The Airplane Thread

[3.0L]

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[3.0L]

There was a 175mm Howitzer a couple of hundred feet from our bunker while we were based in Tay Ninh. I could actually see the round as it departed the barrel and flew down range. The sound was deafening.

A week or so later, I watched as a Skycrane lifted away the worn tube and later returned with a new tube. Quite a show.

[3798j]

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[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The U.S. Navy's new airborne refueling aircraft is a drone: The Lockheed-Martin MQ-25. Coming soon to carrier decks.

It turns out that I posted the wrong info; Boeing's contender won the competition and so the Boeing MQ-25 will be the next refueler. It's not quite as exotic a layout as the L-M. It has a 75-foot wingspan -- pretty large for a carrier aircraft, but the wings can fold for ease of handling.

The U.S. Navy plans to buy 72 of these and assign 5 to each carrier air wing.

[Jbrown7403]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

There was a 175mm Howitzer a couple of hundred feet from our bunker while we were based in Tay Ninh. I could actually see the round as it departed the barrel and flew down range. The sound was deafening.

A week or so later, I watched as a Skycrane lifted away the worn tube and later returned with a new tube. Quite a show.

Great picture and story!

[Jbrown7403]

Originally Posted by 3798j

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Great picture! I made this model many many moons ago.

[asianF22]

I fuel planes for a living, charter tenant Citation XLS...

[Llarry]

The first Northrop flying wing, the N-9, paved the way for the B-35 and B-49 flying wing bombers of the late 1940s, which were not successful but more importantly, for the Northrop B-2 stealth bomber, which was very successful but also very expensive and thus bought in small numbers. The last N-9 prototype, the N-9MB, crashed in 1943 but was resurrected and flown until 2019, when it had another fatal crash.

[Lady Jane]

1941 Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüßler (German: "Millipede")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_232#Design

[Llarry]

Chinese carrier aircraft: The Chinese are new at the aircraft carrier game, but are learning fast. They have two ex-Russian aircraft carriers in commission and operating high-performance fighters and have a third carrier with improved capabilities under construction. I believe that a fourth ship, even larger, has been spotted in the early stages of construction as well.

The current Chinese carrier fighter is the Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark (NATO Flanker) which is based on a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-33 obtained over twenty years ago and reverse-engineered. An improved stealthy carrier fighter is under development.

Any serious carrier navy has to have airborne early warning (AEW) capability; shipboard radars' range is limited and having an airborne radar extends the radar horizon by hundreds of miles. The Chinese have flown prototypes of a KJ-600 AEW aircraft that looks remarkably like the U.S. Navy's Grumman E-2 Hawkeye and will no doubt embark this KJ-600 on a carrier sooner or later.

Rounding out the Chinese carrier air wing are helicopters; like other navies, the Chinese escort aircraft carriers with surface combatants that embark helicopters as well and also have replenishment ships with helos to shuttle cargo back and forth.

I'm not clear on how many aircraft are embarked on the Chinese carriers, but I think it is far fewer than are carried by U.S. carriers. The two they have now rely on a ski jump to get the high-powered fighters airborne; they do not have catapults. The third carrier is assessed as having catapults, which should enable it to launch lower-powered aircraft such as the AEW KJ-600, etc.

[Llarry]

A U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing (CVW):

-- Four strike fighter squadrons with 44 strike fighters:
One or two F/A-18F Super Hornet two-seat (pilot and Naval Flight Officer) squadrons
Two or three F/A-18E Super Hornet squadrons
Two CVWs have an F-35C Lightning II squadron replacing one of the F/A-18E squadrons; ultimately when the F-35C is fully operational, each wing will have two F-35C squadrons, along with one F/A-18E and one F/A-18F squadron. The Marine Corps is already fielding an F-35C unit in one CVW and will ultimately have one squadron in each of four wings.
-- One electronic combat squadron with 5 EA-18G Growlers. If this aircraft looks familiar, it should; it is based on the F/A-18F but with specialized electronic warfare systems.
-- One early warning squadron with 5 E-2C or E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft. Manned by two pilots up front and three Naval Flight Officers in the back. Transitioning to an all-E-2D force.
-- One helicopter squadron with 11 MH-60R helos. Normally 5 will be embarked on the carrier and the others on escorting surface combatants. The MH-60R's primary mission is antisubmarine warfare.
-- One helicopter squadron with 8 MH-60S helos. Normally 6 will be be on the carrier and 2 on nearby support replenishment ships. The MH-60S' primary role is logistic support.
-- One logistics support (carrier onboard delivery or COD) detachment with 3 C-2A transports or 3 CMV-22B tilt-rotor transports. Transitioning to an all-CMV-22B force.
-- Within the next few years, a detachment of 5 MQ-25A air refueling drones is planned to also join the CVW. Right now, air refueling must be done by F/A-18s, thus removing an aircraft from its combat role; the MQ-25A should help free up additional combat power.

The first photo of the carrier strike group has more ships in it than typical; the norm would be about five cruisers or destroyers, 1-2 replenishment ships and a submarine or maybe two. The subs are rarely seen and may range widely -- this is a PR photo.

[Lady Jane]

" And I huff and I puff and I inflate a Goodyear Inflatoplane"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodyear_Inflatoplane

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

" And I huff and I puff and I inflate a Goodyear Inflatoplane"

If the Navy had bought that before 1962, it would be an UG -- U=utility, skip the 1 and G=Goodyear.

[Llarry]

Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron 251 (VMFA-251) 'Thunderbolts' is currently in cadre status (no aircraft) scheduled to become the first Atlantic side Marine F-35C unit and join a carrier air wing. I found this photo on google and thought it was pretty cool -- four VMF-251 F-8B Crusaders assigned to the carrier Shangri-La during the Cuban missile crisis of late 1962. Four F-8Bs with hooks down and airbrakes deployed maintaining good formation and clearly approaching to land on the carrier.

[Lady Jane]

LAVOCHKIN LA-250 (ANACONDA)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_La-250

[Llarry]

Overheard at the bar of an officer's club somewhere:

"So, what outfit are you assigned to?"
"Oh, I'm in -115."
"Really!? I'm assigned to -115 and I don't believe I've met you before; the squadron isn't that big."
A third aviator joins the conversation...
"Wait a minute, guys, I've been in -115 for a couple of years and I have definitely never seen you guys around the squadron!"

VFA-115 'Eagles' F/A-18E MCAS Iwakuni, Japan
VMFA-115 'Silver Eagles' Formerly F/A-18C; Currently in cadre status; scheduled to become an Atlantic F-35C squadron
VAW-115 'Liberty Bells' E-2D NAS Point Mugu, California

And just for that final bit of confusion, for a while both VFA-115 AND VAW-115 were both stationed in Japan.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Overheard at the bar of an officer's club somewhere:

"So, what outfit are you assigned to?"
"Oh, I'm in -115." //snip//

For both Navy and Marine aviation squadrons, there was a perfectly logical system of numbering squadrons. The Marine system started in 1941 and the Navy system dates back to the late 1940s. Over the years the "perfectly logical system" has fallen apart big time.

The Navy system:
Carrier Air Group (now Wing) One has squadrons numbered 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15
Carrier Air Group Two has squadrons numbered 21, 22, 23, etc.

The Marine system:
Marine Air Wing One has Marine Air Groups numbered 11, 12, 13, etc.
Marine Air Group 11 has squadrons numbered 111, 112, 113, etc.
Marine Air Group 12 has squadrons numbers 121, 122, 123, etc.

Makes perfect sense -- but it is majorly hosed up as wings, groups and squadrons were shuffled over the years.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Makes perfect sense -- but it is majorly hosed up as wings, groups and squadrons were shuffled over the years.

You are causing me to start drinking early...

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by 3798j

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I don't think I'd enjoy riding in a pod that can be dropped.

[Artemis]

Great video - great pilot. She makes demanding maneuvers look easy.

Respect, Ma'am.

Houston 2022. 50 minutes F-16 FF (on board) from start to finish. F16 FF + P-51 Mustang: min 30-38 and 41. Airborne around min 18. No music.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Great video - great pilot. She makes demanding maneuvers look easy.

Respect, Ma'am.

Houston 2022. 50 minutes F-16 FF (on board) from start to finish. F16 FF + P-51 Mustang: min 30-38 and 41. Airborne around min 18. No music.

That sure was a long time sitting on an active runway! I was taught working tower that rule #1 was you don't load the runway if you can't launch the aircraft.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

That sure was a long time sitting on an active runway! I was taught working tower that rule #1 was you don't load the runway if you can't launch the aircraft.

IMHO no immediate departure/takeoff as they seemingly were co-ordinating airshow traffic and airshow time slots. Made the pilot repeatedly fidget her gear to kill time between approach RWY, holding point (piano keys) until "Rolling!" (14:37-18:08).