The PZL M15 Belfegor. Twin-engined jet-powered ugliness, absolutely great. The link is to Ken Duffey (Flanker Man)’s page, behold and shiver…
http://mysite.freeserve.com/aircraft_pages/pzl_m-15.htm
Another pretty hideous thing was the Tu-91 Bychok, a prototype counter-rotating turboprop torpedo bomber/attack aircraft, a bit in the same category as the Skyraider from the 1950s. The engine was mounted aft of the cockpit. The aircraft was cancelled, and the only prototype was personally ordered to be scrapped by Khrushchev when he visited Zhukovskii airbase for a second time and put his eyes across the dumped Bychok for a second time.
They are COALERs, but neither the armed one or the AEW one are An-74s. The -74 is the dedicated high-power polar version, and as far as i know only comes as An-74.
The basic aircraft is the An-72, and a variant of this is the An-72P patrol aircraft. This is the armed version, usually with rocket pods under the wings and a twin 23mm cannon pod on one of the landing gear sponsons. Ukraine and Russia both have a small number of An-72Ps in service for border and coastal (think fishery and stuff) patrol.

The AEW (or DRLSBO as the Russians would say) is the An-71 MADCAP, which was originally intended for use from the full-size Soviet carriers. The project was cancelled after three built (but only two completed) airframes, in favour of the Yak-44 of which only a mock-up was completed before that was cancelled.
If you wait a bit for Flanker_Man, he built a wonderful model of the An-71 and the building description gives a nice bit of info on the aircraft. He probably has a bunch of pics of both the -71 and -72P from his own collection too.
Nice pic Peg. Don’t worry about the scanner – just be happy that i was cameraless that day and didn’t add my full body mass to the camera-crunch 🙂
Absolutely a lovely aircraft, especially when those graceful lines were compensated by the hideous Y-racks on the fuselage carrying Zuni rockets. And if you look at that F8U-3 Crusader III, i can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t have been better if the F4H actually lost out that competition… At least the F8U-3 was likely to have been faster – the only speed limit on the prototypes was the perspex of the canopy.
It is small. Span 7.2m, length 10.3m, empty weight 3172kg. It still is bigger than the Gnat, but the J-12 was supersonic whereas the Gnat ws’nat.
Originally posted by Wombat
As for being uncertain because you are tops on the American list, I’d much rather be there than tops on Osama’s list.
Hey, being high on the US’ buddylist automatically puts you high on Osama’s score list too. Even more populair!
Originally posted by Wombat
As for being uncertain because you are tops on the American list, I’d much rather be there than tops on Osama’s list.
Hey, being high on the US’ buddylist automatically puts you high on Osama’s score list too. Even more populair!
Yes! A lucky guess!
Thanks HT.
Originally posted by Jeanske_SN
I absolutely hate Prince with Puprle rain. The content is stupid and the music sounds like you would want to throw the stero out of the window.
Another great song you can use to annoy people. Nobody will be offended if you hum it or sing it – lots of people like the song, and you humming it will put them in a good mood. But oh jolly, look that mood swing to disgust and revulsion if they find out you’ve changed the colour of that rain to golden or yellow.
Music is fun!
Originally posted by Jeanske_SN
I absolutely hate Prince with Puprle rain. The content is stupid and the music sounds like you would want to throw the stero out of the window.
Another great song you can use to annoy people. Nobody will be offended if you hum it or sing it – lots of people like the song, and you humming it will put them in a good mood. But oh jolly, look that mood swing to disgust and revulsion if they find out you’ve changed the colour of that rain to golden or yellow.
Music is fun!
Well, because there is only one Marc Dutroux but there are actually MILLIONS of Belgians. You guys are weird!
Make that extremely weird – Comet likes you…
:confused:
😉
Well, because there is only one Marc Dutroux but there are actually MILLIONS of Belgians. You guys are weird!
Make that extremely weird – Comet likes you…
:confused:
😉
Those are VERY old J-7s, and with numbers like that my guess is they are part of some ground school. Much like the British M-numbers.
Originally posted by Steve Touchdown
Looking forward to tanker KCC-130J and Canadian CCC-130J 😀
I’m thinking Aurora replacement myself… CCCP-130J 😀
One could defend the incredibly stupid CC-130 designation though. After all, it is a transport aircraft modified for transport :rolleyes:
It is not ment for us readers anyway. The bulk of those likely went to Lockheed-Martin, to be handed out for free by the F-16 Promotion Team to enthusiastic Polish airshow visitors…
I’ve got the one on the Phantom. The other ones weren’t given good enough reviews by y’all 😉