I always thought this thing was a bad idea. It just doesn’t sound right. The American armed forces are willing to spend the hundreds of millions to field roughly half a squadron of these things in order to provide troop security; and yet barely enough to fund the planes that are really needed, the F-22. And over what? If it is the FEBA/FLOT, the Air Force had better damned well own the skies before this thing gets there. And if they do own the skies, what’s the point to having this bird there, anyway? Who is going to launch these intratheater missiles in the designated space for these Jumbos where the US Army will be and the AL-1s can get the jump on them? How are they going to crew them and send them when there will only be around 6 (the only way this would really work is to make these Jumbos airborne like round the clock)?

It just doesn’t make sense..

Great pix! Is there a related news article somewhere? And are there bigger shots available?

Well, when you figure that the manuvering comes from any set of horizontal planes the best positions for maximum manuverability would be at the extreme front and extreme rear. Putting planes on the sail alleviated pressure on the tower during ice breaching because it gave a sharp edge to aid the dull surfaces otherwise topside. Of course, sail-mounted planes are not the traditional placement but obviously deemed necessary for a given period of time. I’ve heard that passive sonar statement before, as well. That actually seems to be the best given reason for placing them up there, however. It sure doesn’t help the boat much when it’s above water!

That is, why the GE-people are not unlucky about the delays.
They can deliver, when series-production starts in earnest.

As a 3 star general was once quoted as saying – “give me P&Ws any day. When we want refrigerators, we’ll call GE.”

Yeah, and all that for a plane that looks like every other one flying about now! When did we decide that the T-tailed dual rear engine layout was the most user friendly? Not that it isn’t a neat design, just that when you’ve seen one….

Although this “classified” thing on speed performance limits general public knowledge to “in excess of 30 knots”, most seamen will acknowledge that their boat (regardless of size) is capable of 40 knots in emergency situations. Subs, of course being the fastest at their respective top speeds (a Brit captain once gave an interview on the subject and ‘admitted’ to tracking a 688I at just over 50 before his ship lost it completely), whilst carriers are around the slowest. Not that these ’emergency situations’ come up often for surface vessels, but i’ve also heard that one or two of the US carriers en route to the Gulf (either during the 91 War or this one) were knifing onward at around 37/38 for whatever reasons.

Of course, because they actually stay true to the literary text, unlike Troy.

OK. That’s funny. “True to literary text”. You do realize this is part of mythology, don’t you? This is one of the few instances where Hollywood taking license with its’ portrayal of recorded events can go unnoticed. Most people wouldn’t bother to complain about myths.

That being said, i was expecting a little more out of it after having read multiple books on the Trojan War and bunches of Greek & Roman mythology. Disappointed in Achilles’ “victory lap” (that could’ve been played out). And nowhere have i read that Achilles makes it to the Trojan Horse. That and i also have never read that Ajax goes out the way he did (albeit that way was quite a sight better than literature does for him).