The Power of Planes, Missiles, and Ships - Essay Example

?First and Full December The Power of Planes, Missiles, and Ships A simple airplane flight to visit loved ones reminds us of how small our world can be. The development of air travel encompassed hundreds of years of countess futile attempts. Now imagine air travel, but except onboard a moving ship. Even the U.S. Navy was not easily convinced that this idea was even possible. Advancements in materials, machines, and steel, not to mention the advent of nuclear technology, have helped to build large aircraft carriers. These planes are so huge that just one carrier has more air power than most other nations. Engineering advancements in aviation allowed the F-14 Tomcat to reach record speeds and have greater combat range, while using an extreme payload of missiles, than other U.S. aircraft. Installing a Phoenix AN-54 long range missile to the Tomcat’s onboard radar further utilized this highly adaptable platform. There was no greater employment of naval superiority than during the first Gulf War (1990-1991). From 1974 to the present, the combination of planes, ships, and long range missiles gave the U.S. the most powerful naval aviation industry in the world. Although naval aviation was developed by the U.S, it has taken a long time to become an integral part of the defensive strategies of U.S. In 1910, the U.S. Navy conducted a demonstration from a cruiser, the USS Birmingham (CL-2), and launched the Curtiss 1991 Model D aircraft from the deck. Though the ship was at anchor, “Eugene Ely coaxes his Curtiss biplane from the ship…actually brushed the water before Ely gained altitude” (Reynolds 7). After this historic two minute flight, Ely would also go on to complete a carrier landing at sea two months after. This was an extreme test of man and machine. The landing was “made possible by ingenious arresting gear-ropes stretched between sandbags that slowed and stopped the plane” (Reynolds 7). Though not terribly fast, the recovery of aircraft at sea on a moving ship proved to be extremely difficult and dangerous until the invention of mechanical arresting gear. This would assist the pilot by snagging the plane out of the air. Just after the commencement of WWII, the next significant advancement in the carrier aviation industry occured. The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was flown after 1942 and maintained combat superiority in the Pacific Theater of Operations. This U.S. Navy fighter bomber utilized America’s naval aviation advantage over the Japanese from mid-1943 until the end of the war. Flown by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, squadrons were “quickly trained to operate their F4U Corsairs from a flight deck and assigned to fast carriers” (Remolds 159). This numerical advantage was further exploited by the quality of trained pilots and their ability to alter their battle plans in theater. Thus, the division of labor by the carriers and the subsequent rotation of experienced pilots proved too much for the Japanese military. A television show, The Black Sheep Squadron, depicted this segment of the war in the Solomon Islands, which is located in the South Pacific. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, a character portrayed in the show, commanded the squadron, which was nicknamed “Boyington’s Bastards.” Boyington received the Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt for his leadership along with an accredited “26 Japanese aircraft kills” (Geranios 2). This ingenuity, skill, and experience were evident throughout WWII, which ended with the use of the atomic bomb. During the Vietnam War conflict, the McDonald Douglas F-4 Phantom became the jet powered workhorse with its superior speed as a fighter-bomber. It was used by both the U.S. Navy and the newly formed U.S. Air Force. The F-4 was very successful and remained operational until the conclusion of the first Gulf War. This two seat fighter-bomber, with atop speed of 1,500 miles per hour, achieved numerous land speed records and provided a stable platform for new, emerging electronics. Advancements in missile technology, on-board radar, and the overall lethality of weaponry changed the complexity, cost, and design of future aircraft. Although an average plane in the U.S. inventory cost over “9 million dollars” and had greater superiority, the U.S. still lost a total of “2,000 pilots and crewman” of varying aircraft during the Vietnamese conflict (Walker 125). This resulted in aircraft engineers and military tacticians further developing and producing one of the greatest fighters ever flown by the U.S. Navy. The McDonald Douglas F-14 Tomcat, designed for the U.S. Navy, retired from active service as the fastest, most innovative, and sweep-wing multi-use carrier airplane in history. As a direct replacement of the F-4 Phantom, the F-14 Tomcat cruised at Mach 2.4. Though originally underpowered at takeoff, the F-14s paired its AWG-9 radar with the AIM-54 Phoenix missile design, so as to “track 24 targets launch and engage six missiles at six different aircraft simultaneously from over 100 miles” (Navy 1). The F-14 was designed as a direct replacement for the F-4 Phantom and was in active service with the U.S. Navy between 1973 and 2006. The plane, having had its multiple engines upgraded, evolved to have greater thrust than originally produced. These upgrades helped to curtail losses due to low power at takeoff and fully utilized the capability of the aircraft. The AIM-54 Phoenix missile also benefited from engine upgrades, with its additional anti-jamming countermeasures increasing its overall effectiveness against new, emerging threats. The F-14 Tomcat, even in the present day, maintains the record for the fastest operational carrier fighter plane. A plane deployed at sea must use an aircraft carrier that further signifies the industrial might of the nation that uses it. “The U.S. currently operates 11 aircraft carriers around the world” (US Navy 2). Typically, there are at least four carriers either on station or qualifying for an upcoming deployment. To understand the sense of scale of the newer super carriers, imagine the Empire State Building placed on its side while moving through the ocean. The carrier, even with its massive size and weight, can and does routinely pitch and roll heavily. During flight deck operations, planes must be moved, staged, and launched while surrounded by a cacophony of sound, fuel, deck motion, and jet wash. Flight operations shifts usually lasted 12 hours. This was either day or night or over continuing days. With a ballet of so many moving parts, things have turned deadly. The worst carrier accident since WWII occurred during the Vietnam War. The USS Forrestal (CVA-59) experienced a fire that involved multiple explosions and aircraft fires that resulted in “more than 130 Forrestal’s men lost” (USN 1). Though tragic, every single U.S. sailor views this video of the accident during naval basic training to understand how a situation can turn so wrong in a short amount of time. The most notable air-to-air engagement that was credited to the F-14 Tomcat was the interception of two Libyan (Soviet-built) Mig fighters on two separate occasions near the Gulf of Sidra. Hostilities escalated when Muammar Gaddafi created a no-fly zone, which extended beyond the norms of previously agreed limits. “On August 19, 1981, two F-14s from the carrier Nimitz (CV-68)…intercepted two Soviet-built Sukhoi Su-22s, which contained Libyan pilots” (Walker 155). The resulting engagement, though tense and unpredictable, ended with both of the Libyan planes being shot down. Regrettably, only one of the two Libyan pilots survived. The movie Top Gun (1986), directed by Tony Scott, recreated the final scene to closely reenact this engagement while using some theatrical liberties. This engagement illustrated the F-14’s ability to operate in a hostile environment while engaging multiple targets. With only a handful accredited engagements by the U.S. Navy, Iran ironically racked up over 1,000 air-to-air engagements using the F-14 Tomcat. Iran, the only other country to have received the F-14 Tomcat, operated the aircraft during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Iran still uses the aircraft in a diminished capacity. The Iran-Iraq War posed a significant risk to the oil production output for the entire Persian Gulf region. The Shah of Iran, an ally of the U.S. at the time, took delivery of “80 F-14s Tomcats” paired with the delivery of “633 AIM-54 Phoenix missiles” (Cooper 1). However, only 79 F-14A models were actually sent because of the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini (1902-1989), the Supreme Leader of Iran. Simultaneously, the complexity of the aircraft dictated that the U.S. contracted and trained Iranian Pilots and ground support personnel; however, this ceased when Khomeini ordered all U.S. personnel to leave Iran. Though creditable reports are quite illusive, Iran has thought to have “shot down many Iraqi fighters, but we forced hundreds of Iraqi formations to about their mission” (Cooper 5). This vilified the designers and tacticians of the F-14 Tomcat and proved that once deployed into combat, the air-superiority fighter would dominate the sky. In retrospect, the sales to Iran only served to delay the eventual cancelation of the Tomcat program. The direct replacement, the F-18 Hornet Fighter/Bomber, continues to serve the U.S. Navy to this very day. The F-14 program was ultimately dismantled in 2006 and all flyable airframes were either sent to museums or stored in the desert for eventual destruction. The excess retired airframes ultimately arrived at the U.S. Air Force Reclamation Depot at David-Montham AFB, New Mexico. While desert storage delays further degradation, parts were inadvertently shipped to Iran by mistake. “The U.S. Defense Surplus Division unknowingly shipped, via shell companies operated by Pakistan, F-14 parts ultimately destined to Iran” (Iran 1). This helped Iran to maintain its dwindling fleet of F-14 Tomcats at a time when Iran and the U.S. were no longer allied politically. Furthermore, relations have become strained over Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Therefore, the remaining airframes in long-term storage were ordered to be destroyed and/or recycled. This preventative measure was justified but eliminated any possibility of restoring an F-14 back to a flyable condition. The primary reason to return any aircraft to the skies would by through using cheap, genuine parts by use of surplus inventory or salvaged parts. Now only preserved in museums and at other bases as static displays, the F-14 Tomcat will never return to the skies. Regrettably, because of its massive size, service age, and complexity, the F-14 Tomcat became too expensive to maintain. Though still feared and loved today, reminders such as Top Gun (1986) will serve to keep alive the idea that nothing could match the Tomcat. Just like the movie, the pilots were all young, fast, and dominating. Flying F-14s was analogous, by various pilots as akin to dating the hottest girl in school by a pure sense of excitement, sheer speed, and performance every time they flew the plane. Works Cited Cooper, Tom. "Persian Cats | Military Aviation | Air & Space Magazine." History of Flight, Aviation, Space Exploration | AirSpaceMag.com. Smithsonian, 01 Sept. 2006. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. Geranios, Nicholas K. "Film Tracks Effort to Honor 'Black Sheep' Figure - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 09 Feb. 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. "Iran Gets Military Gear in Pentagon Sale - US News - Military - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. 16 Jan. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. "Navy Retires AIM-54 Phoenix Missile." The U.S. Navy. 07 Oct. 2004. Web. 05 Oct. 2011. Reynolds, Clark G. The Carrier War. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1982. Print. "US Navy – Fact File: Aircraft Carriers." The U.S. Navy. Department of Defense, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. "USN Ships – USS Forrestal (CVA/CV/AVT-59)." Naval History and Heritage Command. 21 Sept. 2001. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. Walker, Bryce S. "The War of a Million Sorties." Fighting Jets. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1983. 103-33. Print. Read More