Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing

by Tom Clancy

Along with the radar, the WSO also controls the same ALQ-135 internal jammer package, ALE-45/47 decoy launchers, ALR-56M RWR, APX-101 IFF system, as on the -C model Eagle, along with the other avionics. Provisions are currently being made in the F-15Es flight software and on the data bus for a GPS receiver and the JTIDS secure data link, which will be added later in the 1990s. Another planned upgrade may be a satellite communications system, which would allow ground-based commanders to stay in contact with aircraft on the most distant missions.

  The pilot’s instrument panel in the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. The three computer-style Multi-Function Displays are clearly shown, as well as the Data Entry Panel (top center). McDonnell Douglas Aeronautical Systems

  The engine bays of the F-15E were designed with a common interface to accommodate either the standard Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 turbofan or the more powerful F100-PW-229, which can deliver up to 29,000lb./ 13,181 kg. of thrust. All this thrust means that in “clean” configuration at high altitude, the F-15E’s maximum speed is Mach 2.5. At low altitude, with a maximum bomb load, the weapons impose a practical limit around 490 knots/564 mph./908 kph. The maximum unrefueled combat radius of the F-15E depends very much on the flight profile, but a typical figure is about 790 nm./1,445 km. using 3,475 gallons/13,100 liters of internal fuel (including that in the CFT packs) and three 610 gallon/2,300 liter external tanks. For truly long-range missions, tanker support is essential to the Strike Eagle, though the F-15E needs less of this than other strike aircraft.

  A heads-on view of a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle from the 366th Wing’s 391st Fighter Squadron. The two Lockheed Martin Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system pods are mounted on pylons under the engine inlets, with a pair of Mk 84 general-purpose bombs mounted on hard points under the two Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs). There is also a Sidewinder air-to-missile training round on the port wing weapons pylon. John D. Gresham

  LOCKHEED MARTIN AAQ-13/14 LANTIRN SYSTEM

  I commented on how close our wing tip was to the trees. [The pilot] responded, “It’s worse in the daytime. You can see every chipmunk. . . .”

  —AVIATION WEEK PILOT REPORT, F16/LANTIRN

  APRIL 25, 1988

  The Lockheed Martin (formerly Martin Marietta) Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system consists of a pair of cylindrical pods that fit on stubby pylons under the forward fuselage of the F-15E and selected F-16s. The AAQ-13 navigation pod weighs 430lb./195 kg.; the AAQ-14 targeting pod weighs 540 lb./245 kg.; and the software that integrates them with the aircraft flight controls and weapons weighs nothing at all. LANTIRN combines a host of electro-optical and computer technologies to do something quite simple: turn night into day for the crew of a strike fighter. Under a $2.9 billion contract awarded in 1985, Martin Marietta delivered 561 navigation pods and 506 targeting pods, plus support equipment, to the U.S. Air Force. At one time, there were plans to integrate the system on the A-10, and possibly the B-1B, but this is now unlikely, due to budget constraints. The complete LANTIRN system adds about $4 million to the cost of the aircraft; not a high price for turning night into day.

  The AAQ-13 navigation pod includes a Texas Instruments Ku-band terrain-following radar (TFR) and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor that turns heat emitted by objects into a visible image. The pod generates video imagery and symbology for the pilot’s Heads-Up Display (HUD) for a field-of-view of 21° by 28°. The image is grainy, but the sense of depth is good enough to fly by in total darkness or the smoke of a battlefield. Rain, fog, or snow, however, degrade the performance of the system, since infrared energy is attenuated by aerosols or water vapor. The TFR in the AAQ-13 pod can be linked directly to the aircraft’s autopilot to automatically maintain a preset altitude down to 100 feet/30.5 meters while flying over virtually any kind of terrain. For manual operations it projects a “fly-to box” on the HUD, so that all the pilot needs to do is keep the plane’s centerline aimed at the “fly-to box” to safely clear obstacles. It is even possible to land the plane safely at night without runway lights, simply by viewing the different infrared signatures of the painted strips on the runway surface! By flicking a HOTAS switch on the control stick, the pilot can “snap look” left, right, up, or down, either in level flight or in a banked turn. Another switch selects “black hot” or “white hot,” allowing the pilot to choose whichever mode provides the best image contrast.

  The AAQ-14 targeting pod includes another FLIR in a two-axis turret, with a selectable wide or narrow field-of-view, and a laser designator/rangefinder. The targeting pod FLIR displays its imagery on a small video screen in the cockpit; it can be aimed independently of the navigation pod FLIR and used like a telescope to identify terrain features or targets at fairly long ranges. The targeting pod’s laser designator can then “illuminate” targets for laser-guided bombs like the Paveway III series (described later). It can also lock on to moving targets and track them automatically, as well as designate ground targets for AGM-65 Maverick missiles (which use either TV or imaging infrared guidance). In fact, it is possible to designate targets for multiple Maverick shots in a single pass. The laser can also be used to determine the exact range to a landmark in order to update the aircraft’s inertial navigation system; this is critical for the accurate delivery of all kinds of ordnance (guided and unguided) without visual references. For training, the targeting pod laser has a special low-energy “eye-safe” mode, which suggests that the full power of the AAQ-14’s laser could potentially blind ground troops. Although LANTIRN targeting was designed for air-to-ground weapons delivery, there is nothing to prevent the crew from using the capabilities of the system in air-to-air combat. Modern Russian aircraft like the MiG-29 and Su-27 have an Infrared Search and Track System (IRST) mounted in a small hemispherical fairing forward of the cockpit that allows for detection and targeting of enemy aircraft without radar emissions that might alert the potential victim. It is likely that AAQ-14 pod has a similar potential, although it is not certain how well this is supported by the current software.

  A cutaway drawing of the Lockheed Martin AAQ-14 LANTIRN Targeting Pod.

  Jack Ryan Enterprises, Ltd., by Laura Alpher

  Despite delays in the LANTIRN program, one wing of seventy-two F-16s (out of some 249 deployed) was equipped for LANTIRN during Desert Storm, with the AAQ-13 navigation pod. Forty-eight F-15Es deployed to the Persian Gulf; all of these had the navigation pod, and about a dozen received AAQ-14 targeting pods, rushed into service directly from the factory. LANTIRN made it possible to fly safely, at low level, at night, across featureless desert terrain, without the need for high-powered navigation aids, such as the APG-70 ground-mapping radar, which might have alerted enemy sensors. Many of the LANTIRN combat sorties flown by the F-15Es and F-16Cs were devoted to the “Great SCUD Hunt” in the western desert of Iraq.

  Flying the F-15E Strike Eagle

  The first time they go to an airshow featuring the USAF Thunderbirds, the USN Blue Angels, or perhaps the RAF Red Arrows, many boys and girls dream of flying the kind of high-performance aircraft they see there. When we went out to visit the 366th Wing at Mountain Home AFB, there was an invitation waiting for just such a ride, in the aircraft of our choice—F-15 Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, or F-16 Fighting Falcon. Now, it’s no secret that I’m not much of a fan of powered flight, much less sitting on top of an explosive ejection seat ready to launch me from the airplane! I’ve turned down a number of such offers over the years, the most tempting of these being an F-16 ride from my old friend Brigadier General “Tony” Tolin, who once commanded the F-117 Wing out in Nevada. Luckily, my researcher John Gresham has no such qualms, and all but left tread marks on the ground when he was informed of the opportunity.

  His first choice of aircraft was something of a “no-brainer,” being one of the powerful F-15E Strike Eagles flown by the 391st FS, the “Bold Tigers.” Thus, several days before we flew down to Nellis AFB, Nevada, for Green Flag 94-3
, we all went down to the 391st FS headquarters building to watch him suit up and go on his flight. The first stop was to meet Lieutenant Colonel Frank W. “Claw” Clawson, the 391st’s commanding officer, who gave John the opportunity to choose who would chauffeur him around the sky this day. John, no fool, asked for one of the senior pilots in the squadron, and got one of the best, Lieutenant Colonel Roger “Boom-Boom” Turcott, the squadron’s operations officer. This decided, we were shuttled off to get ready for his adventure.

  First stop was a quick check from the squadron flight surgeon. After a look with a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff, he was pronounced fit for “limited, low-altitude flight.” This is because he does not have a current altitude chamber card (issued after an annual pressure chamber test to certify a flyer’s tolerance to the low pressures above 15,000 feet/4,572 meters altitude), or a centrifuge certification (similar to the chamber card) which would allow him to pull the maximum Gs that the modern USAF is capable of pulling. Not that any of this was going to be a limitation, for the flight he was going on was to be an actual low-altitude training flight, practicing bomb and missile deliveries on the 366th’s range at Saylor Creek, some twenty miles from the base. As the medical officer was finishing, he smiled and said he would see John afterwards, just in case he needed something for nausea or anything else.

  The next stop was the cockpit simulator, which is kept in a small room in the headquarters building. Here, we were met by Captain Rob Evans, who ran us through what John would be doing in the backseat of Boom-Boom’s aircraft. Evans then demonstrated what not to touch unless directed to by the pilot (the stick, throttles, and ejection seat handles being key items!), and how to use the ACES II ejection seat in the event of an emergency. It is incredibly simple actually. All you have to do is straighten yourself up in the seat and pull one of the two yellow ejection-seat handles. The canopy transparency is then jettisoned, and the seats eject, the WSO’s first, followed by the pilot’s. From that point on, everything happens pretty much automatically, including seat separation and parachute deployment.

  Now it was time for the preflight briefing. Moving over to the squadron briefing room, John sat down with Boom-Boom, Claw, and the other five crewmen who would be on the flight. One thing that was made clear to us was that with training dollars as scarce as hen’s teeth these days, this mission was going to run exactly like any other training sortie. Every part of the planned flight was discussed, and then loaded from a planning computer onto a 32K data transfer module (DTM) cartridges. All Boom-Boom would have to do is stick the DTM into a small slot in the front cockpit of the F-15E, and the bird would pretty much know where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Flight and equipment safety rules were restated and reinforced. Finally, as the meeting broke up, each of the other aircrews wished John a hearty “good luck,” and then we headed down to the 391st Life Support Shop.

  Series researcher John D. Gresham just prior to his ride in a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle of the 366th Wing’s 391st Fighter Squadron. He is wearing a standard USAF issue HGU-55 lightweight flight helmet with an MBU-12/P oxygen mask and a CWU-27/U Nomex flight suit. Official U.S. Air Force Photo

  The Life Support Shop is so named because its equipment is absolutely vital to sustaining life in the variety of conditions that a combat pilot may encounter. These can range from the freezing temperatures and oxygen starvation of high altitudes to staying afloat in the water following an ejection. The technicians in the Life Support Shop tend to take a holistic approach to fitting gear to a particular individual, and watching them fit John with his gear was like seeing a turtle getting fitted with a new custom-made shell. You start with underwear, which can just be what you wear normally. While some pilots do wear Nomex (a fire-resistant fabric produced by Dupont) long underwear, especially in cold weather, the bulk of them wear normal “jockey-style” briefs and undershirts, though the new crop of female tactical aviators also usually wear a firm sports bra to help ward off the effects of Gs on those sensitive areas. Aircrews also like to wear thick socks to help their boots fit well and to keep their feet warm in the event of a cockpit heater failure. Next to go on is an olive-drab CWU-27/P flight suit, which is really comfortable and sharp-looking, considering that it is designed to resist flame for a period of time. It seems to have a million pockets for “stuff” all over the sleeves and legs, which John promptly began to fill with things needed for the coming flight. Most important of these were several small manila envelopes, containing plastic bags in case he suffered from the in-flight nausea and airsickness that is more common among flight crews than you might think. Stuffed in one of the leg pockets went another vital piece of survival gear, a “piddle pack.” The male version of this item is basically a plastic zip-lock bag with a strip of dry sponge inside to soak up and hold the urine, while the female version is essentially a diaper which is donned before flight. Currently, the USAF is working hard to improve both models, which are vital on long missions and overseas deployments. Next come flight boots, the choice of which is left to the individual aircrews. For additional warmth, you can also add a Nomex CWU-36/P “summer” flight jacket, or even a rubberized “poopy suit” (the name is derived from the fact that when you sweat in one, there is nowhere for the moisture and odors to go!) for flying in arctic conditions over water. Along with the suit go a set of GS/FRP Nomex flying gloves, with leather palms, which are wonderfully comfortable.

  On your head goes a cotton skullcap to help absorb sweat and keep your head cool, followed by one of the new USAF HGU-55 lightweight helmets. Weighing only about 30 oz./.85 kg., these are lighter and smaller than the older HGU-33, and are easier on the neck muscles during high-G maneuvers. The HGU-55 is equipped with the new MBU-12/P oxygen mask, which fits quite nicely, though John later wished that he had shaved his beard to get a tighter seal on his face. Once John’s helmet was fitted, on came the G-suit, a girdle for the abdomen and legs. It is composed of a system of pneumatic bladders, which inflate to squeeze the lower body and keep blood from pooling there. This helps aircrews to better tolerate the G forces of high-performance aircraft that can lead to a blackout.

  At 1320 hours (1:20 PM), clad in what seemed like a mountain of clothing and equipment, Boom-Boom, John, and the rest of the training-flight aircrews boarded a blue step van to ride out to the flight line. Carrying his helmet and knee board in a green bag, and waddling out of the van with a decided stoop, John was helped into the rear cockpit. Meanwhile Boom-Boom completed a walkaround of the aircraft, an early-production F-15E, equipped with F100-PW- 220 engines, which appears to have flown in the 1991 Persian Gulf War with the 4th Wing. While Boom-Boom completed his check, several technicians were strapping John in, making sure the various oxygen and telecommunications lines were properly hooked up. Both cockpits of the Strike Eagle are roomy and spacious, with lots of room for people who are John’s size (he’s over 6 feet 3 inches/1.9 meters tall). There’s plenty of room to store personal gear, maps, and other things in a small compartment on the left, slightly behind the seat. On either side of the seat are the hand controllers for the sensor/ weapons systems, with the control stick and throttle column exactly as they are in the front seat. The instrument panel is dominated by the four MFDs, the two outside screens being smaller color displays, while the two inner ones are larger monochrome “green” screens. What makes these MFDs unique is that unlike normal computer displays, they function perfectly well in bright daylight. The whole cockpit is laid out in an incredibly efficient manner. It just makes logical sense to do things that way.

  By 1340 hours, Boom-Boom, John, and the rest of the crews were strapped in and ready to go. Boom-Boom then yelled to John to get ready for engine start, as the crew chief plugged in a special microphone/headset designed for use in areas with high noise levels. When he was ready, Boom-Boom fired up the engines with a whine and a roar and began to get the avionics spun up and settled. This took several minutes, as the navigation system aligned itself and the rest of the systems w
armed up. In the cockpit, the ear-splitting noise is muffled by the helmets, headsets, and the aircraft structure, although you can feel the power almost immediately through your butt. It is something more than you feel with a powerful V-8 automobile engine . . . more like a motorcycle engine at full tilt. Both John and Boom-Boom snapped in the bayonet clips on their oxygen masks, and Boom-Boom turned up the air-conditioning system to keep a flow of cool air going into the rear cockpit to help keep John comfortable.

  Around the cockpit, the various strip indicators and warning enunciators all switched to a “green” condition, and Boom-Boom called over the radio to ground control for permission to taxi down to the east end of the ramp. This done, at 1355 they followed the other three F-15Es down to the arming pit, where they parked for a time. There, the ordnance technicians removed the last of the safety arming pins from the BDU-33 practice bomb dispensers; and Claw Flight got ready to roll onto the runway. Sharing the pit were several F-16s from the 389th FS which were going out on their own training hop. Mountain Home is a busy place year-round, and this day was no exception. After about a ten-minute wait, the final clearance for takeoff from the tower was received, and at 1415, Lieutenant Colonel Clawson rolled Claw-1 out to takeoff position. Pushing his engines to afterburner for takeoff, he was off the ground in a few thousand feet, and headed out over the south side of the base to wait for the rest of the flight to form up.

  When their turn came, Boom-Boom and John in Claw-2 taxied to takeoff position, and Boom-Boom dropped the flaps and told John to grab the handlebar above the instrument panel and hang on. As Boom-Boom slid the throttles all the way forward, the twin F100 engines roared. Boom-Boom released the brakes, the afterburners belched flame, and the Strike Eagle literally leaped down the runway. Unlike airliners, which seem to take forever to accelerate to takeoff speed, the Strike Eagle seems to fling itself off of the earth. At 130 knots/241 kph., Boom-Boom rotated the aircraft upwards, and just seconds later, as they passed 166 knots/307 kph., they took off. As soon as they were off the ground, Boom-Boom retracted the landing gear and flaps, getting the Strike Eagle cleaned up for their flight to Saylor Creek Bombing Range; then he retarded the throttles to a more civil “dry” setting, to save fuel as well as wear and tear on the precious engines.