For aircraft enthusiasts: US built carrier planes used on non US Navy Carriers

[Blazer]

It's funny how it goes, when a plane is developed for use on carriers it also makes for a good plane for land use because of it being able to operate from airfields with short landing strips and the folding wings make it so much easier to store than a plane with the wings fixed.

McDonnel/Douglas F-4 Phantoms and Grumman A-6 Intruder planes on the start deck of a carrier with their wings folded.

But there aren't many naval air arms out there who use those carrier planes for what they were meant to: for use on carriers. So I figured it to be fun to point out the planes that were. Starting with the already mentioned MDD F-4 Phantom.

The only Naval Air Arm aside from the US navy to use the Phantom on carriers was the British Royal Navy.

British Phantoms were quite different from their US counterparts, they had different avionics and different engines, being powered by Rolls Royce "Spey" turbofans which were more powerful than the GE J-79 which powered the US Phantoms. The Brits operated their Phantoms from HMS Ark Royal until she was decommissioned after which they were used by the Royal Airforce for many years.



Then there's the Venerable Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which has flown (and continues to fly) with many airforces but has also seen three other operators aside the US navy to fly them from carriers.

The Royal Australian Navy operated their fleet of Skyhawks from the HMAS Melbourne

The Brazillians fly them from the Sao Paolo

And the Argentinians flew them from the Veinticinco de Mayo, note also the French built Dassault Super Etendard fighters.

Now, far less glorious but a very important plane on US carriers is the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye.

For over 45 years and counting, the Hawkeye has provided the US Navy with eyes in the sky and with such a good operational record it isn't that surprising that plenty of airforces have bought it for use in exactly that role but of those foreign users there's only one who uses theirs on a carrier.

The French Naval Air arm uses their Hawkeyes on the Charles Du Gaulle.

And I'll end this with one of the most bad ass fighters the US Navy ever had:the Chance-Vought F-8 Crusader.

Fondly remembered by those who flew it and the legend it has by the general public as being "the last gun fighter" the Crusader's place in history has been secured many times over. But what's less well known is that the only other naval air arm operator who used their fleet of Crusaders from carriers flew them much longer than the US Navy did.

the French used their F-8 Crusaders from 1964 until 1999, their longevity was mainly attributed to the fact that indigenous fighters which were developed to replace it, such as the Sepecat Jaguar M and the Dassault Rafale M, were either unsatisfactory in their performance or were taking too long in development.

[Warm Gums]

Canada operated a ex RN light carrier for a number of years.
Part of its original compliment of aircraft was the McDonnell F2H Banshee.
Even with a angled deck retrofit this was tricky, so much so that it is rumored that US pilots of the same aircraft would refuse to land on the little carrier during NATO exercises.

[Boyd]

This brings back some memories.... my father was Chief Design Engineer at McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis and the F4 Phantom was his pride and joy. This led to some friction between us during the Vietnam era, but we reached common ground. He was really like a kid that loved airplanes that never grew up.

The Banshee and Voodoo were older planes he worked on, later there were the Eagle, Hornet and others. Then there were the Mercury and Gemini capsules as well. But I think helicopters were his first love.

I still have some fun souveniers, like presentation models and even little silver F4 cufflinks and tie pins.

[soulman969]

Thanks for sharing Blazer. I have a great interest in naval aviation. Nice history and pics.

[E5RSY]

[Dan R]

Really cool stuff. Blazer, you always bring us great aviation pics and info. My brother was a career Marine Aviator. He was B/N in the A-6 and later flew the C130. Always love the aviation threads.

Dan R

[musicalmartin]

Years ago an RAF F4 did aerobatics over our village in Norfolk for about 40 minutes at a rough guess .He was using afterburn and made a huge noise .It turned out he was showing off to his girlfriend who lived down our road .it was a bright sunny evening and the light catching the aircraft as it dived and climbed rolled etc was fascinating ,He didnt fly very low which made a change .The USAF A10's used to fly so low we could almost touch them and the F15's out of Lakenheath used to prowl the river and mock strafe the roads ..
The F4 pilot got put on a charge by the way .so it goes

[6942]

The General Manager of Rail Car Maintenance on our RR, was a retired USAF aircraft mechanic.
So three guesses who he liked to hire?
Back in the 80's, Andrews AFB in Washington, DC was our mechanics pipeline.
They'd retire on a Friday, and show up at our rail yard on Monday good-to-go.
Guys would have pictures of past Presidents on their tool boxes, from doing maintenance on Air Force One.
We also had quite a few retired USN aircraft mechanics also.

Thanks a lot for the GREAT pics!


Steve

[trev333]

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au...rom-ww2-plane/

a local prawn trawler dragged up a fighter wing section with a few 50 cal's still attached just this week....

the US dumped a lot of ordinance off the coast here after the war.... trawlers are always finding stuff on the bottom...

[RustyinKC]

I do not know if the French or British ever utilized the A1 Skyraider. It was used based on the ground in South Vietnamese air force. My uncle flew them off of the Midway & Ranger doing close air support in Vietnam during the 60's. Their squadron was originally tasked with doing torpedo runs on the dams above Hanoi. But the Skyraider's 3hrs on station and incredible firepower capabilities made them the go to for close air support in Southeast Asia. One of my uncles's squadron A1's downed a Mig.

[Buckocaster51]

not many other countries had (have) carriers...that really narrows it down...F-35Bs will be used on several non-US carriers

[E5RSY]

[deiseldemon]

you've forgotten the most notorious US carrier aircraft used by other forces on or off carriers.......IRANIAN F-14 Tomcats. they still fly although the embargo has made procuring parts difficult......

[Blazer]

Originally Posted by deiseldemon

you've forgotten the most notorious US carrier aircraft used by other forces on or off carriers.......IRANIAN F-14 Tomcats. they still fly although the embargo has made procuring parts difficult......

No there's a reason why I didn't name the F-14 Tomcat. Iran doesn't use their Tomcats from aircraft carriers simply because they don't HAVE and aircraft carrier to operate them from.

Anyway, the Royal Netherlands Navy operated an aircraft carrier from the late forties into the sixties called the Karel Doorman.

We later sold the Doorman because of her being to expensive to keep in service to the Argentine Navy where she operated as the 25 de mayo

The Naval Air arm was based on the British Royal Navy air arm and it was reflected in the aircraft we used of which very few US-built.

A Dutch Grumman Avenger ready to be launched from the Doorman.


The early warning version of the Grumman Avenger as used by the RNN on the Doorman.

Later the Doorman was recommissioned as an anti-submarine carrier at which the sleek Hawker Seahawk Jet fighters were replaced by Grumman S2F Trackers.

"Stoofs" operating from the Doorman in the sixties.

Funny piece of trivia: the Karel Doorman had a tendency to roll severely at sea at which her crew gave her the nickname "Doorelkaarman" (From the Dutch word "Doorelkaar" which means "shaken up")