Nws tau 50 xyoo txij li thaum Tub Rog Tub Rog Kawg ua haujlwm ib lub cav Tail-Dragger. Yuav Qhia Li Cas Tshiab OA-1K Pilots?

Txawm hais tias muaj qhov sib txawv ntawm cov duab thiab qhov ntau thiab tsawg, Air Force dav hlau muaj ib qho sib xws. Lawv txhua tus muaj tricycle landing gear. Qhov ntawd tau hloov pauv nrog Pentagon qhov $ 3 nphom kev yuav khoom ntawm 75 AT-802U Ntuj Wardens rau nws qhov xav tau Armed Overwatch ob peb lub hlis dhau los. Tam sim no lub USF yuav tsum paub yuav ua li cas cob qhia pilots ya no qoob loo-raws li tail-wheel dav hlau.

Cov kev pabcuam tsis ntev los no tau xaiv lub L3Harris / Air Tractor AT-802U ua OA-1K, rov kho lub npe (OA) nws tsis tau siv txij li WWII. Qhov kev xaiv no qhia txog lub dav hlau siv ntau lub luag haujlwm rau kev txhawb nqa huab cua, kev tawm tsam kom raug, thiab kev txawj ntse riam phom, kev soj ntsuam thiab kev soj ntsuam nyob rau hauv ib puag ncig tsis tshua muaj zog thiab kev ua haujlwm tshwj xeeb.

Nws kuj tseem harkens rov qab mus rau lub sijhawm thaum USAF thiab nws cov tub rog Air Corps forerunner tau chock tag nrho ntawm cov tail-dragger configured dav hlau. Kuj ceeb tias, Air Force yeej muaj kev paub dhau los nrog ib qho ntawm cov dav hlau WWII-era. Air Force Special Operations Command's (AFSOC) 6th Special Operations Squadron (6th SOS) ua haujlwm hloov kho ntawm cov lus dab neeg C-47 (Basler BT-67) txog xyoo 2010.

Tab sis C-47 yog ib tug loj twin-engine cargo aircraft. Lub sijhawm kawg ntawm Cov Tub Rog Tub Rog tau ua lub dav hlau ib leeg-lub cav tailwheel yog xyoo 1972 thaum nws tig qhov kawg ntawm nws Douglas A-1E, A-1H thiab A-1J Skyraiders mus rau South Vietnam Air Force. (OA-1K tej zaum yuav raug pom raws li kev xaiv tom ntej hauv-series tom qab Skyraider.)

Obviously, cov kev pab cuam tsis niaj hnub cob qhia nws cov pilots ntawm xws li dav hlau nrog ib qho kev zam. Hauv lawv lub luag haujlwm ua tub rog "tus kws pab tswv yim" txawv teb chaws, tsawg tus 6th SOS pilots tau kawm kom ya Jordanian Longsword-AT-802, ib qho dhau los ntawm 802 uas L3Harris thiab Air Tractor muag rau ntau lub tebchaws Mid-East nyob ib ncig ntawm 2010. Ib tug xov tooj ntawm cov no tom qab pom lawv txoj kev mus rau Jordan rau siv nyob rau hauv ciam teb saib xyuas thiab lwm yam ISR / lub teeb tawm missions.

Tab sis tsis muaj txoj haujlwm los cob qhia ib yam dab tsi zoo li 200 OA-1K pilots AFSOC npaj kom muaj tom qab 2025 muaj. Qhov tsis muaj ib qho kev cob qhia zoo li no rau lub dav hlau tailwheel tau ua rau AFSOC tus thawj coj, Lt. Gen. Jim Slife cov lus hais rau cov neeg sau xov xwm thaum lub Cuaj Hlis tias, "Peb yuav tau them nyiaj ntau rau kev cob qhia txog qhov no. Peb tsis tau ua haujlwm, ntawm qhov ntsuas, lub dav hlau tail-dragger nyob rau qee lub sijhawm. "

Cov teeb meem ntawm kev khiav hauj lwm tail-dragger aircraft tau paub zoo. Nyob rau hauv lub ntsiab tsaws iav nyob rau hauv pem hauv ntej ntawm ib tug castoring tailwheel ua rau comparatively unstable av tuav, nyob rau hauv tsheb tavxij, takeoff thiab tsaws. Raws li cov kiv cua-driven monoplane aircraft ntawm xyoo 1930 thiab 40s tau txais cov tshuab muaj zog ntau dua thiab cov khoom siv loj dua kom haum rau lawv, lawv cov iav tseem ceeb tau tsa, tsim kom muaj lub qhov ntswg mus rau tus Tsov tus tw.

Qhov loj, ntev inline thiab radial cav lawv siv kuj dictated ntau nrug ntawm lub cockpit thiab lub kiv cua. Nrog rau lub rake, uas tau tsim ib qho kev teeb tsa uas thaiv tus neeg tsav dav hlau mus rau pem hauv ntej kom txog rau thaum lub dav hlau tus Tsov tus tw tig mus rau theem txoj hauj lwm nrog lub qhov ntswg ntawm takeoff thiab hauv davhlau.

OA-1K yuav muaj teeb meem tib yam. Nws tseem yuav xav tau kev tsaws thiab tshem tawm cov txuj ci (peb-point landings, rudder/differential brake control) uas niaj hnub USAF pilots tsis tau qhia.

"SOCOM tau xaiv lub platform uas kuv xav tias peb yuav siv tau zoo," Lt. Gen. Slife tau hais. "Tab sis kuv tau them nyiaj ntau rau qhov kev cob qhia cov raj xa dej zoo li cas, kom paub tseeb tias peb tsis txhob muab tib neeg tso rau hauv lawv lub taub hau nrog hom dav hlau uas lawv tsis tau siv los ya."

Txoj kev cob qhia cov raj xa dej tam sim no tau raug xam los ntawm Air Force's Air Education thiab Training Command, AFSOC thiab L3Harris. Daim ntawv qhia tshiab rau OA-1K pilots thiab back-seaters (riam phom / sensor tswv) yuav qhia lawv cov nuances ntawm lub tailwheel aircraft ua hauj lwm nrog rau nws cov riam phom / ISR systems. Kev tswj hwm lub dav hlau yuav txiav txim siab ntev npaum li cas ntawm txhua chav kawm ua tub rog overwatch AFSOC tus cev lus Lt. Col. Becky Heyse hais rau Cua Zog Ntev.

AFSOC tau tshaj tawm tias xav txog kev cob qhia cov neeg tsav dav hlau thiab cov kws qhia ntawm kev lag luam tail-log dav hlau ua ntej lawv nce mus rau OA-1K nws tus kheej. USAF Test Pilot School cov tub ntxhais kawm muaj qee lub sijhawm los ua kom muaj kev ua tau zoo ntawm kev sib tw nrog cov neeg ua haujlwm hauv Warbird zoo li Commemorative Air Force tau tsim lub dav hlau zoo li P-51 Mustang muaj rau cov tub ntxhais kawm thiab cov kws qhia. Muaj nuj nqis txawm tias cov kev paub zoo li no, lawv yuav nyuaj rau kev ua haujlwm rau hauv qhov kev cob qhia niaj hnub.

Ib qho ua tau rau Air Force lossis L3Harris / Air Tractor tau hais tshwj xeeb yog kev siv cov tsev kawm dav hlau lag luam lossis cov kws qhia ua lag luam uas tshwj xeeb hauv Air Tractor thiab Ag aircraft kev cob qhia. Piv txwv li, Turbine Training Center nyob rau hauv Manhattan, Kansas qhia ob qho tib si thawj zaug thiab rov tshwm sim hauv Air Tractor 802 qauv (uas QA-1K yog raws li). Lub tuam txhab muaj ib qho kev simulator tag nrho thiab nyob rau ntawm lub qhov rooj mus rau Tub Rog lub hauv paus ntawm Fort Riley.

AFSOC cov phiaj xwm hu kom pib OA-1K davhlau kev cob qhia thaum lub caij nplooj zeeg xyoo 2025. Nws tseem tsis tau tshaj tawm tias qhov kev zov me nyuam yuav nyob qhov twg tab sis Hurlburt Field hauv Florda panhandle qhov twg AFSOC twb ua haujlwm ntau yam ntawm cov dav hlau yuav ua rau muaj kev nkag siab. Qhov chaw nyob ze ntawm Gulf of Mexico kev cob qhia yuav muaj txiaj ntsig zoo li Hurlburt lub peev xwm uas twb muaj lawm los ua kom haum rau cov foob pob hluav taws, cov chaw khaws cov foob pob hluav taws / cov neeg ua haujlwm txhawb nqa uas yuav ua rau muaj kev cob qhia tua hluav taws rau OA-1K.

Plaub pawg ua haujlwm ntawm 15 lub dav hlau, ntxiv rau ib pab tub rog kev cob qhia, yuav txaus los ua kom tau raws li kev xav tau kev sib ntaus sib tua thaum muab txhua chav so txaus, SOCOM tus thawj coj, Gen. Richard Clarke tau hais. Txhua pawg tub rog yuav muaj nws tus kheej simulator thiab cov chaw sim ua haujlwm siab.

Ua tsaug rau qhov ua tau zoo, qhov siab qis qis ntawm lub hom phiaj ntawm kev ua tub rog overwatch thiab kev sib tw ntawm lub dav hlau ya, muaj lub caij nyoog zoo uas OA-1K davhlau cov neeg coob coob yuav nrhiav tau ntau heev. Lt. Gen. Slife tau soj ntsuam tias AFSOC U-28 thiab MC-12 units yuav hloov mus rau lub armed overwatch platform thaum lub xyoo caum no. Slife hais ntxiv tias "Nws yuav yog kev hloov pauv hauv chav tsev loj heev,"

Lub Air Force cia siab tias lub nkoj OA-1K yuav ua haujlwm tag nrho hauv 2029. Thaum ua tiav cov kev pabcuam yuav muaj cov neeg tsav tsheb tailwheel nws tsis tau muaj nyob rau hauv ntau dua 50 xyoo.