“They were great birds to fly. You could land them anywhere, in any type of environment; they were great for what we were using them for here.”-Captain Tyler Smith, Bravo Company commander, 1st Bn, 5th Avn Reg
The U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment OH-58C Kiowas fly over Fort Polk, Louisiana, for the last time, 09JUL2020. The Kiowa helicopters are being replaced with UH-72 Lakotas.
Farewell water salute.
The U.S. Army’s oldest operational aircraft is a Kiowa, tail # O-16696, now to become a static display ‘gate guard’ at Fork Polk. Three of the Fort Polk Kiowas will be cannibalized for spare parts while the other four retiring Kiowas will be used by sheriff departments in Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
The Kiowa family of helicopters have been used by the U.S. Army since 1969. Ultimately, 2-thousand-2-hundred different versions of the Kiowa would be built between 1966 and 1989. The U.S. Army’s last operational ‘C’ Kiowas are based at Fort Irwin (National Training Center), California, but will also be retired soon.
Florida Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Spencer Rhodes, 13MAY2020.
Florida Air National Guard 125th FW’s F-15Cs did battle with CoViD-19 over the Orange County Convention Center’s Pandemic testing operations, 13MAY2020.
U.S. Air Force photo by Erica Campbell, 14MAY2020.
F-15s from 96th Test Wing flew over Florida on 14MAY2020.
Soon to become ‘616’, day of delivery to NASA from USAF, 31OCT1966. NASA photo.
In 1966, NASA took possession of a USAF F-106B that had been used to test ejection seats and radar systems.
NASA photo, 1969.
NASA photo.
Something different about this F-106B.
NASA photo, 1969.
NASA tail code 616 while in use at Lewis Research Center, Ohio, and changed to 816 while at Langley Research Center, Virginia. USAF tail code 72516.
NASA photo, 1969.
NASA photo, 1969.
F-106B and its F-8 Crusader ‘chase’ plane. NASA photo, 1969.
F-106B before the J85 engines were mounted. NASA photo, 1968.
A lot of surgery and load-testing. 2-thousand-5-hundred pounds of weapon system hardware were removed.
The electrics/wiring was stripped. NASA photo, 1966.
NASA photo, 1966.
Elevon load test, NASA photo, 1967.
NASA photo, 1967.
1:20 scale wind tunnel model. NASA photo, 1967.
‘616’ after the internal modification, but before the J85 surgery. NASA photo, 1968.
Two aircraft tractors used to manipulate the ‘vertical load tester’ device. NASA photo, 1968.
NASA photo, 1968.
Rear lateral load tester. NASA photo, 1968.
Looking like the rear load tester, NASA claims this is the “front mount side load tester”. NASA photo, 1968.
NASA photo, 1968.
Despite no engines, they were pumping JP-4 (a type of kerosene for jet aircraft), apparently to test the fuel tanks? NASA photo, 1968.
NASA photo, 1968.
NASA photo, 1968.
Underwing nacelle. The first research flight with the three engines was on 03JUN1968.
NASA photo, 1968.
NASA photo, 1968.
General Electric J-85 engine. The J85 was originally designed for a air-to-surface missile carried by the B-52, but it went on to power the T-38, F-5, A-37 and CT-114.
NASA photo, 1968.
Nacelle build-up. Apparently the left (port, #2) engine was a special version of the J85, and the right (starboard, #3) engine was the standard production J85. The idea was to use the experimental things on the ‘special’ J85 and then compare the performance to the ‘normal’ J85.
NASA photo, 1968.
Interior of J85 nacelle. NASA photo, 1968.
Aft missile bay fuel tank. NASA photo, 1968.
A new fuel tank was made to fit the internal weapons bay.
NASA photo, 1971.
NASA photo, 1976.
Note three jet exhausts on the F-106B. The co-pilot in the rear seat operated the J85 engines.
NASA says this photo shows the rear seat throttle controls for the two J85 engines.
NASA photo, 1968.
NASA tried different sensors.
NASA photo, 1974.
The U.S. Air Force wanted to test different types of exhaust nozzles in an attempt to achieve supersonic cruising (without using the after burner).
General Electric 32 spoke fan nozzle. NASA photo, 1971.
Silent video of multi-engined F-106B ‘616’ roll-out, take-off, flight and landing. This edit also includes lightning strike testing, NASA ‘816’ (formerly 616) was also ‘lightning hardened’ and intentionally flown into thunderstorms. That testing helped develop technologies that are taken for granted today:
Sound check. NASA photo, 1970.
It was also used to test jet engine mufflers (acoustic suppressors) for the U.S. airliner industry. This is because taxpayers had successfully got their lawmakers to limit the level of noise created by jet airliners. Unfortunately, all attempts to suppress the noise levels of jet engines had no affect on preventing sonic booms, and many global metro areas (the only markets for SSTs) made it a crime to break the sound barrier, just one of many reasons why SSTs like Concorde and Tu-114 were killed off.
This is how NASA does a ‘mic check’. NASA photo, 1971.
‘Acoustic Plug & Shroud’ testing. NASA photo, 1971.
Half span wind tunnel model. NASA photo, 1971.
NASA photo, 1971.
Wind tunnel model with squared ‘wedge’ F-15 style intakes.
Installing a F-15 style intake on a J85 nacelle. NASA photo, 1975.
NASA photo, 1971.
Blown main-gear tire at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, 1971.
NASA photo, 1971.
About to take a final flight. NASA photo, 1977.
Supposedly this is a photo from the final flight of the three engined F-106B. It would return to having just one engine.
‘616’ to ‘816’. NASA photo, February 1990.
In 1979, NASA 616 was sent to Langley Research Center where it became 816. As the last piloted Convair F-106 anywhere, NASA 816 saw service at Langley researching storm hazards, experimenting with an ‘Off-Surface’ flow visualization system, and testing a vortex flap.
Supposedly, 616/816 was not turned over for target drone duty as were the vast majority of F-106s, but retired to the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Mil 24V (Mi-35), January 2020. Apparently purchased from Ukraine.
Egyptian Ministry of Defense promotional video in which you can see AH-64 Apaches, Kamov 52 Nile Crocodile, Hips, Gazelles, Super Sea Sprites, CH-47 Chinooks and Mi-35 Hinds:
Ka-52 Nile Crocodile.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Justin Warren.
Egyptian and Jordanian soldiers secure an urban training area after repelling out of an Egyptian Commando (Sea King), U.S. led Exercise Bright Star, September 2018.
USAF photo by Senior Airman Dawn M. Weber.
U.S. Army photo by Sergeant James Lefty Larimer.
A ‘hip’ Egyptian helicopter (Mil 17V-5) conducting med-evac (medical evacuation) training during Bright Star 2018.
USA photo by Sergeant James Lefty Larimer.
U.S. Department of Defense photo by Tom Gagnier.
Mi-17 V5 from Bright Star 2017.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Battles.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Jonathan Clay.
Egyptian navy Kaman Super Sea Sprite lands on USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) during exercise Eagle Salute, July 2018.
USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Jonathan Clay/Released)
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Battles.
Egyptian Civil Police Gazelles get training in anti-tank operations, U.S. led Exercise Bright Star, September 2017.
USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Battles.
Video, Egyptian Gazelles, 2017:
Photo via U.S. Navy.
This is a VH-3A Sea King ‘presidential helicopter’ after rebuild in the United States in 2009. This helicopter was originally given to Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat in 1974, by the U.S. taxpayers (presented by U.S. President Richard Nixon).
Egyptian SH-3 Sea King during Bright Star 82, November 1981.
Silent U.S. Army video, by Sergeant First Class Jacobs, showing Sea King during the first Bright Star 81 (for fiscal year 1981) wargame, November 1980:
Quick video, Hip and Gazelles from Bright Star 2009:
Egyptian Mi-8 Hip during multi-national wargame Bright Star, October 2001. USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Cherie A. Thurlby.
Wargame Bright Star 82, a USAF C-5A Galaxy about to touch-down in Egypt, an Mi-8 is parked in the foreground, November 1981.
Silent U.S. Army video, by Sergeant First Class Jacobs, showing Mi-8 Hips during the first Bright Star 81 (for fiscal year 1981) wargame, November 1980:
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Carley Vedro, 17OCT2019.
Checking for booby-traps planted near an abandoned AH-1W Super Cobra.
USMC photo by Corporal Carley Vedro, 17OCT2019.
Aircraft recovery training at Twentynine Palms, California, 17OCT2019.
USMC photo by Corporal Carley Vedro, 17OCT2019.
Interesting, this recovery training took place in October 2019, yet all the Marines in this pic are wearing N95 masks! The information that came with these pics did not explain why they are wearing N95 masks. N95 masks are not just for medical use, they are also used in various industries for protection against microscopic particles.
USMC photo by Corporal Koby I. Saunders, 09MAY2018.
Recovery ops, Twenty Nine Palms, May 2018.
USMC photo by Corporal Koby I. Saunders, 09MAY2018.
USMC photo by Corporal Koby I. Saunders, 09MAY2018.
USMC photo by Corporal Koby I. Saunders, 09MAY2018.
USMC photo by Corporal Koby I. Saunders, 09MAY2018.
USMC photo by Staff Sergeant Kowshon Ye, 07NOV2017.
Aircraft salvage and recovery/refueling training at Twentynine Palms, 07NOV2017.
Video, Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 373 explains Viper recovery training during Integrated Training eXercise 3-17:
The Super Cobra in this video was the subject of a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel mission (TRAP mission) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in June 2011. The AH-1W had one of its two turbines quit working and a new engine was installed. The video is of the start-up and take-off after the new turbine was installed:
Most U.S. Marine AH-1W Super Cobras were ‘retired’ by the end of 2019, being resurrected as upgraded AH-1Z Vipers.
U.S. Army ‘Rotary Wing Assets’, including Apaches, aboard USS Lewis B. Puller (the first of its kind mobile helicopter base-ship) somewhere in the Persian Gulf, 15APR2020.
The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is deploying to Europe to take part in anti-Russia operation Atlantic Resolve. Video, AH-64 Apache live fire, 01MAY2020, Fort Campbell Kentucky:
Also deploying from Fort Campbell, the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment took-off for South Korea. It is considered a routine ‘rotational’ deployment.
Ignoring CoViD-19 ‘social distancing’ and mask wearing advise, hundreds of family members turned out to say goodbye to Utah Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, as it deployed for a year long combat mission in Afghanistan.
National Guard personnel conduct Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) training at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, 13MAY2020.
Video, 18 AH-64s of the 1-3rd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade fly over Bavaria, Germany, 19MAY2020:
12th Combat Aviation Brigade video explainer (with happy background music); how the AH-64D Apache Longbow can kill you:
Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.
Personnel at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, volunteer to assemble a giant model of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), 20MAY2020.
Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.
Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.
The official reason for the giant model is “to inspire pride”.
Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.
On 23JAN2020, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (Kratos) conducted a successful 4th flight of the XQ-58A low-cost, long-range attack ‘drone’ (Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology), over the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG) in Arizona.
Length 9.14m, wingspan 8.2m, dry weight 1134kg, maximum take-off weight 2722kg. Internal bomb-bay with two GBU-39 bombs, wings will have hard points for weapons, maximum payload of 544kg. Turbofan engine producing 2000lb thrust.
“The Valkyrie is a remarkable accomplishment requiring a highly collaborative approach to meet the program’s performance and cost objectives, all while achieving first flight in 30 months.”-Doug Szczublewski, AFRL, November 2019
Apparently one of the innovations of the XQ-58A team is the creation of an 11-feet long air intake duct made with resins.
Kratos representatives say the XQ-58A and its launcher can fit inside a standard Conex shipping container. (USAF finds new use for Conex: NEGATIVE PRESSURE FLYING HOSPITALS?)
Short silent video from the first flight, 05MAR2019, over YPG:
In October 2019 the new Valkyrie crashed while landing, high-speed winds and failure of the ‘recovery system’ being blamed. Supposedly it does not need a paved runway to land on (using parachutes and airbags), and can conduct a wide-range of missions (surveillance, reconnaissance and long-range combat) at far less the cost of current unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV, aka drones).
U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, 09DEC2020. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Joshua King.
USAF video, from December 2020, admitting that the XQ-58A was a failure:
During the 09DEC2020 test, the F-35 Lightning-2, and an F-22 Raptor, were supposed to be able to ‘communicate’ with their unmanned wingman, the XQ-58A. It didn’t work. Photo via Air Force Magazine.
In July 2021, the ‘advanced’ XQ-58 Valkyrie suddenly became a museum piece in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. USAF photo by Ty Greenlees.
High Mach speed stripped the then standard thickness paint from the aircraft.
Instrument panel of XB-70 #1, NASA photo.
Silent NASA video of take-off from Edwards AFB, 1965:
The original chase plane was a TB-58 Hustler. The trainer version of the Hustler bomber was fast and could keep up with the XB-70 by cutting inside the Valkyrie’s turns. NASA photo.
The 1st XB-70A (#62-001, tail #20001) taking off with TB-58 bomber-trainer acting as chase plane. The TB-58 could fly at Mach-2, but the XB-70A could hit Mach-3.
Silent NASA video of XB-70A landing at Edwards AFB in 1965:
NASA photo, 1965.
The windshield could be raised to reduce drag.
NASA photo, 08JUN1966.
On 08JUN1966, the 2nd XB-70 (62-207) was destroyed in a high speed crash caused by a chase F-104N (with the orange & yellow tail) drifting into the Valkyrie’s right wing, flipping over the top of the Valkyrie, hitting the bomber’s vertical stabilizers and left wing. NASA says this photo was taken just before the collision.
Ka-52 Nile Crocodile.
Also deploying from Fort Campbell, the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment took-off for South Korea. It is considered a routine ‘rotational’ deployment.
Over Iraq, August 2017.
Gulf of Alaska, June 2015.
U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler refueling over Afghanistan, 30DEC2014.
September 2011, Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 139 EA-6B gets fuel from Strike Fighter Squadron 154 F/A-18E Super Hornet.
Somewhere over The Middle East, May 2011.
Over Afghanistan, March 2011.
Being refueled by F/A-18E Super Hornet over Austria, March 2009.
Refueled by S-3B Viking off the coast of Japan, March 2008.
Refueling over Kyrgyzstan, March 2006.
High Mach speed stripped the then standard thickness paint from the aircraft.
Valkyrie 20001 after arrival at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, February 1969.
Being flown down the road to its retirement home known as a museum, 1971.