Unofficial Aviation Buff Thread

““Dear Bill,” the President scrawled across the top of the letter in his own hand as a memo to Admiral Leahy, “Please see that the Old Girl gets the following:

‘Dear Widow Yamamoto, Time is a great leveler and somehow I never expected to see the old boy at the White House anyway. Sorry I can’t attend the funeral because I approve it. Hoping he is where we know he ain’t. Very sincerely yours, Franklin D. Roosevelt’

“And ask her to visit you at the Wilson House this summer,” Roosevelt added in a postscript to Leahy. It wasn’t kind, or gracious; indeed the President never sent the letter. But it reflected something of what, in his heart of hearts, he really felt about Japanese perfidy. And his profound satisfaction that he’d been able to see Admiral Yamamoto get his just deserts.


— Commander In Chief: FDR's Battle with Churchill, 1943 (FDR at War Book 2) by Nigel Hamilton
 
F-35 is an outstanding aircraft. It had been several times in Iran and it came back unnoticed. The last time it went into Iran when they were expecting it, and yet Iranians can't find it.
 
Dejan Corovic said:
F-35 is an outstanding aircraft. It had been several times in Iran and it came back unnoticed. The last time it went into Iran when they were expecting it, and yet Iranians can't find it.
Click to expand...
True but it's expensive to maintain too.

There are always versions of fighters we export that we do not use ourselves, other countries modify them to suit their needs. That means that there has been further development in those platforms that the US has realized has great value. The idea is to combine that development with further US R & D and the net result is the F-15EX. I think the F-16 may be getting some upgrades too.

I guess the idea is to have more good ones than fewer great ones.
 
South Africa’s C-47 Dakotas Set For Retirement After 80 Years Of Service

South Africa’s C-47 Dakotas Set For Retirement After 80 Years Of Service​

Amid budget cuts and spares shortages, time is finally up for South Africa’s Dakotas, most of which were delivered in World War Two.
BYTHOMAS NEWDICK|PUBLISHED MAY 10, 2024 4:54 PM EDT
AIR
After an extraordinary career spanning more than 80 years of service, and plenty of wartime missions, the South African Air Force (SAAF) is preparing to retire its last C-47 Dakotas. The decision is yet to be formally announced by the SAAF but looks set to confirm the fate of the service’s Dakotas, which have now been grounded for around two years.

JMK/Wikimedia Commons
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After an extraordinary career spanning more than 80 years of service, and plenty of operational missions, the South African Air Force (SAAF) is preparing to retire its last C-47 Dakotas. Remarkably, the SAAF is moving to discard its C-47s while, at the same time, elsewhere around the globe, turboprop versions of the venerable transport continue to win orders.

The South African military news site DefenceWeb reported that the final operator of the SAAF Dakotas, 35 Squadron, based at Ysterplaat, Cape Town, was informed this week that “the aircraft will be phased out” for good. The decision is yet to be formally announced by the SAAF but looks set to confirm the fate of the service’s Dakotas, which have now been grounded for around two years.
A SAAF C-47TP at Ysterplaat in September 2010. <em>Bob Adams/Wikimedia Commons</em>

A SAAF C-47TP at Ysterplaat in September 2010. Bob Adams/Wikimedia Commons
The squadron still has eight turboprop-engine C-47TPs on its books but these have been grounded since the SAAF failed to find a suitable maintenance provider.


In the meantime, the fleet had been whittled down to five aircraft that were retained in a serviceable status, meaning that they could potentially fly again in the future. These aircraft comprised three in a maritime surveillance configuration and two standard transports. At least some of these aircraft regularly conducted ground engine runs.
C-47TP serial 6885 was built for the USAAF in 1944, was immediately transferred to the U.K. Royal Air Force, and soon after was assigned to the SAAF. It was most recently operated in the maritime surveillance role and is seen here on display at Waterkloof in 2014. <em>Alan Wilson/Wikimedia Commons</em>

C-47TP serial 6885 was built for the USAAF in 1944, was immediately transferred to the U.K. Royal Air Force, and soon after was assigned to the SAAF. It was most recently operated in the maritime surveillance role and is seen here on display at Waterkloof in 2014. Alan Wilson/Wikimedia Commons
In the fall of last year, Armscor, South Africa’s state arms procurement agency, warned that the Dakotas may never fly again.
“The Dakota C-47TP is a very old aircraft, thus the support for this aircraft is very limited in South Africa and the world,” Armscor stated at the time. “Due to the age of the aircraft, it is no longer supported by the OEM [original equipment manufacturer]. There are no AMOs [aircraft maintenance organizations] with a Dakota C-47TP stipulated on the Operational Specification.”

A SAAF C-47TP paradrops cargo from its fuselage-side door in September 2010. <em>Bob Adams/Wikimedia Commons</em>

A SAAF C-47TP paradrops cargo from its fuselage-side door in September 2010. Bob Adams/Wikimedia Commons
Since 2018, Armscor has repeatedly sought a maintenance contract to support the veteran Dakota fleet. These all ended in failure, with the result that the aircraft will now very likely never fly again and will be disposed of.
The story of the Dakota in SAAF service stretches all the way back to 1943 when the service was fighting in World War Two. Most extraordinary, perhaps, is that among the very last Dakotas operated by the SAAF, most had been delivered during that conflict, having started life as C-47s manufactured for the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF).
https://twitter.com/darren_olivier/status/1492893927946731522

By June next year the South African Air Force will have been operating C-47 Dakotas continuously for 80 years, albeit much upgraded. Even more astounding is that some airframes still in active service have been there from the start, with the oldest (6825) delivered in Feb 1944.

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The SAAF’s Dakota fleet, however, saw its most extensive combat service during the long-running conflict in South West Africa (now known as Namibia) and Angola, supporting South African Defence Force (SADF) units during the so-called Border War between 1966 and 1989. The SADF relied heavily on the Dakota for troop transport, resupply, medical evacuation, paratrooping, and other missions, its importance was heightened by the sanctions on Apartheid South Africa that complicated the procurement of alternative equipment.
By the 1980s, the SAAF operated the largest fleet of Dakotas anywhere in the world — close to 50 in total. However, the demise of minority rule in South Africa, and the end of the Border War, saw the Dakota — and the SAAF more generally — switch increasingly to peacetime missions, especially humanitarian work. At the same time, Dakota squadrons were rationalized, and the fleet was reduced in size.


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Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Dakotas took on the maritime surveillance mission, with 35 Squadron using the type to replace the Avro Shackleton in this role, alongside its transport remit. The Shackleton MR3 was a dedicated maritime surveillance platform, but sanctions made it impossible to continue operating it after 1984.

Operated by a minimum crew of eight, including five mission specialists, the maritime-configured Dakota featured a basic mission avionics suite that included a nose-mounted Bendix radar — in fact, a repurposed weather radar — able to detect surface targets at 40 nautical miles when flying at 1,000 feet above sea level. This was allied with a simple navigation suite including an early generation GPS. Smoke markers and life rafts were provided for search and rescue missions.
A SAAF C-47TP at Ysterplaat in September 2006. Note the open hatch in front of the rear cargo door, used for maritime surveillance with the ‘Mark One Eyeball’. <em>Danie van der Merwe/Wikimedia Commons</em>

A SAAF C-47TP at Ysterplaat in September 2006. Note the open hatch in front of the rear cargo door, used for maritime surveillance with the ‘Mark One Eyeball’. Danie van der Merwe/Wikimedia Commons
Without modern radar or electro-optical sensors, the maritime Dakota crew had to get close to any ships suspected of infringing on South Africa’s 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone or of causing pollution. To this end, the crew members used hatches in front of the rear door.

By the early 1990s, the Dakota was as important as ever to the SAAF, and the service set about upgrading many of the survivors to ‘TurboDak’ configuration under Project Felstone. The original Pratt & Whitney R-1830 piston engines were replaced with 1,230-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AR powerplants, the fuselage was lengthened, and modern avionics were installed. The first C-47TP was delivered to the SAAF in August 1991 and the last piston-engined Dakotas had been retired by late 1994.
A close-up of one of the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AR turboprops on the re-engined C-47TP. <em>Alan Wilson/Wikimedia Commons</em>

A close-up of one of the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AR turboprops on the re-engined C-47TP. Alan Wilson/Wikimedia Commons

As 35 Squadron entered the new century, its Dakotas were busier than ever, with the maritime mission complemented by paratrooping, target towing, scheduled passenger services, aeromedical evacuation, and logistical support. More covert missions were also flown, including photo-reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering, the later mission being flown by a specially modified electronic warfare version of the C-47TP.
A retired piston-engine Dakota of the SAAF at the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg. <em>Nolween/Wikimedia Commons</em>

A retired piston-engine Dakota of the SAAF at the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg. Nolween/Wikimedia Commons
Efforts were made to find a successor to the Dakota in the maritime surveillance role, including under Project Saucepan, and Airbus offered versions of its CN235 and C295 twin-turboprop aircraft.

However, as the SAAF has come under increasing budgetary pressure, these ambitions have not been realized.
Not only has the Dakota fleet been long-term grounded, but as of October last year, the South African Ministry of Defense confirmed that 85 percent of the entire SAAF fleet was out of action. The aircraft in question were either grounded or non-serviceable, undergoing repairs, awaiting major rebuilds or repairs, or had been grounded due to their age. Most alarmingly, only two of the SAAF’s 26 JAS 39C/D Gripen fighters and three of its 24 Hawk advanced jet trainers were available.
SAAF JAS 39D Gripen. <em>Bob Adams/Wikimedia Commons</em>

SAAF JAS 39D Gripen. Bob Adams/Wikimedia Commons
The main issues behind this worrying situation are a lack of spares and budget constraints that meant repairs simply can’t be carried out. In the most high-profile example, the entire Gripen fleet was grounded between April 2021 and September 2022 after maintenance contracts lapsed amid budget cuts.

A South African Air Force Gripen flew today for the first time in over a year. The flight of 3918, a Gripen C, from Makhado came after intense work by 2 Squadron technicians & pilots to get aircraft & crews flightworthy after the long-delayed support contract was finally signed.


Against this backdrop, the final withdrawal of the Dakota is a symptom of much wider problems that have seen the SAAF mismanaged and neglected.
It’s unclear exactly when the Dakota will be formally withdrawn, but, in a sign of hope for the future, it appears that 35 Squadron will not be disbanded and its crews may even begin operating another type to retain currency. However, if and when a genuine replacement for the Dakota arrives is equally uncertain.
That said, elsewhere, at least, the C-47 looks set to extend its military career further still. The Basler BT-67, a turboprop conversion very similar to the C-47TP, was recently approved by the U.S. Department for sale to Argentina. An undisclosed number of BT-67s will be procured by Argentina for airdrop and airlift in support of its Antarctic operations. With continued use for the aircraft, the possibility of the C-47 series recording a century of military service shouldn’t be ruled out.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
 
Very few people know that the first aeroplane using jet engine was constructed by Romanian engineer Coanda, who was better known for his Coanda effect. He descended from some rich Romanian family and was educated in France. Aeroplane was presented on a Paris air show, probably in 1910, but unfortunately engine malfunctioned, started fire and the whole thing was burnt to the ground. But somebody, somewhere built this replica.

It looks quite sleek for biplane. I'm sure it would give Red Baron run for his money ;-).


View: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10232369926487438&set=gm.3668981439983642&idorvanity=2953149478233512
 
Over at the local airport where that C-47 was sitting there was a remnant of what looked like a PBY. I'll see if I can get some pics.
 
This is sitting abut where that C-47 was. It has a foreign roundrel on it that this poor photo doesn't show. South African maybe? My intention is to come back maybe on a quiet weekend afternoon, there is a spot on the public highway that I think might work so I can get a look at it with a better camera.

Two things.

This old iPhone 8 is what I have and carry every day. When it breaks I'll get something newer but right now I have no real reason to as it's adequate for most things and works perfectly. That's the thought behind carrying a firearm, BTW. You take something that isn't burdensome and is a good compromise between utility and convenience and you're apt to have it when you need it. Carrying a dedicated camera with a zoom lens is not practical for me to tote around.

The other thing is an observation. In this county rotaries have appeared and I like them, they really do relieve traffic congestion. They are small and uncomplicated and yet they have taken a while for people to get used to but they do seem to like bitching about them. There is one just out of view on the road I was on.

The reason I got that pic is because traffic stopped. The rotary works fine normally - I hated the light that was there. But yesterday some poor feller's left front wheel came right off in that rotary and that was that, the truck was stuck. Probably the rotary's fault. Even though there was enough room to get by safely people just locked up. Had the old light still been there there would have been a snarl, but from the light not from people not knowing what to do. Some people couldn't pour piss out of a boot even with the instructions written on the heel.

When it comes to rotaries Americans are like cows and stairs. Uh....no.


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B-2 Spirit Joined By B-29 Superfortress For Unprecedented Nuclear Bomber Heritage Flight


B-2 Spirit Joined By B-29 Superfortress For Unprecedented Nuclear Bomber Heritage Flight​

America’s first nuclear bomber and its most recent to enter service took to the air together over Missouri at the weekend.
THOMAS NEWDICK
POSTED ON JUL 15, 2024 5:51 PM EDT

Two legendary U.S. nuclear bombers, their first flights separated by almost half a century, took to the skies over Missouri at the weekend. The formation flights by the U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the B-29 Doc — one of only two examples of the World War II-era bomber that are flying anywhere in the world — were, the service believes, the first time that these two legendary aircraft had flown together in this way.

FACEBOOK/WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE


Two historic U.S. nuclear bombers, their first flights separated by almost half a century, took to the skies together over Missouri at the weekend. The formation flights by the U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the B-29 Doc — one of only two examples of the World War II-era bomber that are flying — were the first time that these two legendary aircraft had flown together in this manner, the service states.

The formation flights recognized a key link in the heritage of the types, namely the 509th Bomb Wing that today operates the B-2, but which was originally established in World War II to fly nuclear missions with the B-29.

The event in question was the Wings Over Whiteman Air Show at Whiteman Air Force Base on July 13 and 14. However, it seems that having the B-2 and B-29 meet up in the air on both days of the show may have been something of an impromptu event, or at least an unannounced surprise decision. The B-29 had been listed in advance as a static airshow performer. Meanwhile, photographer Kaden m, who shared his shot of the flypast with TWZ, explained that the formation flight had not been revealed to the spectators in advance.
WBXUxADj.jpg
The B-2 and B-29 Doc airborne together over Whiteman Air Force Base last Saturday. Kaden m

451224595_913527360816468_5264199142202271521_n.jpg
An air-to-air view of the B-2 and B-29 Doc in formation. Facebook/Whiteman Air Force Base

The resident 509th Bomb Wing told TWZ that they “believe it is probably the first time the B-2 and B-29 have flown in formation together during an airshow,” and that the formation “was flown mainly because of the opportunity of having both aircraft available.”

By itself, a B-2 taking part in Wings Over Whiteman was to be expected. The air base, in Knob Noster, Missouri, is the only permanent residence of operational Spirits. Whiteman is home to the ‘silver bullet’ B-2 fleet, which counts 19 of the bombers (a 20th is being divested from the Air Force after it made an emergency landing and suffered a fire at the base on December 10, 2022.)
Northrop (which merged to form Northrop Grumman in 1994) built a total of just 21 B-2s at Plant 42 starting in the late 1980s. Another B-2 was lost in a crash at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam in 2008.
8346255-scaled.jpg
B-2 stealth bombers assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing taxi on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base on April 15, 2024. The base executed a mass fly-off of 12 B-2s to cap off the annual Spirit Vigilance exercise. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hailey Farrell U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hailey Farrell

Today’s B-2s are a key element of the aerial leg of America’s nuclear deterrent triad, a mission that was first flown by the B-29.
In stark contrast to the B-2, close to 4,000 B-29s were eventually completed, with one of them being serial number 44-69972, delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces in March 1945 and now known as Doc. The following August, a pair of B-29s were used to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, introducing the era of nuclear warfighting.
Those nuclear raids were flown by the 509th Composite Group, which had been established with that specific mission in mind.
MARIANAS: CREWS The ground crew of the B-29 Enola Gay which atom-bombed Hiroshima, Japan. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, the pilot is the center. Marianas Islands.
The crew of the B-29 Enola Gay which atom-bombed Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, seen at their base in the Marianas Islands. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, the pilot, is in the center. U.S. Air Force
After Japan’s surrender, the 509th returned to the United States and soon found itself at the heart of the newly created Strategic Air Command.
The successor to the 509th Composite Group of World War II fame is today’s 509th Bomb Wing, which has outlived the U.S. Army Air Forces and Strategic Air Command, and which welcomed the first operational B-2, named The Spirit of Missouri, at Whiteman on December 17, 1993. This date marked the 90th anniversary of the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers, and the 49th anniversary of the original activation of the 509th Composite Group.
In the meantime, Doc had been withdrawn from service in the mid-1950s, after periods spent on second-line radar calibration and target-towing duties and, as of 1987, was lying forlorn as a target for bombing training at China Lake, California.
Doc, a B-29 Superfortress, stays in a hangar June 2, 2021, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. In May of 2000, the aircraft returned to Wichita where it was began the process of reassembly and restoration. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Willis)
Doc, the B-29 Superfortress, in a hangar at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, in June 2021. In May of 2000, the aircraft returned to Wichita where it began the process of reassembly and restoration. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary WillisAirman 1st Class Zachary Willis
After a 12-year process of acquiring the aircraft from the U.S. government, a long period of restoration work by volunteers at Wichita, Kansas — where many B-29s had once been built — eventually led to Doc returning to the air on July 17, 2016, an event documented in the video below.
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Wings Over Whiteman therefore provided a unique and very interesting comparison of America’s first and most recent operational nuclear bomber.
In terms of dimensions, the B-2’s bat wing spans 172 feet, while the fuselage is 69 feet long, and the overall height is 17 feet with the wheels down. The B-29, meanwhile, has a wingspan of 141 feet 3 inches, a length of 99 feet, and towers over the stealth bomber with a height of 27 feet 9 inches.
Powered by four General Electric F118-GE-100 engines each of which produces 17,300 pounds of thrust, the B-2 can reach high subsonic speeds and an altitude of 50,000 feet. According to the Air Force factsheet on the type, the B-2 can lift a payload of 40,000 pounds, with a maximum takeoff weight of 336,500 pounds; in fact, its payload is considerably greater than that, including, for instance, a pair of the enormous Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker buster, or MOP bombs, at 30,000 pounds each. The Spirit has an unrefueled range of at least 6,000 nautical miles, according to the Air Force.
b-2-plant-42.jpg
A head-on view of a B-2. U.S. Air Force A B-2A bomber at Northrop Grumman’s facility within the US Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. USAF
The B-29 is driven by four Wright R-3350s radial engines, each of which produces 2,200 horsepower, for a maximum speed of 357 miles per hour, and a ceiling of 33,600 feet. The aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight of 133,500 pounds includes a payload of 40,000 pounds — half that of the stealth bomber. The Superfortress has a range of around 3,445 nautical miles.
For their times, both the B-29 and B-2 introduced some remarkable and influential innovations.
The B-29 featured pressurized crew compartments as well as a central fire-control system with remotely controlled gun turrets — typical defensive armament comprised 10 50-caliber machine guns and a single 20mm cannon.
Boeing B-29 production line. (U.S. Air Force photo)
One of the Boeing B-29 production lines. U.S. Air Force
Flying with no defensive armament, the B-2 heralded a new era of stealth for the Air Force, with its entire design intended to provide the low-observable characteristics required to evade high-end air defenses and strike the best-protected targets. The B-2’s stealth features extend to reduction measures for its infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, and radar signatures, including the extensive use of composite materials, special coatings, and the iconic flying-wing design.
Both B-29 and B-2 excel, in particular, in terms of their high aerodynamic efficiency and large payloads.
Next to the B-29, the B-2 may still look like it’s arrived from the future, but it’s worth noting that the aircraft’s successor is now very much looming on the horizon, scheduled to send the Spirit the way of the Superfortress, into well-earned retirement, sometime in the late 2020s or early 2030s. The first pre-production B-21 Raider made its maiden flight in November 2023 and is now undergoing initial flight testing.
B-2/B-21 comparison
A composite side-by-side comparison of the B-2 (below) and its successor, the B-21 (top). U.S. Air Force/@thenewarea51

USAF/@thenewarea51
In the meantime, however, the B-2 fleet still has years of service life left ahead of it and the remaining bombers are still set to receive upgrades and additional capabilities before they are retired for good.
Therefore, there’s still more time for formation flights involving the B-2 and the B-29, which not only acknowledge the illustrious heritage of the 509th Bomb Wing and its antecedents and parent organizations but provide a fascinating chance to compare two classic bomber designs that truly represented the technological cutting edge of their respective eras.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

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