The most badass logistics/support vehicle... IN THE WORLD

"Mason-Dixon" (Mason-Dixon)
10/08/2013 at 11:30 • Filed to: planelopnik

I love the Blue Angels and their outrageously awesome F/A-18s as much as anyone with blood in their veins. However, you can't help but like "Fat Albert" — their equally insane C-130T support plane. FYI, the Blue Angels haven't been performing since April of this year. Come back! Please!

DISCUSSION (100)

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:33

Love me some Herc.

Someone Else's Projects > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:33

Hi sequester and shutdown! Bye Blue Angels!

TheOnelectronic > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:34

RATO systems are insane and awesome. The ones for landing are equally cool, including some that are almost a pseudo-VTOL setup, firing forward and down to basically stop the plane in midair.

ghost650 > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:36

They haven't participated in SF's fleet week in a couple years. So bummed. They would be coming out around this time of year, too.

Mason-Dixon > ghost650
10/08/2013 at 11:37

I know. The Chicago Air and Water Show isn't the same without them.

Marklinsarms > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:37

You are obviously mistaken.

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > TheOnelectronic
10/08/2013 at 11:39

stopping in midair is the problem

pdthedeuce > TheOnelectronic
10/08/2013 at 11:40

yeah , how's that working out...

MMinSC > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:40

Kinja'd!!!

Taken @ MCAS Beaufort a few years ago...

SasquatchElvis > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:41

I've only been graced with seeing the Blue Angels once (I've seen the Thunderbirds several times though) and by far, the most memorable part of their show was Fat Albert. Granted I was 12 and nearly died of heat exhaustion at the start of the Blue Angels show, but still, seeing Fat Albert hit the rockets and take off in 500 feet or so was insane.

shieldsdb > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:42

The military has some pretty outrageous vehicles. Just about everyone will surely pick the AC-130 (it IS a support vehicle, fire support anyway).

But, I think I will go with the ...

The Navy's Mark V Special Ops boat. It will carry 16 SEALs, .50 CAL MG, Stinger Missiles and even launch UAS's! I've also heard, from Navy buddies, that the bow is reinforced so that it can ram and disable enemy boats.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_V_Sp…

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MMinSC > MMinSC
10/08/2013 at 11:42

Kinja'd!!!

I got a few pretty good shots during the show...

MMinSC > MMinSC
10/08/2013 at 11:44

Kinja'd!!!

Enlarge this one....

phutnick > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
10/08/2013 at 11:50

All of the ones I ever caught a ride in were terrifying rattle-traps. Like someone backed every bolt out a quarter turn and then safety wired them. My first five takeoffs were out of Lawson and I had the privilege of getting the hell out mid flight.

My sixth and final takeoff in one was out of Taszar. Somewhere over Austria I realized that I was going to have to land in the fucking thing. Much more frightening than parting company in the air!

Fl1ngstam > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 11:52

I think the President's logistics support is pretty cool, too.

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Fl1ngstam > Fl1ngstam
10/08/2013 at 12:02

Meanwhile, in Russia...

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Route100 > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 12:06

Don't get too excited for the return... years ago when i flew on regular USMC KC-130's they stopped allowing us to practice RATO because the inventory of bottles was running low and they wanted to save them for 'Bert. I'm pretty sure they have run through the existing stock and even if the Blues have full funding restored RATO shots will be a fond memory :-(

Note - real RATO use is to shorten the takeoff roll, not to do the spectacular climbout that 'Bert did with them. The logic for RATO is tough to justify... if the runway is so short you need them to blast off of, you probably ought not to be there in the 1st place. Besides, you probably need to carry them attached on the way in to this short strip, and there is a good chance the bottles will fall off or damage the attachment points when you thump down on landing.

RyRy > Route100
10/08/2013 at 12:13

Spot on Route100. Taken from the Blue Angels website FAQs:

JATO bottles were produced in the Vietnam era. The last known stockpile of JATO bottles were expended during the Blue Angels' 2009 show season. The last JATO performance for Fat Albert was at the NAS Pensacola, FL Air Show in November 2009.

Not sure why they call it JATO when it's clearly a Rocket Assisted Take-Off.

f86sabre > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 12:16

Most bad ass active logistical support vehicle:

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Previous most bad ass logistical support vehicle:

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William Byrd > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 13:27

Because jato rockets!

I've seen it take off in person, usually kicks off the show.

TheOnelectronic > HammerheadFistpunch
10/08/2013 at 13:54

Hey, I said it was cool, not usable. :p

TheOnelectronic > pdthedeuce
10/08/2013 at 13:54

Hey, I said it was cool, not usable. :p

TheOnelectronic > f86sabre
10/08/2013 at 13:55

Future MBALSV

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TheOnelectronic > shieldsdb
10/08/2013 at 13:56

I am unfamiliar with "UAS"

Unmanned Aerial... Scout? is my best guess.

Followed by "Unmanned Aerial Spaghetti."

pdthedeuce > TheOnelectronic
10/08/2013 at 13:59

I give them points for creativity .

shieldsdb > TheOnelectronic
10/08/2013 at 14:01

lol, close. Unmanned Aircraft System. They changed the name from UAV a few years ago. Since it was a "vehicle", people thought it still had a actual pilot in it.

TheOnelectronic > shieldsdb
10/08/2013 at 14:13

Interesting.

You'd think the "unmanned" would be a tipoff, but what do I know?

ttyymmnn > Route100
10/08/2013 at 15:08

I witnessed one of the last RATO takeoffs by Fat Albert a few years ago in Houston at Wings Over Houston. At the time, they announced that the display would be ending because, as you say, they were running out of bottles and there would be no replacements.

KyleP133 > Mason-Dixon
10/08/2013 at 23:44

The F-18 is weak sauce. There's a reason it got beaten by the F-16 when it was originally the F-17, because it sucks. The only reason it got the navy contract is because it's got two engines, and the only reason it's still there and the F-14 isnt is because it's cheaper to run.

gorgonzola-sweatpants > Fl1ngstam
10/09/2013 at 15:11

That makes it official: he *is* a Bond villain.

Vintage1982Benz > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:11

Pretty awesome capability it provides to our fighters...
USAF KC-135 STRATOTANKER

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Jay_Hoff > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:12

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Elmo > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:13

Puma Hind. First saw this badass helo in the Rambo movies and Red Dawn.

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UKPDXWRX > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:16

The end.

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Honorable mention:

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Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Elmo
10/09/2013 at 15:17

Didn't see Red Dawn, but the helo in the Rambo movie was a Super Puma made up to look like a Hind. i.e. ugly.

bonzomatic > Vintage1982Benz
10/09/2013 at 15:18

I have a good friend who was a boomer in a KC-135. He has some awesome pictures.

Incognigro > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:19

I think this fits the criteria...

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Racescort666 > f86sabre
10/09/2013 at 15:21

Kinja'd!!!

I disagree on current. Space Shuttle was pretty sweet though.

camotoy > Route100
10/09/2013 at 15:22

Seen a few of these take offs too in the past. always fun to watch. sad they dont do them any more (or now that all air shows are canceled )

chrisbattle > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:23

2006 Dakar Rally Mercedes Support Vehicle:

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They even had the big brother 6x6 but sadly no pictures...

dagibby > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:23

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USS Jimmy Carter, google it.

UKPDXWRX > KyleP133
10/09/2013 at 15:23

We're on super-hornets now which are substantially bigger than older F-18s. They're really not even even in the same class of jet as the F-16 and are more capable in almost every way the counts in a modern fighter than the 16 (larger twin engine strike fighter vs. smaller dog fighter with strike capability.) The only real advantage the F-16 had was in thrust to weight and sustained high-g maneuvering. The added thrust in the super hornet negates the first one and the F-18 is now considered better in low speed dog fighting whereas modern missiles cover the high speed regime.

Incognigro > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:23

I also dig the Huey..they made this helicopter do basically anything short of aerial refueling.

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Incognigro > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:25

This helps me when I land in the "bush" so I have to nominate this as well.

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6shelBfan6 > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:25

Always thought the Comanche was an awesome machine. It's too bad they never produced them. Ground support vehicle maybe?

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f86sabre > Racescort666
10/09/2013 at 15:26

I thought about Space X, but I think they need a few more launches before the crown is handed over.

Sam > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:26

The C-5 Galaxy eats C-130's for breakfast. Literally.

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MAXIMUMVRM > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:26

easy:

dagibby > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:30

Kinja'd!!!

I'm partial to the UD-4L Cheyenne.

David E. Davis > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:30

Kinja'd!!!

I must go. My people need me!

Scrape > Route100
10/09/2013 at 15:31

I've been hearing that "bottle running low" thing for well over a decade, and they are still using them. I'm thinking they are uber-expensive to use and don't want the huge fleet of C-130's constantly using them "for training". They were designed to get the C-130 out of short fields with heavy loads. If you can get one in, you need to be able to get it out, and nothing does that better than a C-130 even today.

The Ski-Birds still use them to get off the ground with the skiis down. And Fat Albert would have runout of them years ago if they were so worried about supply.

uncaged102 > Fl1ngstam
10/09/2013 at 15:31

Except he can't fly on the VH-22 as it is too dangerous. But his dog can...

jnecr > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:33

Duh:

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Jay_Hoff > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:37

Kinja'd!!!

Poundingsand > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:38

I think mine is pretty bad-ass.

**shrugs**

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corsa > SasquatchElvis
10/09/2013 at 15:38

Was going to say the same thing. Saw the Blue Angels, and just when I thought I had seen all the awesome... Fat Albert performed a full-rocket takeoff. It was awesome.

Smorgasborg > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:38

Kinja'd!!!

Planes are pretty cool, but for land support my money goes to the Oshkosh M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport System. Want a tank delivered ASAP? Give this thing a call.

Racescort666 > f86sabre
10/09/2013 at 15:39

I understand your reluctance. Admittedly, SpaceX hasn't done anything new as far as launch vehicles are concerned. Technology wise, NASA and Roscosmos have done everything that SpaceX is doing now except they did it 30+ years ago.

On the other hand, SpaceX took basically all of the most successful parts and avoided most of the pitfalls that NASA and the USSR found out the hard way and built a rocket specifically to be cheap.

Justin is driven > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:42

The "White Knight" carrier vehicle for Spaceship one is pretty awesome.

Kinja'd!!!

It carries a spaceship up to 40k feet and drops it. But more than that it was an essential part of the process of the first manned commercial spaceflight.

Large Marge Sent Cha > Vintage1982Benz
10/09/2013 at 15:43

Im a crew chief on that jet. Its a beast!

Scrape > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:43

My vote is for the San Antonio Class Amphibious Transport Dock. It is basically a dock via a floodable well deck for two hovercraft and amphibious landing craft, a helipad with hangar, and an enormous parking garage filled with all sorts of goodies. Plus, it is "stealthy" as a huge friggin' ship can be. Just what you need when you need your Marines to go break stuff.

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Racescort666 > f86sabre
10/09/2013 at 15:43

Dammit kinja. Double post.

mwatson2 > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:45

Seeing a vehicle of that size lunge forward when those jets fire just blew my mind.

Justin is driven > Route100
10/09/2013 at 15:46

I think part of the justification was based in the same cold-war idea that is responsible for the harrier. Strategists were worried that the russians would crater the shit out of allied airfields and they would be essentially inoperable. Slap some RATO on a herc and boom, you're back in business.

05CobaltDRVR > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:50

There are no more launches by Fat Albert this way as they have no more RATO rockets

norsairius > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:50

How about the trucks that accompanied James May and Jeremy Clarkson to the North Pole?

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The truck that James and Jeremy drove was badass in itself, but they did have support too. So really all of the trucks that made it were badass.

The trucks had to carry people, food, fuel, tools, spare parts, filming equipment, Jesus, gin, etc. to the (magnetic) NORTH POLE through some of the harshest terrain that would be unthinkable for the vast majority of vehicles, even those purpose built, to traverse.

The trucks had custom-made tires, winches, their own air pumps, specially-formulated fuel that wouldn't freeze at those temps, and more! They were also diesel! DIESEL!

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Let's also not forget that one of those exact trucks also brought James May close enough to a volcano on ground hot enough that there were concerns about the tires catching fire (which I believe they did briefly in that episode).

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North Pole AND a volcano? That's badass if you ask me.

UnafraidRabbit > Smorgasborg
10/09/2013 at 15:51

My drivers ed instructor use to drive these and said you wouldn't even notice the weight of an APC and pulling an Abrams was like towing an empty trailer with a regular truck.

bacavoit > Fl1ngstam
10/09/2013 at 15:51

He cant fly in that heli-plane thing (forgot the name) as they consider it dangerous, only his staff can have a ride in it. I remember reading somewhere that that plane needs to earn its white-hat in order to be an official presidential ride.

mr_gofast > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
10/09/2013 at 15:54

when the russians created the hind they wanted a tank that flew - tell me does a tank flying instill a sense of beauty in you? or anyone else

jacknifetoaswan > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:55

Lots of good choices, here, but because they're building 787s about a quarter mile from where I'm sitting, and these bad boys fly past my office window on their way into and out of the Charleston, SC airport all the time, here's my suggestion - the Boeing Dreamlifter.

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mr_gofast > Smorgasborg
10/09/2013 at 15:55

or a c5 galaxy..

chimera388 > shieldsdb
10/09/2013 at 15:56

Not quite. The UAV is the plane. The UAS is the plane, and the ground control station referred to as a whole item.

North > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:57

Kinja'd!!!

The Aardvark Anti-Mine Fail, the support vehicle that allows you to not worry about losing your legs in some random ass field in Asia, Africa or Europe.

MossySpoon > TheOnelectronic
10/09/2013 at 15:57

Actually this is Valiant Sport. It was designed to be the extraction vehicle for the SEAL team and the hostages from the Iranian occupation of the US embassy in the 70s. It was designed to use a soccer stadium as a runway hence all the retro and booster rockets. On one of the final test runs the pilots fired the retro rockets before they fired the lift rockets (the ones that let them land safely when they were dropping the air speed to zero) this caused the plain to drop something like 30 feet straight into the ground crippling the plain and scraping the extraction plan.

Ricepuddin a shitty superhero > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 15:59

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How About this fine example of American Military ingenuity? This is a HEMTT that has been converted into a gun truck by cutting up a Connex (shipping container ) and slapping a MA Deuce and a Mark 19 on the back. It's still a support vehicle, but just refitted as a fuck you to ambushes. This particular example, I believe, is courtesy of my fellow Cavalrymen in the 1st Cav Division.

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And another one from a transportation company

Shmalworthington > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:00

Dude, there's something on your back.

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TheOnelectronic > MossySpoon
10/09/2013 at 16:02

Thank you for the background on that!

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > mr_gofast
10/09/2013 at 16:03

The first model Hind-A had an ugly front canopy, like in the photo here. Later models, like the Hind-D had a double bubble canopy that looked much better.

SaitoHawkeye > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:04

I think the Russians have to take this one, sporting the Antonov An-225 "Dream"

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It's just the biggest, most insane cargo plane in the world. 6 turbofans carrying 640 tons.

TheLaughingMan1 > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:06

Russian LCACs

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And Russian Ekranoplan

SaitoHawkeye > SaitoHawkeye
10/09/2013 at 16:06

And keeping with the theme of Russian lunacy, the ekranoplan ground-effect plane/boat/hybrid thing. I think they actually mass-produced one of these, but this is the biggest model, the "Lun."

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the7thearlofgrey > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:06

and some magical ones

TheLaughingMan1 > MossySpoon
10/09/2013 at 16:07

God Bless Jimmy Carter!

All Motor Is Best Motor > Fl1ngstam
10/09/2013 at 16:10

Is that a submarine? WTF am I looking at?

MentalMechanic > 6shelBfan6
10/09/2013 at 16:10

Looks a lot like the tail they recovered during the Seal team 6 raid eh?

Ad_absurdum_per_aspera > Route100
10/09/2013 at 16:14

> If the runway is so short you need them to blast off, you probably ought not be there in the 1st place

Though of course the actual support vehicle isn't JATO, here is a blast from that past with literally a support vehicle involved (better ask International Harvester if this may constitute abuse and void warranty!):

Since the F-100 had a reputation for tricky handling at low speeds, was not all eat up with thrust by modern standards, and long predated "zero-zero" ejection seats, the pilot was staking a great deal on the proper functioning of that rocket — doubtless one of the reasons these interceptor-on-a-stick ideas didn't really catch on.

The B-47 is the subject of some impressive takeoff assist footage and still pictures too. Anybody who's proud of himself for "rollin' coal" with his diesel pickemup (a fad that baffles me, as many fads do) should think back to those early turbojets, especially with water injection, and just give it up — and that's even without JATO.

sfdgsfgsfd > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:15

2009 was the last chance anyone ever had to see this. The manufacture of JATO bottles stopped quite many years ago, and the end of the 2009 show season was the last of the JATO bottles, and therefore JATO takoffs, for Fat Albert. I was fortunate enough to see the 2nd to last one at MCAS Miramar that October. It was always an awesome sight at every show and I have been missing it ever since.

sfdgsfgsfd > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:15

Quinten McKracken > Fl1ngstam
10/09/2013 at 16:18

Too bad he's never ridden in the V-22

Pcannizzaro1986 > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:18

Kinja'd!!!

C5-m super galaxy

My hovercraft is full of eels > Mason-Dixon
10/09/2013 at 16:19

Someone mentioned the An-225 Mrija. That's a good one. But the Russians also know how to build land giants. Take the MAZ-7907 for example. Weight up to 200 tonnes. 24 wheels - each with its own electric motor. Powered by a 1200 hp gas turbine.

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