|
Showing 1 - 25 of
113 matches in All Departments
Equipped with a W38 thermonuclear warhead and with a range of 5,500
nautical miles, the Titan I was the Air Force's first multi-stage
intercontinental ballistic missile, and a vital part of America's
nuclear arsenal in the years 1961-1965. Designed and built by the
Glen L. Martin Company (later Martin Marietta), the HGM-25A/SM-68A
missile was the first in a series of Titan rockets. Unlike its
later siblings, Titan I utilized non-storable and highly volatile
LOX and RP-1 as its propellants. As a result the missile had to be
fueled prior to launch - a process that took roughly fifteen
minutes. It would then be lifted to the surface by an elevator for
launch, a process that made it vulnerable to an enemy first strike.
The first successful Titan I launch took place in February, 1959.
Within a year the first of 54 missiles were delivered to one of
what would eventually be six USAF squadrons. The underground silos
that made up the Titan I's launch complexes represented a great
leap forward from the "coffin type" semi-hardened containers used
to protect the Atlas ICBM. Equipped with an underground control
center, powerhouse, antenna silos for guidance radars, and a
missile silo fitted with an enormous elevator, the Titan I's design
offered unparalleled protection to the launch crew. Yet the fueling
protocol and surface-launch design limited its appeal to the Air
Force. After only three years of full operation, it was replaced by
the Titan II system, which could be launched from subterranean
silos and utilized storable propellants.Originally created in 1963,
this Titan I technical manual was intended to be used by missile
combat crews. It is divided into seven sections describing the
overall weapon system including launch complex, structures and
subsystems, launch operation plan, normal operating procedures,
emergency operating procedures, malfunctions, operating
limitations, and crew responsibilities. Originally considered
highly classified, this document has never before been available to
the general public. Until now.
"This document is THE Air Force statement of leadership principles
and force development, enabled by education and training, providing
a framework for action ensuring our Airmen can become effective
leaders. Your personal leadership is the key to our Service's
success in fulfilling its role in our system of national security."
-- John P. Jumper,
General, USAF
Chief of Staff
Developed as a derivative of the F-15 Eagle air superiority
fighter, McDonnell Douglas' (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle has a
radically different mission: to launch deep interdiction missions
without additional fighter support or jamming. Since its first
flight in 1986, the F-15E has performed a variety of missions
including deep strikes against high-value enemy targets in
Operation Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, and providing
close air support. It can carry over 23,000 pounds of payload,
including the JDAM, AIM-9X, AGM-130 and AMRAAM, and is equipped
with an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system. With its
service life expected to reach to 2035 and beyond, the F-15E can be
said to serve as the backbone of the U.S. Air Force. Its
unparalleled range, persistence and weapons load make it
indispensable. Developed in 1990, this 660-page, unclassified F-15E
pilot manual is a wonderful resource for museum docents,
historians, modelers, gamers, and anyone else who ever wondered
what it would be like to sit in the cockpit of the Strike Eagle.
The largest piston-powered airplane ever mass-produced, Convair's
B-36 "Peacemaker" was also the world's first thermonuclear bomber.
The genesis of this behemoth can be traced to WWII, when U.S.
planners determined that if the British were defeated, a
very-long-range bomber would be needed to battle the Nazis. The
prototype B-36 flew in 1946 and was quickly upgraded as the need
for a bomber with a large lifting capacity - the early fission and
later hydrogen bombs were both large and heavy - became paramount.
Yet, when it entered active service in 1949, the "aluminum
overcast" was already considered obsolete due to its four jet, six
Wasp radial engine power-plant configuration. Nevertheless, nearly
400 B-36s were built and flew as strategic deterrents before the
plane was retired in 1959. Originally printed by the U.S. Air
Force, this Flight Operating Handbook is an authentic reprint of an
original. Classified "Restricted," the manual was declassified and
is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been
slightly reformatted. Some color images appear in black and white.
Care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.
Designed in 1948 by the brilliant Walter Beech, the T-34 Mentor was
intended as a low cost replacement for the T-6/NJ Texan. The
aircraft bore many similarities to the Beechcraft Bonanza, but had
a two-seat cockpit with bubble canopy, and a conventional tail. The
original T-34s were equipped with a piston engine. Fifteen years
after production ceased, the design was upgraded and deliveries
began of a turbo-prop equipped T-34C Turbo-Mentor, which remained
in production until 1990. The T-34 is one of the most reliable
aircraft of its type with many remaining in service today, six
decades after it was first produced. Over 2300 Mentors in various
versions were produced worldwide, including the T-34A for the Air
Force and the T-34B variant for the U.S. Navy.
The T-33 "Thunderbird" was the training variant of the U.S. Air
Force's first production jet fighter, the F/P-80 "Shooting Star."
Originally designed by Lockheed's "Kelly" Johnson during WWII, the
P-80 went from drawing board to airborne in a record 150 days. The
T-bird was three feet longer than the P-80, and boasted a second
seat, instrumentation and flight controls. Equipped with an Allison
J33 turbojet, the T-33 had a maximum speed of 600 mph, a range of
over 1200 miles in ferry, and a service ceiling of 48,000 feet. The
Navy also operated the T-33 as the TV-2 or T-33B, and eventually
produced a carrier-capable variant called the T2V-1/T-1A SeaStar.
In addition to its role as a trainer, the plane served as a drone
control aircraft, reconnaissance platform, and target tow aircraft.
In foreign service the T-33, which could carry rockets, bombs and
gun pods, was used as a combat aircraft. Perhaps its most notable
combat role was during the Bay of Pigs, when T-33s flown by the
Cuban Revolutionary Air Force (FAR) attacked ships and aircraft of
the exile forces, helping fend off the invasion. One of the most
successful and enduring aircraft in history, the T-33 flew in the
air forces of over 30 nations. Over 6500 were produced between
1949-59, and some continue to fly today. Originally printed by
Lockheed and the U.S.A.F., this Flight Operating Handbook taught
pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit.
Originally classified "Restricted," the manual was declassified and
is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been
slightly reformatted. Care has been taken however to preserve the
integrity of the text.
The first ICBM to be developed and deployed by the United States,
the Atlas had a range of 5500 nautical miles and could achieve a
speed of 15,500 mph. Depending on configuration, it could be
equipped with either a W-49 (1.45 megaton) or W-38 (4.5 megaton)
thermonuclear warhead. The Atlas' development can be traced to a
series of research and development studies performed in the wake of
WWII by the Convair company. These led to the company winning a
contract in 1951 for a long range missile. The three-engine XSM-65A
design that eventually emerged featured a thin skin, inflated by
internal fuel pressure like a balloon, and had "one and a half"
stages. In this configuration, both the main booster and sustainer
engines ignited at lift-off, with the boosters dropped in flight.
(This unique feature was intended to make certain the sustainer
engine could fire at high altitudes, something later determined to
not be a problem). The missile burned kerosene and liquid oxygen
fuel, and relied on a radio-command / inertial guidance
system.After some teething problems including the loss of the
prototype Atlas, the missile flew successfully on December 17,
1957. A little under two years later, the first USAF Atlas ICBM
squadron consisting of three missiles on unprotected pads was
activated at Vandenburg AFB. Subsequent deployments featured
hardened "coffins" in which the missile would be stored
horizontally. After a launch order was issued, the Atlas would be
raised, fueled, and launched - a hazardous process that took about
fifteen minutes. The system's inherent vulnerability and long
reaction time eventually led the Air Force to construct silos
similar to those used with the Titan I, which lowered the response
time considerably. The use of volatile fuel mixtures in the
confined silo environment proved to be extremely dangerous however,
and led to four catastrophic accidents. As second generation
missiles came on the scene such as the Titan II and Minuteman,
Atlas became obsolete. By April 1965, all Atlas ICBMs were phased
out. At the peak 129 of the missiles were deployed, and nearly 350
were built during the program. Many of these would be recycled as
launch vehicles for satellites. Notably, members of the Atlas
family placed four of America's Mercury astronauts in orbit.Created
by the Air Force for the men who stood "on alert" with the Atlas,
this technical manual contains descriptions of the HGM-16F missile,
launch complex, handling and transport, checkout and launch
operations, emergency procedures, and more. Originally restricted,
it has been declassified and is reprinted here in book form. Some
portions have been reformatted, but care has been taken to preserve
the integrity of the text.
The U.S. Air Force's first all-jet strategic bomber, the swept-wing
Boeing B-47 Stratojet had a range of 3,500 nautical miles and a
payload capacity of 20,000 pounds. It served as the mainstay of
Strategic Air Command in the 1950s into the mid 1960s. The B-47 was
an outgrowth of WWII research and development efforts, and the
prototype aircraft first flew in December of 1947. The unique
six-jet design featured twin engine pods on the wing near the
fuselage, and one outboard. It also incorporated an elegant
bicycle-type landing gear with two-wheel struts on the forward and
aft fuselage and outrigger wheels. In 1956, over 1300 B-47s and 250
RB-47s were on alert. It was the high water mark for the aircraft,
which was fully supplanted by the B-52 by 1967. This B-47 pilot's
flight operating manual was originally produced by the USAF. It has
been slightly reformatted but is reproduced here in its entirety.
It provides a fascinating view inside the cockpit of one of
history's great planes.
Created by famed Lockheed designer Kelly Johnson, the F-104
Starfighter was designed to compete with Soviet Mig-15s. Equipped
with a huge and powerful J79 engine, the aircraft could reach
speeds well in excess of Mach 2.0, while its thin, trapezoidal wing
provided extremely low drag with terrific acceleration and rate of
climb. Unforgiving and sensitive to control inputs, the F-104
killed many pilots and developed a reputation as a "widow-maker."
Despite its shortcomings, the Starfighter enjoyed a long career. It
flew in the air support role during "Rolling Thunder" in the
Vietnam War. It also saw extensive service in foreign air forces
and NATO. NASA continued to use the F-104 as a support aircraft
until 1995. This pilot's flight operating handbook was originally
produced by the USAF. It has been slightly reformatted but is
reproduced here in its entirety. It provides a fascinating view
inside the cockpit of one of history's great planes.
Designed by Douglas Aircraft Co.s brilliant engineer Ed Heinemann,
the turbojet powered, delta-wing A-4 Skyhawk played a key role in
conflicts from Vietnam to the Falklands and Yom Kippur Wars. The
Skyhawk was intended to replace the venerable Skyraider as a
carrier-based, ground attack aircraft, yet Heinemanns design looked
nothing like its predecessor. Its small, lightweight airframe was
so compact that its wings did not even have to be folded for
carrier stowage, and it surpassed the Navys design specification
for weight by nearly 100%. No wonder the nimble jet was dubbed
Heinemanns Hot Rod. The A-4 entered service in 1956, and first saw
combat during the early days of the Vietnam War where it flew as a
light attack aircraft. Its service in S.E. Asia was prolific, as it
flew literally thousands of strike and escort missions and even
scored an air-to-air victory over a North Vietnamese MiG. A Marine
A-4 is believed to be the last American aircraft to drop bombs on
Vietnam. During the conflict 362 Skyhawks were lost. The Navy
retired the Skyhawk in 1975, although it continued flying as a
trainer and adversary aircraft as late as 2003. Nearly 3,000
Skyhawks were built before production ceased in 1979, including a
two- seat trainer model TA-4. The Skyhawk was widely exported and
saw combat with the air forces of Kuwait, Israel and Argentina.
This pilots manual was originally classified restricted but has now
been declassified and is here reprinted in book form
This manual outlines required material for all phases of aircraft
performance. It is a source document for the basic flight engineer
course. It directs new flight engineers in learning the technical
language and practical application related to flight. It furnishes
the experienced flight engineers with background and review
information. The aircraft performance technology presented in this
manual is not limited to one specific airframe. For the most part,
the technical language, performance charts, and procedures are
common to all transport aircraft. There are two major factors that
are responsible for the differences. These are a specific
aircraft's design and the way different aircraft performance
procedures to support that design. These factors may make a given
performance limitation critical for one aircraft and insignificant
for another. The material contained in this manual provides
information relative to the duties of the flight engineer, the
atmosphere, aerodynamics, power plants, weight and balance, and
aircraft flight performance. It also includes guidelines for
mission planning.
|
You may like...
Karoo Food
Gordon Wright
Paperback
R208
Discovery Miles 2 080
Atmosfire
Jan Braai
Hardcover
R590
R425
Discovery Miles 4 250
|