They’re full of sh*t. Secondly, Hamster isn’t a racing driver.

Controlling a Formula 1 car at it’s maximum limit is one of the most demanding challenges, both mentally and physically. If you’re nowhere near the capacity of the mental and physical ability and capability an F1 machine calls for, you’re going to be in a world of hurt in no time at all.

Even the best drivers in F1 history have been caught out by these machines, many haven’t walked away to race another day…

Sebastian Vettel, no personality?… Are you kidding, or what?

He’s the only driver in the field that answers everyone’s questions during interviews, he has a laugh, he jokes about, he talks at length – so much so even the interviewers have to stop so they can interview other people, he has a wicked sense of humour – a very British, understated sense of humour at that and he’s the only driver/team member that actually ‘approaches’ to be interviewed. He gives F1 drivers a bad name!

Rosberg – Funny guy, much like his father so fair enough!
Button – Complains!
Hamilton – Is always depressed and talks with an annoying American accent!
Raikkonen – Literally doesn’t give a sh*t… about anything! And doesn’t particularly like anyone nor anything, including himself! But that inadvertently makes him funny!
Alonso – Is passive!
Massa – Depends on his weekend, but is generally a cool guy!
Maldonado – Is a total Dick!
Perez – Is self-Blameless!
Grosjean – French!
Ricciardo – Has nothing to smile about, but a good and popular guy nonetheless!
Sutil – …Nobody knows anything about him except he’s a Formula 1 driver, despite him been racing for several seasons!
Hulkenberg – Punches people in the head in Far Eastern Nightclubs!
Kobayashi – Doesn’t eat Sushi! Other than that I really like the guy.
Vergne – French!

The rest just have to grin and bare they’re at the rear of the grid and are Ok guys. Those are the typical characteristics of an F1 driver!

Regarding the News of Michael Schumacher: I wouldn’t take any notice of those sources, especially British ones. Generally they all couldn’t give a sh*t about his wellbeing unless it’s something negative.

I’d much rather hear something official by those close by to him. If they haven’t made any statements then there’s no change in his condition, or they simply just want to keep it to themselves which they’re damn right entitled to.

F-22 is a “one trick pony” OCA for use over contested airspace which struggles to find other roles to make it relevant after the Berlin Wall fell. That is why the Penatgon shut the production line down at 187.

True, but it’s hard to take in that such a country and company can struggle to find other roles for the F-22 that have such a rich reputation for getting the most out of aircraft, providing the funding is available.

Typhoon was always intended to be an interceptor, which is why fitment of A2G weapons was slow to occur. Tornado already fills that role, so there isn’t a pressing need for more strike capability. And with F-35 coming online with the RAF, expect Typhoon A2G weapons fitment to slow even more or possibly stop altogether.

Wrong. Typhoon was always intended to be a Multi/Swing-Role fighter later in it’s life, A/A was a priority back then, early/mid ’00s, it’s a different situation now.

Wrong again on the second point. There is a pressing need for A/G capabilities. Tornado is soon to be replaced by Typhoon (and F-35B), while the retirement date is slated for 2019-20, those roles will have to be passed down to Typhoon, hence why Paveway IV is more or less in service, Storm Shadow is currently being trialled with introduction in, if I remember correctly, late 2015, while the likes of Brimstone (or more likely in my opinion: SPEAR III) will soon follow afterwards as well as a Recce capability… With the retirement of Tornado and the uncertainty introduction date of F-35B, the RAF/MoD have no other choice but to introduce further A/G capabilities to the Typhoon, so how do you come to the conclusion that A/G weapons will “slow even further” or “stop altogether”? There’s nothing to support your claim.

Rafale is simply another “me too” multi-role fighter born in the 1970s along with F-15E, F-16C, F/A-18. Its only selling point is not being American. But you pay a premium price for not being American.

Wrong again. The requirements for a Multi-Role/Carrier Bourne aircraft were born in the ’70s, in ’79 France joined the consortium of the UK and West Germany, in 81 differences were showing… Blah-Blah-Blah… in mid(ish) ’85 France went their own way and a short while after, the Rafale was born.

Wrong again on the second point. Being Non-American isn’t it’s only selling point, to think otherwise is rather arrogant and ignorant to say the least. It’s major flaw is, ironically, the manufacturer that makes it. It’s other major flaw is the minority of hard core Fan-Boys (like the silly, delusioned prat over on IDF… She’s it’s biggest threat, rather amusingly) that hype it up and sell it as something it really isn’t, like so many others for other aircraft, including the Typhoon, F-35 et al. But anyway, you’re either ignoring what Rafale is capable of or you simply… don’t know much about it.

On the point about being another “me too” Multi-Role fighter… I guess the F-35 is just another Multi-Role fighter too, right?

Gripen C is in the same category as Rafale. Gripen E adds low observable features which already existed on its competitors 20-25 years ago! (F-16 had RAM in 1986, F-15E had RAM in 1989 and F/A-18 had RAM in 1990, and Typhoon and Rafale added RAM in the 1990s). But all carry external weapons which negates the benefits of low observable treatments. In the end, they have to adopt terrain masking HLLH flight profiles to keep from being shot by Buk, Tor or Pantsir.

You seem unaware of the fact that non of those aircraft’s manufacturers called for significant LO requirements…

There’s really no need to try to teach people with common sense how to suck eggs.

The most difficult adversary is modern air combat isn’t enemy DCA, its enemy SAMs. You can see enemy DCA coming, especially if they are banging away with their radars trying to get a lockup for a BVR shot, or communicating via datalink.

But SAMs are a completely different ballgame. They move, they employ CCD, they pop up and shoot when least expected. They hold the upper hand with respect to aperture size and radiated power and employ LPI/LPD techniques. Unless your strikers’ signature is tiny, they will mission kill your strike and you will lose jets without achieving your objective. It becomes a giant game of “Whack a mole”.

Yes, you can counter through the tactic of “roll back” which employs a huge circus of jammers and ARM shooters in an attempt to blast your way to the target area. But once you get to the target area, you face the challenge of finding elusive CCD targets with your jets’ 1990s vintage technology sensors.

The bold bit doesn’t do justice for the rest of the words in that quoted section. Are you not aware of current enhancement/upgrade programmes?…

…Silly question, obviously not.

BAE Systems has performed the first test flight of a Eurofighter Typhoon fitted with a mass model replicating the type’s future active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

Conducted at the company’s Warton site in Lancashire in late February using instrumented production aircraft 5 (IPA5), the activity comes several months before the scheduled first flight of the aircraft with the Captor-E sensor. This is expected to occur in the third quarter of this year, BAE says.

Developed by the Euroradar consortium, the AESA array has more than 1,000 individual transmit/receive modules. Tranche 3 Typhoons being manufactured for Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK will be delivered with a new radar frame and the associated power and cooling enhancements required to use the new system. Approval for a radar production order is anticipated later this year.

_

The four-aircraft test fleet at Warton will also perform two live firings with the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile by mid-year using IPA1. The latter of these will be the first launch conducted from a Typhoon flying at supersonic speed, says Andy Pegg, BAE’s fight test manager for the type. The full integration programme will include eight firings, the last of which should take place during 2016.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bae-advances-captor-e-radar-integration-on-typhoon-396696/

In other news: The Typhoon fleet has surpassed some 220,000+ flying hours.

And a Tornado to do the real job 😎

Well of course! You need a Tonka ‘What are you looking at? Car Park, NOW!’ GR4 to do the dirty work! 😀

The first new standard Eurofighter Typhoon built in Italy has rolled out from the Turin-Caselle Plant. The latest Alenia Aermacchi production Eurofighter Typhoon, known as Tranche 3, represents a major achievement in the evolution of the world’s leading combat aircraft.

The Tranche 3 standard embodies a number of changes that effectively enhance the aircraft’s performance and which allow for future upgrades making it more attractive to current and potential export customers.

The first Italian Tranche 3 has been produced for the Italian Air Force by the Eurofighter Partner Companies and assembled by Alenia Aermacchi. The Italian single seat aircraft no.64 is now ready for engine tests at Turin-Caselle and will be delivered within the first half of this year.

http://www.eurofighter.com/news-and-events/2014/03/roll-out-for-the-first-italian-built-eurofighter-tranche-3

Is it just me or isn’t there any CFT fittings on the fuselage?

“Guys, the problem is not the aircraft, it is the cost of all the dévelopment necessary for it to meet the customer requirements !”

As opposed to: “Guys, it’s not the aircraft, it has everything, it’s “Omni-Role”, it does everything and it’s reasonably priced… The customer just doesn’t want it… Nor anyone else for that matter”

Blast, and blasted… My fishing rod just snapped again!

:dev2: :dev2: :dev2: