"The EA-6B Prowler, manufactured by Grumman (now Northrop Grumman Aerospace), is a twin-engine, mid-wing aircraft designed as a modification of the basic A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6B's primary mission is to protect fleet surface units and other aircraft by jamming hostile radars and communications. The Prowler has the ability to passively detect enemy radars without making its own presence known. The Prowler can carry up to five tactical jamming pods which allow it to effectively degrade enemy radars. The Prowler also carries a High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), which provides the capability to destroy enemy radars and the capability to track and destroy radar. The Grumman EA-6B Prowler has a crew of four, a pilot and three Electronic Counter-measures Officers (known as ECMOs). The aircraft is capable of speeds of up to 950 km/h with a range of 1,840 kilometers and powered by two non-afterburning Pratt & Whitney J52-P408 turbojet engines. Since EW operations are very demanding, the Prowler is a high-maintenance aircraft and undergoes frequent equipment upgrades more than any other aircraft in the Navy. There are currently 19 Prowler squadrons in the military: four in the Marines and fifteen in the Navy. There are four ""Expeditionary"" squadrons manned by both Navy and Air Force personnel which deploy to overseas bases as a replacement for the EF-111. The Marine squadrons are stationed at Cherry Point, NC. The Navy has fourteen squadrons based at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, and one permanently deployed in Atsugi, Japan. "
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"The A-4 Skyhawk is an American attack aicraft designed and prosuced by Douglas Aircarft Corporation originally designed for the United States Navy aircraft carriers. In 1951, just after Operation Desert Storm, the United States Marine Corps used the A-4 during the Vietnam War. In May 25, 1972, the Douglas A-4F Skyhawk aircraft of Attack Carrier Wing 21 (CVW-21) are parked on the flight deck of the attack aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CVA-19), armed for a mission over Vietnam. It was the most popular US naval aircraft exports of the post-war era. In 1967, it was removed from front line squadrons, with the last one retiring in 1975. The A-4F Skyhawk has a maximum speed of 585 knots and a range of 1,700 nm and it incorporates a 2 x 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannon, 100 rounds/gun and a 4 x AIM-9 Sidewinder. It has a low-mounted delta , tricycle undercarriage and a dingle turbojet engine in the rear fuselage sides. The tail has a cruciform design, with the horizontal stabilizer mounted above the fuselage. The armament consists of two 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannon. There's a total of 2,960 A-4 Skyhawks built, including 555 two-seat trainers. "
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"The TA-4J Skyhawk is a two-seat, lightweight, high performance aircraft with a modified delta wing manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, CA. The TA-4J's maiden flight was on December 17, 1968 and first entered service in the mid-1969. TA-4J deliveries were supplemented by conversion of numerous TA-4Fs to the ""J"" designation through removal of ordnance system components. In 1968, a contract was let to produce the TA-4J, a trainer version of the TA-4F. The TA-4J Skyhawk differed from the TA-4F through the removal of tactical weapons system and aerial tanker components and the installation of the J52-P6 engien instead of the higher rated engine J52-P8. The TA-4J is primarily used for training and various other contract duties such as Electronic Warfare, Adversary and Threat Simulation. A total of 277 TA-4Js were built. "
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"During the 1950s, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) identified the requirement for an Airborne Command Post (ABCP). The idea was for specially-equipped aircraft to be airborne at all times, should the SAC's underground command center become inoperable. The first aircraft adapted for the role of ABCP were 17 Boeing KC-135B Stratotankers. The nickname “Looking Glass” was adopted because the mission mirrored ground-based command, control and communications of US strategic nuclear forces. Operations began on February 3, 1961. By 1964, the aircraft was considered dedicated to the ABCP role and redesignated EC-135. The EC-135 Looking Glass was vital to US strategic forces. Its highly trained crew and staff ensured that there was always an aircraft ready to direct bombers and missiles from the air. Members of the battle staff formed seven operational teams and represented all branches of the armed services. When airborne, the staff was under the command of a flag officer, either an Air Force general officer or a Navy admiral. The EC-135 fleet was equipped with comprehensive, high-tech communications equipment, which allowed the airborne commander to link with national command authorities, theatre forces, assets on the ground and other airborne command posts. The Looking Glass was a versatile airframe with excellent airspeed, range and endurance. It was also capable of air refueling which allowed missions to be extended almost indefinitely. This gave the aircraft range to conduct nonstop operations to any location in the world as well. "
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"The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated as TBM by General Motors) was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and was also used by a large number of air arms around the world. Grumman's first torpedo bomber was the heaviest single-engine plane of WWII and it was the first to feature a new wing-folding mechanism intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier. The Grumman TBF Avenger entered service in 1942 and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. On the afternoon December 7, 1941, Grumman held a ceremony to open a new manufacturing plant and display the new TBF to the public. Ironically, on that day, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, as Grumman soon found out. The plant was quickly sealed off to ward against possible enemy action. By June 1942, a shipment of more than 100 planes was sent to the Navy. On August 24, 1942, the next major naval battle occurred at the Eastern Solomons. With only the carriers USS Saratoga (CV-3) and Enterprise, the 24 TBFs present were able to sink the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo and claim one dive bomber, at the cost of seven planes. After hundreds of the original TBF-1 models were built, the TBF-1C began production. By 1943, Grumman began to slowly phase out production of the Avenger to produce F6F Hellcat fighters, and the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors took over, with these aircraft being designated TBM. Starting in mid-1944, the TBM-3 began production with a more powerful powerplant and wing hardpoints for drop tanks and rockets. The dash-3 was the most numerous of the Avengers with about 4,600 produced. However, most of the Avengers in service were dash-1s until near the end of the war in 1945. TBF/TBMs sank the two Japanese ""super battleships"", the Musashi and the Yamato. The Avengers played a major role in the American victory during World War II."
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"The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a single engine, military trainer aircraft which was derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. A 15-year production hiatus of the Model 73 Jet Mentor led to the Turboprop era, wherein in 1973, the T-34C Turbine Mentor was a powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop engine. From the late 1940s to the 1950s, earlier versions of the T-34s were piston-engined and it was eventually succeeded by an upgraded model with a turboprop engine. The T-34C Turbo Mentor is a variant of the T-34, with a two-seat primary trainer fitted with turboprop engines. The T-34C was used by the Argentine Navy during the Falklands War. It was a primary trainer aircraft for the United States Navy and Marine Corps pilots. The T-34C was replaced by the T-6 Texan II but it was still considered as the primary aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Whiting Field. The T-34C has a crew of two. It has a maximum speed of 280 kt IAS and a range of 600 nm."
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"The T-6A Texan II is designed by Pilatus Aircraft AG and manufactured by Raytheon Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas, USA. The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer aircraft, which is designed to train Joint Primary Pilot Training, or JPPT, students in basic flying skills common to U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots. The T-6A Texan II offers better performance and significant improvements in training effectiveness, safety, cockpit accommodations and operational capabilities than present aircraft. Powered by a single, Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68 turboprop engine with a four-blade propeller, it features a stepped-tandem, and cockpit configuration, with the instructor's rear seat rose slightly to improve visibility from the rear cockpit; modern avionics; and improved egress systems. Both T-6A cockpits are covered by a single, side-opening, non-jettisoned canopy. The T-6A offers increased bird strike protection over current training aircraft, and will improve the safety of landing and low-level training at Air Force and Navy bases. It has a pressurized cockpit to permit training at higher, less-congested altitudes and reduce the stress on student pilots. The aircraft is equipped with an onboard oxygen-generating system that reduces the time needed to service the aircraft between flights. The T-6A provides the highest degree of flexibility of any primary trainer. It is equally capable of training the beginner pilot or performing training missions well into an advanced training curriculum. The T-6A is currently used by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, the Hellenic Air Force of Greece and the NATO Flying Training in Canada program as a primary trainer and weapons and navigation trainer. "
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"The Spad S. XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of World War II, developed from the earlier highly successful SPAD S. VII. The S. VII had been surpassed by the latest German scouts. SPAD designer Louis Bechereau initially produced the S. XII, though it had limited success which eventually led to the development of the S. XIII. The SPAD XIII's maiden flight was on April 4, 1917, and was delivered the following month to the French Air Service. The Spad XIII was flown by famous French fighter pilots such as Georges Guynemer and Rene Fonck. Italy's Francesco Baracca and the United States Army Air Service's Eddie Rickenbacker, also became leading aces with 34 and 26 confirmed victories, respectively. The SPAD XIII differed form its predecessor since it incorporates a number of aerodynamic and other refinements, including a more powerful Hispano-Suiza engine and a second VIckers .303-cal. machine gun for added firepower. The improvements greatly increased its flight and combat performance. It was also faster than its main contemporaries. The SPAD XIII has a maximum speed of 218 km/h and has an armament of 2 x .303-cal. (7.7-mm) Vickers machine guns. The SPAD XIII was one of the most capable fighters of the war and one of the most produced. There were 8,472 built and orders for around 10,000 more cancelled at the Armistice."
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"The Fairchild PT-19 was a monoplane trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), British Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. It was used by the USAAF during the primary flying training phase as the introductory pre-solo trainer for new pilots before passing them on to the more agile Kaydet biplane. Prior to World War II, basic flight training in the United States was generally provided in light biplanes, such as the Kaydet, which tended to be slow, stable and tolerant of fledgling pilots. However, given the increasingly high performance nature of the world's combat aircraft, the USAAF reasoned that the primary training was too easy, giving the student a false sense of mastery that could slow down his learning or even cause him to fail. Experienced instructors wanted the primary trainer to be a monoplane, with higher wing loading that required more careful flying. After its first flight in May 1939, the Fairchild M-62 two-seat monoplane won a fly-off competition later that year against 17 other designs for the new Army training airplane. With a wing loading factor about 43 percent higher than the Kaydet, the M-62 had a higher stalling speed and required more care at low speeds, making it exactly what the Army was looking for. It was a trainer that was more similar to the fighter aircraft the trainees would eventually fly. On September 22, 1939, the USAAF ordered 270 of the craft, with two open cockpits, as the PT-19 Cornell. Compared to the earlier biplane trainers, the PT-19 provided a more advanced type of aircraft. Speeds were higher and its flight characteristics demanded more precision and care. It was inexpensive and simple to maintain. It was one of a handful of primary trainer designs that were the first stop on a cadet's way to becoming a combat pilot. Thousands of the PT-19 series were rapidly integrated into the US and Commonwealth training programs, serving throughout World War II and beyond. Even after their retirement in the late 1940s, a substantial number found their way into civilian hands. Approximately 100 PT-19s are still flyable today. "
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"The Stearman Model 75 is a biplane, military trainer aircraft with 8,854 built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. It is perhaps the most famous biplane in the US since it was the primary basic trainer throughout World War II. The PT-17 Stearman is a variant of the Stearman 75, with a Continental R-670 engine. The PT-17 has a crew of two, for a student and an instructor. It has a maximum speed of 124 mph and a range of 505 mi. During the war, almost all American pilots undeertook basic training on either the PT-13s or the PT-17s. The PT-17 was exported to Canada as the Kaydet, Britain and other nations. After the war, the aircraft's rugged construction and good low speed handling saw large numbers converted for agricultural spraying work. Conversions involved the replacement of the aircraft's fabric covering with metal, while many were fitted with more powerful 335kW P&W R985A61 radials. There are hundreds of Stearmans which were currently flown in private hands, although its not used for crop spraying any more. "
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"The Martin PBM Mariner was a United States Navy patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to compliment the PBY Catalina in service. 1,285 PBM Mariner were built, with the first example flying on February 18, 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940. The U.S. Navy Martin PBM-5 Mariner patrol bomber Bureau of Aeronautics (Bureau Number 59172) was one of the 1,367 PBM Mariners constructed by Navy Martin. It was delivered to the Navy in January 1945. During the World War II and Cold War eras, the PBM-5 Mariner was in service with various Navy units in a number of capacities. Its last operational assignment was Naval Air station, Seattle, Washington in late 1948. The PBM-5 Mariner was wrecked on May 6, 1949 while being ferried across Lake Washington from Naval Air Station, Seattle to the Boeing seaplane ramp at Renton, Washington, where it was intended to be placed in storage. As of today, the wreck of PBM-5 Mariner remains where the aircraft came to rest in 1949, in the Southernmost end of Lake Washington, in the vicinity of Renton, just off the old seaplane ramp at the Boeing plant. The PBM-5a is an amphibian plane with retractable landing gear. The aircraft was fitted with five gun turrets and bomb bays that were in the engine nacelles. The British Royal Airforce acquired 32 Mariners. They were not used operationally and some were returned to the United States Navy and twelve were transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force for transporting troops and cargo. The Dutch Navy acquired seventeen PBM-5a Mariners at the end of 1955 for service in former Dutch New Guinea. "
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"The P-51D Mustang was the most widely produced variant. It was equipped with an Aeroproducts propeller in place of the Hamilton Standard propeller, as well as a larger, differently configured canopy and other minor alterations. The P-51D Mustang has a crew of 1. It has a maximum speed of 437 mph and a range of 1,650 mi. It has armament of 6 0.50 in machine guns, 2 hardpoints and 10 in rockets. More famous as the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound than his wartime achievements, Chuck Yeager became an Ace in Europe flying a P-51. After he was promoted to captain, he added 1 Me-262 and 4 Fw-190s for a total of 11 career victories. "
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"The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is a long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that served with Allied forces in the middle years of World War II, becoming one of the conflict's most effective and recognizable aircraft. The P-51 flew most of its wartime missions as a bomber escort in raids over Germany to help ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944. In late 1939, with the likelihood of full scale war in Europe a major concern, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) was looking for methods of quickly increasing its fighter strength. In April 1940, the British Air Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation with the intent of having them build P-40s for the RAF. Since the P-40 design went back to 1933, James H. ""Dutch"" Kendelberger, president of North American, offered to build an entirely new advanced fighter. The British agreed and the P-51 took its maiden flight on October 26, 1940. As well as being economical to produce, the Mustang was a fast, well-made and highly durable aircraft. It also saw combat against the Japanese in the Pacific War. During the Korean War, the P-51 started out as the United Nations' main fighter, but was relegated to a ground attack role when it was supplanted by jet fighters early in the conflict. One of the very few fighter pilots in World War II to achieve ace status in both the Pacific and European theaters, Colonel John Landers flew the P-51D Mustang named ""Big Beautiful Doll"". His reputable flying career was concluded with 14.5 victories, 4.5 of which and an additional 20 ground victories were achieved in the Mustang. Big Beautiful Doll was one of the most colourfully painted P-51s of the era. "
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"The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is a long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft that served with Allied forces in the middle years of World War II, becoming one of the conflict's most effective and recognizable aircraft. The P-51 flew most of its wartime missions as a bomber escort in raids over Germany to help ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944. In late 1939, with the likelihood of full scale war in Europe a major concern, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) was looking for methods of quickly increasing its fighter strength. In April 1940, the British Air Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation with the intent of having them build P-40s for the RAF. Since the P-40 design went back to 1933, James H. “Dutch” Kendelberger, president of North American, offered to build an entirely new advanced fighter. As well as being economical to produce, the Mustang was a fast, well-made and highly durable aircraft. The British agreed and the P-51 took its maiden flight on October 26, 1940. The P-51D variant is considered the definitive Mustang. Ordered in 1943, it had a bubble canopy which provided the pilot with a valuable all-around view. It was also fitted with additional armament. The P-51D became the most widely produced version. Between 1941 and 1945, the US Army Air Force ordered 14,855 aircraft, 7,956 of which were P-51Ds. During the Korean War, the P-51D was used primarily for close support of ground forces until withdrawn from combat in1953. "
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"The P-51D Mustang Old Crow was an American fighter aircraft which was most widely produced by Mustang. The P-51D was equipped with a larger canopy and an aero products propeller to replace the Hamilton Standard propeller. The Old Crow arrived in Europe in mid 1944 and quickly became the primary USAAF fighter in the theater. In the same year, 1944, Captain Clarence “Bud†Anderson returned to the 375th Fighter Group for a second combat tour. He was assigned a new P-51D Old Crow in the dark green mask. Captain Bud was on a mission when the first drop of snow in Germany fell. Thus he noted a mixed flight of dark green and silver aluminum Mustangs below him. After his mission, he told his ground crew that the one painted the dark green stood out against the snow background and silver ones appeared to the have the best camouflage. Because of that Bud suggested to paint the Old Crow silver color the next time it was down for heavy maintenance. The next morning, Captain Bud arrived at the station to find his P-51D Old Crow to use for his mission. To his surprise he found the Old Crow in a gleaming aluminum paint scheme ready for flight. Three members of his crew worked on it through the night scrapping, rubbing and remarking. They were all tired and their hands were raw due to the cold and solvents they used. The change made to P-51D Old Crow was dedicated to Bud Anderson and all 357th crew chief and ground support personnel who maintained the P-51 Mustang during World War II. Signed by Col. Clarence ""Bud"" Anderson."
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