F-111E armament options

[mrvark]

Victor Alert birds at Lakenheath were parked in a 'ready to taxi' configuration. They had the wings swept (I want to say 54 degrees, but it might not have been that far), no engine covers, and a single wheel chock under the MLG door/speed brake (the speed brake collar in the wheel well was not installed, so it gradually drooped). The bay doors were closed except for the one line that had a third weapon and left their bay doors open so the weapon could be inspected during the morning pre-flight. The crew chief positioned himself at the nose of the aircraft so he could observe the crew members went down both sides of the aircraft--thus maintaining the no-lone zone requirement.

The first thing we did was run to the back of the shelter to open the shelter exhaust doors behind the engines. Then we came forward, pulling the MLG chocks and throwing them to the side of the shelter, then going between the pylons to pull the pylon pins (the pins were inserted between the two pylons, so only the pin door on the pylon where it was installed from the left side need to be closed). The pilot then pulled the nose gear pin and we gave the five pins to the crew chief before climbing the ladders into the cockpit.

The pilot's hatch was completely closed, while the WSO's hatch was mostly closed, open only enough to attach an external comm cord. The maps, helmets and nuke code envelopes were all kept in the cockpit. I don't think we wore g-suits as they would have taken too long to put on.

After we got the engines and INS going, the pilot listened on the UHF, the WSO plugged into the 'land line' and we listened as the command post read out a series of letters and numbers that we then compared to make sure we'd both copied the same thing. Then the alert scramble would be called off. Before shutting down, we'd run through the pre-flight checks, sweeping the wings forward to check the flaps/slats, flight controls, engines, and getting a full INS alignment before sweeping the wings back again and shutting down.

I never sat alert at Upper Heyford, but I can't imagine they would have done things much differently.

A funny story: One night my best friend was running the duty desk at the 492nd TFS and had brought his 5-yr old son along to experience the fighter squadron atmosphere. The boy had watched his Dad like a hawk all evening and noticed that whenever he talked with the airplanes he depressed the button at the base of the microphone. Dad had tuned the UHF to the alert frequency when the alert started and then decided to order a pizza. As he ordered, his son noticed he'd 'forgotten' to depress the button--so he 'helped out'. So, while we were trying to copy the message, we were getting 'comm-jammed' by my buddy asking for extra cheese and pepperoni! There were frantic calls from the jets for the message to be retransmitted--the first time that had happened. I had been trying to ignore all but the message and didn't realize until we went back to the alert facility at the end of the exercise what had happened. Funny after the fact, but not so much in the moment.

[Hajo L.]

Intense story!

No G-suits? You´d fly without them then??

HAJO

[mrvark]

No G-suits? You´d fly without them then??

I can't remember for sure, but given the time constraints, I don't think we put them on--they'd just take too much time to put on and putting them on in the cockpit would not be feasible. It wasn't a mission that required pulling a lot of gs...

[Charlie D.]

Always love your stories mrvark, thanks for posting!

[KTesh]

Dave, I wouldn't worry about leading this astray. You are asking for information, and we have it. This will likely help other builders in the future making more accurate representations of the pigs we worked on.

While at Upper Heyford in one of the TAB-V shelters the wings forward, flaps and slats down, over wing veins up, spoilers down, elevators drooped, engine covers on, inlet doors closed, one engine nozzle open, canopy open, stores loaded with RBF tags on, ground equipment in place waiting.

Stores would most likely, as has been said, a pair of B61 on sta 4,5 and tanks on 3,6, 3a, 6a present but not loaded, weapons bay doors open, ECM pod on rear hard point.

This sounds right to me. However, I'd leave the engine covers off. I remember seeing them all the time (on the side of the shelter) and not on the aircraft during an Alert.

Ground equipment would likely be a dash 60 (A/M32A-60B Generator Set), and a Jammer (MJ-1C Bomb Lift Truck or MHU-83D/E) or two. Thing to remember about the MJ-1, it had a fuel tank that rises above the level of the seat, thus holding the 3 man in during fast turns. The only model of one that I've seen was an early version that didn't have that feature.

Edited June 4, 2016 by KTesh

[ElectroSoldier]

Never saw one on alert, wasnt allowed to go out there when they were on alert.

I think mrvark is right, UH and LN did things like that pretty much the same...

please note when I said above that the canopy was open it was open in so much as it wasnt closed.

The canopy was almost always open but not wide open as modelers always have them open to their fullest extent.

mrvark Im surprised you never saw them starting to carry tanks and AIM-9Ps, that jet is in the 492nd.

I remember seeing them taxi out from the TAB-Vs that are near Brandon Road (Road down to Mildenhall, which is where I lived), its a shame there is nobody here who was there in the later days before the Strike Eagles came, they were trying all kinds of new things with them.

When did you leave?

[Murph]

Intense story!

No G-suits? You´d fly without them then??

HAJO

If you got pulled out of bed in the middle of night for an air defense alert scramble, you weren't going to take the tine to put on the G-suit.

Regards,

Murph

[mrvark]

When did you leave?

Jan 82-Nov 87; qualified to sit alert for 54 months during that time...the price we paid to fly a cool jet the other three weeks of the month.

[KTesh]

Great pics. What is that weapon on the right?]

The bomb on the right looks to be a B57

What's odd is that the aircraft are single seat versions of the FA-18, and thus can't carry nukes. Protocol requires that nobody is ever allowed to be alone with a nuke... EVER.

Edited June 4, 2016 by KTesh

[11bee]

The bomb on the right looks to be a B57

What's odd is that the aircraft are single seat versions of the FA-18, and thus can't carry nukes. Protocol requires that nobody is ever allowed to be alone with a nuke... EVER.

I think you must be mistaken. Plenty of USAF and USN single-seaters sat alert with special weapons including A-1's, A-4's, A-7's, F-101's, F-105's, etc. Unless something changed by the mid-80's? Pretty sure at some point the F-35 is going to be capable of carrying a B61.

Thanks for the info on the B57, wonder why they felt the need to bring two different nukes on a cruise?

Edited June 5, 2016 by 11bee

[jeffryfontaine]

Thanks for the info on the B57, wonder why they felt the need to bring two different nukes on a cruise?

B57 was used as a nuclear depth bomb and a nuclear strike weapon.

***edit to add link.

Wikipedia - B57 Nuclear Bomb

Edited June 5, 2016 by jeffryfontaine

[MirageIV]

Thank you again for all the great info guys, a gem of a thread imho! :cheers:/>

Now I have to figure out how I'll sort the Hasegawa wings to a sweep something like this: http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Air/General-Dynamics-F-111E/1652775/L/&sid=36d645e8daa61e5b7802b49d4a6f7aed

rather than full sweep : http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Air/General-Dynamics-F-111E/2606834/L/&sid=36d645e8daa61e5b7802b49d4a6f7aed

Edited June 5, 2016 by MirageIV

[11bee]

So on an F-111 sitting nuclear alert, sounds like they carried three weapons - two underwing and one in the bay. Question to Mrvark or someone else in the know - was the intent to drop three nukes on a single target or were you guys doing a road trip of Eastern Europe, going from one target to the next, to the next? Just idle curiosity...

If this is still sensitive info, no need to reply.

[Scott R Wilson]

So on an F-111 sitting nuclear alert, sounds like they carried three weapons - two underwing and one in the bay. Question to Mrvark or someone else in the know - was the intent to drop three nukes on a single target or were you guys doing a road trip of Eastern Europe, going from one target to the next, to the next? Just idle curiosity...

If this is still sensitive info, no need to reply.

Jim can correct me if I'm wrong, but when he wrote "The bay doors were closed except for the one line that had a third weapon and left their bay doors open so the weapon could be inspected during the morning pre-flight" I believe he meant only one of the Victor Alert jets carried the third weapon in the bay. When I worked on F-4Es each sortie on the flying schedule was referred to as a "line," for instance "line eight cancelled due to radar inop."

Edited June 5, 2016 by Scott R Wilson

[mrvark]

Now I have to figure out how I'll sort the Hasegawa wings to a sweep...rather than full sweep

This may help--it's designed for use with the Academy 1:48 kit (so it's not precisely correct for the real aircraft), but scaling it to 67% should make it usable with 1:72 kits. It includes the most common wing sweeps used by the F-111.

[Finn]

A few examples of loads can be found here:

http://www.raf-upper-heyford.org/20th_MMS.html

here is one from there:

Jari

Edited June 6, 2016 by Finn

[MirageIV]

Thanks mrvark!

[KTesh]

A few examples of loads can be found here:

http://www.raf-upper-heyford.org/20th_MMS.html

here is one from there:

Jari

Anybody have any luck opening these? I keep getting

This site can’t be reached

www.raf-upper-heyford.org refused to connect.

My VPN has been set for the US, S.Korea, Germany, Austria, and (when turned off) the PRC. So it's not a geopolitical issue.

Oh, and I edited in more information to post #29 (namely info on pylons, MAU-12 racks, sway braces, and the slant load info from the other 462).

Edited June 9, 2016 by KTesh

[mrvark]

[EDIT]

Behind the scenes here, I've been in touch with another 462 from Upper Heyford, and we've been discussing slant loads...

Here's what he said...

Inserted email that can be read in post #29

He didn't remember Durindals at UH, but at Lakenheath, and since I never loaded at Lakenheath, I know we had them a UH.

[/EDIT]

Wasn't at Incirlik and never flew E's, but I do have a list of E's that flew Proven Force and the number of bombs each dropped. Based on that I have a few comments:

The most surprising load I found was that quite a few sorties dropped 14 x Mk 82s (probably slicks, but that wasn't specified). The most obvious way to do that is with 6 BRU-mounted bombs on the outboard and parent-mounted bombs on the inboards--that would make an interesting model!

I'm pretty sure CBU-87/-89 TMDs could only be parent-mounted (too long for BRUs), I'd have to check my Dash-1 to be sure, but that's packed up for my upcoming move. The OPF records show loads of only four of those dispensers per sortie. That appears to have also been done sometimes with the SUU-30 based CBU-58/-71, but the more common load for them was eight bombs. Based on my experience at Lakenheath, those were probably loaded as flat-fours on the outboard pylons.

The powers that be originally sent Durandals to Lakenheath, but we (VERY) soon successfully sluffed off that 'fly down the runway while angry people shoot at you' mission to Upper Heyford by pointing out that that was a stupid way to use PGM platforms. In any event, none were used during OPF/ODS. Funny story: the first test drop of Durandal from a Vark was more exciting than anyone expected. The way it was supposed to work was 1) release bomb, 2) parachute deploys, slowing the bomb, which pitches nose down in the process 3) when bomb reaches 45-deg nose down, rocket motor fires, causing it to penetrate runway, 4) bomb explodes underneath runway, causing it to heave upward, making it way to sporty to use. HOWEVER, the first bomb they dropped fired its motor WAY to soon, launching it towards the jet that had just dropped it--I guess it wanted to be an AIM-9 at heart...

[ElectroSoldier]

Wasn't at Incirlik and never flew E's, but I do have a list of E's that flew Proven Force and the number of bombs each dropped. Based on that I have a few comments:

The most surprising load I found was that quite a few sorties dropped 14 x Mk 82s (probably slicks, but that wasn't specified). The most obvious way to do that is with 6 BRU-mounted bombs on the outboard and parent-mounted bombs on the inboards--that would make an interesting model!

I'm pretty sure CBU-87/-89 TMDs could only be parent-mounted (too long for BRUs), I'd have to check my Dash-1 to be sure, but that's packed up for my upcoming move. The OPF records show loads of only four of those dispensers per sortie. That appears to have also been done sometimes with the SUU-30 based CBU-58/-71, but the more common load for them was eight bombs. Based on my experience at Lakenheath, those were probably loaded as flat-fours on the outboard pylons.

The powers that be originally sent Durandals to Lakenheath, but we (VERY) soon successfully sluffed off that 'fly down the runway while angry people shoot at you' mission to Upper Heyford by pointing out that that was a stupid way to use PGM platforms. In any event, none were used during OPF/ODS. Funny story: the first test drop of Durandal from a Vark was more exciting than anyone expected. The way it was supposed to work was 1) release bomb, 2) parachute deploys, slowing the bomb, which pitches nose down in the process 3) when bomb reaches 45-deg nose down, rocket motor fires, causing it to penetrate runway, 4) bomb explodes underneath runway, causing it to heave upward, making it way to sporty to use. HOWEVER, the first bomb they dropped fired its motor WAY to soon, launching it towards the jet that had just dropped it--I guess it wanted to be an AIM-9 at heart...

CBU-87/89 can only be parent mounted on an F-111E/F

SUU-30 dispensers can and have been flat or slant loaded on either or, or both.

Durandal was used during ODS by French jets I believe, none by F-111Es.

[KTesh]

CBU-87/89 can only be parent mounted on an F-111E/F

SUU-30 dispensers can and have been flat or slant loaded on either or, or both.

Durandal was used during ODS by French jets I believe, none by F-111Es.

The Durandal may have never been flown by the F-111E, but it was an option available to them.

Flat loads... forgot about those.. It's been too long. Thanks Jim

[ElectroSoldier]

The Durandal may have never been flown by the F-111E, but it was an option available to them.

Flat loads... forgot about those.. It's been too long. Thanks Jim

Sorry I was talking about the use of them during ODS in particular.

They were most certainly an option, as far as I know the E was the only USAF jet to carry them.

Ive seen them carried up to 24 at a time, flat loads and slant loads on the inner pylons.

[mrvark]

A couple of shots relevant to this discussion. First, a shot of an F-111F loaded with flat-fours of SUU-30H/Bs (it also shows how far the Triple Plow II intakes were from the fuselage):

This isn't a great shot (there's only so much you can do cross cockpit during a 2g pitchout!) In the center is the sky-cops fox hole; on the left is a jet with the flaps and slats out, but on the right are a couple of jets that look to be being prepped for alert, with 600-gal tanks installed and there wings at 54 degrees.

[KTesh]

Nice photos Jim!

Thanks!

One might also note the location of the rail on STA 6, and the absence of one on STA 3 in the photo with the flat 4's

Edited June 11, 2016 by KTesh

[KTesh]

Hey all, I'm back (well, not really, I'm still working and living in the PRC, but I'm back to the forum)...  This time I have the Hobby Boss F-111D/E in my possession (finally).  I'd like to make a couple of suggestions...  Re-read the thread if you haven't done so in a while.  I've got a lot of stuff on our loadouts during the 1988-1990 (pre-Desert Storm) time frame on pg 2.  

I've yet to actually start the kit, but one thing I'd suggest right off for people building the F-111E models from UH... Take the weapons chart on pg 16 of the instructions and totally disregard them.  If you're modeling a D model, treat everything the instructions tell you with suspicion (I can't help you better than that, as I never saw one).  There's so few bits of accurate info that it's nearly complete C**P.  The station numbers are completely wrong, the numbers start from the left side of the aircraft, not the right.  So, on the chart, Sta. No 7 is actually Sta. No 2 (and unused), No. 6 is actually No. 3, etc.  Stations 1, 2,7, & 8 are fixed pylons, and were never used during my time at UH, or in training at Lowry AFB.   To my knowledge, they were never used on the E model... ever.  Then again, I only worked the plane for 2 years out of its service life.  While I was at UH only one aircraft had undergone the Avionics Modernization Program, and carried the new chaff and flare dispenser.  I only got a chance to examine the plane a couple of times, and my biggest memory of it was the bump of the satellite receiver (ahead of the cockpit), and the aircraft was grey.  I was supposed to get trained on the new chaff and flare system it had, but my papers came through with my RIF discharge, and I never got the chance to do it.  If you are not modeling that aircraft (around that time frame), toss parts D13 and D14 into your spares bin and use E13 and E14 [EDIT] apparently shortly before being retired from service several more were giving the AMP package, but again UH only had the one by the beginning of ODS that I'm aware of.[/EDIT]  There are 3 small rectangles engraved bottom edge of the parts where the chaff and flare trays were accessed...  There were two rectangular HOLES on the real aircraft where the chaff and flares actually ejected from.  Look at the image below (found on  http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/f111indetailjr_2.htm) and you can see them directly below the horizontal stabilizer (in line with edge of painted/unpainted area.).

 

As Jim Rotramel said on the http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/f111indetailjr_5.htm website:

Quote

Chaff and flares were carried in the aircraft’s internal countermeasures dispenser set (CMDS), located in the bullet fairings for the horizontal tail. The older AN/ALE-28 dispensers were gradually replaced between 1990 and 1992 with the USAF-standard AN/ALE-40 (but few, if any Desert Storm aircraft had this modification).

 

I found an image of a full Durandal load on stations 3 & 4 here: http://suryamalam.blogspot.kr/2016/02/general-dynamics-f-111-aardvark.html, also has a good shot of the SUU-21 practice munition dispenser.

 

It probably has been said elsewhere, but the F-111F models carried the Pave Tack Pod.  To my knowledge the D model didn't.  Wikipedia seems to back that up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pave_Tack.

While the kit ?may? be a step up from the Academy kit, the armament instructions (including the pods) are a real let down.  I'll also add that I don't remember nose art while I was there.  We never flew with MERs or TERs while I was there (BRU-3As were used, and were black (a very few may have been OD Green)). What the kit calls a MER is actually a BRU.  So, we get a break there.  The interiors of the intakes were white (glossy IINM), though several had yellowish honeycomb ?fiberglass? panels on the interior in places (kit doesn't include the interior of the intake, which will likely lead to you being able to see the interior of the model (which is a big let down).  I'll need to find a seamless intake for the kit.  I remember the AN/ALQ 131 (but the instructions has it listed as the AN/ALQ 119 on pg 16) loaded behind the rear landing gear, ahead of the arresting hook.  I've never laid eyes on an AN/ALQ-87.

 

If you're building an E model, most of the weapons included can be tossed into your spares box...  We did use the MK.20, and MK.82s, but the rest I've never seen in my life before, with the possible exception of the GBU-10.  I don't know if any of the others were ever used on the E model during Desert Storm, but since I didn't train on them, I doubt it (I was still in four days after Iraq invaded Kuwait, and was as far as I know up to date on my load training), (many of the odd weapons appear to be carried either by the F-111As/F-111Fs, or the Aussie's Cs).  I get a strong feeling that the AIM-9Bs are wrong, but I really didn't futz with them much, as most of our AIM-9's were captive training missiles.  I don't know what the Ds carried at all.  I do know that the Fs carried laser guided bombs that the E didn't (what they did carry (beyond the range of weapons the E carried) I've got no clue except for the GBU-15 which I spotted in an image search with a F model).  Don't forget to add your sway braces to your pylons on Stations 3, 4, 5, & 6.  I'd recommend adding either part number WC1 or WC13 (whichever fits) for the AN/ALQ 131 location.  The fuel tanks were typically on Stations 3 and 6.

 

The pivoting pylons were attached to the underside of the wing at only one point (unlike the two holes/pins that HB has provided (3 if you factor fully swept) for alignment).  There, Academy has Hobby Boss truly beat.  All the wiring for the pylon was routed inside that pivot. There was a small ( but visible) gap all around that pivot point (you don't need to be scraping the underside of the wings every time you transitioned to or from high speed flight.

 

I get the feeling that Hobby Boss has done a better job on the landing gear wells than Academy did.  I do wish that it came with parts for modeling the wings swept though.  When it comes to weathering the inside of the wheel wells and weapons bay, don't hold back on the grime.  They were NOT clean areas of the aircraft.  You'll need to create your own MAU-12 if you want to have the bay open, as the plane was always equipped with them, unless they were undergoing maintenance on the MAU-12s at that moment.

 

Some excellent info can be found here: http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/f111indetailjr_1.htm (I kept changing the number _1, _2, etc. until _9.  There is no _10.htm page.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2018 by KTesh