The Aviationist

Photo: These could be the only F-22 stealth planes not choking their pilots May 16, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Aircraft Carriers, Military Aviation.
Tags: F-22, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, United States Navy, USS Carl Vinson
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Just posted by U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet on their Flickr photostream, the following image shows the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as it arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) for its final port visit in Hawaii before returning to its homeport in San Diego following a six-month WestPac (Western Pacific) and OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) cruise.

Don’t blame me for the following comment, but as soon as I saw the photograph, I could not help but notice that those depicted in the photo could be the only F-22 stealth planes not choking their pilots.

Indeed, in spite of the recurrent hypoxia symptoms experienced by several Air Force pilots, some of whom have refused to fly the Raptor until the flaw continues, the Pentagon has not grounded the F-22 fleet, unlike the USAF that banned flight operations with the 5th generation fighter last year.

Lockheed Martin’s troubled plane will be only restricted to fly near a “proximate landing location” in order to give pilots the possibility to land quickly if their planes’ On Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) fail.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dustin W. Sisco

Defense Chief Restricts Stealth Jet Till It Stops Choking Pilots (wired.com)
Whistleblower pilots who did not want to fly the F-22 now ready to resume flying the Raptor! (theaviationist.com)
482 such planes have crashed in 30 years. There is someone risking a lot more than F-22 pilots. (theaviationist.com)

Photo evidence: Maiden flight for the second China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype May 16, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in China.
Tags: Chengdu, Chengdu J-20, J-20, Maiden flight, Stealth aircraft
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After a series of high-speed taxi tests with the nosewheel off the ground and subsequent use of the drag chute, here are the first images published on the Chinese forums showing the second J-20 stealth fighter prototype performing its first flight at Chengdu.

Image credit: http://club.mil.news.sina.com.cn/

[Updated] Photo: Second China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype (almost) makes maiden flight (theaviationist.com)
Here we go again: second China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype getting ready for first flight (theaviationist.com)
Second China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype’s new radome: a sign of an installed AESA radar set? (theaviationist.com)
New China’s J-20 fifth generation stealth fighter prototype spotted at Chengdu (theaviationist.com)
China’s 5th generation stealth fighter performing combat maneuver tests over Chengdu (theaviationist.com)

Another chapter of the “USAF Hangar Foam Party” saga. May 16, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.
Tags: 457th Fighter Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, Eglin Air Force Base, Fire protection, Fire suppression system, Foam, Hangar, United States Airforce, US Air Force
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After the F-15, F-16 and A-10 submerged by foam at Eglin AFB, Florida in 2009, and the C-17 at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, last year, here below you can find some pictures of another Air Force’s fire suppression system filling a hangar with foam I received from a member of the 457th Fighter Squadron “Spads”.

They were taken when the 457th FS AFRC (Air Force Reserve Command), from NAS Forth Worth JRB, Texas, was on a TDY (Temporary Deployment) to Portland ANGB, Oregon, in August of 2008 for DACT (Dissimilar Air Combat Training) with the local based 123rd FS of the OR ANG. It was their last day there, they were all packed up and all of a sudden the foam suppression system for the hangar they were operating out of went off.

“Spare parts, computers, and other materials got covered. Our Vipers were out on the flightline. It was a mess, but allowed for us to get a good game of flag football in while the fire folks cleaned it up” the 457th FS’s airman says.

Image courtesy of 457th FS member

It looks like this kind of incident is rather frequent, therefore, what about an in-depth check of all the fire suppression systems before a new “foam party” takes place in one of those hangars sheltering some costly stealth planes?

A test at Ellsworth AFB in August 2005 lasted more than expected (for a human error?) and a B-1 hangar that had to be covered by one meter of foam within four minutes or less was almost filled by the fire suppression system that was allowed to generate foam for the full four minutes.

Foam party! Hangar fire suppression system submerges F-15, F-16 and A-10 in foam at Eglin Air Force Base (theaviationist.com)
Another foam party! This time at Charleston AFB. Maybe USAF should check its fire suppression systems (theaviationist.com)
Air Force Accidentally Fills Entire Hangar with Foam [Image Cache] (gizmodo.com)

Photo Report: Italian Army Aviation celebrates its anniversary with a tactical event involving heavy lifter, attack and special ops choppers May 15, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Helicopters, Military Aviation.
Tags: Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Helicopters, Italian Army, Viterbo
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On May 10, the Italian Army celebrated the 61st anniversary of the service’s Aviation at Viterbo airfield, northwest of Rome, with an interesting tactical event and final flypast which saw the participation of CH-47, NH-90, AB-412, AB-205, A-129 choppers, some of which are periodically deployed to Afghanistan in support of ISAF, as well as P-180 and Dornier 228 planes.

Viterbo is one of the most important Army airfields. Along with the Centro Addestrativo Aviazione dell’Esercito (Army Aviation Training Centre), it hosts several operational flying units: the 1° Reggimento “Antares”, the 28° Gruppo Squadroni “Tucano” and the 26° REOS (Reparto Operazioni Speciali – Special Operations Unit).

Last year, Viterbo hosted the Italian Call 2011, a Multinational Helicopter Exercise.

The Aviationist’s photographer Giovanni Maduli took the following pictures of the ceremony and “dynamic demo”.

Another foam party! This time at Charleston AFB. Maybe USAF should check its fire suppression systems May 15, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.
Tags: Charleston Air Force Base, Eglin Air Force Base, Fire protection, Fire suppression system, Foam, Hangar, United States Airforce, US Air Force
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When I published the picture about the F-15, F-16 and A-10 submerged by foam at Eglin AFB, Florida, I thought that this kind of incident was quite rare.

I was wrong.

First of all, a visitor recounted that something like that happened with a C-135 VIP transport at Hickam AFB many years ago. They put it into the fuel cell hangar, and left the cockpit windows open. It rained that night, the roof leaked, and the fire suppression system went off. They found the cockpit filled with halon.

Then, a pilot sent me the following picture taken in 2011 at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, when a fire suppression system went off inside a huge C-17 hangar.

Obviously, the size of both the hangar and the C-17 is such, that the U.S. airlifter was far from being submerged by foam.

Courtesy image

Foam party! Hangar fire suppression system submerges F-15, F-16 and A-10 in foam at Eglin Air Force Base (theaviationist.com)
Air Force Accidentally Fills Entire Hangar with Foam [Image Cache] (gizmodo.com)

European Helicopters make first land attack on Somali Pirates May 15, 2012

Posted by Richard Clements in Helicopters, Maritime Security.
Tags: anti-piracy, European Union, Maritime Security, Navy, Piracy in Somalia, Somalia
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The Daily Telegraph newspaper has run a report stating that at dawn on Tuesday May 15 several European helicopters flew along the Somalian coast line to attack and destroy numerous pirate skiffs that were dragged above the high tide line.

According to the article troops were not landed from the anti-piracy helicopters indicating that they attack was conducted using the on board machine guns. Most probably, the presence of the small boats on the beach within reach of helicopter gun fire was revealed by drones circling high above the area from several days.

In February, after some 400 attacks and 100 hijackings in three years on international shipping, UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron was believed to be about to send one of two helicopter carriers loaded with Apache and Lynx attack helicopters, along with Royal Marines, to take out the Pirate camps once and for all.

Some six weeks ago the European Union passed a ruling that disruptive attacks on the Somalian pirates was to be permitted and this could be the first in numerous attacks on the pirate problem in the area.

The Telegraph article stated that troops from several European countries took part in the morning raid as confirmed by official sources, the Navies from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Portugal all have warships off the coast of Somalia.

No Europeans were hurt during the raid and it would seems no pirates were hurt either: this just looks a case of attacking the tools of the trade for the pirates denying them the ability to put to sea to carry out their crimes against commercial shipping.

Even the U.S. Navy has a strong presence in the area: helicopters from ships within the 5th Fleet AOR (Area Of Operations) are constantly involved in anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa.

Written with David Cenciotti

Image credit: Navy

Obama Administration to fund additional Israeli Iron Dome mobile air defense systems May 15, 2012

Posted by Richard Clements in Iran, weapons.
Tags: Ehud Barak, Gaza Strip, Iron Dome, Israel, Leon Panetta
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According to an article published by the Jerusalem Post on May 13, the Israeli Defense minister Ehud Barak and U.S. counterpart Leon Panetta will announce (in a press conference to be held after meeting scheduled on May 17) a deal worth $680 in aid to allow Israel to purchase a further 3-4 Iron Dome mobile units.

Currently the Israeli Air Force operates four mobile air defense system batteries with an additional three expected over the coming year.

The existing units have been very busy in recent months with nearly 100 Katyusha and Kassam, launched allegedly from within the Gaza Strip, intercepted.

Ehud Barak’s talks with Panetta are thought to include the continued pursuit of Iran’s nuke capability and the new aid package is seen as a sort of “sweetener” to Jerusalem; a sign of increased coordination with Washington regarding Iran.

The JPost even mentions that Congress is also supporting the development of Arrow-3, Israel’s anti-ballistic missile system as well as a system called David’s Sling, a medium range missle system, under development jointly by Raytheon and Rafael.

Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com

Image credit: IDF

Azerbaijan to host Israeli Air Force planes in case of attack on Iran? (theaviationist.com)

Foam party! Hangar fire suppression system submerges F-15, F-16 and A-10 in foam at Eglin Air Force Base May 14, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.
Tags: Eglin Air Force Base, Fire protection, Fire suppression system, Foam, Hangar, United States Airforce, US Air Force
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According to “youmustvotenato”, the user who posted it to Reddit, the following picture was taken after the fire suppression system base went off because of a spark from a welder set.

Clearly visible in the image an F-15 belonging to the 85th TES (Test and Evaluation Squadron), an F-16 of the 40 FLTS (Flight Test Squadron), and an A-10 (most probably belonging too to the 46th Test Wing): based on the the tail codes, the hangar must have been one used by the 46th TW at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Image credit: via youmustvotenato / Reddit

The foam generators suspended from the ceiling released suppressant similar to soap that submerged the planes in the hangar. It takes two minutes to fill a 90,000 square-foot hangar with more than three feet of two percent high-expansion biodegradable foam.

Here’s a video showing how fire suppression systems work.

Thanks to @Menzo2003 for the heads-up

These are the best (air-to-air) pictures of the Discovery mounted atop NASA’s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft May 14, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Airshow, Space.
Tags: Kennedy Space Center, NASA, Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, Space Coast, Space Shuttle, Space Shuttle Discovery
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The following pictures were published today on the U.S. Air Force Westover Air Reserve Base Facebook page.

They show the Space Shuttle Discovery mounted atop NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA (NASA 905) shortly after take off from Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, at about 7 a.m. EDT on on Apr. 17.

The duo, followed by a T-38 chase plane (whose backseater carried the camera that took the cool images), headed south to fly over Brevard County’s beach communities for residents to get a look at the shuttle before it left the Space Coast for the last time.

Image credit: NASA via Westover Air Reserve Base

Space Shuttle Discovery flying over the Washington skyline as seen from a NASA T-38 (very low on gas…) (theaviationist.com)
The Space Shuttle Enterprise flying over New York City (theaviationist.com)

“Operation Delawor”: when an entire U.S. Army airborne brigade, two F-100 squadrons deployed to Iran for an exercise May 14, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Iran, Military History.
Tags: 101st Airborne Division, F-100, Iran, Iranian Imperial Air Force, U.S. Army, US Air Force, USAF
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“Operation Delawor” is an episode of The Big Picture, a series of films produced by the U.S. Army and ran on the ABC-TV from 1951 to 1964. The television program featured exercises, battles, weaponry and famous soldiers’ biographies.

Filmed in April 1964, “Operation Delawor” (from a Persian word meaning “courageous”) recounts of a 3-day exercise during which an entire U.S. Army airborne brigate was airlifted to Iran with all its heavy equipment to train with the local Imperial Armed Forces.

Along with 2,300 troops and 550 tons of material of the 101st Airborne Division from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, even two F-100 squadrons from Cannon AFB, were deployed to Iran with the support of KC-135 tankers and C-130 cargos.

The exercise featured a combined air drop, an amphibious attack on Kharg Island involving also a U.S. dock landing ship, two destroyers and eight helicopters, and Close Air Support by the F-100s operating from Vahdati AFB with air cover provided by the Imperial Iranian Air Force F-86s.

Min. 23.00 has some interesting air-to-air and activity with Forward Air Controller footage.

In 1964, the U.S. and Iranian military “learned how to work together as a combined joint team involved in a common enterprise”. About 50 years (and a captured stealth drone) later, they could be called to fight each other any time.