With this new and improved anti-aircraft tank it became one of the perfect air defense weapon systems for potential low-altitude threats, with the M55 Quad 50 as its only rival in versatility. Known as the ‘Whispering Death’, the M55 Quad 50 consisted of four Browning M2 .50-caliber machine guns mounted in a power turret on a deuce and a half (2 ½) or 5 ton truck (“ADA Units in Vietnam”, n.d.). “Generally speaking…Quads could not go cross-country in support for maneuver units. But in operations away from established road nets where heavy machine-gun support was needed, it was possible to slingload the Quad with the CH-47 helicopter” (Charles E. Kirkpatrick, in “Arsenal”, Vietnam magazine,
The missile system reduced Scud annoyance and effectiveness. Patriot’s mission to counteract air born threats was an overall success. This war was a major demonstration of U.S. air defense capability. Although every fire did not successfully destroy its target, it exemplified extraordinary accuracy. The Patriot world is continuously evolving. Modifications to the software has been made, and today’s system has multiple intercept mechanisms. PAC 2 in no longer the only source of air defense capability. The PAC 3, a more sophisticated missile defense system, has a more accurate interception rate. A growing technology, and it will continue to expand in the future, air defense is here to
Being the real first heavy bomber, the B-29 would start production six years after the B-17 won the USAAC competition. The head of Boeing Aircraft Co. on January 29, 1940, received a letter titled "U.S. Army, Airplane, Bombardment, Specification For". (The Boeing B-29) This would start production of the B-29. After thousands of hours of work, the plane took it maiden flight on September 21, 1942. The plane could carry a whopping 70 tons of cargo, the same amount of weight the Enola Gay carried on its way to Japan. It could fly at 400 miles per hour, almost 200 more miles per hour than its predecessor. The plane could also fly 4 thousand miles. (The Boeing B-29) The most famous B-29, the Enola Gay, dropped the bombs on Japan and forced them to raise the white flag and win the war against the Japanese. The plane was flown by Paul Tibblets and Robert Lewis. These planes helped win the war against the Axis powers and capture Berlin.
The Patriot Advanced Capability 2 version acquired the capability to operate against other missiles, beyond just aircrafts, by the US armed forces through an improved fuse and warhead in comparison to the PAC-1 (Maital & Seshadri, 2012). Furthermore, the US Army made changes to not only the software of the PAC-2 missile but the radar system which guided it. These improvements gave the missiles the ability to intercept other missiles which was different than previous models. Interception in this case was not considered just the capability to knock a missile off course but to destroy them which was the objective of this product. Beyond physical attributes, it acquired them through the recognition that tactile ballistic missiles were all over Europe and increased threats, prompting improvements to occur (Maital & Seshadri, 2012).
In today’s digital age, development of new technology and weapons are at an alarming rate, hence arises the need to stay ahead of advancements in order to properly defend the nation, as well as coalition forces and allies. In this period of warfare, the number one threat comes in the form of air breathing and ballistic missiles. During World War II, this threat was present, but was not thought to be prevalent.
On July 17th, 1989, the B-2 Bomber flew its first planned flight. The B-2 Bomber is known for its super stealth mode. Due to setbacks, the bomber has had many failures. The B-2 is not as stealth as the Airforce would have hoped. The aircrafts stealth is generated by airframe that absorbs radar signals so that little is reflected back to radar systems. This helps the enemy not be able to detect the aircraft in sight. The Airforce as well as many agree that it is still a great aircraft to have in the air even with the setbacks. Many are trying to face these problems and help increase the value of the bomber.
The B-25 Mitchell is a plane that was used as a medium bomber during World War II by The Army Air Corp. The Reason for its creation was because of the need of a new and improved medium bomber. This bomber went on to be a major role in The Doolittle Raid. The company known as North American Aviation to date has created nearly 10,000 B-25 Mitchells. Over the four decades of service the B-25 Mitchell came across many new and improved models such as the B-25A - B-25H. The B-25 is one of the most well known bombers during World War II and is a symbol of just how powerful America was in the war.
Boasting a larger and stronger air craft, the B-29 soon took over the bombardment force and was prominent in the US Army Air force by 1942. The plane could carry more payload and fly faster than the B-17’s. It It was armed with 10 .50-caliber machine guns and one 20-millimeter cannon. Fulfilling its main duty of heavy bombing, the four engined (2,200 horse power) air craft could hold ten tons of bomb capacity. In the span of the war, 3,970 B-29 air crafts were built for war.
The B-2 has a wingspan of 172ft. It can fly at an altitude of 50,000 ft. it is also able to fly at a top speed of 628 miles per hour. The B-2 is designed for stealth it was built with a radar absorbent coating to preserve; another material is sprayed on the plane by robots called alternate high-frequency material.
Drew Valerio Prof. McNally History 268 September 6, 2012 Introduction The Cold war dated from 1947-1991. It was characterized by both political and military superiority between United States, which was backed by its NATO allies, and Soviet Union that led the communist side. The cold war was mainly started after the success of the
Every major conflict the United States of America has fought in has had a defining characteristic that people identify with that era. Some of these identifiable characteristics include the Red Coats of the Revolutionary War and the trench warfare of World War I. World War II also had a defining characteristic. One can make the argument that in World War II that defining characteristic was the use of aviation, most notably the bomber. One of the most iconic bombers of World War II was the B-17 Flying Fortress. This paper will explain what brought about the development of the B-17 and its inception, as well as the B-17’s role in combat and supporting ground troops. Lastly, discussed are the Memphis Belle and Old 666, two notable B-17’s
The Rise of the Surface to Air Missile The Soviet Union’s ballistic missiles and long range bombers became a great threat to the United States of America, after tensions between the two intensified, following World War II. The US was afraid that the Soviet Union would attack and there would be no war fighting equipment available to intercept the threat. (Nike, n.d) The North American Air Defense Command developed the Nike Ajax, which stood as a high-altitude defense system. It was the last line of air defense, which was beneficial because it extended America’s level of protection. As time passed, there was a need for a more powerful, faster and bigger missile. As a result, the US created the new and improved Nike Hercules missile, which began replacing the Nike Ajax missiles. (Bender, 2004) The evolution of the first surfaced-to-air missiles during the Pre Cold War era played a critical part in safety and protection of the United States of America and its’ allies.
The C-5M improved immensely over the C-5B with the Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program. Considering the C-5M demonstrated a 34.6 percent increase range over the C-5B in Table 1 and Figure 3. Notwithstanding, the increase in range is an increase in 21.5 percent more fuel required. This seems like a lot of extra fuel to burn for two hours and one less extra stop enroute to the AOR. However, it does not explain that the C-5M will be downrange in two days with a round trip in four days without aerial refueling. While the C-5B with an aerial refueling scheduled as in Table 2 will take three days with a round trip in six days and possibly longer with enroute maintenance problems. Such as Major DuHadway argument in his paper about restructuring AMC locations for better efficiency, points to the failure of the C-5 from historical conflicts needing more air refueling support. That “air refueling support has been pivotal in the employment of the C-5. Lower than desired maintainability for the C-5 has driven the
It was developed as a multirole aircraft that could replace both the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier platforms with exponentially better performance in combat effectiveness, maintainability, and overall efficiency. The B variant is mainly intended to be used by the Marines, since it can operate for amphibious assault ships and conduct operations similar to the Harrier’s, which has been primarily serviced by the Marines. The main similarity to Harrier missions is the STOVL capability, allowing the aircraft to land and take off in hostile environments or when shorter landing strips are available. When engaging enemy forces, it can preform CAS with increased effectiveness than the Harrier due to a larger payload capacity and much improved stealth and anti-detection characteristics. Many types of operations await the F-35B in the future. Because of its low detection stealth capability, it can be used to fly in undetected and eliminate targets from long distances with precision guided munitions. Because of its numerous advanced electronic warfare systems and dominant intelligence gathering ability, jamming radar, attacking hostile combat systems, and supporting aggressive allied movements will be other functions the F-35B is looking to fulfill, all while staying hidden. It is intended to be a major role player in the MAGTFs (Marine Air Ground Task
The main goal of the project was building a fighter aircraft with air-to-surface superiority that would meet Air Forces needs and outperform Soviet MiG-29 in face of the Cold War.