Streak Eagle

I remember that aircraft doing Viking departures from Lambert Field when I visited back in the early 1980's after it was back at the factory for something. That was always nice to watch unless you lived next to the airport.

 

Streak Eagle stopped at Cannon AFB in the 70s when I was flying F-111Ds. Just about all of the 27 TFW aircrews, including me, went out and took a look at her. She was a real thoroughbred and looked like she was doing Mach 2.5 sitting on the ramp. They tied her down for launches because the brakes and tires could not hold her at Max AB. Blew the bolts and off she went. Flew some very interesting profiles breaking those records.

 

Didn't know that...

I know it was lightened... paint, some avionics removed, etc.
Did it have the 'stock' engines?

Power to weight was over 1:1. Partly why the Israeli F-15 was able to keep flying after one whole wing was ripped off in a collision.

 

Jim- The F-22 likely could beat those records with its much more powerful engines, but not as much interest now as there was in the olden days. However, nobody is going to strip off the stealth coatings or avionics to lighten weight on the few we have.

No doubt the Streak Eagle would have been capable of supercruise, too, if anybody had wanted to try it. Not only was she lightweight, but a lot of attention was paid to surface treatment to eliminate drag.

Streak Eagle's engines had been optimized, too, so I am sure she had a big advantage in thrust over standard F-15s. Most of our production fighter engines are moderately detuned to extend time between overhauls by keeping down heat. On the hot rod of the F-111s, the F-111F, slight detuning increased TBO from around 650 hours to nearly 2000.

 

I believe they only did time-to-climb records with the aircraft. I wonder how fast it might have gone in level flight. I think I read that F-15s were theoretically capable of Mach 2.8 but don't believe that any actually ever went that fast.

 

I've talked at length with pilots that have flown the F-15 and F-22. While they couldn't go into specifics the general impression I got us the F-22 is way beyond the performance of the F-15.

 

All the aluminum airframe aircraft come up against hard heating limits above Mach 2, and especially around Mach 2.5. If too much time is spent above that speed, structural damage and failure can occur from the aluminum deforming in the early process of melting. On our F-111s, there was a 300 second clock that started when you reached the edge of that envelope. On several functional check flights (FCFs) flying F-111Ds in the 70s, the total temperature warning lamp would come on and the clock would start counting down from 300 seconds. One of my FCFs got to Mach 2.55 and we were running out of airspace and the total temp warning lamp came on and started counting down. We decelerated to stay in US airspace and keep her from coming apart. Selecting military power from max AB threw you forward into the harness because of the deceleration. This was at 49,500' because we did not have pressure suits or the partial pressure devices used by the F-22As to fly above FL 500.

Foxbats flew to about Mach 2.8 for short periods of time, but had steel leading edges instead of aluminum to keep the heat at bay.

 

So the MiG-25s were incapable of reaching the Mach 3 they were claimed to be able to do? Presumably the same limits would apply to the MiG-31.

So what "conventional" aircraft (as opposed to an X-15-type) have been actually capable of Mach 3 - the XB-70 and all the Lockheed Blackbirds; any others?

 

Jim- That is about it. The XF-108 was designed to get there, but never funded. It was a huge fighter, with dry weight about the same as an F-111 (50 Klb).

I am sure the hot rod MiG-25s used for record setting could reach Mach 3 or even 3.2, but no telling what was done to them or their engines. Could have substituted titanium for nickel steel for all we know. The engines ended up being the limiting factor on speed for the production MiG-25, overheating at speeds over Mach 2.8. Record runs were made with improved engines designed for the MiG-25M, which was never produced.

 

Terry, any insight on the legendary V-Max switches? I've heard of what they can add performance-wise. There were tied down with heavy gauge safety-wire Stateside but not so during Desert Shield/Storm/Calm.

 

Wade- No, nothing I had experience with. You would need an Eagle driver. My F-15D sorties were all in 1983, well before Desert Storm. On our F-111Fs during Desert Storm, the engines were set to maximum power in the engine bay, no cockpit switches, instead of the slightly retarded setting used for peacetime operations. The F-111Fs loved it, with unheard of mission capable rates of 92%. We got nowhere near that in peacetime, but we also only took the best aircraft with us to Desert Shield.

 

Awesome, we had sky high FMC rates as well, also with the newest Jets and the best of the best.

While expediting one cold quiet night at Tabuk in late December (90) or maybe it was early Jan (91). I get a call over the radio from the Maintenance Op Center requesting me to take a call from CENTAF. Arriving upstairs in the MOC, I take the phone and someone at HQ says "I need to know your FMC rate". They already knew what was reported (updated constantly) so I wondered why they were asking me. I answered 100%. They said, "No, really, I need to know the exact percent." So I repeated the same saying "Yes, that's it."

Good times.

 

Man... I have to say... I always enjoy your posts/stories/inputs. Seriously I can't get enough.

I know its weird these days to say this... but thanks for sharing your story and of course thank you for your service

 

Justin- Nearly all of us would have paid to fly fighters, except for the fact we had no money. Definitely a rewarding career, even as a navigator.

 

MIG-25 were clocked at M3.2 over the Sinai several timee during the Soviet made overflights of the Israeli forces there. The issue with these speeds was engine overspeed... only the more experienced pilots were capable of babying the engines to Mach 3+. Also, the engines needes a big check up after such a flight so it was not a norm... they went M3.2 while evading intercepts or missiles.
In normal service, time spent at or under M2.65 was unrestricted, while higher than that the planes were restricted to 5 minutes.

Mig-31 was designed for a different role and to perform better at lower altitudes and speeds.

 

Affirmative, they basically threw away the engines after those sorties.