Russified F-1 😎

SOC, is that the South African one fitted with the RD-33 engine?

What is it with all these OLD threads?? :rolleyes:

You did VERY well. Putnam books retail for about 3-4 times that amount in Australia.

Good to see they still have a good number of surface ships active in the Black Sea.

From the photos I indentified the following:

#810 Smetlivyy – a 35 year old KASHIN-class DDG. Fitted with Uran SSMs too!

#U130 KRIVAK III-class – The Ukrainian Navy was there too it would seem. This is the Hetman Sahaydachniy and was taken over by the Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR.

#121 SLAVA-class CG Moskva. Really great to see that still have at least two left, the other is Varyag in the PACFLT. She is the original hull commisioned back in 1983.

#U402 ROPUCHA-I-class LST – The Ukrainian Konstyantyn Olshanskyy.

#156 ROPUCHA-I-class LST – Not sure what the name is now.

#158 ROPUCHA-I-class LST – Not sure of the name.

#616 A very colourful DERGACH-class (Project 1239) surface effect ship armed with SS-N-22s. This one is the Samum and was supposed to have been transfered to the Baltic fleet. I guess it never went. Interesting to see the old Soviet Fleet flag flying!

#615 DERGACH-class again. The original this time. The Bora.

#620 NANUCHKA-III-class corvette.

#952 TARANTUL-III-class guided missile patrol craft.

maybe after that trans continental UCAVs will be commonplace but not before.

That might not be as far away as one would think. The Global Hawk has crossed an ocean already non-stop. Give it a couple of mini-cruise missiles, and hey presto you might have the beginings of a new long range aviation era.

Gents, if there is one thing you should take with a pinch of salt in the UNCLAS world of published statistics it is speed and range values given for warships!.

Jonesy, I think, or I would hope, that most of us are aware of that. True performance figures are still classified when it comes to cutting edge submerged forces. However, the Soviet subs in question, especially the Alfa have been tracked doing incredible submerged speeds, in fact speeds that sent shivers through NATO at the time. If I recall, the Alfa’s vaunted speed helped spawn the development of the American Mk.48 ADCAP and Mk.50 LW torpedos, and the British Spearfish too I think? While it is true to say that what we see in the UNCLASSIFIED world are probably at best estimates, it is also true to say that some subs have INDEED achieved speeds in excess of 40knts submerged and could have, with experimental reactors like the old liquid metal-cooled type, sustained that speed for some time.

Beside from the F-35, I think Australia should also go for the Eurofighter 2000, from my point of view this aircraft would form a formidible force in the RAAF.

How so Canpark? The Typhoon has even less internal fuel than the F-35A. Why ham-string your fighter force with another fighter type which would stretch your limited tankers even further, and create more logistical chain headaches.