What kind of bombs are these?

Tanker-Builder

Can you imagine this picture? An A-7 and a first gen Harrier standing together side by side all bombed up for a mission. Talk about looking like " Bad Dudes" 

Well, the two types did operate alongside each other for one Med Cruise aboard USS FDR in 1976/77. VMA-231 joined the air wing to see how the Harrier could operate as part of a standard air wing of the time. 

 
Personally I like the looks of the AV-8A/C and GR.1 best. Not as capable as the later models, but more attractive. 

Hi Again;

         I forgot to say earlier that the plane you are building is on my all time favorites list. The list is short. The list is.The F-100 " Super Saber" , the F-86 All versions! The A-7 and the S-3-A Viking and the S-2-F as well. What I have always liked about the A-7 is it just looks absolutely Ready to go just standing still Empty or Loaded for a mission.

     Someone said one time that many folks like different planes for different reasons. I guess that why I think the D-C-7C and the C-130 are my favorite four engined prop planes. The Douglas is the first Plane I ever flew in with four, Count them ! Four monster prop type multi cylinder engines. Before that it was either a D-C 3 or a Convair twin whatever they called them. 

     The " Herc" well, that's what brought me on the first leg Home from my last visit to Nam. Reminds me of an Angel. Why? It finally rescued me from that Mess! 707s are neat too, but not my favorite, That goes to the 727. That rotation on takeoff was expected by me, but it was fun to watch others reaction to it!

      Can you imagine this picture? An A-7 and a first gen Harrier standing together side by side all bombed up for a mission. Talk about looking like " Bad Dudes" 

The title reminded me immediately of an exchange of dialog in "Kelly's Heroes", when Crapgame finds a land mine.

"Hey! Hey! I found one!"

"What kind is it?"

"The kind that blows up!"

Eaglecash867

 

 

stikpusher

While the USN A-7s won't carry the GBU-8 HOBOs, I'm pretty sure that the USAF A-7D was cleared to carry the GBU-8, along with the AGM-65 Maverick.

 

 

Already covered that in an earlier post in this thread, and in another thread about the same subject.  The A-7 was certified to carry GBU-8s, but they didn't do so in combat.  

 

Yes I saw that. Sorry that I didn't refer back to it in my last post. No the Air Force A-7 didn't carry them in combat. As also mentioned earlier, only USAF Phantoms did. The USAF only used the A-7 in combat in Vietnam. The USN A-7 had a much longer service career and saw far more combat as well. But you probably already know that.

stikpusher

While the USN A-7s won't carry the GBU-8 HOBOs, I'm pretty sure that the USAF A-7D was cleared to carry the GBU-8, along with the AGM-65 Maverick.

Already covered that in an earlier post in this thread, and in another thread about the same subject.  The A-7 was certified to carry GBU-8s, but they didn't do so in combat.  

Eaglecash867

 

 

CapnMac82

Well, which A-7 matters, as USAF carried different ordnance than USN (as Carlos correctly points out).

 

 

The weapon in the photo posted by the OP is a GBU-8, the other is a Mk20.  I was only referring to the ordnance in the picture posted by the OP as to employment in combat.  The Navy AGM-62 could never be mistaken for a GBU-8.  

 

No, but they fill the same role- a bolt on kit to turn a dumb bomb into an electro optical (military parlance for TV) guided bomb using a camera in the nose and a set of wings for stand off drop capability. The crosshairs of the weapon are locked on to a visual high contrast aiming point on the target and then the bomb is released to glide to target while the carrying aircraft is free to take evasive action. Obviously only usable in daylight clear weather conditions. The USAF later developed an imaging infra red version, the GBU-15, that has a similar wing configuration to the Walleye, but also has small canards on the seeekr head. It is longer ranged and can be employed in darkness or cloudy weather due to the IR guidance system.

While the USN A-7s won't carry the GBU-8 HOBOs, I'm pretty sure that the USAF A-7D was cleared to carry the GBU-8, along with the AGM-65 Maverick.

CapnMac82

Well, which A-7 matters, as USAF carried different ordnance than USN (as Carlos correctly points out).

The weapon in the photo posted by the OP is a GBU-8, the other is a Mk20.  I was only referring to the ordnance in the picture posted by the OP as to employment in combat.  The Navy AGM-62 could never be mistaken for a GBU-8.  

Eaglecash867

I was referring to the question in the context of its employment from A-7s.

Well, which A-7 matters, as USAF carried different ordnance than USN (as Carlos correctly points out).

I believe there was another issue in that the A-7 was already a crowded & complicated single seater, so putting the tv display monitor was like to block the view for important things.

The notion of using, say, the Maverick targeting system as a poor man's night vision had not yet occurred, too.

The GBU-8 HOBOs was a USAF weapon. It was carried in combat by F-4's in Vietnam during the Linebacker campaign.  The USN used their equivalent, the AGM-62 Walleye, carried by A-4s, A-6s, and A-7s, in Vietnam, and lather thru the 90s in the Middle East.

Thank you all

keavdog

The A7 is my favorite plane of all time.  Just about to start my Hasegawa kit for the gulf war group build.  It will be loaded up with MK20 Rockeyes (the other bomb in the pic)

 

Hey KD I picked that Hase kit at a show a couple of years back and it's a gorgeous one.

Tanker-Builder

Plastic?

      I do apologise, I just couldn't resist. Like you, If an aircraft carried the scudders I would want the right ones too. There's just so many different types now.

 

The A7 is my favorite plane of all time.  Just about to start my Hasegawa kit for the gulf war group build.  It will be loaded up with MK20 Rockeyes (the other bomb in the pic)

Plastic?

      I do apologise, I just couldn't resist. Like you, If an aircraft carried the scudders I would want the right ones too. There's just so many different types now.

I used to watch the A-7s doing bombing runs at the Navy Range in Ocala National Forest. They had an observation tower on the perimeter road that put you above the trees. The A-7s would come in hot at around 300ft. circle the target, head out on a vector to the southwest for about 3 miles, turn and come back on the NW heading at about 400 kts. About a mile out, they would pull up in a 45 angle, roll over on the top to find the target, and roll back on the dive down, releasing practice bombs or firing their 20 mm cannon. Totally cool!

Another weird way of a quoted post.

Bill, just that particular aircraft.  High/medium altitude, precision bombing just wasn't something the A-7 was used for.  It was the master of pop-up bombing.  It could get in, in the weeds...pop up, kill its target, and be gone in the weeds before the enemy even knew what had just happened.  It was an amazing thing to see first-hand.

Eaglecash867

Post

Yup, got it PJ, but I was referring to the question in the context of its employment from A-7s.  

Eagle, I believe the GBU8 was evaluated in 1969 and was used on F4s dropping about 700 on NV targets.

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196017/rockwell-international-gbu-8-electro-optical-guided-bomb/

Eaglecash867

It was capable of carrying either one, but the GBU-8 wasn't carried in combat.  Rockeyes on the other hand, it did carry in combat.

 

By that particular aircraft?

Bill

It was capable of carrying either one, but the GBU-8 wasn't carried in combat.  Rockeyes on the other hand, it did carry in combat.

Real G - good call, the first one is indeed a GBU-8 TV/IR guided bomb. The missing piece is the glass window for the camera. It's a mean looking weapon for sure!

Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

I think the big one is a Hobos TV guided bomb, the little one is a Rockeye cluster bomb.