I wonder if I should have qualified it as an "airshow alpha"? I seem to recall that it was in preparation for the BG's arrival to Freemantle....
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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery
- Thread starter HeyJoe
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I wonder if I should have qualified it as an "airshow alpha"? I seem to recall that it was in preparation for the BG's arrival to Freemantle....
A4s is the better expert, but I'll weigh in. Iron Hands were worth their weight in gold. Everybody in the airwing knew who the best Iron Hands were.
They carried the old Shrikes... anti-radiation-missiles (ARMs). So when an enemy SAM site came up, they hosed 'em.
Because the early versions had no "memory" of the SAM site when it shut down, our guys sometimes used to launch them early, and ballistic... so if a SAM site came up, the Shrikes would already have been launched, and thus quickly home in on the site before it could shut down.
Mid-cruise, we ran out of Shrikes. Nevertheless, our Shrike-less guys would still say the usual callouts – i.e. "smash, 260" as if they were actually launching Shrikes. This deception shut enemy SAM sites down, even though we had no missiles!
And saved some guys' bacon, too, for a while... until the NVA/Rooskies finally wised up. And about that time, we got more missiles....
Ditto ... I could not resist, either.No. I knew that. But I just couldn't help myself.
Shrikes (a kine' modified-to-ARM Aim-7 Sparrow) sucked: small warhead, short range, and possessed of a hope & pray Kentucky windage guidance system. You had to be 'good' to hit anything consistently. And then Standard ARM came online (a kine' upgraded air carriage-able Tartar/Standard missile) which was a quantum leap in capability ... and then the war ended ... and then UNCLE didn't want to spend any more $$$$ on the relatively expensive 'STARM' during the drawdown ...
So guess what we went back to in the middle '70's and beyond??
The Shrike. Lots more in inventory.
Good thing the 'War at Sea' w/ Ivan never happened ...
Found some more retired aircraft pics (let's see if we can make A4s day):
Training wing on the transient ramp NASNI (late 1985 or early 1986). Notice the T-2's...
Blue Angel A-4's (NATTC Millington 1983)
Closeup of Blue Angel A-4's. Notice the huffer painted in the Blue Angel scheme...
Training wing on the transient ramp NASNI (late 1985 or early 1986). Notice the T-2's...
Blue Angel A-4's (NATTC Millington 1983)
Closeup of Blue Angel A-4's. Notice the huffer painted in the Blue Angel scheme...
Whatever they wanted to do ...
Image by A4sForever
Gotcha.
Some cool ones from a shoot we participated in for the Centennial of Naval Aviation : http://www.vulturesrow.com/HSC22/
The Shrike motor also put a huge cloud of ionized gas that the gomers could see on radar so they knew to shut down long enough for it to lose track. Win win if they couldn't guide their SAMS but the TOF was so short they could come back up while the strike was still in range.
I also have religious convictions and insurance riders against anti-radar missiles that make me operate inside the SAM's ring!
100602-N-7948R-208 PACIFIC OCEAN (June 2, 2010) Sailors prepare to launch an AV-8B Harrier during flight operations aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5). Peleliu is on a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Russell/Released)
100602-N-7948R-122 PACIFIC OCEAN (June 2, 2010) Sailors prepare aircraft for flight operations aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5). Peleliu is on a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Russell/Released)
06/01/2010
KAJAKI GREEN
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 83 flies over the Kajaki Dam reservoir in Afghanistan, May 20, 2010. The squadron, 83 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Ben Stickney
100528-N-6720T-039 PACIFIC OCEAN (May 28, 2010) The guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) is underway alongside the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) as F/A-18 Hornets prepare to launch during flight operations. George Washington is underway from its permanently forward-deployed port at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka for combat operations efficiency evaluation in the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam K. Thomas/Released)
100603-N-0232G-050 PACIFIC OCEAN (June 3, 2010) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Christina Duvall signals her fellow flight deck crew as an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the Black Knights of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154 prepares to launch from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is concluding its carrier qualifications in preparation to rejoin the operational fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin B. Gray/Released)
100603-N-4236E-096 NORTH ARABIAN SEA (June 3, 2010) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the Jolly Rogers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 prepares to catch the arresting cable on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed as part of an on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chad R. Erdmann/Released)
B-52s head to Guam.
Three B-52H Stratofortesses take off on their way to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of a deployment June 2, 2010, at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. During the six-month deployment, nearly 350 Airmen and more than five B-52s will provide U.S. Pacific Command with a continuous bomber presence in the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Michael J. Veloz)
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