NoaIzumiAnime Classroom: The Planes of Area 88, Part 2
January 24th 2009 22:44
The Planes of Area 88 series continues with the aircraft of the OVA (original video animation).
F-100 Super Sabre
American Mickey Simon’s plane in the manga and the OVA, the F-100 Super Sabre was the first supersonic fighter in operational service. In Vietnam, it was used mainly as a fighter-bomber, suppressing anti-aircraft defenses for strike aircraft in the North and attacking Viet Cong bases in the South. In the first months of the war, however, it did fly escort missions, and an F-100 may have scored the very first aerial kill of the Vietnam War. In spite of this success, the Super Sabre is sort of an odd choice for Mick, as the F-100 is slower and less maneuverable than the MiG-21s the rebel forces fly.
Kfir
The Kfir is an Israeli-built plane, based on the famous Mirage III. It could dogfight with the best of them, but was used mainly for ground-attack missions. The Kfir (“lion cub”) has been retired from Israeli service, but many are still operational in the air forces of foreign countries, including Colombia and Sri Lanka. Military movie fans will recognize the Kfir as a stand-in for enemy MiGs in the 1985 movie Iron Eagle. Fast, maneuverable, and versatile, it’s the perfect choice for Area 88 base commander Saki.
A-4 Skyhawk
A common sight around Area 88, and the plane of the affable Greg Gates, the A-4 is an excellent light bomber. It saw service in Vietnam with the US Navy and Marines; a Navy A-4 holds the dubious honor of being the first American plane shot down over North Vietnam, and it was the plane flown by American Senator and recent presidential candidate John McCain. Like the F-5, it is still used as an aggressor plane for advanced combat training. The Skyhawk was also flown by Israel during the Yom Kippur War and on missions over Lebanon, and by Argentinean forces during the Falkland Islands War (Skyhawks sank three British warships and damaged others). While subsonic, it is very maneuverable (its pilots informally dubbed it the Scooter) and can carry an impressive bomb load for its size.
F-105 Thunderchief
A brightly colored Thunderchief (affectionately called the “Thud” by its pilots) is flown in the OVA by the bloodthirsty South Vietnamese merc, Nguyen Van Com. Thuds are most well-known for their service in the Vietnam War, although all were flown by the USAF, not the South Vietnamese. Thunderchiefs typically worked as bombers, but could hold their own in the air-to-air role. As shown in the anime, they could carry air-to-air missiles like Sidewinders, but their primary weapon was the 20 mm Vulcan cannon. It had a rate of fire of 6000 rounds per minute, making even a short burst lethal to a MiG. But as Van Com found out in his last scene, if you’re over-eager, you’ll run out of ammo real quick.
F-4 Phantom
The F-4 Phantom is probably one of the most well-known jet fighter planes in the world. Not only is it closely associated with the Vietnam War, it was widely exported to other countries, including Japan. Phantoms were flown by both the US Air Force and Navy in the 60s and 70s, and saw the bulk of air-to-air combat over Vietnam. The most famous Phantom incident in this conflict was Operation Bolo, in which Air Force Phantoms downed seven MiG-21s for no loss. In the Yom Kippur War, the Phantom was Israel’s premier fighter, performing equally well in the interceptor and ground-attack roles, and many Israeli pilots became aces in the machine. And Iranian F-4s destroyed hundreds of Iraqi targets during the Iran-Iraq War. In one particularly intense naval battle early in the war, Iranian Phantoms, armed with Maverick missiles, sank a dozen Iraqi warships, including three Osa class missile boats. It’s little wonder that Area 88 has dozens of them.
USAF F-100D
F-100 Super Sabre
American Mickey Simon’s plane in the manga and the OVA, the F-100 Super Sabre was the first supersonic fighter in operational service. In Vietnam, it was used mainly as a fighter-bomber, suppressing anti-aircraft defenses for strike aircraft in the North and attacking Viet Cong bases in the South. In the first months of the war, however, it did fly escort missions, and an F-100 may have scored the very first aerial kill of the Vietnam War. In spite of this success, the Super Sabre is sort of an odd choice for Mick, as the F-100 is slower and less maneuverable than the MiG-21s the rebel forces fly.
The Kfir
Kfir
The Kfir is an Israeli-built plane, based on the famous Mirage III. It could dogfight with the best of them, but was used mainly for ground-attack missions. The Kfir (“lion cub”) has been retired from Israeli service, but many are still operational in the air forces of foreign countries, including Colombia and Sri Lanka. Military movie fans will recognize the Kfir as a stand-in for enemy MiGs in the 1985 movie Iron Eagle. Fast, maneuverable, and versatile, it’s the perfect choice for Area 88 base commander Saki.
A-4K Skyhawk
A-4 Skyhawk
A common sight around Area 88, and the plane of the affable Greg Gates, the A-4 is an excellent light bomber. It saw service in Vietnam with the US Navy and Marines; a Navy A-4 holds the dubious honor of being the first American plane shot down over North Vietnam, and it was the plane flown by American Senator and recent presidential candidate John McCain. Like the F-5, it is still used as an aggressor plane for advanced combat training. The Skyhawk was also flown by Israel during the Yom Kippur War and on missions over Lebanon, and by Argentinean forces during the Falkland Islands War (Skyhawks sank three British warships and damaged others). While subsonic, it is very maneuverable (its pilots informally dubbed it the Scooter) and can carry an impressive bomb load for its size.
F-105 Thunderchief over Vietnam
F-105 Thunderchief
A brightly colored Thunderchief (affectionately called the “Thud” by its pilots) is flown in the OVA by the bloodthirsty South Vietnamese merc, Nguyen Van Com. Thuds are most well-known for their service in the Vietnam War, although all were flown by the USAF, not the South Vietnamese. Thunderchiefs typically worked as bombers, but could hold their own in the air-to-air role. As shown in the anime, they could carry air-to-air missiles like Sidewinders, but their primary weapon was the 20 mm Vulcan cannon. It had a rate of fire of 6000 rounds per minute, making even a short burst lethal to a MiG. But as Van Com found out in his last scene, if you’re over-eager, you’ll run out of ammo real quick.
F-4 Phantom on a bombing exercise
F-4 Phantom
The F-4 Phantom is probably one of the most well-known jet fighter planes in the world. Not only is it closely associated with the Vietnam War, it was widely exported to other countries, including Japan. Phantoms were flown by both the US Air Force and Navy in the 60s and 70s, and saw the bulk of air-to-air combat over Vietnam. The most famous Phantom incident in this conflict was Operation Bolo, in which Air Force Phantoms downed seven MiG-21s for no loss. In the Yom Kippur War, the Phantom was Israel’s premier fighter, performing equally well in the interceptor and ground-attack roles, and many Israeli pilots became aces in the machine. And Iranian F-4s destroyed hundreds of Iraqi targets during the Iran-Iraq War. In one particularly intense naval battle early in the war, Iranian Phantoms, armed with Maverick missiles, sank a dozen Iraqi warships, including three Osa class missile boats. It’s little wonder that Area 88 has dozens of them.
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