The Airplane Thread

[Llarry]

The list of companies providing aggressor/adversary services to the U.S. miliary is pretty impressive. Another company that I'd not heard of flies F-5s in support of both U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy air operations. Tactical Air Support Inc. has been active a while. See the attached photo of their F-5s.

[Llarry]

The Italian company Savoia-Marchetti is probably best known for their three-engine SM.79 Sparviero bomber of World War II. But in the 1920s and 1930s they produced over 240 flying boats of unique design: The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 carried passengers in the large twin floats while the pilots controlled the aircraft from a cockpit in the wing above. An interesting layout.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_S.55

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Airborne warning and control aircraft are a vital force multiplier, giving air forces the situational awareness they need to maximize combat air power.

//snip//

Another wealthy U.S. ally which should get on board is Canada. The RCAF benefits from the NATO AWACS force (in Europe) and Canadian taxpayers appear to be unenthusiastic about defense expenditure.

It appears that I have criticized Canada too soon. The Wikipedia article on the E-7 Wedgetail states that Canada will invest C$5 billion (!) in airborne warning and control. The Boeing 737-based E-7 is not the only contender, Sweden's SAAB also makes AWAC aircraft -- and at a lower price. SAAB's GlobalEye radar plane has the distinct advantage of being based on the Canadian Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The Italian company Savoia-Marchetti is probably best known for their three-engine SM.79 Sparviero bomber of World War II. But in the 1920s and 1930s they produced over 240 flying boats of unique design: The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 carried passengers in the large twin floats while the pilots controlled the aircraft from a cockpit in the wing above. An interesting layout.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_S.55

That must make for one "interesting" takeoff/landing experience!

[Llarry]

A pair of Vought F-8E Crusaders of VF-191 "Satan's Kittens" loaded for the air to ground mission with Zuni 5" rockets. The F-8 in the foreground has rockets on the fuselage sides and in 4-shot pods on wing pylons.

The Zuni folding-fin aerial rocket was first used in the 1960s and was a much more formidable weapon that the usual 2.75" rockets used by U.S. aircraft. Wikipedia says that the last stocks of the rocket were transferred to Ukraine and have all been expended.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuni_(rocket)

[Llarry]

The end of manned U.S. Navy SIGINT aircraft appears to be imminent. Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) are scheduled to be disestablished in March of 2025. Only a few EP-3E aircraft remain active.

The VQ-1 "World Watchers" trace their beginnings to the establishment of Electronic Countermeasures Squadron One in 1955 at Iwakuni, Japan. In 2012, VQ-1 became the largest aviation squadron in the Navy when VQ-1 absorbed the aircraft and resources of the former European-based VQ-2.

For 70 years, VQ-1 and VQ-2 could be found flying near hot spots worldwide.

The signals intelligence mission is being assumed by MQ-4 unmanned air vehicles of Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19).