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"There I was" stories from a Vietnam era A-4 Driver

BusyBee604

St. Francis/Hugh Hefner Combo!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
:cool:
:eek:
Cricket... cricket..., Ron you out there? Or do I have to phone and get Debbie to awaken you from a nap?
ZZZZZ... burp... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!:rolleyes:
BzB... you get with it too!
Aye, Keptin...:p
My favorite combat weapon:

The AGM-12B/C "Bullpup" Guided Missile System
Bullpup is believed to be the first air-to-ground guided missile to be employed in combat (Vietnam).

It was introduced into the fleet in A4Ds, and FJ-4Bs in the 1959-'60 period. Until the Vietnam air war heated up, little pilot delivery training was done due to the unit cost per missile. Pilot training was accomplished with a compact BP launch/control simulator. It had an internal computer, a large circular CRT w/ measured target rings, an A-4 'joy stick' with a trim-tab-like BP control switch to input up-down; left-right commands to keep the missile directly on target until impact. It had knob controls to crank in various wind speed/and direction for each run, and at impact, gave readout of impact clock-code/distance. It also had a simple built-in pilot seat. Amazingly, it was compact enough to fit nicely in the squadron Ready Room. When deploying to Fallon, for CQ/workups, or Westpac, the trainer was transported with squadron gear. More amazingly, we enjoyed playing with it especially underway. Very competitive matches were played for beers, and it became known as the "BeerPup Trainer"!:D

Bullpup came in two flavors:
AGM-12B aka Bullpup-B ("Baby Pup")
650# total - 270# HE warhead - dry propellant w/ 8,000# thrust f0r 5 sec - launched straight ahead like a rocket (from a missile rail).
1960 c0st $15K/per:)
A-4E_VA-164 _1967.jpg

AGM-12C aka Bullpup-C ("Big Puppy")
2,000# total - 1,000# HE warhead - liquid propellant (Thiokol) w/ 30,000# thrust for 3 sec. - ejected from a wing or centerline station (like a large bomb).
1967 cost $125K/per:eek:
agm-12c.jpg

*Both missiles are electrically fuzed, armed and monitored from a cockpit control panel.
**Both missiles accelerate to mach 1.8 @ burnout + plus launch speed.

Bullpup Part 1 - Crew rest.... TO BE CONTINUED:p
BzB




 

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