Maritime Helicopters ‘Likely’ Not Ready Until 2015: Manufacturer (excerpt)

I think this represents an opportunity for Augusta Westland. They should propose a hot lease of the RN Merlin HM1 not being upgraded to HM2 standard to the Canadians with an option off outright purchase and upgrade to HM2 plus new builds.

The Canadians only got themselves into this mess because they wanted to avoid the embarrassment or re-ordering Merlin. The Cyclone is such a badly run program switching to Merlin taken directly from the RN in a hot swap seems less embarrassing now!

Only fly in the ointment is the Victoria class and the stigma associated with taking them on second hand!

To put it simply this is just deliberate trolling. i.e. Denying each and every evidence and effort by oher members to keep sustaining a non-objective point on false basis.

I am too new a member of this forum and not acquainted enough with the related practices, but can I ask senior members the way to bar such an everlasting continous nonsense coming from the same user?

Or on keypublishing.com it is just allowed to spread false assumptions?
In case let me know, I am ready to cancel my account here if such gross misnofrmations are allowed here.

SlowMan has just come off a temporal ban due to his disruptive behaviour and general poor debating with other forum members.

All you can do is flag it and hope the moderators turn it into a perma-ban.

84 Squadron HAR 2 at work!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeRjbbZuTEw

Now I am thinking about it whilst the HAR2 isn’t a Sea King by any measure it is pretty well suited to to the task at hand from my inexpert eyes and better then taking up a Merlin, Puma or Chinook.

Actually if Griffin HAR2 is operated from MPA I see some scope to persuade the FIGAS to opearate the same helicopter.

JSR
Those limited MIG-29 were still limited before the embargo. There is nothing prevented Iran from buying surpluse MIG-29s in 1990s to all the way to 2010 at throw away prices. instead wasting money on maintaing old F-4/F-14. It seems most iraning pilots or crew prefer western airplanes like old boeing/airbus etc.

You know there is wrong and then there is “JSR” wrong! 😀

Iran hasn’t been able to just go and buy surplus Mig-29 from the 1990’s. After the last Russian delivery in the 1990’s they have struggled to get more. Firstly because Russia joined sanctions on the country and secondly America has actively spoiled attempts to procure surplus examples even going so far as buying surplus Mig29 to prevent their sell onto Iran.

As for why Iran spends money maintaining their F-4 and F-14? It certainly isn’t about wasting money the reason is down to what happened prior to the revolution in the 1970’s. Firstly Iran had a VAST spares inventory for those types. Secondly is the agreement struck with the US around the procurement of the F-14 to allow autonomy in the maintenance of Iranian aircraft and improve the domestic aviation industry.. The US had to update the local aerospace industry with manufacturer grade overhaul facilities for the types in service with the Iranian airforce. US aviation companies like Northrop, Grumman, MD and Bell were paid billions of dollars to replicate manufacturing facilities in Iran. Apparently the overhaul facility put together for the F-4 is not much different from St.Louis. The same goes for the facilities to support other jets and helicopters. A picture of their helicopter overhaul plant looks much like the Bell factory.

With such high quality overhaul facilities for US types with plenty of well (Bell, Grumman, MD, Northrop and many other) trained personnel they have been in a strong position to keep their American types running long after the withdrawal of American support. Apparently Iran has always been dissatisfied with the lack of tech transfer from Russia to allow autonomous support in comparison to what the Americans gave them.

This Grumman promotional documentary gives an insight into the period:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfbz50gwsRM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVlrqv30o1k&NR=1&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWffHA6A1R4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIz9nt8cutw

I think Evalu8ter kind of has it, there just isn’t Merlin to spare these days. I don’t think Chinook will deploy down there but I do see it being descretely contracted out. Maybe in a similar deal to what was done with the RAF Akrotiri Griffin HAR2. Civilian supplied and maintained but flown by military pilots, actually I can see the Griffin fitting the role nicely but also any number of types popular with the oil industry.

Slowman
Yup, the F-16D too will be replaced by the T-X jet, which would mean that the USAF needs a jet that flies like an F-16D in terms of turns and afterburner acceleration.

No KPP requiring afterburner like acceleration or transonic performance. All companies bidding the contract have said they can meet the KPP for turn performance.

Again the F-16D is used by the USAF for LIFT onto the F-22 because the T-38 is increasingly obsolete, running out of fatigue life and doesn’t have the synthetic training capabilities of more modern types. It is not used to give this supposed kick in the pants supersonic acceleration you obsessively think is so important…which it aint!

To a degree he is right that the ship was nowhere as adaptable as one would expect but I do feel BAE Systems and the project office including Thales who provided the initial design have some mitigating arguments.

Firstly the MOD and Treasury were demanding cost to be shaved out of the program through to main-gate. One way of shaving cost is to not be as mindful about installation of catapult and arrestor gear.

Secondly everybody was expecting the ship to be STOVL and the 2010 decision came as a real surprise to the project office…apparently nobody had actually talked to them about the idea and they found out when the Prime-minister made the 2010 SDSR announcement in parliament. Fact is when Thales won the design competition they didn’t actually have a complete detailed design. That was done by the project office with BAE Systems and what had won was more of a concept.

Thirdly, whilst space can be made to fit catapult and arrestor gear what system would of been adopted was always rather vague. They were never clear if was going to be steam or EMALS until late in the game and looking back at point two why bother when it was such an unlikely development.

Well I should warn possible upgrade rather then certain. Apparently some Chinese kit is being installed but that isn’t a concrete fact.