View Full Version : Most Badass Military Aircraft?
PhilDernerJr
2010-10-28, 07:02 AM
When I think of the toughest military aircraft, I think of not the ones that can just drop a drop or shoot a missile, but the ones that the enemy sees coming and just knows their day is ruined.
What do you think are the most badass aircraft?
I would have to go with an MH-53 Super Stallion. From my reading (correct me, I like learning this stuff) it's about as tough as helicopters can get, and armed with 3 M134 miniguns or M2 .50s cals. Does it get much worse when extracting in a hot LZ? And look how scary they are approaching...
1281378
The other I'd pick is the A-10. I also define the "tough aircraft" role as when a helo/plane doesn't have to go Mach 2 in order to get its job done...something that can just stroll through an area and stiff-arm its opponents while delivering a few face slaps. The 30mm gatling gun plus it's other rockets, missiles and bombs would have me changing my diapers if I saw one inbound.
Apaches close in 3rd place in my mind, but I'll let someone else take that one.
What would your nominations be?
cancidas
2010-10-28, 07:16 AM
1106972nothin' says Can 'o Whoopass as an AC-130 Spectre! A-10 would be a very close second for me too... only run if you're scared! now as far as your MH-53 goes all i have to say is FAP!! but then there is also the Mi-24.
PhilDernerJr
2010-10-28, 07:50 AM
I'm dumb for not putting the Spectre in there. Anything with howitzer on the side certainly gets some added asskickery points.
gonzalu
2010-10-28, 07:57 AM
I see your bet and raise you :-) I love the above entries... I submit to you another can o whoop ass
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/B-52H_static_display_arms_06.jpg/800px-B-52H_static_display_arms_06.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c9/B-52D_dropping_bombs.jpg/800px-B-52D_dropping_bombs.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Boeing_B-52_dropping_bombs.jpg/800px-Boeing_B-52_dropping_bombs.jpg
cancidas
2010-10-28, 08:52 AM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Boeing_B-52_dropping_bombs.jpg/800px-Boeing_B-52_dropping_bombs.jpgthe ULTIMATE close air support tool...
http://www.longislandwallpapers.com/Aviation/Felix-101-home-at-Bethpage/F-14D-Felix-101-Bethpage/316889004_aJqMG-L-1.jpg
Any weapon like a B-52 or AC-130 is no good if it blows up 100 miles before the target! The enemy can not even paint an F-14 on its radar when it blows up! That is kickass! It will see you at 200Miles, it will kill you at 80 Miles... End of line
moose135
2010-10-28, 10:48 AM
Those are all good choices, and Fred, you've come the closest there...but like the man said:
"Not without a tanker"
http://www.moose135photography.com/photos/93952008_ZrrLL-M.jpg
Your Can of Whoopass isn't going to get close without one! :cool:
gonzalu
2010-10-28, 10:52 AM
Now that's true...
PhilDernerJr
2010-10-28, 11:06 AM
I don't think any fighter jet would be in this category. I LOVE fighters of course, don't get me wrong, but anything that's that fast in getting in and getting out lacks that level of toughness to me. Can it deliver SERIOUS firepower and blows to the enemy? But fighter jets are a little more "pretty" to me. My favorite military aircraft altogether is the F-16, then F-15, but I'd put niether in the Top 10 of the most badass or toughest. But that's just me.
Speedbagel_001
2010-10-28, 01:25 PM
If we can include "fictional" aircraft, I would nominate "Airwolf"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airwolf
http://thefreshscent.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/airwolf.jpg
USAF Pilot 07
2010-10-28, 07:11 PM
Those are all good choices, and Fred, you've come the closest there...but like the man said:
"Not without a tanker"
http://www.moose135photography.com/photos/93952008_ZrrLL-M.jpg
Your Can of Whoopass isn't going to get close without one! :cool:
Ehh, but let's be realistic and include the only jet that can actually get those fighters/bombers and all their stuff to the fight without running out of gas or having to stop and refuel... ;) :cool:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Air/McDonnell-Douglas-KC-10A/1750364/M/http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/4/6/3/1750364.jpg
and
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/7/5/1/1726157.jpg
Perriwen
2010-10-28, 07:13 PM
Any weapon like a B-52 or AC-130 is no good if it blows up 100 miles before the target! The enemy can not even paint an F-14 on its radar when it blows up! That is kickass! It will see you at 200Miles, it will kill you at 80 Miles... End of line
That's actually the flaw in the F-14, because 80 miles gives the target ample time to evade (they know they're being tracked.) Which is why every known time the AIM-54 was fired in combat, it missed.
That's actually the flaw in the F-14, because 80 miles gives the target ample time to evade (they know they're being tracked.) Which is why every known time the AIM-54 was fired in combat, it missed.
This is simply not true... The AIM-54 has an excellent record. Better than any other missile fired from an F-14. Too bad that all kills were from Iran! A Phoenix was never fired in an actual engagement from any U.S. Aircraft. The numbers on the Iranian side are available in books published and you can see the info on every Iranian engagement. For so few misslies, they did shoot lots of planes down with them.
The funny part is that the Iranian version was slimmed down with no countermeasures!
gonzalu
2010-10-28, 08:57 PM
For fictional, if fictional is allowed, I like Blue Thunder :-) Based on a French Aérospatiale SA 341/SA 342 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Gazelle) Gazelle
http://airwing.uplink.com.au/bluethunder/images/media/15_1_L_00010026b.jpg
jerslice
2010-10-28, 09:25 PM
Super Stallion & A10
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2586/3994271429_c00bc4e435_z.jpg?zz=1
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4858103083_7fa7ded0db_z.jpg
hiss srq
2010-10-28, 09:40 PM
On the airplane side of things, A10... That thing can issue a beating and take a beating... More than few returned to base during GW1 with a large amount of flight surface missing.....
Also. The Mi24..... First hand experince with that one this summer. That helicopter is the most intense peice of rotory that has ever flown.... It will easily go 250 knots (Even if the book says NO!) in level flight at low levels.
For fictional, if fictional is allowed, I like Blue Thunder :-) Based on a French Aérospatiale SA 341/SA 342 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Gazelle) Gazelle
http://airwing.uplink.com.au/bluethunder/images/media/15_1_L_00010026b.jpg
Yea, but Airwolf was a Mach 1+ airframe that took out fighter jets and got stuck on the edge of space only to be saved by a quick thinking De-pressurization! I think if put up against a AIM-54, it actually would have won! Put that in your pipe and smoke it. :cool:
On a side note, you can watch all the episodes on Netflix for free as they have the first month free and then like 10 bucks a month!
The best is the two airwolf episodes where they turn them into flight simulators!!! GOOD STUFF
mirrodie
2010-10-28, 09:48 PM
Wow, Blue Thunder. totally forgot about that. LOL
@ the original topic, depends on your definition of tough. In my mind, tough means durable, handy, effective.
The award goes to....
1119450
We already know that
a) when sheshows up, the enemy hath shat their panties
b) you can riddle her with bullets and that wing and titanium tub will fortify the pilots protection and fortify your ability to get that plane back even after she'd been shot up with bullets.
Moose, I feel you on the fuel thing. but Phil didnt asked for most NECESSARY A/C.
And Fred.....
hate to break it to you but the F-14 is not tough.
Jetwash..
Just ask Goose.
;) ;)
gonzalu
2010-10-28, 10:10 PM
This year I found outthat the front wheel well has to get filled with heavy weights to balance the aircraft when there is no ammo for the gun... that's how heavy the depleted uranium shells are.
gonzalu
2010-10-28, 10:13 PM
B-52s are pretty tough too as well as deadly ;-)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Boeing_B-52_with_no_vertical_stabilizer.jpg
PhilDernerJr
2010-10-29, 06:11 AM
PHOTOCHOP. :-p
Perriwen
2010-10-29, 07:48 AM
This is simply not true... The AIM-54 has an excellent record. Better than any other missile fired from an F-14. Too bad that all kills were from Iran! A Phoenix was never fired in an actual engagement from any U.S. Aircraft. The numbers on the Iranian side are available in books published and you can see the info on every Iranian engagement. For so few misslies, they did shoot lots of planes down with them.
The funny part is that the Iranian version was slimmed down with no countermeasures!
Actually, if you really read about it, there's mainly just claims that Iran pulled that off. No one's really sure if it's true or not. Not like Iran's the least bit shadey.. :wink:
puckstopper55
2010-10-29, 10:39 AM
Well I will straddle the line of fiction / non-fiction and say that this would have ruined someones day, but when they saw it, it would have been all over.
Too bad we will never get to see this or the SR-71 fly.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c87/puckstopper55/XB-70-Valkyrie.jpg
Actually, if you really read about it, there's mainly just claims that Iran pulled that off. No one's really sure if it's true or not. Not like Iran's the least bit shadey.. :wink:
lots of planes went down, Sidewinders, Sparrows and Phoenix oh MY.... There are confirmed kills and smoking holes in the desert. You said that No Phoenix ever took down a plane out in actual combat. This is not true, if you want to you can find the smoking hole pictures online of different aircraft shot down by them. The kills are confirmed and lots are not. Most are confirmed by both sides. The Phoenix has an excellent record or they would not have purchased them for 1mill a piece. It would be much cheaper to purchase a dozen or so sidewinders if they were not reliable.
Perriwen
2010-10-29, 11:23 AM
lots of planes went down, Sidewinders, Sparrows and Phoenix oh MY.... There are confirmed kills and smoking holes in the desert. You said that No Phoenix ever took down a plane out in actual combat. This is not true, if you want to you can find the smoking hole pictures online of different aircraft shot down by them. The kills are confirmed and lots are not. Most are confirmed by both sides. The Phoenix has an excellent record or they would not have purchased them for 1mill a piece. It would be much cheaper to purchase a dozen or so sidewinders if they were not reliable.
Every thing I have read, right down to official fact files only calls the kills 'claimed'.
you will never see a U.S. Document saying confirmed unless a U.S. Serviceman shoots down their fighter and it is confirmed by a friendly. Lots of planes were lost, None confirmed by U.S. forces. Plenty confirmed by them.
An AIM 54 has never been shot by U.S. Forces in anger.
An AIM 54 has never missed while in an actual dogfight as it has never been used by U.S. but at 1 mil...I would bet all the money in my bank account that it was preferred by any F-14 pilot up against any other missle.... I know this as I have asked a few of them :cool:
They have shot them, They understand them, they wanted them.
Perriwen
2010-10-29, 01:58 PM
you will never see a U.S. Document saying confirmed unless a U.S. Serviceman shoots down their fighter and it is confirmed by a friendly. Lots of planes were lost, None confirmed by U.S. forces. Plenty confirmed by them.
An AIM 54 has never been shot by U.S. Forces in anger.
An AIM 54 has never missed while in an actual dogfight as it has never been used by U.S. but at 1 mil...I would bet all the money in my bank account that it was preferred by any F-14 pilot up against any other missle.... I know this as I have asked a few of them :cool:
They have shot them, They understand them, they wanted them.
Actually, three AIM-54s were fired over the Iraqi no-fly zone in 1999, one at a Mig-25, the other a Mig-23. The source comes from the DoD in the notes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-54_Phoenix
On January 5, 1999, a pair of U.S. F-14s fired two AIM-54 at Iraqi MiG-25s southeast of Baghdad (both missed).[5]
On September 9, 1999 another U.S. F-14 launched an AIM-54 at an Iraqi MiG-23 that was heading south into the No-Fly Zone from Al Taqaddum air base west of Baghdad. The missile missed, eventually going into the ground.[6]
I had not seen this before. I stand corrected.... sorry sir
The -53 is indeed a badass and intimidating acft. For a fixed wing vote I nominate the AC-130. I saw them up close and personal overseas and you cannot get the true sense of awesome this plane has, unless you see it in person. Hearing it fire helps as well. :cool:
gonzalu
2010-10-29, 09:05 PM
I took some pics of a Spectre back in 2005 at JSOH / Andrews...
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/127074552/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/127074553/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/44394447/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/127074554/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/127074555/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/127074557/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/image/127074558/original.jpg
Matt Molnar
2010-10-30, 05:10 PM
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/9/4/0788490.jpg
Beriev VVA-14, though it never got past the development phase.
hiss srq
2010-10-31, 01:23 PM
What on God's green Earth is that hulking leaking brute of Vodka inspired engineering and did it actually ever fly?
PhilDernerJr
2010-11-01, 10:01 AM
How many people man the 105 on the Spectre?
Perriwen
2010-11-01, 12:09 PM
How many people man the 105 on the Spectre?
Two, I think. One loader and one shooter.
cancidas
2010-11-01, 01:26 PM
i'm surprised nobody mentioned the Douglas A-1D:
1763406 1605094
Perriwen
2010-11-01, 01:34 PM
Something else no one seemed to mention....I mean, just look at it. It's like a wasp seeking to sting something.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5045054587_0058031316_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4861150156_077063750d_b.jpg
Matt Molnar
2010-11-01, 02:29 PM
What on God's green Earth is that hulking leaking brute of Vodka inspired engineering and did it actually ever fly?
It did fly, though I think the wings were removed from the one in the photo...I can't find a photo in actual flying condition. It was meant to be an anti-submarine aircraft that could take-off from water and fly low altitude in ground effect, but also fly up to 30,000 feeet.
lijk604
2010-11-01, 05:11 PM
Surprised no one has mentioned this yet. But when I think badass...I think - B1
Fast, loud, deadly!
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/lijk604/Downloads/B1-3.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/lijk604/Downloads/B1-2.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/lijk604/Downloads/B1-1024.jpg
puckstopper55
2010-11-02, 09:24 AM
Surprised no one has mentioned this yet. But when I think badass...I think - B1
Fast, loud, deadly!
I agree .. I didnt even think about the B-1, but now that I am, and I remember seeing it at Jones beach and FRG, I have to agree. This thing looks mean, and will get you in and out.
gonzalu
2010-11-02, 10:07 AM
When I asked, they said 4... but then there is also a targeting person on the nav console on the cockpit. The whole thing is weird.. they don't really aim the big guns, but the whole plane and it is not accurate... only the Gatling rotates a little bit, and it is remotely operated since you can;t really see out its axis.
gonzalu
2010-11-02, 10:17 AM
Lun-class MD-160 Ekranoplan
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/955293853_mTM2W-O-LB.jpg
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/955321773_Ghvgc-O.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUTWWsh6iGA
Some more photos here...
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/13167215_TUAUm#955293853_mTM2W
gonzalu
2010-11-02, 10:19 AM
It did fly, though I think the wings were removed from the one in the photo...I can't find a photo in actual flying condition. It was meant to be an anti-submarine aircraft that could take-off from water and fly low altitude in ground effect, but also fly up to 30,000 feeet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAk3kwXfEWk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Fb8bWhCKw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Fb8bWhCKw
puckstopper55
2010-11-02, 10:59 AM
When I asked, they said 4... but then there is also a targeting person on the nav console on the cockpit. The whole thing is weird.. they don't really aim the big guns, but the whole plane and it is not accurate... only the Gatling rotates a little bit, and it is remotely operated since you can;t really see out its axis.
From what I read, everything is VERY accurate. The weapons know the planes speed, and information and adjust automatically.
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