Military Aviation

Happy Birthday To The USAF!

Happy Friday, FighterSweep Fans! Today we are celebrating the creation of the United States Air Force, sixty-eight years ago today when President Truman signed the National Security Act and established a new defense organization independent of its previous life as part of the Army.

As you read these words, airmen all over the globe are hard at work, reminding friend and foe alike why the courage, innovation, tactical prowess, and overwhelming mastery of the aerial battlespace have come to be the calling card of the USAF. It is the most respected, feared, agile, capable, and dominant instrument of air power the world has ever seen…bar none.

The value of airpower has been demonstrated in every major conflict since the dawn of the 20th Century. That proud heritage began with the heroes of the Lafayette Escadrille and continues on to this moment, where the first two combat-coded F-35As have begun local flying at their home station of Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The truth is, we live in uncertain times. The Air Force is in a position where its senior leaders have to decide the way ahead and continue to ensure battlespace dominance, all while they make agonizing choices about the longevity of current inventory and despite our nation’s fiscal and societal challenges. It’s no small task.

The world is a very scary and dark place, and regardless of the origins of the current menace, we can rest assured the sword of freedom is well placed on the wings of our men and women in blue. As General Mark Welsh, Air Force Chief of Staff says, “Tomorrow’s Air Force rests in America’s hands. I have faith were entrusting our future to the hands of servant leaders…heroes whose stories are still being written.”

Happy Birthday to the USAF!

From The Cockpit: 79 FS Journeys Home

A very Happy Sunday to you, FighterSweep Fans! We hope you’ve had a great weekend thus far. We’ve been enjoying some much-needed down time, as we’ve all been traveling and generating content for your viewing pleasure!

Today we bring you a special video treat, taking you inside the cockpit with our good friends at the 79th Fighter Squadron, based at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. We saw the Tigers earlier this year as they participated in Red Flag 15-1, and we wanted to give you a glimpse of what their trip home was like.

We begin in the cockpit of the mighty Block 50 F-16CJ “Super Weasel” as it executes an unrestricted climb on departure from Nellis, clawing its way into the vertical at the departure end of Runway 03L with almost five bills of “smash” to propel the jet skyward.

The dramatic departure began a long and uneventful cross-country back to the east coast, but the view was awesome: wide-open blue sky, puffy clouds, smooth air, and Vipers a-plenty plugging in and taking on gas as needed.

It once again stresses the importance our tanker fleet has on the ability of the U.S. Air Force, as well as our coalition partners flying U.S.-made fighters, to wage war anywhere over the globe at a moment’s notice. Thanks to our brothers and sisters at Air Mobility Command, we’re able to bring the noise and bring the rain in short notice.

AFMFF!

– Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: Viper On The Boom

We have discussed what it’s like to take on gas from the tanker in an F-15D, so today we’re going to look at the same evolution from the F-16C.

This Viper pilot, one of FighterSweep’s very own contributors, is seen here traveling to an undisclosed location. The video starts as he moves in from the pre-contact position–taking his visual cues from the director lights as he maneuvers his jet into an optimal position for the boomer to “plug.”

The F-16 has its refueling receptacle on the spine of the jet, about halfway between the aft point of the canopy and the base of the vertical stab.

Sometimes, as we see here, the lineup isn’t quite right and minute adjustments need to be made by both the boomer and the receiver to make sure the hook-up happens.

Viper_Refueling — Diagram courtesy of F-16.net

Fortunately, after just a little hiccup in the approach, contact is made and the fuel is passed without further incident. If you look closely, you can check the Viper Driver’s seven o’clock position and see his wingman waiting for a turn.

As the old addage goes, “No One Kicks Ass Without Tanker Gas,” and the ability of the United States to project combat airpower is entirely dependent upon the tankers. It quite literally can become a game of inches–especially if the atmosphere isn’t being cooperative, it’s happening in complete darkness, or other factors that make air-to-air refueling challenging.

(Featured photo by Scott Wolff)

– Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: Leaving The Boom

Happy Tanker Tuesday, FighterSweep Fans!

As a follow-up to yesterday‘s aerial tour of the Hindu Kush mountains in Nuristan Province, we have a short, homegrown clip of a couple Boeing F-15Es rejoining with a KC-135 Stratotanker for gas over Afghanistan. With its conformal fuel tanks and two “bags” (wing tanks), the Dark Gray can carry nearly 32 thousand pounds of fuel.

What does that translate to? A lot of on-station time–referred to as “loiter”–between trips to the tanker, all while carrying a pretty massive load of ordnance in a variety of different flavors–a JTAC’s dream, especially when he needs that ordnance delivered in a hurry.

As the second aircraft comes off the boom and swings underneath the first Mud Hen already riding off the tanker’s wing, notice the remaining JDAMs, air-to-air missiles, and the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod.

These two aircraft had just finished their mission near Barg-i Matal, which led to the epic low-level rage you saw. Once clear of the mountains, they climbed out to get some gas. So it’s a short clip, but definitely gives you an idea for the experience we touched on with the NASA F-15D–except downrange and loaded for bear.

Enjoy!

– Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: Barg-i Matal

Barg-i Matal. It’s one of the most rugged, treacherous, and vertical districts in northeastern Afghanistan, largely walled off from the outside world by the Hindu Kush mountains.

Very, very few people live there, which makes one wonder how it was also the site for some of the most ferocious battles for the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division during the whole of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Calling in Close Air Support under “danger close” conditions was the norm; American troops were often running out of ammunition and hand grenades as they fought hundreds of both Taliban and foreign fighters.

It’s said the American soldiers were actually cheering aboard the helicopters when they finally got extracted–two and a half months into a four-day operation.

To give you an idea of what the battlespace looks like, we go back inside the cockpit of the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle. This particular clip, more homegrown FighterSweep awesomeness, ought to bring some perspective for when OEF veterans say things like, “The Hindu Kush are no joke!” The terrain is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, even with some of the epic low-levels we’ve shown you in Alaska and other places.

So buckle up and hold on! This one is a pretty wild ride!

(Featured photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller/Released)

– Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: U.S. Airpower At Its Finest!

Alright FighterSweep fans, we know that you absolutely love to watch airplane videos!

So do we, as a matter of fact…a lot. That being the case, just for you, we have put together this little gem and we’re sure you’re going to love it.

As a group, we have amassed quite a collection of footage over the years we’ve been doing this–from several different platforms and a wide range of locations–and we feel it’s about time to share our first demo reel with you!

This clip features some of our nation’s best in action: Alabama Air National Guard F-16s topping off at the tanker before dropping some live ordnance, a B-2 launching at dusk for a nighttime mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), an LUH-72 Lakota in a striking OPFOR paint scheme over Fort Irwin, California, and much more.

We hope this video gets you just as pumped as we are about U.S. air power. We are thrilled to be able to share with you all, and we would like to dedicate this to the outstanding men and women that serve our country day in and day out, wherever their call to duty might take them.

We have much, much more to bring you and our collection of homegrown video seems to grow each day, so much so that our video editors are having a hard time keeping up!

Stay tuned!

– Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: Checkered Flag

Within the construct of our military is a capability known as the Global Response Force (GRF). Its sole purpose is to provide the Secretary of Defense with a menu of rapidly deployable forces. It enhances the ability of the United States to respond quickly to a variety of contingencies world-wide, and its presence has the potential to deter conflict. The GRF has components representative of our air, land, and maritime capabilities.

In order to prepare the combat air forces (CAF) components of the GRF to deploy, there is a large theater-level combat training and integration exercise hosted by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group at Tyndall Air Force Base called Checkered Flag. It is an event designed to get the GRF commands to spin-up for their vulnerability period (VUL) as a team, which increases their effectiveness when called upon to deploy.

From a tactical perspective, Checkered Flag executes large force employment exercises representative of real-world threats in areas the GRF could deploy to. That is, all of the training scenarios are reality-based, utilizing threat-replication measures to make the exercise as real and robust as possible.

A Lockheed-Martin F-22A Raptor rages through the airspace above Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska during a combat airpower demonstration.

In this home-grown FighterSweep video, we follow along with an F-15E Strike Eagle crew from the 335th Fighter Squadron, based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. You’ll see them gearing up for their flight, pre-flight preparation, and although we can’t show you the live missile shots and some of the other aspects of the exercise, you will see the jet as it rejoins with two Wild Weasel F-16s from the 79th Fighter Squadron at Shaw AFB, as well as an F-22 Raptor from the 525 FS at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.

Enjoy the ride over the Gulf of Mexico during a beautiful day this past December!

– Written by Scott Wolff for Fightersweep.com

From The Cockpit: A Day At The Beach

There is a long string of barrier islands extending north to south (ish) approximately two hundred miles from the southeastern corner of Virginia and it covers most of the coastline of neighboring North Carolina. Known as the Outer Banks, they are the narrow islands separating the Atlantic Ocean from Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound and are known for their beautiful beaches, pretty nice weather, and historical landmarks.

Especially noteworthy for you aviation history buffs is the Wright brothers‘ first flight took place on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. Present day, given the proximity of Dare County Bombing Range, it is not uncommon for the beach-goers to look up and see Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles transiting the airspace at low level.

Sun, sand, Strike Eagles, the sound of freedom echoing off the water?? Definitely not a bad way to spend an afternoon, we’d say!

In this video, we are back inside the cockpit of the Mighty Mud Hen, thanks again to our awesome friend “Ditch,” as a four-ship of jets based at Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro takes a very lazy afternoon tour of the outer banks on a beautiful, sunny day.

It was the fini-flight of the WSO in the pit of Ditch’s jet, and we think he chose a pretty nice afternoon with some great scenery to enjoy his last ride in a Dark Gray. Anyone else agree?

SEW_2200 — A Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle from the 4 FW at Seymour Johnson AFB going vertical during an airpower demonstration.

– Written by Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: Air Power Demo

Welcome back, FighterSweep Fans! This week we take you into the cockpit of the mighty Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, courtesy of “Ditch” and “Stealth,” two instructors at the 334th Fighter Squadron, a Strike Eagle Formal Training Unit (FTU) part of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

The footage takes us through a combat airpower demonstration held in April of 2012 during the Shaw (AFB) Air Fest, the biannual airshow hosted by the 20 FW. Participating were the two Strike Eagles, a pair of Republic A-10C Warthogs from the 74 FS, and a four-ship of Lockheed-Martin F-16CJs from the 77 FS.

The basic premise was simple: full rage. The Vipers and Strikes blaze through the airspace in full ‘burner, max performing both offensively and defensively, providing cover for the Hawgs rolling in to simulate CAS and defeating simulated ground threats by popping flares and performing gut-wrenching high-G turns out of the target area.

SEW_2184 — A Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle passes through the target area and dispenses flares to defeat a simulated, ground-based IR missile threat.

In this video clip, you’ll get to experience the raw power of the Strike Eagle as it tears through the airspace, propelled by its two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines. You’ll see the variable geometry inlet adjusting the airflow into the engine at various power settings and angles of attack, as well as vapor exploding off the wings and fuselage in spectacular fashion as the airspeed and G increase.

So buckle up and hold on. It’s going to be a wild ride!

– Written by Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com

From The Cockpit: Lake Powell Low Level

In our last video, you saw the gut-wrenching reality of dogfighting in the defensive position from the cockpit of a Lockheed-Martin F-16CM Fighting Falcon. In this video, we illustrate what it’s like to conduct a low-level, visual flight rules (VFR) sortie along a Military Training Route, or MTR.

MTRs are corridors through which military aircraft can operate below 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) in excess of 250 knots indicated air speed (KIAS), the speed all other aircraft are restricted to when operating at or below that altitude–per the Federal Aviation Administration‘s regulations.

These training routes are a joint venture between the FAA and the Department of Defense to provide for high-speed, low-level flight operations for tactical platforms. In other words, you won’t see C-5s or KC-10s flying through the canyons. Generally speaking, air combat or special operations assets would utilize a low-level MTR on a consistent basis. Occasionally the heavies will do such a thing, but only under specific circumstances–a C-130 conducting a low-level air drop mission, for example.

“We train low level flying to evade radar detection through direct or indirect terrain masking,” the F-16 pilot in this video explains.

NG-404_SWC_2012-03-13_FSJH-2 — Just prior to converting to Super Hornets, this C-model from VFA-192 the “World Famous Golden Dragons” is descending through Star Wars Canyon on the Sidewinder Route in Death Valley, CA. SSHWFGD!

Tactical aviators must train to this particular skill set and given the right environment and threat, it is a viable tactic in a combat environment. When available, flying below vertical terrain features, or between them, can allow a striker like the F-15E, F-16, or F/A-18 to get into a WEZ without being seen, increasing the chances of destroying a defended ground target before its position is detected and the adversary has an opportunity to repel the attack.

“US and especially British aircrews learned very harsh lessons during Operation Desert Storm of how detrimental it is to our survivability to fly at those low altitudes during combat without having terrain to hide behind,” the Viper Driver went on to say.

This is a perfect visual illustration of how the technique works. Not many get to see Lake Powell and the surrounding canyons from this perspective, so enjoy it!

– Written by Scott Wolff for FighterSweep.com