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QRC 160 ECM Pod? Help needed


Johnson

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I need to add a QRC 160 ECM pod, used by 8th TFW USAF during Op Bolo in 1967, to the 1/72 Phantom F-4C that I'm modelling.

 

I've done a bit of web research and these pods, their evolution and designations, are a bit of a nightmare. I think that the QRC 160 became the AN/ALQ-71 which was developed into the AN/ALQ-87 ( which were the QRC-160-8).

 

Anyway, Fine Molds do the AN/ALQ-87 in their Weapons Set #2;

 

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Can I use this as a QRC 160?

 

Thanks,

 

 

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If you change the nose to include the little ram air spinner, I think that would be close enough for a Bolo QRC-160. Then again, they are a bit of a mine field. Apparently they could only carry them on the right outboard station, like you can see on several here in this clip:

 

 

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Found this in an old post on the Large Scale Planes forum:

 

In the instructions for the Cutting Edge CEC32153, ALQ-71 for USAF F-4s in Vietnam, the following information is given:

 

“Typically (and there are exceptions!) F-4s flew with one ALQ-71 jammer configured with the non-RAT nose (Ram Air Turbine; has small propeller blades) and the rounded rear cap. However, in a few cases, ALQ-71s with the conical rear caps were photographed on Phantoms."

 

As you say, a mine field!

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From a Fox One decal (8th TFW Wolfpack Phantoms F-4C/F-4D January-June 1967) sheet:

 

Operation Bolo marked the first use of ECM pods by Phantoms in Southeast Asia. The pod used on this occasion was the QRC-160-1. The ALQ-71 pod, introduced in March was the production version of the QRC-160-1 and was externally identical to it. The pods were modular in design, and consisted of four sections, any of which could be used on a given mission. The actual configuration depended on the threat in the target area and several pod combinations were observed in use. Early versions of the pod used a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) to generate the electrical power needed to operate the electronics. In late 1967, the capability to use aircraft power was acquired and the RAT, which had a propeller-like device on the nose, was removed from the pods. The F-4C was built with wiring to carry ECM pods on the right outboard wing stations only and it wasn't untill June that the capability to carry ECM on the right inboard stations was developed. Therefore, the aircraft featured on this sheet would have used RAT-powered ECM pods on their right outboard stations. This made for some interesting asymmetric loads! After June, configurations using two wing tanks and inboard ECM began to appear. The pods were usually painted white, but we have seen some which had their upper surfaces camouflaged in dark green.

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13 hours ago, Creepy Pete said:

The pods were modular in design, and consisted of four sections, any of which could be used on a given mission. The actual configuration depended on the threat in the target area and several pod combinations were observed in use.

No wonder it's so confusing!

 

Found this useful description by 'mrvark' (Jim) on the ARC website, original post here;

 

Eduard AN/ALQ-71(V)-2 & AN/ALQ-87 ECM Pods (Kit 648 491 & 493)

Here are some notes to help guide you in the use of these kits, which include a lot of antenna options that can be a bit overwhelming.

AN/ALQ-71(V)-2  ECM Pod (Kit 648 491)

These pods were used on F-105s and (later) F-4s:

The QRC-160-1 was the pre-production variant of what became the AN/ALQ-71. It was used on three 45th TRS RF-101Cs flying out of Tan Soh Nhut AB (near Saigon) on 29 April 1965. Each jet carried four pods! They used two pylons with either one pod, or two using a dual adapter (the only published photograph of an RF-101C with a QRC-160-1 shows a single parent-mounted pod). The RF-101C was not designed with wing pylons and the jury-rigged installation had adverse effects on the aircraft and the aerodynamic vibrations damaged the pods. So, this poorly thought out experiment was quickly ended. The pods themselves were then made more physically robust (including the addition of two hardbacks on the top of the pods) and redesignated QRC-160A-1. (The Eduard kit already includes the hardbacks.)

As losses of F-105D/Fs mounted during 1966, the idea of using ECM pods was revisited. Despite some initial misgivings, the 355th TFW at Takhli RTAFB began carrying QRC-160A-1 pods on 26 September 1966. The pods proved so successful that soon every 355th jet was carrying pods under both wings! However, there were a limited number of pods at the time (about 140), so half were given to the 388TFW F-105D/Fs at Korat RTAFB. By November 1966 all F-105D/Fs flying over North Vietnam were equipped with QRC-160A-1s. The most famous use of the QRC-160A-1s was during Operation Bolo in January 1967, when 8th TFW F-4Cs borrowed some pods and pretended to be F-105s. Carrying the pods on the right outboard wing pylons, they lured 11 North Vietnamese MiG-21s into a trap, shooting down seven. Based on the Keith Ferris painting of the event, these pods used the RAT nose (Part R16 with PE1 & 2) with the pointed tail cone (R18) and antennas EGGE.

Production versions of the QRC-160A-1 pods, known as AN/ALQ-71(V)-2, began arriving in Thailand in December 1966. During this initial time period, the F-105D/Fs flew in carefully defined four-ship ‘pod’ formations to maximize jamming effectiveness. Lead (#1) carried a pod mounting EVEN antennas. Assistant flight lead (#3) carried a pod mounting ODD antennas. Their wingmen (#2 & #4) would carry at least one pod on an outboard station and, by the end of 1967, on both outboard pylons, one each EVEN and ODD, with the EVEN pods mounted on the wings on the outside of the formation. (Beginning in December 1966, Lead and three often carried an AERO 3B-mounted AIM-B Sidewinder on the opposite outboard pylon.)

‘Special’ Pods

The so-called ‘SPECIAL’ pods were a slight modification of the original pods that used all four transmitters to block the SA-2 guidance (beacon) commands. Beginning in November 1967, 388th TFW Wild Weasel F-105Fs began using a configuration of two pods per aircraft: one standard (sometimes called ‘NORMAL’) and one beacon configured (almost always marked as ’SPECIAL’ on the side of the pod). Strike F-105D/Fs of the 355th and 388th TFWs adopted this practice the following month. AN/ALQ-71s were used as SPECIAL pods prior to April 1968, but gradually gave way to the more powerful AN/ALQ-87s for this task by July 1968.

By 1968 all aircraft using ECM pods were modified to provide aircraft electrical power to the pods, so the ram air turbines (RAT—Part R16 with PE1 & 2) originally used were replaced by dummy nose cones (Part R17).

As the number of AN/ALQ-71 pods increased, USAF F-4D/Es were also fitted with them beginning in April 1967. Initially the F-4s were modified to carry the pods on other pylons than the right outboard, but soon the strike aircraft began carrying them in the front Sparrow wells, freeing up the other stations for ordnance or fuel tanks.

The first F-4D unit to receive ECM pods was apparently the Udorn RTAFB-based 432nd TRW. Prior to January 1968 they carried at least one AN/ALQ-71. From January through March 1968, they carried two AN/ALQ-71 pods, one standard and one SPECIAL. It is unclear which antennas the SPECIAL pods were configured with, but it MAY have been A & F.

Beginning in April 1968, Da Nang-based 366th TFW F-4D/Es, which only flew in the southern part of North Vietnam where the only threat was (wrongly) assumed to be AAA, were fitted with a single AN/ALQ-71 pod. Since the pod formation was only needed to counter the SAM threat, these aircraft commonly flew in pairs.

These pods continued to be used during Operation Linebacker in 1972. Captains Steve Ritchie and Chuck DeBellvue carried an AN/ALQ-71(V)-2 pod on the left inboard pylon configured with a dummy nose (R17), pointed tail cone (R18) and antennas FEFE. Other antenna configurations observed included FBFB, EAEA, AFFA, AFAF, FAFA, AAEE and EGEG.

AN/ALQ-87 ECM Pod (Kit 648 493)

Pre-production versions of what would become known as the AN/ALQ-87 were the QRC-160-8. Like the AN/ALQ-71 they were noise jammers, but the new pod was twice as powerful as the AN/ALQ-71. Unlike the AN/ALQ-71, which had a round cross section, the AN/ALQ-87 had a ridge running down both sides of the top half of the pod, to facilitate sway braces and a smaller ridge running down each side of the pod where it split in two for maintenance. Also, normally, (but not always) the AN/ALQ-87s used a more rounded tail cone than the AN/ALQ-71(V)-2.

Three QRC-160-8 pods were tested by on Ubon RTAFB-based F-4Cs of the 8th TFW beginning mid-1967, but production AN/ALQ-87s didn’t arrive until October (so use of RATs soon became rare).

During January and February 1968, each Ubon RTAFB-based 8th TFW strike F-4D carried two AN/ALQ-87 pods—one standard and one SPECIAL. From March through June they still carried one standard and one SPECIAL pod, but both AN/ALQ-71s and AN/ALQ-87s were used. From July 1968 until the bombing halt began, their F-4Ds carried only one standard-configured AN/ALQ-71 or AN/ALQ-87 pod.

In addition to F-105D/Fs, AN/ALQ-87 pods were used on F-4C/D/Es, F-111As (both in 1968 and 1972) and AC-130As.

The antenna options seem to have been more limited with these pods and the instructions cover them all.

Edited September 24, 2019 by mrvark

 

The Fine Molds AN/ALQ 87 I have should be OK, but I will have to take off the 'ridge running down both sides of the top half of the pod'. 

 

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  • 5 months later...

The QRC-160/ALQ-71 was a bit smaller in size and the body more circular than the ALQ-87. I took two pics of it when visiting the USAF Museum in Dayton a few years ago.

In 72 scale it can be found in the Monogram F-111F kit. I guess it's a leftover from an F-111A kit which I do not have though. The F-111F kit came with two of those pods. Which, although not aftermarket quality, are a very good starting point.

B/r

Michael

 

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9 hours ago, Finn said:

here are some F-4Ds with RAT pod on outboard pylon and one with non RAT on inboard pylon

 

Excellent video Jari, thanks for posting. Er... what's a RAT Pod? Is it the same as ECM?

 

And..

The second F-4D taxying still has a red tape (Remove Before Flight?) on it's Laser Guided Bomb (I think that's what it is, I'm more WW2 than Vietnam). Was this common? Did it get removed before the flight? Forgotten?

 

 

3 hours ago, Scout712 said:

I took two pics of it when visiting the USAF Museum in Dayton a few years ago.

 

Do you still have the pics Michael? Might you be able to share them with us?

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7 hours ago, Scout712 said:

Monogram F-111F kit

Did Monogram release an F-111F in Gentlemen's Scale? I am only aware of their 1772nd EF-111A and their 1/48th F-111A with Aurora origins. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre 

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1 hour ago, Hook said:

Did Monogram release an F-111F in Gentlemen's Scale? I am only aware of their 1772nd EF-111A and their 1/48th F-111A with Aurora origins. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre 

Yes, I have it. It is more or less equal to their EF-111A kit and F-111A kit It came with the decals of the 495th Boss Bird, which was on of the two 495th jets to deploy to DS and one of the two which dropped the GBU-28. The kit comes with an extra spruce with the GBU-28 and semi merged AVQ-26. I only bought it because it had the crew names for the nose gear doors as well, something I am yet to find for any other DS F-111 kit/decal.

Best

Michael

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4 hours ago, Johnson said:

 

Excellent video Jari, thanks for posting. Er... what's a RAT Pod? Is it the same as ECM?

 

And..

The second F-4D taxying still has a red tape (Remove Before Flight?) on it's Laser Guided Bomb (I think that's what it is, I'm more WW2 than Vietnam). Was this common? Did it get removed before the flight? Forgotten?

 

 

 

Do you still have the pics Michael? Might you be able to share them with us?

I cannot post pics on the forum since it requires to use a hosting provider which aren't for free anymore maybe someone could prove me wrong?). Send me a PM with your email. I'tryto dig ' an out and send them to you.

Best

Michael

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7 hours ago, Johnson said:

 

Excellent video Jari, thanks for posting. Er... what's a RAT Pod? Is it the same as ECM?

 

And..

The second F-4D taxying still has a red tape (Remove Before Flight?) on it's Laser Guided Bomb (I think that's what it is, I'm more WW2 than Vietnam). Was this common? Did it get removed before the flight? Forgotten?

 

 

 

Do you still have the pics Michael? Might you be able to share them with us?

 

I may have miss worded it, i meant pod with the RAT prop and a pod without the RAT prop. As for the RBFs, the safety pins for any armament were removed at the Arming point, a spot away from anything else and usually near the end of the runway:

 

spacer.png

 

edit: here is another example of the arming point:

 

spacer.png

 

Jari 

Edited by Finn
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17 minutes ago, Finn said:

As for the RBFs, the safety pins for any armament were removed at the Arming point, a spot away from anything else and usually near the end of the runway

You really don't want to taxi around a busy airbase with live weapons. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre 

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3 hours ago, Scout712 said:

I cannot post pics on the forum since it requires to use a hosting provider which aren't for free anymore

Hi Michael,

 

I use Microsoft 'One Drive' to host pics. 

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage

 

5GB are free (I reckon that will last me a while). Posting pics is a bit different, I found out how here on BM. If you're interested I can explain how, it's not difficult.

 

Don't worry about the pics, only if it's easy!

 

Cheers,

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