Aggressors weapons

[Modelkeenfan]

Hi all

 

I'm wanting to know do aggressors ever carry bomb loads for practicing.  As we know there are a lot of different aggressors squadrons that carry out different aggressor roles.  I love aggressor camo schemes and would love to have an aggressors toooled up in a practice ground attack role.  Now there are many different aggressor squadrons performing many different roles and pilot training so there must be an aggressor squadron squadron that practices ground attack roles.  If anyone knows of any aggressor squadron that practices these roles, could you please let me know.

 

Cheers

[Matt Walker]

Aggressors don't fly Air to Ground mission profiles. Ive never seen a photo of an Aggressor with anything other than the pods associated with their main mission. 

[GW8345]

1 hour ago, Modelkeenfan said:

Hi all

 

I'm wanting to know do aggressors ever carry bomb loads for practicing.  As we know there are a lot of different aggressors squadrons that carry out different aggressor roles.  I love aggressor camo schemes and would love to have an aggressors toooled up in a practice ground attack role.  Now there are many different aggressor squadrons performing many different roles and pilot training so there must be an aggressor squadron squadron that practices ground attack roles.  If anyone knows of any aggressor squadron that practices these roles, could you please let me know.

 

Cheers

Are we talking USN, USMC or USAF?

 

Also, you posted this in the archive forum, need to ask a moderator to move it to the active jet modeling from, you'll get more replies.

[Modelkeenfan]

Hi Matt

 

Thanks for the reply.  What about the likes of the fighting Omar's, 65 aggressor squadron and those units?  Not just top gun school.?

[Slartibartfast]

I'll ask mods to move this thread thread from  the General Archives forum to General forum.

[f5guy]

On 11/18/2019 at 7:34 PM, Modelkeenfan said:

Hi Matt

 

Thanks for the reply.  What about the likes of the fighting Omar's, 65 aggressor squadron and those units?  Not just top gun school.?

 

I've been an aggressor/adversary fan for decades, and have never seen a bomb, TER, MER, anything other than a center line fuel tank, dummy Sidewinder, or ACMI type pod on any aggressor or adversary. Not saying that it didn't happen, but not very likely to be sure.. The only exception that I can come up with would be an ALQ-167 (I think) ECM/threat emitter pod carried under the wing of an NSAWC F-16 or F-18. See attached pic. Of course, the USAF aggressors us the same (or similar) pod on the center line of their F-16s routinely. The 65th AS aggressor F-15s were know to carry an ECM/threat emitter pod whose designation escapes me at the moment. HTH, Fred K.

[Camus272]

On 11/18/2019 at 8:34 PM, Modelkeenfan said:

Hi Matt

 

Thanks for the reply.  What about the likes of the fighting Omar's, 65 aggressor squadron and those units?  Not just top gun school.?

No. None of the regular Air Combat Training squadrons would use air to ground ordnance.  Only Sidewinders and ECM pods, and more recently AMRAAMS and some targeting pods.  There really isn't a need for our "Red" forces to train bombing our own "Blue" forces.  And if they did, they would be practice bombs only.

 

For Navy F-18s:

There was one former aggressor F-18 in gray camo in VFA-97 that flew missions off the carrier. It's also possible that Hornets from VFA-204 carry air-to-ground loads, but probably only practice bombs.

 

As for the Air Force, F-15s from that 65th were transferred to the 144th and flew operational missions in aggressor camo, but with air-to-air loads only. For the F-16, there are two possible cases: Before the 18th Aggressor squadron got their block 30s, they were painted in arctic camo while still in Korea with the 80th fighter squadron. They could have flown loaded, but again probably only air-to-air.  Also, the 64th Aggressor squadron transferred their block 40s to Edwards AFB, where they flew for a while in blue Flanker camo. I don't know what they do with them there, but they may have flown with some kind of test load.

 

That would be the extent of possibilities.

[f5guy]

9 minutes ago, Camus272 said:

 

For Navy F-18s:

There was one former aggressor F-18 in gray camo in VFA-97 that flew missions off the carrier. It's also possible that Hornets from VFA-204 carry air-to-ground loads, but probably only practice bombs.

 

 

There was also another jet.... F-18A 162906 flying with VFA-97 that had been taken from NSAWC on the eve of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was painted up in a very cool light tan/brown/green splinter scheme with no VFA-97 markings.  Apparently it did some bomb dropping. Below is a pic that I shot of it at NAS Fallon when it was still NSAWC #44. HTH, Fred K.

Edited November 22, 2019 by f5guy

[ChesshireCat]

There is a good book out titled "America's Secret Mig Squadrons" by a Col. Peck. He says they flew the planes clean with no external fuel tanks. They flew many U.S. and Soviet aircraft along with a few oddballs here and there. Everything from the F86 to the F15 and F14. Mig wise they flew everything from the Mig15 thru the MIG29, but don't think they flew the Mig27. They even used the SU27 a little bit.

Gary

[Modelkeenfan]

Thanks guys for all the replies.  Most appreciated