View allAll Photos Tagged EllsworthAFB,
Facing the increasing age of their KC-135A fleet, along with the type’s less fuel efficient, smoky, and noisy JT3D turbojet engines, the USAF embarked on a program to either modify or replace the 700 or so KC-135s in service beginning in 1980. The KC-10A Extender proved to be an adequate supplement, but cost concerns and the sheer size of the USAF’s tanker fleet meant that completely replacing the KC-135 with the KC-10 was not feasible; likewise, a partial re-engining to KC-135E standard, which used TF33 turbofans taken from 707 airliners, likewise would not be cost-effective for the entire fleet.
Therefore the USAF decided instead to modify the KC-135As to KC-135R standard. Like the KC-135Es, the old turbojets would be replaced by turbofans, but these were state-of-the-art high-bypass CFM56 types, twice the diameter of the older JT3Ds. The CFM56, designated F108 in USAF service, doubled the thrust of the KC-135A, yet was cheaper and more fuel efficient to operate, far more quiet, and allowed the offload of half again as much fuel as the A model. This extended not only the range of the KC-135 force, but also further extended the reach of tactical fighters it would refuel. An auxiliary power unit (APU) was added as well, allowing the KC-135R to operate with a minimum of ground equipment from unprepared airstrips, and the airframe was reskinned, taking the fleet back to essentially zero flight hours. The 360 KC-135Rs were therefore practically new aircraft, and were projected to serve until at least 2010 or possibly longer.
KC-135Rs entered service in 1983 and rapidly replaced nearly all KC-135As in service; SR-71 dedicated KC-135Qs were reengined as KC-135Ts. The first combat use of the R model was in Panama in 1989, followed by Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991; since then, KC-135Rs have supported every peacetime and war deployment by the US, the most recent being Operation Odyssey Dawn over Iraq in 2011. With the retirement of the KC-135E in 2009, the R model is now the only KC-135 variant operated by the USAF. The entire fleet went through the Pacer CRAG update in the late 1990s, adding GPS and additional navigational equipment to the KC-135. A few were further modified as KC-135RTs, which themselves can be refuelled in flight; several more have also had underwing fuel tanks added to allow for three-point refuelling—one via the USAF-standard boom/plug, the other two utilizing US Navy style probe/drogue.
Though much of the KC-135R fleet has been found capable of operating until 2040 (when the youngest airframe will be approaching eighty years old), obviously a replacement would be needed at some point; this was recognized by the USAF in the late 1990s and accelerated by the higher strain of constant wartime deployments over Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. A long, drawn-out, and bitter competition between Boeing’s 767 and Airbus’ A330 over the past ten years finally came to an end in 2011, when the USAF selected Boeing’s KC-767 proposal over the Airbus KC-30; designated KC-46, the new tanker will begin replacing the KC-135R about 2015.
This KC-135R, 58-0098, was at Malmstrom AFB in 1987 to provide familiarization for base personnel, as the 301st Air Refueling Wing was due to arrive later in the year. It was assigned to the 28th Strategic Bomber Wing at Ellsworth AFB. This view shows the earlier overall SAC gray scheme used on its tankers, complete with Strategic Air Command stripe on the fuselage and the 28th's tail stripe. 58-0098 is still around, today serving with the 101st Air Refueling Wing (Maine ANG) at Bangor, Maine.
Senior Master Sgt. Edward Mueller, 28th Logistics Readiness Squadron superintendent of fuels management, falls into a dunk tank during the annual base picnic outside the Dakota’s Club on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., June 22, 2018. The dunk tank event was part of the Air Force Ball Dunk-a-Leader fundraiser, which involved nominating base leadership to be dunked in a tank of water, and the money raised from the event will go toward the base’s 2018 Air Force Ball in September. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Randahl J. Jenson)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Lacefield, the 28th Security Forces Squadron noncomissioned officer in charge of confinement at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., fires an M-9 pistol at a target, Nov. 9, 2010. Sergeant Lacefield participated in firing drills in preparation for Global Strike Challenge, Nov. 13 through 16, 2010. The challenge pits missile and bomb crews, security forces, and maintainers from five Air Force bases in head-to-head competitions to determine the “best of the best.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kasey Close)
U.S. Airmen assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB), S.D. to Andersen AFB, Guam, prepare a Rockwell B-1B "Lancer" for a bilateral mission with Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15s in the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands, Aug. 15, 2017. These training flights with Japan demonstrate the solidarity and resolve we share with our allies to preserve peace and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Zachery Brackeen, a 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, services the Cn2 hydraulic system on a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft engine at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Jan. 21, 2011. The Cn2 system runs all of the hydraulics on the aircraft and is maintained and refilled as needed to ensure the proper flow of fluids. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
Blogged at belredroad.posterous.com/today-in-1974-b1-bomber-first-fl...
Airmen from the 34th Bomb Squadron work to de-ice a B-1B Lancer March 26, 2011, at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D, in preparation for a mission in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Adam Grant)
Staff. Sgt. Michael Risse, 28th Honor Guard Non-Commissioned Officer in charge, awaits giving the American flag to the next of kin during a funeral at Black Hills National Cemetery in Rapid City, S.D., Sept. 15, 2009. The honor guard paid their respects during a funeral service held for a former World War ll Veteran. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Corey Hook)
A B-1B returning from a mission to Libya in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn taxis to the aircraft parking area on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 30, 2011. This mission marked the first time the B-1 fleet has launched combat sorties from the continental United States to strike targets overseas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marc I. Lane)
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. - Airman 1st Class Jonathan Bettenhausen, 28th Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion technician, inspects a B-1B Lancer engine for possible broken safety wires and missing parts, March 25. The B-1 engines are inspected after every 100 hours of flying. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Marc I. Lane)
The Minuteman ICBM program has its roots in the technological revolution of the late 1950s and 1960s. Though the US already deployed several hundred Atlas and Titan ICBMs, these used liquid propellant, meaning they would need to be fueled before launch, and their early-generation computers were inaccurate. Atlas and Titans by necessity carried huge megaton warheads and were mainly "citybusters," designed to cause maximum casualties; because they needed to be fueled first, there was the possibility that a massive Soviet first strike would destroy the missiles before they could be launched.
The Minuteman, on the other hand, was meant to be solid-fueled, which meant it could be deployed as ready to fire; it would only need to be refueled every few years. This cut down on the large support facilities the Atlas and Titan used, meaning the Minuteman could be widely dispersed, guaranteeing that a Soviet first strike would not be able to get all of them--enough would survive that a nuclear war would truly result in mutually assured destruction. The solid-fuel propellant tended to burn quickly, but a breakthrough in design in 1956, as part of the US Navy's Polaris submarine-launched missile project, solved this problem. The increasing use of transistors in solid-state computers solved the accuracy issue about the same time--whereas the Atlas and Titans would be lucky to hit within five miles of their target, the Minuteman could strike within a mile, which was good enough with a nuclear warhead. This also meant that the Minuteman could carry smaller warheads.
The Minuteman was the ultimate in ICBM design, and the first Minuteman I entered service in 1962. Subsequent improvements led to the more accurate Minuteman II, and then finally the Minuteman III in 1975, which was still more accurate and, most importantly, carried multiple warheads (MIRV), allowing one missile to hit three targets. Since the early 1990s, the USAF ICBM force has standardized on the Minuteman III, and with the retirement of the Peacekeeper in 2005, the only one in American service.
This Minuteman II is a hybrid of an actual LGM-30B and replica parts, and was never operational; it was used as a gate guard for the 44th Strategic Missile Wing's headquarters at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. When the 44th SMW was deactivated in 1994, the missile was refurbished and donated to the Fargo Air Museum in neigboring North Dakota.
It could probably use another round of restoration--rust is noticeable on the missile, and the paint has begun to fade--but it still serves as a gate guard for the Fargo Air Museum.
Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing salute two returning B-1B Lancers as they taxi to their parking area on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 30, 2011. The B-1s bombed targets in Libya in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marc I. Lane)
Airmen from the 28th Munitions Squadron transfer a two thousand pound bomb from a weapons trailer to the load jammer in preparation of Operation Odyssey Dawn at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 26, 2011. Once secure on the load jammer, the two thousand pound bomb will then be loaded into the aircraft bomb bay. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kasey Close)
Airman John Hill, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron engineer technician, writes locations of floor plans at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Sept. 10, 2009. Airman Hill makes a log of the floor for easier future access. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kasey Zickmund)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Mohamed Cassim, a 28th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) heating, ventilation and air conditioning journeyman, wraps a heating vent on a duct at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Jan. 26, 2011. The Air Force saved more than $75,000 by having the Airmen from the 28th CES install the new HVAC system rather than contractors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
In 1953, the US Army issued a requirement for a general purpose helicopter that would be relatively simple to operate and maintain. Bell responded with its Model 204, which used a turboshaft powerplant rather than a piston engine, making it faster and more efficient. The Army liked the design and ordered it into production as the HU-1A in 1960, though this was quickly superseded by the HU-1B, with an extended fuselage that allowed for seven troops to be carried. The HU-1A designation was often read as "Huey," and the name stuck far more than its official one, even after the official designation switched to UH-1 after 1962.
The Huey would first see combat in Vietnam, and it became the symbol of that war: just the sound of the UH-1, which is distinctive, echoes that war. The UH-1 was central to the US Army's airmobile concept, which involved moving troops rapidly from point to point in Vietnam, in an attempt to catch North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. It was somewhat successful, in that American forces could concentrate quickly, move fast, and avoid ambushes along the way. The Huey was vulnerable as it approached the landing zone, and hundreds were shot down: the most dangerous job in the Vietnam War was arguably that of a Huey crewman. Weapons limited only by the crews' imagination were soon added to UH-1s. Vietnam-era slang reflected the Huey's job: a "slick" was a troop-carrying UH-1 with only door guns, while a "hog" was a gunship carrying rockets and heavier guns. Though vulnerable and loud, the Huey turned in a superlative performance in Vietnam.
Over 16,000 UH-1s would be produced, and many are still in service, having seen action in every war since Vietnam, worldwide. It is only rivaled by the Russian Mi-8/17 Hip in use.
The USAF was quick to realize the Huey's potential, and ordered a number as the UH-1F, though the USAF also operated specialized units with Army-style UH-1Bs and Hs. The F model used the same engine as the Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant for commonality of parts and increased power. Unlike the Army version, the UH-1F had a single window in the door. UH-1Fs were used in the search and rescue role and sometimes as trainers.
Though Ellsworth AFB is known better as a bomber base, it also played host to the 44th Strategic Missile Wing from 1960 to 1994, initially with Titan I and then with Minuteman I/II ICBMs. To protect missile convoys and rapidly move security teams to missile silos if needed, the 44th SMW was assigned a detachment of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, operating single-engine UH-1Fs. For those missile wings not deactivated at the end of the Cold War, the UH-1Fs were replaced in the 1990s by the twin-engined UH-1N.
This UH-1F, 65-7951, was one of the 37th ARRS' helicopters. Like all Hueys assigned to USAF missile wings in the 1970s and 1980s, it is painted overall light gray, with prominent yellow safety stripes and "RESCUE" stripe on the tail. When the 44th SMW deactivated in 1994, 65-7951 was retired and preserved at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at the base.
Corbin Nelson, an Air Force family member, lands a right hook to Devin Peterson’s temple during a mixed-martial arts fight at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. June 17, 2011. The two fought during a Ring Wars event held at the base’s Bellamy Fitness Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Morford)
By 1966, the Vietnam War was in full swing, and the USAF was noting the alarming rise in losses among its Forward Air Control (FAC) community, at that time flying mostly Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs. The O-1 was a good FAC platform, but single engined; the FAC role required low and slow flight, making it vulnerable to ground fire. The USAF’s requirement for an “off-the-shelf” interim replacement for the O-1, which would retain the O-1’s good visibility from the cockpit and have better survivalbility, was suited well by Cessna’s Model 337 Skymaster. The Model 337 used a unique “push-pull” twin engine setup, which had better performance and reliability than a single-engined aircraft, but did not require twin-engined certification to fly. The USAF immediately ordered 532 Skymasters as O-2A FAC aircraft and loudspeaker-equipped O-2B psychological warfare aircraft, with the first reaching USAF units in March 1967.
The O-2, nicknamed “Oscar Deuce” or “Duck” by its pilots, proved to be an excellent FAC platform, even if the twin-engined reliability was thought by its pilots to be oversold—the only thing that handled worse than an O-2 on one engine, the saying went, was an O-2 with no engines. Using marker rockets on underwing hardpoints, FAC O-2s would mark a target for USAF or South Vietnamese strike aircraft to attack VC/NVA positions in the dense jungle and mountains of South Vietnam, and occasionally Laos or even the southern portion of North Vietnam. FAC pilots were known to make strafing runs or salvo their rockets into attacking enemy troops if the situation on the ground was desperate, and some O-2 pilots even equipped their aircraft with side-firing machine guns to act as “emergency gunships,” though the USAF discouraged this activity. The FAC role was dangerous enough: 178 O-2s were lost during the Vietnam War, nearly one out of every five the USAF acquired. As it turned out, the O-2 was at least as effective as its scheduled replacement, the OV-10 Bronco, and its involvement in Vietnam ended only when American involvement did in 1973.
Following the Vietnam War, the O-2 remained in service as a FAC, though it was gradually relegated to liaison duties with Air National Guard units as the OV-10 and jet-powered OA-37B Dragonfly replaced it. The Skymaster was finally retired from USAF service around 1986, but several remained in service with the US Army as test aircraft and the US Navy as range safety aircraft for the strike training program. The last O-2 left US service in 2010. Many ex-USAF aircraft were supplied to other nations as liasion or counterinsurgency aircraft, or in Africa, anti-poaching aircraft.
This is 67-21422, an O-2A acquired by the USAF in 1967. It may have served in Vietnam (likely with the 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, either at Da Nang, South Vietnam or Nakhon Phanom, Thailand); after the war, it was passed on to the 163rd Tactical Air Support Group (California ANG), based at Ontario Municipal Airport. When the 163rd TASG transitioned to the F-4C Phantom II in 1982--which must have been quite the jump--67-21422 was retired. The South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB acquired it sometime thereafter, and it has been on display since.
Like most USAF O-2s, 67-21422 is rather anonymous, in overall light gray; this color was chosen because it blends best against cloudy skies, which were quite common in Vietnam. As of 2018, it was recently repainted.
1st Lt. Chris Madson, (Left) 37th Bomb Squadron weapons systems officer and Capt. Curtis Michael, 37 BS pilot, wait for transport after processing through into the play area during a Phase II Operational Readiness Inspection, Oct. 15. During the Phase II ORI Airmen, enlisted and officer, are tested on their abilities to operate in a simulated-deployed area. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Anthony Sanchelli)
Air Force Senior Airman Jerel Guyton, a 28th Medical Support Squadron health service management technician, regains his composure after knocking out his opponent during a mixed martial arts fight June 17, 2011 at the Bellamy Fitness Center on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The fight was hosted by the 28th Force Support Squadron and Ring Wars, an MMA organization from Rapid City, S.D. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Nathan Gallahan)
Members of Ellsworth Air Force Base 28th Munitions Squadron, assemble two thousand pound bombs in preparation for Operation Odyssey Dawn at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 26, 2011. Ellsworth Airmen generated several aircraft and hundreds of weapons to provide the combat configuration needed halfway around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kasey Close)
Two Airmen from the 28th Munitions Squadron, load a two thousand pound bomb in preparation for Operation Odyssey Dawn at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 26, 2011. With less than 48 hours of notice, members of the 28th Bomb Wing generated hundreds of weapons and subsequently launching several aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kasey Close)
I toured Ellsworth Air Force Base on September 12, 2012 and one of the stops was the last remaining missile silo (now used strictly for training). The Minuteman II (LGM-30F) is a nuclear missile, a land-based ICBM, that was in service from 1965 until 1997. When in service, it carried a 1.25 megaton warhead, could reach a speed of 15,000 mph and could rise to an altitude of 140 miles on a parabolic flight path over the North Pole to its target. It could be launched in a minute and reach a target on the other side of the earth in 30 minutes. The green section on top is the re-entry vehicle. That is the part of the missile that arrives on target.
Senior Airman Ken Burton, 28th Munitions Squadron weapons load crew member, communicates with aircrew during a Phase II Operational Readiness Inspection, Oct. 15. Airmen participating in the ORI are tested on their communication with each other, while in a simulated-deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Corey Hook)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean Dowd, 104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard, speaks with Staff Sgt. Diane Berthiaume and Senior Airman Benjamin Digiammo, also from the 104th FW, as they perform pre-flight maintenance during Red Flag 12-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Red Flag is a combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies. The exercise includes units from Nevada, Colorado, South Dakota, Louisiana, Utah, California, Massachusetts and Oklahoma and from the Republic of Korea and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Rockwell B-1B Lancer of the 34th Bomb Squadron "Original Thunderbirds" from Ellsworth AFB participating in Red Flag 17-1 exercises at Nellis AFB.
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (July 26, 2017) - A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS), deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB), S.D., arrives at Andersen AFB, Guam. The 37th EBS replaces the 9th EBS from Dyess AFB, Texas, which is currently supporting U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger) 170726-F-LP948-0009
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
Airmen 1st Class Timothy Foreman (Left) and Jefferson Pritchell, 28th Munitions Squadron weapons load crew members, transport a guided bomb unit-31 during a Phase II Operational Readiness Inspection, Oct. 15. The ORI is designed to test Airmen on their abilities while in a simulated-deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Corey Hook)
Staff Sergeant Joanna Hensley, Multimedia Flight Photographer, 28th Communications Squadron, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., photographs members of the 28th Bomb Wing, boarding an aircraft which will transport them to their forward deployed locations, Sept. 02, 2003. Ellsworth is deploying people and assets to the Central Command Area of Responsibility in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom and the President's Global War on Terrorism.
U.S. Air Force Photo By: A1C Michael Keller
Rockwell B-1B Lancer of the 34th Bomb Squadron "Original Thunderbirds" from Ellsworth AFB participating in Red Flag 14-3 exercises at Nellis AFB. A review of the exercise can be found at www.airshowsreview.com/2014_Red_Flag_2014-3_Exercise.htm .
The Minuteman ICBM program has its roots in the technological revolution of the late 1950s and 1960s. Though the US already deployed several hundred Atlas and Titan ICBMs, these used liquid propellant, meaning they would need to be fueled before launch, and their early-generation computers were inaccurate. Atlas and Titans by necessity carried huge megaton warheads and were mainly "citybusters," designed to cause maximum casualties; because they needed to be fueled first, there was the possibility that a massive Soviet first strike would destroy the missiles before they could be launched.
The Minuteman, on the other hand, was meant to be solid-fueled, which meant it could be deployed as ready to fire; it would only need to be refueled every few years. This cut down on the large support facilities the Atlas and Titan used, meaning the Minuteman could be widely dispersed, guaranteeing that a Soviet first strike would not be able to get all of them--enough would survive that a nuclear war would truly result in mutually assured destruction. The solid-fuel propellant tended to burn quickly, but a breakthrough in design in 1956, as part of the US Navy's Polaris submarine-launched missile project, solved this problem. The increasing use of transistors in solid-state computers solved the accuracy issue about the same time--whereas the Atlas and Titans would be lucky to hit within five miles of their target, the Minuteman could strike within a mile, which was good enough with a nuclear warhead. This also meant that the Minuteman could carry smaller warheads.
The Minuteman was the ultimate in ICBM design, and the first Minuteman I entered service in 1962. Subsequent improvements led to the more accurate Minuteman II, and then finally the Minuteman III in 1975, which was still more accurate and, most importantly, carried multiple warheads (MIRV), allowing one missile to hit three targets. Since the early 1990s, the USAF ICBM force has standardized on the Minuteman III, and with the retirement of the Peacekeeper in 2005, the only one in American service.
Though I initially identified this as a Minuteman IA, this is actually a Minuteman II--the two are more difficult to tell apart than the Minuteman II and III versions. When it was first deployed in 1967, the LGM-30F was one of the most accurate ICBMs in the world, and used a larger warhead than the LGM-30B; it also was the first American ICBM to use stealth technology on the warhead as a way of evading any Soviet antiballistic missiles.
This particular Minuteman II represents the 44th Strategic Missile Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, which was the last USAF unit to use the LGM-30F; it replaced its earlier Minuteman Is in 1971 and retired them in 1992, the same year the 44th SMW was deactivated. Operationally, Minuteman missiles were not painted, much less given USAF serials and insignia, or a SAC stripe. It does make the missile more visually attractive, however.
The 44th SMW had the distinction of being the only USAF missile wing to have both a silo and a launch control center to be preserved as a national monument--Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is about 40 miles east of Ellsworth AFB.
Carl Johnson, plant operator, observes the trickling filter at the wastewater treatment facility at Ellsworth AFB, Sept. 15. The trickling filter functions by pouring wastewater over a bed of rocks covered with microbiological bacteria slime, which removes waste from the water naturally. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marc I. Lane)
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- (From left) Airmen 1st Class Sarah Meador, Steffanie Whipple and Michael Azares, 28th Force Support Squadron food services technicians, place teriyaki corned beef on plates during the second annual Ellsworth Iron Chef competition, March 17. Their dishes consisted of stuffed mushrooms, Cajun fish, teriyaki steak and whipped fruit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Marc I. Lane)
The Sniper targetting pod is very much in evidence as Bone 02 arrives back at Fairford following a Baltops sortie. It is this pod that has allowed the USAF to reinvent the B-1 as a Close Air Support platform. Prior to the advent of pods like these, there was no way anyone would want to put heavy bombers like these anywhere near troops in close combat!
A representation of the tools a typical Air Force photographer might use.
Photo taken by Michael Keller and myself in the studio.
A 37th Bomb Squadron B-1b Lancer takes off at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., May 23, 2006. Ellsworth is conducting a Phase II Exercise, Badlands Express 06-03, to prepare for an upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection in July. (U.S. Air Force Photo By: SrA Michael B. Keller)(Released)
The T-33 was designed to be simple, robust, and easy to fly for trainee pilots, though it was intended at first to be only used for propeller-qualified pilots to transition into jets. As propeller aircraft were mostly phased out of the independent US Air Force’s inventory, the service made the decision to go to an “all-jet” training syllabus, and as a result pilots began flying T-33s in flight school.
The “T-Bird,” as it became known, could still be unforgiving in certain circumstances, and was less forgiving as the T-37 Tweet or the T-38 Talon that would eventually replace it. It also was an aircraft for practical jokers: the in-and-outs of the T-33 was something only experienced pilots knew well, and trainees could be subjected to all kinds of tricks by the instructor pilot. The T-33 was, however, eminently reliable. Even after it was withdrawn from training units in the mid-1950s, it soldiered on as a “hack” aircraft for units, a familiarization aircraft, advanced trainer, and aggressor aircraft, especially in Air Defense Command and Air National Guard units.
Well into the 1980s, T-33s could be found in frontline USAF units, and it was said that, when the last F-16 was retired, the pilot would hitch a ride home in a T-Bird. While this did not prove true, it was not off by much—the last USAF T-33s did not leave the inventory until around 1988. The US Navy also used T-33s, including both standard Shooting Stars and the heavily modified TV-1 Seastar, which had a larger engine, reworked tail, and strengthened fuselage for carrier operations. While the Seastar was replaced in the 1960s by the T-2 Buckeye, standard T-33s remained as test and chase aircraft for the Navy’s test squadrons into the 1990s.
Because of its robustness and cheap flyaway price, the T-33 was also popular with foreign air forces: no less than 41 nations operated T-33s at one time or another, and it was license-built in Japan by Kawasaki and in Canada as the CT-133 Silver Star, which differed from US-built aircraft only in using a Rolls-Royce Nene engine. While it was usually used in the trainer role, many were modified for a variety of roles, including armed AT-33s and reconnaissance RT-33s (some of which were also used by the USAF). AT-33s, which were basically two-seat F-80s, were used in several conflicts worldwide, mainly in South America; many of these nations did not retire their Shooting Stars until the late 1990s—Canada did not retire its last CT-133s until 2008, and Boeing Aircraft has two T-33As on charge as chase aircraft. 6557 T-33s were built overall, and today over 80 and possibly as many as a hundred survive, with many still flyable.
57-0590's history is a little murky; it may have spent its entire career with the 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron ("Spittin' Kittens") at Minot AFB, North Dakota. When it was retired in 1978, it was donated to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. It retains the famous Spittin' Kittens lightning bolt on the tail and patch on the fuselage; the squadron colors are repeated on the tiptanks. Like all T-33s assigned to Air Defense Command as "hacks" and familiarization trainers, 57-0590 is painted in overall ADC Gray.
(Left to right) U.S. Air Force Col. Trent Edwards, the 28th Mission Support Group commander, trains as a firefighter during a controlled indoor fire with Bill Cina, a 28th Civil Engineer Squadron fire truck operator, at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Jan. 27, 2011. The fire is set inside a training building used solely by the fire department. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Turner, an Air Force Financial Services Center auditor, blocks his opponents kick during a mixed martial arts fight June 17, 2011 at the Bellamy Fitness Center on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. It was Sergeant Turner’s first fight in his life, and he won in 35 seconds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Morford)
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Wells an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician with 28th Civil Engineering Squadron, removes debris from a controlled explosion at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Wednesday, June 11, 2008. The training exercise was conducted to help EOD technicians maintain their improvised explosive device disposal skills. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Matthew Flynn)
Each year, the Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., First Sergeant Council and Operation Warmheart provide families in need of a little extra holiday help with all the makings of a Thanksgiving meal. They will be providing meals for 202 families this year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kasey Close)