AirSkyBuster : Aircraft and Airplane

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AC-130 Spectre (wallpaper 1). AC-130 Spectre aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. AC-130 Spectre airplane pictures and images collection 1. Special Purpose Aircraft. The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily-armed ground-attack aircraft. The basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, and Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support. It is a variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The AC-130A Gunship II superseded the AC-47 Gunship I during the Vietnam War. The gunship's sole user is the United States Air Force, which uses AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spooky variants. The AC-130H "Spectre" is powered by four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops and is armed with two 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannons, one Bofors 40mm autocannon, and one 105 mm M102 cannon. The upgraded AC-130U "Spooky" has a single 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer in place of the Spectre's twin 20 mm cannons, as well as an improved fire control system and increased capacity for ammunition. It has a standard crew of twelve or thirteen airmen, including five officers (two pilots, a navigator, an electronic warfare officer, and a fire control officer) and enlisted personnel (flight engineer, sensor operators, aerial gunners, and a loadmaster). The AC-130H's call sign is "Spectre." The AC-130U's call sign is "Spooky. " The U-model is the third generation of C-130 gunships. All gunships evolutionized from the first operational gunship, the AC-47. AC-130 Spectre (wallpaper 1). AC-130 Spectre aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. AC-130 Spectre airplane pictures and images collection 1. The AC-130 gunship has a combat history dating to Vietnam. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many life-saving close air support missions. During Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983, AC-130s suppressed enemy air defense systems and attacked ground forces enabling the successful assault of the Point Salines Airfield via airdrop and air land of friendly forces. The AC-130 aircrew earned the Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner Award for the mission. AC-130s also had a primary role during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989 when they destroyed Panamanian Defense Force Headquarters and numerous command and control facilities. Aircrews earned the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year and the Tunner Award for their efforts. During Operation Desert Storm, AC-130s provided close air support and force protection (air base defense) for ground forces. Gunships were also used during operations Continue Hope and United Shield in Somalia, providing close air support for United Nations ground forces. Gunships also played a pivotal role in supporting the NATO mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The AC-130H provided air interdiction against key targets in the Sarajevo area. In 1997, gunships were diverted from Italy to provide combat air support for U.S. and allied ground troops during the evacuation of American noncombatants in Albania. Gunships also were part of the buildup of U.S. forces in 1998 to convince Iraq to comply with U.N. weapons inspections. More recently, both aircraft have been employed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Gunships provided armed reconnaissance, interdiction and direct support of ground troops engaged with enemy forces. AC-130 Spectre (wallpaper 1). AC-130 Spectre aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. AC-130 Spectre airplane pictures and images collection 1.

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HU-16 Albatross (wallpaper 1). HU-16 Albatross aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. HU-16 Albatross airplane pictures and images collection 1. Special Purpose Aircraft. The HU-16 Albatross made numerous dramatic and hazardous rescues in Southeast Asia, on occasion taxiing many miles over rough, open water when unable to take off. The rapid increase in rescue requirements generated by direct involvement of U.S. forces created an acute shortage of experienced HU-16 and helicopter pilots. The Air Force approached the Coast Guard for supplemental help at the beginning of 1966. An aviator exchange program was suggested. However, it was not until March 1967 that the Coast Guard agreed on an implementing memorandum of agreement. The HU-16s, replaced by the HH-3Es, were not phased out of Vietnam service by the fall of 1967. By September 30, 1967 the HU-16 Albatross had completed its last. amphibious recovery and was replaced by the HH-3E helicopter. By 1971, the U-16's, which were then 20-25 years old, had neared the end of their life cycle. HU-16 Albatross (wallpaper 1). HU-16 Albatross aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. HU-16 Albatross airplane pictures and images collection 1. Since April 1972, the U-16 aircraft were being phased out at the rate of seven per year due to corrosion, atigue of the main wing spar, and general obsolescence. The remaining HU-16's were not able to keep up with the large RS mission demand. Other Coast Guard aircraft, such as the C-130and the H-3 and H-52 helicopters, were called on handle some of the medium range search missions previously handled by the HU-16's. The Coast Guard also reactivated several C-131's retired by the Air Force. These airplanes were operated until the new MRS aircraft were available. The prototype airborne oil surveillance system (AOSS I) developed for the U.S. Coast Guard by Aerojet ElectroSystems under Contract DOT-CG-22170A was modified and transferred from a HU-16 aircraft to a HC-130B aircraft. The added capabilities of the new system configuration were verified by a flight test program. Modifications to the system included (1) the addition of a high resolution aerial reconnaissance camera, (2) the addition of a dual look (left and right) capability for the SLAR, (3) automatic SLAR target position location, (4) an airborne remote temperature measurement capability, (5) simultaneous multispectral recording capability for the IR-UV line scanner data, and (6) improved processing of passive microwave imager data. The proven system capabilities of AOSS I combined with the added capabilities incorporated into AOSS II provide a unique and valuable system to support all U.S. Coast Guard missions. By 1977 the system was operational and based at Elizabeth City, North Carolina. HU-16 Albatross (wallpaper 1). HU-16 Albatross aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. HU-16 Albatross airplane pictures and images collection 1.

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SR-71 Blackbird (wallpaper 1)
SR-71 Blackbird aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. SR-71 Blackbird airplane pictures collection 1.
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by the Lockheed Skunk Works as a black project. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the design's innovative concepts. During reconnaissance missions the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats; if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, standard evasive action was simply to accelerate. The SR-71 was in service with the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1998. Twelve of the 32 aircraft were destroyed in accidents; none were lost to enemy action. SR-71 Blackbird (wallpaper 1). SR-71 Blackbird aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. SR-71 Blackbird airplane pictures collection 1. The SR-71 was unofficially named the Blackbird, and called the Habu by its crews, referring to an Okinawan species of pit viper. Since 1976, it has held the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, a record previously held by the YF-12. The Lockheed A-12, designed for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Clarence Johnson at the Lockheed Skunk Works, was the precursor of the SR-71. The A-12's first flight took place at Groom Lake (Area 51), Nevada, on 25 April 1962. It was equipped with the less powerful Pratt & Whitney J75 engines due to protracted development of the intended Pratt & Whitney J58. The J58s were retrofitted as they became available, and became the standard power plant for all subsequent aircraft in the series (A-12, YF-12, M-21) as well as the follow-on SR-71 aircraft. Thirteen A-12s were built. Two A-12 variants were also developed, including three YF-12A interceptor prototypes, and two M-21 drone carrier variants. The cancellation of A-12 program was announced on 28 December 1966, due to budget concerns, and because of the forthcoming SR-71. The A-12 flew missions over Vietnam and North Korea before its retirement in 1968. SR-71 Blackbird (wallpaper 1). SR-71 Blackbird aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. SR-71 Blackbird airplane pictures collection 1.

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E-2 Hawkeye (wallpaper 1). E-2 Hawkeye aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. E-2 Hawkeye aircraft pictures collection 1. The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, aircraft carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop airplane was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the earlier E-1 Tracer, which was rapidly becoming obsolete. E-2 performance has been upgraded with the E-2B, and E-2C versions, where most of the changes were made to the radar and radio communications due to advances in electronic integrated circuits and other electronics. The fourth version of the Hawkeye is the E-2D, which first flew in 2007. The E-2 also received the nickname "Super Fudd" because it replaced the E-1 Tracer "Willy Fudd". E-2 Hawkeye (wallpaper 1). E-2 Hawkeye aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. E-2 Hawkeye aircraft pictures collection 1. In recent decades, the E-2 has been commonly referred to as the "Hummer" because of the distinctive sounds of its turboprop engines, quite unlike that of turbojet and turbofan jet engines. The E-2 and its sister, the C-2 Greyhound, are currently the only propeller airplanes that operate from aircraft carriers. In addition to U.S. Navy service, smaller numbers of E-2s have been sold to the armed forces of Egypt, France, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. Continual improvements in airborne radars up through 1956 led to the construction of AEW airplanes by several different countries and several different armed forces. The functions of command and control and sea & air surveillance were also added. The first carrier-based aircraft to perform these missions for the U.S. Navy and its allies was the Douglas AD Skyraider, which was replaced in US Navy service by the Grumman E-1 Tracer, which was a modified version of the S-2 Tracker twin-engined anti-submarine warfare aircraft, where the radar was carried in an aerofoil-shaped radome carried above the aircraft's fuselage. The E-1 was utilized by the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1977. E-2 Hawkeye (wallpaper 1). E-2 Hawkeye aircraft images wallpaper gallery 1. E-2 Hawkeye aircraft pictures collection 1.

Special Purpose Aircraft. Modern specialized aircraft are often seen as the most innovative and technologically advanced of all aircraft. However, this is ironic considering that the first archaic designs to clatter off the production line and inducted into war were in fact special mission aircraft. Specialized airplanes made their combat debut in the Great War, and were all completely designed around the observation role. Early Bleriot types, for example, would be sent to fly above Triple Alliance forces and identify the size and span of the enemy below, as well as the types of equipment in their possession. In fact, going back to the year 1794, the French became the first to ever field a specialized aircraft of any type, when the French Republican Army made use of balloons in the observation role. Special Purpose Aircraft. The balloons were equipped with a spyglass and could loiter for a long time above the battlefield; just as modern observation aircraft like the OV-10 Bronco gives its pilots radar and can support sustained, long-range flights above the battlefield. The term "Specialized Aircraft" is in fact a very broad definition, and can apply to any fighter built for a particular purpose. Although other aircraft such as interceptor fighters and troop transports, etc, are also considered specialized, they are present in much greater numbers and variety than other specialized aircraft and are therefore categories of their own. Today, the term "Specialized Aircraft" is used to describe less common, but completely unique aircraft that play a significant role on the battlefield. These aircraft include observation/FAC aircraft, without which an army wouldn't be able to quickly gauge the scope of a battle as OV-10 Broncos proved in the Gulf war, and ASW aircraft, such as the S-3 Viking that can be deployed in large numbers to sink any type of submarine known to man. Below is an overview of these aircraft, their roles, dominant characteristics, and the reasons they can prove invaluable for handling a variety of common/dire battlefield situations. Special Purpose Aircraft.