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Six Things You Probably Never Knew About the Mighty A-6 Intruder

Bill Walton
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Six Things You Probably Never Knew About the Mighty A-6 Intruder

The Navy’s Uniquely Capable All-Weather Attack Jet Went Where Others Feared to Fly

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One of a Kind Indeed

On April 19th 1960, the prototype Grumman A-6 Intruder, Grumman model G-128 and designated the YA2F-1, BuAer 147864, lifted off from Grumman’s Calverton facility for the first time. Nearly 37 years and 693 Intruders later, on February 28th 1997, Medium Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34), the Blue Blasters, retired the Navy’s last operational A-6E Intruders. Those 37 years were remarkable in many ways. The Intruder was one of a kind, and we’ll probably never see another aircraft like it. Or one as capable.

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Conceived in STOL

The A-6 originally had swiveling exhaust nozzles (up to 23 degrees downward) intended to shorten takeoffs and landings. Flight testing revealed that performance was not significantly improved by variable thrust direction so the swiveling exhaust nozzles were removed. This was the reason for the location of the Pratt & Whitney J52-P6 engines on the airframe, and the reason why they could be dangerous to deck crews. The exhaust nozzles on the production A-6 were still angled a couple of degrees outward in order to avoid turbulence at the horizontal stabilizers.

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The Competition

The initial US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) proposal received 11 different submissions from Bell, Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed, Martin, North American, and Vought. And of course Grumman. The Grumman A-6 design team was led by Lawrence Mead Junior. Mead was also instrumental in the design and development of two other notable Grumman products; The F-14 Tomcat and the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) that took our Apollo astronauts to the surface of the moon.

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Decelerons and Brakes

The Navy awarded Grumman a contract to build eight A2F-1s in February 0f 1958. The first delivery of an A-6A Intruder to the US Navy was to the A-6 Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) VA-42 Green Pawns on February 7th 1962. The A-6A became operational with VA-75 Sunday Punchers for the first time in 1963. A-6As had both fuselage and wing air brakes. The fuselage airbrakes caused controllability problems. The fuselage air brakes were removed, but the “decelerons” (often referred to as “boards”) on the wing remained. The Intruder subsequently retained leading edge slats and decelerons on all models.

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A Unique Office Arrangement

The two-place, side by side cockpit of the Intruder put the pilot on the port side of the aircraft and the bombardier-navigator (BN) on the starboard side. However, the BN’s seat was slightly lower and located farther aft. The Intruder was the first fleet aircraft with an integrated diagnostic system for aircraft status, called Basic Automated Checkout Equipment (BACE). In order to train Intruder crews and after finding Douglas TA-3B Skywarriors unsuitable, the Navy and Grumman built nine TC-4C Adademes, Gulfstream I twin-turbine executive aircraft with the nose section (and the associated electronics) of an Intruder faired onto the nose. These trainers were flown by the A-6 FRS.

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Ugly But Well Hung

The design of the Intruder was driven by the size of the two radars needing to be installed in the nose as well as desire to improve crew coordination by seating them side by side in the cockpit. The Intruder‘s large blunt nose and slender tail inspired a number of nicknames, including “Drumstick”, “Double Ugly”, “The Mighty Alpha Six”, and “Iron Tadpole.” But on its five wet (capable of carrying fuel) hard points the Intruder could carry and deliver a war load unlike any other Navy jet. For that, Double Ugly was one beautiful airplane.

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DIANE Makes Them Wonder

After the 1962 BuAer aircraft re-designations the A2F-1 became A-6A. The heart of the A-6A was the Digital Integrated Attack Navigation Equipment (DIANE) system, which provided an electronic display of targets and geographical features even in low visibility conditions. The iconic early example of the Intruder’s ability to hit targets any time was when two A-6As attacked a North Vietnamese power plant during a particularly dark and stormy night. The Intruders dropped 26 Mark 82 500 pound bombs on the target, but the damage they caused convinced those on the ground that B-52s had carried out the attack instead.

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To War in Vietnam

Intruders first went to war in Southeast Asia during 1965 aboard USS Independence (CVA-62). The first Intruder loss in Vietnam took place on July 14th 1965 when Navy Lieutenants Donald Boecker and Donald Eaton of VA-75 Sunday Punchers with CVW-17 aboard USS Independence (CVA-62) were shot down. Both pilot and BN ejected and both survived. The Navy and Marines lost a total of 84 Intruders during the Vietnam War (to all causes) while flying more than 35,000 sorties. Marine Intruder squadrons remained shore-based throughout the Vietnam War, with one notable exception: VMA(AW)-224 Fighting Bengals replaced VA-35 Black Panthers as the all-weather attack squadron in CVW-15 when they deployed aboard USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) during her 1971-1972 WestPac. The last Intruder loss in Vietnam took place on January 24th 1973 when Navy Lieutenants C.M. Graf and S.H. Hatfield of VA-35 Black Panthers with CVW-1 aboard USS America (CVA-66) were shot down. Both pilot and BN ejected and survived.

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Ruling With an Iron Hand

The 19 A-6B variants built were originally intended to be a clear-air (not all-weather capable) versions of the A-6A but were instead adapted to perform the air defense/surface-to-air missile (SAM) defense role, or in Navy parlance, Iron Hand missions. The A-6Bs saw above-average losses, in part due to the inherent risk of the Iron Hand mission itself. Because the basic A-6A was also capable of employing the anti-radar missile of the day, the AGM-78 Standard ARM, the 14 surviving A-6Bs (5 were lost in combat) were eventually reworked to the A-6E specification during the mid-1970s.

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The TRIM Difference

The 12 A-6C variants built were fitted with the Trails Roads Interdiction Multi-sensor (TRIM) mounted in a mid-bottom fuselage location. This early version of a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) and Low Light-Level Television (LLLTV) set was capable of detecting vehicles, trains, and other targets at night, turning the A-6C into a night hunter. The A-6C also carried the “Black Crow” engine ignition sensor for truck targeting. The first squadron to fly the A-6C in combat was VA-165 Boomers with CVW-9 aboard USS America (CVA-66). The A-6Cs were all eventually reworked to the A-6E specification, but the TRIM-equipped A-6Cs blazed a trail for the A-6E TRAM to follow.

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Dedicated TexacoTadpoles

78 A-6As and 12 A-6Es were reworked for use as KA-6D tanker aircraft. The fleet’s KA-3B and EKA-3B Skywarriors were getting long in the tooth and never were exactly dainty aircraft. The Intruder tanker conversions were completed during the early 1970s. Most of the mission-specific electronic equipment was removed from these dedicated “Texaco” tankers. The age old NavAir edict stating “you can never too much gas in the air” was eased somewhat by the presence of the KA-6Ds but there weren’t enough of them to go around. Each squadron was equipped with three or four of them and they were often swapped (cross-decked) from carrier to carrier as one returned from deployment and another departed. They were eventually replaced by another re-tasked aircraft- the Lockheed S-3 Viking. Now they use Super Hornets!

A 6E VMAAW 121 in flight over Florida 1982

Leatherneck Intruders

The Marine Corps operated Intruders with distinction for many years. Marine Corps All Weather Attack Squadrons VMA(AW)-121 Green Knights, VMA(AW)-224 Bengals, VMA(AW)-225 Vagabonds (later AKA Vikings), VMA(AW)-242 Batmen (later AKA Bats), VMA(AW)-332 Moonlighters (earlier AKA Polkadots), VMA(AW)-533 Hawks, and VMAT(AW)-202 Double Eagles (Fleet Replacement Squadron) all flew the A-6.

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April 18th Was A Great Day In Aviation–Some Amazing Videos In Here

Bill Walton
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April 18th Was A Great Day In Aviation–Some Amazing Videos In Here

April 18th is a very significant date in aviation history. There is a lot to cover so stay with us…

apr1In 1917, William Edward Boeing renamed his Pacific Aero Products company, calling it The Boeing Airplane Company. Boeing’s company would go on to design and build some of the most important military and civilian aircraft the world has ever known. Think of a world without the Boeing Stearman trainer, B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-29 Superfortress, the B-52 Stratofortress, the CH-46 Sea Knight or the CH-47 Chinook, the C-135 / KC-135 series of military transports, electronic warfare aircraft, and tankers, the C-17 Globemaster III, and many more…or the 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777…you get the point.

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apr2In 1918, Frederick Bock was born. US Army Air Forces (USAAF) Captain Frederick Bock would later command the B-29 Superfortress bomber “The Great Artiste” on August 9th 1945. Major Charles Sweeney commanded Bock’s usual aircraft, “Bock’s Car”, Air Force serial number 44-27297, which dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki that day in 1945. “Bock’s Car” is now displayed at the National Museum of the US Air Force. Few are aware just how close the mission came to failure at several points along the way.

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aor3Also in 1942, Colonel James Doolittle launched first from the storm-lashed deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in company with 15 other B-25B Mitchell bombers to attack the Japanese home islands for the first time. Detected by Japanese picket boats while still more than 200 miles from their intended launch point, Doolittle and the captain of the Hornet (Marc Mitscher) decided to launch the raiders immediately after the task force was discovered. You know the rest of the story. Today is the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Tokyo raid. The last living participant, Doolittle’s co-pilot Richard Cole, is being honored by the Air Force as you read this.

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apr4A year to the day later, in 1943, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilots flying P-38G Lightnings executed Operation Vengeance, the interception and destruction of the Mitsubishi G4M Betty bomber carrying Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto over Bougainville in the Solomons Islands. Yamamoto had planned the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and many of the other initial Japanese offensives of the war. The P-38G pilots were from the 339th Fighter Squadron of the 347th Fighter Group. Controversy over the identity of the pilot who actually shot Yamamoto’s plane down persisted for many years after the mission was completed.

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apr5In 1952, the Convair YB-60, a converted B-36F Peacemaker with swept wings, tail stabilizers, and eight Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet engines mounted paired in four pods, flew for the first time. Intended to compete for a United States Air Force (USAF) contract against the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the YB-60 was less expensive but also far less capable than the Boeing design. The YB-60 was the largest jet powered bomber ever built.

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apr6In 1957, three Boeing B-52B Stratofortresses from the USAF 93rd Bombardment Wing completed the first circumnavigation of the world in 45 hours and 19 minutes for Operation Power Flight. Having been in service with Strategic Air Command (SAC) for only a few months at the time of the record-setting flight, the B-52 was doing things that no other jet-powered bomber in the world could do, and ensuring that the entire world knew it. That was on component of deterrence.

apr7In 1958, a Grumman F11F-1 Tiger, piloted by US Navy Lieutenant Commander George Watkins, rose from Edwards Air Force Base in California to a new world altitude record of 76,933 feet. The Tiger was the first Grumman fighter that was capable of supersonic speeds in level flight. It was handicapped by the available engine technology when it was introduced and, in a word, timing. The Tiger was competing against the Vought F-8 Crusader and the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II.

apr8In 1973, the USAF announced that the Fairchild (Republic) YA-10 had won the A-X fly-off against the Northrop YA-9. The competition started with a USAF request for proposal (RFP) in May of 1970 for a low-cost, survivable airframe to be used primarily for ground attack. We all know how that one turned out. Like the B-52, there is no suitable replacement for the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

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apr9In 1988, as part of what was called the “Tanker War”, the US Navy took retaliatory action against Iranian Naval forces and facilities in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Praying Mantis. An Iranian mine had heavily damaged the Navy Guided Missile Frigate USS Samuel B Roberts (FFG-58). VA-95 Green Lizards A-6E Intruders from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) sank or damaged several Iranian Navy ships and small craft. Other naval aircraft attacked Iranian targets supporting mining operations in the Gulf.

apr10In 1991 Eastern Airlines was dissolved after 64 years in operation. Eastern was the first airline to fly the Boeing 727 and 757 passenger airliners, and the first US carrier to fly the Airbus A300. In 1938 World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker bought Eastern from General Motors and quickly grew it into the most profitable airline in the country. I n 2011 Eastern was reborn as a charter airline.

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Doolittle: He and His Raiders Gave America Hope During the Dark Days After Pearl Harbor

Avgeekery
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Doolittle: He and His Raiders Gave America Hope During the Dark Days After Pearl Harbor

When We Needed a Morale Boost the Most, Doolittle’s Raiders Delivered

The situation in America was looking very bleak during early 1942. Germany’s war machine was running at full power in Europe.  To the West, Japan’s conquests were looking extremely daunting as well. The devastating blow by the Japanese to the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor meant that any American attack on Japan territory would be even more difficult.  It would require years of hard fought battles to even get close enough to be able to launch an attack on the Japanese islands.  While bleak, the situation was not hopeless.

An Idea Becomes a Mission

One Army Air Corps officer named Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle had an idea. He hypothesized that a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber could be lightened enough to takeoff on a carrier deck and have enough gas to bomb Japan before safely landing in China.  This attack would strike fear into the enemy and boost morale at home.  In theory, it sounded great.  The problem though was that no bomber in the inventory was even remotely capable of taking off in the short operating distances of a carrier deck, nor could the planes carry enough fuel and bombs to make the attack possible.

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Doolittle (right center) and his raiders. image via national archives

Against All Odds the Raiders Delivered

Lt Col Doolittle wasn’t deterred.   No matter how many people thought he was crazy, he worked tirelessly to lighten up the aircraft enough to allow for a takeoff on such a short deck.  Over time, he refined the procedures, perfected the payload, practiced the mission and won over support from superiors.  On 18 April 1942, Doolittle commanded the first B-25, launching off the aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-8) and flew towards Japan.  The 16 aircraft that launched that day successfully dropped bombs on Japanese territory.  15 of the 16 aircraft landed in Chinese territory while one aircraft crash landed in the Soviet Union.  Through his planning and with a little bit of luck, 69 of the 80 aircrew survived without being captured or killed.

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Crew No. 1 (Plane #40-2344, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner. (U.S. Air Force photo)

More Than Just Bombs Over Tokyo

While the damage done by the attack was minimal, it demonstrated that Japan was vulnerable and served as a huge morale boost back home.  Doolittle’s innovative plan was the catalyst that inspired America in a time of despair.  His ingenuity gave a nation hope.  His leadership endures as an example of how great leaders should lead in challenging conditions: From the front.  Take a moment today to recognize and remember the heroism displayed by the Doolittle raiders.

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raiders warming up aboard the hornet 18 april 1942

Only The Space Shuttle ‘flew’ Faster Than This Rocket Plane Designed With A Slide Rule

Bill Walton
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Only The Space Shuttle ‘flew’ Faster Than This Rocket Plane Designed With A Slide Rule

Today’s retrospective is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) film “Research Project X-15.” Shot during the mid-1960s at various NASA locations and Edward Air Force Base (AFB) in California, the film highlights the development of not only the X-15, but several of the other previous X planes as well. Interviews with designers, builders, and pilots highlight the narrative history of a program that peeled back the mysteries needing to be solved in order to explore space and visit the moon. Flown by well-known test pilots like Neil Armstrong, Scott Crossfield, Joe Walker, and Pete Knight on 199 total missions, the X-15 was a program far ahead of its time in many ways.

NASA X-15 carried by the NB-52B mothership 52-008 The Challenger and a T-38 Talon chase plane alongside.

Featured prominently in the film are the B-52 motherships The High and Mighty One (NB-52A Air Force serial number 52-003- Balls 3) and The Challenger (NB-52B Air Force serial number 52-008- Balls 8). 52-003 was retired in 1969 and can now be viewed at the Pima County Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona. 52-008 remained in service supporting NASA and private space initiatives until December 17th 2004, when the venerable aircraft was retired to gate guard duty at Edwards AFB and replaced by a slightly younger, but far less experienced, B-52H mothership.

X-15A2 (Air Force serial number 56-6671) with external fuel tanks fitted.

The three X-15s were flown to investigate high-speed, high-altitude flight characteristics between June of 1959 and October of 1968. X-15s set world speed records of Mach 6.7 and altitude records of 354,200 feet. Those speed and altitude records stood for almost 40 years. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to development of the NASA Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle manned space flight programs, as well as development of materials and systems used in high-speed high-altitude aircraft designed and built after the program came to its conclusion. Other programs followed the X-15 but for sheer envelope-pushing the X-15 Research Project was unmatched before or since.

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Delta Air Lines Flight Museum Soars In Its Growing Popularity

Charles Atkeison
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Delta Air Lines Flight Museum Soars In Its Growing Popularity

ATLANTA, Ga. — Delta Air Lines state-of-the-art flight museum is flying high this week with the addition of a new jet aircraft as it expands the spotlight on the company’s rich history as an air transportation service and the people behind their wings.

The history of the iconic airline with it’s roots planted deep in the American south, through to the modern flight services of today are showcased with rare artifacts and actual aircraft poised inside and outside of the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta.delta3

As Delta celebrates eighty-eight years of passenger service in June, its newly renovated museum is located inside two former Delta flight hangers. Today, they house a modern glimpse into the company’s history featuring several static displays of the airline’s historic planes and the only full motion Boeing 747 flight simulator in the United States.

“Today with operations to 65 countries on six continents, it’s hard to image those early days in Atlanta when Delta flew to just 16 cities,” said Fred Cannon, Executive Director of the Delta Flight Museum. “Hangers one and two were next to the airfield and housed Delta’s aircraft maintenance operations — at the time the largest in the southeast.”

As guests arrive at the museum’s parking lot a majestic Boeing 757, supporting it’s original Delta colors, greets visitors to the historic aviation grounds located on the shoulder of the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson.

Adjacent to the 757 is the newly opened 747 Experience featuring the first 747-400 aircraft. The retired Delta 747 stands poised awaiting visitors for a unique inside tour. Known within Delta as ship 6301, this 747 flew over 61 million miles during its 26 year history with Northwest Airlines, and later Delta, following the 2009 merger by the two companies.

Delta Air Lines early beginnings is a historic timeline of aviation firsts with fascinating antidotes mixed in for flavor. A popular farm dusting business was purchased by a group led by C.E. Woolman in 1928, and was renamed for the Mississippi Delta, the region where Delta Air Operations was originally based near Monroe, Louisiana.

Catherine Fitzgerald, Mr. Woolman’s assistant, first suggested the company’s name in 1928, and by the following year, Delta leaped skyward with it’s first commercial passenger flight out of Dallas. It was on June 29, 1929, when stunt flyer turned commercial airman Johnny Howe became the first Delta Airlines pilot departing Dallas at 8:00 a.m. en route to Shreveport and then Monroe.

The single prop Travel Air S-6000-B aircraft carried one passenger on that first flight into Shreveport, and picked up an additional passenger that same day. The next year, Delta began passenger service to Atlanta for only a few months, and then full time service resumed in 1934.

When was Delta’s first in-flight meal served? In 1936, as the co-pilot of the company’s new Lockheed 10 Electra got up to offer box lunches with coffee to the nearly fourteen passengers. The airline’s first “stewardesses” were later added to flight crews beginning in 1940, according to the museum. And, in 1941, the airline moved it’s headquarters from Monroe to the twin Atlanta hangers located on the edge of the then expanding airfield.delta4

Inside Hanger 2 rests the airline’s first Boeing 767 known as the “Spirit of Delta”. The 159-foot long aircraft was dedicated at company wide event in December 1982, and was later retired in 2006. The B767 could ferry 204 passengers and a crew of eight cross country with a range of 2,100 miles.

delta2A silvery Douglas Aircraft DC-3 looks incredible as she sits in Hanger 1 just as she did sixty years earlier. The 65-foot long twin prop could stay aloft for 1,400 miles as she carried up to 21 passengers and a crew of three at speeds of up to 170 m.p.h.
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An actual Delta Airlines full motion Boeing 737 flight simulator located in one corner of Hanger 2 of the open air museum. “This is not a toy, it’s the real deal,” states museum director Tiffany Ming as she described the sim which was used by the company to train it’s pilots. The simulator’s one hour time limit is a bit pricey, however it is the perfect gift for aviation buffs interested in the experience.

The Delta Flight Museum is located at 1060 Delta Blvd, Atlanta, just east of Interstate 85, and north of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday thru Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets very by age and can be purchased online or inside at the gift shop. Visit their site at www.deltamuseum.org for updated information and times.

(Charles Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via Twitter @Military_Flight.)

Flying Led Me to Tracy

Don Ramm
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Flying Led Me to Tracy

I love to fly. Like many things in life there is a tenuous chain of events that lead me to flying…and to my wife, my love, my front-seater, and the mother of our children — Tracy.

In 1968 I was in high school. A junior. I had just started wearing glasses to see distances whereas my two older brothers had worn glasses most of their lives. (Interestingly, none of my younger siblings wore glasses at all — eyes get better with each kid?) My counselor (Mr. Victor Long, whom I visit to this day and ride bikes and play racquetball with occasionally — he can easily outride me and usually beats me in racquetball) asked me if I ever thought about going to the USAF Academy after graduation from high school. As I recall my reaction was something like “The Air Force what?” I applied, was accepted, and in June 1969 walked up the “Bring Me Men…” ramp along with 1400 other members of the Class of 73. I later learned that I was competing for one of about 300 NPQ (“not pilot qualified”) slots, so getting in was tighter than I realized.

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Late in my junior year at the Academy I was walking back to the dormitory with fellow cadet, John Eisenhart. (In the 80s I returned the favor and helped John get a job at IBM when Air Florida folded. IBM didn’t hold him; he got a job with Continental a few years later.) He asked me what I was going to do after graduation. Since I was not pilot qualified due to my glasses I was planning on taking an engineering job somewhere in the USAF. (I majored in electrical engineering — a decision I made based on some guidance from my mother back when I was in high school — a decision I have never regretted. EE was one of the “hardest” majors at the Academy. I thrived on it and all of the academics at the Academy…well, most. I didn’t do so well in economics or political science.) He told me about a program, approved by the Air Force, to evaluate a technique for improving vision — orthokeratology. Basically, you wear contact lenses — “hard” contacts — that are flatter than the curvature of your cornea. Overtime and with series of flatter and flatter lenses, your cornea is reshaped — flattened. Ever so slightly, but enough to alter the focal point of your eye back on to the retina thus improving your vision. (Or something like that.) Within a few months I was seeing 20/20. On about April 1, 1973 (senior year), we had to take our contacts out and leave them out. (As cadets we lived by the Honor Code: “I will not lie, steal, or cheat, or tolerate anyone among us who does.” Though there have been numerous “honor scandals” at the Air Force Academy, the huge majority of the 30,000+ graduates of the Academy all abided by this code to the letter. It guides me today in my daily life though I must admit I am not as fervent in following the code as I was at the Academy.) I did not put my contacts in after April 1 in an effort to keep my 20/20 vision and have never worn them since.

optemOn about May 1, 1973, I went to the eye doctor for the first of four exams. The exams always consisted of reading the eye chart, which was conducted by a technician, and then a peek inside my eye by the ophthalmologist. As days passed my vision got worse and worse. It was obvious the effect of orthokeratology was temporary. Due to the environment in which USAF pilots fly, contact lenses were not allowed — pull 6 Gs in your fighter, lose a contact lens, and then what? — nor are they allowed to use the orthokeratology contacts as “retainers”. (Glasses are OK, obviously. I always wore them when I flew with a spare pair in my g-suit pocket.) I got through the first three tests but my acuity was worse with each test. On the fourth — and last — exam, my acuity was greater than 20/50 — the limit for pilot qualification. Sadly, I went down the hall to visit the ophthalmologist for the last time. I don’t remember his name but I should have found out and sent a thank you Christmas card to him every year since then. He looked at my chart and did something he never normally did: Asked me to read the letter chart. I tried as hard as I could to make out the letters. Apparently, this second reading it was good enough for him. He changed my acuity numbers from whatever they were to 20/50 — I was bound for pilot training.

Three months later on the first day of pilot training, the 50 or so members of my class were gathered around a large rectangle of folding tables in the ballroom of the officers’ club at Williams Air Force Base for in-processing. That morning, one of the presenters asked us if we had had a physical within the last six months. I had been through the ringer prior to graduation just three months before so didn’t have to raise my hand. Those that hadn’t included a classmate of mine from the Academy. He, like me, was wearing glasses for distance vision that day. The exam included an eye test; he didn’t pass this time and he was shipped off to navigator training. I got to stick around and complete Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) in October 1974 and got my Air Force Wings. To this day, I wear my wings on my flight suit and my flight jacket. I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to attend the Academy and go to pilot training. They were defining moments in my life.

a 10jimI went on to fly in the USAF in six different airplanes. Most notable: LTV A-7D Corsair II — the “SLUF” — one of the first attack aircraft with good “magic” stuff, computed weapons delivery system and inertial nav, and the Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II — the “Warthog” — back before it had any of the “magic” and we dropped bombs shot the gun as I imagine the P-47 Thunderbolt pilots did back in WWII: hard sight and Kentucky windage. Well, I guess the gun we carried was a little better. After leaving the USAF I flew in the Colorado Air National Guard (the “Redeyes”) and as a civilian pilot. A particular airplane attracted my attention — one that would be fun to fly and would give me an opportunity to share flying as I had done in the USAF: the Beech T-34 Mentor. In the early 80s I had my first taste of flying the T-34 at Buckley Air National Guard Base near Denver, Colorado. When I moved back to San Diego, I looked for an opportunity to fly the T-34 and found it at the North Island Navy Flying Club: Beech T-34B N795FC. I joined the club in January 1994 shortly after 5FC arrived. Two years later I met Tracy at the club when she started taking lessons. The rest is history and, as Tracy often says, was meant to be.

 

El Dorado Canyon: President Reagan Sent the Whole Shooting Match After Gaddafi in 1986

Bill Walton
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El Dorado Canyon: President Reagan Sent the Whole Shooting Match After Gaddafi in 1986

The Operation Was a Show of Force But No Happy Ending

At 0200 local time on 14 April 1986, United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft attacked targets in Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya. The attack was code named Operation El Dorado Canyon. The raid was President Ronald Reagan’s response to several Libyan-sponsored terrorist attacks in Europe, among them the 1985 Rome and Venice airport attacks that killed 19 and wounded approximately 150 people. On the night of 5 April 1986 Libyan agents bombed the “La Belle” nightclub in West Berlin, killing a Turkish woman and two American Army Sergeants, Kenneth T. Ford and James E. Goins. Also injured were 50 US military personnel among the total of 230 hurt. The gloves were about to come off.

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USAF F-111E in flight

Navy 2 Libya 0

Libya had been a thorn in the world’s side ever since Muammar Gaddafi had risen to power. Gaddafi was unapologetic about his support for terrorism, even saying publicly that he would continue to support terrorism. Previous confrontations had not gone well for Gaddafi. During a United States freedom of navigation exercise during August of 1981, two Libyan SU-22 Fitter pilots mixed it up with VF-41 Black Aces F-14A Tomcats. The T-shirts that magically appeared seemingly within minutes on every Navy base and air station around the world proclaimed: Navy 2. Libya 0. This engagement went down in history as the Gulf of Sidra Incident.

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Image via US Navy

Going It Alone While “Allies” Sit It Out

President Reagan, having worked for several days after the LaBelle bombing with European and Arab countries to try and arrive at some kind of diplomatic resolution to the Gaddafi problem, decided on 14 April to attack terrorism-related targets in Libya. Unfortunately he got little or no support from any of the European countries. France, Italy and Spain not only denied overflight permission for the strikes; they also denied the use of any bases by the Americans. This would mean that the USAF bombers would have to fly from their bases in the United Kingdom around the entire European land mass in order to reach their Libyan targets- turning a long but manageable duration mission into a 15 hour, 5,500 mile marathon. It would be the longest mission flown by tactical aircraft to date. Go find your most uncomfortable chair and sit in it without getting up and moving around. For 15 hours. In the for-what-it’s-worth department, the French president was said to have denied the Americans his support because he wasn’t interested in a limited response, but wanted a stronger response that would remove Gaddafi from power. Does that make your six feel any better after hour ten in that chair?

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USAF F-111E refuels from a Wisconsin Air National Guard KC-135 tanker.

Training for the Real-World Mission

One little-known aspect of the operation is that during October of 1985 ten of the F-111E Aardvarks of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) flew a practice long-duration bombing mission from their base at RAF Upper Heyford in the UK to Newfoundland, Canada and back again. Referred to as Operation Ghost Rider (cool name!), this training mission was conceived to work out any potential kinks in the plan so a similar mission could be flown the following year. Perhaps even against Libya. Information and tactics used by the 20th TFW were passed down the line to the 48th TFW, equipped with F-111F model ‘Varks.

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USAF F-111F drops retarded bombs on a target range.

Air Force Order of Battle

The order of battle for Operation Eldorado Canyon, which would be the first Air Force combat mission since the war in Vietnam, started with the 24 (including six spare) F-111F Aardvarks of the 48th TFW, based at RAF Lakenheath in the UK. These Pave Tack infrared targeting designator-equipped bombers would drop precision-guided Paveway bombs on their Libyan military targets. Providing electronic countermeasures support would be five (1 spare) EF-111A Ravens of the 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron (ECS) out of RAF Upper Heyford. 19 McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender and ten Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling tankers from RAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford would provide the total of six aerial refuelings the USAF bombers and jammers would require to fly their assigned missions. The additional tanker assets needed to support the mission were moved in to the bases in the UK under the cover of a NATO exercise dubbed Salty Nation.

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US Navy EA-6B Prowler of VAQ-135 Black Ravens in flight

For the Rest of the El Dorado Canyon Story Bang NEXT PAGE Below

BAT 21 Bravo: When Combat SAR Was Put to the Ultimate Test

Bill Walton
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BAT 21 Bravo: When Combat SAR Was Put to the Ultimate Test

Gene Hambleton Landed in the Middle of the Largest NVA Offensive of the War…and Lived to Tell About It.

On April 2, 1972 over South Vietnam, two United States Air Force (USAF) Douglas EB-66 Destroyers were escorting a cell of three Boeing B-52D Stratofortresses tasked to bomb Ho Chi Minh Trail access points in Quang Tri Province. The EB-66s were there to provide search and guidance radar jamming for the B-52D big ugly fat…fellows (BUFFs) and to gather electronic signals intelligence. The call sign of the first EB-66C as Bat 21. The 1972 Easter Offensive was in its third day. Roughly 30,000 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops had crossed the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) and were headed south. What happened next would be debated for its human cost, and celebrated for its ingenuity and bravery by all involved.

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Typical North Vietnamese SA-2 Guideline SAM site

Drawdown Puts a Senior Nav Aboard

B-52D BUFFs had been flying “Arc Light” bombing missions in support of the defenders on the ground but had been increasingly tracked and fired upon by surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The BUFFs needed more electronic support and the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (42nd TEWS) was tasked to provide that support. Like many other organizations, manpower had been depleted by the personnel draw down in the 42nd TEWS. As a result, a senior navigator by the name of Iceal Hambleton, better known as Gene, assigned himself to fly as the navigator in one of the EB-66s slated for the mission of April 2nd. Ironically, Hambleton had tracked NVA SA-2 Guideline SAMs south of the DMZ before, but others continued to question their presence so in South Vietnam.

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Douglas EB-66 Destroyer on the tarmac in Thailand

Out of the Frying Pan…

Douglas EB-66C Destroyer, Air Force serial number 54-0466, was flying over Quang Tri Province, just south of the DMZ, when the NVA shot a volley of SAMs at the two EB-66s. Hambleton’s EB-66C was hit by a SA-2 while flying at 29,000 feet over northern South Vietnam. Hambleton called for the crew to eject and pulled his seat ejection handles just before the stricken EB-66 was hit by a second SA-2 and destroyed. Hambleton was the sole survivor of a crew totaling six. As he floated down in his parachute he realized he had shrapnel wounds from his aircraft exploding, a ripped finger, and four compressed vertebra from the force of the ejection. Remember those 30,000 NVA troops pouring over the border? Hambleton floated down in his parachute right into the middle of their advance, yet a fortuitous low cloud bank hid him as he descended in a dry rice paddy.

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image via national museum of the us air force

Right in the Middle of the NVA Advance

Hambleton (call sign Bat 21 Bravo) was in radio contact with Air Force Forward Air Controllers (FACs) flying a Cessna O-2 in the vicinity even before he landed. Even though the FACs saw the EB-66 get shot down, they were still unprepared for the number of NVA troops and the sheer amount of NVA arms and equipment in the area. The FACs fixed Hambleton’s position and relayed it to an HC-130P combat search and rescue (CSAR) tanker aircraft (call sign King 22) in order to get a rescue force spun up. Friendly forces had just destroyed a bridge in the area, so now Hambleton had a front row seat (less than 100 meters away) for the re-routed NVA advance to the south.

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Lieutenant Colonel Iceal “Gene” Hambleton, USAF

Hambleton Was Much More Than Just a Senior Navigator

Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton was not just another Air Force World War II veteran and senior navigator. Hambleton had worked on Strategic Air Command’s (SAC’s) Jupiter, Titan I, and Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programs. He had even been Deputy Chief of Operations at SAC’s 390th Strategic Missile Wing. He had firsthand knowledge of the innermost workings of America’s atomic weapons delivery systems and likely targeting information as well. Gene Hambleton simply could not be captured. It is highly likely that the North Vietnamese (and by extension the Soviets) knew of Hambleton’s assignment to the 42nd TEWS, based in Thailand, and if they found out he had been shot down they would make every effort to grab Hambleton. On the other hand, the United States Air Force, Navy, Marines, and even the South Vietnamese, were about to make every effort to rescue Gene Hambleton.

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Cessna O-2 FAC aircraft in flight over Vietnam

For More of the Ballad of Bat 21 Bravo Bang NEXT PAGE Below.

French Air Force’s Patrouille de France Exciting U.S. Airshow Crowds

Charles Atkeison
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French Air Force’s Patrouille de France Exciting U.S. Airshow Crowds

The precision aerobatics of the French Air Force’s own demonstration team Patrouille de France is exciting airshow crowds across America this spring as their ten jets perform an exciting display of maneuvers

Patrouille de France is only in North America through May as the squadron makes their first visit here in 30 years. The team is marking the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I to aid France and England, and will include ceremonial events on the ground at each airshow stop.  as they remember the centennial.

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In the sky, the blue, white, and red contrails of Patrouille de France’s eight Alpha jets flying in tight formation is becoming a major highlight at recent airshows in Florida and Alabama. To many, the French Air Force aerobatics won their hearts as the team’s narrator expressed wishes of love and greetings from France to America.

AvGeekery.com caught up with the team at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery as they co-headlined the base’s Open House and Airshow on April 8 and 9 with the USAF Thunderbirds. The two teams engaged in discussions and the Birds even welcomed two of France’s elite to fly with their team.

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“At Maxwell, Captain Dubois and Captain Tardif, had the chance to fly with the Thunderbirds in the back seat of their F-16s,” said Patrouille de France spokesperson LTT Antonia Buroni on Sunday. “These fine flights have strengthened the ties that bind us to the American Air Force patrol. It was also an exchange about our ways of working, which proved very enriching. We are delighted to have been able to embark with them.”

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The team’s cargo and personnel craft, an Airbus A400M Atlas, performs a flight demo an hour prior to the Alpha jets. The hulking gray aircraft will demonstrate a high pitch take-off, flat passes, and incredible wing tipped passes before the crowd.

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Each pilot flies under the call sign of Athos 1 thru 8, and has currently been with the team for over a year. Lead by flight leader and Athos 1, Commander Christophe, each pilot carries over 2000 hours of flight time behind the stick of the French jets.

Known as the world’s oldest demonstration team in world beginning in 1931, many of Patrouille de France maneuvers are cutting edge providing a deeper dimension during their show flying with two jets more than their U.S. counterpart, the Thunderbirds or the Navy’s Blue Angels. A few of their eight jet formations include the Diamond, Apollo, Fleche, and Canard.

“For two days, we presented our series to the public, who came to attend this meeting at this air base located in the town of Montgomery,” LTT Buroni added. “The audience of the meeting was able to attend in-flight demonstrations of several types of aircraft, including pallet dropping by the eight C-130 Hercules stationed on the Maxwell base, as well as the Eurofighter Typhoon Royal Air Force British.”

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Two hours following their April 9 flight demo at Maxwell, Patrouille de France jets and cargo craft departed for Pensacola for two days with the Blue Angels. The squadron will perform a fly over of the Grand Canyon on April 13, followed by stops in Sacramento, California this weekend, and a brief visit with the Thunderbirds at their home in Las Vegas on April 17 and 18. Their brief tour of North America will conclude on May 2 in Quebec.

(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and science. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)

So Much Tomcat! The Very Last Fighter Fling, Starring The F-14 Tomcat And Its Crews

Bill Walton
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So Much Tomcat! The Very Last Fighter Fling, Starring The F-14 Tomcat And Its Crews

Parting With the Tomcat Still Stings

An era came to a close on July 28th 2006 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) when pilot Lieutenant Blake Coleman and radar intercept officer (RIO) Lieutenant Commander Dave Lauderbaugh were launched off catapult three at 1642. They were flying F-14D Tomcat BuNo 163417. The VF-31 Tomcatters aircraft Coleman and Lauderbaugh were flying that afternoon over the Atlantic Ocean was the last, the final, F-14 Tomcat ever catapulted off an aircraft carrier.

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F-14D Tomcat BuNo 163417, VF-31 side number 112, is launched from catapult 3 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

The Final Fighter Fling

We plan to do a more in-depth article about the F-14 Tomcat the next time a significant Tomcat anniversary rolls around. Our video selection is related to the end of the Tomcat era. It’s a bittersweet look at the state of Naval Aviation at the time when F-14 Tomcat squadrons were in the process of transitioning to Super Hornets. There are some veiled digs at Hornets and Hornet types and some that aren’t veiled even a little bit. Plenty of great flying footage and some great music made the final edit too. You’re definitely good for several LOL moments (even if you weren’t a fighter guy) and maybe even a sigh or a sniffle. It was a tough time for the VF community, but the producers, in this writer’s opinion anyway, nailed it. We hope you enjoy this, the not quite completely 100% PC (call it PC-ish) last Fighter Fling video ever produced: Fighter Fling 2004.

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The Aged But Still-Capable Warrior

Tomcats joined the fleet in 1973. Born from experience and lessons learned in the skies over Vietnam and tasked with defending the largest of American naval assets (and the biggest targets), Tomcats were capable of so much more than the previous Navy fleet defenders like the F-8 Crusader and the F-4 Phantom II. Both were great jets, but the Tomcat and its Phoenix missile system were built for cold war fleet defense by shooting down large numbers of attackers beyond the horizon. A high compliment can be paid to the Tomcat; it never had to do the job for which it and its missiles system were primarily designed. One of the most complicated and sophisticated aircraft ever deployed aboard aircraft carriers, the Tomcat was flown by the very best of the naval aviators coming out of Naval Air Training Command, which was fitting because the Tomcat demanded the very best of her crews.

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Felix 112 rides the shuttle down the deck for the last time.

The Bombcat Bows Out

Later in its service life the Tomcat took up bombing as a way to pay some of the bills. Equipped with the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod, the “Bombcat” became a very accurate bomber without letting itself go as a fighter. When the Tomcat was retired many Tomcat pilots were able to transition to its replacement, the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets. Although the F/A-18F primarily took over the fleet defense role, both F/A-18 Super Hornet variants are considered dual-role, fighter and attack, aircraft.

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VF-31 performing a “bat” turn for the crew of the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

Author’s note: There is conflicting information about Felix 112’s identity for this event. Some sources indicate that the jet Coleman and Lauderbaugh were flying that day was BuNo 164341. I went with the official Navy history of the event, as I nearly always do, which indicates the jet was BuNo 163417. Even Grumman documentation indicates 163417 was retired to AMARG in March 2006- months before the event. Now 164341 did land without the canopy or the VIP passenger in the back seat one memorable day, but that’s another story.

There Are No Old and Bold Pilots But There Are Plenty of Old Bold Gazelle Helicopters.

Bill Walton
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There Are No Old and Bold Pilots But There Are Plenty of Old Bold Gazelle Helicopters.

This Star of Multiple Movies Is Also a Stellar Trainer and War Machine

On April 7th 1967 the Aerospatiale (Airbus Helicopters) Gazelle helicopter flew for the first time. The Gazelle was one of the most advanced helicopter designs in the world when it was introduced and several newer designs have utilized its then-unique Fenestron tail fan system. The Gazelle combines relatively small overall size (less than 40 feet long) with the ability to carry five passengers. Originally conceived as a replacement for the successful Sud Aviation SE 3XX Alouette (Lark) series of helicopters, the SA 34X Gazelle series has been adapted to perform dozens of missions and roles for both military and civil operators. And that sound. No other chopper sounds quite like a Gazelle!

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Royal Navy training variant of the Gazelle.

Teaming Up to Build a Winner

While the Gazelle is clearly a relative of the Alouette, the similarities are superficial only. In 1963 Sud Aviation became aware of both British and French military requirements for a new utility helicopter design. The two largest helicopter builders in their respective countries, Westland of Britain and Sud Aviation of France, entered into an agreement to design and build the new Gazelle. The design of the cabin was predicated on the ability carry a litter patient, so although it is roomy it is also aerodynamically efficient and adaptable. Simple where it needed to be, with skid landing gear and an industry standard turbine engine turning a three bladed main rotor, yet innovative with features like the Fenestron tail fan and long-life components with low maintenance requirements, the Gazelle was built with longevity and usability in mind.

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French Army Gazelle used for training in flight.

Getting It Right and Keeping It Right

It took several years of development work to get the Gazelle into production. The prototype itself was not equipped with either the Fenestron tail fan or the intended rigid main rotor system. Once the two companies got things worked out in 1969, production of the Gazelle began. The first production Gazelle took flight on August 6th 1971. Since then, like so many other aircraft, the Gazelle has been refined and improved with more powerful engines and more robust transmissions. Avionics have been upgraded. Smaller but important upgrades to cockpit panel lighting, seating, and a host of other improvements have kept Gazelles flying in military and civil hands around the world.

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Closeup of the Fenestron tail fan used on the Gazelle.

Everywhere With the Brits

For the British, the Gazelle is one of only two aircraft (the other being DeHavilland’s Chipmunk) flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF), The Royal Navy (RN), The Royal Army (RA), and the Royal Marines (RM). Used primarily for training by both the RAF and RN, the Marines and the Army have used the Gazelle in combat during Operation Corporate (1982 Falklands), Operation Granby (1990-1992 Gulf War I), Operation Grapple (1993-2003 Balkans), Operation Joint Endeavour (1996 Bosnia), Operation Guardian (1999 Kosovo), Operation Barras (2000 Sierra Leone), Operation Fingal (2002 Afghanistan), Operation Telic (2003-2008 Iraq) and Operation Herrick (2006-2014 Afghanistan). One of the Gazelle’s strengths is adaptability, and British Gazelles have been fitted with laser target designators, thermal imaging systems, Doppler radar, Nightsun illumination equipment, machine guns, and guided missiles. The Brits have also found that the Gazelle is tough and reliable, reporting the highest combat availability of any British helicopter type in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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A French Army Gazelle with an outrider on the starboard skid.

French Twist

The French have been utilizing Gazelles since 1973. The majority of the French machines are powered by uprated versions of the Turbomeca Astazou engine to support additional weapons and guidance systems. French combat experience in Chad (1980s), the former Yugoslavia (1990s), Djibouti (1991–1992), Somalia (1993), Cote d’Ivoire (2002–present), Afghanistan (2002–present), and Mali (2013) were supported by Gazelles. French Gazelles have fired missiles at Somali pirates and Iraqi tanks. Equipped in many cases with guided Mistral air-to-air missiles or Euromissile HOT anti-tank missiles with sighting systems and designators mounted on top of the cabin, the French have sold hundreds of these pocket-sized tank killers to countries lacking budgets for the high-tech, high-cost attack helicopters being developed today. Gazelles have also been built under license by SOKO in Yugoslavia and the Arab British helicopter Company in Egypt. Production totals have exceeded 1,100 airframes.

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British Royal Marines Gazelle pictured somewhere hot and sandy.

Adaptability is Built-In

Gazelles have been adapted and upgraded with ferry tanks, infrared (IR) signature suppression systems, externally mounted cannon and machine guns with ammunition supplies in the cabin, rescue winches, particle filters for sandy environments, cabin heaters, emergency floatation equipment, high landing skids, engine anti-icing systems, and adjustable landing lights. Civilian examples of the Gazelle are also equipped with a baggage compartment. Gazelles utilized by law enforcement agencies can be equipped with stabilized camera mounts and lights along with other specialized surveillance imaging equipment. Military Gazelles have been upgraded with the latest armament options, 3D navigational displays, electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS) cockpit displays, night-vision goggle compatibility, ballistic armor packages, direct voice input (DVI) systems for voice control of aircraft systems, and advanced autopilot systems.

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A French civil Gazelle at rest.

Ease of Maintenance 

Ease of maintenance and pilot-friendly operations are hallmarks of the Gazelle. Bearings in the Gazelle are life-rated without need for continuous application of lubrication. Most fluid tanks don’t require constant inspection. When the helicopter was designed emphasis was placed on minimal maintenance requirements. Minimal maintenance usually means low operating costs. Many components in the Gazelle were designed for a 700 hour service life, and some critical components have service lives of up to 1200 hours before replacement is required. The Gazelle was also the first helicopter to be rated for single pilot instrument flight conditions (IFR) flight. Surprisingly the Gazelle is not equipped with a throttle or a trimming system. A sophisticated autopilot system aids the pilot and keeps workloads manageable.

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British Army Gazelle equipped with advanced electronics mounted on the top of the cabin.

Team Player

Current and former military operators of the Gazelle helicopter series include Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, People’s Republic of China, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Gabon, Guinea, Iraq, Ireland, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Qatar, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Republika Srpska, Syria, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and Yugoslavia. Civil operators of the Gazelle are found all around the world.

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A Hungarian-registered civil Gazelle on the pad.

Movie Star Chopper

Gazelles have starred in many movies and television shows over the years. Perhaps the Gazelle with the most screen cred isn’t really a Gazelle at all. Used as the basis for the highly modified and just as heavily armed “anti-riot” helicopter star of the 1978 Columbia/Rastar movie Blue Thunder, and the exceedingly short-lived television series of the same name, was a Gazelle, but Avgeeks knew that as soon as they heard it. At least when it wasn’t in “whisper mode” that is. Clint Eastwood’s character Ben Shockley was chased and liberally shot at from a pesky but maneuverable Gazelle in the 1977 Warner Bothers film The Gauntlet. How many more movies or television shows do you know of in which Gazelles were used?

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The C-130J: The High-Tech Millennial Grandchild Of The 60-Plus Year Old Hercules

Bill Walton
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The C-130J: The High-Tech Millennial Grandchild Of The 60-Plus Year Old Hercules

Meet the Latest and Most Advanced Generation of the Ageless Herc

On 5 April 1996 the prototype Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules flew for the first time. While the J model Herc looks a lot like its predecessors, there are more differences than meet the eye. One external cue is the presence of the six scimitar-bladed Dowty composite propellers, but the engines driving them are not the Allison T-56 turboshafts that have powered previous Hercules variants for the past 63 years. No, the C-130J is powered by more powerful and efficient Rolls-Royce (Allison) AE 2100 D3 turboshaft engines housed in revised nacelles. Those revised nacelles are another spotter’s tell. The rest of the differences between the J and previous models are primarily systems upgrades.

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RAF Hercules C5 on approach.

From the Sales Brochure

The C-130J comes equipped with a Honeywell dual-embedded global positioning system / inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) along with an enhanced traffic alerting and collision avoidance system (E-TCAS), the SKE2000 station keeping system, the Northrop Grumman low-power color radar display with digital moving map, Elbit Systems global digital map unit, a ground collision avoidance system, the TacView portable mission display and InegrFlight commercial GPS landing system sensor unit, and an instrument landing system (ILS). In the cockpit the J model has dual Flight Dynamics head-up displays, four L-3 multifunction liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for flight control and navigation systems and additional LCDs for selectable systems displays. BAE Systems dual mission computers operate and monitor the aircraft systems and advise the crew of status. With all those black boxes the Super Herc should be able to fly itself!

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US Marine Corps KC-130J tankers in flight

Getting Defensive

Defensive systems on board C-130Js include the ATK AN/AAR-47 missile warning system, the BAE Systems AN/ALR-56M radar warning receiver, the BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions AN/ALE-47 countermeasures system that can select and deploy chaff, flares, and POET and GEN-X active expendable decoys. Also included in the C-130J defensive systems suite is the Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-157 Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM). Special missions C-130Js also sport next-generation radio frequency countermeasures (RFCM) systems designed to protect the Herc from anti-aircraft weapons, radars and other threats that use electromagnetic signals. The C-130J is not an easy aircraft to bring down.

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US Coast Guard HC-130J in flight

The Record-Setting Hercules

The Lockheed (Lockheed Martin) C-130 Hercules series of tactical airlifter aircraft has been in continuous production longer than any military aircraft in history and has been in continuous service for 63 years and counting. The first customer for the C-130J model was the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the United Kingdom, which ordered 25 aircraft, taking delivery beginning in 1999. The RAF designations for their C-130Js are Hercules C5 (C-130J) and Hercules C4 (C-130J-30). The C-130J-30 adds an additional 15 total feet of cargo hold length to the basic C-130J aircraft. What may have sold the RAF on the C-130J is its improved performance. The J model Herc has 40% more range, a 21% higher maximum speed, and a 41% shorter takeoff distance than the previous C-130E and C-130H models.

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US Air Force C-130J in flight

Operations Requiring Special Talents

Normally a crew of three can handle the C-130J- two pilots and one loadmaster. No navigator or flight engineer is required for standard C-130J cargo or transport missions. However, special missions J Hercs such as the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship, the EC-130J Commando Solo III broadcast communications bird, the MC-130J Commando II combat support tanker, the HC-130J Combat King II rescue support tanker, and the WC-130J Hurricane Hunter weather reconnaissance aircraft add additional systems and crew as necessary to perform their missions. These spec-ops birds are few in number but capable of many specialized high risk we-were-never-there missions.

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US Marine Corps KC-130J with ISR / Weapon Mission Kit installed. Note Hellfire missiles under port wing

Presto- Your Tanker is Now a Gunship

A unique capability of the Marine KC-130J tanker is the ability to add the ISR / Weapon Mission Kit. This kit enables the KC-130J to be able to serve as a gunship with the ability to fire Hellfire or Griffin missiles, deliver precision-guided bombs, and fire 30 millimeter cannon rounds at a variety of targets. Designated Harvest HAWK (Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit), the system can be added to or removed from the standard USMC KC-130J tanker in a single day. Though not equipped with quite the same sensors and systems as the Air Force Ghostriders, Marine Harvest HAWK KC-130Js pack quite a punch.

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US Air Force C-130J in flight

Bringing the Rain

C-130Js are used is to deploy The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS). MAFFS is a self-contained system that is loaded into the cargo hold of the C-130J (and other Herc variants) which adapts the Hercules to perform aerial tanker missions against wildfires. In turn the Hercules / MAFFS combination allows the United States Forest Service (USFS) to utilize Air Force Reserve (AFRES) and Air National Guard (ANG) Hercs as supplemental firefighting aircraft during peak fire conditions. The improved MAFFS II deployed for the first time aboard a C-130J during a July 2010 wildfire. The 146th Airlift Wing of the California Air National Guard was the first ANG or AFRES to transition to the MAFFS II system in 2008.

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US Air Force C-130J in flight

The International J

In addition to the United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps (the new Blue Angels support airlifter “Fat Albert” is a C-130J), and the United States Coast Guard, current and planned operators of the C-130J Super Hercules include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Norway, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tunisia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The more than 300 C-130Js built by Lockheed Martin have collectively amassed more than one million flight hours. C-130Js have also seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector against Libya were supported by C-130Js as well.

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US Coast Guard HC-130H (foreground) and HC-130J (background) in flight

The Rime of the Ancient Airlifter

Today the future for the Hercules looks bright. Make no mistake about the C-130J- it can do things few other airlifters can do. But the list of aircraft that have served as long as the Hercules has is mighty short. Someone always seems to be saying the Herc needs to be replaced. More than sixty years they say. Long in the tooth they say. Well the trouble with that is that even though a few have tried, no suitable replacement for this venerable airlifter has been rolled out yet. Let me know when that happens…if I’m still around myself that is!

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