Project Liberty - USAF MC-12s for dedicated ISR mission

[RHPF]

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123132786

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0109/012609kp1.htm

Pretty interesting. A friend of mine in AFROTC said that recent fighter classes have had a really high selection rate for this program.

I read another article saying that with the 350ER they can have over 8 hour missions. That's a pretty long time to spend with 3 of your closest friends.

 

[eddie]

ISR = intelligence, surveilance, and recon?

Pretty interesting. A friend of mine in AFROTC said that recent fighter classes have had a really high selection rate for this program.

Because people want them?

There a dedicated navigator or aircrew in those things to run the spook stuff?

 

[Mumbles]

ISR = intelligence, surveilance, and recon?




Because people want them?

There a dedicated navigator or aircrew in those things to run the spook stuff?

or a GSA tagged Navy guy in the back:icon_wink

 

[HeyJoe]

ISR = intelligence, surveilance, and recon?

Because people want them?

There a dedicated navigator or aircrew in those things to run the spook stuff?

Close. Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to be exact and we won't be discussing the specifics of what sensors are planned nor who might be operatiing them.

PS You need to get your butt out of school and into a service so you can see and live this stuff instead of watching and asking questions about from afar.

 

[IRfly]

P.P.S. 8 hours a long time? Hah!

 

[vick]

All the discussion you care to read about that program by guys who are selecting it now right here...
http://www.flyingsquadron.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14273

The mods on baseops have the same level of integrity of those here in enforcing opsec, so I'd advise against capes questions. Some good info as the program develops though.

 

[loadtoad]

I had a buddy who got this out of T-38's. Nobody in his winging class got a actual jet. That would blow...

Hasn't the Army been doing this stuff for years with their RC-12's?

 

[Flash]

That would blow...

Welcome to the military, thanks for playing.

Hasn't the Army been doing this stuff for years with their RC-12's?

No, not really. Without getting into specifics, they have different missions and gear. Kinda like the EC-130J and EC-130H, similar designations but completely different missions.

 

[vick]

^^ Yeah well, in my winging class from Kingsville years back a few of the Navy guys drew S-3s. Wasn't what they were hoping for. A week later they were directed to head up to Corpus for T-44 training - their selection had been changed to E2/C2. Imagine their motivation then (disclaimer -- no ding on the E2/C2 community, it just wasn't what the guys in this case were expecting to hear). Ever hear the expression "needs of the service"?

Project Liberty has a good mission, there should be some satisfaction in that.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Nobody in his winging class got a actual jet. That would blow...

The Navy guys I know who've done GSA's in the RC-12 have said it's the most satisfying and interesting flying they've done in their military careers. And that included a Tomcat guy.

Quit thinking of your opportunities as "cool jets" and "other planes that suck".

 

[picklesuit]

Quit thinking of your opportunities as "cool jets" and "other planes that suck".

Start thinking of them as "P-3s" and "other planes that suck"

 

[loadtoad]

Quit thinking of your opportunities as "cool jets" and "other planes that suck".

That's not what I meant by that. It would suck to go through the pain of T-38/T-45 training thinking you are going to fly something high speed then fly a version of the C-12. That, would blow... If these guys where going through T-44 training to be C-130 pilots to begin with it wouldn't be such a shock and there advanced training wasn't a kick in the balls.

 

[Stearmann4]

That's not what I meant by that. It would suck to go through the pain of T-38/T-45 training thinking you are going to fly something high speed then fly a version of the C-12. That, would blow... If these guys where going through T-44 training to be C-130 pilots to begin with it wouldn't be such a shock and there advanced training wasn't a kick in the balls.

Not nearly the shock as you would get when an ascot wearing AF type congratulates you on your winging, and hands you orders for your UAV assignment. The way the AF is going, I'd get on my knees and pray daily that I got MC-12s.

MR-

 

[loadtoad]

Not nearly the shock as you would get when an ascot wearing AF type congratulates you on your winging, and hands you orders for your UAV assignment. The way the AF is going, I'd get on my knees and pray daily that I got MC-12s.

MR-

Agreed.

 

[Lawman]

Not nearly the shock as you would get when an ascot wearing AF type congratulates you on your winging, and hands you orders for your UAV assignment. The way the AF is going, I'd get on my knees and pray daily that I got MC-12s.

MR-

We had a detail come through Rucker a few months back for people with no flight experience to sit in the back of blacked out Hawks and try to fly a UAV from a laptop. Buddy of mine and me were getting his oil changed and ran into a CW3 Chinook pilot that had been one of our instructors at the Career College and joked that my buddy was flying UAV's. The guy had this look of terror on his face and started grabbing his phone like "Hey buddy Ill make some calls, man its gonna be alright," before we clarified it.

Also a note on Army Aviation, only commissioned aviators can come out of flight school to a fixed wing aircraft (RC-12 etc) and from my impression most of those people are reserve/guard guys. Warrants can go into it but you need to do Rotary time first.