Wso/rio

[pkober]

Just returned from Bagram AB. By far the best overheads came from the EA-6B's. They blew away the mud hens. Even we, C-130's, blew away the E's overhead.

 

[NewmanF16]

We also could sustain 520KIAS on the deck longer then any other jet.

Well...maybe on the downwind side of Mt Everest...

As a mission commander, I loved Spark Varks and hate the Prowlers (like their trons, hate how God awful slow they are). All of the mission planning evolves around getting the Prowlers in and out of bad guy land. The only reason the Vipers were running out of gas is they had to stick around to escort the Prowlers out.

Prowlers definitely need to be first in and last out, because anywhere else in the package the war is over before they get there!

 

[Tweetdrvr]

As a former EWO, I can say the AF sold out on EW capability to do some budget wrangling. We put down the EF-111, piggybacked on the Navy's EW capabilities, because we were supposed to be getting another platform in the 10-12 year time frame from the retirement of the -111s. Projects were mentioned but never came to fruition, such as standoff B-52s with enouogh 40kva generators to throw trons from here to Mars. Now the Navy is putting away the Prowler and there won't be enough Growler to go around.

The above opinion is from open source info, mostly a recent article in the AFA magazine.

http://www.afa.org/magazine/oct2006/1006electronics.asp

 

[AdlerDriver]

Just returned from Bagram AB. By far the best overheads came from the EA-6B's. They blew away the mud hens. Even we, C-130's, blew away the E's overhead.

What???????

 

[pkober]

Just screwing around. This thread is getting way too serious. The EA-6B's overhead were always little airshows. Most of the time they were emergency aircraft.

 

[McGillicutty]

Just returned from Bagram AB. By far the best overheads came from the EA-6B's. They blew away the mud hens. Even we, C-130's, blew away the E's overhead.

Bull$#it; not when you sleep during the day and fly at night. Way back, we asked the fighter guys to consider other means of getting in and everyone except the EA-6's ascquiesced. So while the Es and Hogs are doing random steeps/IAPs/etc, the prowlers are still trying to put on an airshow.

 

[pkober]

It's a great show. I was usually so tired I slept thru it. The E's taking off at 1AM is just as loud.

 

[JungleJett]

the prowlers are still trying to put on an airshow.

When that is all you have left, you go with it.

When I was at an "undisclosed" location in Northwestern Saudi in '03, the MF'ing F-15 MX folks would do engine runs in the wee hours of the morning. We were pretty far away from the MX area but you could still here those damn things. They sounded best when they left to go home...in APRIL of '03. God love them for what they do...but they need whisper mode or something!