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USN may add conformal fuel tanks to F/A-18E/F fleet

armada1651

Hey intern, get me a Campari!
pilot
Play time? Depends on what you're doing. When thought of as number of passes behind the ship at night, blue water, it's as good as mother's milk (provided there's not a lot of "bring back" hanging on the wings).

I think I'd prefer another couple butterfly sets or the ability to actually do an LFS at tactical airspeeds for once, rather than the ability to show up B+5 :)
 

SynixMan

Mobilizer Extraordinaire
pilot
Contributor
3.5k more lbs to hold while the helo fouls the LA during another HP/CS // smiles of course :)

And just think, we're a quarter of the air wing now! :)

In all seriousness, I wonder if the amount of fuel dumped around the boat will ever become a target of the bean counters.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
What extra playtime does 3.5k give you at max E in a E/F? That's another bag and a half for us.

For a chuck, an extra 3.5 would give you probably an hour or more holding at max E or max R in the 20's or 30's. It would give you something like 300 extra NM of transit distance at a conservative airspeed. It would also give you like 2 or possibly 3 extra BFM sets when you are talking about nearly max fuel consumption (lot of burner time). In that case, maybe another 20 mins of flight time. In other words, even in a charlie which is probably less fuel efficient, the difference would be tactically significant. As for the boat, it wouldn't change how many passes/looks we have prior to tanking as max trap wouldn't change, but it would give you more loiter time prior to going home.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
And just think, we're a quarter of the air wing now! :)

In all seriousness, I wonder if the amount of fuel dumped around the boat will ever become a target of the bean counters.
I take it you've never heard of "Smart-Tanking."
 

lowflier03

So no $hit there I was
pilot
And just think, we're a quarter of the air wing now! :)

In all seriousness, I wonder if the amount of fuel dumped around the boat will ever become a target of the bean counters.

Not to be the bad guy here, but that should honestly be a valid question. I know exactly how much gas our airwing dumped each cycle. Combine that with the 7 day currency thing and its a fuckton of gas wasted. (And what real benefit does all that fuel buy you?) Compare the amount dumped by 1 airwing during 1 cycle to the amount an entire helo squadron burns flying for a quarter or even a year, and you start to wonder if the focus of previous cuts was a bit misguided....
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
As a helo turned hook guy..

Yes, the 7 day currency thing is needed. Very rarely if ever dumped in the Hummer. I'll let a jet guy speak to that.

Sent from a van down by the river via Tapatalk
 

Recovering LSO

Suck Less
pilot
Contributor
Compare the amount dumped by 1 airwing during 1 cycle to the amount an entire helo squadron burns flying for a quarter or even a year, and you start to wonder if the focus of previous cuts was a bit misguided....

Here we go...:rolleyes:


fuckton of gas wasted. (And what real benefit does all that fuel buy you?)

Yep. Wasted. Until they need it....

Combine that with the 7 day currency thing .
I hope that's not a criticism of the currency requirement. You know, because DLQs aren't the bane of EVERY CAG Ops meeting....
 

armada1651

Hey intern, get me a Campari!
pilot
As for the boat, it wouldn't change how many passes/looks we have prior to tanking as max trap wouldn't change, but it would give you more loiter time prior to going home.

I've rarely shown up at max trap other than to start CQ. And like I said, I don't have any desire to be on the ball at B+7, but it would be nice to have an extra 30 minutes not spent on ladder.
 

armada1651

Hey intern, get me a Campari!
pilot
Not to be the bad guy here, but that should honestly be a valid question. I know exactly how much gas our airwing dumped each cycle. Combine that with the 7 day currency thing and its a fuckton of gas wasted. (And what real benefit does all that fuel buy you?)

During normal cyclic ops I doubt there is ever much dumping by anyone other than the tankers. But like RLSO said, that gas isn't a waste and what it buys you is the assurance that we end up dumping JP-5 in the ocean rather jets and aircrew.
 

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
During normal cyclic ops I doubt there is ever much dumping by anyone other than the tankers. But like RLSO said, that gas isn't a waste and what it buys you is the assurance that we end up dumping JP-5 in the ocean rather jets and aircrew.

Bingo. Jets are more expensive than 4k of gas.
 

scoober78

(HCDAW)
pilot
Contributor
Just a question, but why couldn't you spot a tanker on Cat 1 and launch it if it's needed for recovery? Wouldn't this solve both problems.

I'm sure there's a reason and I'm not the first to think of this...lol...
 

e6bflyer

Used to Care
pilot
Just a question, but why couldn't you spot a tanker on Cat 1 and launch it if it's needed for recovery? Wouldn't this solve both problems.

I'm sure there's a reason and I'm not the first to think of this...lol...
It is a space issue. During recovery, the recovered jets are stacked on the bow, fouling the bow cats. The only alternative is to leave the spare tanker turning on the shelf. Usually it isn't needed, but when it is, you want it fast.
 
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