Threat Axis » History

Want to see a 60′s era spy sat?

Threat Watcher — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:52:25 +0000

Agena Upper Stage, a photo by rob-the-org on Flickr.

This weekend (Sat, 9/17), the NRO will be showing off its newly declassified HEXAGON (KH-9) for one day only at the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, VA.

After it is shown at UHC, it will be taken to the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH to go on permanent display there.

Checkpoint: 2011 May

Watcher One — Wed, 04 May 2011 04:12:53 +0000

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President. -Theodore Roosevelt

We are talking about citizenship. If one claims to support the president no matter what, then that person must support what Mr. Roosevelt said, right? Okay, that was cheap. Try this one: If one claims to support the president no matter what, then they must vote to re-elect whoever the preseident currently is, right? Of course not! Again, we are talking about citizenship. If and when we stop thinking for ourselves, if and when we start blindly supporting the individual serving as President, if and when we start making “no matter what” assertions as citizens, then we fail as a citizenship and a country. As we already are.

America is not equal to the American President. America is all of us. The people, the land, the policies, the way we as humans treat others not like us. Thinking that America is equal to the American President is mindless ignorance that makes it easy for us to be led around by the media, the politicians, and to ignore the atrocities committed by them. We have become comfortably numb.

The problem is that we all find it far too easy to just blindly follow along with whatever the politicians are doing, and whatever the media tells us, and absolve ourselves of responsibility. Again, as citizens. We as citizens find it easy to ignore the atrocities committed by our politicians in our names. And then we wonder why the world hates us? As citizens, we are responsible for our country and its actions.

We all clearly know how to complain… but what can we do as a people, to change all this?

People love to complain about TSA. The TSA is not the enemy here, any more than a “well-regulated (military)” is. They are just tools. Rudness to TSA, hatred towards our military is just cruelty to our fellow citizens. They’re just trying to do a job and survive, like the rest of us. The enemy here MIGHT BE our elected politicians, who are clearly more interested in themselves and their power than those they were called to serve. And I certainly detest many of those politicians, and what they are doing. But I believe the real enemy here is our own ignorance and apathy. Quote: “Which is worse, ignorance, or apathy? Who knows? Who cares?” Funny, but true. I believe most of us who can still think for ourselves are trying to fight THAT enemy, and none other, and trying to make our once-great country truly great again. Before it becomes too late.

Mig-17 Fresco blasting off

Threat Watcher — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:23:48 +0000

Mig-17_Fresco-7725

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

As fewer and fewer World War 2 era airplanes are still flying – it is good to see that some ‘newer’ planes are being restored and flown on a regular basis (more than just at airshows).

This Mig is owned by a pilot in the Tucson (AZ) area and was leaving an area airport (where the Collings Foundation was visiting w/ their B-17, B-24 and P-51) under full afterburner.

(to see the other pictures of its departure – click here)

Quick Pima update

Threat Watcher — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:24:29 +0000

When I went down to Tucson last month to see the Heritage Flight rehearsal – I got down there before any flying started. So I headed over to the Pima Air & Space Museum to see what was new in the last year. I quickly walked through the hangers and around the grounds, keeping half an eye on the air over Davis-Monthan across the street (so I wouldn’t miss too much of the Heritage flights. If it was something that had changed since January 2009, the new picture appears on the left – and the old picture on the right. If it was something brand new, there will only be a single picture on the left. Click on any picture to go to my Flickr account for more detail on these and other pictures of these aircraft.


The Lockheed YO-3 Quiet Star has moved out of Restoration and is now hanging from the ceiling near the Blackbird. It seems to be naturally camouflaged against the ceiling. It was almost ready to go on display when I last saw it in Restoration.

And also the Snow cropduster is done – parked out on the grounds w/ the cockpit sealed up.

NEW – A German Kreigsmarine (Naval Strike) Tornado IDS has been put out on display;

NEW – The Restoration area has seen some new arrivals as well. A Mig-23 Flogger is waiting outside to be reassembled and put on display;

NEW – As well as a MH-53 Pave Low (combat rescue helicopter).

I have to get down to Tucson more often. Maybe this fall once work eases off.

Air Show Rehearsal

Threat Watcher — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:57:16 +0000

Last year I blogged about going to an US Air Force air show. This year – as Air Show season is about to start – I was able to spend a day watching the US Air Force demo teams practice not only their routines, but also for the Heritage Flights.

Early each Spring – the US Air Force demo teams gather at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ to plan out how the flights will be flown, then rehearsal their routines and to actually practice the Heritage Flight formations. Heritage Flights are where front line Air Force fighters (F-15, F-16, F-22 and A-10′s) will fly formation with historic aircraft (P-51 Mustangs, P-40 Warhawk, A-1 Skyraider, F-4 Phantom).

The advantage to being at this event – is you get to see more than just one Heritage Flight formation. I saw a P-51 Mustang, flying with two F-4 Phantom’s, and a F-16 Viper. And then later on – it was a P-51, a F-4, a F-16 and a F-22 Raptor.

All of the pictures are available through the link to the Slideshow below.

Name this missile

Threat Watcher — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:37:15 +0000

IMG_5098

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

I love wandering the aircraft museum’s to see where some curator has stashed a hidden gem. Walking along the rows of fighters on Saturday morning – I came across this one sitting on its trailer – already to be mounted to an aircraft.

Can you tell me;

a) Name/Designation?
b) What was it used for?
c) What was its payload/warhead?

The SR-71 Blackbird

Threat Watcher — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:20:22 +0000

PC023-068

Originally uploaded by Lockheed Martin

I have been trying for it seems weeks to write a post to do this picture (and the Blackbird) justice, but I just haven’t had the time.

The picture dates from 1990 just after the Air Force had decided to retire the Blackbird from active service.

The current Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine included this same picture in their article about Lockheed’s famed designer Kelly Johnson where they also discussed the development of the Blackbird (but if you are a fan of the Blackbird, then you know that lots of books have already been written about its development and past glories).

Pearl Harbor

Threat Watcher — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:46:59 +0000

History – Remember Pearl Harbor

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

Sixty-eight years ago today the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) was attacked and brought America into the Second World War.

Since then countless politicians have attempted to use the attack when warning against another suprise attack in other areas.

In Space. January 2001 – the Rumsfield (yes, that Rumsfield) Commission warned against a “Space Pearl Harbor” on American satellites, due to the continued reliance on satellites for communications, early warning and even navigation (GPS).
On-line. May 2007 – in the wake of Russian hacker attacks against the Estonian government systems – Federal agencies met with CIO’s in a classified briefing to review the changing nature of cyberattacks.

A ‘bolt from the blue’ attack – that Pearl Harbor has come to symbolize – could be seen more as a bookmark in history when warface has dramatically changed. Look at the Pearl Harbor attack. It basically signalled the end of the battleship as the dominant player in naval warfare, and heralded the rise of the aircraft carrier.

Taken in this context – the terrorist attacks on 9/11 (2001) could be seen as another ‘Pearl Harbor’ – and with it, announced the rise of ‘asymmetric’ warfare.

What happens next? Only time will tell.

Soviet Juliett – ready to be scrapped

Threat Watcher — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:00:24 +0000

Krazy Ivan’s Discount Submarine Sales

Originally uploaded by Greg Easton Photography

Sitting tied to a pier in Providence Rhode Island – is a ex-Soviet “Juliett” class cruise missile submarine – waiting to either be restored or stripped in preparation to be scrapped.

This sub has had a interesting post-Cold War history. It was originally acquired by a Finish businessman in 1993 to be used as a off-beat restaurant/bar and tourist attraction in Helsinki. This attempt did not generate the $$$ that the promoter had hoped for – so in 1998 the boat was leased to a Canadian promoter who wanted to set the boat up as a tourist attraction in Tampa Bay Florida. The intended location did not have the depth needed to moor the Juliett – so it was moved to a more remote location. Lack of business caused the Canadian promoter to declare bankruptcy and the ownership of the sub reverted to the original Finnish owner.

But he didn’t want the submarine back and tried to sell it on Ebay for $1 million dollars. No takers. The submarine ended up being chartered for use in the filming of the Harrison Ford movie “K-19: The Widowmaker” and was towed to Nova Scotia, Canada.

In 2002 – the submarine was purchased by the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation and towed from Nova Scotia to Providence Rhode Island, and was on display there from August 2002 until April 2007 when it sunk in a storm (while tied to the pier).

Between June 2008 and August 2008 – US Navy salvage divers brought the submarine back to the surface after it had been on the bottom for over a year. An evaluation of the interior after its time on the bottom – showed that enough damage had been done such that another restoration was not a “financially viable option for the group”. The group announced in December (2008) that they would sell the submarine off to someone who had the resources to restore it – and if that failed – the submarine would be stripped of any historically significant materials – and then taken away for scrap in January 2009.

But – as this picture of the submarine tied up in July 2009 shows – that the submarine has yet to be scrapped. It is unclear where the process stands. Either there is someone out there who has bid on it – or the scrapper is just keeping it there until they have time to work on it.

SR-71 Blackbird – sn/17951

Threat Watcher — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:50:03 +0000

This was the original reason that I was going to go down to Pima on the photo trip. I hadn’t been to the museum since the new ‘Spirit of Freedom’ (Hanger 1 South) had opened up. And it was the new home to the museum’s SR-71 Blackbird.

The pictures in this slideshow documents the progression of the Blackbird’s display at Pima. From being tucked under a temporary sun shade/car port, to being out in the middle of the Arizona sun, to finally being inside and showcased in the new hanger.

This is the last set of pictures from the January photo-safari. If you would like to explore more of my pictures from different trips to Pima – please click HERE. If you are interested in learning more about the Pima Air & Space museum – click HERE.

If you would like to see all of my posts about Pima – click HERE.

Pima – Convair B-36 Restoration

Threat Watcher — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:21:19 +0000

This was the reason that most of us had come on the trip. A chance to photograph the Convair B-36 Peacemaker that the Museum staff had been working on reassembling for over three years now.

[This slideshow/picture set is of ALL of my B-36 pictures from Pima. Not only my trip in January 2009, but from trips in 2006 and 2007. So you can see the visible progress. For a more current and up close status of the restoration of the Peacemaker, take a look at the project page on the Pima website]

This B-36 – a lightweight ‘J’ model (High altidude variant with strengthened landing gear, increased fuel capacity, armament reduced to tail guns only and reduced crew, 33 built) and was actually the very last B-36 built.

As you go through the slide show, you will start with the exterior shots, and then to the close-up pictures (taken from within the Restoration area). Finally – the last 1/4 of the pictures are from the INSIDE of the aircraft. When the Restoration Manager told us that he planned on giving us a chance to climb inside the aircraft and see what it was like inside – you could have heard a pin drop among the group. No one expected this chance.

A sample from the Cockpit;

And a sample from Aft Crew compartment;

Click on either picture to go the full size image on Flickr.

Nowhere else – have I seen this level of behind the scene access. All I can say to the Pima Restoration Staff – THANK YOU!

Boeing E-4B – National Airborne Operations Center

Threat Watcher — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:00:20 +0000

74-0787_IAB_19SEP07_1

Originally uploaded by Midwest Tail Chasers Aviation Photography

With the change of Administration last month, the National Geographic Channel ran a special on Air Force One, calling it America’s Airborne Command Post.

Unfortunately – that statement was just PR. As the documentary showed (in a recap of the flight during 9/11), Air Force One is not a ‘command post’ per se. It is a VIP transport, with a very secure communications system.

[For more commentary about the NatGeo documentary - check out "In From the Cold"]

The ‘real’ Airborne Command Post is currently a set of four Boeing 747-200 aircraft that were modified/enhanced, and are currently designated by the US Air Force as E-4B’s.

The history of this program;

ordered – Feb 1973
first delivered – Dec 1974
fleet upgraded to E-4B standard – 1985
Expected to continue in service to 2015

The E-4B modification consisted of EMP hardening of the aircraft electronics and systems, and replacing the original engine’s.

The four airplanes are based at Offut AFB in Nebraska, and will rotate through Andrews AFB (outside of Washington DC) and Wright Patterson AFB (Dayton, OH). Since the US no longer keeps the bomber force on alert – the E-4′s are one of the few aircraft that are maintained on a 24-hour alert status.

During the attacks on 9/11 – people had reported seeing a large, 4 engine plane overflying Washington, DC and this turned out to be an E-4B, even though the DOD never admitted it was theirs. According to later reports – there was an E-4B at Andrews AFB, participating in Exercise “Global Guardian” that was cancelled when the first plane hit the World Trade Center (and the E-4B was sent airborne).

Pima – Restoration hangar and grounds

Threat Watcher — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:09:52 +0000

Behind a sign that says ‘Museum Staff only’ rests the Restoration Hangar and storage yard. This is where planes are prepped to go on display, and others sit either waiting for their turn, or waiting to used as parts for another exhibit.

Being allowed into the Restoration was the whipped cream on this photo trip (the cherry will be another post). It was due to the diligence of the organizer of the photo trip.

The Restoration shop is where aircraft are taken apart, cleaned, holes patched, put back together again, and repainted.

The YO-3 Quiet Star – is almost complete and should be on display soon.

The Snow S-2A crop duster has been in the shop for less than a year – and is still in the ‘cleaned’ stage.

The A-20G Havoc has been in the restoration hangar for over 3 years now. This one is notable in that this was an actual World War 2 veteran. The airframe served in the South Pacific and had crashed at the end of the runway returning from a mission. It was subsequently used for small arms target practice. The bullet holes on the airframe are marked to Save (not repair) to show the damage that this plane suffered.

A F-4J Phantom was staged right outside the Hangar (to take the place of the Quiet Star) waiting for its turn for a new paint job.

Pima – P-51 Mustang being built

Threat Watcher — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:36:22 +0000

In the middle of the museum field of planes – there is a non-descript building which houses a special project. This building is referred to as ‘Area 51′ – and is where the museum’s craftsmen are building their own P-51 Mustang.

Now – they don’t ever expect this plane to fly, so the strength of the wings and the fuselage are one of the areas that they are cutting back on. But otherwise – they are working from original blueprints and where possible (budget & availability) using original parts.

The whole reason for this project is that the P-51 was an iconic American warbird representing World War 2. But the museum does not currently have one in its collection. While thousands were produced – when the war ended lots of them ended up in private hands, and are seen quite frequently at the air races (pre-Red Bull Air Racing). When a P-51 does come up for sale – the price is in the millions – which puts it out of reach of a non-profit museum like Pima.

There is only one person working on the Mustang full time right now. There is one other person – the Restoration Manager – who has less than 50% of his time on it right now. It is already a couple man-years worth of work – but it sounded like it could be on display by the end of the year.

Pima – Avro Shackleton AEW.Mk2 ‘Mr Henry’

Threat Watcher — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:38:56 +0000

Back at the edge of the restoration area – was an Avro Shackleton AEW.Mk2 named ‘Mr McHenry’ – that was donated by Air Atlantique Classic Flight.

The Shackleton was a post World War 2 design for a RAF Maritime Patrol Aircraft. This particular airframe, WL790, was converted to be a AEW (Airborne Early Warning) platform.

Each of the four Rolls-Royce V-12 engines turn a pair of contra-rotating propellers.

The Shackleton has been at Pima at least a year, but has yet to find a permanent home in display area.

[UPDATE] Pima – Mig 29 Fulcrum

Threat Watcher — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:56:55 +0000

The first new exhibit – was a Mig-29 Fulcrum on the fence line (along Valencia Road).

Even though the Mig is in Russian Air Force markings, one of the other photographers on the trip seemed to think that this is one of the former Moldovan Mig-29′s that the US bought back in 1997 (because this version of the Mig-29 – ‘S’ had a built in jammer on the spine, and was capable of being equipped with nuclear stand-off weapons).

[Wikipedia - does not list this Fulcrum on its list of Mig's on display in the United States, so I don't know who you could check with to confirm the Moldovan connection].

If you scroll through the slide show above – two of the pictures give a clue that this plane did at least take a stop in the custody of the US Air Force in Florida. So if I had to guess – I would say that this was the Mig-29 that had been on display at MacDill AFB (because the canopy on the plane looked like a replacement – and Wiki listed the Fulcrum on display at MacDill as missing its canopy).

[BTW - if anyone happens to go by MacDill and finds that the Fulcrum is no longer there - please let me know so I can update Wiki and my picture notes]

Update – 1/23/2009 – doing some more searching on Flickr for other Mig-29 photos – most notably – this one – it seems pretty conclusive that the canopy on the Fulcrum at Pima is NOT the original canopy. Which means it is highly likely that this was the Fulcrum that had been at MacDill. Now the only outstanding question is – who gave it this crappy canopy? Pima or the USAF/LockMart clean-up crew?

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

Threat Watcher — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:21:08 +0000

Soaring over the mountains

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

I took a road trip this past weekend down to the Pima Air & Space Museum on the east side of Tucson, AZ this past Saturday. It was my first visit in almost two years, and my first trip with my current camera.

Each time I have gone, I have found something new and surprising, and this trip was no exception. Expect to see the highlights from this trip over the coming days.

History – Remember Pearl Harbor

Threat Watcher — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:34:31 +0000

History – Remember Pearl Harbor

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

I think the quote is perfect. As recent events in the US have shown, if you don’t pay understand history – and mistakes others made before hand – you will quickly become history.

The last soliders to die in WW1

Watcher One — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:13:16 +0000

history

The BBC has posted an excellent article here about the last soliders to die in World War 1. These individuals died within moments of the ceasefire and armistice declared that would bring an end to the war, in innocent, non-combat, yet still all-too-fatal situations. This amazing article is well worth the read and the time to review.

There is much we can learn from history, which is why the work of our historians is so valuable. In this case, I am struck by the tragic lack of safety experienced by these men who thought that now, certainly, finally, they were safe. I am also struck by the magnitude of loss that can occur as a result of the decisions made by individuals, whether out of aggression, fear, communications delays or failure, or just plain fatigue.

As we approach the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I, let us remember all those who gave their lives, in combat or perceived safety, for the freedom we enjoy now, and the peace we may yet experience in our lifetimes. And let us remember those who still fight, with the hope that they may achieve that peace we all seek. Our hearts and gratitude go with you all.