Oh whilst Im about it Bigvern maybe you can answer a qustion which has been bothering me.

I know we sold Tigercat to the Argies but for some reason I have a feeling we sold them bloodhound as well. Maybe Im very wrong on that…just need some clarrification.

The Dog never served in South America or the Falklands, There was a study into putting the system on the Falklands after the war, but it would have been total unsupportable in the requirements of system logistics and maintenece, hence it never happened. Argies did buy Blowpipe and killed a Harrier GR3 with it and they did have a Ramjet powered weapon in the shape of Sea Dart on their Type 42s. A pity really as had the Argies air arms not known the systems limitations, they most likely would have had the crap kicked out of them by it.

:diablo: :diablo: :diablo: very good at ground level not doubt, However screwed at any altitude above zero feet :diablo: :diablo: :diablo:

A very good point . Pilots arent send abroad mostly because they dont have such excellence in training at home but to learn from outside and reward a good pilot to go see how things are done outside of the current system so that he can improve himself from the information he gathers..The US fly their F-16’s against opposition not as good as them or who dont train as much or as hard as themselves but these training etc is for a completely different purpose.

I will give the NFTC credit for being better at giving lead in training for the new generation fighters (and the current F/A-118 for Canada) thanks to the avionics on the Hawk 100 series jets that they operate, however that advantage over 4FTS will be gone when the RAF get thier new Hawks (Its only with the advent of the Typhoon that the RAF really have the requirement for a glass cockpit trainer). However as bring_it_on points out putting your best pilots onto other training regimes can only improve your own overall training performace with the information that they pick up.

They should have put the Blue Vixen radars on the GR.9s, that would have made them quite possibly the best and most versatile Harriers around.

A major project that would cost way too much and defeat the purpose of getting rid of the F/A2s in the first place (ie allow the GR9 to VL with a load of PGM in hot/high conditions).

That is debatable. Unless things have changed drastically afterburners typically don’t burn fuel as efficiently as the combustor section.

Hardly surprising since the fuel injection system on the core is designed to give the best fuel to air ratio for optimal combustion in the combustor section. The reheat section has of course then got to combust both the bypass air and the core exhaust (which of course will contain a just a little bit less oxygen than the bypass air).

The problem is Sea Vixen, The SHAR F/A 2 can not land back on a Carrier with a couple of 1000Lb Paveway II’s hanging under the wings in the places that they will be used. As there is no air threat in the near future, the MOD put all of the Harrier money into the GR9 that with a bit more power could land on a carrier with a couple of costly PGM’s hanging under the wings. More cost effective (As a Taxpayer I agree with the Move).

After Me the Flood, Fedaykin 😉 . However coming from the family of a de Havilland worker I will spoil the moment by moving my post number to a lesser known Squadron who also bounced revolving depth charges over water (abet at ships and most likely would have got the Tirpiz as well had the Germans not moved her north). MOSSIES RULE!!! 😀 😀 😀

However the Dog is called NIGGER!!! for those scriptwriters working on a certain film script at the mintue. 😉

when the other did not in the supersonic-range. (F-4/J-79 and F4/Spey)

Something to do with the Spey’s bigger Mass Flow resulting in a bigger intake area (and drag) that wiped out the advantages in the engine SFC and thrust over the J79 was it not.