Beyond The Sprues

Modelling => Completed GBs => Group and Themed Builds => Extended Service Life and/or Back dated GB => Topic started by: apophenia on May 12, 2015, 08:23:41 AM

Title: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 12, 2015, 08:23:41 AM

Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu (Part 1)

Story to follow ...
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 12, 2015, 08:30:25 AM

Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu (Part 2)

According to US official records, all surplus ex-USAF B-58A Hustler bombers not slated for preservation had been scrapped by end of 1977. But five B-58A airframes escaped both the cutters' torches and further outside attention. The remains of B-58As 60-1117, 60-1126, 61-2053, 61-2067, and 61-2076 were quietly removed from AMARC, further dismantled, and stored in containers.

At some point after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the US DIA and CIA with coordination by Mossad (on behalf of the Israeli Defence Forces) began the 'Wise Guidance' Program. [1] Under 'Wise Guidance', the B-58 containers were surreptitiously shipped to Israel for reassembly and modernization by Israel Aerospace Industries. By 1984, IAI had completed the rebuilding of the first 'B-58i' for use by the IDF. These aircraft received primarily IAI avionics and were fitted with spare J79-GE-17A engines meant for IDF F-4E Kurnass (Phantom) fighters.

The US had provided no weapons for the B-58s but some details were provided on the shape of the upper component of the B-58A's BLU-2 fuel-and-weapons pod. This slimmer pod shape was copied by Rafael while devising a suitable approach to an Israeli 'bunker buster' bomb. A simple solution was found in the IDF's growing stocks of worn-out Soviet 130mm M-46 howitzers. The original barrel for this gun was 6.76 metres long. The M-46 barrels were slightly shortened, their muzzle ends threaded for penetrator cones, and their breeches adapted to hold detonators. A series of annular fuel tanks then surrounded the ex-howitzer barrels.

The resulting Mas'mer (מַסְמְרִים 'Point') bomb was a 6,600-lb free-fall ground penetrator aimed at destroying underground Iranian nuclear facilities. Drop tests showed that the outer body of the BLU-2 shape would be sheered off on impact with the ground surface. But, the former howitzer barrel had sufficient strength to penetrate deep into the soil. A fuse timer determined at what impact depth the 400 kg (880 lb) of high explosive would detonate.

The raison d'être for the B-58i Ariyyáhu (אֲרִיָּהוּ) program was the Iranian nuclear program. [2] And the US had taken steps to ensure that 'unauthorized' use of the B-58i by Israel was discouraged.

[To be continued]

_______________________________

[1] The program title came from a Biblical phrase: "For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory." US participants may have regarded their advice and control as the 'wise guidance' but the phrase is also the source of the motto of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.

[2] Ariyyáhu (or Ariah) is Hebrew for 'Lion of the Lord' but also refers to air and wind.
_______________________________
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: GTX_Admin on May 12, 2015, 04:00:50 PM
Interesting
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Volkodav on May 12, 2015, 05:27:16 PM
Enjoying this, very much like the Israel of old where all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff was acquired "off the books".  Any future schemes planned?
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: LemonJello on May 12, 2015, 08:03:46 PM
Definitely cool!
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Acree on May 12, 2015, 10:57:52 PM
If only it were not a WHIF!   ::)
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 13, 2015, 01:14:31 AM
An even better option would be to have a precision guided version of your bomb/fuel pod fitted with with an electro-optical or laser guidance package mounted in the nose.  The Pave Way III LLGB was available around 1986 as were Imaging Infra-Red guidance packages from the AGM-65 Maverick.  Both technologies could have been adapted to fit the weapon you have portrayed.  It would go well with the mission of attacking hard to hit underground structures where the only visible parts would be ventilation shafts and access points. 

Another option for consideration for your gun tube-turned into a bomb would be the surplus gun barrels from the M1 Towed 8.0" (203 mm) Gun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-inch_Gun_M1) and the M1 Towed 240mm (9.4") Howitzer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/240_mm_howitzer_M1) very heavy artillery/siege weapons.  Both gun tubes were far larger and heavier than the gun barrel from the Russian M1954/M-46 130 mm (5.1") field gun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/130_mm_towed_field_gun_M1954_(M-46)). 

I definitely like your idea and this is something that would look very good in physical model form be it 1:48th, 1:72nd, or 1:144th scale. 
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Buzzbomb on May 13, 2015, 07:28:42 AM
Well why not.
Given the short legs of the Hustler and the proximity to whom it may be used on, it appears to be a natural fit.
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 13, 2015, 12:32:28 PM
Cheers folks!

Buzzbomb ... that was exactly my thinking :)

Jeff: A later guided version is in the works ;)  On gun tubes, my initial inspiration was the GBU-28 so the 203 mm was a natural fit. But the IDF are hanging on to their small number of M110 SPs and the 175 mm M107 is only now being retired (so outside my timeframe).

That left me stuck with the Russian M1954/M-46. That 5.1" barrel was a little puny by comparison, so I went with length. That came partially from the length of the B-58A's original belly stores ... and partly from the notion/wishful thinking that a long, narrow barrel might just have superior penetration  :D
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 13, 2015, 01:45:25 PM
Cheers folks!

Buzzbomb ... that was exactly my thinking :)

Jeff: A later guided version is in the works ;)  On gun tubes, my initial inspiration was the GBU-28 so the 203 mm was a natural fit. But the IDF are hanging on to their small number of M110 SPs and the 175 mm M107 is only now being retired (so outside my timeframe).

That left me stuck with the Russian M1954/M-46. That 5.1" barrel was a little puny by comparison, so I went with length. That came partially from the length of the B-58A's original belly stores ... and partly from the notion/wishful thinking that a long, narrow barrel might just have superior penetration  :D
A good back story nonetheless.  Regardless of what gun tube you are using.  As it is contained inside of the fuel pod it can pretty much be what ever size you want :) 
The long slender 130mm gun tube should penetrate quite well just like a long rod penetrator as used in most current APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) projectiles.  A lot of energy transferred at the point of impact and with good penetration results. 
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Buzzbomb on May 13, 2015, 02:07:15 PM
Interesting reuse of barrels for Penetrator bombs.

I just read a Alt History story where the USA Developed an orbital weapon that used kinetic energy much like the weapon described, but from orbit it would achieve extraordinary speed and have huge impacts on the target, usually ships or structures. These were called "Crowbars" which is exactly what they in essence were.
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Old Wombat on May 13, 2015, 03:55:53 PM
Interesting reuse of barrels for Penetrator bombs.

I just read a Alt History story where the USA Developed an orbital weapon that used kinetic energy much like the weapon described, but from orbit it would achieve extraordinary speed and have huge impacts on the target, usually ships or structures. These were called "Crowbars" which is exactly what they in essence were.

The idea for this system has been around for quite some time & has gone by a number of names. The latest is "Odin" in CoD: Ghosts, while Heinlein used a similar weapon (but moon launched & using iron/steel encased rocks) in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (written in 1966).

As a strategic system it has a lot of merit, in that it can be used to destroy major targets & areas without rendering it uninhabitable for generations, but that is at the cost of militarising space.
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 14, 2015, 10:16:45 AM
Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu (Part 3)

The next installment jumps forward in time ... story to follow.
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 14, 2015, 10:55:20 AM
The box-scale Revell B-58 Hustler kit from a very long time ago had a rather unique looking fuel/bomb pod that featured delta wings that look similar to your creation.  I was fortunate to pick up a couple of the kits just for that fuel/bomb pod with hopes of making it work on a larger B-58 some day.
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Acree on May 14, 2015, 12:45:00 PM
I'm loving the modernized Hustler.  It's way cooler than any B-1 ever hoped to be!

Chuck
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: CiTrus90 on May 16, 2015, 04:25:51 AM
The awsomeness of this.

I can't even :-*
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 16, 2015, 06:58:16 AM

Thanks folks!

Jeff: Very cool. Was that delta-winged pod in the Revell kit a 'real world' development?

_______________________________

Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu (Part 4)

The Israeli Hustlers went through a series of incremental upgrades and equipment additions with no two aircraft ever being quite to the same standard at any given time. The B-58i was not ideal for low-level operations. In compensation, however, the afterburners were rarely needed which extended range (useful for the sometimes circuitous paths plotted out for planned missions).

Most of the IDF's equipment additions related to countermeasures -- electronic or decoys. The B-58A's original aft wing root stub pylon was adapted to carry defensive Shafrir-3M air-to-air missiles. One B-58i feature that no amount of ECM could camouflage was the smoke trails left by the GE J79 engines. But IAI had a potential solution stemming from its stalled Kurnass 2000 program -- replace the smokey J79s with new Pratt & Whitney PW1120s.

IAI proposed that four aircraft be re-engined [1] while, at the same time standardizing upgrades and adding a few new ones. The most noticeable was the addition of LARC, the Low-Altitude Ride Control system adapted from the US B-1A bomber. Less obvious was the Elta EL/M-2032 radar with superior surface target detection and mapping compared with the Elta EL/M-2021B set originally installed.

A separate program had been initiated to improve the Ariyyáhu's primary weapon. The program -- dubbed Project Othniyel ( עָתְנִיאֵל or 'Strength of God') -- took on extra urgency in 2003 when the International Atomic Energy Agency reported undeclared enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear material in Iran. The aim of the weapon program was to create a percision-guided ground-penetrating bomb while, at the same time, providing B-58i crews with a greater chance at survival.

The terms of Project Othniyel gave the development team at Rafael two imperiatives. The first was that a stand-off missile was required in place of a free-fall bomb. The second was that guidance for the weapon could not rely on airborne designators if the survival of the Ariyyáhu crew depended on departing the drop zone before being detected. The resulting weapon was the Patish (פַּטִּישׁ or 'Hammer'), a pop-up missile design whose body enclosed the same penetrator as had the free-fall Mas'mer.

_______________________________

[1] By this stage, airframe 60-1117 was being reduced to spares.

_______________________________
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 16, 2015, 07:00:30 AM

Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu (Part 5)

The Patish 'shape' was not entirely new (like Mas'mer, Patish was based on US data about the B-58A's BLU-2 fuel-and-weapons pod -- although, in this case, the lower component). The stand-off capability was provided by simply strapping two booster rockets from the Accular SSM. The Patish had delta lifting surfaces (initially folding for take-off but later fixed in their deployed configuration). As on the BLU-2, a fixed upper fin also acted as a rear mounting point. A new lower fin (which folded to port for take-off) acted as the rudder. Stabilizers were in the form of canard delta surfaces.

On launch, the Accular boosters were lit and the Patish 'shape' was releasesd to fly a pre-programmed flight path. At the top of its parabolic arc, the spent booster rockets were ejected (and deployed passive RF enhancement 'targets', allowing the falling booster tubes to act as both radar and IR decoys). The stabilizers then tipped the missile body into its dive. At this stage, GPS terminal guidance began with fine tuning by the delta stabilizers.

The system was simple [1] but not fool-proof. This was discovered during the first 'live' test of the Patish system. Upon lighting the Accular booster rockets, the weapons officer discovered that the pylon release mechanisms would not function. Only through violent manoeuvring could the Ariyyáhu be freed of it payload. Unfortunately, as the unarmed Patish 'shape' parted company with the bomber, the B-58i pitched up and entered a spin. Flying at only 1,500 metres, there was no chance of recovering from this spin and the test crew promptly ejected. Ariyyáhu 61-2067 crashed into the Mediterranean off Ashqelon.

[Below] Ariyyáhu 61-2067 as she appeared at the time of her loss. Not that most identifying markings have been at least partially removed by this stage. The Patish test payload carried no fuel and the penetrator 'tube' was filled with sand for ballast.

_______________________________


[1] Multiple way-point GPS navigation in the missile's free flight stage having been rejected by the Rafael design team at an early stage of Patish development.

_______________________________
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 16, 2015, 07:24:41 AM
Was that delta-winged pod in the Revell kit a 'real world' development?
No idea to be honest.  I have never seen anything close to it in a drawing or image so it may have been Monogram's interpretation of the bomb/fuel pod with some embellishments.  Others may have more information on it and hopefully they will share what they know or show us where to find it. 
Title: Re: Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu
Post by: apophenia on May 24, 2015, 09:54:19 AM

Kosher Hustler - the B-58i Ariyyáhu (Part 6)

The IDF faced two challenges in operating the B-58i Ariyyáhu fleet. The first was ensuring access to high-resolution US satellite imagery (for planning navigation and targetting). The second was the modest amount of airframe time remaining on decades-old aircraft never intended for the rigors of low-altitude operations.

The first problem required careful manoeuvring around US intelligence agencies. The second problem was more easily skirted. Rather than using up Ariyyáhu airframe life, most aerial training was performed in surrogate aircraft. Crew training was performed in mission-modified IAI 1124TB Westwinds (complete with Ariyyáhu radar and navigation pods). Dedicated pilot and weapons officer training was done in dedicated Kfir trainers known as the 'Gur-aryeh' ("Lion cub").

Despite these precautions, the IDF's remaining Ariyyáhus had to be grounded in 2009. Outside of museums, the B-58 Hustler was to be seen no more.

_______________________________