Hammer From Above--Crisis?

[BRM21o]

I just finished Hammer From Above by Jay Stout and thought it was very good. If you like the "so there I was...." type of books, I highly recommend it. It was a very moto book, however, the quote at the end bothered me...

"One of the most important lessons the Marine Corps learned, and is still learning, is that equipment can be operated only so hard. Regardless of what magic the maintenence Marines work, eventually material just physically wears out. Right now the service is in a crisis as its aircraft are simply running out of life. Whether or not they will be replaced in time to maintain an inventory--one that is already substaintially less than what it was only a dozen years ago--remains to be seen. It is quite likely though, that in an environment where more interests are competing for fewer resources, Marine Corps aviation will not receive the aircraft it needs. A failure of this sort will endanger not just the infantryman but also the nation's interests."

 

[mmx1]

Midway through the book, so I'm not sure which airframes he's referring to. War will do that - eat up equipment (and men) at prodigious rates.

We've got replacements here for the light and medium helicopters - new airframes for Cobra/Hueys and a new platform to replace the 46. Everything else, though, is 5 years off. It's doubtful we'll have a place to buy (or would even want to) new Harrier airframes. Last I heard we were rotating our Hornets through Navy squadrons because ours had less stress from seeing less carrier time.

 

[Marine4life]

We still fly Vietnam era Frogs for Christ sake! You'll be pleased to know that Marine aviation is getting an overhaul in the next 10-20 years, if everything goes as planned. There's the JSF, V-22, UH-1X, AH-1Z, C-130J, and a new CH-53 variant coming out.

 

[perotti17]

Yeah, we're also inheriting old a$$ Prowlers from the Navy as they replace them with the "Growler" (EA-18). Prowlers entered service in 1972 and are biotch to work on.

 

[macattack]

Yeah, we're also inheriting old a$$ Prowlers from the Navy as they replace them with the "Growler" (EA-18). Prowlers entered service in 1972 and are biotch to work on.

Well it's a step up from the even older ass Prowlers the Corps has now, no?

 

[Brett327]

Well it's a step up from the even older ass Prowlers the Corps has now, no?

Not really. All the Prowlers are essentially the same, and I suspect that airframes which need re-winging will all pass through the depot on their way to Cherry Point.

Brett

 

[FMRAM]

Well it's a step up from the even older ass Prowlers the Corps has now, no?

I concur with Brett. I have been in 2 prowler squadrons and they are all the same tired airframes with the addition of upgraded avionics and EW systems. Maintenance nightmares all of em!

 

[Brett327]

I concur with Brett. I have been in 2 prowler squadrons and they are all the same tired airframes with the addition of upgraded avionics and EW systems. Maintenance nightmares all of em!

What would you have considered the most problematic system? Flap/Slats perhaps?

PS, based on your profile we've frequented some of the same stomping grounds as we were usually relieving each other (so to speak) in Saudi/Incirlik and Iwakuni. I hear some of the shops and restaurants from the alley in Turkey all picked up and moved to Mosul.

Brett

 

[FMRAM]

What would you have considered the most problematic system? Flap/Slats perhaps?

PS, based on your profile we've frequented some of the same stomping grounds as we were usually relieving each other (so to speak) in Saudi/Incirlik and Iwakuni. I hear some of the shops and restaurants from the alley in Turkey all picked up and moved to Mosul.

I would say that they problems we were having with the airframes portion depended on the det we were on. My first turkey det, (2002 I believe) it was the hydraulic system overheating and literally melting components as well as s#@ting a few flap gearboxes. That same det is when the higher ups decided that each and every flaperon actuator needed to have the threads NDIed off the jet. That was a blast! A couple of years ago the engines were going through some rough times and kept wearing out their bearings.
The problem we were having last year at the rag were fuel cells leaking and getting RFI replacements from AIMD that were not RFI! The grand pain in the a$$ when it happened five times in a row! Enough of my rant. I would be happy to fly the mighty EA-6B, but would be pretty upset if I ever have to fix one again!

I know the squadron of which you speak Brett... it have a couple of buddies in that squadron that filled me in on how crazy everyone would get before we arrived and then we would have to deal with all the heat from the base! Also certain establishments would be off limits because VAQ-so and so F#@ked it up for us! I heard the same thing about the alley...I really miss the chicken tava and the shwarmas. It was nice getting drunk for free while haggling over carpets!
AWESOME TIME!!

 

[nittany03]

Partial threadjack . . . I was stashed with a VMAQ squadron before flight school and all their airframes were G-limited . . . does the re-winging bring the birds back to their NATOPs limits or are they still limited for life extension purposes? Or is that question itself OPSEC-limited?

 

[Brett327]

Partial threadjack . . . I was stashed with a VMAQ squadron before flight school and all their airframes were G-limited . . . does the re-winging bring the birds back to their NATOPs limits or are they still limited for life extension purposes? Or is that question itself OPSEC-limited?

The "NATOPS" G limits haven't been in use for a long, long time. Even with full FLE remaining on a new center wing section and outer wing panels, you're still going to be limited to 4-5 Gs, but it's strictly to preserve the life of the airframe. People occasionally get 7+ G hits with no adverse effects on the airframe, it just eats up a finite fatigue life that much faster. Generally, the only time you can bring that much pull is when you're going max blast down low on a low level or doing defensive jink maneuvers.

Brett

 

[FlyinSpy]

People occasionally get 7+ G hits with no adverse effects on the airframe
Brett

But you may end up with adverse effects on your FITREP as you stand tall before The Man explaining yourself....

I deperately miss Yellow Star Carpets in Incirlik - had I known then what I know now, I would have bought 10x as much stuff... And I haven't had a good chicken tava in years!

 

[FMRAM]

I deperately miss Yellow Star Carpets in Incirlik - had I known then what I know now, I would have bought 10x as much stuff... And I haven't had a good chicken tava in years!

I only regret buying two Huglu shotguns...I should have bought at least a couple more... and I should have went to "salon life" one more time before I left

 

[Blutonski816]

It's funny you mention "Guinness" Stout's book, because I was just reading Robert F. Dorr's Marine Air where he related a few experiences from the Gulf War....

 

[Brett327]

But you may end up with adverse effects on your FITREP as you stand tall before The Man explaining yourself....

I deperately miss Yellow Star Carpets in Incirlik - had I known then what I know now, I would have bought 10x as much stuff... And I haven't had a good chicken tava in years!

I was flying wing during a Prowler demo for the Whidbey airshow a few years back and lead does this b!tchin' oblique vertical break right at show center going 5 bills. Bam, 7 G hit - all 129's Skipper said was, "That was sh!t hot, don't do it again."

We dealt w/ Nuri at Topgun carpets - amazing guy. My house is full of Iranian and Turkish carpets and from the prices I've seen in carpet shops in SOCAL, they're worth about twice what I paid. I've pieced together several recipies for tava over the years and come up with a pretty good approximation. PM me for details.

Brett