Sud Aviation Vautour

The Sud Aviation Vautour (S.O.4050) was a ground-attack and all-weather fighter aircraft in service with the French Air Force during the Cold War. It was a versatile twin-jet warplane which was produced by the French firm Sud Aviation (Sud-Ouest) in both single-seat and two-seat versions from 1956 to 1959. The Vautour was also used as a bomber, interceptor, and reconnaissance aircraft. As a matter of fact, for several years, it was France's only all-weather fighter and it remained operational in this role until 1973 when it was replaced by the Dassault Mirage F1. Fitted with sweptback wing, it was a maneuverable and reliable warplane, which was used also by the Israeli Air Force during the 1967 Six Day War. Due to its wing and tail configuration, its appearance was reminiscent of the North American F-86 Sabre or the Soviet MiG-17.

The prototype of the Sud Aviation Vautour made its maiden flight on October 16, 1952. Since jet-powered, swept-wing aircraft was a novelty in those days in the French aviation, the flight test phase to improve and set right technical problems lasted four years, and the aircraft was finally introduced into service with the French Air Force in July 1956 as the Vautour IIN, which was a two-seat, all-weather night fighter and interceptor fitted with a radar set up in the nose, and armed with four 30-mm cannons and air-to-air rockets. Next, Sud Aviation produced the IIA variant, which was a single-seat, ground-attack aircraft; this is version that was acquired by Israel, while the IIB variant was a two-seat bomber, which could carry up to 4,400 kg (9,700-lb) of bombs. All versions were powered by the French-made SNECMA Atar 101 turbojet engines.

Technical Characteristics

The Sud Aviation Vautour was a medium-size, twin-engine, subsonic monoplane. It had a semi-monocoque, all-metal fuselage, with a conical nose and a tapering rear section. The aircraft featured sweptback, shoulder wing, with a sweep of 35°. The tailplane also had a sweptback configuration and it was mounted on the vertical fin of tail assembly. The Vautour was fitted with a bicycle landing gear, which consisted of two main legs set in tandem and retracting into the fuselage. The two SNECMA Atar 101 jet engines were contained in pods carried under the wings. The weapon bay, for bombs or missiles, was located in central portion of fuselage. The cockpit was pressurized and equipped with ejection seat(s). Only the IIN all-weather fighter was equipped with a radar, which was mounted in nose of aircraft.

Specifications (Vautour IIA)

Type: ground-attack aircraft

Length: 15.57 m (51 feet, 1 inch)

Wing Span: 15.09 m (49 feet, 6 inches)

Wing Area: 45 m2 (484 square feet)

Height: 4.5 m (14 feet, 9 inches)

Power Plant: two 7,719-lb-thrust, SNECMA Atar 101E-3 turbojet engines

Maximum Speed: 1,105 km/h (687 mph)

Range: 2,575 km (1,600 miles)

Service Ceiling: 15,000 m (49,210 feet)

Weight: 10,000 kg (empty)

Crew: 1

Armament: four 30-mm DEFA cannons; 240 rockets or 10 bombs in fuselage weapon bay.

Above, the Vautour IIA ground-attack version flying over the French countryside.

The IIN version of the aircraft.

The second prototype, S.O.4050-2, which would become the IIA version.

Vought F-8 Crusader

The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-seat, carrier-borne fighter aircraft, which was in service with the United States Navy during the Cold War. In the armed conflict in Southeast Asia, it was the perfect match to engage and defeat the Soviet-made, North Vietnamese Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 in a dogfight. The Crusader shot down nineteen MiGs with Sidewinders air-to-air missiles and four with its 20-mm Mk 12 cannons. Nevertheless, this naval combat plane was also used in the ground-attack role to provide US Marines with fire support. This supersonic naval fighter was a reliable and very maneuverable aircraft, which American pilots liked very much. Many innovations were introduced with the Crusader in order to meet the specification demands, such as the hydraulically-operated variable incidence wing.

Originally known as the F8U, the F-8 Crusader performed its maiden flight on March 25, 1955. It was the prototype XF8U-1, which exceeded Mach-1 during this 52-minute flight. It was quite an achievement at that time, proving thereby that it was the first shipboard fighter aircraft capable of flying faster than the speed of sound in level flight. This prototype was powered by one Pratt & Whitney J57-P-11 turbojet engine, which delivered 9,700 pounds of thrust, and 14,800 pounds using afterburning. During the flight tests, it became the first aircraft to span the United States faster than the speed of sound. It would finally be introduced into service with the US Navy on March 17, 1957. More than 1,200 Crusaders would be produced by Vought in different versions, of which the F-8D and F-8E variants were the most widely used. The French Navy acquired forty F-8Es, which would be in service until 1999, when they were finally withdrawn.

Technical Description

The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-seat, single-engine, supersonic monoplane of all-metal construction. The fuselage was built of steel and magnesium alloy. However, the portion around the afterburner and a large part of the central structure were made of titanium. The aircraft was fitted with cropped, swept-back, high-wing. For take-off and landing, the wing was raised by 7° by a hydraulic self-locking actuator, which gave the wing a high angle of incidence and thereby reducing the approach speed but keeping the fuselage in a near horizontal position, thus providing excellent visibility to the pilot. The wing unit was of multi-spar structure and formed an integral fuel tank, with exception of the wing outer panel.

The wing itself had a sweepback of 42° at one-quarter chordline and an anhedral angle of 5° to improve lateral stability. The outer wing panels were hydraulically folded up for carrier stowage. Below the wing, in mid portion of fuselage, there were the bays for the main landing gear, which retracted hydraulically forward. The steerable nose wheel retracted rearward. The rear portion of fuselage contained the engine and afterburner and the tail assembly, with a very large vertical fin and the all-flying swept-back tail plane. The electronic components, such as the radar, were located in the nose. The engine air intake was situated on belly of aircraft under the nose.

Specifications (F-8E)

Type: carrier-based fighter

Length: 16.61 m (54 feet, 6 inches)

Wing Span: 10.87 m (35 feet, 8 inches)

Wing Area: 32.52 m2 (350 square feet)

Height: 4.80 m (15 feet, 9 inches)

Power Plant: one 18,000-lb, Pratt & Whitney J57-P-20A turbojet engine with afterburner.

Maximum Speed: 1,802 km/h (1,120 mph)

Range: 1,660 km (1,031 miles)

Service Ceiling: 17,983 m (59,000 feet)

Avionics: Magnavox AN/APQ-84

Armament: four 20-mm Colt Mk 12 cannons; four AIM-9 Sidewinders air-to-air missiles; eight 227-kg (500-lb) bombs or two AGM-12B Bullpup air-to-ground missiles.

Above, the F-8 about to land on flight deck of USS Enterprise.

An F-8C Crusader retracting its main landing gear after take-off.

Above, a head-on view of an F-8E of the French Navy.

Two US Navy Crusaders flying a sortie off the coast of North Vietnam.

A Crusader about to maneuver for take-off.

Consolidated B-32 Dominator

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was a long-range, strategic bomber which was in service with the US Army's Air Forces during the last year of World War. It was developed by Consolidated as an 'insurance' against any possibility that the Boeing B-29 project might fail. If events had turned out differently, the big and powerful B-32 might have led the 1944/45 bombing campaign against the Japanese home islands. However, the B-29 succeeded and became and outstanding bomber. Thus, the Dominator importance became marginal, flying only ten combat sorties in the Pacific Theater of Operation before it was retired from service on August 30, 1945. Nevertheless, it was a rugged and stable aircraft, with good handling characteristics, and it could take a lot of beating in the air and it was still able to fly to return to their home base.

The prototype of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator (XB-32 serial #41-141) made its maiden flight on September 7, 1942, fourteen days before the B-29 was able to take to the air. After more than two years of flight tests, it was finally introduced into service with the US Army's Air Forces on January 27, 1945. It was assigned to the 386th Bomb Squadron, which moved from the Philippines to Okinawa, bombing Japan during the last of month of the war. Consolidated built a total of 118 Dominators between 1944 and 1945. The records showed the B-32 was not a total failure her detractors had wrongly claimed. When pressed into combat duty by the Far East Air Forces, the B-32 proved itself to be a sturdy and reliable bombing platform, distinguishing itself for having fought and won the final aerial combat against the Japanese Empire.

Technical Characteristics

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was a large, four-engine monoplane. It had a semi-monocoque, cylindrical, all-metal fuselage, with flush riveting on the forward section, and standard brazier-head riveting aft of the flight deck. This aircraft was fitted with cantilever, high wing, whose leading and trailing edge tapered towards the tip. The crew compartments were located fore and aft of the dual tandem bomb-bays and they were connected by a catwalk running along a heavily-built beam. The bomb-bays doors were hydraulically powered. The wing was built up on two spars, with metal ribs and flush riveted aluminum skin. The wing central section was mounted high and went through the shoulder of fuselage, and it housed four self-sealing fuel tanks which supplied the bomber's four Wright R-3350-13 Cyclone radial engines with gasoline. Each one of these engines could deliver 2,200 horsepower. The tail assembly consisted of a large vertical fin and rudder, and a tail plane, with a leading edge that swept slightly backward.

Specifications

Type: long-range heavy bomber

Length: 25.32 m (83 feet, 1 inch)

Wing Span: 41.15 m (135 feet)

Wing Area: 132.10 m2 (1,422 square feet)

Height: 10 m (33 feet)

Power Plant: four 2,200-HP, Wright R-3350-13 Cyclone radial, piston engines

Maximum Speed: 575 km/h (357 mph)

Range: 6,115 km (3,800 miles)

Service Ceiling: 10,670 m (35,000 feet)

Crew: 10

Armament: ten 12,7-mm (.50-cal.) M2 Browning machine guns. Provision for 9,100 kg (20,000-lb) of bombs.

Above, the Dominator in flight. It was as large and as powerful than the B-29.

A B-32 flying over California in 1945.

Three Dominators flying over Texas, near Dallas, in March 1945.

LTV A-7 Corsair II

The LTV A-7 Corsair II was a carrier-borne attack aircraft, which was used by the US Navy and US Air Force during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. Despite its stubby appearance, it proved to be one of the most capable attack aircraft in service with the US Navy. Compared to the small A-4 Skyhawk it replaced,  the A-7 represented a great leap in technology as it could deliver weapons with an accuracy unheard of in their day. It achieved the lowest loss rate of any aircraft in the Vietnam War. The head-up display, the central navigation and weapon delivery computer, and other avionics innovations were first used on this subsonic aircraft.

The A-7 Corsair II was developed and produced by LTV (Ling-Temco Vought) in the United States of America. The prototype made its maiden flight on September 20, 1965, and the first operational US Navy squadron airplane was delivered in October 1966. It finally entered service on February 1, 1967, as the A-7A Corsair II. The A-7A, A-7B, and A-7E versions took part in the Vietnam War. The first combat mission assigned to this attack aircraft took place in December 1967. The Corsair II was a true naval attack aircraft in every way, flying its last combat sorties during the 1991 Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm). The A-7D and A-7K were the variants used by USAF. It was also employed by the Portuguese and Greek Air Force. A total of 1,545 aircraft was produced between 1965 and 1984.

Technical Description

The LTV A-7 Corsair II was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane designed to operate from aircraft carrier. It had a short, stubby, all-metal fuselage and moderate swept wing, which was mounted on shoulder of fuselage. The wing outer panel could be folded upward to facilitate aircraft stowage beneath the carrier deck. The wing trailing edge was fitted with conventional outboard ailerons and slotted flaps. There were three pylons under each wing for carrying bombs and missiles. The cockpit had an upward hinging canopy, giving pilot excellent visibility. The pilot sat on an Escapat ejection seat. The A-7E version was powered by one Rolls Royce Allison TTF41-A-2 turbofan engine, which delivered 14,979 pounds of thrust. The engine air intake was located on belly of  aircraft, under cockpit. The Corsair II had short and sturdy retractable landing gear.

Specifications (A-7E)

Type: carrier-based subsonic attack aircraft

Length: 14.06 m (46 feet, 2 inches)

Wing Span: 11.81 m (38 feet, 9 inches)

Wing Area: 34.83 m2 (375 square feet)

Height: 4.88 m (16 feet)

Power Plant: one 14,979-lb, Rolls Royce Allison TTF41-A-2 turbofan engine

Maximum Speed: 1,123 km/h (698 mph)

Climb Rate: 4,572 m/minute

Service Ceiling: 12,800 m (41,995 feet)

Crew: one

Armament: one M61A1 Vulcan six-barrel 20-mm gun; maximum bomb-load of 6,804 kg (15,000-lb).

Above, a US Navy's A-7A version flying off the coast of California around 1968.

Above, a USAF's A-7D variant makes a pass over a land airbase.

A Crusader II taxing towards the runway to take off.

A-7 attack aircraft on the flight deck of carrier USS America.

A Corsair II in service with the Portuguese Air Force.

Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a long-range, maritime patrol bomber used by the US Navy during World War II and the Korean War. It was developed from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, which was a widely used bomber in WWII. The Liberator was redesigned for the demanding mission of flying long-range maritime patrols. The Privateer differs from the B-24 bomber in having a lengthened fuselage, a prominent single fin, an Erco nose turret, and an updated power plant. In service with the US Navy, the PB4Y-2 flew combat sorties in the Pacific Theater of Operations from late 1944. It was also employed by the French Navy during the French-Indochina War.

The prototype of the Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer first flew on September 20, 1943, and it was introduced into service with the US Navy on November 18, 1944. Total Privateer production was 736 aircraft, with the last one being delivered in October 1945. Loudspeaker-equipped PB4Y-2s were used in the Marianas Campaign to encourage Japanese soldiers to surrender. Several Privateers were delivered to the Nationalist China (Taiwan) to carry out reconnaissance missions over the People's Republic of China. However, three of them would be shot down by AA guns for violating its air space. The PB4Y-2B, 2M, 2S, and PB4Y-2K version would also be produced. Its main virtue was its long-range capacity as this aircraft could fly twice as far as the North American PBJ Mitchell, thus being able to cover 4,500 km.

Technical Description

The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a large, four-engine monoplane. Its fuselage was of semi-monocoque all-metal construction. The nose of fuselage featured the distinctive Erco nose turret, which carried two .50-caliber M2 Browning machine guns. The aircraft was fitted with cantilever, shoulder wing. Both the leading and trailing edge of wing tapered towards the tip. The tail assembly consisted of a conventional tailplane, which was mounted high on fuselage, and a large vertical fin and rudder. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp, radial piston engines, each one being able to deliver 1,350 horsepower.

Specifications

Type: maritime patrol bomber

Length: 22.73 m (74 feet, 7 inches)

Wing Span: 33.53 m (110 feet)

Wing Area: 97.4 m2 (1,048 square feet)

Height: 9.17 m (30 feet, 1 inch)

Power Plant: four 1,350-HP, Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines.

Maximum Speed: 482 km/h (300 mph)

Range: 4,500 km (2,800 miles)

Service Ceiling: 6,310 m (20,700 feet)

Crew: 11

Armament: twelve 12.7-mm (.50-cal.) M2 Browning machine guns; plus up to 5,800 kg (12,780-lb) of bombs.

Above, the PB4Y-2 in flight during WWII.

A Privateer parked on airbase tarmac. Notice the two M2 Browning machine guns in nose of aircraft.

A PB4Y-2 on an airbase in Shanghai, China, in 1945.

Cessna O-2 Skymaster

The Cessna O-2 Skymaster was a forward air control, observation aircraft, which was used by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was developed from the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, which was a private aircraft design. It was a reliable and maneuverable plane flying at low altitudes, and it was also cheap and easy to maintain. In 1967, it was sent to South Vietnam where it would also carry out ground-attack missions; to fulfill that role, it was fitted with four hardpoints for a wide variety of light air-to-ground weaponry. In Southeast Asia, it replaced the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog. The USAF would receive a total of 531 O-2s during the Vietnam War years. In the 1970s, it was also used in action in Rhodesia, Africa, in low-intensity warfare against leftist guerrillas.

The prototype of the Cessna O-2 Skymaster performed its maiden flight on January 27, 1967, and it would be introduced into service with the US Air Force only two months later, on March 28, 1967. Its unusual power arrangement, with both engines on the centerline of the aircraft, made it easier for the pilot to keep control of plane if one engine was lost. Cessna built this military aircraft in two versions: the O-2A, which was designed to be used in forward air control and observation missions; and the O-2B, which was conceived for psychological warfare as it was equipped with loudspeakers and a leaflet dispensers. In observation and forward air control missions, the O-2A flew low and close to targets to identify and indicate position of enemy troops or command post for friendly bombers and artillery units to attack and destroy enemy targets.

Technical Characteristics

The Cessna O-2 Skymaster was a two-seat, twin-twin engine monoplane. Its short, monocoque fuselage was of all-metal construction. The aircraft had straight, high wing, with the trailing edge tapering towards the wing tip. Th wing was mounted with a slight dihedral angle and was supported and reinforced at the root by two lateral struts. The plane had a twin-boom configuration, with twin vertical fin and rudder. It had a comfortable, pressurized cockpit with two seats for pilot and observer. It was powered by two Teledyne Continental IO-360-C/D, air-cooled, piston engines, which were mounted in tandem along the centerline, with one in front of cockpit and the other behind it. The aircraft had retractable, tricycle-type landing gear.

Specifications

Type: observation aircraft

Length: 9 m (29 feet, 9 inches)

Wing Span: 11.58 m (38 feet)

Wing Area: 18.81 m2 (202 square feet)

Height: 2.84 m (9 feet, 4 inches)

Power Plant: two, in-tandem, 210-HP, Teledyne Continental IO-360-C/D, flat-sexi piston engines.

Maximum Speed: 320 km/h (198 mph)

Range: 1,706 km (1,060 miles)

Service Ceiling: 6,000 m (19,800 feet)

Crew: two

Armament: 70-mm marker rockets and light bombs and machine guns.

The Skymaster had two in-tandem piston engines and was equipped with two rocket pods.

View of belly of aircraft as it banks left. Notice the bombs it carries on the four hardpoints.

The O-2 flying over Vietnam in the early 1970s.

Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight

The Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight was a troop-transport, twin-rotor helicopter in service with the US Navy and US Marine Corps between 1964 and 2023. It was widely used during the Vietnam War both as a troop transport and utility chopper. Due to its mechanical and technical reliability and its impressive performance, the CH-46 had a very long career in the United States, where it would also be employed as a search and rescue chopper by the US Coast Guard in the HH-46 version. It saw combat action world-wide, from Southeast Asia to Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it had one weakness: it had thin armor and it was vulnerable to small arm fire, such as machine guns. Nevertheless, it was an effective assault helicopter used by the US Marine Corps.

The prototype of the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight first took to the air on April 22, 1958. The first production helicopters rolled out of the factory in October 1962 and they were accepted into service with the US Navy and Marine Corps two years later, on May 28, 1964. When the Sea Knight was introduced, it provided a new standard of performance to the United States as it was a versatile helicopter especially designed for combat troop transport and logistic support. To the US Navy, this meant vertical replenishment, using this helicopter to haul cargoes to ships at sea. The US Marine Corps, on the other hand, used it to carry combat troops directly into battle. Many veterans who served in Vietnam are alive today because the CH-46 snatched them out of danger and flew them to safety, away from the battlefield. The Marines called it the ''flying bullfrog''.

Technical Characteristics

The Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight was a twin-turbine, medium-lift helicopter, with a tandem-rotor configuration. The fuselage was all-metal, with three, small, round windows and a side door on each side and a large rear ramp door to facilitate quick troop access and exit and cargo loading. Up to twenty-five fully-equipped combat troops could be carried in the fuselage. The cockpit was large enough to seat two pilots and a load-master as improved avionics were fitted inside. The CH-46E version was powered by two General Electric T58-GE-16 turboshaft engines, each one delivering 1,870 horsepower. The three-bladed rotors rotated in opposite direction to counterbalance each other and avoid an out-of-control spiraling spin. The blades were made of glassfiber. The landing gear was non-retractable and it was strengthened to withstand the high rates of vertical sink. The CH-46A, CH-46D, and CH-46E were the assault and cargo transport versions used by the US Marine Corps, while the UH-46A-B and D were the US Navy utility variant.

Specifications (CH-46E)

Type: assault/troop transport helicopter

Rotor Diameter: 15.24 m (50 feet)

Rotor Disc Area: 182.41 m2 (1,963 square feet)

Fuselage Length: 13.67 m (44 feet, 10 inches)

Power Plant: two 1,870-HP, General Electric T58-GE-16 turboshaft engines

Maximum Speed: 256 km/h (159 mph)

Range: 996 km (618 miles)

Capacity: 25 troops

Armament: two 12,7-mm (.50-cal) M2 Browning machine guns.

Above, the Navy's utility version of the Sea Knight.

Two CH-46s of HMM-161 transporting marines of the 1st Marine Division during a Search and Rescue operation in Da Nang, South Vietnam.

A HH-46 variant for search and rescue operations.

Above, a CH-46D version of the US Marine in South Vietnam in 1969.