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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0998.PDF
62 FLIGHT, 8 July 1960 MILITARY AIRCRAFT OF THE WORLD . . . Air Command, but 12 were bought by the RAAF. Powered by fourAllison T56-A-1A turboprops (3,750 e.h.p.) these pressurized aircraft can carry 28,0001b of freight or 92 troops, and are equipped for heavydropping. Off-shoots are the RC-130A (16 ordered) equipped for recpn- naissance, the C-130D (12 ordered) with wheel/ski undercarriage, andthe GC-130A (2) which can act as mother ship to four Firebee targets. Production is now centred on the C-130B, with A-7A engines(4,050 e.h.p.). In addition to the data given below, the maximum payload of this version is 36,7001b; the airframe is strengthened and fuel capacityincreased. At present 53 are being built for the USAF, the GV-1 is an assault transport and tanker of the US Marine Corps, and five weredelivered to Indonesia. A blown-flap version, with auxiliary podded gas turbines, has demonstrated extraordinary field performance. Span, 132/r 7m; length, 97ft Sin; height, 38/1 9m; wing area 1,745sq ft; weight empty, 58,700fb; gross weight, 135,0002b; internal fuel, 5,745 Imp gal; max cruise speed, 370 m.p.h.; initial climb, 2,450ft I min;range, 4,000 miles at 350 m.p.h. with 22,700/fc cargo; take-off over 50ft, 4,200ft; landing ground roll, 1,400/J. Grumman S2F-3 Tracker Lockheed EC-121/WV-2 Warning Star Derived from the SuperConstellation, the USAF EC-121D and Navy WV-2E were the last of a series of early warners designed for extended patrol off the eastern andnorthern seaboard of North America. Powered by four Wright Turbo- Compounds (3,500 h.p.) they have a crew of 31 and carry the mainscanner in a saucer-like dish above the fuselage. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter From 1952 Lockheed's CaliforniaDivision attempted to produce a supersonic day "air superiority" fighter for the USAF having the highest possible performance and minimumcost. Korea had shown an urgent need for a smaller and simpler aircraft with better equipment, greater combat performance, and designed fromthe outset as part of a weapon system. Production of two prototypes was authorized in March 1953, quantity production was assured in June 1954and the first F-104A flew in February 1956. Aptly described as "a missile with a man in it" the 104A has earned itself a mixed reputationsince it entered service with Air Defense Command in February 1958. Undoubtedly the "hottest" combat aeroplane, it has proved itself aflashing performer, but during its first year in service the number of aircraft written off, frequently with the loss of the pilot, was high. Aerodynamic design is bold. The wing has a t/c ratio of but 3.36 percent, a sharp, drooping leading edge, and simple flaps. Everything is carried in the fuselage, including the General Electric J79-GE-3A engine(15,0001b with afterburner), airflow around which provides additional thrust through the ejector nozzle and a means of matching the swallow-ing capacity of the fixed-geometry intakes to engine demands. All internal fuel is stored in the fuselage; normal capacity is approximately 900 Impgal. The T-171 Vulcan 20mm six-barrel installation is fed by a single belt, cases being stored in a box and links being dumped overboard.All control surfaces are fully boosted, and in the absence of hydraulic pressure are locked in the neutral position. No autopilot is fitted, buton the 104A the manual rudder is provided with a yaw damper. Small vanes on the forward fuselage sense angle of attack, and with the onsetof pitch-up shake the control column and (in the absence of remedial action) push the stick forward. Most current 104s have a downward-ejection seat, the canopy hinging sideways for entry and normal exit. Most 104As have now been withdrawn and last year the 104 wasremoved from service with Air Defense Command entirely. Its place in production was taken by the tandem-seal 104B multi-purpose combat-proficiency trainer, with reduced internal fuel and a fully powered rudder (without separate damping surface) of increased area, and the 104C,which incorporates many detail refinements. Most important of the latter are the change to the GE-7 engine (16,0001b with afterburner),the incorporation of compressor-bleed flap blowing, a refuelling probe and provision for carrying out ground-attack missions. The two-seatTactical Air Command counterpart is the 104D. The Japanese Govern- ment has adopted the 104C, and 180 F-104C/J and 20 F-104D/J aircraft Grumman F11F-1 Tigers are to be licence-built by Mitsubishi in Japan during the next five years.Next sub-type is the F-104D for Tactical Air Command, a tandem- seat trainer and local-defence aircraft developed from the 104C. Some40 Lockheed-built Ds are to be shared by Japan and the Netherlands. Lockheed will build 30 similar aircraft for Western Germany as theF-104F; Martin-Baker upward-ejection seats will be fitted, and equip- ment will generally parallel that of the "European" 104G. The G model is by far the most important of the family, and itrepresents a synthesis of all the latest improvements to produce the optimum multi-mission aircraft. A single-seater, it has a strengthenedairframe to enable external loads to be carried at high speeds and low altitudes and to permit the structure to withstand the increasedmanoeuvrability (a one-third reduction in turning radius at 5,000ft) provided by the addition of manoeuvring flaps. Major changes includethe incorporation of the NASARR air-to-air and air-to-surface radar fire-control, inertial navigator, air-data and toss-bombing computers,director gunsight and infra-red sight, Tacan, improved UHF, data-link time division set, position-and-homing indicator, electric intake ice pro-tection, anti-skid brakes, fuselage pylons for Sidewinders, a retracting ventral rail for large rockets, additional wing pylons, a manoeuvring auto-pilot, larger braking parachute and lOOgal optional tanks in place of the gun and its ammunition. At present 66 will be made for Germany byLockheed's California Division, and a further 210 will be made by the South German consortium, 364 by the North German group jointlywith Holland and Belgium, and a further quantity is likely to be con- structed in Europe for use by Italy and other countries. Engines willbe made by BMW and FN. Canada has adopted the model under the designation CF-104, and 200 are to be manufactured by Canadair asthe CL-90. Mention should also be made of the QF-104 drone, most of which are conversions of 104As. Span, 21ft llin; length, 54ft 9in; height, 13ft 6in; wing area, 179 sq ft;weight empty, 13,800/b (two-seaters, 13,200); gross weight, 17,000/b (104,4), 20,500Zb (104C), or 27,000» (104G maximum permissible);max speed, about 1,600 m.p.h. (M2.36); service ceiling, 60,000/r. Lockheed P2V Neptune Approximately 1,000 Neptunes have beendelivered to the US Navy and to Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands, and Japan is making a small batch.The current P2V-7 is powered by two Wright Turbo-Compound engines (3,500 h.p.) and two Westinghouse J34-WE-36 turbojets (3,4001b) andcarries a crew of nine. Armament comprises twin 20mm guns in the dorsal turret, 8,0001b of assorted stores internally and 16 rockets underthe wings. The APS-20 radar is housed in a fixed radome, additional electronics and a searchlight are carried in the forward portions of thetip tanks and MAD gear is housed in the extreme tail. In addition to the aircraft's usual functions as an ocean patroller many are employed asparent to Firebee drones, and a few are used as RB-69 radio trainers by the USAF. Span, 103ft 10m; length, 91ft Sin; height, 29ft 4in; wing area,1,000 sq ft; weight empty, 49,935lb; gross weight, 79,895lb; max speed, 356 m.p.h.; initial climb 2,527'ft/'min; service ceiling, 22,000ft; range,3,850 miles. Lockheed P3V Electra Winner of a Neptune-replacement competi-tion early in 1958, the P3V-1 is an ASW ocean patroller based on the Electra airliner. Powered by four Allison T56-A-10W (4,500 e.h.p.with water injection) it has a pressurized fuselage for a crew of ten. An internal weapons bay ahead of the wing and external pylons can carrysome 15,0001b of stores, radar is housed in the nose and beneath the fuselage and MAD gear in a tail sting. Cruising on the outboardengines only it is calculated that 370,000 sq miles could be searched in a single mission. Deliveries start next year. Span, 99ft; length, 113/1 Tin; height, 33ft lt'n; wing area, 1,300 sq ft;gross weight, 125,OOOZb; max speed, over 450 m.p.h. Lockheed T2V Seastar Final descendant of the original F-80/T-33family, 271 T2V-ls are serving as combat and carrier trainers with the US Navy. Powered by an Allison J33-A-24 (6,1001b) the Seastar seatsthe instructor behind and above the pupil, and has blown flaps. Lockheed U-2 Although originally designed by Lockheed's CaliforniaDivision as a research test-bed, and used by NASA for global explora- tion of the upper atmosphere, the unmatched altitude performance of theU-2 led to its selection for unauthorized penetrations of Soviet air space as a routine task. At least 25 were delivered; six have been lost inaccidents and a famous specimen was destroyed near Sverdlovsk on May 1. Early versions were powered by Pratt & Whitney J57s, but the"espionage" variants have the J75-P-13 (about 17,0001b) with extended compressor blading. Equipment includes MIT inertial guidance, Lear
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