Military Aviation

Special Operations Aviation Statue Unveiled at Ft. Bragg

The US Army’s Special Operations Aviation Command (ARSOAC) had a statue to honor the men and women of the unit unveiled at Ft. Bragg on Tuesday. The command wanted the statue to be dramatic and unique, rather than the basic helicopter monument or a stone obelisk, they wanted something special. Like the troops in the command.

Judging from the look of the artwork they’ve accomplished that in spades with a very dramatic, one-of-a-kind sculpture. And it has a history as well, with some of the steel coming from a UH-60 Blackhawk that crashed in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 during “Blackhawk Down.”

A sculpture depicting the Greek god of war, Ares, riding a pegasus centaur was unveiled Tuesday. The life-size bronze figures sit atop a massive granite block just outside ARSOAC.
Ares, mid scowl, has his sword raised as he appears ready to leap into battle. The pegasus centaur has its bow drawn and aimed at some unseen enemy.
Brig. Gen. John R. Evans Jr., the commanding general of ARSOAC, said the statue was a tribute to the unit and its soldiers.
“It stands as a personification of man and machine, of skill and courage and of duty and sacrifice,” he said.
Before unveiling the statue, Evans said the command could have gone a more typical route but instead chose something unique.
“It’s gratifying to know I will not be met with a museum relic helicopter like those that are all too common in our military air parks. I will not be met by a cold piece of granite with the words of some long dead poet upon them,” he said. “I will instead be met with a reminder that the men and women of the ARSOAC have enjoyed the privilege to fly the best.”
Known as the Volare Optimos statue — for the Latin phrase, “To fly the best,” which is also the motto of the unit — the statue was created by artist Jim Shore and donated to the command. Shore said he was humbled to be able to contribute the work of art.
The statue was cast in bronze, save for the tip of the drawn arrow, which was forged from steel taken from the wreckage of a UH-60 Black Hawk that crashed during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.
The statue has other references to the special operations community, including a claymore dagger worn by the centaur and a gungnir on its breastplate armor.

According to the command, the sculpture is supposed to present the coordination between air and ground forces with the centaur representing the special operations aviation while Ares represents the special operations ground forces they support.

To read the entire article from the Fayetteville Observer, click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

Cell Phone Sized Drone With Big Capability Being Used by US Military

The military is making increasing uses of drones and robotics and the latest from AeroVironment is taking the small scale to the next level. The company’s “Snipe Nano Quad is tiny, about the size of a cell phone and weighs less than half of a pound. But it makes up for it with what it can accomplish for operators in the field.

Weighing in at about 5 ounces, the four-rotor aircraft is equipped with an electro-optical/infrared system that allows it to take photos or live-streaming video both day or night. And its quiet electric motors make it difficult to detect, even when surrounding noise levels are low.
That can be invaluable in close-range military operations where U.S. troops don’t know what’s around the next corner — or at the top of the next hill.
In a video AV posted on YouTube, Snipe Program Manager Jon Ross explains it this way:
“An example for Snipe could be a squad who’s given a mission to do reconnaissance on a structure on the top of a hill,” Ross said. “Apparently, it was abandoned but reports indicate that it could be used by insurgents. So a squad is supposed to go up there and clear that facility. The problem is it’s at the top of a hill and there’s no way to approach it without possibly being seen if someone were inside. Snipe could give that squad a 360-degree view of the target from the rooftop, through any open windows or indoors to give them confidence as they approach.”
The Snipe can fly at speeds exceeding 20 mph and the tiny craft is capable of operating under challenging environmental conditions including winds of more than 15 mph with gusts of up to 20 mph. It has a range of about 3,280 feet and its rechargeable batteries can keep it aloft for 15 minutes at a time although the battery can easily be changed out for extended use

The company is not only manufacturing its product for military use but they’ll extend their product for commercial use as well by first responders, law enforcement agencies, search-and-rescue teams.

To read the entire article from the Pasadena Star News click here:

Photo courtesy AeroVironment Inc.

The Aircraft of the Air Force Special Operations Command

The United States Air Force has some of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world. And some of the most feared aircraft by our enemies aren’t the sexy, sleek fighter jets, but the fat, slow converted cargo aircraft. The AC-130U gunship, “Spooky” as the pilots call it strikes more fear in the hearts of the Taliban than any other aircraft.

In 2009, Norwegian journalist Peter Refsdal embedded with the Taliban in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, the United States’ attempt to uproot al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power. One of his most interesting observations: The Taliban do not fear fighter jets.
“All the time there’s jets, the sound of jets flying around, and the Taliban, they don’t care about it,” Refsdal told Anderson Cooper in a 2010 interview for CNN. “But there’s one plane that scares them. … It was the sound of this transport plane that scared them. And this is a plane equipped with a lot of heavy machine guns, even a cannon. And the thing is, the Taliban, they know that this gunship is used when there are some Special Forces operations. It’s used as a support, air support during these kind of operations.”
Refsdal is talking about the AC-130 gunship, a variant of the C-130 that is absolutely brimming with firepower. “It’s the four fans of freedom, as we call it,” Major Eric Forsyth, an HC-130J pilot, told Popular Mechanics.
SPOOKY
The AC-130 is only operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, and the currently deployed model is the AC-130U “Spooky.” The Spooky can unleash hell with a variety of weapons, including the M102 105-mm howitzer fired from the left rear-side door. It’s the largest gun ever operated on a USAF aircraft.
“The psychological effects of the gunship—the Taliban just go home and wait until the gunship has gone away,” says Forsyth.

The AC-130U is a tremendous weapon that all of the Special Operations Forces have at their beck and call. And they’ve gotten the grudging respect from the enemy. But the next generation of “Spooky” the AC-130J is rumored to be the premiere AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) ground support aircraft for the next 50 years.

But AFSOC also flies a variety of other airframes as well including the V-22 Osprey, the Air Force version carries 588 more gallons of fuel to increase its range, the C-146A Wolfhound, the U-28A, the MC-12W Liberty, the C-145A and the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper, drone.

To read the entire article from Popular Mechanics, click here:

Photo courtesy US Air Force

From The Cockpit: 13 FS “Panthers” Deployment

Happy (Wild) Weasel Wednesday, FighterSweep Fans! You know we have a very special affinity for this group of specialized aviators, and we cannot stress the importance of their SEAD/DEAD mission enough. Not only that, they’re just a fantastic group of guys and gals and we always have a good time when we’re hanging out and doing our thing. So today, we’re taking time to share with you the most recent deployment of the 13th Fighter Squadron “Panthers,” a Block 50 F-16CJ unit and part of the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

The squadron traces its roots back to 313th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), activated on February 1, 1942, and served as a bomber training unit in the continental United States during the initial stages of World War II. The unit also flew anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico, and was inactivated in October of 1943.

On May 2, 1966, the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron was reactivated at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base to perform Wild Weasel missions against Vietnamese surface-to-air missile sites and flying the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. In October of 1967, the squadron relocated to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, where it flew the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.

At Udorn, the squadron adopted a panther nicknamed “Eldridge” and subsequently became known as the “Panther Pack.” By the time of its inactivation in June 1975, the 13th scored 11 MiG kills, compiled 21 aerial victories, and flew over 30,000 combat sorties.

91363_F16_WW_PAEI_APR08_TO-0182FS — A Block 50 F-16CJ from the 13th Fighter Squadron “Panters” departs for a Red Flag training mission, loaded up with HARMs for its bread-and-butter mission, the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. (Photo by Jonathan Derden)

On June 1, 1985, the Panthers became part of the first permanently-stationed USAF fighter squadron on mainland Japan since 1972 and transitioned from the Rhino to the Viper. Redesignated the 13th Fighter Squadron on May 31, 1991, the unit was then reassigned to the 35th Fighter Wing and, in 1996, achieved initial operational capability (IOC) in the F-16CJ. At about that same time, the squadron’s tail code changed from “MJ” to “WW,” in recognition of the 35th Fighter Wing’s Wild Weasel heritage.

So that brings us to the present day. What has the Panther Pack been up to of late? Well, although we couldn’t say anything at the time, they were the first Weasel unit in the sky over Syria on night one of what has come to be known as Operation Inherent Resolve. They had been previously deployed to a location we’ll call “Base X” in the Middle East, so they were in exactly the right place at the right time when hostilities ensued.

Thanks to a brother in the unit, the Panthers decided to share their deployment video with all of you. It includes all things awesome about flying the F-16: surface attack, BFM, and ultimately showcases when it became time to load up the live HARMs, JDAMs, LGBs and take the fight to the bad guys. So sit back, crank the volume, and settle in for some Super Weasel awesomeness!

Cave Putorium!

(Featured photo by Jonathan Derden)

From The Cockpit: SHOCK and Awesome!

Happy Wednesday, FighterSweep Fans! We wanted to share a story with you that is very close to our hearts. Almost a year ago, we were on hand at Luke Air Force Base for a fini-flight. While the flight profile itself wasn’t particularly noteworthy–a low-level over Lake Powell, the pilot flying it certainly is. Our friend “SHOCK” was calling it a career and choosing to move on from flying the mighty Viper.

She was commissioned at the United States Air Force Academy in May 1995 after earning her Bachelor’s in Behavioral Science. After two years as an Intelligence Officer, she earned a spot in Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Laughlin AFB, TX, where she was Distinguished Graduate in her class, winning both the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Commander’s Trophy and Flying Award.

Once out of UPT, SHOCK made her way into the cockpit of the Lockheed-Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon. Her first assignment was to the Republic of Korea in the 80th Fighter Squadron, spending a year and a half as a “Juvat” (Crush ‘Em!) before receiving a follow-on assignment to the 14th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base in Japan.

SEW_7590 — “SHOCK” waves at the conclusion of her Fini-Flight in the F-16, the capstone on a magnificent career. (Photo by Scott Wolff)

It was then, as a “Samurai” (Wood!) and Wild Weasel, that SHOCK deployed with the rest of her squadron in preparation for what became known as Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003. On the third night of the war, she found herself as part of a four-ship of Weasels escorting U.S. Navy F/A-18s and F-14s on strikes into Baghdad itself.

While setting up a SEAD combat air patrol, the Weasel flight received a Time-Sensitive Targeting (TST) mission: an S-125 Neva (NATO reporting name SA-3 “Goa”) Surface to Air Missile site needed to be destroyed immediately. Two of the jets would move in to kill the target while the other two provided escort and suppression. The weather was absolutely terrible that night, forcing the F-16CJs to a lower altitude than what they would normally prefer, greatly increasing the level of risk.

Through her NVGs, SHOCK could see all of the tracers in the obscene amount of Triple-A being hurled in their direction during ingress to the target area. Not only were the big guns firing at them, but several SAMs were also launched in their direction. The lead pilot in the four-ship had to jettison his wing tanks and narrowly avoided being smashed to bits by one of the missiles.

SEW2527 — The S-125 “Neva”/SA-3 “Goa” Surface to Air Missile system. (Photo by Scott Wolff)

In the heat of battle, after kinematically defeating the SAMs, dodging the AAA, and returning fire with HARMs to suppress the radars targeting them, SHOCK and another pilot rolled in on the site and pickled off their bombs, destroying the SA-3. They were very, very low on gas after all of the gut-wrenching maneuvers to avoid being hit by the SAMs, so thankfully a tanker moved up from its track in the south to make sure the CJs were able to get fuel before they fell out of the sky.

With that particular target destroyed, a narrow corridor was opened a bit wider for coalition aircraft. For her actions that night, SHOCK received a Distinguished Flying Cross.

She finished her career as a Lieutenant Colonel and Command Pilot, flying the Viper operationally in Europe, Japan, Korea, Southwest Asia, and Africa. She served twice as an Instructor at Luke AFB, logging over 1,800 F-16 hours. In addition to 200 combat hours during Iraqi Freedom, SHOCK’s flying career includes combat experience in Operation Southern Watch, as well as missions over Libya in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn and the NATO mission Operation Unified Protector.

All in all, an absolutely amazing career flying the Viper. A tactically-sound, combat proven fighter pilot who is also a wife, a mother, and one of the best friends a person could ask for.

SEW_7603 — “SHOCK” smiles at the crowd gathering around her jet at the conclusion of her Fini-Flight and distinguished career flying the F-16. (Photo by Scott Wolff)

And what does SHOCK mean, you ask? It stems from her first assignment at Kunsan Air Base in Korea with the 80 FS, and more than aptly described her mindset and determination upon completing her combat mission-ready (CMR) upgrade: Satan Has Obviously Come to Korea…

Strength and Honor!

Air Force Aviator Leaks Dramatic UFO HUD Video

Classified military footage of the Phoenix Lights UFO phenomenon has recently been leaked by a former U.S Air Force aviator. The footage reportedly captures never-before-seen cockpit footage of Lockheed-Martin F-16 and Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jets in action the night of the original incident 17 years ago.

56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs at Luke has received numerous inquiries and requests, but has remained silent on the footage. The report claims additional footage of multiple civilian casualties has been obtained.

The “Phoenix Lights” incident is one of the largest UFO sightings in North America. Thousands of Arizona residents became alarmed when they noticed a sizable object in the sky above Phoenix 19 years ago.

Multiple eyewitnesses reported a diamond-shaped craft hovering above the city for at least a couple of hours.

phoenix_lights_by_pinarci-d76omlw — An artist’s rendering of what the UFO above Phoenix may have looked like in the daylight. (Photo courtesy of Pinterest)

Nineteen years later, questions about the Phoenix Lights are still being asked. Arizona residents still remember the phenomenon and the new footage has stirred more tension around the 19-year-old event. The lights have been the subject of intense scrutiny, government denials and internet documentaries.

This never-before-seen video of an engagement during the Phoenix Lights was leaked online this weekend, by KWBV News journalist David Collins. The FLIR video purportedly depicts military and unknown craft on the night of the mass sighting over Phoenix in 1997.

(Featured Photo courtesy of YouTube)

The Phoenix Lights: UFO Cover-Up Or Air Force Training?

The Phoenix Lights. It was an incident which occurred on 13 March 1997, with witnesses from as far north as the Nevada state line to as far south as Tucson.

Thousands of people phoned in sightings to emergency services that night, describing something absolutely massive and shaped like a boomerang, with five round lights along the leading edge or underside of the craft. Whatever it was reportedly made no sound, either. The lights were stationary over the Phoenix metro area, some say for as long as two hours.

This is certainly not the first encounter where civilians have claimed to see a UFO when the Air Force or Navy was conducting training operations in the same area. Military pilots themselves have even reported seeing strange aircraft while conducting flight operations. So who’s telling the truth? What are we supposed to believe?

PhoenixLights — A computer-generated depiction of what the UFO over Phoenix in March of 1997 looked like. (Courtesy of ABC 15 Arizona)

The Department of Defense, in response to the torrent of inquiries about the incident, responded by saying it was the deployment of LUU-2B/B rescue flares, deployed by USAF aircraft–in this case Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt IIs flying a training mission over the Barry Goldwater range.

While the explanation seems plausible, recently-conducted interviews suggest something else in the sky over Arizona that night, and a specific, named operation to launched to provide suitable cover. How much does the Department of Defense know? Was it really parachute flares? Was it a secret-squirrel program like the “Aurora” spy plane? Is the Air Force covering up something else?

Stay tuned for more clips of this movie project!

The Mighty Ike Hosts The Joint Strike Fighter!

In October 2015, a pair of Lockheed Martin F-35Cs from the US Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23) and a test team from Patuxent River deployed aboard the USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) for the test period dubbed Developmental Test II. The “Mighty Ike” steamed off the mid-Atlantic seaboard while the two F-35Cs and a cadre of test pilots performed a host of scripted evolutions designed to expand and validate the performance and handling characteristics of the 5th generation jets as they operated off the carrier.

“We need to come out to the ship to test integration with the carrier and the ship’s company,” says Tom Briggs, Air Vehicle Lead Engineer of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. “So we focused our testing on the integration of the jet with the aircraft carrier at sea.”

The testing involves much more than just landing the jet aboard the ship and calling it a day. The test pilots had their work cut out for them, with multiple low-energy catapult shots and high crosswind landings on the ship as the test du jour to establish the baseline for the fleet aviators who will employ the 5th generation strike fighter for decades to come. The Navy plans to buy 260 F-35Cs to incorporate within the Carrier Strike Group and its embarked Air Wing.

SD75_F35C_IKE_9OCT15_BOLTER_35FS — A Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II conducts a touch-and-go from the Mighty Ike during DT II in October. (Photo by Jonathan Derden)

Rear Admiral John R Haley describes, “the airplane is a great strike fighter, but it’s also a fantastic sensor. It’s also not out there on its own as a vacuum, sucking up all this information and keeping it to itself. The F-35 talks to the Rhino, to the Growler, to the destroyer, etc.. We’re going to have a mix of airplanes where each has their niche and the F-35 is going to bring the sensor capability and an ability to guide the fight, whether it be air to ground or in an air to air regime. It will dramatically change the way we do business… and we’re excited about what the future of the Carrier Air Wing looks like.”

We’ve put together a short video of F-35C flight operations from the morning aboard the Mighty Ike during DT-II. For the next iteration of testing, look for the F-35s to be carrying external stores to further up the ante for the test pilots of VX-23.

(Featured Photo and Video by Jonathan Derden)

F16 Refueling in Air at Night

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. ~George Orwell

There is indeed a lot of truth to that quote. This Lockheed-Martin F-16C+ from the Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing is capable of delivering a dizzying array of earth-moving destruction in a short amount of time, day or night, under almost any weather conditions. Thanks to advanced targeting pods and night-vision goggles, our “boots on the ground” overseas can rest a bit easier knowing even if they get into a tight spot at night, combat airpower will be able to provide kinetic effects with great accuracy on their foes.

So enjoy this short clip of Captain Scott “WORF” Eshelman piloting his aircraft off the wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker during a Green Flag-West exercise over Fort Irwin, California.

~SW

20th Fighter Wing Deployment Compilation

Happy Sunday, FighterSweep Fans! Today we are very fortunate to bring you a very special presentation, one that has been in the works for some time and we feel is finally ready to share with all of you!

We have talked a lot about deployments, TSPs, and the various challenges of getting warfighters both downrange and back home. We have also touched on the realities of modern air combat, thanks to some fine work done by Combat Camera professionals who’ve deployed and embedded themselves with various flying units conducting combat operations.

We’d like to present to you another home-grown FighterSweep video. This one depicts deployed real-world missions as seen through the eyes of pilots in the 20th Fighter Wing, a unit we’ve worked with extensively over the past four years as they’ve been at home station at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and deployed for the real thing.

923920_F16_SW_JUNE15_HI1FS — “Slapshot,” the Wild Weasel 50th anniversary tail flash was revealed at Shaw AFB, Souther Carolina earlier this summer.

While the bread-and-butter skill of the Block 50 F-16CJ is SEAD, the jet and the professional men and women who fly it are also very adept at conducting other mission sets: Dynamic Targeting, Air Interdiction, Escort, Close Air Support, and others. While there is no threat requiring Wild Weasel missions in Afghanistan, there continues to be a need for combat airpower of those other flavors. The 20th Fighter Wing is ready and will answer the call when it rings through!

– Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com