The Airplane Thread

[Llarry]

The Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor recently conducted deck landing trials with an Italian navy ship.

Talk about a protracted development cycle! The 609 first flew 21 years ago. It started as the Bell/Augusta BA609, then became the Augusta/Westland AW609 and now is under the management of Leonardo.

The aircraft itself, if it can shed the stigma of previous accidents during flight testing, has great potential. It can accommodate up to 9 persons or serve as a VIP aircraft for 6-7 or carry out search and rescue duties. I'm sure there are many other potential roles for this tiltrotor. It's a lot smaller than the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_AW609

[Llarry]

How many aircraft are operated by the U.S. Air Force (along with the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard)?

The (U.S.) Air Force Association publishes an annual almanac with all sorts of facts and figures about the Air Force. The 2024 edition was recently released; among other sections is a page listing the total aircraft inventory. The numbers are reported as of September 30, 2023 so are not quite up to date for aircraft either newly-produced or in the process of being retired, but are interesting nonetheless.

The total inventory is as follows:
U.S. Air Force 4,008 aircraft
Air National Guard 963 aircraft
Air Force Reserve Command 315 airraft
Grand total 5,286 aircraft

Note that this number includes aircraft such as gliders (used at the Air Force Academy)and unmanned air vehicles in addition to more traditional aircraft.

Here is a list of the most numerous types:
F-16C/D Viper 862
C-130 Hercules 516 (all variants)
T-38A/B/C Talon 495
T-6A Texan 442
F-35A Lightning 408
KC-135R/T Stratotanker 376
F-15C/D/E/EX Eagle 367
A-10C Warthog 261
MQ-9A Reaper UAV 244
C-17A 222

There are some important aircraft missing from this "top ten" list such as the heavy bombers. You can see the attached page for a more detailed listing.

[Llarry]

An update on the MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone:

-- The Royal Australian Air Force got their first MQ-4C earlier this month. They will buy at least four, and possibly more.

-- The USN's Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 has had a busy couple of years. In 2020 they began operating MQ-4Cs from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. In the past several years they have deployed to Misawa Air Base in Northern Japan, to the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in the South and this year to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. On the other side of the world, they have also deployed a detachment to the Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy.

-- The last I heard, the U.S. Navy intends to establish a second MQ-4C for Pacific duties, while VUP-19 concentrates on the Atlantic and Europe.

The MQ-4C is a surprisingly large UAV, with a wingspan similar to that of a Boeing 737. It flies above commercial jet altitudes and has an endurance of something like 30 hours.

[Llarry]

Related to aircraft are the pilots that fly them. The Air Force almanac (previously referenced) also has a listing of all the specialties in the U.S. Air Force and how many people are in each. There are plenty of attorneys, dentists, doctors, nurses, etc., but for pilots, here are the numbers (as of September of 2023) for manned aircraft pilots. Note that UAV (RPA) pilots have their own specialties; there are about 3,000 of them.

Bomber pilots 611
Experimental test pilots 164
Fighter pilots 3,719
Generalist pilots (?) 411
Helicopter pilots 957
Trainer pilots 1,565
Mobility pilots 7,932 (presumably tanker and transport)
Recon/Surv/EW pilots 804
Spec Ops pilots 1,507

[Yellowbee]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor recently conducted deck landing trials with an Italian navy ship.

Talk about a protracted development cycle! The 609 first flew 21 years ago. It started as the Bell/Augusta BA609, then became the Augusta/Westland AW609 and now is under the management of Leonardo.

The aircraft itself, if it can shed the stigma of previous accidents during flight testing, has great potential. It can accommodate up to 9 persons or serve as a VIP aircraft for 6-7 or carry out search and rescue duties. I'm sure there are many other potential roles for this tiltrotor. It's a lot smaller than the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_AW609

The Leonardo 609 evolved from the original Bell and Boeing BB609 design in the late 90’s.

[Llarry]

The prices of antique warbirds just keep going up and up. Courtesy Aircraft -- courtesyaircraft.com -- lists old aircraft for sale and currently lists a Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat painted in Blue Angels 1947 colors for sale at $3,895,000. See attached photo.

An F8F is a lot more rare that a P-51. The P-51s seem to go for $3 million and under.

[Llarry]

The Douglas (or later McDonnell Douglas) A-4 Skyhawk is one of the most long-lived of all tactical jet aircraft.

The Model 641 A-4 (old A4D) design dated to 1950-52 and the U.S. Navy gave Douglas a contract for prototypes and pre-production aircraft in June of 1952. The concept was for a carrier- or land-based attack aircraft that would deliver a single newly developed tactical nuclear bomb and would be very compact, inexpensive and easy to maintain. Lead Douglas designer Ed Heinemann had long experience in designing naval carrier aircraft, playing a key role in the design of the iconic SBD Dauntless dive bomber of World War II and the AD (new A-1) Skyraider that practically defined carrier attack aviation from the late 1940s into the mid-1950s. Heinemann had designed a couple of unsuccessful aircraft -- too complex and too heavy -- during the 1940s and had become a fervent disciple of light weight and simplicity. The A-4 was the prime example of that philosophy.

The official Navy specification for the new jet attack aircraft included a gross weight of 30,000 pounds. Heinemann brought that down to half in his proposal through rigorous design discipline. The design was so compact that wing folding was not required; a savings in complexity, weight and cost.

There were a limited number of available propulsion options in the early 1950s. Douglas chose to go with a UK-sourced Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire engine that had good thrust and was license-produced by the U.S. Wright Aeronautical Corporation as the J65.

The XA4D-1 prototype made its first flight in June 1954, followed by the first flight of a production A4D-1 (new A-4A) in August.

The first deck trials with a Navy carrier came in August 1955.

In October 1955, the Navy managed to set a new low-altitude 500-km close course speed record in the California desert, breaking the previous record set by an Air Force F-86H. The new record was set at 695 miles per hour (604 knots), marking one of the few times that such a record was set by an attack plane rather than a fighter.

The new aircraft was not perfect: The requirement to carry a bulky nuclear bomb on the centerline meant that the landing gear legs were long and there was the possibility of the aircraft tipping over during ground operations. The Navy also wanted all carrier aircraft to feature self-boarding capability so that the pilot could get in and out of the cockpit without the use of external ladders. With the Skyhawk's light weight and design, an external ladder was required.

Fleet introduction of the A4D-1 (new A-4A) began in 1956. The Navy had just changed its colors from overall dark blue to gray with white undersides and all Skyhawks were delivered in the new scheme.

Almost immediately, improvements were incorporated and the A4D-2 (new A-4B) got revisions to improve the aircraft. Among the most important was an aerial refueling probe to allow extended range flight. Power output was also increased.

As improved models were developed, weight increased, but the baseline was light enough that the airplane could take the increases. The next major improvement was the addition of a small radar in a slightly lengthened nose which gave the A4D-2N (new A-4C) some limited all-weather capability.

A major step forward came in 1961. The Wright J65 was replaced by a Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine which was lighter and had increased thrust. The resulting A-4E (old A4D-5) also added two additional pylons on the outer wings. The nose was also slightly lengthened to house upgraded electronic equipment. There were also plenty of structural changes associated with the avionics and engine upgrades. By now the total of A-4s delivered to Navy and Marine Corps attack squadrons exceeded a thousand aircraft, although the older models were turned over to reserve units.

By the mid-1960s, the replacement for the A-4, the Vought A-7 Corsair, was planned and it looked like the A-4 was on the way out. However, Douglas had one more ace up its sleeve; the Navy needed a carrier-capable two-seat trainer for student aviator training and for instrument training in the fleet. The two-seat Skyhawk was a little longer and gave up a little fuel capacity. It took to the air in June of 1965. Over 500 TA-4Fs and similar TA-4Js were delivered.

The Navy was concerned about the replacement of the proven fleet A-4 by the new turbofan-powered A-7 as well as losses of aircraft in the Vietnam War and managed to buy a few improved A-4Fs. The A-4F was about the ultimate Navy Skyhawk with nosewheel steering, wing spoilers and (you guessed it!) more power.

The final chapter came when the Marine Corps decided not to buy the A-7 Corsair with its additional complexity, increased range and greater cost. The Marines opted instead for the ultimate A-4 with enlarged canopy for greater comfort and visibility, APU for self-starting capability and yet greater power. A Marine A-4M was the last Navy/Marine Skyhawk to be delivered and the total of all A-4 production stood at 2,960 aircraft. The Marine A-4M buy was somewhat smaller because the Marine Corps had decided to pursue a V/STOL attack force using the Harrier.

One of the best-known Navy users of the A-4 was the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, who flew the A-4F model for many years.

There were also many other nations who selected the A-4 for service use; in an attempt to keep this post shorter than the novel War and Peace, I will not cover those now. Suffice it to say that the A-4 continues to serve, although only in the aggressor training role.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-4_Skyhawk

[Llarry]

There were a number of A-4 users other than the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Fuller details can be found in the wiki article in the last post, but here's a summary:

Argentina -- Argentina got surplus USN A-4Bs starting in 1965 and later got surplus radar-equipped A-4Cs. Both the Air Force and the Navy used Skyhawks and they saw combat in the Falklands War of 1982. After 2000, Argentina procured 36 ex-Marine A-4Ms; they were retired ending in 2016.

Israel -- Israel was the largest foreign operator of the A-4, buying 217 new aircraft and receiving 66 ex-Navy aircraft. Israel modified their A-4s with extended tailpipes to reduce losses from missiles and made modifications in systems as well. A-4s played key roles in the 1967 and 1973 wars. Israeli A-4s last saw combat in 2012 and were retired by 2015.

Australia -- The Royal Australian Navy bought 20 A-4Gs in 1967 to operate from their aircraft carrier. After the carrier was retired, they transferred the A-4s to New Zealand.

New Zealand -- The RNZAF operated the A-4K from 1970 to 2001 as their sole tactical jet aircraft. In 2012, they sold 8 aircraft to the civilian aggressor company Draken International.

Kuwait -- The Kuwaiti AF flew 36 A-4KUs, some of the last off the production line, from the 1970s. They participated in the Gulf War of 1991 before being replaced by F-18 Hornets.

Singapore -- Singapore started with the purchase of 40 surplus A-4Bs in 1972. In 1980, a further 70 A-4Bs and Cs were purchased and then in 1983 16 A-4Bs were bought to be converted into two-seaters with unique dual canopies. Although all these early A-4s had J65 power, Singapore went all-in the mid-1980s with a conversion to the modern F404 turbofan engine in non-afterburning form, along with modified air intakes. The resulting A-4S-1 became operational in 1988. Further modifications to avionics resulted in the A-4SU; despite the age of the airframes, this was among the best of the Skyhawks, with a heads-up display and plenty of other upgrades. The last RSAF A-4SUs continued to serve as lead-in fighter trainers at Cazaux Air Base in France until well in the 2012.

Indonesia -- The U.S. arranged for the transfer of surplus 16 A-4Es from Israel in 1979 and later directly transferred 15 more from the USA. They were retired in 2003.

Malaysia -- Malaysia got 80 surplus Navy A-4C and A-4L aircraft in 1984-85.

Brazil -- Brazil received 23 ex-Kuwaiti A-4KUs in 1998.

Civil users:

Two companies continue to use A-4s as aggressor aircraft today. Draken International flies ex-RNZAF A-4Ks, while Canadian company Top Aces flies former Israeli A-4Ns. Recent upgrades indicate that the A-4 will continue in the role for some time to come.

[Llarry]

This is an older photo, but very nice livery commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain on a Canadian CF-18A in 2015.

[JJ 911SC]

RCAF 100 years flypasts celebration.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/flying...asts-1.6942412

[Llarry]

A visual comparison of the B-2 with the new B-21.

While a great many details about the B-21 remain undisclosed, I believe it uses two engines as opposed to the four of the B-2. Given the difference in size, I would speculate that it has a smaller bomb load. With modern precision weapons, perhaps that is not too important.

[Llarry]

Probably the favorite aircraft of flybigjet is the original stealth bomber, the Northrop B-2A Spirit.

The B-2A has been around quite a while. It was first revealed to the public in 1988 and first flew in July of 1989.

About 80 percent of the B-2's structure is composite materials, although the load-bearing internal structure is aluminum and titanium. It is powered by four General Electric F118 turbofans.

After an extensive test program, the first B-2A was delivered to the Air Force in late 1993. While many more were planned, only 21 bombers were built due to the extremely high cost and the last was delivered in 1997. 19 are still in service; one crashed in Guam in 2008 and another was severely damaged by fire in Missouri in 2022 and was deemed unrepairable. All B-2As are assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, although some have deployed to other locations such as Guam and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Given that at least a couple of airplanes are undergoing heavy maintenance at any given time, the number available for operational missions at any given time is probably no more than 16 or fewer.

The B-2A has a crew of just two pilots and yet has flown some extremely long-range missions from its base in Missouri. For these ultra-long-range missions, the bomber takes on 100,000 pounds of fuel from a tanker every 6 hours or so.

The B-2A carries nuclear or conventional weapons in two large weapons bays on either side of the centerline. For large weapons, it uses a rotary launcher and for 500-pound bombs, it uses racks.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

...one crashed in Guam in 2008 .

When rain takes down a $2B bomber.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Probably the favorite aircraft of flybigjet is the original stealth bomber, the Northrop B-2A Spirit.

Niiiice.

Just ask yourself one question:

If you take your (conservatively priced) $1 Billion+ bomber and use it to drop iron bombs (and please, show me a non-nuclear target that's worth more than $1 Billion) and it successfully completes its mission but gets shot down exiting the target.....

..... who really won the engagement there?

It's good for dropping nukes, and that's about it.

R.

PS: You won't have me to kick around here for a bit. On Friday, I'm riding my GS up to (near) Seattle-- that'll take five days. I'll spend a week with my father and sister, and then I'm going radio silent. Riding north from Gig Harbor, ferrying over to Vancouver Island, riding up the island, taking the (18-hour) ferry to Price Rupert, and then riding to Hyder, AK, the Yukon, Skagway & Haines, AK, back through the Yukon and down the spine of the Kootanay Rockies. Eventually, I'll end up at Sturgis where I'll meet a buddy who should have my other bike there waiting for me. If I do it right, I'll see bears, salmon, NO interstate and will be gone for about five weeks.

R.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

PS: You won't have me to kick around here for a bit. On Friday, I'm riding my GS up to (near) Seattle-- that'll take five days. I'll spend a week with my father and sister, and then I'm going radio silent. Riding north from Gig Harbor, ferrying over to Vancouver Island, riding up the island, taking the (18-hour) ferry to Price Rupert, and then riding to Hyder, AK, the Yukon, Skagway & Haines, AK, back through the Yukon and down the spine of the Kootanay Rockies. Eventually, I'll end up at Sturgis where I'll meet a buddy who should have my other bike there waiting for me. If I do it right, I'll see bears, salmon, NO interstate and will be gone for about five weeks.

R.

Sounds epic -- great adventure! Ride safe!

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

Riding north from Gig Harbor, ferrying over to Vancouver Island, riding up the island,
R.

If you ride pass RCAF Comox, where I grew-up mostly, wave and say: "Jane says hello." And watch the Military Police go into hiding...

[Llarry]

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is cloaked in secrecy, but some details are known or can be surmised.

The first B-21 flew in November of last year. The plan is for the first bombers to become operational in 2027.

The first unit scheduled to receive the new airplane is the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, currently equipped with the B-1B, which will train the B-21 crews as well as have an operational squadron. The 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB will be second, with two operational squadrons replacing the current B-2As. The third will be the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB which will give up their B-1Bs. Those three wings should have a total of about a hundred B-21s. The Air Force would like to have even more, with the B-21 replacing the 70-plus B-52s; I suspect that is unlikely to happen given budget limitations and the high cost of stealth bombers.

[flybigjet]

Apparently, jousting is an option now on the B-21.

[vreihen16]

.

[ezaircon4jc]

STOL??

[Llarry]

Tomcat Thursday!

[Llarry]

Given the increase in tensions in East Asia and the Western Pacific, bolstering of U.S. forces in the regions has seemed inevitable. The web site scramble.nl reports that two USAF wings will see changes starting as soon as next year:
-- The 18th Wing, based at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, originally was assigned F-15C/D Eagle air superiority fighters. Those aircraft are being retired due to age and the USAF has deployed fighters to Kadena on a temporary basis to fill the gap. The plan now is to transition the two F-15 squadrons of the 18th Wing to the new-production F-15EX beginning as early as next year. The two fighter squadrons will be equipped with 36 F-15EXs. Kadena will be second in line to get the new EXs with the Oregon Air National Guard continuing to fill out their ranks first. This move has the potential to cause ripples in the Air Force's plan for the F-15EX in various Air National Guard units; stay tuned.
-- The 35th Fighter Wing, based in Northern Japan at Misawa Air Base, currently is equipped with two squadrons equipped with 36 F-16Cs. The 35th's squadrons are scheduled to expand to 48 aircraft and receive the F-35A. Timing TBD. This transition is a part of the continuing expansion of F-35A units.