The ACH-47 was actually the most effective gunship during the Vietnam War. It had a massive armament, 360 degrees fire coverage (so no weak flanks or nice butt to shoot at just after it’s made it’s firing run), and an impressive endurance meaning that it was a readily available rather than Huey Hogs which had to take off first. Also, being faster than Huey gunships, the ACH-47 could actually keep up with troop-carrying UH-1s, something the armed Hueys never could because of the weight of all the stuff they carried.

Unfortunately, the ACH-47 project suffered a few setbacks (including one accident in which a gun mount broke off, and the Shoothook blew off it’s own forward rotor), and the Army wasn’t willing to sacrifice any transport airframes since these were desperately needed. On the other hand, there were plenty of Hueys around to be fitted with guns, rockets and grenade launchers.

Score 1 for Kev!

(Arthur trying desperately to make this ever so annoying mindgame more populair :p )

Would have loved to hear a duet version of My Way by Sid Vicious and Nina Hagen. Her version was superb too, almost as good as Sid’s. Better still, they could have done ‘Something Stupid’ too and have made Robbie Williams + Nicole Kidman’s version even more useless.

As for useless covers: i think Talk Talk’s “It’s my life” by No Doubt is a perfect waste of time for anyone involved. It’s not a bad song to listen to, but that’s because they changed as little as possible. And i guess they had to make sure it was an audible song, otherwise it wouldn’t get airtime. And airtime is obviously required to prevent a pressure loss in Gwen Stefani’s inflated ego.

Hey, just be careful when you judge the capabilities of airfield/airbase security personell. Misinterpreted barbeques, stupid questions (“Do you guys have area badges?”), the like…

I have been giving this quite a bit of thought really. Before 11/3, i would have supported any nation leaving the US to solve the Iraqi mudpit on it’s own. I didn’t feel the whole expedition of Iraq had anything to do with the WoT, and i still don’t think that it has. However, with the AQ attack on Spain, OBL and his minions have in my eyes made Iraq part of the WoT, and hence have justified the presence of the non-US coalition forces in Iraq.

I no longer support a Dutch or any country’s withdrawal from Iraq. While i could understand (mark my words please, although i’m sure some misintepretations will follow) part of AQ’s initial grudges against the US, i think the post-9/11 escalation has made AQ’s position less and less justifiable, 11/3 and it’s aftermath being a new low.

Flex,

I think you’d have to be even more nitpickety to get ‘fair’ scenarios. Just from the blunt brain, but i think one of the few instances when Soviet air-to-airpower was used in the way it was ment to be used, was during the first night of the 1991 Gulf War. When GCI control wasn’t yet completely blacked out (happened later on during the same night) but when Iraqi MiGs were trying their best to counter the Allied onslaught. The shootdown of a USN Hornet by a MiG-25 which then escaped untouched does give merit to the idea of a GCI-controlled slash-interceptor.

So in stead of just “plane A vs. plane B.” you would have to go “plane A in it’s proper operational context vs. plane B. in it’s proper operational context.” Unfortunately for us folks who tend to forget reality and instead zip our flys open, thump the tool on the table and start comparing, one of the annoying factors about warfare is that it’s considered a pretty good idea to deny the other party it’s proper operational context to fly it’s planes in. And this is just something Western-style militaries are better in because of their more flegmatic approach to warfare, the Israeli/Syrian turkey shoot over the Bekaa valley in Lebanon being a perfect example. Or the North Vietnames fighting RoE-restricted USAF/USN aircraft.

GD,
Nope, i’m not an anarcho-syndicalist 🙂 Besides, operating in fully independent yet ideologically (in name only of course) similar cells increases flexibility, chaos, fun and makes it harder to counter. Broad applications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics… (damn, it’s a really long time ago since i actually amused myself with this stuff!).

Hey, don’t do or don’t anything on my behalf. How can i ever be an anarchist if you do things like that? :p