This Date in Aviation History Speed Round: September 5 - September 8

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 09/08/2015 at 12:36 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

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This is today’s Aviation History Speed Round , getting you caught up on milestones and important historical events in aviation from September 5 through September 8.

September 6, 1983 – The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Flight 007. The Soviet Union has always been a very secretive nation, and they have historically been very protective of the airspace over their country. On September 1, 1983, a Korean Air 747, flight 007, departed Anchorage, AK on its way to Seoul, South Korea. Rather than follow its intended path over international waters, the airliner flew north of its intended route, over the Kamchatka Peninsula, and near the Soviet island of Sakhalin due to an incorrect setting of the plane’s autopilot. Soviet fighters were scrambled to intercept the 747, and after firing warning shots that may have gone unnoticed by the airliner pilots, the order was given to shoot down the plane when a change in altituded was interpreted as an evasive maneuver. A Soviet !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! fighter fired two missiles at the airliner, hitting the 747, which continued on its flight for some time as the pilots struggled to maintain control before it crashed into the water near Moneron Island, resulting in the loss of 269 passengers and crew. The Soviets initially denied shooting down the airliner, but 5 days later they admitted to the attack, which may have taken place over international waters, but they claimed that the overflight of Sakhalin was a deliberate act to test Soviet air defenses, or perhaps even to provoke a war. They stated that the 747 may also have been on a clandestine reconnaissance mission. In a 1991 interview, the pilot of the Russian fighter said that he recognized that the aircraft was a civilian airliner, but he did not report the fact because he wasn’t asked to, and the Russians believed that any aircraft overflying Sakhalin Island from the ocean unannounced had to be military. Despite the Soviet admission, numerous !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! persist, from a deliberate deviation of course to the 747 getting caught up in a massive air battle between Soviet and American forces at the time of the shoot-down. These theories are fed in part by the recovery of so few victims from the crash, and the way in which the Soviets hampered the search efforts of the Americans and Japanese. However, these theories have not gained much traction, and they remain unproven. (Photo by Ted Quackenbush via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

September 7, 1997 – The first flight of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. As part of an effort to maintain air superiority over the battlefield, and to counter ever more advanced aircraft being produced by America’s adversaries, the Air Force began development of what it called the Advanced Tactical Fighter in 1981. By 1984, the requirements for the new fighter had been settled on, and they called for a fighter with a 50,000 poound maximum takeoff weight, a radius of 800 miles and the ability for supercruise, maintaining supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners. Two aircraft were selected for a competition for what would be an very lucrative contract, the YF-22, and the YF-23, built by Northrop. While both aircraft were seen as very capable platforms, the F-22 was selected, in part because its thrust vectoring engines made it more maneuverable than its opponent. The Air Force !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the fifth generation Raptor as a “combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represent[ing] an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force....The F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.” The Raptor’s stealthy design allows it to target and destroy opponents before being detected by the enemy, and its advanced avionics allows it not only to protect itself, but to protect other assets as well, and it is seen as a critical component to the future battlefield. During the development of the aircraft, designers toyed with different names and designations for the aircraft. At one time, in a nod to its capability for ground attack, it was designated F/A-22, but upon introduction the designation was changed back to F-22. Lockheed had originally chosen “Lightning II” after the iconic WWII fighter, and was also briefly called the “SuperStar” and “Rapier”, another fighter name from the past. But the Air Force eventually settled on Raptor. Due in part to its high cost, and the continued development of what is seen by some as the more advanced F-35, production of the Raptor was halted in 2011 after the completion of 187 operational aircraft. (US Air Force Photo)

September 7, 1965 – The first flight of the AH-1 Cobra. When we speak of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, we talk of the Jet Age, when those forces moved from piston to jet power. But the US Army is best represented by the mule, a beast of burden that kept the Army on the move throughout its history. So rather than enter an age of jet-powered flight, the Army stayed a bit closer to the ground and entered the age of helicopters in 1942. By the Vietnam War, the US Army had become become very much a helicopter-borne force, using the theories of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to attack their enemy, flying the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , better known as the Huey, as their modern Army mule. But those relatively slow, lightly armed helicopters were susceptible to ground fire, and the Army needed a new, dedicated attack helicopter to protect the transport helicopters. In 1964, the Army launched the Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) competition to find such an aircraft, and they pursued the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which, after 10 years of costly development, turned out to be too complex and was canceled. However, Bell, which had not been asked to take part in the competition, had been developing their own concept for a light attack helicopter, known as the Model 206, using engine, transmission and rotor system that had been proven effective in the UH-1 Iroquois and employing a retractable landing gear. The 209 was designed to carry 7.62mm miniguns or grenade launchers in a chin-mounted turret, as well as rockets or missiles on small wings affixed to the fuselage. A crew of two—pilot and gunner—sat in a tandem configuration that made for a very narrow profile when seen head-on, thus making it more difficult to hit from the ground. In 1967, the Army adopted the 209, now with a traditional fixed landing skid and other modifications, as the Cobra and it proved to be extremely successful, serving through the Vietnam War and beyond. The Marine Corps still flies a modernized two-engine version, and other variants serve air forces around the world. The US Forest Service also flies the civilian version, the Model 209, where its infrared sensors are used to detect fire hot spots while fighting wildfires.

September 8, 1968 – The first flight of the SEPECAT Jaguar. Developing a new military aircraft, or any aircraft for that matter, is an extremely expensive undertaking. One way to reduce your own costs, and take advantage of the expertise of others, is to form a consortium of manufacturers from friendly nations and divide up the work. In the early 1960s, the English Royal Air Force was looking for a new two-seat supersonic trainer, and the French Armée de l’Air were looking for a new supersonic trainer that could double as a light attack aircraft. They also hoped the new fighter would be capable of operating from carriers, though that requirement was later dropped. The two nations decided to work together on the project, forming a partnership that was known as Société Européenne de Production de l’Avion d’École de Combat et d’Appui Tactique (SEPECAT) which translates as “European company for the production of a combat trainer and tactical support aircraft.” The project would be a joint venture between the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Breguet, with unique assemblies being produced by both countries, and final assembly taking place in both England and France. A second consortium of Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca would produce the Ardour afterburning turbofan engines. The design featured a high wing that allowed for easy access to weapons stores and external fuel tanks, a tricycle landing gear, and unique overwing pylons for small air-to-air missiles. The French were the first to receive the new fighter, in both the E (Ecole) and A (Attack) versions in 1973. While initially intended as a nuclear-capable attack aircraft, the Jaguar never performed this role, and instead was used as a support aircraft to clear the way for the nuclear armed Mirage fighters. The Jaguar served the French in numerous regional conflicts around their former colonies, as well as the Gulf War in 1991. The RAF received the Jaguar into service in 1974 where it eventually saw action in the Gulf War in 1991, and returned to the Gulf in 1994 as a target designation aircraft for other Coalition aircraft. SEPECAT procuded a total of 543 Jaguars for France and England as well as a number of export customers. All but India have since retired the aircraft. (US Air Force Photo)

Short Take Off

September 5, 1945 – The first flight of the Douglas C-74 Globemaster. The C-74 was envisioned in the early part of WWII as a transpacific cargo aircraft, but delays in development meant that it wasn’t finished until after the war and only 14 were built. It was later developed into the very successful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (US Army Photo)

September 6, 1976 – Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defects to the West in his MiG-25 Foxbat, giving the Americans and Japanese invaluable access to the secretive supersonic fighter, even providing the pilot’s manual. Belenko was granted asylum and eventual citizenship in the US, and the fighter was eventually returned to the Soviets, disassembled and in crates.

September 6, 1948 – A de Havilland DH.108 becomes the first British aircraft to break the sound barrier. Though closely resembling the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket plane, the DH.108 was powered by a turbojet engine and was used to evaluate swept-wing performance near or past supersonic speeds. Three were built, but all were lost in fatal crashes. (US Navy Photo)

September 7, 1942 – The first flight of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator. Developed as a fallback design should the Boeing B-29 Superfortress not be available, 118 Dominators were produced and saw service in the Pacific. The B-32 holds the distinction as the last Allied aircraft to be shot down by the Japanese when a reconnaissance plane was attacked over Tokyo four days after Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender. (US Army Photo)

September 8, 1927 – The Cessna company is established. Known for the production of both piston- and jet-powered general aviation aircraft, the company, now part of Textron, is famous for the introduction of the Cessna Model 172 in 1956, which has since become the most successful aircraft in history with over 43,000 aircraft produced.

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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 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Unless otherwise credited, all photos are, or are believed to be, Public Domain, ownership could not be determined, or were taken by the author.

Jcarr > ttyymmnn 09/08/2015 at 12:49

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I’ve always been fascinated by the Jaguar’s wing-top hardpoints:

ttyymmnn > Jcarr 09/08/2015 at 12:53

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I remember seeing those as a kid and thinking they were just the coolest thing ever. That aircraft always had a very futuristic, anime StarBlazers vibe for me. It’s one of my favorites.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 09/08/2015 at 14:21

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the cessna company is established, and from then on the idea of “plane” is essentially this.

Jayhawk Jake > MonkeePuzzle 09/08/2015 at 14:45

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Not really then on since the 172 didn’t come til 1955. Even then the iconic shape didn’t come to fruition until the introduction of the ‘omni-view’ window in 1963.

The unfortunate side effect of the 172’s iconic status is that people think it’s all Cessna makes. When I tell people I’m working on a business jet at Cessna most reply ‘Cessna makes jets now?!’

MonkeePuzzle > Jayhawk Jake 09/08/2015 at 14:53

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don’t fact me bro!

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn 09/08/2015 at 15:28

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I’ve never seen a Cobra with retractable landing gear, and didn’t realize that it was initially designed that way. It looks strange, but probably because it’s always pictured with landing skids.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/08/2015 at 15:30

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That was a bit of an eye opener for me, too. I’m glad I got a picture of the prototype for that very reason.

user314 > ttyymmnn 09/08/2015 at 20:33

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My favorite book about Viktor’s defection is MiG Pilot (sadly out of print). It’s amazing what we learned from him, let alone what the plane showed us.

ttyymmnn > user314 09/08/2015 at 21:22

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http://www.alibris.com/MIG-Pilot-Fina…