Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: TXnMA
Here's one I took March 4, 1981 somewhere west of Hawaii, south of Wake, maybe near Eniwetok...


23 posted on 10/21/2007 7:06:32 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty; The Pendleton 8: We are not going down without a fight)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies ]


To: RaceBannon
LOL! That photo brings back memories. Back on the 'PRISE I used to enjoy cruising up to brown shoe country to check out the squadron's bulletin board for the "Intercept Photo of the Day" . Sometimes you could just make out the figure of the bored Russian kid in the Bear's tail observation blister giving our Tomcat jock the Finger. Oh, the Cold War! What larks, Pip...

B-chan
Former MM3
USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65)

GONAVY

33 posted on 10/22/2007 12:58:50 AM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies ]

To: RaceBannon

Thanks for the new desktop background. : )


34 posted on 10/22/2007 1:10:43 AM PDT by skr (How majestic is Thy Name, O Lord, and how mighty are Thy Works!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies ]

To: RaceBannon; Tailgunner Joe
A neat little summary from this web site:

http://faqs.cs.uu.nl/na-dir/mil-aviation-faq/part4.html

Subject: H.3. USAF/USN fighters and attack aircraft

A complete list of US aircraft would take up far too much space; instead,
I’ve listed only the post-war “F” and “A” series, the ones most often asked
about.

One star indicates a type that existed only as one or more prototypes and
never entered service; two stars indicate a type that never left the
drawing board; three stars indicate that the number was never assigned at
all (as far as I could determine).

USAF fighter designations, since the initiation of the “F” series in 1948:

F-80: Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star
F-81: * Convair XF-81 (experimental mixed-power jet/turboprop fighter)
F-82: North American F-82 Twin Mustang
F-83: * Bell XF-83
F-84: Republic F-84 Thunderjet/Thunderstreak/RF-84 Thunderflash
F-85: * McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (parasite fighter experiment)
F-86: North American F-86 Sabre
F-87: * Curtiss XF-87 Blackhawk
F-88: * McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo
F-89: Northrop F-89 Scorpion
F-90: * Lockheed XF-90
F-91: * Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
F-92: * Convair XF-92
F-93: North American YF-93 (F-86 derivative)
F-94: Lockheed F-94 Starfire (F-80/T-33 derivative)
F-95: North American YF-95 (became F-86D)
F-96: Republic YF-96 (became F-84F)
F-97: Lockheed YF-97 (became F-94C)
F-98: Hughes F-98 Falcon (air-to-air missile; became GAR-1, later
AIM-4)
F-99: Boeing F-99 Bomarc (ground-to-air missile; became IM-99, later
CIM-10)
F-100: North American F-100 Super Sabre
F-101: McDonnell F-101 Voodoo
F-102: Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
F-103: ** Republic XF-103 (turbojet/ramjet hypersonic interceptor)
F-104: Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
F-105: Republic F-105 Thunderchief
F-106: Convair F-106 Delta Dart
F-107: * North American YF-107 (F-100 derivative)
F-108: ** North American XF-108 Rapier (long range interceptor and
XB-70 escort)
F-109: ** Bell XF-109 (but see below)
F-110: McDonnell F-110 Spectre (designation used briefly for USAF
version of F4H/F-4 Phantom II)
F-111: General Dynamics F-111 (the common name “Aardvark” is
unofficial)
F-112: ***? (may have been attached to Russian aircraft)
F-113: ***? (may have been attached to Russian aircraft)
F-114: ***? (may have been attached to Russian aircraft)
F-115: ***? (may have been attached to Russian aircraft)
F-116: ***? (may have been attached to Russian aircraft)
F-117: Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

Note: Bell applied the designation “XF-109” to a VTOL fighter project of
the late 1950s (one prototype was built but never flew); however, this was
assigned unilaterally by the company, and was not sanctioned by the USAF.
The “F-109” designation has never been officially used, probably as a
result of Bell’s breaking the rules.

USAF/USN fighter designations, since the adoption of the Tri-Service
designations in 1962:

F-1: North American F-1 Fury (formerly FJ)
F-2: McDonnell F-2 Banshee (formerly F2H)
F-3: McDonnell F-3 Demon (formerly F3H)
F-4: McDonnell F-4 Phantom II (formerly F4H, briefly F-110)
F-5: Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger II
F-6: Douglas F-6 Skyray (formerly F4D)
F-7: * Convair F-7 Sea Dart (formerly F2Y)
F-8: Vought F-8 Crusader (formerly F8U)
F-9: Grumman F-9 Panther/Cougar (formerly F9F)
F-10: Douglas F-10 Skyknight (formerly F3D)
F-11: Grumman F-11 Tiger (formerly F11F)
F-12: * Lockheed YF-12 (A-12/SR-71 derivative)
F-13: *** (never used)
F-14: Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) F-14 Tomcat
F-15: McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
F-16: General Dynamics (now Lockheed) F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-17: * Northrop YF-17 Cobra (lost to F-16 in Lightweight Fighter
contest)
F-18: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (YF-17 derivative)
F-19: *** (never used, at least officially)
F-20: * Northrop F-20 Tigershark (F-5 derivative)
F-21: IAI F-21 Lion (leased Kfirs, used as Aggressors in training)
F-22: Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Lightning II
F-23: * Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 (lost to F-22 in Advanced
Technology Fighter contest)

Note: The Rockwell XFV-12 was number 12 in the “V” series, not part of the
“F” series.

USAF/USN attack designations, since the adoption of the Tri-Service
designations in 1962:

A-1: Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly AD)
A-2: North American A-2 Savage (formerly AJ)
A-3: Douglas A-3 Skywarrior (formerly A3D)
A-4: Douglas A-4 Skyhawk (formerly A4D)
A-5: North American A-5 Vigilante (formerly A3J)
A-6: Grumman A-6 Intruder (formerly A2F)
A-7: Vought A-7 Corsair II (F-8 derivative)
A-8: British Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas AV-8 Harrier
A-9: ** Northrop YA-9 (lost to A-10 in AX contest)
A-10: Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-11: ***? (apparently never used)
A-12: ** McDonnell Douglas A-12 (cancelled A-6 replacement)

Notes: The Harrier seems to have taken the number 8 slot in both the “A”
and “V” series. The designation A-12 for the original, single-seat version
of the aircraft that became the SR-71/YF-12/M-21 was an internal Lockheed
designation, not an official USAF one (the A-12s were operated by the CIA
and never officially entered military service). The designation A-37 for
the attack version of Cessna’s T-37 was derived from the trainer version of
the aircraft and was not part of the real “A” series.


The author(s) list a series of “Russian” aircraft numbers being designated between the FB-11 and the F/A-117 (Stealth) fighter.

Could be: If we “took” Russian and East Europe planes from Egypt/Israel/MidEast/India sources, repainted them at the USAF restricted bases with the USAF aircraft nbr, then it’d be easy to give them a “real” aircraft designation for budgetary purposes.

People wouldn’t ask too many questions: after all, the F-99 was a missile, the F-103 never was built, etc.. Why ask questions about “research project” aircraft it would be a great way to fly and maintain Russian aircraft by confusing the fuel and parts issues with a research project.

36 posted on 10/22/2007 1:37:25 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson