Syrian rebels now also using L-39 in offensive role

December 30, 2013 by John M. Guilfoil

A Syrian Rebel L-39 (Video grab from Times of Israel)

A year and a half ago, we reported that the Syrian government was using a modified L-39 training jet in a ground attack role.

The L-39ZA aircraft is an upgraded variant for light ground attack. It carries a GsH-23L 23mm twin canon with 150 rounds and outer pylons that can carry air-to-air missiles and ground attack munitions. It can carry almost 3,000 lbs. of munitions, which is very little.

Now, the Times of Israel is reporting, from a rebel video published on YouTube, that the Syrian rebels have seized their own L39s and are using them in attack roles as well. The video has since been made private.

The use of L-39s — on either side of the ongoing Syrian Civil War — is extremely telling. First, it clearly illustrates that that most of the advanced, extremely well-armed Cold War Era Soviet MiGs and Suhkoi jets that Syria possesses are most likely not airworthy. Syria has a lot of former Soviet air power, including the MiG-23, MiG-21, Su-24, and Su-17 for ground attack, and advanced fighters like the MiG-25 interceptor and MiG-29 air superiority fighter. The fighters have not been seen at all in the war, and the attack planes have only been seen sporadically. Second, the use of the L-39 may speak to the quality of pilots available on both sides of the war.

The L-39 is, by its nature, a training jet. The Czech-made plane is much easier to use and costs much less to repair and maintain than the bulkier, older Soviet planes. The L-39 would be much easier for inexperienced rebel and government pilots to operate.

But there is danger here, on both sides. The L-39 is not built to be defensive, at all. It can be shot down with shoulder-mounted missiles with even rudimentary radar-guidance. It looks like a tractor-trailer truck on radar — not meant to be stealthy. The plane does not have the durability of a well-maintained MiG or Sukhoi. It simply can’t take the punishment.

The use of old Mi-8 and Mi-17 attack helicopters and training jets as the primary airborne weapons of the war certainly has contributed to the high aerial combat losses seen over the past two years. We are not seeing a “clean” air war that Americans are used to from the first Gulf War in the 1990s.

Buccaneer

December 30, 2013 by John M. Guilfoil

The Royal Navy’s carrier strike fighter of the 60s and 70s, the Blackburn Buccaneer suffered a near-fatal mid-life crisis before seeing some of its only combat action as a Royal Air Force jet during the 1991 Gulf War.

The need for a carrier-capable strike fighter came from the rise of the Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser. The Buccaneer was not a fancy airplane, but it filled that role nicely.

The Blackburn Buccaneer was later known as the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer when Blackburn became a part of the Hawker Siddeley group in the early 1960s. It was a sub-sonic, low-level strike fighter that operated into the 1990s, despite a design, avionics, and electronics that were always very 1960s.

The Buccaneer had to get a few lucky breaks to even exist as a military airplane. The cancellation of the supersonic British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 and the fantastic failure of the General Dynamics F-111K meant that the less advanced (and cheaper) Buccaneer would be given a go.

Early first-generation Buccaneers suffered a series of crashes due to what was seen as a lack of engine power. The S.2 upgrade came with a pair of punchier Rolls-Royce Spey engines.

The South African Air Force emerged as an export partner very early on, and 16 aircraft were delivered under the Buccaneer S.50 name. They were exactly the same was the Buccaneer S.2 except for added armor in the undercarriage, manual-folded wings, better wheel brakes, and the addition of the Bristol Siddeley BS.605 rocket engines that added additional thrust on African battlefields. The plane saw most of its actual combat service in the South African Border War, flying strike sorties against guerrillas in Angola and Namibia. During the Border War, the Buccaneer proved itself a versatile and effective attacker, engaging everything from ships, to tanks, to vehicles. It was also useful in a defensive role, providing close air support and cover missions for South African soldiers.

A Buccaneer landing on HMS Eagle circa 1971

A United Nations Embargo against South Africa put a stop to the British export of further aircraft, and it was in South Africa that the Buccaneer became its own chapter in the Cold War Era nuclear arms race. In the 90s, the world learned that South Africa had developed air-to-ground nuclear weapons with an estimated yield of up to 18 kilotons. The nuclear weapons were designed to be delivered by the Buccaneer or the English Electric Canberra bomber, which South Africa also purchased pre-embargo.

The Buccaneer never garnered any other export interest. The United States Navy developed the A-6 “Intruder” for its own needs, and Lockheed had engaged in a series of bribes from the late 1950s to the 1970s, which led to several countries purchasing its F-104 “Starfighter” for ground attack use.

In 1980, during Red Flag drills, a British Buccaneer lost one of its wings mid-flight and crashed, killing the crew. The RAF immediately grounded its fleet and determined that metal fatigue was a problem on several Buccaneers. The RAF upgraded 60 of the planes and scraped the rest.

Reaching the end of its lifespan, the Buccaneer finally saw combat for the Crown in 1991 during the first Gulf War. At least 20 roadway bridges in Iraq were successfully attacked by Buccaneers using laser-guided bombs. On Feb. 21, 1991, a pair of Buccaneers even got credited for aircraft kills when they destroyed a pair of Iraqi transport planes on the ground at the Shayka Mazhar airfield.

When the Buccaneer was retired, it was replaced with the V/STOL British Aerospace Sea Harrier in the Royal Navy and the Panavia Tornado in the RAF.

It is believed that three airworthy Buccaneers remain in South Africa, and one is undergoing restoration to airworthy condition in the United Kingdom. About two dozen of the planes are on display, mostly in the United Kingdom.

Specifications

General

A Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B aircraft in flight during "Air Fete '88", a NATO aircraft display hosted by the U.S. Air Force 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk (UK), on 28 May 1988. — A Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B aircraft in flight during “Air Fete ’88”, a NATO aircraft display hosted by the U.S. Air Force 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk (UK), on 28 May 1988.

Crew: 2
Length: 63 ft 5 in
Wingspan: 44 ft
Height: 16 ft 3 in
Empty weight: 30,000 lb
Loaded weight: 62,000 lb
Engine: Two Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 101 turbofans, 11,100 lbf each

Performance

Maximum speed: 667 mpg
Range: 2,300
Ceiling: 40,000 ft
Thrust/weight: 0.36

Armament

Guns: None
Hardpoints: 4 under-wing pylons and one internal rotating bomb bay. Total of 12,000 lbs. of ordinance can be carried including:

Rockets
AIM-9 “Sidewinders”
AS-37 “Martel” air-to-ground missiles
Sea Eagle air-to-ship missiles
Iron bombs, laser-guided bombs, and Red Beard or WE.177 tactical nuclear bombs
Drop tanks for extended range

Photo Gallery

A Royal Navy Blackburn Buccaneer S2B (XV157) on display at the 1966 Farnborough Airshow. (Imperial War Museum)

Blackburn Buccaneers Fleet Air Arm Jubilee Review Yeovilton 1964

Non-flying preserved S.2B in 1991 Gulf War colours at Kemble Airport, England

Blackburn Buccaneer S.50 (retired) at South African National Museum of Military History.

U.S. Navy exchange pilot Lt. W.W. Foote (right) and his Royal Navy observer Lt. D.J. Allen in front of a Royal Navy Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 of No. 700Z squadron at “HMS Fulmar”, the RN airbase at Lossiemouth, Scotland (UK), ca. 1961.

A Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B of No. 12 Squadron, Royal Air Force, performing a touch and go landing at the U.S. Navy Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California (USA), during an air show of USN test and evaluation squadron VX-5 on 16 September 1981.

Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 XN929 at the SBAC show Farnborough 8 September 1962. (Wikimedia)

A Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B aircraft in flight during “Air Fete ’88”, a NATO aircraft display hosted by the U.S. Air Force 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk (UK), on 28 May 1988.

A Buccaneer landing on HMS Eagle circa 1971

Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S2B (Media credit/Chris Lofting)

Essential Reading

Amazon.com Widgets

Online Resources

BlackburnBuccaneer.co.uk — Hosted at avcollect.com now, this is a great site with info, crew information, and tons of photos.
Warbird Alley — Great history and some nice photos
Military Factory — Good background and info

Syria using Czech-made training jet to attack rebels in Aleppo

August 9, 2012 by John M. Guilfoil

We have been analyzing the fighter jets used by the Syrian government to attack rebels in the major city of Aleppo recently.

A British reporter had said that “MiG” fighters were being used. We deduced that the fighters were most likely MiG-23, MiG-21, or Su-24, or Su-17 ground attack planes. These jets, which Syria has in large supplies, are ideally lethal complements to the attack helicopters the embattled Syrian government has brought to bear on its own people.

But after finally seeing a photo of a jet used in Aleppo, we now know that the government was not using MiGs or Sukhois or any other Soviet-built ground attack jets at all.

Syria is using training jets to attack the rebels. Specifically, it is using the Czech-made Aero L-39 Albatros, a high performance jet trainer that has been in production for over 40 years and is one of the most popular training aircraft in the world.

Syria is known to possess several L-39ZA aircraft. The ZA variant is specifically upgraded for light ground attack. It carries a GsH-23L 23mm twin canon with 150 rounds and outer pylons that can carry air-to-air missiles and ground attack munitions. It can carry almost 3,000 lbs. of munitions.

The L-39ZA is very popular with developing nations as a cheap ground attacker. It is also used by Algeria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, Thailand and several other air forces around the world.

This has to raise some questions about the capabilities of the Syrian Air Force. The L-39 is weakly armed compared to its Soviet-built jets. A single Mig-23 can carry twice as much weaponry as the L-39ZA. An Su-24 “Fencer” can carry six times more bombs and missiles than an L-39ZA.

Syria is clearly having difficulty maintaining, arming, and using its more advanced Russian jets.

Update: We also have been made aware of this video of an L-39 over Syria

F-15E “Strike Eagle”

August 6, 2012 by John M. Guilfoil

The E-model F-15s were entered into operational service in 1989 and quickly became the pride-and-joy of the USAF. It is an all-weather, dual-role fighter, capable of low-altitude and night operations. Its dual-role makes it both an air-to-air fighter and a strike fighter, hence its designation as the “Strike Eagle.”

The E-model’s main purpose is to fight its way into a target zone, deliver its payload, then fight its way out (if necessary). In order to accomplish such a feat, the initial F-15 design had to be slightly modified. To maintain the impressive performance of the F-15 whilst giving it an even more devastating armament, E-models have Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofan engines, which produce a combined thrust of 58,000 pounds.

In addition to more powerful engines, the E-model is equipped with a vast array of sensors, advanced targeting suites and the APG-70 radar system. With so much technology crammed into the jet, along with its need to carry a myriad of weapons for its mission possibilities, the airframe of the F-15E looks slightly different from its predecessors. In fact, E-models are quite intimidating.

The intakes appear more bulbous and bigger and the material of the airframe is darker. Looking at the jet head-on, especially when next to a previous model, it appears more muscular. Its very appearance telegraphs its purpose and efficiency; this aircraft will accomplish its mission in a most bombastic fashion. Despite its large and powerful appearance, it is still just as fast and maneuverable as any other F-15, making it a double threat.

Making it even more deadly is the efficiency in which it can accomplish its mission. The E-model’s avionics are constantly at work, scanning and sensing. In order to keep track of all the incoming information, E-models require a second officer. Unlike the back seat of the B-and-D-models–which are for instruction purposes–the back seat of E-models is for a WSO. A WSO (pronounced “wiz-o” and meaning Weapons System Officer) manages all the combat data on four screens in the cockpit and designates ground targets. This allows the pilot to focus on flying and air-to-air threats.

The F-15E has brought the USAF into the 21st century, its many improvements from previous models being incorporated into current and future fighter jets.