02-05-2007, 00:26
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חבר מתאריך: 08.08.04
הודעות: 1,575
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לבני - עוד שגעון בשבילך - מוסטנג יורה ממטל"רים
הניסויים נערכו ביוני 1974. התול"ר הוא בקליבר 106 מ"מ.
In '69, I left North American to join KP at China Lake where he headed a new group pushing advanced aircraft systems. Mixed in with a number of missile, weapon and aircraft projects we tried again to get the recoilless rifle airborne. At the time, Piper was pushing a modified P-51 for roles similar to the OV-10. Their "Enforcer" modification had a much more powerful (and lighter) turboprop engine, lots of armor and impressive speed and maneuverability. A retired Air Force colonel who knew KP was heading the project and had also become a believer in the recoilless rifle. It was through this program that we finally got a recoilless rifle fired from an aircraft.
In the event, an Army P-51, supported for maintenance and parts by the Air Force, was flown from a naval base (China Lake) by a Marine pilot for the demonstration. The recoilless rifles were unmodified infantry weapons and were mounted on the wingtips to obviate any problems with back-blast. The test went off rather well, and, although not a test of accuracy, the pilot, Maj. Pippa, reported that the rounds went right where they were pointed.
Unfortunately, the people selling the Enforcer not only bucked Air Force policy, they also infuriated some of the top brass with their sales tactics. This resulted in letters from the Chief of Staff, USAF to the Chief of Naval Operations and then down the chain of command to the CO of the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, to the effect that no more tests, or even mention of this aircraft would be tolerated. That was the end of the Enforcer.
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"[Nuclear] war is unthinkable but not impossible, and therefore we must think about it" - Bernard Brodie
נערך לאחרונה ע"י nsdq160 בתאריך 02-05-2007 בשעה 00:31.
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