ArthurLovely claims Incognito. Any sources for that what ‘the Russians’ claim according to you? Don’t worry if it’s in Russian, you’re not the only one here who can read it.
ArthurIt also turned out (for example) that even the MLD variant is too heavy due to its over-designed undercarriage, which is intended for landing on un-paved forward airfields. A capability that, as it happens, is essentially irrelevant.
Ah, a true expert here. The heavy undercarriage of the MiG-23S/M/MF/Bx was removed with the MiG-23ML series. L stands for Lyogkii meaning light :rolleyes: But please, continue. We like you trying to show off how friendly and gullible you are to yourself.
Arthurregarding MIG-23, having read many discussions on russian forums involving this aircraft, it is safe to say that even the russians admit that the MIG-23 (at least the variants that went into production initially, and were supplied to the syrians) was a fairly unsuccessful aircraft. For example, visibility from the cockpit was horrendous–a rather important failing in an aircraft that is trying to engage in a dogfight.
The MiG-23 never was intended to be a dogfighter. It was a dash’n’slash interceptor, to be used inside a GCI-controlled airspace. Better cockpit visibility would have ruined it’s aerodynamics, and reduced the speed on which the MiG-23 relies on it’s mission.
By the time it was finally modified, upgraded, etc. into a passable machine, it’s time had passed–nobody was interested in it any more.
Modified ‘finally’ into what? From the absolutely pathetic MiG-23S (or MiG-23MS) to the reasonable by 1970s-standard MiG-23M/MF/ML, or the MiG-23MLD which was admitted by even the IDF/AF to be a potent interceptor? It would be better if you cared to get into specifics if you want to discuss it, shouting a bit left and right without actually saying what you’re talking about is a bit cheap if you ask me.
My personal view, based on their military performance over the last 700 years: no arab country is capable of producing good pilots –it is culturally and genetically antithetical to what the arabs are.
I bet there were a lot of good Arab pilots in the year 1379 AD, but unfortunately there weren’t too many aircraft around back then. Duh!
But thanks for demonstrating yourself to be a racist in your third post here. Very nice first impression.
And quit replying to yourself.
ArthurEnough.
ArthurGuys, knock it off. You’re all welcome to make suggestions, but leave it to the moderators and Webmaster to decide what’s flaming and what’s not. Getting all sensitive about one hilariously misspelled word is fine if you haven’t got anything better to do, but don’t whine if others aren’t as touchy as you are.
Please go back to topic.
ArthurI can’t see the whole issue of that Asia-scare anyway. Even if one of the scary countries full of yellow hordes would be able to invade Australia, then what? It’s not that when one has set foot on Australian soil near Darwin, one has overran the country. Far from it – the country is simply too large and too empty to successfully invade, even if one wanted to.
And even if Australia was to be overrun, i’m sure the invaders would be very kind. Restricted areas of cultural importance for the current Australians (beaches, some pieces of Thailand, a zoo for Steve Irwin), where they can eat veggiemite, get drunk and annoy animals 😉
ArthurWAAAAAAAH!
The end of the Draken 🙁
ArthurNot all are operational though. One of the former American shelter areas at Da Nang is full of dumped MiG-21s, including bis’es.
ArthurI think most ‘true’ British defense gear you can find in the catalogues is army-stuff. Aviation-wise, most designs are international and not all-British with the Hawk as an exception (yes, and the Bulldog, and the Firefly, and the Islander… even though the latter is partly Swiss these days). It has to be said that the Brits are good at marketing the stuff they partake in: the British-built Sea Kings have probably seen more export customers as the Sikorsky-ones, and while all three participants of the Tornado program had the rights to market and sell (and subsequently build) Tornados, only the Britsh chalked up orders for it from Saudi Arabia, and barely missed a few other customers.
I have to agree with Trough that British arms export particularly reek of shady deals with sunglassed sheiks in chique brothels. This could well be a merit of the British press (i can’t imagine French arms deals being any less decadent and obscure) who make more of an issue of Jags in Nigeria or little tanks for Idi Amin.
ArthurWhere are they going to mount the weapons? If they are put under the wings, i reckon the vehicle has to be in helicopter mode, otherwise your Hellfire won’t get that far, unless it succesfully manages to evade occupying the same airspace as the rotopellor. I don’t think a drop-then-launch system is really feasible for a low-flying support/escort ship – and it wouldn’t work with the Marines’ beloved Zunis anyway.
But if you mount your missiles under the fuselage, you are likely going to end up with a pretty high fuselage, and with two wings high above the ground with two heavy engines on the end i doubt that is going to make a suitable thing to place on a rolling carrier deck. Just my meager two cents…
But i do agree that if they really want to push forward with the Osprey, they need something with an equal range and speed to escort it, as the AH-1Z will be totally useless in escorting an MV-22. That is, if an Osprey will ever be put into close enemy action. It could well be far too expensive, although a shootdown here and there won’t make much difference on it’s crash ratio.
ArthurWonder why they rented a Mi.26 for that since a Chinook can lift another Chinook….
… if it isn’t too hot, and isn’t too high.
Besides, renting Mi-26es from Russia is cheaper than either taking the CH-54 back into service, or even renting it in the US. Although it is a bit like the RAF leasing the Belfasts it had just retired.
ArthurIsn’t the rank thing because we’re all rankers?
ArthurA fresh one!
Friday night, during the Metallica concert, i had one of my many pees at Rock Werchter. The guy who unzipped and relieved to my right was Robert Smith from the Cure. And although i’m not sure about the detailed parts of his anatomy (even though i was in the right position, just that i don’t care), Robert Smith certainly has become Fat Bob as Flood once revealed here.
Oh, and met Luc de Vos there too. He didn’t pee, he drank.
ArthurI’m certainly not going to try and defend the USAF and their performance at Gwalior during “Cope India” back in February. However, this figure being bandied around that the F-15Cs lost in 90% of the dogfights seemed improbable. I’ve so far traced it back as far as this:…snip… Cunningham quote…
Cunningham should certainly know his stuff, as he is a Vietnam War USN F-4 Phantom fighter ace.
However, what I can’t rectify is any directly attributable quote supposedly made by him. Even stranger is that, according to the schedule on-line, there were no Defense Subcommittee hearings on Feb 26th (bear in mind also that this was a day before “Cope India” ended).
So am I just a born cynic…or is all not as it would seem regarding this often-repeated claim?
Steve, you should check on Cunningham’s record on making statements regarding military aviation while being a politician. He did an absolutely terrible and repeatedly factually wrong speech on the Supbar Hornet – i’m afraid i can’t find it just now, but a google search should do the trick, and i believe that somewhere in the Super Whornet-thread at ACIG.org you can find a fully disected version of it. Like you, i think Cunningham has every bit he needs to be an authority regarding military aviation, but i think certain special interest groups/lobbyists have discovered that just as well.
ArthurWell, i think Kim looked pretty much OK for a junkie. Her smile to the audience could have helped a lot, i’m not sure about that. But her voice is still perfect to match Black Francis’ shouting. And yeah, the 20-something songs crammed into one hour was perfect, not the breaks or terrible BS between songs like most bands.
Didn’t like PJ Harvey actually, i thought most of her songs (the ones i didn’t recognise, so that would be the stuff she wrote since 1993 or so) sounded way too much like a stretched soundcheck combined with a little too much hysteria.
Yeah, i went to see Daan. Thought it was wonderful, i expected a lot more techno-like stuff (Swedish Designer Drugs and the lot), but most was actually very nice but oh so tacky guitar-stuff. Really enjoyed it.
Oh, and i was the guy in the brown Ford Sierra rallyecrossing between the tents at camping C3 this morning, and having a BBQ for breakfast every other days. There’s nothing as much fun as the look on the face of a dreadlocked vegan making his morning stroll to the Dixi-toilets, while he walks past your 11 am BBQ with bacon and sausages sizzling happily above the charcoal 🙂
And don’t worry, my accent isn’t quite as gutterally Dutch as you just wrote.
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