One always remembers Sukhoi bureau and its modern aircraft when asked about advanced Soviet/Russian aircraft. In this article, we’re covering the story of this world famous design bureau.
The buerau was founded by Soviet aircraft engineer Pavel Sukhoi in the year 1939. Earlier, Pavel worked as an apprentice at Tupolev OKB, headed by Andrei Tupolev. He joined the Tupolev bureau in 1925. During this period, he designed aircraft such as the Tupolev ANT-25 , T-1 and T-3 bombers. In 1937, Joseph Stalin had put forward a new aircraft requirement, as per which, Pavel Sukhoi was to be appointed as the head of this independent bureau. The aircraft was called BB-1, which was later christened as the Sukhoi Su-2. About 910 examples of this aircraft were produced. Sukhoi and his team were assigned to plant No.135 in Kharkov, Ukraine. Sukhoi, however, was not satisfied with the isolation from Moscow, which was the technological hub of the union. He relocated to Moscow’s Podmoskovy aerodrome. In 1941, due to Invasion by Germany, new fighter requirements were placed by the defence ministry. The competing aircraft were Ilyushin Il-2 and Sukhoi Su-6. Unfortunately for the Sukhoi OKB, The government had preferred the Il-2 because of Stalin’s close ties with Ilyushin. By the end of WWII, Sukhoi OKB started to work on USSRs first jet aircraft prototypes, The Sukhoi Su-7 and Su-9. In 1949, Sukhoi lost favour from Stalin, and hence was shut down, following which Pavel Sukhoi was reinstated into the Tupolev bureau as Assistant Designer to Andrei Tupolev. After 1953 (Stalin’s death), the Sukhoi OKB was resurrected. In the forthcoming years, Sukhoi became the first design bureau to incorporate brake parachute, catapult ejector seat and a pressurised cockpits. It also manufactured aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-7, Su-9, Su-11, Su-15, Su-17, Su-22 and Su-25. During the late 1970s, the bureau was tasked to design an aircraft which could counter the U.S F-15 Eagle. This led to the development of Sukhoi-27 - followed by its derivatives, the Sukhoi Su-30; a twin seat multirole aircraft, Su-33; a naval variant of the Su-27; Su-35; known as the Super Flanker, a variant of the Su-27 with modern avionics and aerodynamics; Sukhoi Su-37, a technology demonstrator and the Su-57 PAKFA, 5th generation stealth aircraft. Apart from military aircraft, they even manufacture civilian aircraft such as Sukhoi-100 Superjet and several other sports aircraft. The Sukhoi OKB was amalgamated along with MiG, Irkut, Yakovlev and Tupolev to form the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in February 2006. By Arjun Iyer
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CARRIER AIR WING ASSIGNMENTS
DATED AUGUST 2018 USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Carrier Strike Group-8 (CSG-8) Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) Tail Code AB VFA-11 “Red Rippers” F/A-18F VFA-211 “Fighting Checkmates” F/A-18F VFA-136 “Knighthawks” F/A-18E VFA-81 “Sunliners” F/A-18E VAQ-137 “Rooks” E/A-18G VAW-126 “Seahawks” E-2D HSC-11 “Dragonslayers” MH-60S HSM-72 “Proud Warriors” MH-60R VRC-40 Det 1 “Rawhides” C-2A USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Carrier Strike Group-1 (CSG-1) Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) Tail Code NE VFA-2 “Bounty Hunters” F/A-18F VFA-137 “Kestrels” F/A-18E VFA-192 “Golden Dragons” F/A-18E VFA-34 “Blue Blasters” F/A-18C VAQ-136 “Gauntlets” EA-18G VAW-113 “Black Eagles” E-2C HSC-4 “Black Knights” MH-60S HSM-78 “Blue Hawks” MH-60R VRC-30 Det 2 “Providers” C-2A USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) Carrier Strike Group-10 (CSG-10) Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) Tail Code AC VFA-32 “Swordsmen” F/A-18F VFA-83 “Rampagers” F/A-18E VFA-131 “Wildcats” F/A-18E VFA-105 “Gunslingers” F/A-18E VAQ-130 “Zappers” EA-18G VAW-123 “Screwtops” E-2C HSC-7 “Dusty Dogs” MH-60S HSM-74 “Swamp Foxes” MH-60R VRC-40 Det 4 “Rawhides” C-2A USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) Carrier Strike Group-5 (CSG-5) Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) Tail Code NF VFA-102 “Diamondbacks” F/A-18F VFA-27 “Royal Maces” F/A-18E VFA-115 “Eagles” F/A-18E VFA-195 “Dambusters” F/A-18E VAQ-141 “Shadowhawks” EA-18G VAW-125 “Tigertails” E-2D HSC-12 “Golden Falcons” MH-60S HSM-77 “Sabrehawks” MH-60R VRC-30 Det 5 “Providers” C-2A USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Carrier Strike Group-12 (CSG-12) Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) Tail Code AG VFA-143 “Pukin’ Dogs” F/A-18E VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers” F/A-18F VFA-86 “Sidewinders” F/A-18E VFA-25 “First of the Fleet” F/A-18E VAQ-140 “Patriots” EA-18G VAW-121 “Bluetails” E-2D HSC-5 “Nightdippers” MH-60S HSM-79 “Griffins” MH-60R VRC-40 Det 3 “Rawhides” C-2A USS George H.W.Bush (CVN-77) Carrier Strike Group-2 (CSG-2) Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) Tail Code AJ VFA-31 “Tomcatters” F/A-18E VFA-213 “Black Lions” F/A-18F VFA-87 “Golden Warriors” F/A-18E VFA-37 “Ragin Bulls” F/A-18C - transitioning to the F/A-18E VAQ-131 “Lancers” EA-18G VAW-124 “Bear Aces” E-2D* HSC-9 “Tridents” MH-60S HSM-70 “Spartans” MH-60R VRC-40 Det 2 “Rawhides” C-2A *VAW-124 is currently converting to the E-2D USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) Carrier Strike Group-3 (CSG-3) Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) Tail Code NG VFA-41 “Black Aces” F/A-18F VFA-14 “Tophatters” F/A-18E VFA-97 “Warhawks” F/A-18E VFA-151 “Vigilantes” F/A-18E VAQ-133 “Wizards” EA-18G VAQ-117 “Wallbangers” E-2C HSC-14 “Chargers” MH-60S HSM-71 “Raptors” MH-60R VRC-30 Det 4 “Providers” C-2A USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Carrier Strike Group-11 (CSG-11) Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) Tail Code NH VFA-154 “Black Knights” F/A-18F VFA-147 “Argonauts” F-35C* VFA-146 “Blue Diamonds” F/A-18E VMFA-323 “Death Rattlers” F/A-18C VAQ-142 “Gray Wolves” EA-18G VAW-115 “Liberty Bells” E-2C HSC-8 “Eightballers” MH-60S HSM-75 “Wolfpack” MH-60R VRC-30 Det 3 “Providers” C-2A *VFA-147 is currently converting to the F-35C USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group-9 (CSG-9) Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17) Tail Code NA VFA-22 “Fighting Redcocks” F/A-18F VFA-113 “Stingers” F/A-18E VMFA-312 “Checkerboards” F/A-18C VFA-94 “Mighty Shrikes” F/A-18F VAQ-139 “Cougars” EA-18G VAW-116 “Sun Kings” E-2C HSC-6 “Screamin Indians” MH-60S HSM-73 “Battlecats” MH-60R VRC-30 Det 1 “Providers” C-2A By Ewan Johnstone For the fifth time in 2018, Russia has lost an aircraft over Syrian airspace. As per Russian sources, on 17th September at 2000HRS GMT, an Ilyushin Il-20”Coot” Electronic Intelligence aircraft was shot down by Syrian AAA near Al-Khmeimim air base in the Syrian district of Latakia.
It is also to be noted that, at that point in time, 4 Israeli Air Force F-16s were on a ground attack mission in the same vicinity. It was earlier speculated that the Israelis had shot down the aircraft, but later it was proven false. The aircraft was downed with 15 crew onboard. Another interesting fact is that Israeli aircraft rarely attacked the district, as there was Russian presence in that area and Israel doesn’t want to attack the Russian base or its assets as it would trigger a war. Russia has a noticeable presence in Syria since the beginning of its civil war in 2012. Hangar 15 aviation blogspot expresses its deep condolences to the friends and family of the deceased crew members. By Arjun Iyer Operation Credible Sport was a joint US Military project conceived during the latter part of 1980 to prepare for a second rescue attempt of US hostages held in Iran. The concept included using a C-130 Hercules modified with rocket engines to turn it into a very short take off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft, enabling it to land within the confines of a football stadium in Tehran.
Credible Sport grew from the failure of Operation Eagle Claw. Eagle Claw was ordered by President Jimmy Carter on April 24th 1980 in an attempt to end the Iranian hostage crisis by rescuing 52 embassy staff being held at the US Embassy in Tehran. Eagle Claw encountered many problems and was eventually aborted, with the humiliating pubic debacle that followed, damaging US prestige worldwide. Eagle Claw was a complex, two-night mission, to be mounted over 24th-25th April. On the first night, US aircraft would enter Iranian airspace 60 miles west of Chabahar, and fly to Desert One. Desert One was a clandestine airstrip, reconnoitred three weeks prior to the start of Eagle Claw, and was to be used as a refuelling and staging post by eight RH-53Ds. Desert One would be secured and established with a protection force, flown in on three EC-130Es, which would then allow collapsible fuel bladders to be brought in by three MC-130E Combat Talons. The fuel bladders that were flown in held approximately 6,000 gallons of fuel. The Eight RH-53Ds would refuel at Desert One, and then proceed to Desert Two, which was located 52 miles short of Tehran. Only five RH-53Ds made it to Desert One. One encountered hydraulic problems, one returned to the USS Nimitz after flying into a fierce sandstorm, and one was abandoned when a sensor indicated a cracked rotor blade. With only five helicopters remaining to transport the men and equipment on to Desert Two, which was considered the threshold for successfully completing the mission, the various commanders involved, recommended aborting the mission. President Carter accepted and confirmed the abort order. As the remaining RH-53Ds prepared to leave Desert One, one of the helicopters crashed into one of the EC-130s, which contained both jet fuel and servicemen. The resulting fire destroyed both aircraft and killed eight US Servicemen. Planning for a second rescue attempt was authorized almost immediately under the name Project Honey Badger. Plans and exercises were conducted, but manpower and aircraft levels grew to involve nearly a Battalion of troops, and more than fifty aircraft. Even though numerous exercises were completed successfully, the helicopters failure during Eagle Claw resulted in the development of a concept to use only fixed-wing STOL aircraft capable of flying to from the US to Iran using aerial refuelling. That concept, called Credible Sport, was developed, but never implemented. Credible Sport was to use a modified Hercules, the YMC-130H, fitted with rocket thrusters fore and aft to allow it an extremely short landing and take off within Amjadieh Staduim, located across the street from the US Embassy. The aircraft would then be flown and landed on a US aircraft carrier for treatment of an expected 50 plus wounded personnel. Three MC-130 Combat Talon crews (all Eagle Claw veterans) were assigned to fly the three aircraft, taken from the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing. The plan called for two aircraft to be used on the mission, a primary and a spare, to originate in the US, and reaching Iran by five in flight refuelling brackets, drop to low level and penetrate Iranian airspace. Three C-130s were modified at Eglin Air Force Base, under a top secret project. The project called for two of the aircraft to be modified to the proposed XFC-130H configuration within 3 months, with the third aircraft to be used as a test bed for various rocket packages which were placed on the fore and aft fuselage. Lockheed was requested on June 27th 1980 to begin preliminary studies on a STOL Hercules. The use of JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) units was looked at, however Lockheed reported on 16th July that a total of 58 JATO bottles would be required, which was seven times greater than normal. They also reported that even with using arresting gear, this would be insufficient to stop the aircraft within the required space. The resulting XFC-130H aircraft were modified by the fitting of 30 rockets grouped in multiple sets. Eight forward-pointing ASROC rocket motors mounted around the fuselage to stop the aircraft, eight downward pointing SHRIKE rockets mounted above the wheel wells to brake the descent, eight rearward pointing MK-56 rockets (from RIM-66 Standard missiles), mounted on the lower rear fuselage to assist take-off, two SHRIKEs mounted in pairs on wing pylons to correct yaw during take-off, and two ASROCs mounted at the rear of the tail to prevent any tail strike. Other modifications included a dorsal and two ventral fins on the rear fuselage, double slotted flaps and extended ailerons, a new radome, a tailhook for recovery aboard the aircraft carrier and Combat Talon avionics which included Terrain Following/Avoidance radar, a defensive countermeasures suite and a Doppler radar/GPS tie-in to the aircrafts inertial navigation system. The test bed aircraft (Air Force Serial 74-2065) was ready for the first test flight on September 18th 1980. The first fully modified aircraft (74-1683) was delivered on October 17th to a disused auxiliary field at Eglin Air Force Base. Between October 19th and 28th, numerous flights were flown, testing all the new aspects of the aircraft to Lockheed’s satisfaction. A full profile test was scheduled for 29th October. The take off phase was executed with no problems, and set numerous short take off records. The Lockheed test crew however assessed the computer that was used to command the firing of the rockets during landing required further calibration and so opted to manually input the commands. The forward facing ASROC rockets used for decelerating the aircraft were located behind the cockpit, and at the mid-point of each side of the fuselage, below the cockpit rockets. Tests had determined that the upper (cockpit) pairs, fired in sequence, could be ignited while still airborne (specifically at 20 feet), but the lower pairs could only be fired once the aircraft was on the ground. Whilst on approach, the Lockheed test engineer, blinded by the firing of the upper ASROC rockets, and thinking the aircraft was on the runway, fired the lower set early. As a result, the aircrafts forward flight was immediately reduced to nearly zero, thereby dropping the aircraft hard onto the runway and breaking the starboard wing between Engine 3 and 4. The trailing wing ignited on fire, but emergency response teams extinguished the fire quickly, enabling the crew to escape. 74-1683 was dismantled and buried on site for security reasons, however most of the unique systems were salvaged. The third aircraft, 74-1686, was nearly ready for delivery, but the defeat of President Carter in the 1980 US Presidential Election, and the subsequent Algerian-negotiated release plan, led to Credible Sports cancellation. The hostages were eventually released in the January of 1981. The remaining two airframes were stripped of all their rocket modifications, with 74-2065 (the original test-bed airframe) returning to regular air-lift duties. 74-1686, however, retained its other Credible Sport STOL modifications and was sent to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. In July 1981, it was designated YMC-130H as the test bed for the MC-130 Combat Talon II development, under the project name Credible Sport II. Phase 1 testing was conducted between 24th August and 11th November 1981, and tested minor improvements to aerodynamics to satisfy Combat Talon II requirements on STOL performance, handling, avionics and to establish safety margins. Phase 2 testing began on June 15th 1982 and continued until October 1982. This determined that the final configuration resulted in significant improvements, and that the Combat Talon II was ready for production. 1st Special Operation Wing, attempted to have the test bed transferred as an interim Combat Talon II until production models became available. Headquarters, Tactical Airlift Command disagreed however. The cost of returning 74-1686 from its YMC-130H configuration, back to a standard airlifter was deemed to be too expensive and she never flew again. In 1988, 74-1686 was placed on display at the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base. As of February 2008, the only other surviving Credible Sport aircraft, 74-2065, was assigned to the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base Texas. By Ewan Johnstone |
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