mrvark

I can if they want me to. In the meantime, if you have a couple of hours, here is a recording of the first time I gave the presentation. It's a bit rough around the edges and I've refined it some since then, but it has all the basics. The only big flaw in it is the bit about one crew 'repairing' an instrument in flight with a crushed orange juice can. I subsequently find out that that didn't happen, so ignore that (fortunately, I found out in time to remove it from the book). The rest of it is good to go.

Shameless plug here. My book, Operation Eldorado Canyon should be out in the States on 15 March 2024 (subject to change) and can be pre-ordered from Casemate, Amazon, and Barnes and Nobel. I say subject to change because every time I check on the websites, it slips to the right a month or more. All the work is done on it, so I think it's now just waiting on the printers. I'm going to be giving my presentation at Telford on 11 November and they're hoping to have some copies available there, so we shall see... The book will cover tail numbers, bomb loads and first hand accounts from

A small point. the LAU-127 is a Navy launcher and incorporates a nitrogen bottle in the aft end for use by their AIM-9Ms that causes a bulge on the sides of the launcher. It's clear from the photo that the launchers on the F-22 lack that bulge. That aside, it would make more sense to use the F-15's LAU-128 unless they've developed an F-22 unique launcher with new nomenclature. (I also discount the F-16's LAU-129 because of the way it mounts to their pylons/airframe.)

Most probably aluminum, but that's only an educated guess. Happy to be corrected.

I exchanged views on this issue (which includes the AIM-9D/G/H in addition to the AIM-9L/M) with the late, great Henry Blecha, who was involved with the program at China Lake. The seeker housings were anodized and the resulting color depended on how 'fresh' the chemical bath they were treated in was. That is why there was so much variation in the color. So, within reason, a metallic finish with a greenish-gray tinge to it is fine. It is NOT an exact color and most decidedly NOT BLACK!

Here's a model I made as a retirement gift for my boss. I just sanded the base plates until they were as thin as possible and glued them on. When the initial ECS vent design proved inadequate (allowed heat damage to the external skin), the Bard stacks were developed. They were introduced on production aircraft with F/A-18E 166606 & F/A-18F 166634. Earlier aircraft were all refitted by May 2012.

Not that I'm aware of.

My 2-hr Zoom presentation about Operation Eldorado Canyon (based on my upcoming book by the same name) was given on March 23rd to the Royal Aeronautical Society and has now been posted on YouTube. It was the first time I’d given the whole thing at one time, so it’s a bit rough in spots—especially when I’m fighting with my trackpad! Not for everyone, I'm sure, but it covers more than just the F-111s--tankers, SEAD, ECM and the Navy attacks on Benghazi and Benina airfield. It also covers (briefly) Operation Prairie Fire the month before and includes videos of a Harpoon attack on a Libyan gunboat

By late 1967 all F-105s had been modified to supply electrical power to the AN/ALQ-87s. The RATs were occasionally seen later than that if there was an electrical problem with the aircraft/pylon.

The AIM-9E incorporated the Low Altitude Performance (LAP) seeker, which was 6.5" longer and pointier than the AIM-9B seeker. Also, it's canards were attached with screws instead of being permanently attached in the factory. Aside from the seeker, the remainder of the missile was unchanged.

Bs only. Rolling Thunder ended at the end of October 1968. AIM-9Es were a modification of the AIM-9B that became operational in 1969, but no one was going into North Vietnam then. The F-105Ds were withdrawn from SEA by the end of 1970 and we didn't start bombing NVN again (seriously) until Line Backer in May 1972. At that time the USAF used primarily AIM-9Es with the AIM-9J making a limited appearance beginning in July 1972.

B-57s were in the fight for pretty much the whole war, but the B-57Gs were the only ones dropping Mk 82 LGBs, aka BOLT 82s (they were called GBU-12s until after the war was over). The B-57Gs were assigned to the 13 BS, 8 TFW based at Ubon between 28 Sep 70 and 7 Apr 72.

The Navy explored at least three types of LGB-delivery methods for carrier-based aircraft: the A-6C Trails and Roads Interdiction, Multi-sensor (TRIM), the A-6A fitted with a modified version of the USAF’s PAVE Knife pod designated AN/AVQ-10A, and the Navy-developed system called the Light Weight Laser (LWL). So far as is known, the LWL never received an official designation. A handheld device, it was a portable, battery-powered laser beam generator that could be carried by a ground forward air control party or installed in an aircraft. The hand held laser unit was an eight-pound rectangular

Most of those pics appear to have been taken during the Kitty Hawk's 17 Feb to 28 Nov 72 cruise that included Operations Line Backer 1 and Praying Mantis 1. CVW-11 (NH) units included: HC-1 Det 1 & HC-7 Det 110 (00x) SH-3G & HH-3As, VAW-114 (01x) E-2Bs, VF-213 (1xx) F-4Js, VF-114 (2xx) F-4Js, VA-192 (3xx) A-7Es, VA-195 (4xx) A-7Es, VA-52 (5xx) A-6A-B & KA-6Ds, RVAH-7 (60x) RA-5Cs and VAQ-135 Det 1 (61x) EKA-3Bs. The A-4Fs (and some of the A-6 pics) appear to be from the Hancock's 7 Jan to 3 Oct 72 cruise that included Operation Line Backer 1. CVW-19 (NP) units included

I checked with a couple of friends who were there and they confirmed that F-111As did NOT carry LGBs during Vietnam.

The 16S210 can only launch AIM-9s while the LAU-129s can launch either AIM-9s or AIM-120s. I'm not an F-16 expert, so I'll accept what someone else mentioned about the F-16A/Bs not being AIM-120 capable, so there would be no reason for them to load the LAU-129s. However, with the F-16C/Ds being AIM-120 capable, either/both rails can be used. You normally see the AIM-120s mounted on the wingtips on -129s and AIM-9s mounted on the outboard wing stations with 16S210s or LAU-129s. The 16S210s have lower drag, so I imagine they'd use those if available.

The LAU-127 (F/A-18), LAU-128 (F-15) & LAU-129 (F-16) are very similar to each other, the main differences being the bolt patterns, the recess on the LAU-129 where it attaches to the F-16 wingtips and pylons, and the bulge at the back of the LAU-127 for the N2 cooling bottle for USN AIM-9Ms. Since the bolt pattern won't be very noticeable in 1:48 scale, I think I'd go with the LAU-128, since neither the F-15 or F-16 rails use the N2 bottle (USAF AIM-9Ms use an internal Argon bottle for seeker cooling).

I think you meant Phase Hanger or Flying Leathernecks. In any event, in looking at some pics of Chilean F-16s, it looks like they're flying with LAU-129s. Unfortunately, it looks like neither company has done those yet. If you're in a hurry, you can get a set of LAU-127A/A FL48-8059 from Flying Leathernecks--they're not identical, but they're close.

The A-7D would've used the AERO 3B until the mid-1970s. Once the AIM-9L/M became operational, the LAU-105 was adopted. The LAU-7 was a Navy launcher that featured a nitrogen bottle to cool the seeker of the AIM-9D/G/H/L/M. The USAF used an internal bottle of Argon in their AIM-9L/Ms instead of Nitrogen for seeker cooling. The USAF considered buying AIM-9Ds, but when that missile suffered developmental delays, they decided to upgrade their AIM-9Bs to AIM-9E/J/N/P which didn't use cooling gas, so the AERO 3B launcher was acceptable. However, as a legacy to the attempted buy of the A

TFDMs are probably the most confusing of all the cluster bombs. They included the SUU-34, 36, 37, 38, 41, 45 & 52 dispensers that carried BLU-42, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 54, 81, 94 and XM27, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 48, 65 bomblets to form CBU-33, 34, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 66 cluster bombs. SO, it's not so easy to identify exactly which one you're looking at!

Here's a 497 TFS, 8 TFW F-4D from Ubon RTAFB about 1971. It's carrying Tactical Fighter Munition Dispensers (TFDM). Mick Roth did the dupe--not sure who actually took the picture.

Not that print, but I do have another of his prints with all the aircraft flown by the 48th Wg (save the F-35) and the F-4 in that one does not have a towel rack. I don't know for a fact that none of their F-4Ds had the towel rack antenna, but I've never seen a picture of one.

A lot of them ended up at Spangdahlem, not Lakenheath as far as I've seen. I'm pretty sure they could carry Spike & LGBs (at least I have notes that say that. That wasn't possible with PAVE Knife as the PAVE Phantom used cockpit space needed by Knife. Different arrangement with Spike as I understand it.

I THINK (not positive) that ACS (introduced with Lot 26) was needed for AESA. There were two AESA break-ins. The AN/APG-79 broke in at lot 27; the AN/APG-79A(V)1 with Block 32. That said, it wasn't like after a certain BuNo all subsequent jets were so equipped. They installed the new radars when they had them. From Block 30 (166817), it looks like all E/F/Gs had some type of AESA and at that point (again, I think) they started installing the new radars on the older jets. Just how far that has gotten, I don't know. Most/all jets COULD now be fitted with them. As I recall