F-104 Starfighter demonstrating the "toss bombing" technique that allows the aircraft to escape the effects of a nuclear bomb from r/interestingasfuck
F-104 Starfighter demonstrating the "toss bombing" technique that allows the aircraft to escape the effects of a nuclear bomb from r/interestingasfuck
My father was a Marine Corps Aviator back in the day. I have the diploma from a school he attended that taught them how to do this very maneuver! Really cool with a huge mushroom cloud in the background!
ReplyDeleteCoffee Man, I'll bet your father flew an A-4.
DeleteYup, Scooters were a great "flip & skip' delivery vehicles.
DeleteAt that time, either the old FJ-4 or the A-6A Intruder.
DeleteBuddy of mine did this kind of film work from the backseat of a F-4. Got his Mach 3 pin at 19. Went on to one helluva a career at Boeing as a shooter. We worked together there for years in 5 nations on 3 continents. Good time!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up n the '50's I heard that called "lob bombing", but that probably came from LABS (Low Altitude Bombing System) developed for the B-47. There are videos of a B-47 doing it on YouTube and elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI also heard that the same thing had been considered for the B-52, but haven't seen any video of it -- and that would be impressive!
No expert but that looks like they've launched a rocket or missile - it's powered and appears to fail - as opposed to the type of gravity bomb (a Mark 7) that would be used. Of course this is an example of training or a test, but I'm not sure the F-104 would have been anyone's choice for delivering a Mark 7.
ReplyDeleteAgain,not an expert, but my dad was an F-84 pilot on Hokkaido, circa 1954 maybe, with a target folder that called for that sort of ordnance, a lot of afterburner, and even more luck. Very cool clip - made me think of him and what must have been going on in his mind when he practiced that maneuver. He mentioned that it was his job to help clear a path for the big bombers. I've never asked him what was supposed to happen if he made it back with a functional aircraft.
Yup. F-84G was the first single engine plane to carry a nuke. My dad flew out of Tegue, South Korea. He said the bomb-toss maneuver was very fun to do in practice. 2-3 pad alerts with actual nukes, not so much.
DeleteVery interesting fellas, but i wanted ta see it go BANG. No fun without the BANG. I do however remember ing how to do that very same maneuver in P1 at Fort Wolters in a H-23 Raven. It mighta been a lil' different tho as i don't remembe r the bomb, but i do remember the attitude quite often....learning to hover.
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