F105 ACM Characteristics

[Dudley Henriques]

When my wife and I got back from our vacation this week I noticed in a
thread of some weeks ago that some of you were interested in the ACM
performance of the Thud.
Ed had commented briefly on it to Pechs, and indeed Ed would be my choice
for authoritative information on the 105.
Written material on the 105 specifically in the ACM environment is pretty
rare to come by. Individual units flying the bird have delved into the
subject from time to time with written regulation....(in order to attempt
keeping their pilots alive when and if engaged air to air with Migs .
If it helps any of you searching for such information, I know that Franny
Gerard )BrigGen Francis Gerard Commander NJANG and Paul Ando (LtCol Paul
Ando) put together a regulation for the Unit specifically written for the
Thud in ACM. It was AFM 3-1, Tri-Cmd 3-1, TACM 55-105, and TACM 51-105
friendly, but Franny put a lot of his own expertise with handling the Thud
into the Unit regulation, and if you can find a copy, it's very good on what
you can do with the 105 (the smaller section:-))) and what to avoid in the
105 (by far the larger section :-))) in the three dimensional ACM arena,
specifically with the Thud against lighter wing loaded adversaries like the
Mig21.
The reg is : 108thTFWR 55-2, April 1975. Don't ask me where the hell to find
one besides the one I own, (and I had to con Franny out of THAT one!!!)
but if this information helps you Thud interested folks out there in any
way, I'm pleased to offer the search tip.
In the meantime, there's Ed's book, which I would highly recommend as a
source of very good tactical information in all areas of interest with these
issues.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI
Retired

[Ed Rasimus]

"Dudley Henriques" > wrote:

>When my wife and I got back from our vacation this week I noticed in a
>thread of some weeks ago that some of you were interested in the ACM
>performance of the Thud.
>Ed had commented briefly on it to Pechs, and indeed Ed would be my choice
>for authoritative information on the 105.
>Written material on the 105 specifically in the ACM environment is pretty
>rare to come by. Individual units flying the bird have delved into the
>subject from time to time with written regulation....(in order to attempt
>keeping their pilots alive when and if engaged air to air with Migs .
>If it helps any of you searching for such information, I know that Franny
>Gerard )BrigGen Francis Gerard Commander NJANG and Paul Ando (LtCol Paul
>Ando) put together a regulation for the Unit specifically written for the
>Thud in ACM. It was AFM 3-1, Tri-Cmd 3-1, TACM 55-105, and TACM 51-105
>friendly, but Franny put a lot of his own expertise with handling the Thud
>into the Unit regulation, and if you can find a copy, it's very good on what
>you can do with the 105 (the smaller section:-))) and what to avoid in the
>105 (by far the larger section :-))) in the three dimensional ACM arena,
>specifically with the Thud against lighter wing loaded adversaries like the
>Mig21.
>The reg is : 108thTFWR 55-2, April 1975. Don't ask me where the hell to find
>one besides the one I own, (and I had to con Franny out of THAT one!!!)
>but if this information helps you Thud interested folks out there in any
>way, I'm pleased to offer the search tip.
>In the meantime, there's Ed's book, which I would highly recommend as a
>source of very good tactical information in all areas of interest with these
>issues.
>Dudley Henriques

Certainly there have been manuals written regarding air/air in the
105, but they focussed largely on weapons employment and switchology
with only a bit of lip service paid to formation responsibilities.

Things such as radar search, use of the primitive heads-up target dot,
interpretation of the lead-computing sight, etc. were covered, but the
things that later generation fighter types would expect such as
multiple ship tactics, mutual support, etc, aren't addressed.

Probably the single most important factor that was raised in training,
and then uniformly ignored in practice, was the early
energy/manueverability concept and P-sub-s principle of fighting the
high energy fight in the corners of the V-g diagram that optimized
your aircraft and minimized the opponent's. That usually meant, for
the F-105, getting below 10,000 feet, staying above 500 KIAS and
staying horizontal. Doing so would deny the lower hemisphere of
manuever to the attacker, minimize the ability to
"look-down/shoot-down" and force that attacker into a large turn
radius, heavy stick force arena. If the attacker went as fast as the
105, he couldn't turn as well. If the 105 slowed to the attacker's
speeds, we couldn't turn and would enter rapid bleed-off of energy.

As for the book, I'm happy to note that on Friday just past (9/12/03)
I signed a contract with Smithsonian Books for the second memoir
covering the F-4 during Linebacker I/II. Title is TBD and expected
publication is Fall of '04--about one year away.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (ret)
***"When Thunder Rolled:
*** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam"
*** from Smithsonian Books
ISBN: 1588341038

[Keith Willshaw]

"Ed Rasimus" > wrote in message
>
> As for the book, I'm happy to note that on Friday just past (9/12/03)
> I signed a contract with Smithsonian Books for the second memoir
> covering the F-4 during Linebacker I/II. Title is TBD and expected
> publication is Fall of '04--about one year away.
>

Excellent news , I look forward to it, When Thunder Rolled
was a cracking good read.

Keith

[Dudley Henriques]

I would classify [108thTFWR 55-2] as one v one oriented with the stress on
the energy approach to fighting the Thud against all anticipated
adversaries. As you say, there is little on tactics per se'. It's a kind of
BFM bible for the 105....a sort of "survival guide if you will. In many ways
it's similar to Boots' "No Guts, No Glory" for the 86; and some of the stuff
written way back when for Fighter Weapons Review by guys like Earl Henderson
the 106. You might remember Henderson. He was in SEA with you in the Thud's
and later was with R&D on the 106 program. His "specialty" was one v one
tactics for the 106 based on the energy concept.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI
Retired


"Ed Rasimus" > wrote in message
...
> "Dudley Henriques" > wrote:
>
> >When my wife and I got back from our vacation this week I noticed in a
> >thread of some weeks ago that some of you were interested in the ACM
> >performance of the Thud.
> >Ed had commented briefly on it to Pechs, and indeed Ed would be my choice
> >for authoritative information on the 105.
> >Written material on the 105 specifically in the ACM environment is pretty
> >rare to come by. Individual units flying the bird have delved into the
> >subject from time to time with written regulation....(in order to attempt
> >keeping their pilots alive when and if engaged air to air with Migs .
> >If it helps any of you searching for such information, I know that Franny
> >Gerard )BrigGen Francis Gerard Commander NJANG and Paul Ando (LtCol Paul
> >Ando) put together a regulation for the Unit specifically written for the
> >Thud in ACM. It was AFM 3-1, Tri-Cmd 3-1, TACM 55-105, and TACM 51-105
> >friendly, but Franny put a lot of his own expertise with handling the
Thud
> >into the Unit regulation, and if you can find a copy, it's very good on
what
> >you can do with the 105 (the smaller section:-))) and what to avoid in
the
> >105 (by far the larger section :-))) in the three dimensional ACM arena,
> >specifically with the Thud against lighter wing loaded adversaries like
the
> >Mig21.
> >The reg is : 108thTFWR 55-2, April 1975. Don't ask me where the hell to
find
> >one besides the one I own, (and I had to con Franny out of THAT one!!!)
> >but if this information helps you Thud interested folks out there in any
> >way, I'm pleased to offer the search tip.
> >In the meantime, there's Ed's book, which I would highly recommend as a
> >source of very good tactical information in all areas of interest with
these
> >issues.
> >Dudley Henriques
>
> Certainly there have been manuals written regarding air/air in the
> 105, but they focussed largely on weapons employment and switchology
> with only a bit of lip service paid to formation responsibilities.
>
> Things such as radar search, use of the primitive heads-up target dot,
> interpretation of the lead-computing sight, etc. were covered, but the
> things that later generation fighter types would expect such as
> multiple ship tactics, mutual support, etc, aren't addressed.
>
> Probably the single most important factor that was raised in training,
> and then uniformly ignored in practice, was the early
> energy/manueverability concept and P-sub-s principle of fighting the
> high energy fight in the corners of the V-g diagram that optimized
> your aircraft and minimized the opponent's. That usually meant, for
> the F-105, getting below 10,000 feet, staying above 500 KIAS and
> staying horizontal. Doing so would deny the lower hemisphere of
> manuever to the attacker, minimize the ability to
> "look-down/shoot-down" and force that attacker into a large turn
> radius, heavy stick force arena. If the attacker went as fast as the
> 105, he couldn't turn as well. If the 105 slowed to the attacker's
> speeds, we couldn't turn and would enter rapid bleed-off of energy.
>
> As for the book, I'm happy to note that on Friday just past (9/12/03)
> I signed a contract with Smithsonian Books for the second memoir
> covering the F-4 during Linebacker I/II. Title is TBD and expected
> publication is Fall of '04--about one year away.
>
>
>
> Ed Rasimus
> Fighter Pilot (ret)
> ***"When Thunder Rolled:
> *** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam"
> *** from Smithsonian Books
> ISBN: 1588341038

[Billy Beck]

"Keith Willshaw" > wrote:

>"Ed Rasimus" > wrote in message
>>
>> As for the book, I'm happy to note that on Friday just past (9/12/03)
>> I signed a contract with Smithsonian Books for the second memoir
>> covering the F-4 during Linebacker I/II. Title is TBD and expected
>> publication is Fall of '04--about one year away.

>Excellent news , I look forward to it, When Thunder Rolled
>was a cracking good read.

Dittoer. I'll be on it when it drops.


Billy

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