Donster Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Picture the Boeing 737 -- the small, stocky jetliner that's the workhorse of hundreds of airlines around the world. Now picture the 737 with missiles slung under its wings and a bomb bay in its belly. Boeing is gearing up to modify its ubiquitous twin-jet, single-aisle airliner into a Navy patrol bomber called the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, or MMA. The plane will have a variety of sensors to pinpoint a submarine’s location: anti-submarine radar, an electro-optical-infrared camera and Magnetic Anomaly Detection, or MAD. Rotary magazines will drop sonar sonobuoys. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stans Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Well, the P-3's are getting pretty old and probably a bit tired by now. 737 does make sense, even though it is twin engined instead of quad engined. As long as it can bring the crew home safely on one engine it should do fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 The basic airframe is an excellent one. Quiet, fuel efficient engines, good legs, a decent sized fuselage capable of adding a bomb/torpedo bay, and the sensor operators suite, and sonobouys. It's a good choice to replace an aircraft who has earned a good retirement. Now, if only they'd come up with a replacement for the Viking ASW variant, a decent COD, and a real, repeat, REAL replacement for the Indruder. Hell, the idiots in the 5 sided puzzle palace are going to replace the EA-6B with an F/A 18 E/D model, called the Growler! Of course, it won't be able to fly as far, or have as much stay time, nor carry the same loadout of HARMs and ECM pods, but what the hell, it's going to make the bean counters look good! Wonder if the idiots remember the last time they came up with the one size fits all strike aircraft? Can you picture an F-111 landing on a CARRIER? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stans Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Growler I thought that was a diesel sub! The F4 Phantom worked out to be a fairly good one plane for all services deal, but such occurences are rare. The F/A-18 is a good aircraft, but making it a jack of all trades is going to make it a master of none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre_USA Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 I saw the sole sample of the "B" model F-111 that was to be the Navy's. What a goofy lookin' ride. You have to remember though, the F-14 was just as big and heavy as the Angry Aardvark. I doubt the "B" model would've matured like the USAF "F" model, which took a few years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JClark Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 I saw the sole sample of the "B" model F-111 that was to be the Navy's. What a goofy lookin' ride. You have to remember though, the F-14 was just as big and heavy as the Angry Aardvark. I doubt the "B" model would've matured like the USAF "F" model, which took a few years... The reason why the F-111 never made it to the Navy, was the damn thing was so freakin' big! And the cost to beef up the frame, undercarraige, and install a tailhook was ridiculous. The F-4 II on the other hand, was an AF aircraft, that the Navy took a shot at, and loved on first sight. Don't get me wrong...I thought the 'Vark was a great bird, and should have been kept around for the EF-111 electronic warfare role...especially since the only dedicated EW aircraft left is the EA-6B. Kinda stupid, since the only way you go to war these days, is with a big basket of friendly electrons, and a couple of missiles programed to hate SAM radars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre_USA Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 I think the F111F was the epitomy of tactical strike aircraft. Go screaming into the target area at the speed of heat with yer hair on fire, ripple off them snakes' (dumb bombs, smart plane), and then head home for Miller time! Or take it up high, release, take a leisurely turn to port or starboard, your choice, and let the WSO drive it into the tankers lap. More armor was killed in DS1 by the F-111F "tank-plinking" than any other theater aircraft, including my other fave, the A-10. And they all did have tailhooks on the USAF inventory. Heavy buggers they are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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