Nashville International Airport (BNA) is celebrating a new transatlantic flight announcement for the second time in a week.
Just last week, BNA officials announced that Icelandair would commence European service from Music City in 2025. Aer Lingus is following in Icelandair’s footsteps, announcing it will begin nonstop flights to Dublin Airport (DUB) in Ireland next April.
Aer Lingus and Icelandair Join British Airways at BNA
Dublin-Based Aer Lingus will use 184-seat A321neos for its Dublin to Nashville route | IMAGE: Aer Lingus
Dublin-based Aer Lingus and Icelandair will complement BNA’s existing (and only) transatlantic service offered by British Airways.
BNA-DUB flights will begin on 12 April 2025. The carrier will fly the route four times weekly: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flights will be operated by a narrowbody Airbus A321neo, which features 168 seats in economy and 16 lie-flat seats in Business Class.
A quick search on the Aer Lingus website shows Flight 76 departing from BNA at 1840 and arriving in DUB the next morning at 0850. For the return trip, Flight 77 departs DUB at 1405 and arrives back at BNA at 1710.
Aer Lingus will join Icelandair as BNA’s newest European airline. On 26 September, BNA officials announced Icelandair will begin service to Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik on 16 May 2025. Icelandair will operate the flight four times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) with a Boeing 737-800 MAX. The seven-hour flight will feature 144 economy seats and 16 seats in Icelandair’s business class product, Saga Premium.
Currently, only British Airways offers transatlantic flights from BNA, with daily service to London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The carrier recently upgauged from a Boeing 787-8 to the larger capacity Boeing 777-200, which features 272 seats and its Club Suite premium product.
A British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at the gate at BNA | IMAGE: Nashville International Airport on Facebook
British Airways first began flying out of BNA in 2018. However, the carrier suspended operations twice between 2020 and 2022 before what appears to be a permanent stay in Music City. Prior to British Airways’ arrival in 2018, BNA had been without transatlantic flights for 22 years.
Southwest Adds International and Domestic Routes from BNA
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX (N8735L) taxis at BNA | IMAGE: Nashville International Airport on Facebook
Not to be outdone, Southwest is also adding international capacity at BNA. The carrier announced in late August that it will begin nonstop service between BNA and Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Service to both cities will begin on 8 March 2025.
Southwest’s international expansion at BNA comes amid domestic expansion for the carrier. On 25 September, Southwest unveiled six new destinations from BNA, including:
Albuquerque, N.M. | Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
Albany, N.Y. | Albany International Airport (ALB)
Jackson, Miss. | Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN)
Memphis, Tenn. | Memphis International Airport (MEM)
Providence, R.I. | Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD)
Tulsa, Okla. | Tulsa International Airport (TUL)
In addition, Southwest recently announced new service to Indianapolis International Airport (IND) from BNA starting on 6 March 2025.
Southwest’s robust Music City expansion comes on the heels of the opening of its 12th crew base at BNA in May 2024.
Canada and Mexico Are In, Germany Is Out
An Air Canada Airbus A220-300 and an American Airlines Airbus A319 rest at the new international terminal at BNA | IMAGE: Nashville International Airport on Facebook
Other international service at BNA includes routes to six Canadian destinations operated by WestJet, Flair, or Air Canada. BNA also boasts nonstop flights to Cancun, Mexico (CUN) with Southwest, American (seasonal), and VivaAerobus (seasonal).
BNA appeared to be on the cusp of announcing service to Frankfurt, Germany, with German carrier Discover Airlines. However, plans for this service came to an abrupt halt last month.
Nashville is Part of Aer Lingus’ North American Expansion Plan
Aer Lingus Airbus A330-200 “St. Columba” | IMAGE: Aer Lingus on Facebook
Aer Lingus’ plan to serve Nashville follows its continued North American expansion into mid-sized cities such as Cleveland (CLE), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), Denver (DEN), and Hartford (BDL).
Including Nashville, Aer Lingus will serve 17 US destinations and one Canadian destination from either Dublin, Shannon (SNN), or Manchester, England (MAN). The list of North American destinations include:
Boston (BOS) *from DUB and SNN
Chicago (ORD)
Cleveland (CLE)
Denver (DEN)
Hartford (BDL)
Las Vegas (LAS)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Miami (MIA)
Minneapolis (MSP)
Newark (EWR)
New York (JFK) *from DUB, SNN, and MAN
Orlando (MCO) *from DUB and MAN
Philadelphia (PHL)
San Francisco (SFO)
Seattle (SEA)
Toronto (YYZ)
Washington Dulles (IAD)
Globally, Aer Lingus serves 97 destinations with a fleet of Airbus A320s, A321s, and A330s.
Reserved For When You Absolutely Positively Had to Get to WestPac ASAP
Fleet Tactical Support Squadron FIVE ZERO (VRC-50) Foo Dogs flew a variety of aircraft between their establishment in 1966 and their disestablishment in 1994. They were redesignated as a Fleet Logistics Support Squadron in 1976. The squadron flew Grumman C-1A Traders and C-2A Greyhounds, North American CT-39 Sabreliners, and Lockheed C-130F Hercules airlifters. But one of the most interesting, and little known, aircraft flown by the Foo Dogs was the Lockheed US-3A Viking Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) variant.
VRC-50 US-3A unfolds at Cubi Point. Image via US Navy
There Can Be Only Six
One reason the US-3A is not exactly a household name is that Lockheed built only six of them. They built a total of 188 S-3 airframes. Most of them were S-3A/S-3B Viking antisubmarine warfare (ASW) jets. Sixteen of those were converted into ES-3A Shadow electronic intelligence (ELINT) variants. But only six US-3A COD variants were built. Five out of the six were converted from early pre-production flight test aircraft. One reason Lockheed was able to do this was the uncommonly smooth development cycle of the Viking. Another reason is that the US-3A was the follow-up to an entirely different Lockheed COD proposal. Well, not entirely…
VRC-50 US-3A aboard the Midway. Image via US Navy
Successful COD Formulas
Lockheed recognized the success Grumman experienced with their C-1A Trader COD aircraft, developed from their S-2 Tracker ASW platform and sharing many of its components but with a modified higher-volume fuselage. The C-2A Greyhound was developed from the E-2 Hawkeye. So Lockheed proposed an offshoot of the Viking sharing some components but with a larger higher capacity fuselage, rear cargo ramp, and uprated engines. The Navy decided to continue with the C-2A as the primary COD solution, but saw the value in a small number of minimally modified Viking CODs. The result: the US-3A- sometimes referred to as Miss Piggy.
VRC-50 US-3As at Diego Garcia. Image via US navy
Built for WestPac and Beyond
All of the US-3A CODs served with VRC-50 out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Atsugi in Japan, NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines, Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) on Guam, and their homeport of NAS San Diego when not deployed, which really wasn’t very often. They also frequented places like Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean (or near enough, you can see it from there). These aircraft supported aircraft carriers serving in the Western Pacific (WestPac) and points further west- as far as the Gulf during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They were of course faster than their slightly larger contemporary, the Grumman C-2A Greyhound, but could not haul outsize cargo such as jet engines like the Greyhound (still – at least for now) can.
VRC-50 US-3As on the Hawk. Image via US Navy
Stripped-Down Heavy Hauler
US-3As were stripped of their ASW mission crew of a tactical coordinator (TACCO) and a sensor operator (SENSO) along with their crew stations and all mission-related equipment carried in the aft fuselage. This left enough room inside the stripped out Viking for six passengers seated on removable/reconfigurable seats and/or up to 4,680 pounds of cargo. Already longer-legged than the Greyhounds, US-3As also retained their ability to refuel in midair – extending their range even more. Unique to the US-3As were the 1/3-width window added to both sides of the forward fuselage. For VIPs who absolutely positively had to get there ASAP and for equally important but size-limited cargo, these white-painted Viking CODs were the way to go.
VRC-50 US-3A. Note the extra window. Image via US Navy/National Archives
The Blivets That Outlived Their Owners
Even the weapons bays of the US-3As were modified to carry cargo. US-3As also carried specially built cargo pods hung from their underwing pylons. These “blivets” were swapped with drop tanks when range was of paramount importance. After the US-3As were retired, the blivets were sometimes seen hung on fleet S-3A and S-3B Vikings. The US-3A Bureau Numbers (BuNos) were 157994, 157995, 157996, 157997, 157998, and 158868. The pre-production aircraft all served at one time or another with Viking Fleet Replacement Squadron (RAG) VS-41 Shamrocks before conversion to US-3A and many went back to VS-41 after they were retired by VRC-50 during the mid-1990s.
VS-24 Scouts S-3A Viking with a blivet underwing. Image via US Navy
Could Have Been a Whole New Texaco
157998 served briefly with VS-21 Fighting Redtails, VS-31 Topcats, VS-37 Sawbucks, VS-28 Gamblers, and VS-33 Screwbirds configured as a US-3A between 1979 and 1981 before going to VRC-50. 157996 was also the sole KS-3A Viking tanker demonstrator. The jet was configured with a retractable centerline drogue, conformal tanks in the weapons bay, extra-large drop tanks, and plumbing mods. During the late 1970s, the lone KS-3A refueled every Navy jet type equipped with a probe before duty with VRC-50. Unfortunately, 157996 was also the only US-3A loss. On 20 January 1989, 157996 went down at sea while on approach to Subic Bay, taking the lives of the crew of two flying the jet that day.
VRC-50 US-3A aboard the Lincoln. Image via US Navy
Languishing in the Desert But Not Ignored
At the time this piece was written there were 92 Viking airframes stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona. The recent announcement that the Navy has (finally) awarded a contract to build aerial refueling drones to extend the range of its short-legged tactical jets makes many wonder why those Vikings, many of which still have plenty of operating life left, haven’t been utilized. I know – it’s an old argument, but any discussion about Vikings is a good discussion. Because War Hoover. And Texaco. And Miss Piggy!
VRC-50 US-3A about to trap on the Lincoln. Image via US Navy
If You Want To Win At Aviation Trivia You’d Best Study the Skyshark
The Douglas A2D Skyshark is the answer to several aviation trivia questions. What aircraft came between the Douglas AD Skyraider and the A3D Skywarrior? The A2D Skyshark, of course.
What was the first gas turbine-powered prototype built for use on escort carriers? Also, the A2D Skyshark.
What Douglas product broke the streak of highly successful Navy and Marine Corps attack aircraft from the Skyraider to the Skyhawk? You guessed it—the Skyshark. But the Skyshark wasn’t a total waste…
Official US Navy Photograph
Trying to Compensate for Jet Engine Deficiencies
The A2D was developed in response to a request from the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) for a turbine-powered, propeller-driven attack aircraft. The request, put forth on 25 June 1945, came in part because BuAer realized that the jet engine designs of the day were far from fuel efficient enough to make operation of aircraft powered by them from aircraft carriers practical.
11 June 1947 was the next significant date in the Skyshark’s development- the Navy gave Douglas an initial order for a total of 12 A2D Skysharks. There was a plan in place to order 331 more of them…but the aircraft had to prove itself first.
Official US Navy Photograph
Intended for Use From CVEs
Another reason for BuAer’s insistence on turboprop power was the requirement for the aircraft to be capable of operation from Casablanca-class escort carriers. The AD Skyraider was underpowered and large for deployment aboard escort carriers. The biggest practical difference between piston engines and gas turbine or turboprop power was the power-to-weight ratio. When compared to reciprocating engines like the R-3350, the turboprop engine itself ran at near full power and RPM all the time, with delivered thrust being controlled by propeller pitch.
Official US Navy Photograph
Turbine Power Misapplied
There was certainly a family resemblance to the Skyraider from which the Skyshark was developed, but the Allison XT-40-A2 engine in the A2D, which consisted of two T38 engines linked to a common gearbox, produced more than twice the horsepower of the R-3350 in the Able Dog. The dual 14-foot contra-rotating propellers were required to handle all the additional horsepower and turn it into thrust. The thickness of the A2D wing root actually decreased by five percent, and the tail surface area and height increased substantially. The A2D ultimately became an almost entirely new aircraft.
Official US Navy Photograph
The Jets Finally Come Through
It took until 26 March 1950 to finalize the development of the engine and propeller. On that date, the XA2D-1 flew for the first time at Edwards Air Force Base. But only 14 flights, totaling 20 hours, later, the aircraft crashed, killing Navy test pilot Commander Hugh Wood.
It would take sixteen months to work through the cause of the crash and engineer fixes for the remaining XA2D-1s. At that time, sixteen months was an eternity in aerospace engineering, and the jet-powered aircraft being developed then effectively shot down the Skyshark.
Official US Navy Photograph
There Was No Quit in Douglas
However, the development of the A2D continued for some time. Allison finally delivered a production-spec engine in 1953. But while testing another XA2D-1 with the production-spec engine installed, that Skyshark shed its propellers due to a gearbox failure. When the Navy started mothballing the escort carriers, there was no longer any need for the A2D. Work on the Skyshark still continued, but when Douglas rolled out a ready-to-fly turbojet-powered A4D Skyhawk in 1954, it spelled the end for the Skyshark program.
Official US Navy Photograph
For Want of a Better Turbine Powerplant
Douglas built 12 A2D Skysharks, including the two prototypes and 10 pre-production aircraft. Most were scrapped or destroyed in accidents, and only one has survived to this day. But the Skysharks flew for many months after the Navy formally terminated the A2D program in August of 1954—the same month that saw the first flight of a new turboprop airlifter, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
The following year, the Army was watching a demonstration of the first (of many to come) gas turbine-powered helicopter, the XH-40. You know that helicopter today as the Bell UH-1 Huey. And of course, Allison went on to produce turboprop power plants for thousands of aircraft.
FJ Furies Came in Several Flavors But All Were Mostly Sabres at Heart
North American Aviation (NAA) is justifiably famous for producing the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber and the P-51 Mustang fighter for the US Army Air Corps and later the US Air Force. However, when it came to producing carrier-based aircraft for the US Navy and Marine Corps, NAA’s significance faded in comparison to that of Douglas, Grumman, and Vought. In fact, NAA only produced one fighter for the Navy- the FJ series of jet-powered fighters.
FJ-1 Furies image via NNAM
Created from the Same DNA
NAA leveraged several assemblies from the P-51 Mustang to produce their first jet-powered fighter, the FJ-1 Fury. The straight-winged FJ-1 incorporated tail surfaces, wings, and a canopy/cockpit derived from the Mustang. But NAA didn’t limit this approach to their first Naval fighter design. The original design for the eventually legendary F-86 Sabre was essentially the same aircraft as the FJ-1. It wasn’t until swept wings replaced the straight wings on the Sabre and the Fury that either design became the jets we associate with those names today.
FJ-1 Fury image via NNAM
Going Straight
During late 1944, the US Navy was preparing for a potential invasion of Japan, likely sometime during late 1945 or early 1946. As a result of the need to have jet fighters available to the Navy for Operations Olympic and Coronet, the Navy ordered four carrier-based jet-powered fighters: The Vought XF6U-1 Pirate, the similar products from McDonnell, the McDonnell XFD-1 Phantom, the McDonnell XF2D-1 Banshee, and the North American XFJ-1 Fury.
FJ-1 Fury image via NNAM
The First Fury
NAA plan NA-134 produced the XFJ-1, a single-engine jet-powered design with low-mounted straight wings, conventional empennage with pronounced dihedral for the horizontal surfaces, and a straight-through engine intake/exhaust configuration. The wings had retractable, slatted air brakes on the upper and lower surfaces. Powered by a General Electric J35 axial-flow turbojet producing 4,000 pounds of thrust and armed with six .50 caliber machine guns, the XFJ-1 looked good enough that the Navy ordered 100 of them in May of 1945. The jet flew for the first time on 11 September 1946.
FJ-1 Fury on the boat image via NNAM
Heading to the Boat
Only 30 examples of the FJ-1 ever entered service with the Navy, all of them between October 1947 and April 1948 with VF-5A. On the production aircraft, the wing-mounted air brakes were replaced with fuselage-mounted air brakes. Like the early McDonnell F2H Banshees, the FJ-1 was equipped with a small wheel co-mounted on the modified nose wheel strut, allowing the jet to kneel with its nose low (and its tail elevated) so it could be tucked under the tail of the aircraft parked in front of it aboard the boat. On 16 March 1948, VF-5A operated from the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Boxer (CV-21) for the first time.
The Douglas A3D Skywarrior was the largest and heaviest aircraft to regularly operate from US Navy aircraft carriers. They were not restricted to the Forrestal-class “supercarriers” either. They operated from the Essex-class carriers fitted with angled decks and steam catapults, as well as the Midway-class carriers. Although fitted with folding wings and a folding vertical stabilizer, the Whale was still huge on a carrier deck.
VQ-2 EA-3B on deck. Image via US Navy
Skywarriors were modified to perform a number of roles in the fleet. While some early A3D-1s (later A-3As) were converted for specialist roles, the A3D-2 (later A-3B) was the basis for the majority of fleet Whales. A3D-2Ps (later RA-3Bs) were equipped with a photo reconnaissance package. A3D-2Qs (later EA-3Bs) were modified for electronic warfare/electronic intelligence (ELINT) work. KA-3Bs were tankers. EKA-3Bs were set up for both electronic warfare and tanking. Other Whale variants were built, but they seldom, if ever, saw a carrier deck.
VQ-1 EA-3B. Image via US Navy
The EA-3B was the longest-serving carrier-based variant. Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE (VQ-1) World Watchers and VQ-2 Batmen/Sandemen embarked detachments of EA-3Bs aboard carriers for decades. These two squadrons lost relatively few Whales while operating from carrier decks, but on 26 February 1970 VQ-2 lost EA-3B BuNo 144851 when a cold catapult shot put the jet into the water approximately 300 yards in front of the Midway-class carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42)- which promptly ran the inverted but partially intact aircraft over.
Lost that day were pilot Lieutenant Commander Roger B. Thrasher, navigator Lieutenant Thomas L. Walls, and Aviation Ordnanceman First Class Floyd R. Bond. Incredibly, even though he was run over by the ship and nearly chewed up in her screws, Plane Captain Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Sam Rozier survived!
VQ-2 EA-3B. Image via US Navy
On the night of 25 January 1987, EA-3B BuNo 144850 “Ranger 12” operating from the carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in the eastern Med made five passes at the ship before attempting to tank from a Vought A-7 Corsair IIcarrying a buddy store. Ranger 12 damaged the buddy store during the attempt, making a bingo departure to Crete impossible.
With no other tanker available in time, the carrier rigged the barricade and prepared to take the Whale aboard. However, the jet’s approach was slightly high, and the barricade was rigged too low, resulting in only the nose gear catching the top of the barricade. The jet was not arrested, but instead careened down the deck, breaking in half before going over the side.
VQ-2 EA-3B. Image via US Navy
But there was a glimmer of hope. The forward section of the Skywarrior remained afloat for nearly 13 minutes, during most of which a search and rescue (SAR) helo was overhead. But the crew did not make it out of the stricken jet.
Though the Nimitz searched for three days, no trace of the crew was ever found. Lost aboard Ranger 12 that night were pilot Lieutenant Alan A. Levine, navigator Lieutenant Commander Ronald R. Callander, intelligence evaluator Lieutenant Stephen H. Batchelder, junior evaluator Lieutenant James D. Richards, Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class Richard A. Herzing, and Cryptologic Technicians Third Class Patrick R. Price and Craig H. Rudolf. Herzing was aboard the jet that night in place of another AT so he could earn his coveted 100 Traps patch.
National Vigilance Park EA-3B display. Image via NSA
News of the loss of Ranger 12 was not widely released, at least in part due to the still-secret nature of the ill-fated Whale’s mission. However, the loss of Ranger 12 added another seven men to the list of 210 others who had lost their lives due to shootdowns or accidents while serving aboard US Navy airborne electronic reconnaissance/signals intelligence aircraft. Of course, other Skywarriors were also lost. The Navy retired the EA-3B in October 1991 after the last hurrah for the Whale– Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Today, an EA-3B Skywarrior is displayed in the National Security Agency’s National Vigilance Park and painted to represent Ranger 12 while serving aboard the Nimitz. A second EA-3B is displayed aboard the museum ship USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.
National Vigilance Park EA-3B dedication plaque. Image via NSA
With Performance To Burn and Armed Like a Battleship, The F7F was Limited to Land-Based Use for Most of its Service
World War II and postwar Grumman fighter aircraft were always named for cats. Wildcat, Hellcat, Bearcat, Panther, Cougar, Tiger, Tomcat…you get the idea. One of the lesser known but perhaps the most impressive of the Grumman cats was the F7F Tigercat. Developed during World War II as an escort or convoy fighter, the Tigercat was produced in small numbers but was one of the most aesthetically pleasing designs ever to come off the drafting tables at Grumman.
Official US Navy Photograph
The First Tomcat
Grumman was granted a contract for the XF7F-1 Tomcat (yes…Tomcat) in June of 1941. The aircraft was designed to, according to Grumman, “outperform and outgun all existing fighter aircraft.” They drew a lithe and graceful looking twin piston-engined airframe that carried four wing root-mounted 20 millimeter cannons and four fuselage-mounted .50 caliber machine guns. They also designed in wing and fuselage hard points in order to mount rockets and bombs- even torpedoes.
And those twin engines were none other than the ultra-reliable and commonly available Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 2,100-horsepower radials turning three-bladed propellers. The Tigercat was the first carrier-based aircraft equipped with tricycle landing gear.
Official US Navy Photograph
“The Best Damned Fighter”
Navy ace Test pilot Captain Fred Trapnell, who flew the F7F for the first time on 2 November 1943, remarked that it was the “best damned fighter” he had ever flown. The 4,200 available horsepower was said to provide excellent acceleration and short takeoff rolls on standard days. Even today, the performance of the Tigercat makes it a coveted warbird, competitive racer, and thrilling airshow performer. However, the twin engines, heavy armament, and inherent flexibility of the design also brought drawbacks.
Official US Navy Photograph
The Drawbacks of a Sweet Design
Heavy weight, high approach and landing speeds…not conducive to carrier operations- even from the envisioned Midway-class super carriers. Although the Tigercat was 71 miles per hour faster at sea level than the gold standard of the day —the Grumman F6F Hellcat —it would be a challenge to operate them from flat-tops. Fairly early during development, the name of the aircraft was changed to Tigercat.
The Tomcat moniker would be used for the Grumman F-14- the next twin-engine Grumman Naval fighter aircraft. Deliveries of F7Fs began in mid-1944, but the aircraft did not see combat before the end of the war.
Official US Marine Corps Photograph
Not the Best Damned Fighter for Carriers
Although the F7F was heavy and fast on approach, it failed carrier suitability testing due to poor single-engine directional stability and tailhook design issues.
Many production F7F-1Ns and F7F-2Ns were fitted with the Sperry APS-6 intercept radar and utilized by the Marine Corps from land bases. F7F-2Ns also carried a dedicated radar operator. The F7F-3 variant was powered by uprated R-2800-34W engines and modified to address the initial carrier suitability issues; however, it also failed due to wing structure and loading problems. However, F7F-3s were built and used as single-seat day fighter-bombers (F7F-3), two-seat night fighters (F7F-3N), photographic reconnaissance aircraft (F7F-3P), and electronic warfare variants (F7F-3E).
Official US Navy Photograph via Ray Wagner
Not Exactly a Huge Victory Tally
Operationally, the Tigercat saw combat during the Korean War with Marine Corps Night Fighter Squadron VMF(N)-513 Flying Nightmares. Their F7F-3N Tigercats flew night interdiction, night interceptor, and day fighter missions early in the war. The Flying Nightmares shot down a pair of North Korean Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes during their combat in Korea. However, these were the only aircraft shot down by VMF(N)-513, and they were the only squadron to see combat in Korea.
Official US Navy Photograph via Ray Wagner
Improvements Came Too Late
By the time the F7F-4N two-seat night fighter model was introduced, it had been sufficiently upgraded to pass carrier suitability trials. However, by then, Grumman was already focused on its next generation of fighters – jets like the F9F Panther. The F7F-4N was the final variant of the Tigercat and a carrier-based two-seat night fighter. However, of the 364 Tigercats completed when production ended in 1946, only 13 were F7F-4N models. Many of the remaining F7Fs were used as drone control aircraft, and several flew as fire-bombers primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, there are at least seven Tigercats flying in civilian hands and several others on static display.
Official US Navy Photograph
BONUS VIDEO
Here’s a video of a gorgeous restored warbird F7F uploaded by none other than Planes of Fame
Lessons Learned Designing and Building the XB-19 Were Applied to the B-29 and the B-36
The Douglas XB-19 was the largest four-engine propeller-driven aircraft ever flown. It was the largest American aircraft flown until the Consolidated B-36 Peacemaker appeared in 1946. Until then, it dwarfed almost every other aircraft in the world by a considerable margin and wasn’t much smaller than the B-36. However, even though only one example was built and the design never went into production, a considerable amount of the engineering required to get the aircraft in the air was later applied to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress as well as the Peacemaker. And Project D definitely took the best Douglas had.
Boeing B-29 in flight. Image via NMUSAF
Top Secret Project D
Project D was a Top Secret US Army Air Corps project intended to push the limits of the envelope and discover the limits of aeronautical engineering when it came to long-range bomber aircraft. Project D began on 5 February 1935. Only Douglas and Sikorsky showed interest in the project. The Douglas design received the designation XBLR-2 (Experimental Bomber Long Range-2) on 9 July 1935. Sikorsky’s design was designated XBLR-3. Douglas built a vast new hangar to house the project. Wooden mockups of both designs were inspected in March 1936.
XB-19 under construction. Image via NMUSAF
Bigger Takes Longer
The Douglas design was chosen over the Sikorsky XBLR-3 design, and work on the XBLR-2 continued, albeit slowly. The original completion target was 31 March 1938. This proved to be an unrealistic goal. One reason was that the gigantic aircraft was to be equipped with fully retractable tricycle landing gear- a first for an aircraft of such size and weight. In addition, the state of the economy (and lack of funds for aeronautical research and development) during the late 1930s, as well as the other challenges associated with designing and building such a massive aircraft, and delay after delay beset the program.
XB-19 under construction. Image via Boeing
Delays Delays Delays
Another challenge was the powerplants intended for use on the XBLR-2. As originally drawn, the aircraft was to be powered by six engines of at least 2,000 horsepower each. By the time construction began, the bomber was to be powered by four Allison XV-3420-1 V24 cylinder liquid-cooled inline engines.
The XV-3420 was essentially a pair of Allison V-1710 V12 cylinder liquid-cooled inline engines co-mounted and coupled via a gearbox to drive a single propeller. However, on 2 November 1936, Douglas decided to use four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engines instead of the Allison powerplants. Delays delays delays.
XB-19 Image via Boeing
Funded, Then Nearly Cancelled
Now designated the XB-19, the big Douglas bomber was finally funded on 8 March 1938. Douglas, already working on other designs that would eventually help win World War II, and straining to manage all of the critical work, recognized the limited benefit of continuing work on the XB-19. Douglas recommended the project’s cancellation, but the US Army Materiel Division wouldn’t quit on the XB-19. But they did remove the XB-19 from the list of secret projects in 1940. This resulted in quite a bit of attention from the aviation press.
XB-19 appearing in a Coca-Cola ad. Image via Smithsonian
One of a Kind Monster
When completed in May of 1941, the XB-19 was a low-winged monoplane sitting on single-wheel tricycle landing gear with a wingspan of 212 feet. These wings were tapered with a straight trailing edge, swept back leading edge, a conventional empennage, and a maximum gross weight of 162,000 pounds.
The XB-19 was powered by those four nacelle-mounted Wright R-3350-5 radial engines rated at 2000 horsepower each at takeoff, turning three-bladed constant-speed propellers 17 feet in diameter. Total internal fuel capacity was 10,350 US gallons and could be augmented with an 824-gallon tank in the bomb bay. The XB-19’s maximum 37,100-pound ordnance payload could be carried in the bomb bay and/or on up to ten underwing racks.
XB-19 tail. Image via Boeing
Firepower Aloft
The XB-19 was designed to bristle with defensive firepower fairly. Thirty-seven millimeter cannons and .30 caliber machine guns were to be mounted in the nose and forward dorsal turrets. Single .50 caliber machine guns were to be mounted in the tail, rear dorsal turret, ventral turret, and waist gunner’s positions on either side of the fuselage.
Single .30 caliber machine guns were to be mounted on both sides of the nose and just forward of both horizontal stabilizers aft. The XB-19 was to be crewed by a total of 16- pilot, copilot, aircraft commander, navigator, flight engineer, radio operator, bombardier, and as many as nine gunners.
XB-19 in flight. Image via NMUSAF
First Flight to the Army
The 55-minute first flight of the XB-19, USAAC serial 38-471, took place on 27 June 1941. The ginormous bomber was flown from Clover Field in Santa Monica over the March Army Airfield near Riverside so the Army Air Corps could begin evaluating it. Thirty hours of flight test time later, the XB-19 was tentatively accepted in October of 1941. But the attack on Pearl Harbor changed things up. The XB-19 was painted in olive drab over gray camouflage, its defensive armament was installed, and only four more test flights were conducted out west before the aircraft moved to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, on 23 January 1942.
XB-19 in flight. Image via NMUSAF
Initial Testing
It wasn’t until modifications, including the addition of improved brakes, took place that the Army Air Corps formally accepted the XB-19 in June 1942. With the exception of engine cooling challenges, which required the engine cooling flaps to be kept open during long flights and a 20-mile-per-hour reduction in maximum speed at 15,700 feet, the XB-19 proved to be relatively trouble-free during subsequent test flights.
XB-19A in flight. Image via NMUSAF
Fitted With the Original Engines
Ironically, after the XB-19 completed its flight testing in 1943, it was fitted with four 2600-horsepower Allison V-3420-11 turbo-supercharged, twenty-four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engines turning four-bladed propellers 19 feet in diameter. These engines were the production version of the engine that had originally been specified for the aircraft.
After the engine mods, the aircraft’s designation was changed to XB-19A. The XB-19A’s maximum speed rose by 50 to 275 miles per hour- still far slower than that of the B-29 and the eventual B-36. The XB-19A was then modified for use as a cargo carrier and flew critical war materiel back and forth across the country for the duration of World War II.
XB-19A in flight. Image via NMUSAF
The End of the Giant
The XB-19A took its last flight on 17 August 1946 when it was flown from Wright Field to Davis-Monthan Field in Arizona and placed in storage. It was scrapped there in June of 1949. The B-36 had flown for the first time nine days earlier.
XB-19A Image via NMUSAF
The XB-19 Compared to the B-29 and the B-36
So let’s compare the XB-19 with the B-29 and the B-36. At just over 132 feet, the XB-19 was 33 feet longer than the B-29 and 30 feet shorter than the B-36. At nearly 43 feet tall, the XB-19 was 15 feet taller than the B-29 but only four feet shorter than the B-36.
The XB-19’s wingspan was 212 feet, 71 feet longer than that of the B-29 and only 18 feet shorter than that of the B-36. The XB-19’s wing area was 4,492 square feet- about 2,756 square feet more than that of the B-29 and only about 300 square feet less than that of the B-36.
B-29 (left) and B-36 (right). Image via NMUSAF
The XB-19 weighed in (empty at 86,000 pounds, which was 11,500 pounds more than the B-29 and roughly half the weight of the B-36. The XB-19’s loaded weight was 39,000 pounds greater than that of the B-29, but only a quarter of what the B-36 weighed loaded. Range was only 350 miles longer than the B-29 and 300 miles shorter than the B-36.
The XB-19’s service ceiling was 8,000 feet higher than that of the B-29 and 4,000 feet lower than that of the B-36. Of course, the XB-19 could not reach the speeds both the B-29 and the B-36 were capable of. But in sheer size, it didn’t give up much to the B-36.
XB-19 in flight. Image via NMUSAF
XB-19 Trivia
In 1939, even before the XB-19 flew, it was estimated that the big bomber could also transport up to 215 fully-equipped soldiers.
By the time it flew for the first time, the formerly Top Secret bomber was so popular that President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent Donald Douglas a congratulatory telegram after the XB-19 made its maiden flight.
Although its massive size should have earned the XB-19 all manner of nicknames, there was never an official name given to the aircraft. It was referred to as a “flying laboratory” often. Behemoth seems to be the popular after-the-fact nickname.
[youtube id=”MKnnNJfVz7s” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”] Thanks to AIRBOYD.
The Douglas Aircraft Company actually lost money on the XB-19. The Army only paid Douglas $1,400,064 for the aircraft, but Douglas spent nearly $4,000,000 on the project.
After the XB-19’s initial flight, it became clear that there was some delay between control inputs and responses. Test pilot USAAC Major Stanley M Umstead said of the big aircraft’s controllability, “You soon learned how to get out of a difficult situation before you get there.”
xb-19 flight deck. Image via NMUSAF
The XB-19 had a special compartment in the fuselage above the bomb bay with eight seats, six bunks, and a full galley intended for the relief crew (a couple of inflight mechanics and up to six relievers) and for the regular crew to prepare meals in flight during the bomber’s (projected) 24-hour missions.
The XB-19 had passages built into the lower wings, which gave the inflight mechanics direct access to the engines and accessories/engine-driven systems while the massive bomber was aloft.
[youtube id=”kk9fiReRHFw” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”] Thanks to AIRBOYD.
Although the XB-19A was scrapped in 1949, its nose section inexplicably showed up in a scrap yard on Alameda Street in Los Angeles, where it remained visible until as late as 1955.
In early 1949, the US Air Force had plans to save the B-19 for eventual display, but at the time, the Air Force had no program to save historic aircraft, and the Air Force Museum had not yet been built. But although the aircraft was scrapped, two of its enormous eight-foot-tall main landing gear tires were saved. One was put on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base. The other has been on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force for many years.
XB-19 flies over Long Beach plant dedication. Image via Boeing
When the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber entered service with Strategic Air Command (SAC) in 1951, it was the first swept-wing jet-powered bomber in service. Conceived initially during World War II, the design underwent several modifications during development, including the addition of a swept wing.
Early on, it was discovered that the aircraft was capable of advanced maneuvers previously considered impossible for an aircraft of its size and weight. This video highlights a series of tests flown during 1954 to learn the practical limits of the aircraft’s maneuverability. Thanks to YouTuber ZenosWarbirds for uploading this fantastic look at the B-47 and its ability to fly like a fighter or a strategic bomber.
Official US Air Force Photograph
The B-47 Needed to be Maneuverable
A bomber with the B-47’s maneuverability would be able to deliver weaponry using toss bombing. Essentially, the bomber would approach the target at low altitude and high speed, initiate a steep vertical climb, and release the weapon using its own momentum to “toss” the weapon toward the target.
The bomber would then pull through the vertical and fly the remaining half-loop, ending up on the reciprocal heading used for the bombing run or chosen egress course. Performed at high speed, the egress after a toss-bombing delivery would expose the attacking bomber to the least possible blast effects from the delivered weapon upon detonation. Thankfully, no B-47 ever actually toss-bombed a real enemy target!
Essentially, all side-firing gunships utilize the same principle. An aircraft flying a fixed altitude banking turn around a point on the ground (read target) can deliver fairly accurate firepower to that target from side-mounted guns firing perpendicular to the line of flight. This concept was first proposed way back in 1926 and demonstrated the next year. However, the concept languished for many years but never completely disappeared. Several airmen later advanced the idea, but it didn’t come to fruition until the early 1960s with the Project Gunship I program.
AC-47D Spooky. Official US Air Force Photograph
Gunships Become De Rigueur
The Douglas AC-47D Spooky gunship, better known as Puff the Magic Dragon, proved its usefulness right from the beginning of its use in Vietnam during 1964. In late 1967, the development of the gunship continued with the Fairchild AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger– both developments of Fairchild’s C-119 Flying Boxcar tactical airlifter.
AC-119G Shadow. Official US Air Force Photograph
Filling a Critical Airlifter and Gunship Gap
The Project Gunship II Lockheed AC-130A Spectre was also in use at the time, but was in short supply due to the Air Force’s need for standard C-130 Hercules airlifters to support the war in Vietnam and meet worldwide airlift commitments. Therefore, the Wright R-3350-powered AC-119 was also selected for the gunship role. 26 of them were converted from Air Force Reserve C-119Gs to AC-119G standard, and heavily utilized in Southeast Asia beginning in 1968.
Four 7.62 millimeter Miniguns on board AC-119G. Official US Air Force Photograph
A Better Puff with More Dragon Magic
Project Gunship III AC-119Gs took over the combat role of the majority of the AC-47D Puff gunships, which were turned over to the South Vietnamese as they were replaced. A more advanced aircraft than the AC-47D to begin with, the more heavily armed AC-119G Shadow mounted four side-firing 7.62 millimeter six-barrel GAU-1/A miniguns as well as an AVQ-8 xenon light, night observation sighting equipment, and an automated LAU-74/A flare launcher. Shadows primarily provided support to troops in contact (TIC) and airborne base defense.
AC-119K Stinger. Official US Air Force Photograph
The Smart Gunship
The AC-119G was also equipped with a General Precision fire control computer as well as a TRW fire control safety display to prevent friendly-fire accidents. Internal power for all the new equipment was supplied by a Garrett Industries 60 KVA auxiliary power unit (APU)- the same model used in the Boeing 727 commercial airliner. Ceramic armor was added, and APR-25 and APR-26 electronic countermeasures (ECM) gear were installed for enhanced crew survivability. The AC-119G carried 31,500 rounds of ammunition and 24 flares on a typical night interdiction mission.
The Epicenter of US Air Force Test and Development – Edwards Air Force Base – Materialized From Near-Nothingness
To those who first see it, the northwestern Mojave Desert is a parched and forbidding wilderness of coyotes and jackrabbits, ragged greasewood, and, of course, Joshua trees. It is a harsh land of sometimes stunning contrasts: griddle-hot days and bone-chilling nights, violent dust storms, bewildering mirages, and mesmerizing sunsets. Sounds like a perfect place to put a base for testing–Edwards Air Force Base.
Part of the dry lakebed that houses Edwards Air Force Base | Image via National Archives
Until the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1876, the desert was primarily populated by occasional prospectors drifting endlessly in pursuit of elusive mineral wealth. In 1882, the Santa Fe Railroad ran a line westward out of Barstow toward Mojave and built a water stop at the edge of an immense dry lakebed called Rodriguez Dry Lake, roughly 20 miles southeast of Mojave. By the early 1900s, “Rodriguez” had been anglicized into “Rogers.”
Rogers “Dry” lake image via national archives
First formed in the Pleistocene Epoch and featuring an extremely flat, smooth and concrete-like surface, Rogers Dry Lakebed is a playa, or pluvial lake, that spreads out over 44 square miles, making it the largest such geological formation in the world.
Image via Mojave Desert Blog
The Homesteaders
In 1910, the Corum family settled at the edge of this lakebed. In addition to raising alfalfa and turkeys, they located other homesteaders in the area for a fee of $1 per acre. The Corum brothers earned contracts for drilling water wells and clearing land as those settlers moved in.
They also opened a general store and post office. Their request to have the post office stop named “Corum” was disallowed because there was already a Coram, Calif. So they simply reversed the spelling of their name and named it “Muroc.” Small, isolated homesteads dotted the land over the next 20 years.
image via national archives
The Airmen Arrive
The early homesteaders thought of Rogers Dry Lakebed as a wasteland. However, a visionary Airman commanding March Field, Lieutenant Colonel Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, saw it as a one-of-a-kind “natural aerodrome” that could be acquired at virtually no cost to the taxpayer.
Thus, Arnold established the Muroc Bombing and Gunnery Range in September 1933. This remote training site, now a small enclave within present-day Edwards, served the Army Air Corps’ bombers and fighters for several years.
The Muroc Bombing and Gunnery Range on the dry lakebed that would become Edwards Air Force Base | Image via National Archives
With the arrival of World War II, a permanent base sprang up to train combat flight crews. In July 1942, it was activated as a separate post and designated Muroc Army Air Base.
Throughout the war years, B-24s, B-25s, and other bombers thundered through the Muroc skies, and P-38s strafed the targets on the range as bomber crews and fighter pilots prepared to do battle overseas.
Muroc Maru image via national archives
For the Rest of the Edwards AFB Story Bang Next Page Below
Carrier Aviation in the late 1950s- Talk About a Time Machine!
Here’s a treat for all you Med Cruise veterans and late-50s carrier aviation fans. The video features the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CVA-15) and Carrier Air Group FOUR (CVG-4). The film, titled “A Force for Peace,” was shot during the 1957-1958 timeframe. The film features everything from Spads, Banshees, Cougars, and Furies to Whales, Fords, and Regulus missiles. The video was uploaded to YouTube by Periscope Film. Enjoy, and stick around for the lineups after the video.
The Randolph relieved the Forrestal-class aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) during July 0f 1957. Aboard the Forrestal during her 1957 Med Cruise was CVG-1 consisting of VF-14 Tophatters flying the McDonnell F3H-2N Demon, VF-84 Vagabonds flying the North American FJ-3M Fury, VA-76 Spirits flying the Grumman F9F-8B Cougar, VA-15 Valions flying the Douglas AD-6 Skyraider, and VAH-1 Smokin’ Tigers flying the Douglas A3D-1 Skywarrior.
USS Forrestal image via National Naval Aviation Museum (NNAM)
The Rest of Forrestal’s Air Wing
Also aboard Forrestal were Detachment 42 of VAW-12 Bats flying the Douglas AD-5W Skyraider, Detachment 42 of VA(AW)-33 Night Hawks flying the Douglas AD-5N Skyraider, Detachment 42 of VFP-62 Fighting Photos flying the McDonnell F2H-2P Banshee and the Douglas F3D-2T2 Skyknight, and Detachment 42 of HU-2 Fleet Angels flying the Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever.
FJ-3 Fury image via NNAM
Randolph Circa 1957
The Randolph’s 1957-1958 deployment with CVG-4 embarked began on 1 July 1957 and ended on 24 February 1958. With CVG-4 for this deployment were VF-22 Cavaliers flying the McDonnell F2H-4 Banshee (tail code AD), VF-173 Jesters flying the North American FJ-3M Fury (tail code AD), VA-45 Black Knights flying the Douglas AD-6 Skyraider (tail code AD), and Detachment 36 of VAH-7 Go Devils flying the massive North American AJ-2 Savage (tail code GL).
AJ-2 Savage image via NNAM
Detachments
Also aboard the Randolph for this Med Cruise were Detachment 36 of VAW-12 Bats flying the Douglas AD-5W Skyraider (tail code GD), Detachment 36 of VA(AW)- 33 Night Hawks flying the Douglas AD-5N Skyraider (tail code GE), Detachment 36 of VFP-62 Fighting Photos flying the Grumman F9F-8P Cougar (tail code GA), Detachment 36 of GMGRU-2 Redtails flying the North American FJ-3D Fury, and Detachment 36 of HU-2 Fleet Angels flying the Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever. After the conclusion of this deployment VF-22 and VF-173 were disestablished. VA(AW)-33 was redesignated VAW-33 in 1959. CVG-4 was redesignated Reserve Carrier air Group FOUR (RCVW-4) after this deployment.
VR-24 DET TF-1 Trader image via NNAM
The Roosevelt Makes an Appearance
A VR-24 DET Lifting Eagles Grumman TF-1 Trader (tail code RD) makes a brief appearance in the film. Intermingled with the footage shot aboard the Randolph is some footage shot aboard the Midway-class carrier USS Franklin D Roosevelt (CV-42). In that footage are shots of CVG-17 aircraft (tail code AL). During the Roosevelt’s 1957-1958 Med Cruise CVG-17 consisted of VF-171 Aces flying the McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, VF-74 Be-Devilers flying the Douglas F4D-1 Skyray, VAH-3 Sea Dragons flying the Douglas A3D Skywarrior, and VA-175 Devil’s Diplomats flying the Douglas AD-6 Skyraider.
HUP-2 Retriever image via NNAM
More Roosevelt Air Wing Squadrons
Also aboard the Roosevelt in the Med at the time were Detachment 37 of VFP-62 Fighting Photos Flying the F2H-2P Banshee, Detachment 37 of VA(AW)-33 Knight Hawks flying the AD-5N Skyraider, Detachment 37 of VAW-12 Bats flying the AD-5W Skyraider, and Detachment 37 of HU-2 Fleet Angels flying the Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever. This was VAH-3’s last deployment before becoming a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for the A3D Skywarrior. VF-171 and VA-175 were disestablished after this deployment.
AD-6 and AD-5W image via NNAM
Flagships and Escorts
Also appearing in the film are the Des Moines-class heavy cruiser USS Salem (CA-139)- Sixth Fleet flagship, the Gearing-class destroyers USS Gearing (DD-710), USS Vogelgesang (DD-862), USS Harold J Ellison (DD-864), USS Dyess (DD-880), USS Bordelon (DD-881), and USS Furse (DD-882), along with the Fletcher-class destroyers USS Eaton (DD-510) and USS William D Porter (DD-579).
USS Randolph CVS-15 image via nnam
Randolph the Sub Hunter-Killer
After her 1957-1958 Med Cruise the Randolph went back to the Med as a CVA one more time with CVG-7 embarked. She was then redesignated an antisubmarine carrier (CVS-15) and deployed (again to the Med) several times with antisubmarine air groups CVSG-58 or CVSG-60 consisting primarily of Grumman S2F/S-2 Trackers, Grumman WF-2/E-1B Tracers, and Sikorsky HSS-2/SH-3 Sea King helicopters until her last deployment, which concluded on 1 September 1966.
After more than 40 tremendous years of service, the Air Force today flew its last KC-10 Extender.
The 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB, CA is the last active-duty wing to operate the KC-10, and held a ceremony Sep 26 to thank its history and bid farewell to the aircraft.
kc-10 farewell ceremony
Most KC-10s are already retired and stored at the Davis-Monthan AFB “Boneyard” in Arizona. The aircraft that flew today’s last mission, named Excalibur, will soon end up in the boneyard too.
F-15 fighters from the local CA Air National Guard flew alongside Excalibur as it made its final flight over the base.
Crowds wait for 1 final walk through tour of the plane at travis afb sep 25, 2024 (usaf photo)
Retirement of the aircraft comes as the USAF transitions to the KC-46 Pegasus. It’s part of the Air Force’s recapitalization of its tanker fleet.
KC-10s were workhorses of the USAF for decades
The plane was a workhorse of the USAF for decades. It was vital in the U.S. military’s global reach and power projection capabilities. They had a long range and carried a large fuel load. It was common for crews to spend 12 hours or more on a single sortie.
Official US Air Force photograph
The massive aircraft is best know for its primary role as an aerial refueler, but it’s also great for moving large loads of cargo and passengers. Its cargo capacity nearly matches the C-17.
The aircraft was critical in supporting combat missions, but it also served well in humanitarian support. It could move tons of food, water, meds, clothing, blankets, construction equipment, roof trusses… virtually anything needed for a humanitarian mission, anywhere.
Usaf KC-10 Extender over Southwest Asia (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby)
Needless to say, the KC-10 fleet was not retired for poor performance, but budget pressures. The fleet was relatively small compared to the KC-135. The KC-46 replacing the KC-10 reduces the total types of tankers in the Air Force fleet from three to two.
The KC-10 might live on flying commercially
They may be done as USAF planes, but the KC-10 might make a comeback commercially. Air Mobility Command has been exploring the idea of commercial aerial refueling.
KC-10 REFUELING a b-52 (usaf photo)
The USAF says there is enormous value in aircraft that have the potential to provide readiness in the commercial sector. Initial work on the idea for the KC-10 has already begun.
Also, KC-10s going into commercial operations would not require any modifications to be able to conduct air refueling or cargo missions.
A COMMERCIAL KDC‐10 TANKER AIRCRAFT REFUELS A U.S. AIR FORCE F‐16 FIGHTING FALCON FROM THE 51ST FIGHTER WING, ENROUTE COMMANDO SLING 23 AT PAYA LEBAR AIR BASE, SINGAPORE, NOV. 6, 2023. THIS WAS THE FIRST EVER CONTRACTED AERIAL REFUELING OF USAF FIGHTERS (COURTESY PHOTO)
The DOD already uses two commercial companies for aerial refueling
Currently, Omega Air and Metrea are already serving commercial aerial refueling needs for the DOD, with tankers acquired from other nations. In service to the U.S. they cannot refuel planes supporting combat; they can only refuel for training or exercises.
The Navy and Marine Corps have been using commercial refuelers for nearly 20 years.
“Leveraging the capability of commercial air-to-air refueling allows the USAF to increase warfighter readiness in the priority theater and around the globe,” says the USAF.
The 1978 Midair Collision Over San Diego Was Entirely Avoidable
At 0834 local time on 25 September 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) Flight 182 departed Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) bound for Lindbergh Field (now San Diego International Airport- KSAN). The flight originated in Sacramento (KSMF) and stopped at KLAX before heading south to San Diego. The flight was a Boeing 727-214 serial number 19688/589 registered as N533PS. The jet had 24,088 hours on the clock over 36,557 cycles and had flown for the first time on 4 June 1968.
PSA 727-200 by Piergiuliano Chesi [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Experienced Pilots in the Cessna 172
At 0816 local time, Cessna 172 N7711G took off from Montgomery Field about 6 miles north of San Diego. The aircraft, owned by Gibbs Flite Center and flown by a pair of experienced licensed pilots with more than 5,500 hours of flight time between them, shot a couple of practice ILS approaches on Runway 9 at Lindbergh Field- the only airport equipped with an ILS system in the area that fateful morning. N7711G was instructed to maintain visual flight rules (VFR) at or below 3,500 feet and to fly a course of 070.
Cessna 172 By Cory W. Watts from Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America (A 172 on final) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Even More Experienced Pilots in the 727
PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727-200, was operated that morning by a San Diego–based crew: Captain James McFeron, 42; First Officer Robert Fox, 38, who was at the controls; and Flight Engineer Martin Wahne, 44. Off-duty Captain Spencer Nelson occupied the cockpit jump seat. On board were 127 passengers, including 29 PSA employees.
Like most mornings in the San Diego area, the weather that morning was clear and sunny with a visibility of 10 miles. Near CAVU. The 727 was cleared for approach on runway 27 and informed of the traffic in front of them on a reciprocal course, as was the Cessna. The two aircraft should have been able to maintain separation visually. But sadly, they did not.
PSA Boeing 727-200. Image via Wikipedia in public domain.
The Impact
At 0901 local time, the aircraft collided at an altitude of approximately 2,600 feet. Flight 182 was descending on their approach to Lindbergh and overtook the Cessna, which was climbing wings level. N7711G broke up immediately after impact. The 727’s inner right wing was heavily damaged, causing the wing fuel tank to leak and burn. The 727 entered a shallow right-banked turn and descended until it crashed into North Park in San Diego, approximately three miles from Lindbergh Field.
The Cessna came down approximately ¾ of a mile from the 727. All souls on board both aircraft perished in the crash, along with seven people on the ground. There were nine injured on the ground, and at least 22 homes were affected by the impacts.
PSA Flight 182 descending out of control on 25 September 1978. Image via Hans Wendt.
The Blame
So how did this happen? According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), “The failure of the flightcrew of Flight 182 to comply with the provisions of a maintain-visual-separation clearance, including the requirement to inform the controller when visual contact was lost; and the air traffic control procedures in effect which authorized the controllers to use visual separation procedures in a terminal area environment when the capability was available to provide either lateral or vertical separation to either aircraft.
Contributing to the accident were (1) the failure of the controller to advise Flight 182 of the direction of movement of the Cessna; (2) the failure of the pilot of the Cessna to maintain his assigned heading; and (3) the improper resolution by the controller of the conflict alert.”
PSA Flight 182 descending out of control on 25 September 1978. Image via Hans Wendt.
The Unfortunate Record That Was Broken All Too Soon
At that time, the PSA Flight 182 crash was the deadliest commercial air disaster to occur in the United States. Sadly, it did not remain so for long. Just eight months later, on 25 May 1979, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 operating as American Airlines Flight 191 crashed after takeoff from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (KORD). The tragedy in San Diego remains the deadliest in California history. Here is a link to the NTSB Accident report.
With their innovative XA-45 attack aircraft, Martin was building on the success of their B-26 Marauder medium bomber. Conceived in 1945 as Martin’s answer to a US Army Air Force (USAAF) requirement for a low-level bomber, the aircraft featured a number of ground-breaking design characteristics.
When the war ended and the USAAF did away with the A prefix for attack aircraft, the jet became the XB-51. Due to its unique design, the aircraft graced many a magazine cover during the 1950s and even starred in a movie. Nice work if you can get it. But when the chips went down, things cooled in a hurry.
Martin XB-51. Image via USAF
Changing Missions = Changing Design
But I digress. At first, the XA-45 was designed with straight wings and was to be powered by a hybrid twin turboprop/twin turbojet installation. When the USAAF radically revised the requirements for the XA-45 in the spring of 1946, the aircraft’s mission changed to all-weather close-support bombing.
A higher-performance aircraft was needed.
At this point, the aircraft was redesignated as XB-51. The Air Force issued a contract for two XB-51s on 23 May 1946. As might be expected, their minds changed again in 1947- this time seeing the XB-51 as a low-altitude attack aircraft with a reduced combat radius. Once Martin assigned the project a model number (Model 234 in the case of the XB-51), things (finally) began to move forward.
Martin XB-51. Image via USAF
Precursor to Modern Three-Engine Designs
The Model 234 design featured variable-incidence wings swept at 35 degrees and a pronounced 6-degree anhedral. Full-span leading edge slats and trailing edge slotted flaps increased lift, resulting in shorter takeoffs. Spoilers and small ailerons were used for roll control. The empennage was configured as a swept T-tail.
The most unique feature of the design had to be the choice of three General Electric J47-GE-13 axial-flow turbojet engines- two housed in low-mounted pods on either side of the forward fuselage and the third in the tail of the aircraft breathing via an intake located at the base of the vertical stabilizer.
B-26 Middle River Stump Jumper. Image via USAF
Ahead of Its Time In Many Ways
Four rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) bottles supplied additional thrust for takeoff. The main landing gear wheels of the XB-51 were configured in tandem under the forward and mid fuselage with outrigger wheels mounted at the wingtips- similar to the Boeing B-47 and B-52. Martin tested this configuration on a modified B-26 nicknamed Middle RiverStump Jumper.
Other design characteristics of the jet were the near-nose bubble canopy under which the pilot sat. The second crew member, a bombardier, was seated inside the pressurized and climate-controlled fuselage below and behind the pilot.
Martin XB-51. Image via USAF
Exceeding Expectations
Both crew members were provided upward-firing Martin-designed ejection seats- a first for Martin aircraft. Other innovative features of the XB-51 were its rotary bomb bay (trademarked by Martin) and an external load capacity of 10,400 pounds. Also designed into the airframe were provisions for eight nose-mounted 20 millimeter cannons.
Performance of the jet was impressive, with a cruise speed of 532 miles per hour at altitude and a maximum speed of 645 miles per hour at sea level. The service ceiling was 40,500 feet and range was 1,075 miles- all exceeding the design requirements (which, remember, changed several times during development) by a fair margin.
Martin XB-51. Image via USAF
For the Rest of the XB-51 Story Bang NEXT PAGE Below.
Martin’s P4M Adapted to the Job That Was Available and Did That Risky Job Well
Martin’s P4M Mercator maritime reconnaissance aircraft was built as a potential replacement for the Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer but lost out to the Lockheed P2V Neptune for the role. Development of the aircraft, initially designated Project 219 by Martin, began all the way back in 1944. The resemblance between the Mercator and the Neptune was remarkable, especially to the early variants of the P2V. This would eventually play into the hands of the Mercators.
XP4M-1 Mercator. Image via US Navy
The Hybrid Design That Stuck Around
But wait- didn’t Mercator development end when the P2V was chosen as the Navy’s new long-range maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft? Not really. In fact, the Navy, somewhat quietly and with little fanfare, ordered 19 P4Ms. These aircraft were larger, heavier, considerably faster, and longer-legged than the Neptune. The P4M was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R4360 Wasp Major 28 cylinder radial piston engines turning four-bladed AeroProducts propellers. But mounted in the aft portion of those engine nacelles lurked a pair of Allison J33-A-23 turbojet engines. That’s right! The Mercator was a hybrid.
VP-21 P4M-1. Image via US Navy
Characteristics of a Cold War Warrior
The other design characteristics of the Mercator were similar in many ways to those of the Neptune. First flown on 20 October 1946, the XP4M-1’s performance did not disappoint. Distinguishing P4M features included different wing cross-sections inboard and outboard of the nacelles, a vertical stabilizer that was slightly offset from the fuselage centerline to counteract torque from the powerful piston engines, and a long internal bomb bay enabling the aircraft to carry a wider variety of ordnance and auxiliary fuel tanks internally.
The jet engines, whose intakes were located behind and below the radial engines, burned the same fuel as the piston engines, obviating the need for separate fuel systems. Production P4M-1s were to be armed with nose, dorsal, and tail gun turrets.
VP-21 P4M-1. Image via US Navy
Keeping It On the Down Low
The Navy, mindful of the fact that the Mercator’s bomb bay configuration and long range made it a capable high-speed aerial minelaying platform, quietly ordered 19 P4M-1s in 1947- the first of which rolled out in 1949.
These aircraft entered service with Patrol Squadron TWO ONE (VP-21) Black Jacks (call sign Airmail) on 28 June 1950. On 1 July 1951, the Black Jacks flew their Mercators from Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola in Florida to San Diego, then to NAS Alameda in California, and on to Seattle, Washington. That’s about 6,500 miles worth of flying, and VP-21 did it with every aircraft operational for every leg and nothing more than routine maintenance required.
P4M-1s were equipped with the same AN/APS-33 X-band airborne search radar as the Grumman S2F Tracker, the Neptune, and the Navy’s ZPG-1W and ZPK antisubmarine blimps.
P4M-1. Image via US Navy
Bumpy Lumpy Ferrets
Somehow, the Black Jacks also found time to deploy to NAS Port Lyautey in French Morocco. However, VP-21 transitioned to the Lockheed P2V-6 Neptunein February of 1953. The Mercator did replace the Privateer, but not as a maritime patrol and reconnaissance platform. The Mercators were modified to perform electronic reconnaissance/signals intelligence (SIGINT) work instead. Designated P4M-1Q, these “ferret” aircraft were equipped with all manner of electronic surveillance equipment along with crews expanded from nine to 14 or more to operate it. They also sprouted an assorted collection of lumps, bumps, and blades housing antennae and sensors.
VQ-2 P4M-1Q. Image via US Navy
Tickling Dragons and Bears
The crews assigned to fly P4M-1Qs trained with VC-11 Early Elevens at NAS Miramar in California before moving to their operational squadrons. The shadowy outfit eventually designated VQ-1 World Watchers operated P4M-1Qs out of NAS Sangley Point in the Philippines and later from NAS Iwakuni and NAS Atsugi in Japan.
They flew long-range missions off the coasts of China, Russia, North Korea, and Vietnam, among other places. Here, the resemblance to the P2V paid off. Mercators often impersonated Neptunes during their 14-hour missions- even going so far as to use Neptune-equipped Patrol Squadron call signs and wearing spurious Neptune squadron markings and Bureau Numbers (BuNos). It also helped that most of these missions meant to “tickle” enemy defenses were flown in the dead of moonless nights with navigation lights extinguished.
VQ-1 P4M-1Q. Image via US Navy
Costly Losses During Cold War Missions
Mercator missions were high-risk and not without loss. The 16-man crew of a VQ-1 Mercator was killed when it was attacked by Chinese fighters near Shanghai on 22 August 1956. Another VQ-1 P4M-1Q was heavily damaged by North Korean MiG-17 Frescoes on 16 June 1959. Another shadowy outfit, this one eventually designated VQ-2 Batmen, operated Mercators in the Atlantic and Mediterranean out of NAS Port Lyautey. VQ-2 lost a P4M-1Q with its entire crew when it crashed in the Mediterranean after being attacked by Soviet MiGs. VQ-2 lost a second aircraft and its pilot when it was forced to ditch in the Med on 6 February 1952.
P4M-1Q Mercator. Image via US Navy
Sterling, But Largely Unknown Service
Mercators did a risky but critically important mission during a time when the Cold War could suddenly go hot at the push of a button. Their crews were heroes who, for the most part, were and still are anonymous. However, their exploits are appreciated and respected by Cold Warriors.
By the time the 1950s drew to a close, the Mercators were being replaced by Lockheed WV-2Q (later EC-121M) Warning Stars, Douglas A3D-2Q (later EA-3B) Skywarriors, and a few still-shadowy World War II-vintage bombers used for the kind of very specialized electronic warfare for which the Mercators might not have been built, but to which they adapted quite well.
VQ-1 retired its last P4M-1Qs at NAS Atsugi on 2 July 1960. Not a single intact Mercator airframe remains- a sad epitaph for a special specialist aircraft.
North American’s B-45 Was the First of the “Class of 45” Jet Bombers, But It Didn’t Last
The North American B-45 Tornado racked up an impressive number for firsts. It was the United States Air Force’s (USAF) first 4 jet engine bomber and their first operational jet bomber. The B-45 was also the first jet powered bomber in the world to be refueled in midair. A B-45 became the first jet bomber to drop a nuclear weapon. But it was a time of firsts for jet-powered bombers. The B-45 was, for at least the first few years of its service existence, the only jet bomber game in town.
Arado ar 234 blitz image via smithsonian
Based on a Blitz
The impetus for the B-45 can be traced to the world’s first jet-powered bomber- Luftwaffe’s Arado Ar 234 Blitz. When the Blitz was evaluated it was decided the US Air Army Air Force needed a similar bomber. The B-45 turned out to be much more like the Blitz than any of the other “Class of 45” bombers in development at the time- the Consolidated XB-46, the Boeing B-47, and the Martin XB-48. On 8 September 1944 North American Aviation began construction of three NA-130-based prototypes at their plant in Inglewood CA.
XB-45 image via NMUSAF
Somebody Had to Be First
When World War II ended in 1945 aircraft development programs were cut back or canceled outright in droves. The XB-45 and XB-46 were both going to be nearly ready to fly by mid-1946. The XB-47 and the XB-48 were both still many months away from seeing their first flights. After a relatively short battle between the XB-45 and the XB-46, the XB-45 came out on top. So a contract for accelerated production of B-45As was signed on 2 January 1947- even before the XB-45 flew for the first time.
image via NMUSAF
Teething Troubles
Even though the XB-45 flew for the first time on 24 February 1947, and production B-45As entered service with the 47th Bombardment Group based at Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) in Louisiana in April of 1948, the Tornado was never going to be the jet bomber Boeing’s B-47 eventually became. The second batch of B-45As were powered by uprated and more reliable General Electric J47 axial flow turbojet engines, solving one problem, but the jet’s other shortcomings were too much to overcome. Only 143 B-45s were built- 71 fewer than its nearest analogue- the Arado Ar 234. 38 of those 143 airframes were dedicated aerial reconnaissance platforms.
Flightline photo of B-45As of the 47th Light Bomb Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Va., before trans-atlantic flight to Sculthorpe, England, in July 1952. Identifiable aircraft are (nearest to farthest) 47-082, 47-089, 47-050, 47-061, 47-058, 47-011, unknown, unknown, 47-059, 47-064, unknown. (U.S. Air Force photo)
North American Designed
Design highlights of the B-45 included shoulder-mounted straight wings with the four engines mounted in pairs in nacelles under the wings, a conventional empennage with pronounced dihedral for the horizontal stabilizers to clear the engine exhaust turbulence, a tandem cockpit with ejection seats for the pilots, and tricycle landing gear. The crew consisted of the two pilots, a bombardier seated in a transparent nose, and a tail gunner sitting in the extreme tail of the aircraft.
American flew the jet with just 56 first-class seats to destroy Legend Airlines
It might not seem that long ago, but back in the late 1990s, the airline industry was a much different competitive environment. A whole host of startup and emerging airlines focused on becoming successful low-cost carriers, including those operating Fokker F-100s.
They were competing against no less than eight major national airlines as well as established LLCs like Southwest Airlines, ATA, and America West. Airlines like Valujet (later AirTran), Vanguard, AirSouth, Frontier, and Midway Airlines offered a host of low-cost flight options to the traveling public. Many aimed to emulate the success of Southwest Airlines with low fares and frequent service. Most of these airlines competed on price and schedule.
Airfares were cheap, the economy was strong, and optimism reigned the day.
Enter Legend Airlines, a threat to American Airlines
In 1996, Dalfort Aviation and a group of partners announced that they would operate 56-seat aircraft from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to several business destinations. Utilizing the DC-9, they would ‘elevate’ the passenger experience with all first-class seats, fancy meals served on china, and live satellite TV in each seat—all from their brand new terminal built on the same land at Love Field where they had provided aircraft maintenance services for years. Flights would be priced near the same as a coach fare from DFW.
Screen shot of Legend Airlines DC-9 Informational website from 2000 with details on what made their service unique back when they introduced it in early 2000.
According to the Legend Airlines website back in 2000, “the idea for Legend Airlines was born in 1996, when a group of individuals who were fed up with the hassles of air travel felt it was time for an airline that offered business travelers a stress-free and productive travel experience.
They envisioned this airline would offer non-stop, long-haul service to major business destinations in the US, wider seats and better meals at competitive coach fares—all with the convenience of Dallas Love Field’s proximity to downtown Dallas and in compliance with the existing federal laws governing Love Field.”
The plan to fly such luxurious jets wasn’t altruistic. For years, Dallas Love Field was bound by the Wright Amendment. This Federal Law was a compromise between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, brokered by Congressman Jim Wright. When DFW was built, the original agreement was to end commercial service at Dallas Love Field once the new international airport opened. Every airline except upstart Southwest Airlines agreed to move to DFW.
After a lengthy legal battle, the compromise was that no airline could fly between the adjoining states of Texas unless it had 56 seats or fewer. For years, a detente existed between Southwest Airlines and DFW Airport. Southwest only flew to the adjoining states from Love Field and thrived.
Few other airlines bothered to compete against them. However, the wild and raucous 1990s gave rise to a couple of disruptive forces. First, the dot-com economy gave rise to the notion that wealth had become the new standard for many, and that budget-conscious travel was a thing of the past for the well-to-do professional. Also, American’s high-priced fortress hub at DFW meant that markets like Los Angeles and New York were ripe for disruption. Fares were too high, and the general perception was that airlines like American were taking their customers for granted.
What followed was a three-year-plus battle between American Airlines and Fort Worth, versus the City of Dallas and Legend Airlines. When the dust finally settled, Legend Airlines was able to begin service to Washington Dulles and Las Vegas on 5 April 2000, with plans to add service to Los Angeles and Chicago soon afterwards.
American Sends In Their F-100 Soldiers to defend their fortress hub
At the time, American Airlines had a fleet of 75 Fokker F-100 “Luxury Jets”. Back in the day, there were fewer regional jets in the market. CRJs and ERJs were actually a treat versus the prop planes that many passengers had to endure. They weren’t seen as the torture that they are today. American’s F-100, ‘jump jets’ or ‘Barbie jets’ as they were commonly referred, provided jet service to markets where aircraft any larger than 100 seats would prove to be unprofitable. It was almost a treat for a market that would otherwise be served by an ATR-72 or Saab prop plane.
American deployed these jets on routes like O’Hare to Dayton and DFW to Tulsa. But after Legend won the legal battle, American decided to go to war against Legend, an airline that they saw as a genuine threat to their business. American Airlines retrofitted a sub-fleet of Fokker F-100 jets with just 56 seats to Dallas Love (photo in the link) with the express purpose of competing with Legend Airlines.
Legend launched service on 5 April 2000. Less than a month later, American launched their service on the F-100s on 1 May 2000 to their prime business market of Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, and New York LaGuardia. American leveraged their frequent flyer program, brand recognition, and fleet to mount a massive challenge against the upstart. American offered all first-class service, including meals, wide seats, and frequent flyer miles, from Dallas Love Field.
Fokker F-100s defended their territory
Less than 7 months later, Legend Airlines folded. Fancy meals, a beautiful mahogany terminal, free papers, satellite TV, and first-class seats weren’t enough. Along with the downturn of the economy because of the dot com bust, American’s Fokker fleet of first-class jets was just too much for the upstart airline to handle. Legend Airlines officially suspended service on 3 December 2000.
American continued their service even after Legend folded to avoid any anti-trust acquisitions. American suspended their F-100 first-class service to O’Hare and Los Angeles just a year later. The official reason for the suspension was the events of 9/11, but it’s hard to argue that American would’ve continued to serve the Dallas market with such service if it weren’t for the threat that it faced from Legend.
An american Airlines F-100, Photo: Aero Icarus-Wikipedia
At the end of the day, American leveraged the Fokker F-100 fleet to defend their turf. Over the next decade, American employed similar tactics to defend against other threats. Eventually, DFW Airport became known as a fortress hub.
Airlines like Spirit, Delta, and Vanguard all faced American Airlines’ wrath as American successfully defended its hub even as the downturn of 9/11 and a recession hit. American’s Fokker fleet didn’t fare much better. By the end of 2004, the fleet had disappeared from the company’s roster. A combination of the economy and the cost of parts for the airliner, due to Fokker’s demise, led to the end of the Fokker F-100 fleet at American.
The Fokker did its job. It protected American Airlines against an outsider threat.
Several Videos Tell the Tale of Endeavour’s Epic Farewell Tour
On 21 September 2012, the space shuttle Endeavour made her final flight, a ferry flight, and tour of southern CA on the back of NASA’s modified 747 shuttle carrier aircraft (SCA) before landing one last time, destined as a museum piece for the California Science Center (CSC).
The four-hour, 34-minute flight began at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, then headed north to Sacramento, the state capital, then west to San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Moffett Field (home of NASA AMES), before heading back south and arriving at LAX that afternoon.
Once over the LA area, pilots Jeff Moultrie and Bill Rieke, both from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, took Endeavour over such landmarks as Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign, Dodger Stadium, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Malibu and Santa Monica, Disneyland and Universal Studios, SpaceX HQ, the Queen Mary and USS Iowa in Long Beach harbor, before conducting several low-level flyovers over LAX before touching down on Runway 25L at 12:51 p.m PDT.
The CSC was awarded Endeavour in April of 2011 after NASA held a nationwide competition to display their three retired orbiters. Shuttle Discovery was awarded to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and Atlantis was awarded to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Maybe a little-known fact to some, but the SCA displays the number of missions it has flown for the space shuttles. Photo Credit: Mike Killian
NASA’s orbiter test vehicle Enterprise, which was replaced by Discovery at the Smithsonian, was moved to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.
Houston got the SCA and an old mock space shuttle display from KSC, to the surprise of many. Wayne Hale published some interesting views and his thoughts as to why HERE, for anyone interested…
Endeavour’s last flight over CA culminated several days of cross-country flying. NASA wanted to give the public a chance to see the shuttle’s final days in the air, so it conducted low flybys of cities and landmarks with direct ties to the space shuttle program over its several decades of service to the nation and our allies.
Endeavour departs KSC for the final time. Photo: Mike Killian
Millions of residents came out to watch, and over a million more came out several weeks later to watch as the orbiter navigated through the streets of LA to reach the CCS from LAX.
Born from the ashes of Challenger, Endeavour OV-105 (NASA’s official identification for Endeavour) flew her last mission, STS-134, in May of 2011, closing out a 25-year career with NASA.
Between 1992 and 2011, she flew nearly 123 million miles in space, covering 25 missions and 4,600 orbits of the Earth.
In the early 1970s Saudi Arabia was looking to modernize its air force. they approached the USA and were presented with multiple options, including the McDonnell Douglas F-15 and F/A-18. The F-15 was chosen both for its overall greater capabilities and because the F/A-18 was not yet in production.
Despite opposition from some within the U.S. Congress, export of a slightly downgraded F-15 to Saudi Arabia was approved. In 1978, the Saudis placed an order for 60 aircraft, with an additional pair of jets added as attrition replacements. Under the first phase of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program dubbed ‘Peace Sun’, deliveries of the first Saudi F-15s began in 1982.
An F-15C on a delivery flight to Saudi Arabia, 1983 – USAF Photo
No Additional Saudi F-15s – For The Moment
A further 48 F-15s were requested by the Saudis in 1983, but this was denied. Amid concerns regarding the situation in the Middle East, the original sale of Saudi F-15s was limited to 60 aircraft. In the five years that had passed, those concerns had only heightened, and this second deal was shot down by Congress.
This rejection led the Saudis to look elsewhere for aircraft in a continued effort to modernize its air force. After considering several options they turned to the UK, who’d supplied them with the English Electric Lightning in the mid 1960s.
Saudi Lightning and F-15 – Royal Saudi Air Force photo
In 1985 a deal was struck that included 72 British-built Panavia Tornados. There were 48 Interdictor/Strike (IDS) and 24 Air Defense Variant (ADV) aircraft. The IDS jets would provide the Saudis with a much improved ground attack capability over their aging Northrop F-5s. And the ADVs would partially satisfy the Saudis’ need for more interceptors.
Saudi Tornado ADV during Desert Shield – US Air Force photo by TSGt. Hans H. Deffner
Saudis Extend Their Talons
An interesting chapter of the Saudi F-15 story took place on 5 June 1984. Two Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Eagles, an F-15C and F-15D, engaged two Iranian F-4Es over the Persian Gulf.
The war between Iran and Iraq was in full swing, and the Iranians were going after Iraqi-bound shipping in the gulf. The Iranian F-4s crossed into Saudi airspace, presumably to attack merchant ships in Saudi waters.
An Iranian F-4E Phantom II – Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force photo
Two RSAF F-15s were on a training flight with United States Air Force (USAF) KC-10 Extenders, practicing air refueling. They were vectored onto the F-4s by a USAF E-3 Sentry that was operating in the area.
US Air Force photo by MSGT. Val Gempis
Each F-15 fired an AIM-7 Sparrow, destroying one F-4 and damaging the other. The damaged jet was able to make it home but was apparently a total write off.
Two F-15s launch AIM-7 Sparrow radar-guided missiles – US Air Force photo (Altered)
Within half an hour, the Iranians sent 11 more F-4s up as a show of force and maybe with ideas of vengeance. But when the Saudis scrambled a like number of F-15s in response, cooler heads prevailed and the Iranians backed down.
Two things make this incident interesting beyond the norm. One: it was the first tme that two aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas opposed each other in an air fight. And two: a USAF pilot was riding backseat in the F-15D.
You may be wondering what that guy was doing there, and your author is willing to expound a bit. But… in another article, perhaps.
USAF photo by SSgt. Keifer Bowes
Peace Sun VI – More Saudi F-15s
Though that second deal for F-15s was denied, the USA continued to supply Saudi Arabia with other aircraft and arms under Peace Sun. Notable among these was the sale of five Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
That deal was as equally contested by Congress, but ultimately went through, as finally did an order in 1987 for 12 more Saudi F-15s. This was followed in September of 1990 by a transfer of 24 additional aircraft from United States Air Force (USAF) inventory.
An F-15C of the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron is Repainted at Soesterburg Air base, Netherlands prior to its transfer to the Royal Saudi Air Force, 1990 – US Air Force photo by SSGT. Mark Bucher
The transfer of USAF jets was largely in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Both deals were effected under Peace Sun VI.
Desert Storm – F-15s on the Defensive
A multi-national coalition was formed in response to the invasion of Kuwait. And over the final few months of 1990 a gradual buildup of coalition forces took place in the Persian Gulf region. Saudi Arabia was a key member of this coalition, and played host to the bulk of forces involved.
A Saudi F-15C Approaches a USAF KC-15 Stratotanker for Aerial refueling during Desert Shield, 1990 US Air Force photo by TSGt. Hans H. Deffner
When the Desert Storm air campaign began in January of 1991, most of the coalition air sorties were flown from Saudi bases. The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) played its part, both in the air and against ground targets.
Though RSAF Tornado IDS jets were in the thick of it, flying several thousand strike sorties, the Saudi F-15s played a strictly defensive role. They flew Combat Air Patrol (CAP) in defense of the Kingdom, usually far behind the battle lines, referred to as ‘goalie CAP’.
A Saudi F-15C during Desert Shield – US Air Force photo by TSGt. Hans H. Deffner
Bird of Prey: Saudi F-15s Get Into the Mix
On 24 January 1991, Captain (Capt.) Ayehid Salah al-Shamrani, an F-15C driver with 13 Squadron, RSAF had his moment in the limelight.
Flying out of King Abdulaziz Air Base, Capt. al-Shamrani was leading a four-jet CAP along the eastern Saudi coast that morning. A controller aboard a USAF E-3 Sentry vectored the Saudis toward unknown aircraft flying very low just off the coast.
An Undelivered Iraqi Mirage F.1EQ embargoed in France – Project 914 Archives
The controller guided the Eagles to an intercept, and the intruders were identified as a pair of Iraqi Mirage F.1EQs. Maneuvering in behind the Mirages, Capt. al-Shamrani closed to about 1000 yards before the Iraqis broke, one to the left, and the other right.
Captain Ayehid Salah al-Shamrani – Project 914 Archives
Capt. al-Shamrani engaged one Mirage with an AIM-9 Sidewinder, destroying it, Then, a few seconds later, he loosed another AIM-9 and splashed the second Mirage. These would be the only Saudi air kills of the war, and the only victories not scored by American pilots.
The F-15C Captain al-Shamrani flew that day – Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection)
Strike Eagles for the Saudis? Not Quite
The Saudis had expressed interest in acquiring the F-15E Strike Eagle, but the USA refused because of its advanced radar and other systems. Saudi inquiries into the possibility of an advanced single-seat variant designated F-15F were also nixed.
A Saudi F-15S during Exercise Friendship Two, 2011 – US Army photo
After a bit of finagling, approval was given in 1993 to supply the Saudis with a significantly downgraded version of the F-15E. Shades of the original Saudi F-15 deal.
Initially designated the F-15XP, this was soon changed to F-15S. The first of 72 of these flew in 1995, and the last jet was delivered under Peace Sun IX in 1999.
Royal Saudi Air Force photo
The Greatest of all Saudi F-15s
In 2011 the Saudis ordered 84 more Eagles under the designation F-15SA. Contrary to past deals, these aircraft would incorporate significant avionics upgrades. Among these are targeting, tracking, and navigational systems of greater capability than those of the F-15S. Structural improvements, too, allow for greater load-carrying capability.
A trio of Saudi F-15SA Eagles – US Air Force photo by SSgt. Justin Parsons
The first F-15SA flew in 2013 and the last jet was delivered to the Saudis in 2020. In addition to acquiring newly-built F-15SA airframes, the Saudis engaged Boeing to upgrade its F-15S fleet to F-15SA standard.
Since 2009, the RSAF has used the F-15 numerous times during its intervention into the Yemeni Civil War. At least two Saudi F-15s have been hit by surface to air missiles fired by Houthi rebels. Some reports indicate that at least one may have been shot down, but these seem to be erroneous.
US Air Force photo
The Saudi F-15 story has largely mirrored the evolution of the USA’s overall relationship with Saudi Arabia since the 1970s. Back then, the US was willing to give the Saudis only a limited number of downgraded jets. Recent deliveries, however, have seen the RSAF operating one of the most advanced variants of the Eagle ever built.
This Grumman Cat – the F-9 Cougar – was Built on A Winner But Its Career as a Fighter Was Short Indeed
The straight-winged Grumman F9F Panther was a workhorse for the US Navy and Marine Corps during the Korean War. But when the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 showed up in the skies over Korea, it became obvious that a swept-winged fighter was needed for the Sea Services, and needed quickly. Grumman, who had a long history of designing and building fighter aircraft for the Navy, reasoned they had a good foundation for a swept-winged fighter in the Panther- and they took advantage of it.
image via NNAM
Building a Better Panther
Grumman essentially took the Panther design and added a 35-degree swept wing with leading and trailing edge flaps of wider chord, spoilers for yaw control on the upper wing, full-chord wing fences, an all-flying swept empennage, larger airbrakes, and a larger rudder. Other modifications to the basic Panther included moving the engine intakes forward and stretching the fuselage two feet in order to add internal fuel needed because the tip tanks could not be mounted on the wingtips. The swept wings also were hinged for folding up near the wing roots adjacent to the air intakes.
image via nnam
Better Around the Boat
Test pilot Fred C. Rowley flew the initial prototype of Grumman’s Design 93, the XF9F-6, for the first time on 20 September 1951- only six months after the contract was signed. Some engineering tweaks to the control surface configuration produced a swept-winged jet that had better handling around the boat than the straight-winged F9F-5. The jet’s critical Mach number was increased from 0.79 to 0.86 at sea level and to 0.895 at 35,000 feet. Power for most Cougars was provided by a Pratt &Whitney J48-P-8A turbojet engine (a license-built Rolls-Royce Tay).
image via nnam
Into Service
Fighter Squadron THREE TWO (VF-32) Swordsmen became the first fleet squadron to equip with the F9F-6 Cougar in November of 1952. VF-24 Checkertails was the first fighter squadron to deploy with the Cougar, doing so aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-10) in August of 1953, but they arrived too late to participate in the Korean War.
Cougars were armed with four nose-mounted 20 millimeter cannon aimed using the Aero 5D-1 weapons sight paired with the APG-30A gun-ranging radar. Hardpoints under the wings enabled the F9F-6 to carry a pair of 1,000-pound bombs or 150 gallon drop tanks. Many Cougars were modified with a UHF homing antenna under the nose. Cougars equipped for inflight refueling had their probes mounted right up front on the nose radome. The last of the 646 F9F-6 Cougars was delivered on 2 July 1954.
image via nnam
First Pass at a Photo Cougar
Grumman fitted sixty F9F-6 Cougar airframes with nose-mounted cameras in place of the 20 millimeter cannons. These first photo-Cougars were designated F9F-6P and delivered between June of 1954 and March of 1955. F9F-6Ps were nine inches longer than standard F9F-6s to accommodate the photo reconnaissance equipment in the elongated nose. Many of the F9F-6Ps were also equipped with inflight refueling probes mounted to the front of the photo nose.
F9F-6P image via nnam
Improving the Breed
In April of 1953 work began on the next Cougar variant (the F9F-8) with three primary improvements in mind- lower stall speed, increased range, and improved control of the aircraft at high angles of attack. The wing grew by 37 square feet, a dogtooth was added, and chord was increased.
The fuselage was stretched by 8 inches as well. These changes resulted in the desired improvements. Top speed increased to 704 miles per hour while minimum catapult speed was lowered to 146 miles per hour. First flown on 18 January 1954, the F9F-8 was capable of supersonic flight in a steep dive. 601 F9F-8s were delivered between April of 1954 and March of 1957.
When Navy fighter aircraft began deploying with the ability to fire AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for the first time in 1956, VA-48 F9F-8 Cougars were carrying them.
