incluchng the KC- U 5Q.
W
of th<.- SN-7 IA; Ih<.' K(;' lj5E, a
KC· lj<;A re-engincd with TF33 engin..'" fr orn old 707 airliners: and the KC- I j
STRATOTANKER
occ- 01'1the
Ie!t forward IuseIaga
hn!;les upw ards to 8km cargo or pa
.".,.~
~
<"
U.S.AIR FORCE
ACTIVE LEVEL: A senes of lan 1
Tanking tactics TWO RACE TRACKS: Fligh ts of t>ghlers SlIt up a race-trac k al 90 0
10 100 lrac 1< ct lhft tankers . Each fli9ht wMing ~ s tum to "'fuel
•
,
:
~
•
can give no mora fuel 'I leaves the panem and the
k
MalilllUIII $fI8ec!: 982 kmih (610 mph) Cruisi ng $peed: 856 kmih (532 mph) at high
...
Init il l
Above.. TheS6 Early Stra tegic Air Command KC- I 35As maintain operational readiness. They ha ve the original short fin.
~Ii lllb
rale: 393 mlmin (1290 lpm ) a t sea
Ra ng8: ferry range 14 ,806 km (9200 m iles); rad ius 10 offload 10.&86 kg (24 .000 tb) of fuel
fu el ava ibhle for transtcr at a
5552 km (3450 moles); radius
to offIood
1120.000tb) of tuel 1850
(1150 mdesl
~m
54,432 kg
Servin ceiling : 13.715 m (44.99 7I b)
radius of 16:10 kill (Zff77 miles) France was th e only export customer for th..• Stratotanker and IX)IJ~ht 11. '~Si~ll:lf ..x1 the
C-J3<;F, to su pport ils "'lir-J~e IV 11<.-e·1. In USAF s<'·I'o'in· the KC - B 'i will fly for many more ye, H'S performing ifS unglamorous.
"""'lI ""'"
39.88 m (130 It 10 in) 4t,53m\136lt3in) t2.70m(4 1ft8in) 226,03 m' \2433 "'I It)
h u t vital, rok.
CfM Internabonal F1OB-CF·!OO tlJrtx>l£fiS, ~ of 97,86 -kN ltru!Il. pow<.l< 1tle KG-135R This ext ra ttvust providas an aJ-1OOSld perlormance ~ . inct.Jaiog an ~ taKe-ofI. W1!h the KC- t 35R bec
to be loaded. ~ to 37.650 1
Pow8rpla nl: lour 61 .16- k N (13.761 -t1Hhrust) Prat! & WhilnBy J57·P·59W turbojel s
a~rtude
Stratotankcr.
Few modifications. the most important tx.·inl' a taller fin . wen: needed during the p ro duction of 73Z aircraft . All of rh..• surYivin~
Strat eg ic Air Command began 10 receiwI the KC _l ~ in July 1984 and iI _ " " "tlHl .. bi{l leap in performance o~... ""rIier ~ _ n l :t. Thft g~ y colour- of this ea rly de liY'My aircralt h M 1at{/8l)' been .--ep!9C1HI by Il dllrk_green ov e< g... y or- ove
A Iatge
&/ow: The amount of time spent on station lor a vital asset such as the E-3 Sentry may be increased from hotJrs to a few days w ith regular KC- 135 refuellings.
produced the ~I()dt'l 717, k nown to the USAF as the
Od ng and the USAF n mfid.:nlly e xpect that lilt: KC·13"i will he refuelling bombers, flghu-rs.
KC·135R
KC -135A Stratotanker T,pe: long-rang.e tan ker transporl
f
mo::u>lad below lIoor ~. wtIich gives the aircralt graa l "" l
I-
In order to kfo:lp the KG- t 35 " service tor as IorIg as possbl9, a .. 0\)' .. " ., was m iated ,,1 975 10 'U·skin the lower wngs The airlrlll"lla latig.Je iI1l.l was inctoosad by
27.000 I'lou"s
t
l.Wadad ""crall , tJegirnirlQ with the Ke- l 35E
1:>"11'' ' ''' "',
have inctoosad-SPl'"l ~ wtIich ''''''It'll taken !rom 707 ail'lners lJsng a smaI con trol <:d<.mn 1tle boom ~ator 'tIies· the boom towards the receiver aircra ft. The 'boomer' lies 011 hosor h8r stO
I jil! iii hiijUt",
LA ST TA NKE R. LA ST FLIGHT: it Il""'l~ all goes llCGording10 plan. lhe ..
""""""4' "'" _
aorIoo _
fuoI _ ....011'.- - .
_ I '-" _ ~, ThoTnS1l>-K~
last tan~er In lhe stack should refuel lhe last 11'90 1 ol1ighlllffl and slill have enough !uei remai r;ng lor the r"tLJm to baSll
TANK ERS RETURN , FIGHTERS FLY ON : As the tan kers ret urn
10 base. the fully !u,"ed fighters are free 10 penetrate dooply ",to eoerny tllffitory. A
remai ning tankers all move down by one level.
k
sirrlliar operation may be moun led to gel lhem home.
'*""\10at- - - . _
' _' _
I I I II I I I II II"7I '."U· I~·l _
~
I . _ _ "'tt>o
no hflIllOrt c.polliIi
TllISTU I . •
Sl1IAIIT,..E.
111... ~1
lU.1l1 ~ I
'UIUII2CQ,2S311'J
12$1.141 I'J
(J1S,)OII'J
l
51
AMERICAN MIUTARY AIRCRAn
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B OEING
EC/RC-135 ... High-t ech t elephonist
EC/RC-135
Tha job of mos t of the crew on the EC- 135 is to mllke communication connections with ground stations or other aircrafl.
• Strategi c reconnaissance . Intelligence gatherer . Command post
... Missile watchers The two RC-135S Cobra Ball aircrafl specialise in tracking and photographing missiles. A unique feature is the blac k painted wing. which reduces glare for photography of re-entry vehicles. Aerials are used to gather data from missile launchers.
'Y Command post The airframe o f the EC-135 is festoonOO with antennas for the mllny radios.
'Y Infllght refuelling Tanking is vital to the Re-l35's ability to stay on station for many hours at a time.
'Y The 'Hoover' This RC- 135U is known as the 'Hoover' because o f its IIbility to 'suck up ' every electronic signa/. Only two remain in service, flying from Offut AFB, Nevada.
F
o r decades th e Bo eing RC-1 35. th e ae ria l esp io n age cousin o f the K C -1 35 tanker, ha s b een va ngua rd o f th e se c r et world o f re c onn aiss an c e , g iv ing its c rews ho urs of boring ro utine interrupte d by se conds o f s heer t error. Du rin g tensio ns w ith the So viet Union, the 'spy in the s k y' RC-l 35 o ften fl ew w it h in a kilome t re of M o sc o w 's territo ry. The EC - 135 is s im ilar, but is packed w it h r adi o s to act as a f lying com mand post d u ring a nu cl e ar wa r,
52
FACTS AND FIGURES .. The sy st ems operators in th e RC -135
A Tha EC-l 35 is based on the the RC- l35, but co ntains different eq uipment. Most o f this ;s for communications wi th other US military forces. Thare is USlJallyII General on board who can control the war from the air.
same aircrafl as
.. The first RC ·135 reconnai ssan ce c raft bec ame operational in Augu st 1966 . .. EC -l35s ha ve a trailing antenna whi ch c a n be re eled o ut to a le ngt h of 10 km (6 m il e s) for c o m m u nic ation w it h s ubmari nes.
.. Strategic Air Command RC -135s flew more than 6200 intelligence-gathering so rties during the Vietnam War.
» »
Sev eral EC ·135s c arrie d a specia l n o se radome t o track th e Apollo s pac ec raft. Th e RC -1 35S c an h unt f or enemy m obil e mi s sil e la unc h er s in w art ime .
BOEING
EC/RC·135
PROFILE
......- --,RC"·."3'"'."'V----,
Below: The nose o 'tOO RC- t35 is covered with bulges co ntaining
America's super snooper
TypB: mulli-1l
mwm~oc~~t~ng~wpm~l
aircralt
POWBrplant: tour 8O,07·kN(18.016-1b-thrust) Prall & Whitr>eyTf ·3J·P-9 fJT 3D·3 BI tlJrtx>jaIS
T
he Bo e in).: IiC- B '; stratq.::i" rt-><:orlllais"" 'Ke aircraft is the offsprinJo: o f the Bodn).: KC-13'; Str-.ltotanker and is closel y re late d to th", spectacula rly sUeTe", ful B< ,dn).: 707 airliner, De silo:ne d a s an t'le<1ron ic ean'sd"'JllX'r, th", RC.. 13S collecls SIGI!'<'T ( siRna!., inte lligence). including an enemy's rud.rr emis"ions. radio communtcanons or missile tele-metry. The closely rd ate d EC-13'; wa .' an airborne command pOSI for Strat<>).:ic Air Command. and
the E-6 .\ k rcllry ' till prov ieles the salllt> service for the US Navy 's missile submarines. Her !3'; s of the US Air Forn>' S';th \X'inR ntial adversari..,s in ).:Iol>al trouble S[X,IS. Durin).: the Co ld \Var. they new <;1""<:1 to Ihe USSH Illore o ften than an y oll1<'r W'",ste rn air..-ra ti. Du rinl( Ope ration lkse l1 Storm. th e RC- 15S Ralhe......1 vital in tel li).:e'Kt· o n Saddam Hu sse in 's forces Usinl( radios, radar an d electronic equipment to spy
Malimum 5-PBed: 990 k~ (6 15 mplll at
10.000 m
Ser,ice eelUo, : 12,375 m (40.600 fI) Weights; ampty Ab ov e: Desp i te the end o f the Cold War; the RC· 135 flee t is
Accommodation : .-..conoa,ssance .ersions of
as important as ever to the United Slates, During the w ars
fhgcrews of up to 35
in Vtel nam and the Gulf i t proved it was iust as good at c ollec ting inlelli~oce in a tactical wa r, as i t w as in the type o f supetpOwer stand-off for whic h it had been designed.
OJl pOle Jltia l 0l'pont>nt.', the J:lC- B '; co nlin" e s to lx' vitalto the OH'ls<:as inleresls of the United Stales
Large cheek fair'olgs on eoIher side the IuooIaga coot"., flat am...-nas
oj
These 'listen ou t' across a WIde range 01~ IcY sognaIs which ae amIysed by !he onboard cr&N.
TOO Cff!W 01 the RC-I35 Os ~QlI : ItIete "'a "'"'
pjIols and two na;igators on ee lIql1 ,,"tn about 17 syst""""'l opara tors in the cabin
Known collectively b ~ _ codename Rivel Joint, the US AirForce has 8 11_ 0114 RC_135Vs and RC-135Ws lor gathering 8leclmnic intellige....,.. Together they keep walch on potentia((~ hostile nation" on a global ba..... from b"H'Saround rt>e world ,
47.650 kg (105 ,050 Ib): Ioadlld
144.000 kg (317.4666 lb)
COMBAT DATA
as '~laring' WI1tl
I lilililllfWH
Il>
RC-135V
(32,600 It)
OpMlltional radius: 4300 km (2672 IllIlas)
AC-t35 ceo also 'talk ' 1tIanks to satel' te cornrncri::atllYlS
~totho..-.
tho AC·I:l1; .. 180'''.
II!lI'Ials!lttlld on lt1Il spl'>e.
in~~ .
AItt'Ioo.>9"
01 "",.. og;c
in tho
~, ....",. """,,_~~
--.; _ . _
.... tho
•. MIll
,~
••
II q
fUa'!i3j3jili iii
AID
The_oifcrlIftllo""_ ~ .OI-a' .... .... ~
. . -....on at ...".....;t 10.000 m (32.eooltl, at" - haogI>! tI'>e\' .... tlilII' """"Il'" to '. -' a lOng wIlY into t!>lttorval temtory.
~,
TOO IlIongated rose ccoieos a side -looking radat. which P'QViOOs an lIICCU"ate pic1<.re 01 meooasrline !or precise navigation. This Os WJ(y iTl>Ortoot when ~ dosa to e hostila country's ariipace.
~
FOlI' Pratt 8. 'MlI!nIly TF·3J turbofans prOViOO adl>quata p
_ _ ' _ 00_"" KC- I 35 tankElr from which !he F!C-135 Os tlerived, In lhe tankElr ~ is lJS!ld to rra.nt ttllI rnfualIing boom, but in tt1
L
l\......~
fIIMROO •• MIl 1
11." . (.1,111!1 II)
1IC-1J$V
It,11S.(4UOOtl)
..
, ..115 '.oVr n ,__ f]'f,170 II I
1111lIOII • .l1li1 1100Uo jLIoo• •_ . (lim_)
53
AMERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT
BOEING
BOEING
• • OC-135W Operations fromOffutt ....
OC-135W • WC·1358 conversion . Treaty verification . Three examples
Con trolled by the 55th Wing , OfflJtt AFB 's asse ts include RC -135 reconnaissance aircraft, EC-135 and E-4 8 command posts, weat her rese arch WC-135Bs, OC· I35s and various training versions of the C-135.
.... Sensitive equipment Cameras are the most important equipment aboard the I 35. A blJJge lH'Ider the fuselage contains the cameras which are opera ted from the cabin.
oc-
•
... Modified Andover The RAF 's Open Skies aircraft is a modified Andover designated C.Mk I (PR). l t is opera ted by M oD(PEJ from Boscombe Down.
White topped .... Like many aircra ft based at Offutt AFB, the DC- I35 con tains much hi -tech equipment. To help keep this eq uipment and the airc raft I~I:::= cool, the upp« fuselage is painted white 10 re fle<:f wlar radiation.
s t he late st o f th e USAF 's long line o f C- 135 v a ri ants, t he s m a ll fl eet of OC -1 35Ws pl ay s a vita l rol e in the p o st-Cold War e r a . Operating under t he Open Sk ie s ag ree m e nt, the OC ·1 35W is ta sk ed , a lo ng w it h a ircraft f rom 27 o t her nations, w it h fl yin g a rm s ve rification flights. With the sca li ng d o wn of conventi o nal and nucl e ar ar s enal s , OC -1 3 5W s, eq u ipped w ith v ario us c am er a s an d se ns o rs , hel p e nsu r e that tre aty o b ligat io n s ar e c o m p lied w it h .
A 54
>-
... Aircraft from p articipaling na tions , such as the Czech RePtJblic , Russia, UK and the USA, c arl)' the words 'Open Skies ' along with other insignia to emphasise their pe aceful role.
FACTS AND FIGURES >- A s ing le TC-135B was converted trom a
Signatories of the Open Skies treaty include alt NATO countries in Europe, the US. Canada and ex-Warsaw Pact nations .
>-
Some of tile OC -135's cameras were removed from s u rp tus AF -4C Phantom s.
>-
Modifications were made by the 4gSOth Test Wing at Wright ·Patterson AFB, Ohio .
WC-135B to train personnel destined to implement the Open Skies treaty. ~
The first Open Skies demonstration flight was by a Belgian Hercules in April 1992.
~
Originally c all ed OC -1 35B, the aircraft were redesignated OC -1 35W in 1995.
B O EI N G
OC·135W
PROFILE
Ensuring weapons destruction
W
ith
" 1<. "
falhnJol of lht·
1\t-r1m WaU a nd Ih.:
n.:.... ": I "lI"fl-~hlp terw e-c·n :'\ ATO and l':>;·\!;"af'>.l"
Pal ' n.unlli...... "ml-~ ll."lIIK1ion (",""..tit"'< have been "Jotrn"t Dl-;,pill' th... imp" .. n l R"lali
'n
In.-,,tit''-. l" illl.kp."fIlk"Otly It"flflt"d ~- It"Ul~ of ........... t ..... fnlfll Iht-..e I1;llion..
lho.. inili;llln.~."y ""a' ..i,ltno..... in \l;ln:h !'}Ql. wilh each
, i,lVUI,"1 p.:fmillt"ll
I~
"nnw'
,h." OC.. l:!'i\\"
Th ree
t"umpk... all.' Op l T .l l t , 1 ~- Il k'
n. QC-135W c..-- • ...-..y d
p" no .....mK'
for
iCU'lWId~
c.nIInl tor pl u:AogL .... '. abo4 7fI2S m 126.lXXl1ll. two KS-819 OCQ ~ .....-.g c:a-nera a'ld • KS-87'MtaI-
80.07 -kN 118.01 &-1b-1hr\III1) Pra ll " WtIIlney TF33- P·5 Iurt>oIan ~ tblllllllN speH: 965 l
CtlIisl., Ill"4: 901 ........"l560 mph l . ilJ.l cl_
•
WtiIIlIs: ~ empty 46.40) log(10:2.294 Ilk mauTUn
.ce
hiW1~
k... d phtll:''!tr.. phv. lvon ohli<.jut"· m<1U1lIt"d , .. mt.T.I-' and a veruc lll m
10...-1 ..4 " nO. e\allUlion Ill<:n" "Ifl,pk1t"d in Ial... 1993 and ";Ill"<: then .he OC -Ij'i, have been 'If'T"'i<1Ila1 moniuorlnjo: alIDS n:du<.,ion."
1lI<:' OC- Li'i lh ( a , they \H'Tt." lorlJo:iru lly lbijo:TUIt"d1 han: hl....-n
'1 -20512 _
_"' be __
opented by !he 2 4ttl R
lSi.'
CNW of 38
""9"
39 .88 m (130 fI 10 r'lI 41.00 m 1134 fI & r'lI 1168 m QB It 3 r'lI
MIg _
226..03 1ft' 12433":llll
51*' IIIngIh
uP!'r.ltk-d to OC- Ij<;\\: O<.LnJ ..nd lilt- fiN l~ "'\ l"f'i< >Il I , hl...." fI rt"kWI,'\t 10 Ir.. ini nJo: dU I~ , k~.I\ ·inJo:
Iwn ' 'lx''T ..I''1Ila1 ainrafl
_
'1 -20510. a-t of_
It . ....,. ~
To n8e Ih8lNMy ~ OC1.l5w. ..... 1lliIlnlJfaJIe.1hlry cary .,.. _ 'Cl(:8l~' '*""!l- Ih8 0IWl ~ logo on.,.. ~
---....--
The QC-1358 _ lD--.:l loom we 1358 wrw:tl_ C-I356~
• pe>wered by Ih8
h.....-on
Pl'8CI &
'MItney lT33 ~ .-.groe.
rn:u'IIed '*'*lIb' Iow--.oe ~
'~ IH:
AbI:lo4: A/fttovgh the OC- I3:5lS trigNy carpabofe, it h.Is pt'OWJtd nJOf'e e j 10 opet'lIte IhWI ~ ~ WId CQJId fJO"ibIy be rtIpIac$d by the P -3 Orion.
~..-...t
&1·20574. lllis 8in:n1'I _ 10 OC - 136W
take-oll I2 4.960 1og (275.490 ItJl
D. . . . .1tS:
OC-135W n.- DC-1 355 _ _
ral,: 393 mImin (1289 1pm1
~ 7«5 kin f4626 miIesI
. ..'Tl-"'>rs illl-ludin,ll. C<11mT..
~.,
r..",la<1l: lou"
"'necoo....
equipped wnh a number of J
01
~ f'ree from
fo rn..... W C- Ij " H wt"".lIh<.~ rnllflna i.......nee p1all<."S and art" ph. lI:o~r.. ph i<:
~
fhtt OC-l35W .is almos t dfNoid of oWJOOws. allowing fhtt CleW of anaI)'sts 10 opet'I'te th8It
lll h Rn l )fJru i....ance Squadnlfl. ,<;,h \\ 'inK. based at Offutt AtlJ. ~t"hr.l_,k a , 1lJe aircraft ........ R" pr< Mlun',j by mlXlifyinjot Ihrox
__
molt d ...... poIICI:lned .. II'e t:UgI' ~ . . ~ , n,... n:::U:» ~
r lk'M<8 !he .-uafllrom ....toidl ~ _ derMld. the KC-I3S Stralotanl<8r. ltIlI oc-135 hQSlhe orignaI reU*og boom fand I"ltO ee luseIaQe.
' " - - - -... Tu_IIl4'C · ... '
"S': ~y
cu montty 14M 1M Tu· ' 54 81 rts
OJ- SkiM ....-..f1. AllaN ~ also ~ 10 fiPIII<;.lb
An·3lle ~ ~ l'YPt
Tho lri-jol Tu 1!>1 e < . - U tt.
~ ~
_
"'tho _ '-'
bYOn " 8Cluoll\o """".-uI"'be ~_ ~ . _ _~ r..le l h o pI>ol ~~ lfII'VoOI, ~moo'(I l_ 1O _ ~"""", "...oo
.. Iho . . . . -.
,
41S_ ~"",
........ .... 'n 55
AMERICAN MILITARYAIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
BOEING
B -29
SUPERFORTRESS .... Fire from the sky
8-29 SUPERFORTRESS • Long-range bomber . Largest of World War II • Assault on Japan
-
-
In the last days of World War II B-29s poured a deluge of incendiary bombs onto Japanese cities, which were built largely of wood. The reIWlting conffagration consumed most of the residential areas.
" ........11II... . ""
.-
.... The bomb ends the war Many people believe that dropping the atomic weapons brought the war to a swift conclusion.
",
X-plane ... mother ship Several B-29s and thtl improved B-SO W(VE/ modified for special missiolls. Among the most important was carrying early IWpersonic X-planes to altitude.
... Bomber over Korea Just as the 8 -29 had flattened Japan, the Superiortress relentlessly crushed Communist resistance in Korea.
... Atomic bomber Immortalised in sang, 'Enola Gay ' was the Superfortress which dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, hitting the port ci ty of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.
... Flying gas station In its KB -29 form the Superiortress was the world 's first true service tanker aircraft, pioneering the inffight refuelling that has become vital to modem air combat.
B
oeing 's talent for t u rning out h ug e aircraft paid a super dividend w ith the Superfortress: the 8-29 became the 'b ig stick' of t he f inal campaign of Wo rld Wa r II. Fe a re d by t hose w ho felt beneath its shadow, t his g ia nt brought war ho m e to Japan's citie s and people a nd ushered in t h e atomic age. The 8-29 also fought in Korea, it was c o n ve rted into a key post-war transport and tanker, and was even copied without permission by the Rus si a ns.
56
FACTS AND FIGURES .. On the night of 9-10 March 1945, 324 B -29s attacked Tokyo at low level in th e most d es t r uct ive air raid in hi story.
.. After th e war, KB -29s were t he USAF's first aerial refuelling tankers . ~
Crew members travell ed fr om no se t o tail o f th e B -29 throu gh a 'person nel tunn el ' above t he bomb-bay.
~
B - 29s were used to drop t he first atomic bombs on Japan, and in post-war tests at Bi kini atoll .
.. $3 billi on had been invest ed in the B -29 ... Sting in the tail : in Korea, B-29 gunners were so good at shooting down enemy aircraft that it became thtl second highest-scoring Allied type, after the F-86 Sabre,
before the f irst a irc raft flew - m ore th an
B O E IN G 8 - 2 9
n FlN' --u. !hlIS·2\!
The first strategic bomber
T
h~' H-!'} wa., .Ik" fiN
pn"'u rill"'li hnrnlll"r ' 0 ('mIT
~·r"'k"l.· .
and was
th..-retore ahlt" III operate over
va'" di'>larwe<; aoJ ;11 <;,;,ft· OO)o:hl" to ,k·lin·r hu/ott· hnmhlnad, oo to lilt.- t'1l<."fTl)' . Ori¢naUy J..'Si)otno.-d 10 h ornh (i-t"lllun)' from ITll'f'il-a durinjot \\'f>rkl \\:"'1' II. Ii · 1l-Z9 t"flkT't"\l """,,K~ unl y at tht: tTKI ("I tht.· Eur"pl.".m war. Thi.. rna-..." jn" , l'\"\'oIutioll.U" htlfllllol:r ""-", Ir.tn..(t-m.-d I;) the.· fil(hl: a~in... japan, wh.:n: it lk"';I'oWltoO tiiic."!;
\\ 'ithou l rhe reach of the li- !9, AITKTIca would han." had to fi}llu for muc-h 1onJ.:t.T to recover 1m- PAcifk hbnlh frum japan. And it was the 8-29 that ddin"fed the final. catastrophic blow in tht." form of IWO 'UOIII H.' bombs. dropped onto the Otio:'s
of Htrcehema and
~a~'>;)ki
Post-war. llk- 1\-29 joiOt'd
11leSupeotootress ~unfed one or the biggest ~ leaps _ ltCn-ed by one aircraft f)PlJ. E...." today. its rtidlo :':g y ~ up " RussIa "s
The lorwa'd cabin was o::orrecI ed 10 the rear cabin by a a-ow.+.YBy. In 1tle blId< sal the g.n>arlI. on:!
Two ano:nnws ~ baylI C!WfIIld 1tle B- 29"s borrtlloed. Each bay had wne:n. nsid& 10 hoisl the boo"rbs ~ into the airO'al'l
!here WIlAl 8IllO bo..O
had a ""r lldlltlla tail bu1'lJaf.
'Nhlch ~ 1hItrear UaIaga when 1hItairO'o" look of!
Superfortress superbomber 8 -29 $U PERFORTRESS: Tho 8·29·s two bays r.ekl O>'&r 9000 kg (20.000 Ib) of bombs. lhe blggesl standard load 01 any wart i"", bom~.
o
B· 17 FLYING FORTRESS: A~hou\Ih rt lheomlically cookt carry 7900 kg (11,400 Ib) 01 bombs, the B·l1 rorely !lew combat missions with more tllarl 2300 kg (5000 Ib)
.
:-
HEINKEL He 177: In lhMlfy. Garmany's Mavie$1 bom~ cookt can)' 6000 kg (13.200 Ib), bul in practice 2000 ~ g 14400 Ibl was a mcwtI realtslic load
Tho ~ _
B· ~
..
i . and al
~
~ fnl_, boiIy tr>o d _ _ Ihon ItlY GItto
...... . ..._ _
01_ w
J _ _ ¥l"'
__
_ 00<0d ~ moot 01 tho ~"""""""_
= -=-=< -= -= -=
-=
=--" =- = -=
AVRO LAN CASTER; The RAF's
maon t>omt>er r.l • normal combBI load 01 about ll30CI kg (14.000 1bI.
57
AMERICAN MIUTARYAIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B-50/KB-50
B OEING
B-SOJKB-SO SUPERFORTRESS Triple-point tanker..
An F- 100 ~ Satn, .... F-'O' ~andIi EJ..{;fjDe$troyeI" refuel sImuIt~ from !he three hose$ 01. KB-50.
SUPERFORTRESS
• Nuclear role . Boeing's last plston-englned bombef • Tanker eonYefSions
... Tanker conversions Replacing the underwing fuel tanks with jet engines and adding ho se units produced the KB-SO.
... The first 8-50
ao-.g changed !he 8-29D designation to the 8-SOA to _ _ l\ndlng leN file " -' bomber.
Punt bomber .. The 8 -SO D had Ii single-piece nose section and 2650-/ltre (l64O-gaNonJtndenVIng fueI!wII< s.
F
or a brief period t he Boe ing B·50
Superfortress w as the backbone 01 th e US Strateg ic Air Command (SAC). A heavy bomber, tasked w it h the delivery 01 the fi rs t nuclear bom bs in the US Col d W ar erseoa t, it w as developed from the 8·29 but incorporated new materials and m uch mont powerful engines. In 1949 the 8 -50 set a record by flying nons top around the workt. and in the 19505 it stood alert, anned with
nuclear weapons, lor several ye~
FACTS AND FIGURES
... As !he ultimate dtlveIopment o f the B-29. !he 8-50 was the las' of !he USAFs pisfOll e'lgi.led bomb6Irs. lf also pe.1I::N .,te
as.
~
The 8 -50 can be distinguished 'rom t he s im ilar 8-29 by its taller tailtin and underwing 'uel tank• •
~
Afle.- being delivef"ed to SAC, more than 6000 work hours wenl needed t o modify the 8 -SO 10 accommodal e nUclelll'" bomb s .
~
In t otal , 350 pmdl.l<:tio n 8 -50s a nd one prolOtype w ere bu ill f or the USAF.
~
The 8 -SO began re ach in g SA C squadrons in June 1948.
~
Boeing 's 8--50 made Its maiden night on 25 J une 1947.
~
8 -50s w " , . brieny grounded o f t'\Idd« h inge problems.
bf,ca~
BOEING B-SOJKB-SO SUPERFORTRESS
Boeing's last pistonengined bomber
T
Il<.' I\<.lt' inl-: . B-51) bCl-:a n li te as a n Imp rove...1 B-N . Too late lor Wor ld W'ar II but jllst in tim... for th... Co ld W'a r, the U-SI) was capable of hauling .nom k- bomhs an d w as expected 10 t1r lonl-: · ranx~' mis,ions. O n 1 .\1aTl'h 19-1') the B-5(I 'Luck y Lady II' completed th e first nonstop round -th e -world flight. n'n'ri nl-: 57,711 km f25.5 0() m i!<>s l in 'Ji ho urs and I minute . TI w 1\- 50 w a.' pla~u~x1 hy early p r oblems. As initially (!<'sil-:Ilt-cl its lx'mh-!>
plutontum-bascd Typ'-' 1lI nuclear bombs o f the 19-tl)s It had tlw larg<.'st a nd miN pow erful rc...- iprocanng engine
...vc r ins talled in an o p,..r ation al warplane a nd was p ro ne to cngtoc rnaltuncnons. L u ly 1\-50" also suIT,..r ed fro m metal fatig ue . All of th~";o.- prohk-mx we re eventually .'l lin-d. hut , hy this umc. SAC W :l .' R'ct:'ivin,l( l ilt' mon- capable U-j 6 , B-47 and B-52 Ix 'mht'Ts .\I,my B-')()<; un de rtook r~'(" lTl n"i s"lll<"e rni"si"n.' ar, nmd (he pcnplu'rv o r the S< " it.'l
B-50A Superfortres s T,p': tour-oongir>8d hea\l)l bom~ Powerpla nl: foor 2610·kW (3500·hp) Pratt & WhittXlY R-4360--35 Wasp Maio< tUrbocharged l ad ", 1 piston oongones
Maximum Sl'ud: 620 kmlh (384 mph)
Above; Soon in February 1955. this WB·5QD is one o f 36 B-500 bombers stripped of weapons systems and used tor weather roconnaissance. The last one was replaced by a WB-47 in 1967.
Cruising speed: 3 78 km/h (234 mph) Ra n, e : 7483 km (464 0 ""Ies)
Above: Serial number 49-391 was the last B-SOD to be buift and is seen here afte;- being converted to a KB-5()J. Even with jet boost the KB-50 stroggled to keep up with contemporary military jets. The la s t KB -50 loft S6rvice in 1965.
weather recor mai-c-ance machines. 11",- n\;l~>rilY o f 11-% we re t'o nv t' nl-c1 inl o (;l o ke r<;,
;1S
;1 m ! th e la"t air.:r" ft fle w J urioK Ihe Viet n;l rll War
Constructoo from a fleW ~ kr>c;>Nn
~
B·29. the 8 ·50's wW1g was nearly identcallO tt>at of the 8 ·29 but
been modified lor even more specialised reconnai"aance _aliom:.
16 ~ cmI stronger and more ltIan 2721
Like lis 8 ·29 predeCesSOr, tr>e 8 ·50 had tour remot8lv contn:*ld gun lurrets. The ~ nose turret was fitted WIth !olr 12.7-rrm (,50-oei ,1 machiroI guns and ood1 of the ott>e< turrets contMlad two simIar~. The tail posrtion was fined v..ith two machine guns and & 2O-rrm C8iY1Ol">
M ..,tarnal pressure ~ ~ the ..- cabin and bcJni). bay was sill'ffied at the posrtion oj Ins fuselage bw>d. Cffiv,membern I'nO'Ved ~ the Iron1 and rear pres8IJe cabins via a prassurised Ilnlill aOOYe \tie bomb·bay,
~
one 2O-mm cannon: 9072-kg (19.958 -lb)
"""''''''-' Dimensions:
As rt was heavilYthan the B-29. the B-50 mquimd a Iar"er fn 10 maI'>1aon directonal stab*ty. The varto:;:ai tail co.k:l be IoIded down SO tha t the aircraft co.k:l be stored '" an a-age'ilIZed USAF I\aflgW
as 75 ST.
oseeo of the 2 4 ST used on ee
11,2 78 m (37.000 It)
Annament: 12 127-mm (.5l:kal .) machi"" IllJrI" and
01
celU~g:
W,lghts: empty 38.754 kg (80.880 Ib): ma~'mom take ·off 7638g kg (168,056 Ib)
Un ion , wh ile orhcrs were us.:d 10 train SAC crew s. or acu-c t
RB·50B All of the B·50Bs. eIcepI the li..t, ...._ converted to RB -SOB re<:onna;aaanee p1atform a. Al l of these ended their da~ as KB·5OJ ta nk er a alter 43 had
Servin
43.05 m (141 II 3 in) 30,18 m (99 11) 9.98 m (32ft 8 ir» 161.55 m' (1738 sq It)
feat,",. 57 B-5C/A$ and all ABequif:Jped IOith tr>e Br~lsh hose reIuelIiflg systam. The receptacle for the t...-.kef's hose was SllU&tfW;! in a tlWing on the rig1 t -hancl ""'" beneath tr>e ~. The system f&e*tat9d the roor
As &
500s
Four-row 28-cy1inder A-4360 engines prod>ood a 59 ~ cent po"Nef ncr....... <::NK those of the 8 -29
All.... conversion to AS·50S srlll">dEo' , plus cameras and electronic 9QUipment
8 -50 in action
WOOl
, "'",,'IIll:
11,n'_IIJ,1OI111
II .lIlI_(3lI,J~n)
UllC OlI110,500111 '-Ilk' _ _
NUCL EA R BOMBING :
The primary
IN·FLlGHT REFUEL LING : Ea~y methods of air-to-air refLJel ling were complical00 and coold allen be dange
range deliVery of f"",·l all ...~
nuclear weapons. The
- ..:... ....... t,;!'O;;:1"' aconside<9d ""ra ll weresoon ... obsol ete in AROU ND THE WORLD: By ref~ling from a KB·29P tank.... the 'Lucky lady W flew
nonstop around the workl. Many RS-5OSs used this hose method of refLJeli,ng as standard,
Ihis role , I>owevef,
THREE -POINT TANK ER: K8 -5OJIK .. rcrall could tra il three l>os8s alld stmuttaneoosly refL>el th .... probe-equipped aircraft Here two FJ 4 Funes alld an F-8 Crusader are bei ~ refuelilld
59
AMERICAN M IlITARY AIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B OEING
B-52 STRATOFORTRESS (SAC) "f' Hound Dog carTier
8-52 STRATOFORTRESS (SAC)
A$ /C8M$ (IntercontJnentsi
ba.fIstle mISSiles) became _ imporf...t; the 8- 52 fooo!l on the role or launching sfand-of'f ~h/o;ethejef pOU6.ed AGM-28 HourKJ Dog nHSSlIe.
• Elgltt-engined nuclear bombef • Still In seme e after 40 ,ears
... Air-l a-air refuelling SAC IIJso opera ted. large ""' or 80efng KC· ' 35 tankan, wtWch prcw;ded its
' ''''''''6'' the
world' capability.
... Tandem seating Tllot titst I'WO 8-52s tIIId. ~ two$$It cockpit ~ 6 production air'crafl, which had. side-by-side "'.'V"""I&i'1.
--
Nuclear deterrence .... B·52s _tually lost their pnmary role in th e SAC deterrent to ICBMs. This B-52
-~
Is pictured trying OV9l'" an Atla s missile in Calitomia .
.
-
.... Taill ess but airborne On IoIln to Boeing at the lime, this B·52H lost most of its 12·m (4(). f!) tlliltin on elow-hwel !6$' Right. AmuingIy. it Janded safely.
5
tratofortresses w ere the mig hty sword o f the USAF's Stra tegic Air Co m m and (SAC) . Fro m 1955 until 1991 th e 8 -52 w as on 'nuclear a lert', s itting at t he end of the runway armed with nuclear bombs and with crew poised nearby. SAC c rews knew that a balli stic m issile launched by a Soviet submarine could reach their base within
FACTS AND FIGURES ... The sec o nd 8 -5 2 built, VB-52 seria l "umbel'" 49- 23 , was th e li rst to "V a nd is now at t he USAF Museum i" Ohio .
.....By 1958 the B-52 wa
25 minutes. " they were to fight back, thi s was all the time they had to get into the afr
the most importanl component ., the world's most ~ milrtary l'ot'ce. US fofflfgtI policy _ N$«f on deterrence; SAC ~
on what could be a one-way mission.
cIeINeIe
50
~
-..pon.."..heie.
... The prolotype for the B-52 series made its first night on 15 April 1952. ~
B-520s over Vlfftnam carried a load equryaleflt 10 etght World W.. II B-17Gs.
... In Ja"uary 1957 th ree B-528 5 new non stop arou nd the world la distance o f 39 ,14 7 kmJ2 4 ,300 mil es) in 45 hours and 19 minutes. ... The three ~-production B - 52As buil1 Irl 1954 cost. huge $29 millton each. ... The 744th and last 8 -52 bombtw entered service with SAC on 26 Oetober 1962.
BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRE S S (SAC)
T~Iy-_ _ RB -52B$ _ _ bviIt from 1955 and were able to csrry • pod ill the bomb-bay with four to siJl ~ posifion$ andIO#' e.l&cttOl ..... reconnatSSanCe eqr $ ff&fl and two opaalOl 5. The 'c om & IibIti ' conc:epI was abandoned ill 19:56.
SAC's ultimate nuclear bomber
B
(lI."in~. ·j> B-~2 S!:rJ.loI"ortn:-..,
W;lS do..,.-.tjl;lX'd ( 0 d ro p alOfT..c homh.> from tht."' r.ll.~ . n... bi~ l 'S..\F "" lfllh..-r of il~ era. me <-"iw-al<.'Tl~no· B-5! dropped rea l "nu k.,.,.· duri n)l. atmoepberk- I""'-!> in ,Ik' Pa.i fk in 1956 and 196 2. h ... [k';l rly four decade s Ii-52 ("n ,"",,' s stood re-.ldy 10 d rop n uclear homl">s in anger if Tk...·.·s,;ary. In' k.-e-d, unti l lh., bt,'-19hl l,; aircraft eq uipped ..... uh lin' nuck-ur " ',';Irons .....e re uuumain....t on airborne atcn . \Vith lh., advent of surface ' ''..ai r missil.,s in the 19(,.,., the
B·52F Pha_
......
E.>tenW full \8I'"b . . ITI'1«l IO
.........aoa_\utloillIlI_ 'M1IIrI8y .J57
tned 10
~lb
.-.:l F·100 ~ .-.:l 0--2'.....
F-8
3 txlfTCIIlrI an.ToIIt
WelPts: ~ R893 kg (16UM tbI: ............. 2lW,'H kg ~9,051111
' - two at h llwg8st type, 88Ch hoking 1t .356 -.:s (:'(00 ~ 1hooIe 0I'l the '0' model h:;lId a ..... 2tl6O~.... {70 ~ .
..-l ~ ~
.....
ar-td: !oI.o' 12.1--frlTl (.5O-<:aI·I "*'in laII t
~
56.39 m (18<1 It 1 t "" .7,73m(156lt7"" ' •.13 m (48 It. in) 371.60m' (3998 sq It)
B-52&cary an .....",...,... lIfT"O.rII of .... IrtUld ' .7.112 "'l38.870 gsIc.nIl- ., lIJvs............. ., ..... U8llIge.-.:l ....-.gL modalII ella C8JTY _ _J!>7 b ~ .....
n.
-.
.-.:llBW Mled 10 _ _ M'O'8ft_ ..... c:apabMy 10 cary h NJM.281-b.n:l Dog ......0- 8IlWIac&-to-IW miIeile. 'Is t\.llt:qel <3tlgIflU ocUd be .-:l by the aircraft 10 ncreese ttvust 0I'l tal<&-ofI, Hound Dog was ~ ovt in the 19 708
B-'i l ...........-.:--.....ullv .J1iftt"d from hi~th- 10 k,..,{- k-\-~I "''''J.p on ddin."f)', but the "'':I I" in \~M.1nam hm u WlI a dift<-"ft.'Il1 mi,,"-sion h i/th ·k,,-e! tactscal bambin)/. w ilh uld- fashioned "iron' bornhs. Ikl ill in seven pmdu..:t ion \tl'
STRATOFORTRESS
Boeing 's strategic bombers • B-17 FLYtNG FORTRESS, Takong to the ai, in t935. the 8 ·H was buitt in enoomoua numbe
• 8 ·29 SUPERFORTRESS, The 8 -29 was an advanced a"·Ctalt.....nan it firstllew in 194 2. R wa a to boB the t>n..onl 01 the bombong campaign OV« Japan; one delivefed the first atomic bomb
•
8 _50 SUPERFORTRESS , Production 01 ttl's I1"OOr'e powarl.... ~ 01 the 6 ·29 began in 1~5, ARhougtIlhey uw actiofl OV« KonNl, most """'" COfI~ ed to triers as the K8 ·50 .
• B-.. 7 STRATOJ ET: Pred"",ll$5OI' of the B-52 and !tie first aW8p!· w,ng oet bomber buitl in any numI>ers, the " . -eng ined B·47 seo:ved SAC from 1951. At ~ a peak ' ,800 """'" in :service
fmm
Al""'_"'_ _
.""' fI.- ~ "'.ono ol".,._ t_
onginacl-', Thojat _ _ -.odo _ _
~ ,1hO
8 -. 1 - - . _
to halCIltx """ -ooiflol~ '" tho -.ly ' 96011
~
~ l>I'''''''''''''''8 ·~ '''.~,
____
__
f '''~-
I-UlITU~a . . _ISS" ....
J."
~
61
AMERICAN MIlITARY AIRCRAR
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B-52G/H
B OEING
B-52G/H
STRATOFORTRESS
STRATOFORTRESS
Sting 10 the tall
--
By using in flight relueltng. the 8 · 52
Mos' lf8f$Ions o f the 8-52 had •
• Strategic bomber . Nuclear/conYentional weapons . Global reach
Extending Ule range
CWI
~
. " . part
deIon
of IN globe from just .. few baft. This vefenIn is _
IISlnll' the rfIdaT mounted above.
on its
T1Ie$e _ _ aimed
w ll)'
to
VietnIIm in 1912.
Modetn-day warrior ... Two fully laden 8 -52Os launch from Riy adh in Saveli Arabia for .IIlO tllet' mission agains' rrnlssed Iraqi arfll()(ll'ed dMsions during the Gulf War o f J99 1.
Nuclear detenence
no. 8-52 has an impotfanr roM as .. launch platform for nucIeIIr missiles. HeAt .. SRAM is launched from the massiYe -..pons bey.
A t!sUul of throttles II> The 8-52's coc/r.pif is rJomina ted by the c en tral eng
---- - - Q
..
C
o nc e iv ed as the g iant sil v er sw o rd o f the United States Ai r Forc e Stra teg ic Air Com mand the 8 -52 $ trato fortre ss w as the bi g g est purely Je t -powered bomber o f its t im e, a nd h a s been fl ying for a lmos t 50 ye ars. Flown for dec ades o n a tomic a le rt, its o n ly c o m b a t us e has been the m as si v e c on venti onal bombing cam paig ns in Southea st A si a and the Persian Gu".
62
FACTS AND FIGURES
.... Di spl aying ifs enormous winglspan .. 8 ·52 gets airborne IraNing .. lhiclr. plume of smoke as its eigh' Il.fr'botet engines slJ'ain at tuM powtI# to Irft its 229,000 Ir.g (504,8591>} into the-.
)0
The B -52 has a crew of live , including two pil ots, navigator, electroni c wertere o ff icer and bombardier.
)0
During Opera ti on Des ert St o rm , B· 52 s f lew 16 24 m i ss ions , and d ropped 5,829,000 kg (12,850,744 Ib) of bomb s.
)0
Boeing manufactured 7
)0
Eac h B -52 contains 90 km (56 miles) 0 1 electrical wiring .
)0
A B -52 can rea c h a ny target in the w orld w ithin 18 houl"$.
)0
In 1959, three B -52B s flew nonstop around the w orld in under 50 hours.
B O EIN Q B - 52G /H STRATO F O RT R E S S
B - 5 2H Stratofortre• •
America 's 'Big Stick'
TrJIlt:
~ Iong--tanll"
r-,IMt ~&
T
be klll~~'inl( f"lIll· hoo: ...... rpt;.oe in hi-<;IufY ,
the- IJ.-Sl Str,mJf,,,,,",,,,, w :.1.. the ri,lthl ;lin..T.lft :.II the ri!(hl limt' . II fiN fkv,' on 15 April IOXl:.lntl hec·_une the hackho.w
of the- \X"e<;I 's nuclt·.... p"-, n...,Jr'lI:!<.S; had the nt"I;"(! ari -n. huoon-d.. (Jf 0.52.. would tun' ht--atkod for Ru"..Ia to drop h~'dmt(t-n homb" on k.·1' "tral")l.K: l a rw-1:S TIlt' .' Ilt."Cial ' llig IIdJ~' U-S1D' <1 1u l, 1 dl..o GIll)' 100 ,'o nn-nrinrMI h"m]--,,;,. and d u ring lh, ' vietnam \\'ar 129 B·S1s, 01 "onoral mo..kh. ear ned ou t lilt' I),-c ,.'mhto, 1972 'Christmas I" 'rnh in l(', d,-signeJ to fore .. Xorth " it-uu m to the conference tabl.. SinH· tlx-n. the U-S1 has h,:..n e xten ..i\ 'dr mrxiifit'd, ~ ......
e xtt-ndtod the- life of the 'Huff mi)l. l :jtIy hI fdb) irn o the 199Qo, 1J.-52Gs fkv, tbe Ion~ t:.>IllI.....l rni...... it-.o.s in ru.<;IOf)' dUrin)l. Opt:r..l ion [)e..ert Storm. frum 1.()...i...;:.1...... 10 the ~loddIe F..;a",. ToWY_ o.SlH... have Ixllh n...cle-.' ,,00 <,:on n :n titXl.a1 mit." 1lll' 'Bu ff i-s one of tho> ht">llunod of all aircraft and can op.,rale at hi!(h It",' d or 011 \....Y Inv, I.-n-I on terrain-avoidance under-the-radar mi'\sio ns
.,.elI: ~ ktMI r.;Q5 mphI.
3OliIIrIlm (10 ,1571T)
(750 Ib) fK 454-1
"-IE
16.000 "'" (1ClX1 . . . .
SImar cellist: 18,765 m l'M.000 III .~ ~ 138 kg Pll,800 Ibi; loelIed 22ll ,OOO kg (SOot,M9 Ibt 07'99
" ' - I : one 2O-
-
During bolt! Gulf Wars
8 1 . ~ (1 ~ b<:Ina.,
B-.52:lr pounded Ir&qt tarvets from as far afiekJ as England and Diego
NJ,M · I29
...
Gan:ia in Ihe Indian
DhM IlSiOM:
The....--dftIct
Ooeao.
~
~bye lll-""t'"
56 ,39 m (178 11 2 inl 49,05 m (180 11 11 inl 12.40ml40 118inl 271 .80 m' (2923 eq III
Wl lh& forwa'd cockpiI Kno wn In tIM USAF as _ 'C adiWac', the 8 -52H Ie ~ n i l ~ ty upgraded ~ 10 lhoe. arly Str. lofortrttIc..... Witto _ modem turboI... eno__ It outJ-'l""",e ib ~ In bo th t.nw- end IMrto:-t. Built 10 c..-ry _ ..... tiP\M>d ~ ;ebc ........... It Ie ebll • lritaI wNPO" In !hot U$A.F ..--..L
beN, '-ing IIown noone«>p tot ....,... then 35 ho
63
AMERICAN MILITARYAIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING
B OEING
E -3 AWACS S ENTRY
E -3 AWACS SENTRY • Flying radar station . Commands and controls the air battl e
... Giant radar nws is the huge Wl'tenna for the APY-2 radar. On 0fIlt
... Flight deck
E-3 pIIot$ may e~ to spend a good deal side is the radar itself; on the other is the IFF aqj ... .1 time at thfW stabons: A WACS missions for de tecting ~ ain:raft ... tnendty 0' hostile. o ft&11a$t 10 hours 0' fflOI'e, /lying ~ a racetrack odIit.
0'
... Operator station T1'Je C8bin of the E-3 ill ".eked wrth cons:JIes. From monitor airlnlt'lic 01'1 ,.,... _ _ _ _
,..., 0IJEiiatew s
•
which display 0UfpuI from the 101151". "'"' TJIdar.
... Long endurance Infltghl re fuel ling aHow$ the E-3 to stay aloft for a day or mont. On Vet)' long missions eldra RighI CTl'W IJITJ carried to avoid ovet"eil haustion.
"IlII NATO's air force In addition to American. Bri tish and French E-3s NATO also has i ts o wn A WACS squ adron, cre wed by airmen from the member nations.
B
o e in g 's E-3 Se n try Is a fl yin g r adar st ation . This ae ria l h eadquarter s p atr o ls t he s k ies a nd scans t he military s it ua t io n be lo w , m onito ri ng f ri endly and h o stile ai rc r aft. Ins id e the m eta l cocoon o f the E-3 's fu sel ag e , t ec h n ic al e ll perts w ork m a g ic w ith r adar an d e lectron ics t o d etect e ne m y warp la nes, p lo t the ir course, and g ui de frie ndly fi ghte rs t o s hoot t hem down . 64
FACTS AND FIGURES
... A number of E-3 AWA CS are assigned fO NATO. Radar op«al ors, comrl'lUflica tions technicia ns and baffle analys ts from each m amber statu S tlnl. aboard eac h Senft)' a;rcraft.
,... The Boeing E-3 Sentry t ook to the air for the first time on 5 February 1972.
,... In a ll, 68 AWACS w ere built f or th e US, NATO, Sa ud i Arabia , Britain an d Franc e .
,... Originall y, th e Se nt ry was e llpect8'd t o be a n eight -engi nect aircra ft•
,... The di sc -sh aped radar dome atop the AWA C S Is la rge r t h an m any airc raft.
,... The AWACS rada r ca n see oy er t he horizo n , d et ectin g enemy aircraft hundreds o f k il ometres away.
,... The Sent ry wa s t he la st versio n of th e Boeing 707, which w e nt o ut of produetion in 1991 after 37 years.
B OEING
E~3
AWACS S ENTRY
PROFILE
Eye in the sky
G
Vl'VSions of the Sentry b uilt for the UK , France and Saudi Arabia ha ..e much tatter and far moffl fveI-effiCient engines than thei r USAF cousins.
E·3A AWACS Sentry "PI: awbOr"., warnng and C
_ .......... _ ----.-
-~"""" .."alI r-..
~11 1ll!l .lh'.' .... tll.· IlH'r th." u_~l nlota I.l!)t'" Ji ll-roi l! for surn,.lI,mn."
.'nt."lIIY hy
a ho. ilk-a in 1 9S~ when lht' Lo.:kht.....-d ~u p...r COIl"dl.uiclll t-..... -am••• ,he.- fiN .... irh"l"fl<.· 'I1 a m injot and Cunl rol :'>y'4t"1l1 W ;l S
C\ 'Ili"'lC'i).
Tow ),'"
t:-:~
and bea utitul ain:rdft wh i.:h I't"\·(>!utioni....-d a ir tra ve..I . Rut '0 Ilk' '.·..:h ni
i' a
mOllnn .....\\ :.... 0. ;Iln-r-.Ih w hkh flit's ;I! jl.1 'P'-c•••h GUTl m ll u p \0 l ~ l~ hnK:un' wh.. u....• ,1101.' tll~ hH~-h wi7-"1nb)To 11k- pilCllh up frum . ,Il<.' 1-:-3 j.. a ll ur-<.tk- \ ','T'oi<1fl 01 lilt- " ".:inl! ~()~. tho.· RK~"1
"Ul.-U hy Allio..,J fi)l;hll'f'l who
~uidnl
w ........ .o\\l,'.o\C 'i
"'..ern. :\0 a ir-to-ai r ,"Klori•.'" were
n ll"l l111.1
SENTRY
...... into USAf S8R'icein 19n . _
inlo
ere... ~.
al1i"n'~ ~"~----_""""_
\\'ll h iL~
k)l"lll r.l.nlo't' and lruur.tlk·l'. lhe 1:-:\ St.'IlIf}· can ...~' l)l"l an l'lllill" oonk.-flrld ",. if Ik........,.......f}·. an l'lll in- n.uiun lho., ·.J KJ kl'1"nll Ial"" ...... lho.·
I)luirlJo{ OptT.nion D<."S<.'"ft
E·3A AWACS • b
1'oweqIlanl:: m..93 .3I'H-~ Pren " Whtnay TF -33-P-10011~ tl.6bol_ (USAF and NATOI or m.. 102 91-kN (23.168--lb-ttlrustj 0'1.4·56~ \UK. F..-.:e and S8udo Arabial Mal _ _ " - : M3
s.ttry_
. . - e - 1 o _ . _ NATO . - _ in o.nnany..- Lu_..-.;; The IIBlor 18 8WClf'8ft _ _ 10 _ NATO
-----=-
tI8d<. The ....-0
IIonnal ljIefItilll speef: 563
-...
f .-....:« ... hoo.n, ~ .. 12,192m l'lOJXXl fll • dIIUnoa of 1609 kin 11000 miIaII f\
at 12.192 m (40.000 rt)
MARITIME : Advanced signal proceSSIng s\"Items allows AWACS to pick-
Non·... V811OO Scan II lhe basic .adar mode. used to " ' - !tie dislanoa ollliltxlrne tao:yel8 _ a I h<.o'ldred kb1'lel_ I/NfIroI, PONS: Pulse-Doppler
I~
_bJ _ _
__
~--':'
~ _ .-..-, E _
....
II -""'to ~ ...... _1IlDl m
l2&~ 10
.
E-3
I I
....O'deo" to oontrol \tle eo- battle. AWN:;S ill fJIt1Id ~ ' 3 t-F, VHF and U-IF 0llITY'lUlicati0n:5 In<$ conIroIed by lhe 00IfV)l8J\le<;} and dIgoIIzllCl J .TDS IJC"nI Tactrn lnlormation DistrtlUlOJJl System)
more
Multi-mode radar control
'7
_.""--z·
Thos..y_
O
USAF and NATOSentnos ..... ~ by Prall" Whrtney TF-$J to.rt>otans, British. Ftenc:h lIl'ld Saud
_ Airborne Early Warning (AEW) _ Improved systems _ Fighter control
tha t llplIra tio ns
are nown around the c/oe ll.
... Eighty year sentr, DutinQ 1995. No. 8 SQI ad Otl.. RAF, applied spedlJI ma-*ings to one at its aireralt, .n
... Waddington home AM WaddongtOll iii the
eese fo£ RAF Sentry AEW.Mk Is. 1ht coIot.n of No. 8 Squacfron .,. worn 011 the port $ide, those 0 1 No. 23 to starboard.
honour 01 the und's 80th anmersary. Ai
""""",5",,,,,, sqvadron has since
_fanned.
I
.. FrenCh visit or Frenc h E-3Fs are freq uent visitors to Wadding ton, as are NAEWF E-3As. as soon to the rear.
... Extended endurance In- f'Ight ~ is able to eldend the E-3DIPs eodunInce to the limits or crew fa tigue . Hose Wld cJrogue-equippe RAF \'e '0s 01" Tristars .,. the mos t liJ
tter t rying t o d evel op a n airborne ea r ly w arning ve rsi on of t he Ni m r od m aritime reco nn a issance a ircra ft, t he UK f inall y gave up in 1986 and d e c ided to buy a ve rsion o f t he Boeing E· 3 instead _ Fr a nce follo w ed s u iL Deli veries of seven E·30s tor the UK and f our E·3Fs for Fr a nce, w ere completed in M a y 1992These a ircra ft are opera ted in conj unction wM the E· 3A Se ntrys o f the multinational NATO AEW Force (N A EWF).
A
66
FACTS AND FIGURES
... Botti the Bnmh wid
French _ arms ~ a ~ boost to ttJeit' ~ies with the introdUcbon 01 the Sentry. Ail the ain;nlf! $68 .nfen$Ne opEW"8tions.
.. Britain originally ordered only si x Sentrys, but later e.ercised an option on a seventh airc ra1t..
.. France ordered three E-3F s . confirmed an option on a fourth, but cance lled options f04' it s fifth and si dh Sentry•.
.. RAF Sentrys began c onstant patrols o ver Bosnia in November 1992-
.. Britain
.. M arrtime surveillance is an Mnportant secondary role f04' RAF E-30s.
.. Initia l Frenctl orders were placed in
~
its fi.... t si x aireraft In
o.e.mber 1 996. F ebruary 1 961 .
E -3D/F S ENTRY
BOEING
.\
Anglo-French Sentry service
E,3D Sen try AEW.Mk t "'JW'~""'"
' -".: _
wtw:1Il'loo.w LtnIl017
~re-,lflIt lou- l 06 .8-i
-"'---.gliP~ ~GeIe'ESN
~,Tt-......
C
to the ~lfLIl E-3A . both the RAF~ E3D s..·fIIry :\ EW..\lk I a nd
Ulllp;l-Tt'd
lhe.- Fre nch air Ioece's £-3F are powered hot· qua-ter , lIlOR" powerfu l and IllOn." fut-I-<."ff1Ck'n1
C F.\IS6 W"'~'1n~
lUrho(;an~ . .\ 1i.,~KJII
tun: abo been
u'Plolr.ldt: d. wilh expanded t~ .mrUlt·r fTk"m(lf}'
and
p" l(·t" ...~inl(.
o>lour displar~ 10 rt '\lut 'e operator worklo'ld and ral il(u~· . an d bet te r jolm-r""i_unI
. "di, ,, , Th.· RAf ainT.lti abo h;l\t· wi njollip p
cl•...-lr
d ;l...sify ;my ta'R~·t wh ich is usinjol a radar. BOlh the £-31l and the E-.~F are filled with
rrluellmll pru t-es for u. ith bo-e-equrpped tankers as ell as Ii k' .undard re.:epuck for L'SAF-s1y ,", booms Th.: ai"Taft an" 110\..-n hot· a CR"\\' of .....· 0 pilot.s. an t'I1ll:'f'IC."t:T and a lU.\·i!l:'ilol'_ n.,. also call'j a OIl1U11lUl ic.ltion.s optTator and th n -c It'\'hnidans tra ined to I....... op~·r.l t~· anti C'a l'l 'j out limited airhome mamtenance o f tht-' n llll lllu n ica tK>lls. computer anti r.l
... ' Air Force One' The most teeerJt 7475 deINeffld to the USAF ~ two VC·25,4 PresidenbaJ transporl$ bas«I on ~ 's 74 7·2OOB ait1inet: The caIIsign 'Ai Force One' is lJS8d wfMn the Presidenl is aboard.
... Maximum endurance b, IFR The E-4 5 have in- night refuelli ng capability via a receptacle above the nose of the aircraft.
K
n o w n as th e AABNCPs (Advanc ed A irborne Nat ional Com mand Po sts), o r Natio na l Eme rg en cy A irborne Com m and Po st s (N EA C Ps o r ' K neec ap s '), t he E· 4 ' Doom sday Planes ' were alwa ys a ssocia ted w it h th e pro spect o f n uclear a ttack d uring t he Co ld War. The f o ur USA F E· 4Bs conti n ue to p rovide a n aerial com mand centre fo r US le ad e r s in the event o f not o nl y nuc~ar war, but a ny ma jor c o n flict o r c ri s is .
68
FACTS AND FIGURES
... Boeing received i ts
:fi~:.'!!"",i;i;~
E-4 contrac t in 1973. and d eliWHTKl the flrs t aircraft the Io/Iowin g year after an in ternal refl t by E-Syst em s. The fiBt upgraded E-4B was redelivered in 1980.
)- Four E·4Bs belo ng t o th e t et Air Command and C ontrOl Sq ua dron o f th e 55t h Wing at Off utt A FB, Nebra sk a .
)- Including the VC-25s, the U SAF operates sill 747s; pla ns to buy ell·air1ine 747 , 101' the Nati onal Guard were cancelled.
)- e ·4s are li mited to 72 hours' eodurance by their engines ' lubricating o il capacity.
)- Originally, the airborne command post requirement c all ed l or s ill E·4s .
)- Th e E-4 m ade it s lirst f li ght w ithout mi ss ion equ ip
)- The E-4 'lI l1y,temll are held in 1,613 'blac k boxes' - th ree t imes the nu m ber in a n E· 3 ,
Presidential 'Doomsday Plane'
E -48 Right: Three of the fo ur E-4Bs were delivered as E-4As. without the dorsal antenna.
",.il r
A ll' Fo rn o' BaS<." Marykmd - a short helicopter journey from lh t, \Xl 1il<:' 1I0 11'<-'. In th ... t'wm of
an attack on the United S1,ltt'S. th t> Preside nt a nd hi., staff would han" I)(~ln:kd the E-4 10 din-er A Il II" rica n forces from th...
",oft·ty of the air. Tlu- 1:-4 uses the farruliar
<':""' I';II"li\'(;"
Bo':inlo( 747 air liner's fuselage- 10 aCnMllHlI><.btc the Pft'sidem (in his rolt: as Conunander-in-Chwf " f US forn:s) and h-y n....'nb<: ~ of his hanle staff 11,{'y n: si
is {'
wavebands from super-hitth 10
ve ry-low f'-"'''{Iu" ruy If rl(·nwi';uy, the aircra ft Gin hroa<.k"
Endurance: 12 hours (WIthout in-fllQlll rellJelhngj :
in 19l"O it had considerably mon"-':juipnwnt. including SIIF (superhigh frequenc'Y ) 'i
72 hours Iwith " -flighl reIueIIing) "
'"
",, '
Weighls: maxim"", lak e- otl362.87 4 kg (600 ,000 Ib)
('(lI11-.:I, Ih..• E--4 rcmams availabhfor ..k·p [oy nw nt worldwide in tim,...,. of ('risis
flrry rlng l : 12,600 km (7629 miles) Cruise ceiling: 13 .715 m (45,000 It)
flyinj.( ' " il u ;ltio n (ulln ' Ol iR'ra h . Allh ollj.(h the Col d war has
Above: Whenever the US President travels abroad. an ai rcraft from the E-4 fl_t ac companies 'Air Force One' at a di screet distance in case an emergency situation arises.
Accommodation: two flight a ews, each of too , plus ; tot al ac<:<>mmodabon 1<11 94 aew'"""*-s, iocllXfing a batt'" sta ll of 30
Dimensions;
59.64 m (l95
ft
8 in}
70.51 m (231 11 4 in) heigh t 19.33 m (63 II 5 in) wing area 510.95 rrf (1676 sq It)
When the £Ioe;ng 747 was sel9cIed to til the SS-481B 8<..«XJrI &;slem
The maon OEd< is dMded be""-l a flqrt Ct<'1W section ;nj lou- operatng ~ ments for t ho PresIdent and his t>alllo stafl. These are the NCA (Nat ional Corrrnand Authoo"rtyj area (sinilat in role to the 'M'Wte House Situatiorl Rocrn). cont"""""" roJIll, batt le stafl area and Cl (comrnar
... U N ITE D
spa n Ieogth
E·4B 73-1676 was one of three E-4As delr.ered in the m id -1 91Os and was upgraded shortly a fte r delivery 10 E-4S s tand a rd . All equip IIIe 151 Air Command a nd Conlrol Squadron, based at Offutt A;, Forc
potentially long missions, ooch COOSIStW'lg 01 an aorcraft COfTYTIWlOer (pilol). co-pilot. rl
~-- ~
""'x,"~ Cruising JIIeed : (typic al) 933 kmlh (580 mph) at 6096 m (20,000 ttl
EC- Ij5.l Pro jr..'<-l 'Lo ok ing Glas" l~~nm;l[}d I" ''il aircraft. BUI when 111.., cum-ru E--'lB entered servsce
~ 1n1973, ~was~
because of li s siz" and the foci that n w,.,; 811 'oII·the sheW de6ign Nrlf1fl1ll costs were t~ kepi
to a ~ The £-4s are painted ill this aI·OVIIO' antHlash wI10le fnish,
rneligencel area
/ lI i~i::j:jii~~=:~~~::::::::::::~~:1<~>-~"~~'~6
31616
STATES OF AM ERI CA III
BJ
EARLY COMMAND POSTS
THE PAE8IOENT AND THE NCA: II the US was atIacl'lderground commnnd centre in Virgk1ia, while OtllerS, including the President, would board an E-4B in order to direct Amencan forces, A National Command .......lhoriIy (NCA) would coordinate the army, M"Y and ai, force .
69
AMERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAA
BOEING
E -6
MERCURY
• Global mission . Submarine communi cations . Last of the 707s
... Mercury roll-out An lIdmIring CIOWd gWes scM to the /ir$t produclioll E-6, showing the huge size of !his spedIII commc.neations aitentff•
.. On the fli ghtdeck
0'
Coelr,plt S)'5tttms . . similar to t#lOM the standard 707, except lOT the F r(J8-eF-lOO engine c:ontI"M 8Iftd the hifJNy 1ICQ,Q!e ~1ioII
equipment. .v_fueIItJd miss;;ons
may lIJsJ up to 72 hours. 8Iftd. rWet aweris carried tor these extended Iliphts.
.. Communicating from Mercury ReIiet system5 opwators may also be accommodated, snce !he E-6 has eight bc#lIIs. An _ is also set aSoide tor !he in-flight I\lP
.. Winging through the clouds Mission s are cameo out at higtl lllfitude Wld ovet' long range s. The CFM engines are ~ powerlul than the similar units fitted to the E-3 Sentr)\
Wingtip sensor array ~ High -frequency communicatioll probes are fixed under the wing, and the wingtips are fitted with pods containing ultra-high frequency sate/hie receNers. a int ain ing c o m m un ic a t io n links with Ameri c an missile s ub m a rines a t sea is the u nique job of t he Bo e in g E-6 M er c u ry . Th e E-6 , formerfy the ' Herm e s ' , was the final v er sion o f th e Boein g 707 off the production li n e in Renton, Washin g to n . The 707 a irf ra me, originally d e signed In th e 19509, e n c loses the hi -tech com ms s ys te m known as TA CA M O (Tak e Charge an d M ove Out).
M 70
FACTS AND FIGURES
... Equ ipped with the latest com nwnica/iolls systems. the E-6 Merc ury will remain a vital component in the US chain o f command weN int o the next centuty. A crew o f 18 operators is required to con trol the systems.
,.. The m aiden flight of the series prototype aircra ft took pl ac e o n 19 February 1987; the aircraft hav e seen combat .
,.. Th e E-6 c arrie s ext ra bunk s for relief c re w members becau se of it s long endu rance flights of up to 72 ho urs.
.. On 2 August 1989 the fi rst operational E-6 M erc ury entered service.
.. B oein g m anUfactured 18 E -6 s for service w ith the U S Navy.
.. Tw o squadrons , eac h with eight E -6 s , are operated by t he US Navy .
.. Training fOl" Mercury pilots is carried out in Waco, Te ll as , by ci vilian contract ors.
E·6
B O E IN G
M E RC URV
PROFILE
Co-ordinating the submarine fleet Ikn."k...
In
lh<.· F.C- I3OQ
the TACA.\IO
...-IIK-II mainwins low_
frequera-y ('(.mmunK·,uNn' between Amt'Tll:a n CUfTUTu nr.k"r; a nd their ",KIte-,n suhflu n rx-s. 11,,,,,,,,,=. ~ more mc...k m "ircr..ft.
......pt--.;i;,olly <>Ot: that coe kl pro"'Kk extra space "nd impI'un-d crt"" (omf.. rt. .....as R"lluirnl
;IS ;l
;o~n~ IIt*l'OJle" _ ~"\T t"llpt"'h ~ido:d
n:pIan-rTll"fl1 ror
the.-
(hal the.· lit...-inll: ~J7·jlO .. irlinc."f offt."R."<1 thc.- mll<'>l. MJluhk h;o\i\ for me orwa ircraft. ;0111'.1 i.........-d ;J. cuntr.U1 in 19Hj
The 707 auf rame. f"Jrll ",hto.-h lhe.- £-6 W;lS lb-t"k-.pt."d. p"''''id,:d ma",imum (l:1lTUTlIl>rUhl)'
aircraft . for ea se oi se....-ki nj{ Tbc hu~.. cnl~ n1l{ille'S. dlf~ because of their
lllall_ Cf11sl111 speK: 842 knYh eS22 "'VlI
"-Ie: 11.760
(JUN a ndin j{ fue l effki"·Tll)·. resuhed in ukr.l·~ t'Tldurann: while on p.llrol. In fact . sirK"t." it ca n he rrluelled "kit. the endural'K"t." of lhe .\ lo:Ku ry i.~ limited o nly ~. il-.~ t"Ill{ine oil ca p;;Klfy . To commu recare wuh "ll hmI..-n"\ll')· u ........ IWO u~i1inl{ wire " nlt·fU l;1.S whsch are htrdt-ned ap.in.'It lhe dfe(:t.~ of n....ie-ar hla ... ;;and are ~.,..j frum ib l;J.ik ooe 0 22'0 Oll -M)OO h
Ionxl ,,00
undt-rfu,
C'9 2S III
26.000 I1lonlll. 'Il k n t he a ircr.ll1 flit-s " liRht orhit these a nl nlfUS htnl{ ' ert i"d!)' dl)••.n a nd alk "'"
Abo....; Departing R lIfIfOIl frx file short flight to Boeing Field in Seattle. the US Na"Y'I fitSf MeteIN)' IItlw in 15187. The' firSt two operahonal aifeTa" IItlw ""'0 NAS a.ro.r-s Point . Hawllii in ~t ' 989 to setVtl w;rh vo--3 s:qu«fron in the PtIICdic ttlNrr-e.
~:..-.st ~
10 su h rtu rint"'" It""'inlo{ Ihrir (""'TI
rvst!JIage oS the ~ fJp 01 the ~ tr1l*Ig ...... .......,.", A tight ortWt oS /Sown to keep the ...-.s ....-tJeaI ~ use.
;onU.I
"IT."',
w.il kb: ~ 78.378 "lI (1n.43 1 IbI:
,. at the
E·6A
e ~ rew
MERCURY
US NaotyE
8in:nfI _
ot this E-6'1
155.128"l1p"1 2811b1 4~ . 1 & m Cl,q II 2 Wtl 4&.111 m (1!lo2 ft 11 q 12.tl3 m ~ II 5 inJ 283.-35 rrf l3O"9 WI II)
.-\fIt,. <-kof,,"Ill"t." ""\lIs in the l YO-U;. ;l.nd ;liS the Ihn:-al It n ud"·,,./" W ;lf
...,,·..:uo.... inl:n-a.'>inW)' unbk~'. the' :",")' Iu.~ rnllrt" E4 than it ntTds and nu)' . ...,..i JotO " 1IIk' of 1....""1 10 'ot"l"l>ndJI')' WI_ 'Ul.... ;I..~ traimng
km (7291..-sj
Senlce celli..: 12.800 m 442.000 II)
IMlCI.08 vrx:ao ~.."..,..
'" ~ ~ c1ltu' • .ro 'Ite¥_ It-. ort,r
106 .76-kN (2.1.021 ·!tl-!tlruS1)
Co m m Un iC-.Ilioll S Sntt.'TIl)
~
1'010:,
u:-; )'\.1')" u ...:d
•
Pt.""'ant: feu
0' 1,4 1n1_1OfIlIl f1 0l!--CF-l 00 {Cf 1,456-2A-21
~
F
" r . ..-veral pc"ars tlk"
E-6A M e rcury Type: slfatlllQiC: c:ommuniC:allOrn' -.cr.1I
!toll~
fIldo's .. ~
70008 "lI (1~,m llI.lnlU\1llor'. 10~ ......... -' 18150 I
--'---;--
"" ..ntIOn 1OII'ol SlUIIle
~-
-l-: !toll Mlgbp podo .......
(XlflIan
,
~AVY
•
COMBAT DATA
A irborne relay s tati o n TALK ING TO SUBS: The E·6 is p'omariJ)'
'M'~. .,," """".1''''
<:omrTIlJOICJIhon Hnk. w,th the us Navy" balltsllC mrssol&""",,",,,,,,,,"
""'" In' pc:IlIl·
-,
~ . tnk.
E-U1lll1ICIJIrf
.'
-------- --------- --------- -------by the 1Ieet. tile Mert:ury CllO
R ELAYING MESSAGES :
USAF..
KC- l35~.
...." e><>mITU'Ii<;aI
•
statlOrn'. . .t
_
~
l1 ,11101u1
(12' 1 .....,
J\"• •_ ••
It.::lui'"'''••_. 1
(111' - '
gmund
.., E-4 o;QITlIn.-.d POSI
1litcr811.-.d the ~ ~ IIMI
71
AMERICAN M ILITARYAIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING/GRUMMAN
B OEING/ G RUM MAN
E-8 J -STARS
... Tested In acti on
E-8 J-STARS
The two E-8A prototypes saw
• Stand-off sur,elllance . Battlef ield Int elligence . Gulf War veteran
-\'
active service in the First Guff War despite still being only paIfway through their
--
tes r ptOgI"itt7JIlt(I.
....Producti on dell ' eri es
f ..", .....
Producboll E-8C sen.I tlUf'I'IbeI' 9O-
• Ground Stati on
Iruc"-
The US Army mounted Ground Station Module relays da ta from J -STAR S to tac tical operations centres 011 the ground for US& by Army c0mmandet'3.
.. ....Gulf War operations In the Gulf the two E-aA prototypes -eo IJown by the '" f Uti JoIn I STARS Squadron and Wtlffl useful in locating 'Sc ud' missil& SItes.
... Fighter escorts With no weapons 0#" de fensive
--systems, E-8
J-S TARS are
by F-t5 Eagles ~ HVACAP
(high-value 4I$SeI combat . , patrol} (luring
ru m m a n 's E· 8 is a com mand post in t h e s ky, able to de tec t , lo c a te , tr ack a nd c lassify enemy grou nd fo rm ati on s at lo n g r ang e. Fly ing fo r 12 h ours a t a t ime near the battlefield, thi s m odified Boeing 707 u ses J oint STA RS (Surveillance Targ et A ttack Radar System) to watch events unfold and to gather data. Ru s hed into service in the First Gu lf W ar, the c ont ri but ion made by the E-8 was enormous.
G n
a mis$iOn.
FACTS AND FIGURES .. USAF pl ans call for Join t STARS airc raft to be assj.gned 10 the 93rd Airborne Surve illance Control Wing at Robi ns AFB. • Seveni'e'eft rrWssion crew~ ~te ce:ttl$OoIeS dIspIr(ing coIol.r-eoded images or enemy terrain and ~ A mf$$IOII crew commander is uwa&'y .. /oetItetlant c01onei 0' CXIIonet.
)00
The first production E· 8 (the third ship. an
.. The fir st tw o E-8s were not modified to rec eive ese-to- air ref uell ing, thoug h Ialer aircraft will be equipped for this. )00
The tw o Deser1 StOl"Trl E· 8s ftew Sol missions and logged 535 flight hours.
)00
One E-88 airframe was delivered before the cheaper E-3C version was cno-..
E-8C1 appeared on 22 Ma rch 1998. )00
An eight-hou" sortie can cover one million square kilom eli • • (385,000 aq miles l.
B O EING/G RUMMAN
E -8
J - STARS
PROFILE
Army eyes over the battlefield
A
m,..,UJot.h ~t il."'.'inK d evt"!op....d . (Wo [ .I'l J Oin t STAR'" ainraft
we re ruvhed 10 Rira.lh. Saudi Arahia . in 1990. TII"';r jn h wa~ In pm.'id e Operanon I),.·'o(·n Storm n .. nenan..k-r~ with '"
're a l-lime' method o f Ir;KkinK the ..-" ""my', Unlnur and ' 'l h.."
mtluarv velncl ...... TI1ol:: phi.'oIi<:.ut"ll SL R h iol.k--Ic inJo{ airtxomt:' r lir l "h",ud thi\ t'ofln ·I1<"lI IJo inK V .. irli~...- j.. ,,11k In dNinllui'
>4alio rury
.>1..,
1-.. o n
tile;'
I(mund " ,",.or " di;t;o........ " I l'iO km ( 1<;<; mik"' l, Jo(I\lnJo{ nliJiw"'!
k'ad,:TS an unprecedented ahilil)' 10 f"llow lht- t"Ot"ITly', t'\t'r)' ilion" on lht- 1....nlefield E~ dt··,-,'k'pmt:nl l><;:;In in tht." late !9HOs when ",d n m't"S in radar \.:<:hnok,/o:y mad..: il r'l"'..ihk 10 OOiW\lhi... "air-to .. W" .....nd " t"qui'-ak'm of lho.' alre...d)' PIUU:1l E-~ ....\ \·....0 (Ailh..me \\ ";Im;nl( and
C..mrrund Sy....e m ) nomrrund centre.
' ;I; r--(I >--;l i(
Opt-r"I~ join ll)' ~' tho.'
t;sAf ;loo ( 'SArmy.
;mpm\~
H1 . ';on,. of Ihi... GrunUIl:IIln1t>dif..,.J airfr.lIlk" have al so Ilol"C."tl OIl dut)· mer the Balkan..
oon\l'Ol -.c.all
The USAF and US Army have a reqWffHTlWlt for 20 E-8C, . Whethel'" lJIf ItHtse alrC#3tt will be funded remaim; 10 be seen. One fackK in the prognIS$ at the ~
Main_ ~l1Iis1l11 speetI : 973 """" (fl(lS mphj at 7620 m (2'5.000 II)
E. . . .1:r. 11 ""'"' ~refueIing
"..,.,.,."...
R.tr. 92f:j(i kin (57511 rnilosl
has been the a,,1Ii4IbfIity at suitable secondhand 707 airlrames.
Semtll u lll. .: 12./100 m (-42.000 It) . .ltll ts: .......nun 1ake-oIl 1!>1 .315 kg
="" '"
on hehalf of I 'n'lt-d ~;lIi..n,. fone.. \ -I\Ji,.in ll: .. I HOI) km. h . Ilk" E-KJoinl S' ARS .. iIXT"h l1\:IinLl.in et >n!in uou .. C' I h'Ollllll;loo. n>nlm!.. n .m m u nic-..I;'JIl... :m d inldli~·n.... , ) Opt...-.IIJ1l Jrl,. 1T1t>n11, .nn lot hufl
•
fl6.OoIl 7. Pn>eluct;on _ _
g ..Md E-6C ....t _ ~ from Boeing 7'01' • •• - . .
111M: pilot, c:o-pb,
be
Ttwl*n 10 l88.--t,o ~ec-.g 107-32OC: ~ lor
, c:
1hlI
pI'l'd.dI;ln E-al was CIW1QIIId on COIl QI'tU"dIs; ~ .. t.ng """".-t. . . ~ ~ .... E-8C.
•
- ---......
~ . ~ pM
I.
~
10 rniIIIIOl
boos
..,-
-_.Jl~'/-
E-8A J-STARS _.-..c.ted_..-...,__
N&ll I _ _ - - . I E.aA _ - . d
01 20 hooa's ""'" one
".-42 m (1 ~5 ft 9 .... "661 m(152 ft 11 '" 12.93 ",,,,2ft 5"", 283.35 ' " poso ~
""'1lluabIe during o.erI Slorm. The tbdeon radar MI._IO~
an ...... of 500.000I
E·lIa l8rge!ed 01 laci"',", ua.nbly - . rntsSile MM.
_s
.-.d ott.
--"'" --
' .~')j",,-
GROU ND STATION M OOUl E: The US Army'. GSM _ _
....,.... DlWI ..... : paMd on 10 air
--~
_~
1'llIay *! inform;obon from It-. J-$TAFtS abovt tt,.-"'f" mo.ao,.lls..-.dpa_tlIo&
.:....~'()tIIO~1oroM.
73
AMERICAN MIUTARYAIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING HELICOPTERS
B OEING H ELICOPTERS
CH -47 CHINOOK .... Battle wagon .....
CH-47 CHINOOK
Transpcnting troops and their gear to the front is the Chinook's main role . The twin-rotor layout has the adv antage ot not needing a vulnerable tail rotor and allows a long cabin section•
• Tacti cal air lift . Twin-rotor helicopter . Heavy lifter
.... Ladder climb The large rear door is vel)' useful for special torces insertion techniques, using ropes or ladders to land troops.
... Trucking flight The firs t Chinook (CH-47A ) had only a single cargo hoo k, but the modem versions have three . allo wing safer carriage ot heavy loads like this five-tonne truek.
... 011 rig support With its larg e capacity and range, civil versions of the Chinook were vel)' useful heli-liners in o ffshore locations like the North Sea. One Chinook was los l in a di tching incident in 1984 after the geart>oJl taiHKJ in flight.
... Huey rescue In Vietna m the Chinook was one of the few machines capable o f lifting do wned airc raft . The wrec ked Huey 's rotor blades have been tied to stop them ro tating in the wind.
F
ro m Vi etnam to the Gulf War, the .Bo eing Ch inook ha s been the m o st s ucc es sf ul W estern tacti c al m edium -/he avyllft h elic o pt e r. Fa st, m as sivel y p owerful a nd with a l arge re ar lo ading r amp and lon g interior, the Chino ok take s load s th at ot he r helicopte rs ca n not ; it c a n transport he avy guns, li ght vehicl es a nd e ve n o t he r helicopters . N ow uprated w it h better e ngines a nd new av io n ics a s the CH· 470, th e Ch inook remain s in production o ve r 30 years after it fi rst flew , a nd rem ain s unbeatable .
74
FACTS AND FIGURES
... The Chinook is an extremely c apable helicopter. If a ne w varian t is prodllCOO to replac e the CH- 47D, the Chinook will still be iUOW1d 5Q years after its in troduction in 1962.
.. In the Falklands War in 1982, II British Chinook carried 82 paratroopers in II single lift and survived II minor crash.
.. The new CH-47D has triple hooks, night goggle-compatible cockpit, edvenced rotors and improved crash protection.
.. The MH·47E is a spec ial operations version, with night-flying capability.
.. The lower fuselage is completely sealed 10 allow emergency ditching in wa ter.
.. A Chinook pil ot wa s killed in th e Gulf War afte r ftying into a tower.
.. RAF Chinooks inserted teams of SAS comm andos int o Iraq in the Gulf War.
B O EING H ELIC O PTER S CH -47 CHIN O O K
PROFILE Below: ~s can carry ...-mament /ike Ihese rocket pOOs, btl! rn. besl' defence is $ptt«1
Boeing's twin-rotor heavy helicopter
D
~j~noo-d. . IOITll"lo1 . ."nn~-
:,I
requlJ'O:moml
1l."'1",.. nee .
us f tlf
;II
hl.-,1\"Jlilt hd"-'OJlIef, rht: fiN fk"\\ in 196~ _ It reomain' ooe of 1m,. fe\ll h.:li<:c>p(t"f" to <;UI.'<.'e'>"fully 0","
Cll-.. ~
d\io<.~
the.- 'tw in- fIll n '" l;
II
on.. [;111,. and a ,yochroni,ation unit h ...·I"" th.. intt'mk... hinK mit"",, d('ar of each odwr.
11k" l:s
.md an a ir-eo-a ir mucllinR probe Chio.-xlk... were wilkl)' exported...00 are operated
Anny
' )' '« nII'
an uNl:r,lde of ils Ik 't1 in the 19I'lOs to CH ..r:m .....nJ,;,rd. and ..lso OIlkreo.llhe hijothly' ,o p hi'«iI:
w;lmin~
kit . inertial
"""'opr.
Above; Sen-ice is 0Il0f 01 many Nonh s.... opera!Ol'S who ".MJoe rn. ChirnooI< frY its range and
11)' ""··........d 1W1i
....~·miru (w hKh k>:'ol ,,,,,me in Ill,: hlkl a nd.. " -a r ).....u.'>l:r.di
na\'i~IKlIl
---
~
WM ,hmH..J Ihal it luulJ l)l,: impr", ....!. and many f"R';Kfl huy.·,... , I"'.. ..-ifi...... I'k"\\ t."fll . indudinl( pn.,.,..un: rt,fu.:lhn,ll. aoo impron-d IT .. ,h
,...,lut. om..... 6300 kg (13.860 Ibl; ••ternIII 10-,340 kg (22.750 Ibl
30.14 m 199 IQ
DlnleftslooIs: rolor dIameI...
\';('111;\111 plUVtod that Iht,
Ch inook .....as a superb performer. II could lift artillery pi'''''I',S, truc-ks. fud hbdd."r" and eve-n . .hot-down l :I I · ! I l uers , .1' wdl a_ performing routine troop lifts a nd uu-dcvac mi"jom (~"..d thouKh it "';Is. the
1'I&.tltl' moo..nted rnec:tlirlol ~ can be MtOCl to lhe Im!III sta"1x:Janj door tor !h(I ~ ... 10
The CH-470 hils glass fibre rolors in place 01 the origrI8I rI'lllleionat. The prqectM flJI\.nI Chnool< \Nil ~ """'" men 8lMnced '8'... ,~)(-lIp ' b8dM, jlOIMby 01 cetcolIbre Oi'JITlIXIISI\e o:JnStruCIl()n.
525.34m'(5653"Q1tI
A
The CH·4 7. nw;.......... P
---
~co".ng"' ~
ClP8fIIlo:'9 ... roostIol
~Ih!h(lto..elillgot
The ""'" pylon ca-nes 00tt1 ~ and !h(I IJ< ~1101l'''' . Ct>afI and "'" ~ ...-l rtIra -«ld jIlrm'oerI: can be mcutted on !h(I po,4on.
• YAKO VLEV: The on ly mator Soviet ~ I ... oI lh;s tYP" was lhe YakOY1frll Ymk-24 'Horw·. wtli<:h I"'" in 1955 and ~ with AeroI\o1 a->d !h(I Sovie< mol~""
new
_
,.... '. PU Il ..
75
AMER ICAN MIUT,lflY AIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING HELICOPTERS
MH-47E
B OEING H ELICOPTERS
MH-47E
CHINOOK ..,.All weather
CHINOOK
The MH-4 7 cockpit is fully compatible WIftI night vision goggle (NVG) sys tems .
• Special operatio ns . In·fIight refuelling . Amphibious
....Weekend warriors SmaHef' s.IJdcMe tanl
0'
Missile attack .... The avofdance
0' enemy miUiJes
on /ow Ir)IIing and .. series of chait ~ situated on
~
each side
0' the fuselage•
..,.Night ylsion
AAQ.16 1~::::~:::;i
Situated in the nose is an (FUR) ror.aTd-ll:JolUng iflfre-red turret. ..mich is essential fO' /ow feWJI nigh' ~rions.
;;.2
\
... Special Ops kit The M H-4 1E tootUr&S numerous additions to the standard modf!JI CH -4 1. including radar, an ifl--f/igtlt ,.1\IeRing probe, .. eompJete Nt of defr1nsNe mot:Wi<:alJOllS lind at::IdItionaI hJeI fan/rrs.
W
ith the Boeing MH-4 7E , the US Anny e n ha nced It s ability to carry o ut sec re t m issio ns deep in e nemy t errit o ry a t n ig ht and in f o u l weather. The dal1l., dangerous -looking MH-47E is t oday 's specia l operations version o f the much -admired Chin ook of the Vietn a m era. Wit h h igh-tec h t e rrain followin g r adar and a n infra-red sensor, the M H-4 7 E is the t rump card o f t he US Army's famou s ' Nig h t Stalkers' .
76
FACTS AND FIGURES ~
Fifty -one MH-4 7Es a re In production; a ll wi ll be operaled by tht $peclal
~
Opowations Avia tion Regiment. .... De s "g,!8d to operate beh ind enemy lines . the MH-47 is packed with fir& power in the form of two Mrindow-mounted machine guns. MId Stingef" air-fo-air missiles.
~
Operational equipment Inc ludes tefTainfoll owing a nd m a pping radar.
:. The cont ract fo r d e vel opment o f t he MH-" 1E was a wa rded to Boeing in 1961.
Mis sions inc lude gl obal clandestine, Iong-l'"ange ai rlift inli ltJ"alionie d iltralion in lo hostile territory.
~
A platoon o f Ra ngef't can be a irlifted in one mi s sion.
~
The Chinook can be completely reflH'llled in less than" minutes.
B O EIN G H E LI C O P T ERS
MH-47E
C H I NOOK
PROFILE
Special Forces hauler Ik" ~p.·.:iA I op.,r.ui<.)ll.~ ~1II-4'7t: Gin (luiddr h... dl ..lInjo{lll..h•...J frum olll<.'r Ch ino o k s h\' Ih",' .. ir·n.fud1in~ prot,.. t"xl.·~hnJol. from il~ 11<....... ("lIh 'ila l dunJol<-'" in Ill<.' .\ II I f 7t: lit." hlTll'ath lho.· ..kin tho: Lu~ ",jonK'!> alk"" .hi, dand..."'ino.- w;trrior 10 Ilt'hind t"nO.'111y lim al niJothl and in "lm
T
Below: Thill MH-4 7E ill_dunng maintenance. The type has proved ro be ~ reliable and bob ser 10 equip special
for a!l"n1 d rope, COlJnlt-r·t"mJri'" work . combat R"SCU<:", JOO Mh'lIlallc. lbt:- capabihnes of the .\1II-4- E ma ke m.:-- d ifficu lt jot... ruuch .. a.~i,-,"r Opo.Ta lin~ with spt'rilli>o<-'"d Above: The mam transport assets of It>fI SOF ..,., ~ '-"e: .. t k rcu k", rduelling a ircraft. the ctW>ooofI talrng oft on _ e~1IIf"dse Ir.U1..J~'T of fuel - a llhouJ'dJ d iffM:u lt - an bt.- accomple-bed WIftl_~ CH·53E. in und...r four minutes in all .. ..a lmT". Ih..-n~· t"xwndin~ the E..uhli~hlll""'lIl"- forward -.trikin/l reach of the.- SOF r.litlotTl'. amlin~ an.-.I~ ;and n.iudhnlo{ .... hhoegh in servsce wah lhe.poinl.~ i~ anolm RIM.' a...~i~no..od ....nnr. Chinc:.>lo;s oftt"fl sul'f"lfI 1U lit e :\ 111....7. ft.... hil:h thrc...• jOlX--hln: (Hf().-lot'l"on) rut:! lank.. ~a\T :"E.... L special forces, Tbe .\ 11 1-4'7'£ i.~ the un1r are arried inll-null)'; 1m...... ;are knuwn a' 'fa l n.w· (lJ'.:r.llic....~ n.-maining .~n military he.-liI:ofller thai i~ C".Jpahk of landing on warer to launch (.. n."CUH-r :"F.AL teams
"r
.·ku onlmll III I '~ .\ m l Y ex 11k" mnur)" .JI."i",' of
WeIfIrts: ~ 12210 kg \?6.862 1bj; me.o....... Iake--Oft 24 .494 kg t53.881lb1 SlInger-•• 10-
IenglI'l I'Iaight ...... _
, Ill! ii' f idjoi
_.--,-~
...
.-
•
---.Located in 11>8 r.- is an flPO.I 14 terrnin-1oIIc!Yon;l a I - _ .a8 <.:tW> .. an AN:)- \ 6 FURl\ntlI: ~ avionics _ .. ..-.. lhid 0P0lf~ c:en be C&fl'ied out below (100 II)
eom
\ bahind
18.28 ml6Olll
15 .1 7 m l52 111 .... 5.59 m (11 II 4 .... 282 .60 rn' 43041 *:( III
COMBAT DATA
~ ~ lJPIl(:Ilied
To ..-der\ake loog'f8r9I operaloc::o-.. 11>8 0WI00k was lh& Irs! heIoop!erto be ~ed -...Ih an i'IIIq>I n!II.olIng ptlbe. .-owng ~ /rom a C-l~ Hort:UDa. WoIt1 a length fA \ t m (3611). • is 11>8 Iongeet probe anached 10 tJnj 8lin::rall.
t>pIlf1Ite
........
...... ~
D
C.....1D, but ill MI MI _ • • trematy aophiatie.ated ~
EXTENDED RAIotGE; To
(.5lk::al1 rnec:r-
" ' - t : two 12 .1 guM;
10.~
_ _ from
"ali __ sped: 285 kmIh t111 mph! at
RaIltr. JerryIng2224 km (1380...-s); typal 11361
CHINOOK
Addi!1Of'eI1ueI t8 sides fA !he lUseIage. 8hhouIt' tnI ~ fl"lOl>'ing the , lE t ..... /ofwwd 10 1lC:OCIfrfl""Od111the flXlfa >dJma
NIGHT- HAWK: A comprllhena,..... Irtol terr.,n·
\
The . - C8fgo ,~ iI allen ..., open 0J'ng oper-alIOn5 10 iIkM rlllXl "'"~ fA lroopl . a ...-ward.l'mg""""'" go..<> . filled. C
~ lhB - " " ' "
. ..
/l..
DEPlOYMENT: Once ",!he lIfe& of depIoy",.,I, lroope c..... lIIaVfllll8 MH·41 by abseolir>g'rom l he rea. cargo ramp. Dunr>g It"s slage, dII !1InSiVfIhrepowllf '" pmvoded mac h "", QUOs
!he MH-41 Ily al uu........ y low IeVfIIain all "'eathers. lbllowing lhe .apO:l dIIployment 01 Spaciaj Fon:ea
"'*"Y '--' lIl8 MH-41
~ filt
n
AMERICAN MILITARYAIRCRAFT
PHOTO FILE
BOEING-VERTOL
CH-46
B OEING-VERTOL
CH-46
SEA KNIGHT
... Resupply at sea
SEA KNIGHT
Transporting stores at sea is the UM-46's mai'I task. ferrying loads /\'om repI8nisIlment ship$ to w arships. HH-46s $lII'\'8 in a sirI'War role, buI ,..".. a wneh fOI' ~ duIies.
• Assault transport . Medium-II" helicopter . US Marine Corps
..,. Frazen North
orus Marine ~ detachments CH-4& are to Notway. 7his is especUJJty chaJIenging '" crews h4We to "., cwet" the mountainous tetrain in extreme _ttJer;
In suppott ~
..,.Shot down Thfs CH-46 w'" shot down during the Nnerican jiU a . e.. bOil in Grenada. One mthe -.sIlnesses 01 the Sea Knight is that it has little annour and is IfUlnBt"lIbIe to small arms h .
•
..,.Jeep carrier The CH-46 can even carry a light ~ in It3 hold, ftlanIIs to iI!J in.egraJ rear loading ramp. Thfs can be opened in flight to IIMow paratroop drop$. 01" whiJe the Sea Knight is (ltI the w atst" torI'8SQle dub9S.
Sto rm service !l" The bfgges' (IepIoym«l.1or
the CH -46 in recent was Operation Desert Stonn. 51111)' were used lor such vlJfied tasks as cllSUBl1)' evacua tion . resupply and verticlJl replenishment. yeat"lI
it h its famili ar t andem-rotor confi g ura t io n, th e CH ·46 sea Knight is easil v r ec ognised a s the US Na vy 's a nd M arine Corps' versi on of the c ivil Mode l 107 . Th is pra ctic al, versatile w o rkho rse h a s operated s in ce th e t960s and saw act io n in Vietnam a nd t he Persian Gulf. The Navy re lies upon the sea Knight to s uPPly it s w arship s at sea, while t he M arine CCIq)S u ses it as an assault hel ic o p te r. De s pite it s age, the CH-46 is s till in servi ce.
W 78
•
FACTS AND FIGURES
A
Twin -rotor lifting power gives the old CH -46 impressive perlormance. and the aJrcraft win be more than 35 yvars old when it retires. The Sea Krogh' has no tched up a good combat ~.
... The prototype new on 22 April 1958. w ith the first production C H-46 fo llowing on 16 October 196 2 .
... So me 669 Se a Knights were built; US N avy and M ari ne Corps m odels served in Operation Desert St orm.
... The US Army tested a ve rsion of t he CH-46 but cecjoeo no t t o opera te it .
... Other military versions of this heli<::opter are em pl oyed in C a nada. Japan a nd Sweden.
... In 1965 the Sea Knight ..,p1aced the Si korsky H- 34 with M arine ....,;ts In Voetnam.
... Th e V· 22 tilt rotor wi ll begin replacing the C H · 46 in t he yea r 2000.
BOEING-VERTOL
PROFILE
CH-46
SEA KNIGHT
CH -46E Sea Knight
The Marine Corps' 'flying bullfrog'
Tl'1Ie : lroop-~ mil~ary helicopler
Powerplant: two 1394-kW (187o-hp) General Electric T58 -GE-16 lurboshaft engioes MuimUIII $pHd: 256 kmlh (159 mph )
W
The CH-4 6 has earned a good reputation w ith the US Ma rine
he n t.he . twin-turbine CII-46 s."a Kn,,,,hl
was introduced it
p ro vid ed a nt'w standa rd of pe rfo rm,IIl':'" to the :-;avy and .'brine Co rp s Bo th ,we
'0
Cruising speed: 225 kmlh (140 mph) al
-"'"
Ranga: 996 km (6 18 miles)
Corps despi te its tendency to tum upside down when ditch ed a t $&'I.
Servin cei ling : 5160 m (16.990 fl) Weights: ""'ply equipped 5100 kg (11.200 Ib); ma xi"""" laI
St·;! Kn i)o:ht sna tched the lll to
safet y from the ha lllcfidJ Ali",. more than Ihft"tc" lk<.-a
AAo!hfl< ~ t mI",fittad to lha CH-46£ is the use of glasslibre roIOf blades. AI C H·46s have 8 powered blade Ict:lng sys tem
the Kaman K- ~Ia x helicop ter to lak e ove r the CH-46 's supply missio n, wh ile the Marine Corps is planning !o huv -12; nell -Bo ei ng v-zz Os preys to replace its 1.'5oH remainmg sea Knights
Accommodation: two p<101S, up to 25 troops or up to 14 15 kll (3113 Ib) of cargo internally. p
Paint ed in a high -visibility orange pa int scheme, this Se a Knig ht is an HH-46 varian t; 38 o f these aircraft were modified to this standard. Many are based at Poin t
AI CH -46s ~ in eevce coo tall1!he T58.QE-16 eogioe, which was adopted togalher wiIt1 gIass-fIJre rotor blaOOs "" pan 01 a modiflca1icn prograrrme
The tt>rea-bladed main rotors rotate in ddlarenl ClIreCt.:>ns, The use 01t.rj H110'J:1t8Cl engones aIbNs the cabin area to bo Vf'ry roomy, but makes !he Sea Knight top I1aa"I' eoo Vf'ry \IlJnerable to t<6nng owr when too aircraft has ditched in a ""-'!'11 sea
The CH-4$ is still In Ml'Vice with 15 front-line unit s a nd two tr a ining squadrons in the US Manne Corps.
The cockprt seats two pilots eoe a loadmas1er, _ _
Up to 25 Illy equipped oartJaI troops cal be ClWTied in !he !\.IseIage _ The I'\:xlr 01 lhe cabin is f~ted with roIers to taciita1e cargo loading, aod there Os a cargo !lOok fa lJ:1derSUlg lM:ls
-,., .......
- ii:;O;<
- ~
Mted to the CH-46F.
Provision exisls fa fittng 12.7-".."
~ gJlS
The~~
ee sic:le doors, Trcx:>ps lJSUaII:y exit lI'Iroug/1lt1e row OOof, w;!h !he sic:le dooc!I (If'Vy used fa ct
cootain large seIf -seali"1g fuel tanks , The CH ·46E has greatty enlarged sponsons.
