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F16CrewChief β Cannon Spark Vark
Published: 2010-06-14 00:35:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 968; Favourites: 25; Downloads: 27
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Description
EF-111A 66-0033 assigned to the 430 ECS, 27 FW based at Cannon AFB and seen on the AMARC recieving line.Related content
Comments: 24
The Raven was the best MoFo ever created - and it was Air Force. Pfft! I am from another service, and even I recognize that!
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I am pretty sure that economics of maintaining an old acft (The "A's" were FY 1966 and 1967 acft) and engines killed the Spark Vark.
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Yeah... but in some circumstances the Powers That Be did upgrade airframes to allow for new engines and avionics - look how long they were able to keep the F-4E in first-line service - not to mention the upgrades implemented to produce the F-14 Super Tomcat. Oh well, I won't even go into discussing the venerable 'ol BUFF!
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You need to really look back. The F-4E was in front line service for less than a decade before the F-15A started to replace it. The first production F-4Es were FY 1966 models and the first F-15Es assigned to the 1st TFW (a CC coded unit) were FY 1974 acft. The USAF and USN sorta replaced 'first line' acft with about 8-10 years in service. Now that acft are so ridiculously 'gold plated' an acft system will be in service for 30+ years or more. The F-16C/D's that I took from the GD factory in 1988 are still in service 25 years later, w/ the F-35A still over 5 years out.
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Yes... all too true. But I was referring to the fact that the F-4E (and in some instances the F-4B) credibly soldiered on - albeit with the Guard and Reserves - for quite awhile until replaced by the Falcon and Eagle. In fact, the F-4 flown by (Colonel)Robin Olds in Vietnam was assigned to the unit at Kelly AFB and bore the 2 red stars of his Mig kills on the port intake splitter. (Gotta see if I can find some pics I took of her.) In her final days she wore wrap-around camouflage. The F-4 drivers in the Kelly unit loved the kite - until, of course, they got their hands on the Falcon. Still, some of the really, really old hands did miss having a Bear in Back. 
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Shoot... they should have been long-lived! Ravens did RULE!
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This and the F111F P/Tack. Great machines.
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Yeah, I was a fan of the "vark"!
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Me too, but I think that's evident by my likes and comments!
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Being in your position, what are the feelings about the F-111. Good bad or indifferent?
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The Vark started service with a bad record. The TF33 engines were the first afterburning turbofans, and the engine had some real probles in early service. At the end of it's service life, the F-111 was the best low level penetrator in the world. the F-111F with the Pave Tack pod was truly unbeatable. Economics forced the USAF retirement.
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Gotcha.
Seems economics are killing everything in recent years.
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Economics...Yeah... they had a sweet airframe - so why could't they stretch it out even more like they did with the F-4 Phantom II? Seems like every service wants new toys to play with - screw the cost to the taxpayer...
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Really like that paint scheme - suits the Vark nicely!
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USAF still doesnΒ΄t have a replacement, do they? Good picture!
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No the tactical jamming mission is left to the Navy right now.
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The spark vark, I have heard of it wasn't it used for jamming enemy radar?
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Yes. It was equivelant to an EA-6B or an EF-18G.
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But with a better looking
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Agreed. I like the Vark
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