Pictures of Cold War aircraft. (2 Viewers)

[Sabrejet]

Here is Cold War bird for you, in Korea, How many bipes did we use in combat zones during the Cold War? Is this the USAF answer to the Po-2?

View attachment 829435

Not USAF but ROKAF.

 

[MIflyer]

Not USAF but ROKAF.

Has both US and ROKF markings. With a big Japanese red dot under there somewhere. Supposed to be a Ki-9

 

[Sabrejet]

Has both US and ROKF markings. With a big Japanese red dot under there somewhere. Supposed to be a Ki-9

View attachment 829511

Well that's confusing!!! Apologies

 

[GTX]

 

[GTX]

 

[Viking1066]

USS Ranger VA-25 Fist of the Fleet A-7E Corsair II BuNo 158666, NE-400, 21 July 1975 FLIK

 

[MIflyer]

USS Ranger VA-25 Fist of the Fleet A-7E Corsair II BuNo 158666, NE-400, 21 July 1975 FLIK

A-7E had the same TF-41 engine as our USAF D models, but for some strange reason their TF-41 apparently was not the nightmare it was for the USAF. Could it have been that the USN recognized that the RR-designed TF-41 version of the Spey was a typical RR "Custom Built" engine and did not take kindly to the OC-ALC practice of assuming it was like American engines and all parts were interchangable between any two serial numbers?

In any case, in October 1975 I was dispatched to Myrtle Beach AFB (nice little place, too bad we closed it) with orders to get their airplanes back in the air after the bleed air ducts had found to be badly wrinkled. Investigation showed that the harried maintenance guys had devised a labor saving method of getting the engines out of the airplane for their mandated 150 hour inspections, and that wrinkled the ducts. And while they only had 37 TF-41 engines for 80 airframes, I managed to find enough acceptable ducts to get them back in the air. Interesting experience for a guy barely 18 months out of college.

 

[Viking1066]

VF-174 Hell Razors F9F-8 Cougars waiting to be loaded on USS Forrestal, CVA-59, at Naval Station Mayport, 16 September 1956. L-r BuNo 141215, T-309, BuNo unknown, BuNo 141227, BuNo 141225, BuNo 141214, BuNo 141221 and BuNo 141220 FLIK

 

[Glider]

A-7E had the same TF-41 engine as our USAF D models, but for some strange reason their TF-41 apparently was not the nightmare it was for the USAF. Could it have been that the USN recognized that the RR-designed TF-41 version of the Spey was a typical RR "Custom Built" engine and did not take kindly to the OC-ALC practice of assuming it was like American engines and all parts were interchangable between any two serial numbers?

In any case, in October 1975 I was dispatched to Myrtle Beach AFB (nice little place, too bad we closed it) with orders to get their airplanes back in the air after the bleed air ducts had found to be badly wrinkled. Investigation showed that the harried maintenance guys had devised a labor saving method of getting the engines out of the airplane for their mandated 150 hour inspections, and that wrinkled the ducts. And while they only had 37 TF-41 engines for 80 airframes, I managed to find enough acceptable ducts to get them back in the air. Interesting experience for a guy barely 18 months out of college.

View attachment 829598

I always wonder why the first reaction is to blame Rolls Royce for any problems. The Spey must be one of the most widely used military jet engines ever. In service for many years and in many countries, on many different airframes, by many forces. It was also built under license in a number of countries including the USA and China, which must be something of a record.
Yet when there is a problem, the old 'it was a custom built RR engine' is trotted out.

Personally I was being trained on it for the Buccaneer/Phantom when the decision was made to get rid of the fixed wing element of the FAA so cannot claim to have supported it in an operational setting. However, a number of people we interacted with had a lot of experience on the engine and I can only remember praise for it.
I think its worth remembering that on any carrier, USN or RN, spares are very precious. There are very few of them and the lead time to getting more is both long and often logistically difficult. I cannot think of any reason why the USAF should have had problems with the engine if the USN didn't, and suspect that its a story that grew with the telling.

 

[MIflyer]

Yet when there is a problem, the old 'it was a custom built RR engine' is trotted out.

It seems that on the TF-41 some of the assemblies were stacked up and then match drilled as part of the assembly process. Take a bunch of those apart and scatter them to the four winds and then try to reassemble them and their not going back together is predictable.

A friend of mine who worked on RR engines for an airlines described how he watched RR carefully custom modify a fan disk and then mark it with a special part number.

 

[Viking1066]

VA-52 Knightriders A-6A Intruders BuNo 155717, NH-507, and BuNo 155718, NH-510, in flight over the USS Kitty Hawk, CVA-63, off Vietnam, 15 November 1970 FLIK

 

[c1951]

I always wonder why the first reaction is to blame Rolls Royce for any problems. The Spey must be one of the most widely used military jet engines ever. In service for many years and in many countries, on many different airframes, by many forces. It was also built under license in a number of countries including the USA and China, which must be something of a record.
Yet when there is a problem, the old 'it was a custom built RR engine' is trotted out.

Personally I was being trained on it for the Buccaneer/Phantom when the decision was made to get rid of the fixed wing element of the FAA so cannot claim to have supported it in an operational setting. However, a number of people we interacted with had a lot of experience on the engine and I can only remember praise for it.
I think its worth remembering that on any carrier, USN or RN, spares are very precious. There are very few of them and the lead time to getting more is both long and often logistically difficult. I cannot think of any reason why the USAF should have had problems with the engine if the USN didn't, and suspect that its a story that grew with the telling.

I read somwhere the Speys from the UK Phantoms were refurbished and sent to China

 

[Glider]

I read somwhere the Speys from the UK Phantoms were refurbished and sent to China

Possibly but I would be surprised as the Chinese built their own under license and probably didn't need any spares.

As an add on to the general comment its also worth remembering that there was a naval version that was used in a number of warships principally in the Dutch, British and Japanese navies.

So to sum it up the engine was a very widely used and flexible engine.

 

[c1951]

Possibly but I would be surprised as the Chinese built their own under license and probably didn't need any spares.

As an add on to the general comment its also worth remembering that there was a naval version that was used in a number of warships principally in the Dutch, British and Japanese navies.

So to sum it up the engine was a very widely used and flexible engine.

 

[c1951]

Here's a quote 'Spey Mk202 Engines. The contract to supply 90 Spey Mk 202 engines to an overseas customer, which started in 2000, was successfully completed on schedule in June 2001. The engines, which were sold through Rolls Royce plc and also included a large package of ex-RAF spares supplied by Military Aircraft Spares Limited, were originally fitted to the RAFs Phantom aircraft until they were retired from service.' might be of interest RR Spey - PPRuNe Forums

Xi'an JH-7 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Glider]

Here's a quote 'Spey Mk202 Engines. The contract to supply 90 Spey Mk 202 engines to an overseas customer, which started in 2000, was successfully completed on schedule in June 2001. The engines, which were sold through Rolls Royce plc and also included a large package of ex-RAF spares supplied by Military Aircraft Spares Limited, were originally fitted to the RAFs Phantom aircraft until they were retired from service.' might be of interest RR Spey - PPRuNe Forums

Xi'an JH-7 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for this, I live and learn.

 

[Viking1066]

VF-103 Sluggers F-4B Phantom II BuNo 152317, AC-206, and VF-31 Tomcatters F-4B BuNo 151467, AC-1xx, on the flight deck of the USS Saratoga, CVA-60, in heavy seas, 02 December 1967 FLIK

 

[Donivanp]

Phantoms phorever

 

[GTX]

 

[GTX]