The Eastern Rocket Range and the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, which were discussed in the first part of the review, are certainly the most famous, but by no means the only test centers and proving grounds located in the US state of Florida.
In the western part of Florida, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, near the city of Panama City, there is the Tyndall Air Force Base. The base, founded in January 1941, is named after Frank Benjamin Tyndall, an American pilot who shot down 6 German planes during World War I. During World War II, Tyndall, like many other air bases, trained specialists for the Air Force. In addition to the Americans, the French and the Chinese studied here. Soon after the onset of peacetime, "Tyndall" was transferred to the disposal of the Tactical Air Command and here they founded a school of instructor pilots and a training center for air defense fighters. Initially, the airbase housed P-51D Mustang fighters and A-26 Invader bombers. The first trainer jet T-33 Shooting Star appeared in the first half of 1952. Pilots of the F-94 Starfire and F-89 Scorpion interceptors trained in airborne target detection using airborne radar on a specially modified TB-25N Mitchell bomber. Also in Tyndall, the pilots who flew the Sabers of the F-86F and F-86D modifications received practical interception skills.
In 1957, Tyndall was transferred to the Air Defense Command, and the headquarters of the southern sector of NORAD was located here. The interceptors of the 20th Air Division in the 60s and 70s, whose command was also at the airbase, were given responsibility for providing air defense in the southeastern United States. Almost all types of air defense interceptors in service with the US Air Force were based at Tyndall at various times: F-100 Super Saber, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter and F-106 Delta Dart. In the 60s, two concrete strips with a length of 3049 and 2784 meters were built here, as well as two reserve strips to the east of the main structures of the base, 1300 and 1100 meters long.
In addition to accommodating interceptor fighters, Tyndall Air Base was a stronghold for the deployment of the 678th Radar Squadron in 1958. In the vicinity of the airbase, several radar posts of the AN / FPS-20 all-round radar and AN / FPS-6 radio altimeters functioned. The received radar information was used to guide interceptor fighters and issue target designations for the MIM-14 Nike-Hercules and CIM-10 Bomarc air defense systems. In the mid-60s, the AN / FPS-20 surveillance radars were upgraded to the AN / FPS-64 level. The stations located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico could control the airspace at a distance of up to 350 km.
Given that Soviet strategic bombers were able to make an intermediate landing in Cuba, the Americans did not exclude the possibility of their breakthrough from a southern direction. But in the 70s, the main threat to the continental United States began to be posed not by the relatively small Tu-95 and 3M, but by intercontinental ballistic missiles. Against them, fighter-interceptors and air defense systems tied into a single automated control and guidance system SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Environment - semi-automatic ground guidance system) were powerless. In this regard, in the United States, by the end of the 70s, almost all positions of long-range air defense systems were eliminated, but in Florida, given the proximity of Cuba, they remained the longest. Subsequently, some of the Bomark unmanned interceptors were converted into unmanned targets CQM-10A and CQM-10B, which imitated Soviet anti-ship supersonic cruise missiles during the exercises. In their interception over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the US Navy fighters and the crews of the naval air defense systems were trained.
But the reduction of anti-aircraft batteries was not accompanied by the elimination of the radar network. On the contrary, it developed and improved. In addition to the existing radars, Tyndall now has AN / FPS-14 radar mounted on towers about 20 meters high and designed to detect targets at low altitudes, at ranges up to 120 km.
In 1995, all the old radars in this area were replaced by the ARSR-4 three-coordinate automated radar with a detection range of high-altitude targets of 400 km. The ARSR-4 radar is, in fact, a stationary version of the AN / FPS-117 mobile military radar. It was reported that ARSR-4, installed on the towers, are able to see not only high-altitude, but also targets flying 10-15 meters from the surface. The Tyndall radar is currently operating as part of the national airspace control program over the US mainland.
In 1991, the command of the airbase was reorganized. National Guard Aviation Headquarters moved to Tyndall. In the United States, this structure is not only the personnel and technical reserve of the Air Force, but is currently responsible for patrolling the airspace and intercepting intruder aircraft. In the 21st century, Tyndall became the first American airbase to deploy a combat squadron of 5th generation F-22A Raptor fighters as part of the 325th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Currently, this unit is not only involved in the protection of US airspace, but is also a training site for Raptor pilots for other aviation units.
After rearmament with the F-22A, the 325th Aviation Regiment handed over its F-15C / D to the National Guard Air Force. In the past, the Eagles were repeatedly involved in intercepting smugglers' light aircraft trying to deliver cocaine to the United States, and also participated in training air battles with Soviet-made MiG-23 and MiG-29 fighters.
Tyndall is one of two American airbases where F-4 Phantom II fighters are still based on a permanent basis. We are talking about aircraft converted into radio-controlled targets QF-4 (more details here: Operation of "Phantoms" in the US Air Force continues).
At the same time, the aircraft retained the standard controls in the first cockpit, which makes it possible for a manned flight. This opportunity is used in exercises held without the use of weapons, when it is necessary to designate a conditional enemy. For conversion into the QF-4, later modifications of the Phantoms were used: F-4E, F-4G and RF-4C. The tail consoles of the QF-4 are painted red to distinguish them from combat squadron aircraft.
At the moment, the entire limit of recoverable Phantoms at the Davis-Montan storage base has been selected. Since the “natural decline” of QF-4s in Florida is 10-12 aircraft per year, they are being replaced by QF-16s, converted from F-16A / B fighters of the early series. For the use of QF-4 and QF-16 in "Tyndall" is responsible for the 53rd group of assessment and testing of weapons. In the 70s and 80s, this unit operated the QF-100 and QF-106 unmanned targets, also converted from fighters that had served their time.
To control the QF-4 flight in Florida, a special E-9A turboprop aircraft is used, converted by Boeing from the DHC-8 Dash 8 DeHavilland Canada airliner. The E-9A is equipped with equipment for remote control of targets and receiving telemetry, a side-looking radar on the right side of the fuselage and a search one in the lower part.
On April 22-23, 2017, Tyndall hosted a major air show, during which demonstration flights of rare aircraft were carried out: A6M Zero, P-51, T-6, T-33, B-25 and OV-1D. Also, the 5th generation fighters F-22A and F-16 of the Thunderbird aerobatic team took to the air.
There is an air training ground 100 km north-west of the airbase, where pilots from Tyndall airbase practice various combat exercises. This test site also works in the interests of the Eglin airbase.
Here, on an area of 15x25 km, there are many targets in the form of decommissioned cars and armored vehicles. A long-term defense line was equipped with tanks and bunkers buried in the ground. There is an imitation of the enemy's airfield and the positions of the air defense missile systems, including the S-200 long-range complex, which is a rarity for American training grounds.
The landfill, whose territory has been cleared by craters from exploding bombs and missiles, is a real "meat grinder" for decommissioned military equipment. Here tanks, armored personnel carriers, airplanes and helicopters are turned into scrap metal. The proximity of several air bases makes this process continuous. To provide combat training for the United States Air Force pilots, logistic services are working hard, setting new training targets on target fields and removing those turned into scrap metal. There is a special site 3 km northeast of the Eglin airbase, where the wreckage of the equipment destroyed at the test site is taken.
Eglin airbase, located near the city of Valparaiso, unlike most American airbases founded during the Second World War, was formed in 1935 as a testing ground for testing and testing aircraft weapons systems. On August 4, 1937, Valparaiso airfield was renamed Eglin Field - in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Eglin, who did a lot for the development of military aviation in the United States and died in a plane crash in 1937.
The first combat aircraft based at Eglin Air Force Base were the Curtiss P-36A Hawk. After the US entered the war, the role of the airbase increased many times over and the area of land transferred to the military exceeded 1000 km². Here, new samples of aircraft weapons were tested and courses were formed on which the skills of using small arms and cannon weapons and bombing were worked out.
Eglin Air Force Base became the primary training site for B-25B Mitchell bombers in preparation for the famous raid organized by Lt. Col. James Doolittle. On April 18, 1942, 16 twin-engine bombers, taking off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, went to bombard Tokyo and other objects on the island of Honshu. It was assumed that after the bombing, American aircraft would land in China, in territory not controlled by the Japanese. Although the Doolittle Raid did not have any impact on the course of hostilities, in the eyes of ordinary Americans it was the beginning of retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid of American bombers demonstrated that the Japanese islands are also vulnerable to enemy aircraft.
Beginning in May 1942, military tests of the Boeing B-17C Flying Fortress took place at the airbase. In October 1942, the XB-25G with a 75mm cannon in the bow entered the trials. Shooting tests showed that the design of the aircraft is quite capable of withstanding the recoil, and the accuracy allows it to fight against enemy ships. Subsequently, the "artillery" "Mitchells" were used in the Pacific theater of operations.
Later, the military mastered the Consolidated B-24D Liberator bomber and the Liberator P-38F Lightning twin-engine long-range fighter here. Trials of the heavily armed Liberator XB-41 began in January 1943.
This modification of the B-24, with a crew of nine, who had 14 12.7 mm machine guns at their disposal, was intended to protect long-range bombers from enemy fighters. As a result, the military abandoned this modification, focusing efforts on improving long-range escort fighters. The only built XB-41 was disarmed and, after being renamed TB-24D, was used for training purposes.
In January 1944, bombing from a B-29 Superfortress was practiced at the training ground in the vicinity of the airbase. In addition to standard high-explosive bombs, cluster incendiary M-69s were tested. A small aerial bomb weighing 2, 7 kg was equipped with thickened napalm and white phosphorus. The burning bunches after the launching of the propelling charge scattered within a radius of 20 meters. To test the "lighters" at the test site, a block of buildings was built, repeating a typical Japanese building. The M-69 incendiary bombs demonstrated very good effectiveness and at the final stage of the war turned thousands of Japanese houses to ashes. Considering that houses in Japan were usually built of bamboo, the effect of many incendiary bombs was much higher than that of a bombardment. The typical combat load of the B-29 was 40 cluster bombs, which contained 1,520 M-69s.
In December 1944, the Northrop JB-1 Bat cruise missile was tested in Florida. The aircraft with a turbojet engine, built according to the "flying wing" scheme, had serious flaws in the control system and its fine-tuning was delayed.
In 1945, a smaller copy of the "Bat" with a pulsating air jet engine was tested. Theoretically, the JB-10 projectile could hit a target at a range of 200 km, but after the end of the war, interest in this project from the Air Force was lost. The JB-10 was launched from a rail-type launcher using powder boosters.
Eglin Air Force Base pioneered the development of methods for launching and servicing cruise missiles. The first missile launched on October 12, 1944 towards the Gulf of Mexico was the Republic-Ford JB-2, which was a copy of the German V-1. The JB-2 cruise missiles were supposed to be used to strike at the territory of Japan, but this was later abandoned. In total, more than 1300 copies of the JB-2 were built. They have been used in all sorts of experiments and as targets. Cruise missiles were launched both from ground-based launchers and from B-17 and B-29 bombers. Ground tests were conducted at the small Duke Field airfield near the main air base.
Not all tests went smoothly. So, while testing a new powerful explosive on July 12, 1943, 17 people died as a result of an unintentional explosion. On August 11, 1944, an aerial bomb destroyed the home of local residents, killing 4 and wounding 5 people. On April 28, 1945, during the tests of the mast method of attacking surface targets, the explosion of its own bomb hit the A-26 Invader, which fell into the water 5 km from the coast. These cases received the most publicity, but there were a number of other incidents, disasters and accidents.
With the onset of peacetime, work began at Eglin on remote control of aircraft. Testing of equipment and radio control methods was carried out on QB-17 drones converted from demobilized "flying fortresses". Certain successes have been achieved in this matter. So, on January 13, 1947, a successful unmanned flight of QB-17 from Eglin airbase to Washington took place. Radio-controlled QB-17s were actively used until the mid-60s in various test programs as targets.
In the late 1940s, various guided missiles and aerial bombs were tested at the Eglin test sites. The first American guided bombs used in combat were the VB-3 Razon and VB-13 Tarzon radio command bombs. The VB-3 Razon corrected aerial bomb weighed about 450 kg, and the mass of the VB-13 Tarzon equipped with 2400 kg of explosives reached 5900 kg. Both bombs were used from B-29 bombers during the Korean War. According to American data, with their help, it was possible to destroy two dozen bridges. But in general, the first guided bombs showed unsatisfactory reliability and in 1951 they were removed from service.
The runway at Eglin Air Base was one of the few in the United States suitable for the operation of the strategic bomber Convair B-36 Pismeyker. In Florida, the bomber's optical and radar sights were being tested. In general, at the end of the 40s, the intensity of flights in the area of the airbase was very high. Dozens of aircraft could be in the air at the same time. In the first half of 1948, 3725 flights were made in the vicinity of Eglin. Here in the late 40s and early 50s, tests took place: North American T-28A Trojan trainer fighters Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, Republic P-84 Thunderjet and North American F-86 Saber, heavy military transport Boeing C- 97 Stratofreighter, Republic XF-12 Rainbow scout.
The XF-12 strategic reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with four Pratt & Whitney R-4360-31 3250 hp, was one of the fastest piston-powered aircraft. The appearance of this machine was initially focused on achieving the maximum possible flight speed.
The aircraft was designed for long-range reconnaissance flights over Japan. With a maximum take-off weight of about 46 tons, the design range was 7240 km. During the tests, the aircraft was able to accelerate to a speed of 756 km / h and rise to an altitude of 13,700 meters. For a heavy scout with piston engines, these were outstanding results. But he was late for the war, and in the post-war period he had to compete fiercely with jet aircraft, the niche of long-range reconnaissance aircraft was occupied by RB-29 and RB-50, and a Boeing RB-47 Stratojet jet was on the way. On November 7, 1948, prototype # 2 crashed while returning to Eglin AFB. Excessive vibration was the cause of the disaster. Of the seven crew members, 5 people were rescued by parachutes. As a result, the "Rainbow" program was finally curtailed.
