2008-2 by avia lduo

L O C K H E E D

M A RT I N

A E RONAU T ICS

COM PA N Y

SECOND

QUARTER

2008

F-22 AIRSHOW X-35 TO F-35 USAF THUNDERBIRDs U-2 DRAGON LADIES

K. Price Randel Calls It A Career

Lockheed Martin staff artist—and frequent Code One contributor— K. Price Randel retired in March, closing out a twenty-two year career in front of an easel. Randel, who has always loved aircraft, was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and received a BFA degree from the University of Kansas. He served with the Navy’s Mobile Riverine Forces in Vietnam and later served with an A-6 squadron aboard the USS America (CV-66). He joined then-General Dynamics Fort Worth Division in 1986. Randel produced several hundred paintings for the company. He produced forty-five illustrations for Code One alone since 1990, ten of which appeared on covers. He often said that his favorite painting was always the next one. But his true favorites were his last two official works for Lockheed Martin, “Lightning Heritage” and “Leading the Fleet—F-35C Lightning II,” reprinted at the top of this page. Following close to those two were a series of documentation paintings of F-16 combat missions during Desert Storm and

operations in Bosnia, Serbia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He said working closely with the pilots who flew those missions was an honor. Randel frequently served as an ambassador for the company, attending ceremonies and shows to sign posters of his paintings for the audience and the people he describes as the “real heroes—the members of the armed forces.” Many of his paintings now hang in the halls of government, in museums, and in military headquarters around the world. Although Randel left Fort Worth to live five minutes from the beach in Florida, he hasn’t put down his brush. He just traded painting portraits of aircraft for painting portraits of lighthouses and seascapes as well as sailboats, yachts, and, as he notes, “the occasional bikini-clad woman catching some rays on the decks of those boats.” Best of luck in your new endeavors, Price.

LO CKHEED VO L .

EDITOR

Eric Hehs ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jeff Rhodes

2 3

N O.

MARTIN

AERONAUTIC S

S EC O N D

COMPANY Q UA RT E R

2 0 0 8

SHOW RAPTOR F-22 Demonstration Team Wows Crowds

ART DIRECTOR

Stan Baggett VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS

Mary Jo Polidore

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE F-22 Demo Pilot Describes The Show

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION PRESIDENT, AERONAUTICS COMPANY

Ralph D. Heath

PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

Send name, address, and $20 for a one-year subscription (four issues) to PO Box 5189, Brentwood, TN 37024-5189. Foreign subscriptions are $30 (US). Some back issues are available. CONTACT INFORMATION

Send correspondence to Code One Magazine, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, PO Box 748, Mail Zone 1503, Fort Worth, TX 76101 Editorial office phone number: 817-777-5542 E-mail: eric.hehs@lmco.com Web address: www.codeonemagazine.com Fax: 817-777-8655 Distribution information: 888-883-3780 This publication is intended for information only. Its contents neither replace nor revise any material in official manuals or publications. Copyright © 2008 Lockheed Martin Corporation. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint articles or photographs must be requested in writing from the editor. Code One is a registered trademark of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Code One is published quarterly by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. ISSN 1071-3816 A08-24159

RERP LRIP (Translation: C-5 Modernization MILESTONE REACHED) An Update

X To F: F-35 LightNing II And Its Predecessors The Transition From Demonstrator To Fighter

Thunderbirds: F-16 Anniversary Twenty-Five Years And Counting

ORION RENEWED Replacement Wings Keep The Fleet Viable

ABOUT THE COVER Front: Water vapor forms over the wings as Maj. Paul Moga, the F-22 Demonstration Team pilot, puts the Raptor through its paces at a recent airshow. This issue features both an article describing the workings of the F-22 Demo Team as well as a first-person account of the Raptor’s airshow routine. Photo by Andy Wolfe Back: One of the three C-5M system design and development test aircraft comes in for a landing at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, after a recent sortie. The US Department of Defense approved low-rate initial production for the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program earlier this year. Photo by Kevin Robertson

DRAGON LADIES OVER IRAQ Female U-2 Pilots Over Iraq

EVENTS

Show Raptor PHOTO BY ANDY WOLFE

Code One

“I AM CONVINCED THAT

In its second year of operation, the F-22 Demonstration Team is f lying at twenty-six airshows in eighteen states during the 2008 airshow season. This year’s schedule, which runs from March until November, features performances at the Royal International Tattoo at RAF Fairford, England, and at the Farnborough International Airshow outside London in July. Those demonstrations mark the Raptor’s first-ever appearance in Europe. The F-22 Demo Team at the shows consists of the demo pilot, a safety observer, a maintenance superintendent who usually doubles up as the narrator for the demo at the show, two crew chiefs, and one or two avionics specialists who also videotape the demonstration. “Our job is to get out and show the F-22 and our Airmen to the American public,” Moga notes. “A majority of Americans don’t have the opportunity to see the Air Force on a daily basis, how we operate, or how professional their Air Force is. Our audiences are, for all intents and purposes, part owners of the aircraft. They don’t know how incredible the hardware is. “We also tell the Air Force story, past, present, and future,” continues Moga, a 1995 graduate of the Air Force Academy. “We try to impart how far the Air Force has come as a service in the last sixty-one years.”

THE FUTURE’S BEST F-22 PILOT IS PROBABLY SITTING IN FOURTH OR FIFTH GRADE RIGHT NOW,” SAYS MAJ. PAUL MOGA, THE AIR FORCE’S F-22 DEMONSTRATION PILOT. “WE WANT TO CATCH KIDS EARLY, INSPIRE THEM, AND MOTIVATE THEM TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY, SPECIFICALLY BY JOINING THE AIR FORCE. AIRSHOWS ARE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO JUST THAT.”

USAF photo BY Capt. Rob Lazaro

PHOTO BY JEFF RHODES

BY JEFF RHODES

In addition to its own demonstration flights, the F-22 is flown in the popular Heritage Flight at almost every airshow. Here, the Raptor, often with at least one current fighter, such as an F-16, is f lown in formation with one or two vintage fighters from World War II or Korea. “We want to tell people what the Air Force is doing today,” Moga adds. “A lot of people don’t know how engaged the Air Force is in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and here in the United States. We also try to impart on folks where we are going as a service. The F-22 plays a significant role in getting that message across.” Airshows are also fertile recruiting grounds. According to the International Council of Airshows, an industry trade group, more than 25 million people attend airshows annually. A high percentage of those attending are children and teenagers. “We are actively recruiting on the road,” continues Moga. “That is an important mission for us because we want to motivate the next generation of Air Force Airmen. And we have to find them early.” The demonstration team performs other public relations tasks as well. “We visit a lot of schools, hospitals, and veterans’ homes,” Moga says. “An airshow involves much more than going out there and flying for ten minutes.” Second Quarter 2008

Establishing The Team The 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia, reached Initial Operational Capability with the F-22 in late 2005. About the same time, the Air Force decided to form a demonstration team for its premier fighter. F-22 pilots at the wing were either too far along in their careers to be demonstration pilots, or they had only minimal time flying in the Raptor. As a start, then-Maj. Michael Shower flew the Raptor in a limited number of Heritage Flight performances in 2006. He also made several passes with the aircraft in front of airshow crowds. However, Shower was scheduled for promotion and wouldn’t be available to become a full-time demonstration pilot. So officials at Air Combat Command widened their search. “Tyndall AFB, Florida, was the only place the Air Force had any significant amount of F-22 experience,” says Moga, who was part of the initial group of fifteen pilots who stood up the F-22 schoolhouse, the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall. “I had about two and one-half years f lying the Raptor at the time,” recalls Moga. “When they asked me if I was interested in becoming the demo pilot, I thought about it and discussed it with my wife. I viewed the job as very important since it contributes to the overall Air Force mission. I accepted, and we moved to Langley.” Chief maintainer was the next critical position to fill. “I was not looking for a job, but my chief in the maintenance group called me into his office,” recalls MSg t. Tim Green. “He said, ‘I want you to be the very first F-22 demo team superintendent.’ ” Green had already volunteered for a deployment in the Middle East. “My first reaction was, ‘Chief, I am not your guy.’ He said, ‘Well, go interview with Major Moga. If you are their guy, he will be willing to wait for you.’ So I did. Major Moga called me that night with the assignment. The only thing the major asked was that I hire a good assistant.” TSgt. Jason Schmidt worked for Green at the 94th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and was the 2005 1st Fighter Wing Crew Chief of the Year. “Can you think of PHOTO BY JOHN ROSSINO

anybody else I’d want with the demo team while I’m gone?” Green asked rhetorically. “So, I deployed January to May with no worries. I came back in May 2007 and caught up with the team. “Our role is to provide a safe, reliable, and effective aircraft for Major Mo g a t o g o ou t a nd d e m on s t r a t e to millions of people,” Green adds. “We try to live by these three things. One: Provide safe, reliable, and effective aircraft maintenance. Two: Maximize readiness. And three: Be the best.” Developing A Routine “Setting up the demo team was difficult in the beginning,” notes Moga, a native of a small town near St. Paul, Minnesota. “We had no F-22 Demonstration Team that could just be handed over to me.” Moga spent time with Maj. Jason Costello, then the F-15 East Coast Demonstration Team commander during the 2006 airshow season. “I went on the road with him and learned the nuts and bolts about airshows,” Moga notes. “That experience was crucial, but you can only learn so much from a different aircraft. In this case, no one could pass on any specific knowledge about flying a Raptor demo.” Moga developed the show routine based on three objectives: safety, repeatability, and looks. “First, the routine has to be safe,” states Moga. “At no point in the demo do I put the aircraft or myself at risk.” Moga worked with Lockheed Martin test pilots Bret Luedke and Al Norman and tested each potential maneuver repeatedly in the simulator. PHOTO BY JOHN ROSSINO

Code One

PHOTO BY ANDY WOLFE

“I also need a set of maneuvers that can be flown the same way and with confidence at every show,” Moga explains. “I have to make sure that, if I f ly the jet correctly, it is going to do exactly what I’m expecting it to do on every maneuver.” Over the course of development, some maneuvers were taken out, and some were added to make the show consistently repeatable. Looking good was also important. “The routine had to showcase the uniqueness of this jet, which is probably the easiest one of the three,” Moga says. “You could fly this jet straight and level and have people drool over it.” Moga says he didn’t want to do cool tricks with the F-22. So, he decided on a set of maneuvers that every other Raptor pilot had f lown before. “I chose either a tactical maneuver from dogfighting, basic fighter maneuvering, or it was an aircraft-handling maneuver that we use to get new pilots comfortable with the aircraft,” he says. He put the maneuvers in order, spun some music, and, with Green, wrote the narration. “We realized we had a fairly amazing demonstration profile,” observes Moga. Moga flew what he describes as a demo-in-progress in 2007. “I knew it would take some time to come up with a complete and final viewer package. We wanted to get the F-22 and the demo out in front of the people as soon as we could, so initially I f lew a sequence with only three or four of the aggressive aerobatic maneuvers in it. At the same time, I continued to test the full profile.” He f lies the full show for the 2008 season. (See Best Seat In The House, which follows this article.) The show is much more than just the f lying. “We had to make schedules,” Moga explains. “We had to order T-shirts and hats. We spent a month designing our patch. We had to get offices and equipment. We did a lot of work just getting operational for a demo team so we could sustain ourselves and operate effectively on the road. That took a lot of work.” Scheduling The F-22 airshow schedule is run a little differently than for the other Air Force fighter demonstration teams. “We are still in our infancy with the Raptor,” Moga states. “Even though the 1st Fighter Wing is at Full Operational Capability, we are still learning a lot of things about the operation of the aircraft.” Air Combat Command was adamant that the demo team not adversely affect the operational readiness of the 1st Fighter Wing. So, unlike the F-16 or F-15E demo teams, the F-22 Demo Team could not have a thirty-five show schedule. Also, the F-22 airshow schedule is completely set at the beginning of the year, not quarterly. “We had to sit down, list all the airshow schedules, and compare them with the taskings for the wing,” says Moga. “Then we asked what shows would get the Raptor in front of the most people while not having a demo scheduled when both operational squadrons at Langley were going to be deployed to different locations.”

PHOTO BY JEFF RHODES

PHOTO BY JOHN ROSSINO

Second Quarter 2008

HERITAGE FLIGHT PHOTO BY SSgt. Taylor Worley

“We made a conscious decision to try and avoid shows with the Thunderbirds as much as possible,” Moga continues. “We’re trying to spread the wealth—the Air Force wealth, at least—with as many shows as possible. If the choice for a given show slot was appearing with the Thunderbirds, the Blue Angels, or neither, we would almost always choose neither.” Deploying to England for Air Tattoo and the Farnborough Airshow is going to be a significant operation. “The first trip across the Atlantic Ocean is going to be a very important step for the Raptor and for the team,” Moga notes. “We are really looking forward to taking The popular t h i s je t over s e a s a nd Heritage Flight landing on European soil for the first time.” A show extra planned for its debut in England is the addition of inert weapons in the F-22 weapon bays. “We will bring a weapons troop with us to do a post-flight inspection,” Moga explains. “The weapons won’t affect the performance of the Raptor during the show. However, they will underscore its capability. Crowds will see four AMRAAMs, a JDAM, and two Sidewinders when we open those doors on a pass during the show.” Planning for the trip has been involved, including determining airlift and tanker support. But in early July, the team will ferry from Langley to R AF Fairford. They will stay there for one week, f ly at Air Tattoo and one time at Farnborough, and then return to the United States. A Typical Week The F-22 Demo Team’s weekly operations primarily revolve around getting ready for the next show. Most weeks, Moga performs on both Saturday and Sunday. “We launch the aircraft to return home Monday morning,” notes Green. “If the support crew can get a f light out Monday afternoon, we do. If not, we get back first thing Tuesday morning.” “When I get back to the base, I fill out my grade sheets from the weekend, start typing up my trip report, and get my stuff put away,” Moga says. “Then I go home and see if my wife recognizes me.” Detail planning for the next show begins on Tuesday. “Quite a few things go into that planning—whether it’s mission planning; where we’re going to meet the tanker if we need one; how long it’s going to take us to get there; and making sure all our equipment is ready,” says Moga. “ Ty pica l ly on Tuesdays a nd Wednesdays, I’ll do call-in interviews to rad io stat ions or newspapers to promote the upcoming show. “My maintenance guys determine what aircraft we’re going to use. We don’t have dedicated demo team jets, so we make sure the line jets we’re going Code One

to use are in good condition and look sharp,” Moga adds. “They try to put me in a jet that I have flown before. Every jet has its own nuances. Our aircraft do not require any modification for the demo, t hough. I don’t have to ta ke pylons off like other demo aircraft do. I can fly any jet off the line.” The team f lies locally based F-22s when performing at another F-22 base, such as Nellis AFB, Nevada; Tyndall; or Elmendorf AFB, A laska. “Nel lis sometimes provides aircraft when we fly on the West Coast.” Sometimes on Tuesday or Wednesday, Moga, who is administratively assigned to the 94th Fighter Squadron at Langley, f lies a tactical sortie. “I don’t want to get too rusty as far as tactical execution goes,” notes Moga. “I’m basic mission capable, which means I need to f ly practice combat missions five times a month.” To keep current in the demonstration profile, Moga has to f ly the show routine once every fifteen days. He practices at Langley the weeks that no show is scheduled. Sergeants Green and Schmidt are the demo team’s only full-time maintainers. Four crew chiefs and four avionics specialists rotate on and off the team. These maintainers work out of their home aircraft maintenance units during the week. The maintenance team selected for a particular show usually packs on Tuesday afternoons. “ We f l y o u t c o m m e r c i a l o n Wednesday to the show location,” says Green. “The F-22s normally arrive on Thursday. We recover them, get them

ready for a Friday practice, and then fly the Saturday and Sunday shows. We arrive a day early to check all the facilities, make sure the rental cars are available, and make sure the base has all the equipment necessary to support the rest of the team’s arrival the next day.” The maintainers have a special demo tool kit. “We take basic support equipment that we’ll need for general maintenance as well as equipment we’ll need to recover, launch, and refuel the jet. We have not had to do any extensive maintenance on the jets on the road.” Schmidt is the assistant team chief a nd ha nd les t he budget a nd ot her administrative tasks. “Basically, we alternate shows,” Green notes. “When I’m on the road, he’ll be at Langley planning his show. Then while I’m home planning my show, he is on the road for his show. That way, we are both not on the road for all twenty-six shows.”

PHOTO BY ANDY WOLFE

Photo by MSgt. Robert W. Valenca

The F-22 doesn’t have a travel pod, so what the pilots and maintainers can take to a show is limited. “We usually have to carry everything with us on the commercial f light,” Green notes. “We had airlift when we went to Toronto last year, so we had space to take some aircraft generating equipment, but we never even unloaded it. Bringing the Raptor out on the road with literally no support equipment is phenomenal in itself. This jet is very self-sufficient.” Moga and his safety observer depart Thursday morning and arrive at the show site that afternoon. The five safety observers who work with the team rotate going to

the airshows. The observer, also an F-22 pilot, flies the spare aircraft to the show and watches the demo from the ground to make sure everything runs smoothly. “We host media at the jets on Thursday, normally for live TV, radio, and then additional newspapers,” Moga observes. The team members get together for dinner on Thursday night. “We try to do some public affairs work between all of the show events,” says Moga. “Then we pack it up, come home, lather, rinse, and repeat for the next week.” “Probably the most rewarding part of our job is the community work,” says Green, who like Moga will be rotating off the team after this show season. “We get a lot out of visits to schools and children’s hospitals. Last year, we visited the La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago and spent a couple of hours with those kids. We want to bring the Raptor to those who can’t make it to the airshow.” The day after performing a show at the Naval Air Station at Meridian, Mississippi, Moga received an e-mail from the tower chief. “The Blue Angels performed at that show,” he explains. “The tower chief thanked us for performing at the show. He said people at Meridian were still talking about the F-22 demonstration, talking more about it than about the Blue Angels. He said a Marine instructor pilot who came up in the tower to see the show drooled so much that they had to change the carpet. That’s not to take anything away from the Blues; they’re an amazing organization. We, however, are new and different. That was our first weekend show of the year. I predict we will see more responses like that.” “People see the F-22 do maneuvers they didn’t think were possible,” says Green. “When Major Moga does the pedal turn, where the jet falls and turns at the same time, people say, ‘That is a f lat spin.’ They remember that spin from the crash scene in Top Gun. They are thinking an airplane should not be doing that. I explain to them that the pilot is in total control of the aircraft. You should see their expressions. It is good stuff.” Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of Code One.

Second Quarter 2008

OST PEOPLE HAVE NEVER SEEN THE F-22, SO T H E R A PTOR’S A I R SHOW ROUTINE LEAVES A LASTING FIRST I M PR E S S ION. T H E DE MON ST R AT ION HIGHLIGHTS THE MANEUVERABILITY AND RAW POWER OF THIS NEW FIGHTER. IT ALSO HAMMERS HOME THE POINT THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS JUMPED TO A NEW GENERATION OF FIGHTER AIRCRAFT. Preflight The maintenance team has serviced the jet and has it ready to go about an hour before I step out onto the flightline. Our crew consists of two full-time maintenance supervisors and eight crew chiefs and avionics technicians from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley, Virginia, who rotate on and off the team. I’m operationally assigned to the 94th Fighter Squadron, but the demo team itself falls under Air Combat Command. On show day, both crew chiefs wait for me at the jet. The ladder is up, and the canopy is open. I look over and sign the forms in the Por table Maintenance Aid, essentially a laptop computer used to maintain the jet. One crew chief stands next to the ladder as the other follows me while I’m performing my walk around the jet, the same preflight checks that any Raptor pilot would do prior to a mission. When I’m done, both crew chiefs stand on either side of the ladder. I go to the front of the airplane for one last look. I salute the crew chiefs before climbing the ladder. My helmet is waiting for me in the cockpit. I preflight the seat and hop in. I hook up the lap belt, shoulder harnesses, and everything else. After I’m strapped in, the

crew chief gives me my helmet, and I shake his hand. He says, “Good show.” One crew chief removes the ladder and takes it away from the jet and goes to the side of the a ircraf t; the ot her c rew ch ie f go e s of f t he no se. I pre f l i ght my switches, insert the data transfer card, and start the engine. The crew chiefs don’t communicate with me through headsets—we perform the final ground checks, startup, and taxi-out visually. All the demo teams operate this way, and this is the only difference between how we launch for a demonstration and how we launch for a regular sortie. StartUp and Taxi-Out We don’t waste time on the ground. Startup to taxi for a tactical sor tie requires about fif teen minutes. At a show, I am taxiing in about eight. I set up my displays a little differently for a show than for a tactical sortie. I put the weapon bay door display on the left side because, when I hit the button to open the doors during the demo, I don’t want to have to take my right hand off the stick to call up the display. On the right display, I have the control surface position display pulled up. I put the engine display on the center secondary display between my knees. I put course line and the navigation data on the big center display. On the head-up display, I have the standard HUD data, except I include a portion of the flight test display to see yaw angles. As I taxi out to the end of the runway, I am on the radio with my safety observer to confirm that the jet is good to go and that I am on time. I double-check with him that my altimeter is set to zero. I dial my altimeter u nt i l it reads zero feet i n t he H U D so I have a boveground-level readings during the routine. PHOTO BY ANDY WOLFE

Code One

Takeoff When I take the runway, I radio the safety officer that I’m lined up and ready. He cues me when the music and narration have started. I wait about two minutes and then run up the engines. I push up the power to about eighty percent. About five or ten seconds pass, and the safety observer tells me to release the brakes. I throw the engines into full afterburner and roll. The aircraft shoots down the runway, rotates, and is airborne in about 1,000 feet. Most spectators are surprised at how fast this roughly 70,000-pound jet gets off the ground. I retract the gear and accelerate through a shallow climb. I watch the runway in front of me and my airspeed and anticipate arriving at show center. Pullup, Backflip, And Aileron Roll For the first maneuver, a pullup followed by a backflip, I make sure I’m not too slow or too fast at show center. I pull back on the stick and bring up the nose to just shy of pure ve r t i c a l . A f te r I ’ve g a i ne d s o m e a lt it ude, I gla nce back over my shoulder to check my orientation to the show lines below. I transmit my a lt it ude to my sa fet y obser ver to make sure that I’m okay. If he says numbers look good, I execute a backflip over the top of the climb until t he nose is poi nted back dow n towards show center. As soon as the nose gets pointed downhill, I offset the whisky mark [the waterline indicator—a W-shaped indicator in the center of the HUD]

about 1,500 feet from the show center line away from the crowd. The airplane is slow after the backflip. With the nose straight down, I build up airspeed until I have enough to perform the next maneuver—an aileron roll. I transmit my parameters to the safety observer to make sure I have enough altitude to complete the roll. The total degree of the roll is based solely on the direction of the takeoff. If I took off from left to right, I execute a 405-degree roll. If I took off from right to left, I execute a 22 5 - de g re e rol l . T he go a l i s to recover in a forty-five degree angle away from the crowd.

Pullup, Backflip, And Aileron Roll

After the downward roll, I begin a recovery pull to level out. The pull i sn’t q u ite f u l l back on t he s t ick, because I don’t need to crank hard on the jet to recover it. I stay in full AB the whole time. I extend away from t he c rowd a nd accelerate a l it t le for the turn back to show center.

Level 360-Degree Turn

Level 360-Degree Turn The next maneuver is a level 360deg ree t u r n . Once I h ave enou gh turning room behind me, I roll left, pitch back right, and angle the Raptor back toward the crowd. I bring the throttles out of AB. I start descending in a right-hand turn to get myself li ned up on the 500-foot show line. At 500-feet altitude, I modulate the power to arrive at show center i n f u l l A B at r ight around 400 to 450 knots for a level 360 -degree t ur n. I watch my H U D for airspeed and altitude and look

outside for the 1,500-foot show line and show center. A couple thousa nd feet before I arrive at show center, I roll to the right using the stick, set the bank angle, and execute a full back stick turn. The turn is not a maximum sustained rate turn, which is a turn that maintains airspeed. It is a minimum radius turn, so I am losing airspeed. Initially, this maneuver is roughly 8.5 on the g-meter. I continue with the stick a ll the way back until I bleed down energy to get the airspeed I need, which is

about 300 knots or so at the end of the circle and at show center. A lot of things are going on at this point. I am maintaining my airspeed and looking outside to modify my pull and my turn to be able to arrive back at show center at roughly the same point where I started. The turn is probably a full hard pull for the first 180 degrees. I have to back off after that to maintain airspeed for the second half. If I start off on the 500-foot line, I usually end up on the 1,500-foot line because the jet turns so tightly.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEVE HALL

Second Quarter 2008

J-Turn As soon as I get to show center at the end of the 360-degree turn, I roll out wings level and come all the way back on the stick to bring the jet to ninety degrees nose high to prepare for the next maneuver—a J-turn. This maneuver looks like the hammerhead per for med by t he sma l l aerobat ic planes. The aircraft basically makes a 180-degree turn in the yaw axis. I look behind me to make sure my wings are level with the show line and that I’m right at ninety degrees nose high. I hold that position for four or five seconds. I check the HUD to make sure I have the altitude I need to push over. I then go full forward

on the stick. This usually results in a large negative-g force because I h ave s o me e xc e s s a i r s p e e d le f t . I push the nose down until it is right on the horizon a nd ma inta in level flight until the jet stabilizes. As soon as the jet is stable, I pull the stick all the way back until the aircraft stalls. I push on the rudder pedal and begin a yaw rate turn to t he lef t. T he no se s t a r t s c a r v i n g to t he lef t, wh ich i n it iates t he J-turn. As soon as my nose gets through the horizon down low and I am comfortable with the repositioning line, I push the nose forward a little—not necessarily to move the nose, but to brea k the a ngle of at tack so I ca n sta r t f ly i ng t he jet out of t he t ur n while descending. I leave the engines in AB the whole time.

Weapon Bay Door Pass And Roll I usually come out of the J-turn to the left in preparation for the weapon bay door pass and roll. I look over my shoulder and start a descending lef t-hand turn to get lined up with show center. I bring my throttles out of AB; otherwise, I will be way too fast by t he t i me I get t here. I look outside to choose the best line for the pass. Typically, while descending, I pick up my altitude, which is about 300 feet. I slow the jet to about 200 knots a nd choose a poi nt to t he r ight of show center. I wait until just prior to the 500-foot line before setting the bank angle. The throttles are already where I want them, so I simply fly the line. Just short of show center, I open all

t he weapon bay doors, i nclud i ng those for the two side weapon bays. This maneuver highlights one stealthy characteristic of the Raptor, that is, internal weapon bays. As soon as I get a call from my safety observer that I’m past show center, I close the doors. I roll out, push up the power, and start climbing to get back over to the 1,500-foot line at 500 feet for an aerobatic 360-degree roll before popping back up. I have to accelerate, climb, a nd move myself to a different show line r i g h t b e fo re I e xe c u te a f u l l A B , 360-degree roll to the left. As soon

a s I get to w i n g s level , I pu l l t he st ick back for a second to get t he nose pu l led up. I ma i nta i n sixty- or seventy-degrees nose high. I i ncrease spaci ng a nd a lt it ude so I can pitch back in for the next maneuver—a dedication pass.

Dedication Pass My goal for the dedication pass is to go by the crowd as fast as allowable in full AB. I modulate the throttles as needed to make sure I’m not too fast. I have to watch the speed, as the jet is begging to go supersonic, something that is frowned on at airshows. I pick up the line for the pass. I have to be able to see where the 500-foot corner marker is on the right side of the crowd. I’m coming

from behind the crowd, making an arcing pass in front of them. I have to make sure I don’t bust any of the 500-foot crowd lines. While doing that, I am screaming down and looking to level off at 300 fe e t to b e a t t he 5 0 0 -fo o t c or ner marker at about Mach .9 to start off. Then I accelerate to Mach .94 or so in the turn at full AB. I f I leave t he t h rot t les up t he entire time, I am going to be too fast

J-Turn

Code One

Weapon Bay Door Pass And Roll

a n d w i l l h av e t o p u l l o u t o f A B , which means the pass won’t be as i mpressive. I have to look outside to hit the right show line and watch t he H U D to m a ke su re I h ave t he right a irspeed a nd a ltitude. Since I’m doi ng a l l t h is dur i ng a n i ne-g turn, the dedication pass takes a lot of practice to perfect.

Pedal Turn As soon as I pass show center, I rol l out a nd br i ng t he t h rot t les to idle to keep from going supersonic. Th is move is followed by a n ine-g pop-up into the vertical to slow the a i rcra f t for t he nex t ma neuver— a pedal turn. I pitch back to the right and look outside. I cross check my displays for engine and fuel status. I fly the aircraft back down to the 1,500-foot line at 500 feet and modify my airspeed to get at show center for the pullup. I level off at about 500 feet. I’m doi ng some ser ious t hrot tle modu l at i n g here, bec au se I ne ed enough space and airspeed to light the afterburners before I go into the vertical. So, if I maintain twenty knots shy of the airspeed I need prior to pulling up, then I’ll be fifteen knots over it by the time I get there, because the jet accelerates so well. I have to play the airspeed and allow the jet to accelerate as it’s going into full AB. A lot of these adjustments are done by feel. Per for m i ng t h is maneuver purely by the instruments in the cockpit would look terrible. Once both engines are in full AB, I look to the right. Just prior to show

Power Loop AND LOADED ROLL The peda l t ur n is followed by a power loop. As I reposition, I look outside to see where I am relative to the crowd. I want to arrive to the right of show center at 1,500 feet in full AB and with the airspeed I need to execute the maneuver. I want to hit show center with both throttles up and establishing full AB by the time I start the pullup. The initial pull for the power loop is not full back. I’m just getting the jet smoothly established in the vertical. Once I get to a certain point in the pull and I’ve got the jet where I want it, I command full back on the stick and get high AOA. People say that maneuver looks like the jet is turning inside of itself as I execute a mini power loop at the top. The power loop is a cool maneuver. Once I became comfortable with it, I could look outside instead of staring at t he H U D. Wit h t he jet at n i net y deg rees nose h igh, I t i lt my head straight back, trying to see between the tails.

Pedal Turn c e n t e r, I p u l l u p . I s t o p r i g h t a t n i ne t y de g re e s no s e h i gh i n t he HUD initially, and then look outside at t he hor i z on a nd t he s how l i ne behind me. Because I’m doing a 360-degree turn, I look to the left and pick a landmark on the ground. I keep my head

I see t he g rou nd come up, a nd the aircraft is inverted with wings level. At this point, I’m looking up through the canopy, and the ground is getting farther away because I’m still climbing as I execute that turn. T he je t do e s n’t ac t u a l ly s t a r t de s c e nd i n g u nt i l I ’m a l l t he way through the loop. I keep the turn going until the nose comes back up to the next horizon. Then I push the nose forward. I fly the jet out of the loop, and I look to catch the right altitude, airspeed, and AOA for the loaded roll. As soon as I

fixed as I deflect the stick fully to the left. I stop the turn as soon as I see the landmark again. That is the only way to tel l I have done a f u l l 360 degrees. I always roll left because it is easier for me. I look at the HUD to make sure I have t he a lt it ude I need to do t he backflip before the pedal turn. I come all the way back on the stick and loop t he jet. As soon as I get to n i net y degrees nose low, I look outside and see where I am on the show line. When my nose gets to the horizon, I feed in the rudder pedal to start the 360-degree turn. I keep the jet stalled by holding the stick back. I’m basically flying with my feet getting the jet into the flat turn. I check altitude to make sure I’m going to make it all the way around. I also look outside to make sure I’m not drifting over the crowd. As soon as I have gone a full 360 degrees plus about twenty degrees more to keep me goi ng away f rom t he crowd, I ta ke my foot of f the rudder pedal, push forward on the stick, and fly the jet out. I maintain a heading away from the crowd as I gain the altitude I need to pitch back in.

have my parameters set, I jam the stick to the lef t. The jet goes right into the medium AOA loaded roll and just flops right back around.

Power Loop And Loaded Roll

Second Quarter 2008

Tail Slide I keep that lef t-ha nd turn going and bring the throttles out of full AB to make sure I’m not accelerating too much. Now, I’m just flying myself to the para meters for the ta il slide. I continue the left-hand turn behind the crowd so I can set myself up to be d i rec t ly over show center at a thousand feet behind the crowd with speed to pull up for the tail slide. I roll out over show center, modifying my throttles, and go directly over the top. As soon as I cross over t he top of show center a nd get to about the 500-foot line from looking down, I come all the way back on the s t ick to get to a bout sevent y-f ive degrees nose high. With the nose set, I come out of MIL power and slow down. As I start approaching my altitude, I hold the no s e where i t i s . I s t a r t pu s h i n g the throttles up into MIL power just pr i or to whe re t he je t s t a r t s t he tail slide. I use the rudder pedals and the s t ick a nd t h ro t t le to hold t he je t exactly where it is. It will slowly start running itself out of airspeed. I’ll see

t he cue i n my H U D when it sta r ts sliding. I’ll go from 50 knots, to 40, to 30, to 20, to 10, and tag zero airspeed. Then t he nu mbers sta r t counting UP again except now they are indicating backwards airspeed. The HUD actually shows me how fast I’m falling. I look at the HUD to see if I’m going to recover on altitude or a irspeed limits. Whichever one I get to first, that’s the time I start to recover. I make sure the throttles are in MIL power, push the nose down, and fly out. The ta i l sl ide is a fa i rly ben ig n maneuver for this jet. Most any other jet would probably tumble down into the trees. This is a unique maneuver for the F-22 because the aircraf t’s flight control system and the vectored thrust allow me to be under complete control the entire time.

Slow-Speed Pass

Slow-Speed Pass After the tail slide, I decide how to reposition based on the winds. I want to be into the wind for my slow-speed pass. I get a radio call from the guys on the ground recommending right to left or left to right. I’m in MIL power initially, but then I back out to continue to slow the jet down. It is nearly impossible to get this jet slowed down if it gets too fast. I have to start working at least thirty seconds out to make sure I’m at the right airspeed. I get established in the 500-foot line. At about ninety degrees away f ro m t he s how l i ne, I mo d i f y t he power, and then I perform an aggressive pullup to establ ish about t h i r t y-si x deg rees AOA at a rou nd

Code One

800-feet a lt it ude. I’ll pull past the s how l i ne, a nd t hen I k ick i n top r udder to come back i n t he ot her direction to get locked on the show line, on altitude, on airspeed. Keeping a straight line is tough. The only thing I have for visual cues is my heading and HUD. I rely on my ground guys to make sure that I’m not drifting over the crowd. They’ll tell me to check one way or the other. I have good authority over the jet to modify my heading. I’ll kick a little rudder and check five or ten degrees away from the crowd to make sure I’m on the right line. For the slow-speed pass, I have to listen to the jet. I cannot just fly it off of the data I am receiving in the HUD. I have to be aware of every-

Tail Slide

t h i n g t h a t ’s g o i n g o n . I h a v e t o monitor sink rate, altitude, airspeed, AOA, and my stick and my throttle all at the same time. This maneuver really takes practice. T he jet i s so respon sive t h at it f l ies wel l t h is slow. I have a l l t he excess power I need. I’m not even in M I L power when I’m doi ng t h i s maneuver. I just hang there. You can see the stabilators moving around a l i t t le to m a i nt a i n s t a ble f l i gh t . Ty pica lly, I ca n’t see show center until just before I pass it. I extend the pass all the way down the show line to give myself spacing to do t he s pl i t- S b e c au s e t he je t climbs so well. I throw the throttles into full AB, and I don’t even have to lower my nose position to get airspeed. I can hold the nose where it is. I typically have to bring the nose up, or else the jet will accelerate too much . I u s u a l ly pu l l t he no s e up another five or ten degrees to prevent it from accelerat i ng past t he airspeed that I want it to be at before I start the split-S.

Split-S And High-Speed Pass As I climb, I look over my shoulder to see the crowd line. I call my safety observer and tell him my altitude and airspeed. As long as they are good, he’ll say, “Good numbers.” I roll and come back around for the split-S. Initially, the split-S is in AB to make sure I can make the turn. But very quickly after that, I have to bring the throttles out of AB to make sure I’m not supersonic by the time I get to the show center again. This is another one of those highspeed passes where I have to really pay attention. I want to arrive at show center at the right airspeed in full burner to make sure that the pass is fast and loud. This jet accelerates so fast that trying to control it for a high-speed pass is one of the more difficult things I have to do. As soon as I pass show center, I’m back into idle pulling as hard as I can—much like the dedication pass. The a ircra f t has less gas a nd is a little lighter now. This is a mid-to-high nine-g pullup.

Split-S And High-Speed Pass

Hoover Pitch

Hoover Pitch I climb and reposition for my last maneuver, the Hoover Pitch. I named it a s a t r i bute to Bob Hoover, t he famous airshow pilot. He used to perform this maneuver in a P-51 Mustang. It consists of a combination of two knife-edge passes separated by an inverted tuck. I fly far from the crowd before this pass since the jet is so fast from the high-speed pass and takes time to slow down. I make sure I have the spacing away from the runway I need. I pitch back around. I line up on the 1,50 0 -foot show l i ne, slow t he jet down, and go down to about 300 feet

or so. I want to be nose high when I do my roll for the knife-edge pass at show center. A couple of thousand feet before show center, I light the afterburners, roll, and establish a ninety-degree knife-edge to the crowd. I hold it for a second or two to give the crowd a good look at the top of the airplane. Then I do a 180-degree tuck-under to get to a knife-edge on the other side so the crowd can see the belly of the Raptor. Afterwards, I come all the way back on the stick and pitch up to land. The entire show takes about ten minutes from brake release to touch-

down. I always take off with full fuel, wh ich is a not her testa ment to t he capability of this aircraft. I’ll typically get done at around 5,000 pounds of fuel, give or take, depending if I’m trying to save gas or not. At some shows, I might have to land at a different runway than where the demo is flown, or I might have to go into the Heritage Flight with a couple of vintage aircraft and an F-15 or F-16 demo jet. This show is about ninety percent jet a nd ten percent pi lot sk i l l. We can’t demonstrate every thing that ma kes t he F-22 a f i f t h-generat ion fighter—sensor fusion, stealth, and supercruise, for example. Still, crowds are impressed by the Raptor’s raw p ower, ac c e ler a t io n , a nd t h r u s tvectoring capabilities. The Raptor is really something. Crowds love it. Maj. Paul Moga is in his second year as the F-22 Demonstration Team pilot. A 1995 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, he is currently based at Langley AFB, Virginia.

Second Quarter 2008

(Translation: C-5 Modernization Milestone Reached) This year, two important events will occur in the C-5 Galaxy transport modernization program. The first milestone came in late March with the US Department of Defense approving the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program, or RERP, to enter lowrate initial production. The second, critical RERP event, completion of developmental flight test, is scheduled for August. The Gala x y moder niz ation e f for t is d i v i de d into t wo p ar t s. The f i r s t, the ongoing Avionics Modernization Program, or AMP, is now more than thirty percent complete. AMP provides a state-of-the-art glass cockpit and a digital backbone to support the second phase, the more comprehensive RERP upgrades. AMP kit installations have now been completed on forty C-5Bs on two separate modification lines, one at Dover AFB, Delaware, and one at Travis AFB, California. AMP reached initial operational capability with the Air Force in February 2007. As of May 2008, aircraft returned to 14

Code One

the fleet have logged more than 30,500 flight hours with the new avionics, many of those hours flown in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 439th Airlift Wing at Westover ARB, Massachusetts, received its first AMP aircraft, a C-5B, in February, marking the first Air Force Reserve Command unit to receive the upgraded transports. All previously AMP-modified aircraft had been redelivered to Dover and Travis, completing their fleets. The first non-flight test C-5A is scheduled for induction into the production AMP mod line in September. T h e e n t i r e 111- a i r c r a f t C-5 f l e e t i s expected to receive the AMP modifications by early 2014. The current plan calls for thirteen aircraft to be AMPed this year. Twelve aircraft will be delivered in 2009, fourteen in 2010—the peak year, and then twelve each year from 2011 to 2013. The final two aircraft will be returned to service in early 2014.

The next units to receive the AMP aircraft will be the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command. The 433rd AW, the Air Force’s C-5 schoolhouse at Lackland AFB, Texas, will get some modif ied aircraf t in 2009–2010. However, because of the need to have aircraft with both types of avionics to train on until the entire fleet has been AMPed, the Reser ve unit will receive the final four aircraft to undergo the AMP mod in 2013–2014. Later this year, BCC07, a major AMP software upgrade, will be delivered to the fleet. This software will improve reliability, add additional capability, and correct minor shortfalls discovered through operational use in the Integrated Caution, Advisory, and Warning System, or ICAWS; the Malfunction Detec tion, Analysis, and Recording, or MADAR, system; and onboard diagnostic and flight management systems. The US government awarded an initial $127.4 million contract on 18 April for the

MAIN PHOTO BY KEVIN ROBERTSON; Inset Photos by Kevin Robertson and Darin Russell

By Jeff Rhodes first production C-5M Super Galaxy, which is what the aircraft are called after undergoing both the AMP and RERP modifications. This award provides for materials and fabrication of subassemblies for the first produc tion RERP aircraf t, plus Lot 2 long-lead items for an additional three aircraft, and for initial spares. RERP is the second phase of the C-5 moder niz ation e f f or t. It inc lude s s event y enhancements or replacements of major components and subsystems, such as auxiliary power units, f lap and slat tracks, structural modifications, and improved cargo bay lighting. The major RERP upgrade is the installation of GE Aircraft Engines CF6-80C2 commercial engines. These 60,000pound thrust engines, de-rated to 50,000 pounds thrust, carry the military designation F108-GE-100. The RERP enhancements are designed to significantly increase fleet availability and allowable cabin loads and to improve

reliability, maintainability, and operational performance. The program is expected to dramatically reduce total ownership cost as well as fuel consumption. There are three C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft in the comprehensive flight and ground test program taking place at various sites, including the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia, and the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. Often two or three test sorties take place per day. Some of the testing at Edwards included airfield testing at extreme wartime gross takeoff weights of 840,000 pounds. The two former C-5Bs and one former C-5A have accumulated more than 950 flight hours through May 2008. Aerial refueling qualification with both the KC-135 and KC-10 tankers is expected to occur in June; RERP developmental flight testing is expected to be completed this August. Air Force mission qualification for aircrews and maintainers should start in the first quarter of 2009.

The Air Force C-5M operational test and e v a l u a t i o n , o r O T& E , i s s c h e d u l e d t o begin in August 2009. OT&E is expected to conclude in the first quarter of 2010. Earlier this year, the Air Force made the decision to limit the existing RERP program to fifty-two aircraft. In addition to the three C-5M test aircraft, which will be brought up to operational standards, the remaining forty-seven C-5Bs and the two C-5Cs will go through the RERP modifications. The f irst produc tion RERP aircraf t is expected to be inducted into the modification line in June 2009. That aircraf t is expected to be redelivered to the Air Force in 2010. Low-rate production will continue through 2013, with three aircraft delivered in 2011, five in 2012, and seven in 2013. Eleven C-5Ms will be delivered per year from 2014 to 2016. Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of Code One. Second Quarter 2008

to F-35 LightN ing I I A n d Its Predecessors By E r ic H eh s A side-by-side comparison of the X-35 Joint Strike Fighter prototype with the F-35 Lightning II production aircraft underscores the huge strides the JSF program has made transitioning from demonstration to development. The X-35 demonstrators, built and f lown during the concept development phase of the program in 2000–2001, validated specific propulsion and design features incorporated on today’s F-35 Lightning II. The most important part of the demonstration for the X-35B (the short takeoff/vertical landing, or STOVL, variant shown in the illustrations here) was the integration and operation of the STOVL propulsion system. The X-35B proved the viability of the shaft-driven lift fan and the performance available in STOVL. It also proved the viability of up-andaway flight. The demonstration culminated in the successful completion of “Mission X” on 20 July 2001. This mission combined a short takeoff, acceleration to supersonic flight, a nd a ver t ic a l la nd i ng i n a si ng le f l ig ht . M is sion X demonstrated the integration of a STOVL lift system into a high-performance fighter. The X-35 demonstrators, by any standard, were much simpler than the F-35 Lightning IIs that will be rolling out of the Lockheed Martin factory in Fort Worth, Texas. The demonstrators, for example, used a number of offthe-shelf components to speed design and fabrication. The fast pace of the program meant that only essential functions and capabilities were provided and tested. For instance, the X aircraft did not carry or drop weapons or include mission avionics. The demonstrators also did not carry signature treatments. Still, the production versions maintain a strong family resemblance to their predecessors. The basic shape and layout are the same. The wing sweep angles for the leading and trailing edges are identical. (The F-35C has a much larger wing to improve low-speed handling characteristics for carrier landings, but the sweep angle is the same. The X-35C also had larger wings and tails than the X-35A/B.) The fundamentals of the shaft-driven lift fan system for 16

Code One

t he STOVL variant remain unchanged as well, which includes keeping the original three-bearing swivel nozzle. However, at a more detailed level, the production versions are different in every respect—from the tips of their noses, to their internal structures, to the angular feathers on their engine nozzles. The demonstrators have been transformed into operational fighters during the current System Design and Development phase of the program. The cockpit has been refined. Full avionics functionality has been added. Engine thrust has increased. Capability and durability of the lift system have been improved. Internal weapon bays, radar, targeting system, and low-observable treatments are functional. New technologies that didn’t actually fly on the demonstrators— such as the electrohydrostatic actuators, integrated power package, or IPP, and helmet-mounted display—now function as integral parts of the F-35. Ma ny cha nges a ren’t v isible i n t he accompa ny i ng graphics. The highly automated manufacturing process used for the production versions is entirely different from the mostly hand-built process used for the prototypes. The internal structure has been redesigned to reduce weight and accommodate operational systems. Internal systems themselves have been added, redesigned, and moved around to reduce weight and cost, improve survivability, and make the aircraft easier to maintain. The aircraft has integrated prognostic and health monitoring sensors built into critical systems. These systems are part of a larger autonomic logistics system that will be used to support the aircraft in the field. We have chosen to compare the X-35B and F-35B aircraft to highlight the extensive refinements. Most of the changes described here, with the exception of those related to the vertical lift system, apply to the other Lightning II variants—the conventional takeoff and landing, or CTOL, F-35A and the carrier variant F-35C. Eric Hehs is the editor of Code One.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY BOYD PRYOR

A Lift Fan Inlet

B Auxiliary Inlet

C Horizontal Tails

The lift fan inlet doors were changed from a bi-fold, side-hinged configuration to a single, aft-hinged door. The change added some weight, but significantly reduced lift fan flow distortion, which increased lift fan performance and operability.

T he au x iliar y inlet pr ovides an additional source for low distortion air for the engine during powered lift operation. When open at slow speeds, about sixty percent of the air at the engine face comes from the auxiliary inlet. The X-35B had a smaller opening with two doors hinged on the centerline of the aircraft. The F-35B has two doors hinged on the outboard sides of the opening. The change improves inlet flow per formance. The increased size reflects the largest inlet within the structural constraints of the aircraft.

The horizontal tail area was increased slightly from the X-35B to the F-35B, and the aspect ratio was reduced to save weight. (Aspect ratio is the proportion of the long side to the short side of a wing. Long and skinny wings have high aspect ratios.) For better lowspeed control, the F-35C has larger horizontal tail surfaces than the F-35A/B variants. Similarly, the X-35C also had larger horizontal tails.

D Vertical Tails And Rudders

The vertical tails are more upright with an increased aspect ratio and sweep. The rudder area was increased as well. Reducing the cant angle and changing the sweep made the tails smaller and lighter and improved supersonic directional stability. Increasing the rudder size improved control.

X-35B

Actuators

E Wingspan For the F-35B, wingspan increased from thir ty-three feet to thir ty-five feet, increasing the wing area from 450 square feet to 460 square feet. The change improved both takeof f and upand-away per formance. The inc r e as e d s pan is c ompa t ible with US aircraf t carriers and the new British carriers.

F Flight Control T h e X- 35B u s e d c o n ve n t i o nal hydraulic flight control actuators. T he hydr aulic pump s f or b o t h X-35s wer e s alvaged f r om t he Y F-23 protot ypes in storage at Edwards AFB. The F-35 uses state-of-the-art electrohydrostatic actuators for improved reliability and serviceability.

D G Auxiliary Power Unit C

H Environmental Control System Package

The X-35 used environmental control system, or ECS, packs from the F/A-18 with heat exchanger scoops on the left side of the fuselage and under the wing. An additional heat exchanger was mounted on the belly of the X-35B during the flight test phase to provide cooling for hydraulic system oil. The demonstrators had ram air scoops that fed cooling air through the heat exchangers in the roll post bays for the X-35 aircraft or centerline heat exchanger for X-35B (shown here). The F-35 integrated power package, or IPP, provides the legacy ECS functionality, providing conditioned air and liquid cooling to aircraft systems. A unique feature of the F-35 cooling system is the integration of the IPP with the engine using engine fan-duct heat exchangers as a cooling source to the hot air side of the IPP. The F-35 environmental control system uses both fuel and air as a cooling medium. The fuel/air heat exchanger, located on the right top of the wing-glove, features a scoop inlet and screened exhaust.

The X-35 carried a conventional auxiliary power unit on the forward right-hand side that provided power for engine starts. It also served as an emergency power source. The F-35 uses a unique integrated power package that provides emergenc y power and eng ine s t ar t capabilit y as well as providing cooling air and cooling fluid.

I F-35B

I Distributed Aperture System

The distributed aper ture system (on the F-35 only) consists of six high-resolution, dual-band cameras that provide infrared and visual imagery from all spherical angles around the aircraft. The DAS takes the place of night vision goggles. The system increases situational awareness in flight and acts as a landing aid in low visibility.

D C

Second Quarter 2008

A Lift Fan Nozzle The lift fan nozzle changed from a s eg men t e d e x t ending hood t o a variable area vane box nozzle. Although the variable area vane box noz zle does not provide as great a vectoring capability, it can save weight by being incorporated in a much more structurally efficient manner. Even more important than the weight savings, the variable area vane box nozzle allows greater flow control by using independent ly c ont r olled vane s t o control exit area and nozzle vector angle. The vane box design increases both lift fan thrust and overall system thrust for greatly improved lift capability.

X-35B B

B External Heat

C Roll Nozzles

Exchangers

The X-35 had several external heat exchangers. A nose ram air inlet was incorporated for backup avionics cooling. A centerline heat exchanger provided cooling for the hydraulic system. A heat exchanger on the lef t side suppor ted the environmental control system. The F-35 has two scoops located in t h e w i n g /f u s e l a g e t o p r o v i d e nacelle bay ventilation. The aircraft also has a scoop located on the t op o f t he r ig h t w ing - g love t o provide air to the fuel/air heat exchanger. A deployable scoop is located on the left-aft fuselage to provide air to the IPP and to the avionics. The F-35 minimizes the need for external scoops by using heat exchangers that are integrated in the engine fan duct. These heat exchangers use engine bypass air as a heat sink.

F Landing Gear

G Weapon Bays The X-35 had no need for weapon bays, which allowed that volume to be used to stow the main landing gear. The F-35 has large weapon bays capable of carrying t wo AIM-120 mis sile s and t wo satellite-guided JDAMs. The volume of the F-35A/C bays is slightly larger than that of the F-35B.

The inboard weapon bay doors ser ve a dual purpose. In addition to opening ninety-seven degrees for launching AMRAAMs, the doors are also used in vertical landing mode. The air flow from the lift fan and the aft nozzle flow meet and form a fountain below the airplane, so the weapon bay doors are opened to about forty-five degrees to form side walls to trap that fountain of air. Using the doors in this way increases vertical lift by ten percent at no additional weight. The X-35 had no such doors, but the concept was tested on the large-scale powered model during the concept development program.

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E Electro-Optical

Targeting System

T he X-35 had a hydraulically o p e r a t e d s p e e d b r ak e o n t h e underside of the fuselage immedia t el y ahe ad o f t he do or s o f the three-bearing nozzle. On the F-35, speed brake functionality is provided through the use of the rudders and leading- and trailingedge flaps.

F-35B G

D C

I Inboard Weapon Bay Doors

Wing Doors

The X-35B had no doors over the roll post nozzles. The doors were added to the F-35B to cover the roll posts and to reduce signature in up-and-away flight.

J Speed Brakes

The X-35 had no ex ternal store s t a t i o n s . T h e F - 35 ha s s e v e n external store stations that can carr y all types of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, launchers, fuel t anks, and pods. T he ordnance capacity is approximately 15,000 pounds for the F-35B and 17,000 pounds for F-35A/C. (Stations 2 and 10 are rated 1,000pound stores for F-35B and 2,000-pound stores on F-35A/C.)

D Roll Nozzle

The production aircraft has a faceted housing between the radome and the nose landing gear that cover s t he elec tr o - optical t argeting system. The EOTS provides targeting information and laser designation capabilit y to the helmet-mounted display.

The X-35B used a nose landing gear from an F-15 and modified main landing gear from a Navy A-6. The production F-35 landing gear is a new design tailored to STOVL operations to minimize weight. The retraction of the main landing gear is tightly constrained to clear both the internal weapon bay and the external stores.

H External Stations

The X-35B had butterfly valves at the interface between the engine and the ducts leading to the roll nozzles. These valves were removed to save weight. The roll noz zles themselves now serve as the cutoff valves for the roll control air from the engine. The per formance requirements for the F-35B roll nozzles are also greater because they have to deal with asymmetric external store loads.

D C

X-35B

A Engine Inlets The engine inlet changed from a four-sided shape to a three-sided cowl shape, while retaining the diver terless design. The original four-sided shape was derived from the diverterless concept tested on an F-16. The redesigned shape improves high angle-of-attack performance. Moving the inlets af t by thir ty inches reduced overall aircraft weight.

E Cockpit Controllers The X-35 used modified side-stick and throttle controllers borrowed from the F-16. The X-35B had a separate nozzle lever for the pilot to control the angle of the propulsion system thrust in STOVL flight mode. The F-35 has unique controllers with active inceptors that provide feedback based on flying conditions. It has no separ ate controller for ver tical flight. Instead, it uses the active inceptors to control aircraft acceleration both ver tically and horizontally. The F-35 cockpit also makes use o f v o i c e r e c og ni t i o n f o r c o m manding non-flight critical cockpit procedures, such as changing radio frequencies and inputting navigation coordinates.

B Aerial Refueling

C Cockpit Displays

The X-35B had a US Air Force type aerial refueling receptacle borrowed from the F-16. The F-35B and F-35C have an aerial refueling probe on the right side of the forward fuselage. The change accommodates the probe-and-drogue style refueling method used by the USMC and USN, and Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft. The F-35A uses an aerial refueling receptacle similar to that of the F-22.

The X-35 had a head-up display, or HUD, and two six- by eight-inch color displays from a C-130 for navigation, controls, and caution displays. The F-35 cockpit features a large eight- by twenty-inch multifunction color touch-screen display that can be customized and subdivided into many differentsized screens. A vir tual HUD is projected onto the visor of the helmet-mounted display, or HMD, which per forms other functions as well.

Probe

D Helmet-Mounted Display

The production F-35 does not have a conventional HUD. Instead the pilot receives all the information through an HMD that would typically be seen through the HUD. The HMD is coupled to the EOTS and to a distributed aperture system.

G Length Overall length from the demonstrators to the production aircraft increased seven inches. The additional length, mostly in the forward fuselage, made room for equipment installation.

F Flight Test Boom The nose boom on the X-35, which carried ex ternal pitch and yaw vanes carefully calibrated for flight test data collection, was connected dir ec t ly int o t he f lig ht c ont r ol system. Under most conditions, the flight control computers used air data from the nose boom to fly the airplane. The F-35 has no nose boom and uses small fixed air data probes similar to those on the F-22. The flight science jets have nose booms, but they are not connec t ed wi t h t he air cr af t f lig ht controls. The boom ser ves as a calibration source for production air data probes and static ports.

X-35B

F-35B

H Volume The total volume of the aircraf t increased to accommodate weapon bays and additional internal equipment and fuel.

B A

F-35B

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X-35B

A Canopy

B Radar

C Nose Landing Gear Door

The X-35 canopy was a two-piece, side-opening design with a conventional bow frame. The F-35 is a onepiece, forward-opening design with an integrated bow frame. The change improves signature characteristics while maintaining low weight. The bow frame was moved back slightly to improve visibility.

The X-35 had no radar. All F-35 variants have the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-81 with an active electronically scanned array that enables the F-35 pilot to engage air and ground targets at long range. The radar provides out standing situational awareness for enhanced survivability. The AN/APG-81 builds on Northrop Grummanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s F-16 and F-22 radar heritage. Solid-state technology and the elimination of mechanical moving par ts enable the radar to far surpass current standards for reliability. The radar system is designed for faster and easier repairs or upgrades to hardware and software modules.

The X-35 had two doors on the nose landing gear bay arranged fore and aft. The forward door looked and operated like the single large door on AA-1, the first F-35A test vehicle. The aft door was a slave door mounted to the strut perpendicular to the air flow. The F-35 has two smaller split doors. The split design increases control during landings in crosswinds and allows the vertical tails to be made smaller, saving overall aircraft weight.

A B C

F-35B 20

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X-35B

A Engine

B Engine Nozzle

The X-35B used a modified Pratt & Whitney F119 engine, with a new low-pressure fan and turbine, designated as the F119-611, which produced 38,000 pounds of thrust (uninstalled, at sea-level static conditions). The production F135 engine produces more than 40,000 pounds of thrust (uninstalled, at sea-level static conditions). The F135 engine shares a common core to the F119 but has a higher bypass ratio. Currently, the program is testing propulsion systems from two manufacturers: the F135 from Pratt & Whitney and the F136 from the General Electric Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team. The F-35s have been designed to accept either engine as part of the program requirement for engine interchangeability.

The engine nozzle was lengthened, and the production design was modified to incorporate serrated flaps. The nozzle used on the X-35 was quite short to provide ground clearance for STOVL modes. The increased nozzle length improved engine performance and reduced external drag. The serrated flaps improved aircraft signature. The engine nozzle on the F-35B is slightly shorter than the nozzle on the F-35A and F-35C.

F-35B Second Quarter 2008

TH U NDER BIR DS: F-16 A N N I V ERSA RY A s t ack o f T hunder bir d V IP book s — an annu al publication highlighting the US Air Force Demonstration Team — occupie s a pr ominen t space on a shelf in Jim L a t h am’s o f f ic e a t t he he ad qu ar t er s o f Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. Latham commanded the Thunderbirds the year the US Air Force Demonstration Team adopted the F-16. Today, he is director for international business development at the company that builds the airplane. BY ERIC HEHS

“That’s a complete set of the books—every year the Thunderbirds have flown the F-16,” Latham notes. “Few people have a complete set.” The set numbers twentyfive annual editions—from 1983 through 2007. The first issue contains a group photo of the officers clad in crisp white flight suits. They kneel, line abreast, in front of one of the team’s newly acquired F -16A Fi g ht i n g Fa lc on s . Jim Latham, former Sunrise Mountain near Las Thunderbird commander Vegas, Nevada, forms t he backdrop for the aircraft, freshly painted in the iconic red, white, and blue Thunderbird scheme. Other pages contain team history, team listings, honorary members, maintainers, and photos and bios of individual team members. F-16 ORIGINS The F-16 replaced the T-38 for the first time in the 1983 show season. However, the transition began well before t he te a m f le w it s f i rst for ma l publ ic demonst r at ion

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w it h t he Fighting Fa lcon. Lat ha m, who f lew w it h t he Thunderbirds as a right wing pilot in the T-38, was handpicked to lead the team in June 1982 by Gen. W. L. (Bill) Creech, then commander of Tactical Air Command. “We immediately hired three more pilots,” Latham explains. “Initially, I put one of the new pilots on my wing. We practiced two-ship maneuvers at farther distances and at higher altitudes. Gradually we flew closer and lower. Then we brought a second pilot on and trained him in the two-ship. After that, we brought in the slot pilot and trained him in twoship. Once that pilot was trained, we put a three-ship formation together. We then progressed to four-ship formation. We hired a second solo pilot, and they trained separately from the diamond formation. Finally, we put the six-ship together at the first of the year in 1983 and practiced full airshow sequences soon after that. We basically used the same sequence employed to spin up T-38 teams.” The team trained over Indian Springs Air Field just west of Las Vegas, now known as Creech AFB.

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“We had to cross-train the maintenance folks from the T-38,” adds Latham. “We also had to bring in new people associated with the F-16. We flew three times a day, six days a week from mid-June until mid-December. The training was intense. At the same time, we had to develop an operations manual that included procedures, radio calls, responsibilities, and emergency procedures for each person in the flight. We also had to test the flow for the smoke system to get just the right density. In addition to all that preparation, we also worked the narration and selected the music for the show.” The demonstration was adjusted to make the most out of the high-performance characteristics of the F-16. “A 360-degree, high-g turn would not be impressive in an F-4 or T-38,” Latham says. “The turning capability of the F-16 added a new dimension to the show. The team didn’t wear g-suits until we started flying the F-16. It’s a nine-g jet. Safety is always paramount.” The wing rock maneuver f lown in the T-38 show was

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another maneuver enhanced by the F-16’s performance. In this maneuver, the solo pilot f lies by with gear down at landing speed and does a series of steep rocking maneuvers to demonstrate the low-speed handling characteristics of the aircraft. And then he performs a climb out to demonstrate the raw power made possible by the F-16’s high thrust-toweight ratio.

PURPOSE AND HISTORY The Thunderbirds serve many purposes. They support Air Force recruiting and retention programs. They reinforce public confidence in the Air Force and demonstrate the professiona l competence of Air Force members. They strengthen morale and esprit de corps among Air Force members and suppor t Air Force communit y relations

programs. Finally, they present a positive image of the United States and its armed forces to foreign nations and project international goodwill. The Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron performed its first aerial display in June 1953 at Luke AFB, Arizona. The team’s f irst show at a civilian airport occurred at Cheyenne, Wyoming. The team f lew F-84G Thunderjets for its f irst two years and then transitioned to F-84F Thunderstreaks for a year. T he T hu nderbi rd s bega n flying the F-100C Super Sabre in 1956 when they moved to their current home at Nellis AFB, Nevada. T he F-10 0C ser ved t he Thunderbirds team for the next thirteen years. In 1964, t he t e a m f l e w t he F -10 5 Thunderchief for six demonstrations before switching back to the F-100, this time to the F-100D. The Thunderbirds flew this version of the Super Sabre through the 1968 season when they switched to t he F- 4 E Ph a ntom I I . Economic considerations— mainly fuel costs—put the team in the T-38A Talon in 1974, which t hey f lew for seven years before transitioning to the Block 15 F-16A in 1983. The Thunderbirds began f lying the Block 32 F -16 C i n 1 9 9 2 a n d w i l l t ra nsit ion to t he Prat t & W h i t n e y F10 0 - P W-2 2 9 powered Block 52 F-16C for the 2009 show season. When the team will switch to the F-35A Lightning II is an open question. “I think the Air Force would want to send its frontline fighter to t h e t e a m e a r l y,” o f f e r s Latham. “They will eventually f ly the F-35, but their Block 52 F-16s have plenty of life in them. The decision will likely depend on operational tempo. The Air Force will be f lying F-16s in the US Air Force well beyond 2020.” Thunderbirds fly over the Washington Monument, far left, and the US Air Force Memorial.

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TEAM PERFORMANCES TODAY The Thunderbirds, an Air Combat Command squadron, consists of six demonstration pilots and two pilots serving as the maintenance officer and the show narrator, four support officers, three civilians, and more than 130 enlisted personnel. Officers serve two-year assignments with the squadron, while enlisted personnel serve three to four. Replacements must be trained for about half of the team each year, creating a constant mix of experience. The aerial demonstration consists of a combination of formation f lying and solo routines. The pilots perform approximately thirty maneuvers in a demonstration. The entire show, including a preshow on the ground and in t he a ir, r u ns just over a n hour. The four-ship diamond for mat ion h ig h l ig ht s t he training and precision of Air Force pilots, while the solo aircraft highlight the performance of the F-16. The squadron performs up to eighty-eight air demonstrations each year and has never canceled a demonstration because of maintenance dif f icult y. More t han 280 million people in all f if ty states and fifty-seven foreign c o u nt r i e s h a v e s e e n t h e teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jets in more than 3,500 aerial demonstrations.

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The 2008 team includes the Air Force’s first female le a d- s olo d e mon s t r at ion pilot, Maj. Samantha Weeks, Thunderbird No. 5. Weeks is in her second year on the team. The remaining pilots for the 2008 season include Maj. Chris Austin, Thunderbird No. 2, left wing; Maj. Kirby Ensser, Thunderbird No. 3, right wing; Maj. Scott Poteet, Thunderbird No. 4, s l o t ; a n d M a j . Ty r o n e Douglas, Thunderbird No. 6, opposing solo. “The Thunderbirds were created in the infancy of the jet age,” says Lt. Col. Greg Thomas, commander of the 20 08 tea m. “At t hat time, t he team’s mission was to give confidence to the Air F o r c e p i l o t s o f t h e d a y, s h o w i n g t h a t t h e y, t o o , could handle the speed and power of jet aircraft. “Over the last 55 years, t he m i s sion ha s cha nge d slightly to include recruiting young men a nd women, retaining the quality Airmen a l re ady i n s er v ic e tod ay, and representing the 513,000 a c t i v e - d u t y, G u a r d a n d Reser ve members ser v ing a t h o m e a nd a br o a d ,” T hom a s c ont i nue s . “ T he mission might have changed, but t he pride, professionalism, and almost unbelievable attention to detail of our Airmen representing the A i r F o r c e ’s f i n e s t h a s remained unparalleled.”

Maj. Samantha Weeks, the Air Force’s first female lead-solo demonstration pilot

Eric Hehs is the editor of Code One.

Second Quarter 2008

ORION

BY JEFF RHODES

here is no flying without wings, or so says E. Cobham Brewer in the 1895 edition of the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. With the then-imminent coming of powered flight, the phrase was a new take on an even older proverb: nothing can be done without the proper means.

Putting a twenty-f irst centur y spin on that ma xim, Lockheed Martin opened its new P-3 wing production line at its Marietta, Georgia, facility on 13 March to fabricate new wings for the Orion f leet. It is expected that these replacement wings, which are built on the original wing tooling with significantly upgraded materials, will extend the service life for existing Orion aircraft by twenty years. The new wings are the major component of the P-3 Aircraft Service Life Extension Program, or ASLEP. Each shipset replaces the outer wings, center wing lower surface assembly, wing bleed air ducts, and the paddle fittings connecting the center wing box to the fuselage. The upgrade kit also provides new inboard upper longerons and new tailpipe exhaust

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PHOTOS BY ERIC SOLLINGER

shrouds for the existing engine nacelles, as well as new leading edges for the horizontal stabilizers. In addition, depending on the condition of a particular P-3 operatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aircraft, the ASLEP kit can also be enlarged to include new fillets for the wing/fuselage joint, new wing

leading edges, and new horizontal stabilizer boxes. Existing wing nacelles, the Quick Engine Change nacelles, f laps, ailerons, wing tips, and elevators are all reused. Subcontractors on the ASLEP program include Sabreliner in St. Louis, Missouri, and Middle River Aircraft Systems outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The makeup of the current ASLEP kit is based on data primarily derived from a full-scale fatigue test program that ran from 1999 to 2002. A consortium of five P-3 operators, including the US Navy, sponsored this investigation. Through analysis and test, it was determined that the fuselage of the P-3—at least from a metallurgical standpoint—has sufficient strength and structural integrity to last the equivalent of four lifetimes, or about 40,000 flight hours. However, because of the Orion’s normal operational environment—over seawater at low altitudes—the wings and horizontal tails on the Orion were found to be susceptible to metal stress fatigue and corrosion. The ASLEP wings utilize the same basic wing design that has been proven on the P-3 through close to f ive decades of operational service around the world. Although there are some minor detail design changes, the biggest change is that the new wings are made from a new aluminum alloy, which offers four to five times better corrosion resistance than the original alloy. Because they offer such better corrosion properties, the new wings are expected to have lower operation and sustainment costs, reduced depot maintenance time, and a significant reduction in unscheduled maintenance actions. The Royal Norwegian Air Force, which operates six P-3s at Andøya AS, will be the first Orion operator to get the new wings. The first wings to be built will be delivered to IMP, an authorized P-3 repair facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in June 2009. IMP, which currently performs depot level maintenance on the Norwegian P-3s, will then install the wings. The first rewinged aircraft is expected to be returned to service by early 2010. Norway’s two P-3Ns, formerly P-3Bs with operator-specific modifications, will be upgraded first. Those P-3Ns will be followed by Norway’s four P-3Cs. The Royal Norwegian Air Force will be the first P-3 operator to receive the new ASLEP wings.

In May, US Customs and Border Protection, which operates sixteen specially modified P-3s for the country’s war on drugs from locations in Texas and Florida, became the second operator to order new wings. Canada, which operates eighteen CP-140 Aurora and three CP-140A Arcturus aircraft from Nova Scotia and British Columbia for maritime patrol and search and rescue, has issued a request for proposal for new wings and are scheduled to make a decision later this year. Taiwan is scheduled to become the newest P-3 operator and will receive stored US Navy aircraft. It is expected the aircraft for Taiwan will require new wings as well. US Customs and Border Protection, flying specially modified P-3s, is the second operator to order new wings.

PHOTO BY JOHN ROSSINO

The recent grounding of a number of US Navy P-3s has brought increasing interest in the P-3 rewing program from the world’s largest Orion operator, the US Navy. US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead stated in recent congressional testimony that P-3 replacement wings are the service’s number one unfunded priority. Today the service’s need for long-range surveillance aircraft for missions both over land and over water continues to grow. Rewinging up to fifty-four P-3s is seen as a leading option, and in fact, the service issued an RFP for new wings in late May. Those upgraded aircraft will serve as a bridge until the P-8 Poseidon, the Navy’s choice to replace the Orion, is available to the f leet in sufficient numbers around 2016. The f irst set of replacement wings off the Marietta production line is expected to take fourteen months to build. An anticipated eighty-five percent learning curve is expected to reduce wing assembly to just seven months at full-rate production. The assembly line located next to the C-130J production line is sized to accommodate up to twenty-four shipsets of wings per year. Installing the new wings will take approximately six months. Because the kit assemblies will be installed at production joints on the aircraft, the installation process is not complicated. Lockheed Martin’s P-3 program office in Marietta will provide engineering support for replacement wing installation to all of the Orion depot-level maintenance facilities, including the company’s Greenville, South Carolina, operation; IMP; and, if necessary, at the Navy’s P-3 depot at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of Code One.

PHOTO BY John Rossino

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ragon adies D L OVER IR AQ

By Sr A Ross Tweten Photos By Sr A Levi Riendeau

N LY SI X F E M A L E PI L O T S H AV E OCCUPIED THE CONTROLS OF THE U-2 DRAGON LADY IN ITS MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS OF FLIGHT. THREE OF THOSE SIX ARE CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE US AIR FORCE, AND TWO OF THEM ARE FLYING COMBAT MISSIONS WITH THE ONLY U-2 SQUADRON OPERATING OVER IRAQ—THE 99TH EXPEDITIONARY RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON, CUR R ENTLY OPERATING IN SOUTHWEST ASIA.

SrA Roric Ongaco (right) and SSgt. Lisa Tetrick help attach the torso harness to Capt. Heather Fox’s suit.

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Maj. Merryl Tengesdal and Capt. Heather Fox are both U-2 pilots with the 99th ERS, which is home-stationed at Beale AFB, California. They continue to add to the history of women in aerospace and to the history of the U-2, while fighting the global war on terror at 70,000 feet in the air. From these altitudes, Tengesdal and Fox, along with their wingmen of the 99th ERS, provide other warfighters with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance of the battlespace. “After we’ve completed a mission, it is rewarding to know that we’ve helped the forces on the ground and kept them safe,” says Fox. “Even after fifty years, the U-2 has a significant impact on the mission.” According to Lt. Col. Thomas Engle, the 99th ERS commander, the U-2 is an aircraft that requires exceptional airmanship to fly. It is one of the most difficult aircraft in the world to land. Pilots are carefully screened before being accepted for training, which includes a three-sortie interview profile to determine the applicant’s aptitude for flying the “Deuce,” as the U-2 is called. Less than half of the candidates invited to interview eventually get qualified to f ly combat reconnaissance missions in the U-2. These missions often last more than nine hours and require pilots to wear full pressure suits while f lying at extreme altitudes. The missions are physically draining.

Captain Fox shakes hands with the crew chiefs from the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron that maintain and launch her U-2 Dragon Lady.

“Major Tengesdal and Captain Fox are both experienced U-2 instructor pilots,” says Engle. “They bring a high level of maturit y a nd sk i l l to t he 99t h ERS. I place a high degree of trust in these officers. While executing the mission, they face tough decisions every day to keep our pilots and aircraft safe.” Fewer t han 850 airmen have piloted the U-2 since its introduction. For Fox, the small number of women on that list is just statistics. “To be perfectly honest, I really don’t think gender is that big of a deal,” she says. “The aircraft f lies the same for

women as it does for men. I’m just g lad to be associated with an aircraft that performs such a great mission.” According to Tengesdal, every contribution in the military is important to winning the global war on terror. “As a pilot, all that matters is the mission,” she says. “No matter if we’re male or female, we get it done out here. I’m happy to be a contributing member of this team. It’s an honor to be a part of the U-2 heritage.” SrA Ross Tweten is a member of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, the parent unit of the 99th ERS, and is currently deployed in Southwest Asia.

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EVENTS Myanmar Relief Af ter Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 May, the country’s militar y regime refused to let relief flights land until six days later when an Indonesian Air Force C-130H crew touched down in Yangon carr ying food and medical supplies. An Italian Air Force C-130J crew flew a relief mission on 9 May. The first US Air Force aircraft, C-130E flown by a crew from Yokota AB, Japan, landed in Yangon on 12 May. A US Marine Corps KC-130J based at MCAS Futenma, Japan, arrived the nex t day. The US aircraf t staged from U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand. The US military relief flights, called Operation Caring Response, primarily used C-130s and KC-130Js for the relief missions, which continued into June.

PHOTO BY SRA SONYA CROSTON

Connected Raptor

Gas And Go The F-35 Lightning II successfully completed its first aerial refueling tests during its thirty-fourth flight on 12 March. A specially instrumented KC-135 tanker from the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, was deployed to the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, for the aerial refueling tests. During the flight, F-35 Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley climbed to 20,000 feet and performed a series of pre-contact maneuvers to verify F-35 compatibility with the KC-135 refueling boom and its aerodynamic wake. The ninety-four minute, multiple-contact sortie also evaluated aircraft systems and handling while connected to the refueling boom. The test flight did not include transferring fuel. PHOTO BY SRA GARRETT HOTHAN

Two F-22 Raptors successfully sent and received data while linked to ground stations in the US Air Force’s Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008, or JEFX 08, conducted in April at Nellis AFB, Nevada. During this two-week experiment, two specially configured F-22s were used to transmit real-time sensor information to ground stations at Nellis and at Langley AFB, Virginia, using an experimental version of the Tactical Targeting Network Technology waveform. The F-22 datalink test configuration flew in realistic scenarios that highlighted the Raptor’s significant nontraditional intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. JEFX is an Air Force Chief of Staff air and ground forces, simulation, and technology insertions into a warfighting environment.

Milestone C-130J Delivery The 100th C-130J Super Hercules for the US government was delivered to the 314th Airlift Wing’s 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, on 28 April. The 41st AS, known as the Black Cats, is the first active duty US Air Force C-130J squadron. The milestone C-130J was accepted by Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz Jr., the commander of 314th AW and the Little Rock installation commander. In the United States, Air Mobility Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Reser ve Command, and Air National Guard units fly C-130Js. One Guard unit flies the EC-130J Commando Solo psychological warfare aircraft. The Marine Corps operates KC-130J tankers. The Coast Guard flies the HC-130J search and rescue variant.

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EVENTS Topcats Stand Down After sixty consecutive years of service, Sea Control Squadron 31 (VS-31), one of the last three US Navy units flying the S-3 Viking, was disestablished in ceremonies on 27 March at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. A crowd of nearly 400 people filled the hangar as more than a dozen former squadron commanders were piped aboard to open the festivities. The squadron, originally established in 1942, was re-formed in 1948 as the first carrier-based anti-submarine warfare, or ASW, unit. VS-31 later took the nickname Topcats. The Topcats were the first to receive the S-2 Tracker. VS-31, which converted to the S-3A Viking in 1973, was the first squadron to deploy with the improved S-3B in 1990.

6K F-16 Pilot

PHOTO BY JOHN ROSSINO

Battleherk Galactica Retired The Marine Corps’ oldest KC-130 Hercules was flown to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, on 28 February and retired. The aircraft known to crews as 573—from its Navy Bureau Number, 147573—or Battleherk Galactica, was the first KC-130F accepted by the Marine Corps in 1960. The aircraft spent nearly its entire lengthy career—forty-seven years and eight months and 28,000 flight hours—with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152). 573 saw action during the siege at Khe Sanh in Vietnam, during the US intervention in Somalia, and in numerous disaster relief operations throughout the Pacific. VMGR-152, based at MCAS Futenma, Japan, is currently receiving new KC-130J tankers.

PHOTOS BY SRA JULIANNE SHOWALTER

Lt. Col. Michael Brill, an Air Force Reserve Command pilot with the 419th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, became the first pilot to record 6,000 flying hours in the F-16 during a combat mission out of Balad AB, Iraq, on 2 May. He was also the first pilot to reach 4,000 flying hours in the F-16 (August 1998) and the first to record 5,000 F-16 flight hours (November 2002). B r i l l h a s a c c u m u l a t e d 2 26 combat flying hours and has flown more than fifty combat sorties. Brill, a nineteen-year member of the 419th F W, led the first F-16 strike into Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. Six thousand hours equates to 250 twenty-four hour days in the cockpit.

PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. KRISTOFER ATKINSON

7K F-16 Aircraft A Vermont Air National Guard F-16 became the first Fighting Falcon to exceed 7,000 hours of flying operations during a sortie on 24 March. The aircraft, Air Force serial number 83-1165, made the milestone flight with pilot Lt. Col. Thomas Jackman. During its twenty-five year career, the aircraft, known as Lethal Lady, was flown on missions in Iraq and in Southwest Asia. In total, it has recorded more than 1,100 hours of combat flight time. The aircraft is due for retirement in 2009 and will likely be displayed either outside the entrance to the Air National Guard Base in South Burlington or at the entrance to the state National Guard headquarters at Camp Johnson in Colchester.

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EVENTS Dragon Rescue A US Navy P-3C Orion crew helped rescue two men stranded at sea when a small, incapacitated motorboat was located approximately 200 miles southwest of Costa Rica on 16 March. The crew from Patrol Squadron 4 (VP-4), known as the Skinny Dragons, was conducting routine operations when crew members spotted the boater s. The aircrew contacted the nearby merchant ves sel Tauranga Star and then vectored the ship towards the boat. The Orion crew stayed on scene until the merchant vessel arrived and took the two mariners on board. The mariners were taken to a Panamanian hospital and then released. VP-4, based at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, was deployed to El Salvador in support of US Southern Command at the time of the rescue.

PHOTO BY SCPM MAHLON K. MILLER

F-35 Long-Lead Funding The US Depar tment of Defense released funds in late May to buy six F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing aircraft for the US Air Force and gave provisional approval to purchase six F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft for the US Marine Corps after a senior-level review is held and the variant makes its inaugural flight. The dozen aircraft will be built in the second phase of F-35 low-rate initial production. As of late May, seventeen preproduction F-35s are in assembly. The first two production F-35s are currently being assembled. Long-lead funding for LRIP 3, the third lot of F-35s, was released on 14 May. That contract calls for production of at least eighteen additional F-35s.

Raptors To Combat Archer Eight F-22 Raptors and 132 Airmen deployed from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to Tyndall AFB, Florida, in February to participate in Combat Archer, a Weapon System Evaluation Program exercise. This deployment was the first for members of the 3rd Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 477th Fighter Group, the Reserve Associate unit at the base near Anchorage. Combat Archer evaluates an operational fighter squadron’s readiness for combat operations by assessing all phases of its combat operations from weapons loading, to aircraft performance, to aircrew performance. The exercise, unique to the Air Force, is the only test or evaluation program that uses operational aircrews, maintainers, aircraft, and weapons.

PHOTO BY SCOTT WOLFE

C-130J To The Sandbox

PHOTO BY SRA DOMONIQUE SIMMONS

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Member s of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing welcomed the newest member of its fleet on 8 February as a C-130J Super Hercules from the 41st Airlif t Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, landed in Southwest Asia. This marked the first time an ac t ive dut y US Air For ce C-130J unit had deployed. The 41st AS moved to Little Rock from Pope AFB, North Carolina, in 2007. While in Southwest Asia, the 41st AS, called the Black Cats, operates with C-130Es from both the 61st AS at Little Rock AFB and the 2nd AS at Pope AFB, as well as C-130Hs from Air Force Reserve Command’s 357th AS at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, to form the 746th AES.

EVENTS Operation Driftnet The Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced on 22 February that legal action was taken against six Chinese fishing vessels sighted using illegal high-seas driftnets in the North Pacific Ocean in September 2007. This action is a result of Operation Driftnet where Canadian fishery officers scan more than 1.5 million square miles of the North Pacific each year and go beyond the Canadian 200-mile territorial limit. Canada is joined by its counterparts from the US National Marine Fisheries Service. The flights are conducted using Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Air Force CP-140 aircraft, a P-3 Orion variant. Highseas driftnets, which are illegal in the North Pacific Ocean, are highly destructive to Pacific salmon and to other marine resources.

Combat Hammer Capt. Michael Schmidt from the 13th Fighter Squadron at Mis awa A B, Japan, f ir e s an AGM-65H Maverick air-to-surface missile from his F-16 while participating in the Weapon System Evaluation Program, or WSEP, at Eglin AFB, Florida, on 6 February. The WSEP program, commonly known as Combat Hammer, is run by the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group at Eglin to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems. The evaluations are accomplished during tactical deliveries of fighter, bomber, and unmanned aircraft system precision-guided munitions on realistic targets with air-to-air and surface-to-air d e f e n s e s . F o r m a ny p i l o t s , Combat Hammer is their first time employing live weapons.

Galaxy LAIRCM In a C-5 upgrade program not directly tied to the Avionics Modernization Program or the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program, installation of Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure, or LAIRCM, kits began earlier this year at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia. LAIRCM is designed to protect large, fixed-wing transports from infrared missile attack. The Lot 1 contract calls for eight aircraft to receive the laser-based infrared countermeasures system designated AN/AAQ-24 (v) 16. The system automatically detects a missile launch, determines if the missile is a threat, and activates a high-intensity countermeasure system to track and defeat the threat. The Air Force anticipates that all forty-nine C-5B aircraft and much of the C-5A fleet will eventually receive LAIRCM.

PHOTO BY ERIC SOLLINGER

More Blades The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, replaced the four-bladed propellers on a standard C-130H Hercules in February with the eight-bladed NP-2000 propellers developed for the Navyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s E-2D Hawkeye. The MP-2000 propeller is being tested to see if takeoff performance for the LC-130H Ski-Herk can be improved. The LC-130s use jet-assisted takeoff, or JATO, rockets to get off ice- and snow-covered runways. The strap-on JATO bottles are heavy, expensive to use, and in short supply. If testing is successful, the ten LC-130Hs will be retrofitted with the new props. The 109th Airlift Wing, the New York Air National Guard unit that supports scientific research in Greenland and Antarctica, flies the Ski-Herks. PHOTO BY SRA JULIUS DELOS REYES

Second Quarter 2008

EVENTS Refueling Merlin

Vikings On The Washington

PHOTO BY MCSS Roderick Barclay

An S-3B Viking attached to the Checkmates of Sea Control Squadron 22 (VS-22) refuels an EA-6B Prowler attached to the Scorpions of Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron 132 (VAQ-132) during a practice air power demonstration aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in March. The Washington was undergoing carrier qualifications and flight deck certification in preparation for its homeport change to Yokosuka, Japan. VS-22 was aboard the Washington to assist with the carrier qualifications. The Checkmates’ takeoff from the carrier on 28 May marked the last Viking catapult shot. VS-22, homeported at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, will be the last S-3 squadron in operation. The Checkmates are scheduled to stand down in 2009.

Soldiering On

AgustaWestland conducted air-to-air refueling trials of an AW101 test helicopter earlier this year using a Lockheed Martin C-130J in support of its campaign for the US combat search and rescue helicopter replacement program, known as CSAR-X. Testing began in February using an Italian Air Force C-130J fitted with wing-mounted hose and drogue pods. AgustaWestland used a test helicopter modified with the BERP IV blades fitted to the Royal Air Force’s Merlin Mk.3A helicopters. The BERP IV blades offer improved performance over standard rotor blades. Lockheed Martin, teamed with AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter Textron, is one of three teams recompeting for the now-contentious CSAR-X program. The Air Force is expected to award the CSAR-X contract later this year.

Static Nighthawk

PHOTO BY SRA DOMONIQUE SIMMONS

PHOTO BY PAUL WEATHERMAN

The 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Southwest Asia added a more than forty-five year-old C-130E into its fleet in April. In a previous war, the aircraft, Air Force serial number 62-1817 nicknamed Patches, was part of the resupply effort during the siege of Khe Sanh, South Vietnam. On 5 Februar y 1968, the aircraf t was heavily damaged during an ammunition supply flight to the remote outpost. The pilot that day, Lt. Col. Howard Dallman, received the Air Force Cross for his actions in leading the effort to save the aircraft and complete the mission. Since its activation in February, 746th EAS crews have completed airdrops, leaflet drops, and resupply missions using C-130E, H, and J model aircraft.

An F-117 that spent its career as a test article was towed from the 410th Flight Test Squadron facility at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on 3 March to the nearby Blackbird Airpark where it joined the U-2 and SR-71 on static display. Members of the 410th Flight Test Squadron prepared the aircraft for public display. The Nighthawk was stripped of its military hardware, including the engines, tailpipes, radar-absorbent material, much of the nose, and even the original glass in the canopy, before being restored to its original appearance. Refurbishment took seven months. This particular aircraft was the first to be photographed for public release when the Air Force officially revealed the stealth fighter’s existence in 1989.

Code One

NOTAMS

This space is devoted to announcements and items of general interest. For our non-pilot readers, NOTAM is short for Notice to Airmen. NOTAMS, briefed before every mission, contain important information that may concern the flight.

F-35 Maintainers Trained The first maintenance crews for the F-35 Lightning II completed classroom instruction and certification training on 11 April in preparation for F-35 test site standup at Edwards AFB, California, and NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. F-35 flightline mechanics from Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, and the US and UK military services completed vehicle systems, propulsion, avionics, fiber optics, and low observable materials training, as well as many other task certifications for the F-35A/B. 4,400th F-16 The 4,400th F-16 built was delivered from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, in April. This milestone aircraft will enter service with the Polish Air Force, which has purchased forty-eight Advanced Block 52 F-16s through the Peace Sky Foreign Military Sales program. The F-16 has been in production since 1978. In addition to Poland, F-16s are currently being built for Israel, Greece, Pakistan, and Turkey. The Fighting Falcon is flown by twenty-four countries. Parts Is Parts

Geronimo US and Bulgarian paratroopers descend from a C-130E Hercules over a drop zone near Bezmer AB in Bulgaria on 1 April during exercise Thracian Spring 2008. The annual bilateral

training exercise between the United States and Bulgaria provides training and improves interoperability between the two nations. The paratroopers are from the 86th Contingency Response Group and the 68th Bulgarian Special Forces Brigade. Philatelic Hercules

A C-5 crew from the 445th Airlift Wing, the Air Force Reserve Command unit at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, made a stop on the Wright Field side of the base on 14 March to deliver several large sections of the XC-99 transport to the National Museum of the US Air Force. The sections from the XC-99, a large transport derived from the B-36 bomber, are being flown from Kelly Field Annex in San Antonio, Texas. Restoration will take several years.

Final F-2 Components Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, or MHI, awarded Lockheed Martin a contract on 8 April for components for the final eight F-2 operational support fighters for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. For this twelfth F-2 production contract, Lockheed Martin provides the aft fuselage, leading-edge flaps, stores management system, eighty percent of the left-hand wing boxes, other avionics, and support equipment. MHI is the prime contractor for the F-2. A total of ninety-two F-2s will be built. T-50 For Black Eagles South Korea’s air force aerobatics team, the Black Eagles, will reform using the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 advanced trainer starting in 2010. The Black Eagles, which have performed more than 500 times outside South Korea, formerly flew the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, which was retired in 2007. The team’s aircraft will be modified with smoke oil tanks, spray nozzles, and related instrumentation. The color scheme shown here is notional.

A dozen historic aircraft were honored on a series of commemorative stamps issued in January by the Isle of Man Post Office to celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the Royal Air Force, the world’s oldest air arm. Each of the six stamps depicts a pair of RAF aircraft from various eras. A C-130K Hercules is shown with a Harrier on the modern era stamp. The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea between England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Super Hercules In The Sandbox SSgt. Brian Miliefsky preflights a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft on 29 April, prior to the crew’s second mission from Bagram AB, Afghanistan. Miliefsky is a loadmaster assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. He is deployed from the 115th Airlift Squadron, the Air National Guard unit based at Channel Islands ANGS at Port Hueneme, California. Going, Going, Gone This unique panoramic shot shows Raptor 4117 taking off from Dobbins ARB, Georgia, on 21 May for delivery to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The aircraft, one of the latest F-22s to come off the assembly line at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta adjacent to Dobbins, was flown directly to Elmendorf where it will be based. Raptors 4118 and 4119 were also delivered the same day.