Modern Flight Gallery SEA
 1 I'm standing in the middle of the middle hangar called the Modern Flight Gallery where there is a (temporary?) space allocated to the remarkable F22 Raptor. I drool over this plane before visiting the Modern Flight Galleries. |
 2 The LOCKHEED MARTIN F-22A RAPTOR is the world's first stealthy air-dominance fighter. Its radar, weapons control and electronic warfare systems work together to combine stealth, maneuverability and the ability to fly long distances at supersonic speeds. |
 3 In 1981 the U.S. Air Force needed a new air superiority fighter that would take advantage of new technologies in fighter design including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems, higher power propulsion systems and stealth technology. Lockheed Martin's F-22 won the design competition in April 1991, and the rollout ceremony for the first F-22 Raptor occurred in April 1997. |
 4 In April 1991 the USAF selected the F119-PW-100L AUGMENTED TURBOFAN engine for the F-22. To reduce maintenance the F119 engine was designed to use 40% fewer parts when compared to the then current operational engines. The F119 engine provides supersonic flight without using the afterburner. This results in fuel savings and increased combat radius and effectiveness. |
 5 PRATT & WHITNEY YF119-PW-100L AUGMENTED TURBOFAN. In the 1980s P&W developed the YF119 prototype engine for the Advanced Tactical Fighter Demonstration/Validation program. In 1990 it flew in both the Lockheed-Boeing-General Dynamics YF-22 and the Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23 prototype aircraft. |
 6 Production of the F-22A is a partnership between Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Boeing builds the Raptor's wings and aft-fuselage; the engines come from Pratt & Whitney, and Lockheed Martin builds the forward fuselage and assembles the subsections in Marietta, Georgia. |
 7 The Raptor's internal side weapon bays can each carry two AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared missiles. The main internal weapon bays can carry either six AIM-120C radar-guided missiles (air-to-air) or two AIM-120C missiles and two 1,000-lb GBU-32 JDAMs (air-to-ground). Additional armament consists of one 20mm cannon with 480 rounds. |
 8 The aircraft on display (S/N 91-4003) was one of nine F-22s built for Engineering, Manufacture and Development (EMD) testing. It rolled off the Lockheed Martin assembly line in Georgia on May 22, 1999. |
 9 This aircraft was assigned to the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California and it made its first flight on March 6, 2000. After completing its phase in the test program, it came to the museum in January 2007. It is painted to represent an F-22A flown by the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va. |
 10 Impressive. |
 11 I now leave the F22 display and go into the Modern Flight Gallery SE Asia The NORTH AMERICAN T-28 Trojan was first flown in September 1949 and entered production in 1950. When production ended in 1957, North American had built a total of 1,948 of the three T28 versions: T28A for the USAF and T28B & C for the Navy. |
 12 The F-100 SUPER SABRE entered service in 1954. When F-100 units were deployed to Southeast Asia, they included a mix of one and two-seat F-100s. Both types participated in traditional bombing missions in support of ground forces. |
 13 The NORTH AMERICAN F100 SUPER SABRE on display was assigned to the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phu Cat Air Base, Vietnam. It was flown in combat by several notable USAF figures including Gen. Merrill McPeak and Gen. Ronald Fogleman (former USAF chiefs of staff), and Col. Richard Rutan (the chief pilot of the first around-the-world unrefueled flight). It is painted as it appeared in March 1968 and went on display in 2003. |
 14 The mighty BOEING B52-D STRATOFORTRESS, 50 years old and still in service. Nearly 750 were built before production ended in October 1962 and, of these, 170 were B-52Ds. The aircraft on display saw extensive service in Southeast Asia and was severely damaged by a surface-to-air missile on April 9, 1972. |
 15 In December 1972, after being repaired, this B52-D flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. It was flown to the museum in November 1978. This is the bomb bay where up to 43,000 lbs. of conventional or nuclear bombs were carried. |
 16 The B52 had eight Pratt & Whitney J57s of 12,100 lbs thrust each. I worked on the commercial version of this engine as an apprentice at Qantas. Note also the wing-pod for mounting missiles. |
 17 DOUGLAS A1-E SKYRAIDER was designed during World War II for the US Navy but in the jet era of the late 1950s the Skyraider was obsolete. It had performed well during the Korean War but the Navy had decided to replace it with jet aircraft. However, Skyraiders proved well suited for fighting against the guerrilla-style war waged in Southeast Asia. |
 18 The A-1E on display is the airplane flown by Maj. Bernard Fisher on March 10, 1966 when he rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam. For this deed, Fisher received the Medal of Honor. The airplane was severely damaged in further combat in South Vietnam and came to the museum in 1967. After returning home after my visit to the museum, I saw a Discovery Channel story about this very aircraft. |
 19 The T-28B on display was flown to the museum in March 1987. It is painted as a South Vietnamese Air Force T-28B assigned to Bien Hoa Air Base in 1962 where USAF pilots trained and flew combat missions with VNAF crews in Operation Farm Gate. |
 20 The LTV A-7D CORSAIR II on display was flown by Maj. Colin A. Clarke on a nine-hour rescue support mission in Southeast Asia for which he received the Air Force Cross, the USAF's second highest award for valour in combat. It was delivered to the museum on Jan. 31, 1992. |
 21 The MARTIN EB-57B CANBERRA was built under licence in The US. The aircraft on display was originally a test aircraft but in 1965 it returned to service to replace combat losses in Southeast Asia. It was assigned to the 8th Bomb Squadron at Phan Rang, South Vietnam in 1967 where it flew combat missions for 2½ years. It was flown to the museum in August 1981. |
 22 The DOUGLAS B-26K (A-26) COUNTER INVADER was a WWII attack bomber. in 1948 the Invader served again during the Korean War (1950-1953) mainly against North Korean supply lines. It was removed from service in 1958 but in 1961 the USAF recalled many Invaders for use as tactical bombers in Southeast Asia. |
 23 The McDONNEL RF-101C VOODOO. This Voodoo flew vital low-altitude photo-reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis and helped to confirm that missile sites in Cuba were being dismantled. It also served in SE Asia with the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. It was flown to the museum on Oct. 27, 1978 |
 24 The CESSNA O-2A SKYMASTER featured twin tail booms and tandem mounted engines in a tractor pusher propeller arrangement. The O-2A on display was assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Da Nang, South Vietnam in the late 1960s. It was transferred to the museum in December 1982. |
 25 The NORTH AMERICAN ROCKWELL OV-10A BRONCO was a twin-turboprop short takeoff and landing aircraft used by the USAF, Navy and Marines. The aircraft on display came to the museum in October 1991 and is painted as it appeared when it served in Southeast Asia. |
 26 The SIKORSKY CH-3E is the USAF's version of the Sikorsky S-61 amphibious transport helicopter first developed for the US Navy. The CH-3E on display is a veteran of the Southeast Asia War and in 1965 it was attached to the 20th Helicopter Squadron where it was used for highly classified special missions. |
 27 The SIKORSKY CH-3C first flew in June 1963 and featured a new rear fuselage design with a ramp for vehicles and other cargo. After 41 CH-3Cs were updated with more powerful engines in 1966, they were redesignated CH-3Es and 45 more were newly manufactured. |
 28 The LOCKHEED EC-121D CONSTELLATION was a radar picket version of the USAF's C-121 passenger airplane. The EC121D used the electronic gear located in the large radomes above and below its fuselage to detect and track enemy aircraft. |
 29 A commercial version of the CONSTELLATION was the 1049 which is what I worked on at Qantas in 1957 and 1958 before joining NCR in 1959. I particularly enjoyed working on these engines, Wright R-3350 TCs of 3,400 hp each. |
 30 The aircraft on display was nicknamed Triple Nickel because of its serial number. During 1967, over the Gulf of Tonkin, it guided a U.S. fighter into position to destroy a MiG-21. This action marked the first time a weapons controller aboard an airborne radar aircraft had ever directed a successful attack on an enemy plane. Triple Nickel came to the museum in 1971. |
 31 The Soviet Union's MIKOYAN-GUREVICH MiG-21F. More than 30 countries operated the MiG-21 and at least 15 versions of the MiG-21 were produced, some outside the Soviet Union. Estimates place the number built at more than 8,000, a production total exceeding that of any other modern jet aircraft. |
 32 Although similar in appearance to the MiG-15, the MIKOYAN-GUREVICH MiG-17 had more sharply swept wings, a longer fuselage, an afterburner, and better speed and handling characteristics. The MiG-17 served in the air arms of at least 20 nations, and was flown against U.S. aircraft in Southeast Asia. |
 33 The FAIRCHILD C-123 PROVIDER was a short-range assault transport used for airlifting troops and cargo to and from small, unprepared airstrips. The C-123K on display saw extensive service during the SE Asia War and took almost 600 hits in combat. It was named Patches for the damage repairs that covered it. Seven of its crew received the Purple Heart for wounds received in battle. It came to the museum in 1980. |
 34 BELL UH-1P IROQUOIS . The initial Army designation was HU-1, which led to the common unofficial nickname of "Huey." The Huey on display served in South Vietnam in 1968-1971 and was flown to the museum in April 1980. |
 35 In 1966 the North Vietnamese Air Force (VPAF) began flying the MiG-21 and it quickly proved to be a worthy opponent of the USAF's F-4 Phantom. Even so, between April 1965 and January 1973, USAF F-4s and B-52s downed 68 MiG-21s. The MiG-21F on display appears to have been built in Czechoslovakia and flown by the Czech air force. It is painted and marked as a MiG-21PF of the North Vietnamese Air Force during the SE Asia War. |
 36 The De HAVILLAND C-7A CARIBOU was a twin-engine short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) utility transport built by De Havilland Canada. It could carry 26 fully equipped paratroops, 20 litter patients or more than three tons of equipment. The C-7A on display is a SE Asia combat veteran and was flown to the museum in May 1983. |
 37 The MiG 17 F on display was presented to the museum by the Egyptian Air Force in 1986 as a symbol of friendship between the two nations. It is painted to represent a VPAF MiG-17F |
 38 The McDONNELL-DOUGLAS F-4C PHANTOM II was originally developed for US Navy fleet defense and first flown in May 1958 . The USAF's first version, the F-4C, made its first flight in May 1963 and production deliveries began six months later. |
 39 The Thunderchief on display began operational service in 1964. In 1967 it joined the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing in Thailand where it flew combat missions for nearly three years. During this time, it became one of a select few USAF aircraft to claim three MiG kills. |
 40 Phantom II production ended in 1979 after over 5,000 had been built: more than 2,600 for the USAF, about 1,200 for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and the rest for friendly foreign nations. In its air-to-ground role, the F-4C could carry twice the normal load of a WWII B-17. |
 41 The first USAF pilot to score four combat victories with F-4s in SE Asia was Col. Robin Olds, a World War II ace. The aircraft on display is the one in which Col. Olds destroyed two MiG-17s in a single day on May 20, 1967. |
 42 The armament loaded on the aircraft on display is typical for an F-4C in 1967. It consists of four AIM-7E and four AIM-9B air-to-air missiles, and eight 750-pound Mk 117 bombs. The aircraft also carries two external fuel tanks on the outboard pylons and one ALQ-87 electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod on the right inboard pylon. |
 43 The USAF's GENERAL DYNAMICS F-111A AARDVARK first flew in December 1964 and the first production models were delivered in 1967. Meanwhile, the Navy's F-111B program was cancelled. In all, 566 F-111s of all series were built; 159 of them were F-111As. |
 44 An interesting feature of the F111 was its variable-geometry wings. While in the air, the wings could be swept forward for takeoffs, landings or slow speed flight, and swept rearward for high-speed flight. The F-111 could also fly at very low level and hit targets in bad weather. |
 45 Of the 577 CESSNA A-37 DRAGONFLYs built, the USAF provided 254 to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). The aircraft on display was retired to the museum in December 1964. It was recalled to service in August 1966 for final design testing of the urgently needed A-37 attack aircraft. This aircraft retired to the museum for a second time in July 1970. The last one in service was retired in 1992. |
 46 The DOUGLAS B-66A DESTROYER was developed from the Navy's A3D Skywarrior as a tactical light bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft. The RB-66B photo reconnaissance version became the first production series and totaled 145 of the 294 B-66s built. The USAF also developed a weather reconnaissance version, and various electronic countermeasures (ECM) versions. |
 47 The TEXAS INSTRUMENTS BOLT-117 (BOmb, Laser Terminal-117) was the world's first laser guided bomb (LGB). While production of the BOLT-117 was limited, its impact on airpower was revolutionary. Laser guidance kits turned standard "dumb" ordnance into "smart bombs" yielding a 100-fold increase in effectiveness compared with free-fall, unguided bombs. |
 48 The REPUBLIC F-105G THUNDERCHIEF evolved from a 1951 project by to replace the F-84F fighter-bomber with the prototype first flying in October 1955. Republic delivered the first production aircraft to the USAF in 1958 with 833 eventually being built. |
 49 ECM B-66s became very important in strikes against North Vietnam. They could detect enemy radar emissions and jam their signals thereby confusing their defenses. The aircraft on display flew combat missions in SE Asia and was delivered to the museum in 1970. |
 50 In 1970 this aircraft was fitted with electronic countermeasure equipment and joined the 388th TFW for "Wild Weasel" duty, a program to attack North Vietnamese SA-2 surface-to-air missile sites. |
 51 This BELL XV-3 is one of only two that were built and it had its first flight on 11 August 1955 . It was a tiltrotor aircraft developed for a joint research program between the USAF and the United States Army to explore convertiplane technologies. |
 52 The XV-3 featured an engine mounted in the fuselage with drive shafts transferring power to rotor assemblies on the wingtips. The rotor assemblies could tilt 90° from vertical to horizontal to allow the XV-3 to take off and land like a helicopter, but then fly at faster airspeeds similar to a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. |
 53 The GENERAL ATOMICS RQ-1 PREDATOR is an Umanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and it operates as part of a system: four UAVs, a ground control station, a satellite communications terminal and 55 personnel. It was powered by a four-cylinder 81-hp engine and could cruise at 87 miles per hour for 16 hours. |
 54 The AVRO CANADA VZ-9AV AVROCAR's used the exhaust from turbojet engines to drive a circular "turborotor" in the centre of the aircraft. By directing this thrust downward, the turborotor would create a cushion of air upon which the aircraft would float at low altitude. When the thrust was directed toward the rear, the aircraft would accelerate and gain altitude. Tests proved that the aircraft had insufficient control for high speed flight and was aerodynamically unstable. |
 55 This is another of history's forgotten lessons or yet another that Dubya never knew. It's a shame he never paid more attention in class. |
 56 Just terrible. Guantanamo is civilised by comparison. |
 57 It seems that waterboarding is humane and North Vietnamese brutality isn't, although I confess to a little confusion as to what is and what isn't. My guess is that waterboarding must be something like humane bullfighting END OF TOUR OF MODERN FLIGHT GALLERY - SEA. CONTINUE AT MODERN FLIGHT GALLERY - KOREA. Next folder: Modern Flight Gallery - Korean War |
