Tag Archives: military

Rafale A Demonstrator

The Dassault Rafale is a fantastic looking aircraft. Gradually being built in reasonable numbers, it has broken into the export market and has customers in Egypt and Qatar and probably India although exports to India are always hard to pin down! The French air force and navy will no longer be the sole operators. The Rafale B is a two seat version and the C is the Air Force’s single seat version. However, there was the Rafale A. One of them was built in the mid 1980s as a demonstrator. It looks almost identical to the production version but was actually slightly larger. Painted in Dassault’s house colors, it made a number of air show appearances. At the time, it was competing for attention with BAe’s EAP demonstrator. I didn’t get to see EAP until I got to Warton where I wasn’t able to photograph it!

Here are some shots of the Rafale A. It was originally powered by GE F404 engines although later one was swapped for the M88 that would power the production Rafale. The first Rafale C was rolled out in an all black paint scheme which made it look very cool. The size difference is not immediately obvious but a number of detail design changes were incorporated too including lots of sensors required for an operational type rather than the demonstrator. The wing planform was also altered slightly based on the experience gained with the demonstrator. I understand that, when the aircraft was retired, it went to the Museum at le Bourget in Paris.

Japanese C-130

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A couple of years ago I was in Tucson for an exercise I was covering for GAR. There was some time when I was shooting the arrival of the A-10s on the base. In between the Hawg movements a few other aircraft came in, most of which were what you might expect. One unusual arrival was a C-130. I was trying to work out what unit it might belong to as it came in because it was a pale color. As it got closer, the markings were clearly those of the Japanese Self Defence Force. This was something I hadn’t seen before.

Westland Black Hawk

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The Sikorsky Black Hawk is a ubiquitous helicopter. They are in service around the world and Sikorsky has a second production facility getting established in Poland. What is not so well known, though, is that Westland attempted to become a license producer of the helicopter for the UK and other markets. They went as far as to build an airframe from a knocked down kit. Meanwhile, another airframe was converted to with what was then the Rolls Royce/Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft engine for testing purpose. Together, these two airframes were demonstrated at Farnborough. The Westland derivative was not ordered by anyone and both airframes were ultimately converted to other configurations and sold on to other operators.

The Camera Might See But Autofocus Doesn’t

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And I could barely see much myself! We were on the ramp at Moffett Field for the arrival of Solar Impulse. There was some time to wait while we were out there. As I looked around, I thought I could see something parked further down the ramp. There was very little light but there appeared to be some aircraft. I figured it was worth a look given that I had a tripod.

In the days of film shooting, I couldn’t trust the camera metering for long exposures. Reciprocity failure was part of the issue but the cameras were a lot less advanced in those days. In this case I trusted the camera for the first shot and it worked out really well. Sadly, there was nothing to focus on so I made my best forts at focusing on what was visible and it was some background lights. Sadly, they were too far away to get focus on the aircraft. The sensor was able to gather the feeble light without any problem though.

It turns out that there was a pair of Navy E/A-18G Growlers sitting on the ramp. Leave the camera to it and you get a reasonable exposure. When I saw the shot appear on the screen, I was quite amazed. I was looking at the jets and I could barely make anything out. The camera was able to see the whole thing – just out of focus based on my inability to focus it properly.

The Royal Navy Comes to Farnborough

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Another flashback post today. This one is an old Farnborough airshow and it included a rather large flying contribution from the Royal Navy. I don’t now recall exactly why the Navy was so committed to this show. This wasn’t even on the public show days when the display is often modified for the public from the format used for the trade days.

The main element of the display was six Sea Harriers. These were FRS1 models prior to the F/A2 upgrade program. The aircraft took off in groups of three and included a formation hovering routine with the jets arrayed along the runway providing a jet in front of most of the viewing crowd. Some fast flying was also a part of the display of course.

Helicopters also contributed to the display and the low speed capabilities of the Harrier meant that it was possible to combine the fixed and rotary elements together in one formation. The whole thing made quite an impression as a recall. The sound of six hovering Harriers was certainly enough to give the eardrums a workout!

Black Hawk Welcoming Committee

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A work trip recently took me through Chicago Midway. I wasn’t there long before getting on my next flight. We were taxiing out to depart and were coming past the National Guard air unit based on the field. They operate a bunch of Black Hawks. A couple of them were parked up on the apron and one was on approach. My plane conveniently had to hold for a while so I got to see the Black Hawk fly its approach and land. I only had my phone with me but here is some footage of the arrival.

Everyone Has a Trainer Design

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The late 80s was a period when a whole bunch of companies were trying to come up with the perfect trainer. A large number of sir forces were considering the replacement of their trainer fleets and much discussion was underway about what the appropriate type of trainer was for the future. Basic jet trainers were ultimately going to be replaced with turboprops in a lot of places but that was in the future. Meanwhile, all sorts of trainer designs were in the works either for the basic training task or for slightly more advanced levels of tuition.

Some of these designs made it to production. Some of them never got beyond the prototype stage. Not all of them went away entirely. Even today you can still see some of the designs in an upgraded and modernized form being pitched at much the same market as they were thirty years ago.

Let’s start with the Redigo. Built by Valmet in Finland, the Redigo was a turboprop evolution of a previous piston trainer, the Vinka. It was seen as a capable but low cost training solution. Finland bought a number although they are now retired. A couple of export customers also took some. Aermacchi bought the rights to the aircraft in the 90s but I haven’t heard much about it since.

The Microjet was a small French design. Powered by a couple of diminutive Marbore turbojets, it produced way more noise than its small size would have suggested. The V tail configuration was distinctive and it made a number of airshow appearances. The project was supposedly driven by Microturbo, the manufacturer of the Marbore engine – presumably to create a market for the engine. It never proceeded beyond the prototype stage though.

Promavia created the Jet Squalus aircraft. Promavia were a Belgian company but the design was originally from Stelio Frati in Italy. Painted in colors that represented Belgium, it showed up at a number of air shows. However, it also never proceeded beyond the prototype stage.

The RFB Fantrainer was a German program. It was a tandem seat aircraft with a ducted fan behind the cockpit. It was designed to provide fighter-like handling characteristics in a training aircraft. It was judged successfully in a competition to provide a trainer for the Luftwaffe but instead they went with a USAF based training program and did not take the aircraft. It was sold to Thailand, though. I don’t know what their current status is. The aircraft was also the basis for a jet powered aircraft offered for the US JPATS competition by Rockwell. However, it lost to what became the T-6 Texan II.

Coast Guard C-130 in its Final Days

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I wrote about the arrival of the C-27J Spartan in Coast Guard service. This means that the C-130s are going to be heading out. One the same day I saw a Spartan flying, one of the current C-130s took off. It was a nice illustration of what is now and what will be. I have seen the Coast Guard 130s around on a number of occasions but I guess they will soon be gone. Maybe I shall see them fighting fires somewhere.

Diesel Submarines

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The Royal Navy’s submarine fleet is entirely nuclear powered. In the 80s, though, this was not the case. The Navy then still had a substantial fleet of diesel subs. The Oberon Class of subs was available in numbers along with the remaining Porpoise Class that preceded them and these were due to be replaced by the Upholders. Only four of those were built and they were sold to Canada when the decision was made to get rid of the diesel fleet despite their outstanding stealth qualities. When I went to Navy Days in Portsmouth in the 80s, you could see the subs on display. HMS Dolphin was just across the harbor and was the headquarters of the sub operations. One visit included the chance to see a sub in dry dock – something I suspect would not be left on view these days.

B-1Bs on a Mission

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The B-1B Lancer is a cracking aircraft. The combination of size and power makes it look epic when it is in action. A B-1 departure is not something that you will forget in a hurry. Four large afterburning turbofans will get your attention and it has a very elegant shape to boot. The variable sweep wings add a little interest too. At minimum sweep for takeoff and landing, they look a little ungainly given how long the span is. Put them all the way back and pour on the coals and the jet can really get moving. Sadly, airshow appearances are few and far between these days so the chance to see vapor clouds forming around the jet are limited. (I recently went through some old negatives from a UK airshow at which a B-1 made a fast pass in damp conditions. The shots aren’t great but the effect is cool.)

A couple of B-1s would launch each day as part of the Red Flag 16-1 exercises. I was lucky enough to have a couple of good opportunities to see then. When we were out between the runways, the B-1s launched off the right side. Not ideal for lighting but you aren’t going to complain. Because they are a large jet, you have to make some choices with lenses as to what you are aiming to get. A quick swap of bodies can really help. A long lens is not much use when they are level with you but the cool shot from behind as they climb out benefits from the big glass.

On my first day there, the jets returned at the end of the mission as a pair. Sadly, the clouds had moved in and the conditions were not great for getting a shot. However, you aren’t going to ignore them. On the second day when I was at the EOR, we got a good view of the two jets taxiing out and taking off. The heat haze is a bit of a problem but not so much as to make it something you can avoid shooting. Operating as a pair, they look more menacing.

Often the B-1s are at the end of the recovery phase. However, on this day, they came back relatively early. I was still at the EOR when they broke into the pattern. They did land on the opposite runway from the one we were at but they are big enough for this to not be a big deal. A nice bit of mountain in the background certainly helps enhance the shot a little. What a great looking jet. I don’t know anyone who isn’t excited when they see one in action.