by "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
Published 04/25/2017 at 12:35
by "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
Published 04/25/2017 at 12:35
Tags: Planelopnik
; planelopnik history
STARS: 14
Welcome to This Date in Aviation History , getting you caught up on milestones, important historical events and people in aviation from April 22 through April 25.
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April 22, 1958 – The first flight of the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight. From the earliest days of the single-rotor helicopter, designers were faced with the significant problem of yaw caused by the single large spinning rotor disc. Ultimately, that problem was solved by the use of a smaller vertical rotor disc affixed to the tail. This eliminated the yaw induced by the main rotor, and provided control over the direction that the fuselage faced in hover and flight. But there was another solution, one pioneered by American designer Frank Piasecki with his tandem rotor H-21, nicknamed the Flying Banana for its bent fuselage. In a tandem rotor helicopter, two main rotors provide lift, and yaw is canceled by having the discs turn in opposite directions. This arrangement has the benefit of a larger center of gravity and greater lift capacity, but it also requires a complex transmission system to turn the rotors in opposite directions. Piasecki left the company that bore his name in 1955, and his old company took the name Vertol. One of their first projects was a new tandem rotor helicopter that bore the company designation Vertol Model 107, or V-107. Taking advantage of advances in turboshaft technology, the Model 107 was powered by a pair of Lycoming T53 turboshaft engines, though the early production helicopters were powered by General Electric T58 engines which provided more power. The engines are mounted on either side of the rear rotor pedestal, and are coupled together so that one engine can drive both rotors in the case that one engine fails. The rear cargo door serves as a loading ramp, and can be left open in flight or removed entirely to facilitate parachute drops of troops or materiel. A sling hook attached to the belly can lift up to 10,000 pounds of external cargo. When flying on combat missions, armor plating and guns can be added for self defense. The US Army initially showed interest in the new cargo and personnel carrying helicopter, and ordered three prototypes designated the YHC-1. However, they soon lost interest in the project, and the new helicopter was selected by the US Marine Corps to satisfy their need for a medium-lift twin-engine helicopter, and the CH-46A Sea Knight was born. The Sea Knight was capable of carrying up to 4,000 pounds of cargo or 17 passengers, though later variants could accommodate up to 25 passengers or 7,000 pounds of cargo.
Though it was also used by the US Navy as their standard utility helicopter, it was in the hands of the Marine Corps where the Sea Knight truly showed its mettle. By late 1967, the Sea Knight was in action in Vietnam, where it earned its nickname “Phrog,” and it became the primary Marine Corps utility helicopter, carrying out transport, medevac, search and rescue, vertical replenishment, and basically anything else the Marines could throw at it. But that heavy use came at a cost, and by the end of the Vietnam War more than 100 Sea Knights had been lost due to enemy fire. The end of the war in Southeast Asia was by no means the end of service for the doughty Sea Knight. It continued to serve the Marine Corps into the 21st century, and took part in all Marine Corps missions from Operaion Urgent Fury on the Island of Grenada to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, where it performed vital combat casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) missions. The Navy retired their fleet of Sea Knights by 2004 in favor of the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk , but the Sea Knight flew on for the Marine Corps as it awaited the introduction of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey . The Marines finally retired the last of their CH-46 in an official ceremony on August 1, 2015. (US Marine Corps photo; photo by Bill Larkins via Wikimedia Commons )
Have any of our resident Oppo Marines ever flown on the CH-46? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
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April 24, 1980 – Operation Eagle Claw is launched to rescue the hostages held at the US Embassy in Iran. While the Islamic Republic of Iran is now considered an enemy by the United States, that wasn’t always the case. Friendly relations between Iran and the US date all the way back to 1856, when the two nations signed a treaty governing commerce and navigation. Iran was neutral during WWII, but an invasion by the British and Soviets forced Reza Shah , the first member of the Pahlavi Dynasty , to abdicate the throne over fears he might support the Axis powers. He was replaced by his young son, Mohammad Reza Shah , known to modern history simply as the Shah of Iran. Throughout the Shah’s 38-year reign, Iran remained a staunch US ally, but that relationship came to an end with the Islamic Revolution of 1979, when the Shah was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic Republic lead by the Ayatollah Khomeini . Following the Shah’s ouster, the US allowed the exiled ruler to come to America for cancer treatments, but the Ayatollah and his followers wanted the Shah returned to Iran for trial and execution. On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students invaded the US Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 members of the embassy captive. As the hostage drama dragged into April 1980 with no resolution in sight, US President Jimmy Carter broke off diplomatic negotiations with the Iranian government and decided to mount a military mission to rescue the hostages. What followed was a tremendously complex mission that involved all four branches of the US military along with the CIA and ended in a debacle for the US military and a humiliating embarrassment for the US government. The mission faced many challenges, but perhaps the greatest was distance.
Tehran is located far to the north in Iran, and American helicopters from USS Nimitz (CVN-68) had to fly from ships far to the south in the Gulf of Oman. The two-night operation called for 8 US Navy Sikorsky RH-53D Sea Stallions take of from Nimitz and land at a remote spot in the desert called Desert One, where they would meet 4 US Air Force Lockheed EC-130 transports that had arrived the previous day from Masirah Island off the coast of Oman. Three of the transports would be carrying bladders of fuel, while the fourth carried tactical supplies and soldiers of the US Army’s elite Delta Force , who would be carrying out their first-ever rescue mission, as well as 12 US Army Rangers and Persian-speaking Americans who would act as truck drivers. After refueling, the plan called for the helicopters to fly the Delta Force commandos to a second staging area known as Desert Two, where they would hide until the following night. Then, CIA agents would pick up the troops and drive them to Tehran in trucks while US Army Rangers in Lockheed C-141 Starlifters would arrive at the nearby Manzariyeh Air Base and capture it. The Sea Stallions would then fly to a soccer stadium across the street from the embassy while the Delta Force commandos stormed the embassy, eliminated the guards, and rescue the hostages. Once everybody was back at the stadium, the helicopters would fly everybody to the captured air base to be evacuated by the waiting C-141 transports. Fighter cover for the mission would be provided by Navy A-7 Corsair IIs and Marine Corps F-4 Phantom IIs flying from Nimitz and the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) stationed in the Gulf of Oman.
The extremely complex plan went awry almost from the beginning. While the EC-130s arrived at Desert One without serious incident, the eight helicopters fared much worse. One landed in the desert and was abandoned for mechanical reasons, and its crew was picked up by one of the other helicopters. A second got lost in a sandstorm and returned to Nimitz . Only six helicopters reached Desert One, and one of those was deemed unserviceable, leaving just 5 helicopters, too few for the mission. After much debate, commanders on the ground and in Washington decided to abort the rescue attempt. In preparation for leaving, the helicopters and one of the EC-130s had to be refueled, which meant that both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft had to be repositioned. Moving the helicopter required a hover taxi, or moving while hovering slightly above the ground. While one of the RH-53s was trying to maneuver behind one of the EC-130s, its rotor struck the aircraft’s vertical stabilizer and the helicopter crashed into the wing root of the Hercules. The crash and fire killed 8 US servicemen and one Iranian civilian. Following the crash, the rest of the personnel boarded the remaining helicopters and transports and left, leaving behind two intact Sea Stallions that now serve with navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Once the Iranians became aware of the failed rescue attempt, the hostages were dispersed across the country to prevent a second rescue attempt, and though the US prepared and practiced for another attempt, it was never carried out. The hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, the first day of the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Analysis of the debacle led to much soul searching in the US military. The lack of effective coordination between the four branches of the armed forces resulted in the creation of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in 1987 to coordinate future missions. To address the difficulties of flying helicopters in nighttime and low visibility, the Army created the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), better known as the Night Stalkers . But the mission also demonstrated the need for a new type of aircraft, one that could fly great distances at high speed, yet be able to land vertically while still carrying a useful payload of troops or cargo. That necessity led directly to the development of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor. (Public Domain photo; US Navy photo; map via Military History Veteran )
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April 22, 2016 – The first flight of the Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin. Following the US ban on exports of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor , Japan was forced to develop their own 5th generation fighter. The Shinshin is an experimental aircraft built to test and develop stealth fighter technologies and the first stealth aircraft developed by Japan. It is is similar in design to its American counterpart, and features thrust vectoring for enhanced maneuverability and a fly-by-optics flight control system. It will also feature “Self Repairing Flight Control Capability” in which the aircraft detects damage to flight surfaces and alters the computer flight assist parameters to calibrate flight. The Japanese government has not yet announced plans for procurement. (Japan Ministry of Defense photo)
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April 22, 1965 – The first flight of the Transavia PL-12 Airtruk, an agricultural aircraft that was developed from the Bennett Airtruck . The Airtruk’s main duty is to provide aerial topdressing of farm fields, but it has also been converted for use as a cargo aircraft, aerial ambulance, or passenger aircraft, with pilot and one passenger above and four passengers below. The Airtruk is powered by a single six- or eight-cyinder engine, and has the capacity for up to one metric ton of cargo. Transavia built 118 Airtruks between 1966-1993, though only a small handful remain airworthy today. (Photo by RuthAS via Wikimedia Commons )
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April 23, 1988 – The U.S. government bans on smoking on flights of two hours or less. Championed by consumer advocate Ralph Nader , the smoking ban was first put into effect voluntarily by United Airlines in 1971. But with airlines and the tobacco industry fighting any regulation limiting smoking, the US Congress stepped in. The original 1988 ban was later extended to flights of six hours or less in 1990, then extended to all domestic and international flights in 2000. Violating the smoking ban can lead to a fine of as much as $5,000. In 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration also banned the use of electronic cigarettes on all domestic and international flights. (Photo author unknown)
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April 23, 1956 – The first flight of the Douglas C-133 Cargomaster,
a large cargo aircraft designed to replace the
Douglas C-74 Globemaster
and the
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II
. Unlike its traditional, low-winged predecessors, the high wing of the Cargomaster, along with its external landing gear blisters, removed internal obstructions and allowed for greater cargo capacity in the pressurized fuselage. The C-133 was the Air Force’s only production turboprop-powered strategic airlifter (the
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
is considered a tactical airlifter), and it went straight into production without the construction of any prototypes. Fifty were built, and they provided critical airlift duties during the Vietnam War. The Cargomaster was replaced by the turbofan-powered
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
in the early 1970s.
(US Air Force photo)
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April 24, 2001 – An unmanned Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk flies autonomously from Edwards Air Force Base in the US to Australia non-stop and unrefuelled.
This flight marked the longest point-to-point flight ever completed by an unmanned aircraft, and took just over 23 hours to complete. The
Global Hawk
is also the first autonomous aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean. The Global Hawk has proven to be a versatile and powerful surveillance platform, flying at altitudes of up to 65,000 feet for as long as 35 hours and capable of imaging an area the size of Illinois on a single mission.
(US Air Force photo)
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April 24, 1990– The launch of Space Shuttle
Discovery
on STS-31 to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
Named after American astronomer
Edwin Hubble
, the HST has a 7.9 foot diameter mirror and instruments to observe near ultraviolet, visible and near infrared spectra. While the HST is not the first space telescope, it is the first designed to be serviced in space by astronauts, and four Space Shuttle missions have performed repairs or upgrades since 1990. A fifth mission was canceled after the
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
, but one final servicing mission was undertaken by
Space Shuttle Atlantis
(
STS-125
) in 2009. The HST is still operating and providing
astounding images
of deep space, and will hopefully continue to operate until 2020. It is scheduled be replaced by the
James Webb Space Telescope
in 2018.
(NASA photo)
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April 24, 1971 – Soyuz 10 performs the world’s first docking with the Salyut 1 orbiting space station.
Once the United States had put a man on the Moon in 1969, the Russian space program shifted its emphasis from the Moon to orbital stations.
Salyut 1
was launched on April 19, 1971 as the world’s first orbiting space station, and three days later,
Soyuz 10
, with a crew of three cosmonauts, was launched to rendezvous with the station. While the Soyuz 10 achieved a soft docking, a malfunction of the automated alignment system prevented a hard docking and the astronauts were unable to transfer to the station. The following
Soyuz 11
mission was able to dock successfully, but a malfunctioning air valve caused the death of the cosmonauts during re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.
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April 24, 1967 – The death of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. Komarov was the sole cosmonaut on board Soyuz 1 , the first flight of the Soyuz spacecraft which had launched from Baikonur on April 23. He was supposed to rendezvous in space with Soyuz 2, but that spacecraft never launched due to thunderstorms. While orbiting the Earth, Komarov’s spacecraft suffered numerous failures of electrical systems, solar panels, and guidance gyroscopes, and he was forced to manually orient his spacecraft for reentry. During descent, the capsule’s parachute failed to open and the spacecraft impacted the ground at speeds estimated as high as 400 mph. Komarov was killed in the crash, becoming the first fatality of any manned space program. (Soyuz 1 illustration author unknown; Komarov photo via Roscosmos)
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April 24, 1946 – The first flight of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9,
the first jet fighter developed by
Mikoyan-Gurevich
following WWII. The MiG-9 was powered by a pair of reverse engineered
BMW 003
turbojet engines, the engine that powered the
Heinkel He 162
. The MiG-9 was a modestly successful first generation fighter, but continuing problems with the engine plagued the project, and the ingestion of gases from the weapons caused frequent engine flameouts at high altitude, a problem that was never fully solved. Nevertheless, Mikoyan-Gurevich produced 610 MiG-9s between 1946-1948, with roughly half of them sent to China.
(Photo by Mike1979 Russia via
Wikimedia Commons
)
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April 24 , 1946 – The first flight of the Yakovlev Yak-15, a Soviet fighter developed from the Yakovlev Yak-3 piston powered fighter following WWII. The Yak-15 was powered by a reverse-engineered Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet and with the Saab 21R , the Yak-13 was one of only two piston powered aircraft to enter production after conversion to jet power. The engine was placed under the forward fuselage of the fighter, with the exhaust exiting beneath the pilot, and the removal of the propeller spinner allowed for an air intake in the front. The Yak-15 had numerous problems, particularly kerosene and oil smoke filling the cockpit, but the relative ease of flying meant that the aircraft served well as a transition trainer for pilots moving from piston fighters to jet fighters. A total of 280 were built during its short production run from 1946-1947. (Photo author unknown)
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April 24, 1933 – The first flight of the Grumman JF Duck, an amphibious biplane that entered US Navy service in 1935. The JF was only manufactured for two years before production switched to the improved J2F Duck , and only 48 were built. The JF featured landing gear that could be retracted into the main centerline float which allowed the aircraft to land on water then taxi up onto land. Though early versions of the aircraft had provisions for a rear-firing machine gun and a single bomb rack under each wing, the JF Duck was used primarily for photographic missions, target towing, scouting and rescue work. (US Navy photo)
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April 25, 2017 – Astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks the record for the most cumulative time spent in space by an American astronaut. While flying aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on her third long-duration mission, Whitson broke astronaut Jeff Williams ’ previous record of 534 days, 2 hours and 48 minutes of total time in space. With an extension to her current mission delaying her return until September, Whitson will amass over 650 days in space. Whitson made her first trip to the ISS in 2002, staying for 184 days, then returned in 2008 for a 192-day stay. She has spent more then 53 hours performing spacewalks, earning her the title of the most spacewalking by a female astronaut. She was also appointed as chief of the astronaut office in 2009, making her the first woman in the position which she held until 2012. The record for the longest single stay in space belongs to cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov , who stayed on the Russian space station Mir for 437 days. (NASA photo)
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April 25, 2016 – Airbus delivers its first airliner built in the United States,
an A321 CEO (Current Engine Option), delivered to JetBlue Airlines (N965JT). Airbus made the decision to add an American assembly facility in 2012, and constructed a $600 million final assembly facility in Mobile, Alabama located at the
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley
. Major components, such as the fuselage and vertical stabilizer, are built in Germany, shipped to the US, and delivered to the facility by rail. The front fuselage is shipped from France, and the remaining 40-percent of parts, including engines, are provided by American suppliers. The aircraft, nicknamed
BluesMobile
, took its maiden flight on March 24, 2016. Airbus plans to deliver four aircraft per month from the Alabama facility by the end of 2017.
(Airbus photo)
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April 25, 1983 – NASA’s
Pioneer 10
flies beyond the orbit of Pluto after completing the first mission to Jupiter.
Despite flying beyond Pluto’s orbital path,
Pioneer 10
still had not left the solar system, since Pluto’s irregular orbit meant that it was closer to the Sun than Neptune at that point. But on June 13, 1983,
Pioneer 10
passed the orbit of Neptune and officially became the first man-made object to leave our solar system. By September 9, 2012,
Pioneer 10
was predicted to be about 10 billion miles from the Sun, traveling at about 26,930 mph and heading for the constellation
Taurus
. At that distance, light from our sun takes almost 15 hours to reach the probe. Its trajectory will take it in the general direction of the star
Aldebaran
, about 68 light years away. If Aldebaran had a zero relative velocity,
Pioneer 10
would still take more than 2 million years to reach it.
(NASA illustration)
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If you enjoy these Aviation History posts, please let me know in the comments. And if you missed any of the past articles, you can find them all at Planelopnik History . You can also find more stories about aviation and aviators at Wingspan and Planes You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of .
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"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
04/25/2017 at 12:40, STARS: 1
Komarov dies
Gagarin begins questioning the Soviet system
?
Gagarin dies in a test flight accident
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 12:45, STARS: 0
I wrote about Gagarin, and said something like “the exact cause of his death remains a matter of dispute.”
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
04/25/2017 at 12:47, STARS: 1
Airbus also subcontracts out some of its A350 work here in Utah. My buddy is an engineer for their carbon line.
"Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)" (bman76-4)
04/25/2017 at 12:57, STARS: 0
I love the Mig -9 and Yak-15, such neat looking planes.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 12:59, STARS: 2
Republic tried putting a jet engine in the Thunderbolt.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
04/25/2017 at 13:12, STARS: 2
The Airtruk makes a memorable appearance in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. In the film, you can see the rather odd accommodation for passengers when used for that duty, as the lower deck designed for the dusting tank makes it a double-decker.
Worth note on the Yak-15 - one other issue was damaging the tailwheel with exhaust, which eventually led to a redesign for trigear.
"S65" (granthp)
04/25/2017 at 13:17, STARS: 0
Good job! As usual
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
04/25/2017 at 13:19, STARS: 0
Is it true that everyone remembers their first flight? Mine was on an A321-211 from Frontier named Fallon the Falcon. I even kept my ticket! :)
Still my favourite flight too. :D
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 13:22, STARS: 1
I don’t, but I was only about 6 years old. My parents were divorced, and my older brother and I often flew alone. I do remember getting to go to the cockpit before a flight, and the captain let us push up the throttles as we left the gate. I think it was a 727. Of course, that would never happen today.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 13:23, STARS: 0
Thank you, kind sir. And thanks for reading. That’s a cool ad.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 0
Perhaps the only redeeming feature of Thunderdome.
"Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)" (bman76-4)
04/25/2017 at 13:25, STARS: 1
And it was also awesome looking.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 13:30, STARS: 0
It’s interesting that Republic went with a long tailpipe while the Russians, influenced by German designs perhaps, went with basically no tailpipe. The long pipe would have reduced the power of the engine. That’s why so many early de Havilland jets used the ovate fuselage and twin-boom tail.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
04/25/2017 at 13:31, STARS: 1
Well, it did have Angry Anderson of Rose Tattoo as a crazy chief henchman with a kabuki mask on a stick. Surely that counts for something.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
04/25/2017 at 13:40, STARS: 0
I do remember getting to go to the cockpit before a flight, and the captain let us push up the throttles as we left the gate.
I need a time machine, because this sounds awesome!
I wonder if you could still get a cockpit tour today?
"facw" (facw)
04/25/2017 at 13:42, STARS: 2
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 13:48, STARS: 0
That story never gets enough press.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 13:57, STARS: 1
You can. My family flew on Southwest a few years ago, and the captain invited us in. He showed the boys the “machine gun” by activating the stick shaker stall warning. It was cool. Many pilots are still little kids at heart, and if you ask, they will almost certainly let you pop your head in for a look around. In the old days, before 9/11, the crew would often leave the cockpit door open during taxi. I would always lean out into the aisle to see the view up front.
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"user314" (user314)
04/25/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 1
I’ve liked the PL-12 ever since I saw it on Strange Planes back in the early 90's. Such a well-engineered little plane. The stub wings are actually part of the spreading system, in that their tip vorticies feed those of the main wing, allowing the fertilizer (or whatever) to be spread across a wider swath.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 14:06, STARS: 1
The predecessor, the Bennett Airtruck, was even cooler, even more Mad-Maxian. It was built from parts scavenged from ex- RNZAF North American Harvards .
"Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)" (bman76-4)
04/25/2017 at 14:19, STARS: 0
I’m always amused by how much of an issue gun has injestion was on all of these early jets. Even better when the Soviets got creative to find a fix on the Ilyushin I’ll-40.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 14:29, STARS: 0
I’ve certainly read a lot about it, but I’ve never looked into exactly what the scientific reasons are for the problem. Also, I’ve never seen the Il-40 before. It looks like a Sturmovik on steroids.
"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn)
04/25/2017 at 15:18, STARS: 0
Good stuff as always. I did notice a typo in the Operation Eagle Claw section:
commandos stormed the embassy, eliminated the guards, and reduce the hostages.
Pretty sure that should be rescue instead of reduce. Though I suppose reducing them would make for easier transport.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 15:28, STARS: 0
Thanks. I noticed that yesterday and was going to fix it when I proofed today. Then, I was pressed for time today and missed it. I added that bit about Peggy Whitson, and only just got it finished about 20 seconds before post time.
"The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)" (steve-still-hasnt-wrecked-the-powershift-in-his-12-ford-focus)
04/25/2017 at 15:28, STARS: 0
Excellent as always, but there are a few minor typos. In the CH-46 section:
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That should probably be ‘21st’ century. In the HST section:
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I assume that should be ‘four’. Also, Iran never flew the A-7 Crusader. I’m guessing the recognition stripes were there to prevent mis-identification in general. That seems reasonable considering how complex the operation was.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 15:30, STARS: 1
Thanks. I was very pressed for time this morning when I was proofing this. It’s nice having so many proofreaders!
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 15:35, STARS: 1
I just assumed on the A-7. That’s what I get for assuming. Normally, that’s something I would have looked up. Yeah, that operation was stupidly, ridiculously complex. It also came at a time when the US military was in the middle of a somewhat low period in its history. Though I don’t necessarily agree with Ronald Reagan’s politics, he was responsible for a significant shift in military readiness. It would be interesting to see if such a mission could be successful today. America learned a hard lesson from Eagle Claw, and all aspects of our military are significantly sharper today than they were 37 years ago.
"The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)" (steve-still-hasnt-wrecked-the-powershift-in-his-12-ford-focus)
04/25/2017 at 16:44, STARS: 0
Proofreaders or pedants? You’re stuck with us either way.
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I think the modern US military would be capable of it, but mostly because of the vastly more sophisticated special operations organization we have, who are way better equipped and prepared for this kind of mission. As you said, the Osprey came out of this operation and it’s capabilities would serve this mission perfectly. Having overwatch by drones and stealth aircraft would help as well.
Now, if we were to take today’s caliber personnel and 1980's equipment it, I’m not so sure. Trying to perform that many steps - multiple refuelings, transfer of personnel, driving trucks and flying helicopters and transports, taking and holding ground all over the country - leaves too much to go wrong. I honestly think it was doomed to go terribly wrong even with personnel who have been honing their tactics and skills since the mess in Mogadishu in 1993.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/25/2017 at 16:52, STARS: 1
Yes, I don’t thing this mission had a snowball’s chance in hell. But at least they tried. And made a plan with the assets they had. And not just the Osprey, but everything from intel to drones to stealth, a lot has changed in 37 years just on the tech side. But flying into the capital city of an enemy country to extract FIFTY-TWO people is a tall ask. One or two, probably not that hard. But 52? Probably not.
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