[Milsurplus] B25 Aircraft Maintenance Manual - Radio System

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

Our B-52Fs at Carswell AFB, TX had ARC-65s if I remember correctly.

Mac - K2GKK/5
USAF-Retired (61-81)



----Original Message Follows----
From: Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net>
Reply-To: Mike Morrow <kk5f at arrl.net>
To: Military Surplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] B25 Aircraft Maintenance Manual - Radio System
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 17:37:08 -0600 (GMT-06:00)

 >The bulk of B-25s were the later H and J models (1000 of the H type and 
4318
 >of the J type) that entered service in 1943 and continued in production to
 >the end of the war. By that time I would imagine the BC-610 had been
 >superseded by an ART-13.

I think you mean that the AN/ART-13 replaced the BC-375.  (SCR-287)

That aside, I'd doubt many WWII B-25 aircraft ever had an AN/ART-13 
installed before most were scrapped.  I think Pacific Theatre B-29 aircraft 
were some of the few late-war aircraft fortunate to have the AN/ARC-8 
invariably installed.

The AN/ART-13 was a tremedously expensive unit.  Walt Hudgins reported in ER 
that it had a WWII price tag of more than $14,000 each.  I have my doubts 
about that, which would equate to $150,000 today, but no doubt there would 
be no rush to backfit them into ETO aircraft that already had a servicable 
liason set in place.

BTW, the Collins AN/ARC-58 HF SSB set that was the mainstay of long range 
communications for USAF SAC aircraft through much of the Cold War after 1958 
had a system cost of about $100,000 in today's dollars, so maybe Walt's 
price quote is not that unrealistic.