Adrian_44RE: Italian U212 submarine to train with the US Navy in the atlantic ocean
It is good to see the Navy is putting efforts to be able to deal effectively with SSI’s. During the Cold War, the USN had such a robust ASW capability (SSN’s, fleet assets, SOSUS, P-3’s, etc.) and now it is a shadow of its former self.
Adrian_44RE: PBS TV/Internet Series “Carrier”
AegisFC, thank you for the insight. -Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Amazing pics of Pearl Harbour WWII
Thank you for the good pictures of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
That was stupid. If americans died it is “horror”, but killing a lot more than 100 000 japanese civilians is “justified”.
The nuclear bombing was the cheapest (in lives) military solution to ending the war! Japan no equivalent of the Harris Poll in Japan in 1945 so, how the Japanese people had no say in what would happen. A naval blockade would cause massive starvation of several hundred thousand people, at least. The Japanese Military’s view was that it would be better if all Japanese died rather than having foreign soldiers on their sacred soil! Japanese plans called for at least three divisions of US troops to be killed on transports, being transported to the beaches and, on the beaches. American estimates of 30K to 50K deaths in the first thirty days of “Operation Downfall.”
The Japan Military in their defense of the home islands plan to use chemical weapons. The USAAF had plans to retaliate by dropping thousands of tons of chemical bombs. Combat troops might have some sort of protection but, civilians would have no protection. If chemical weapons were used, estimates that at least five million civilians would die.
The only solution where there was no loss of life would have been a negotiated settlement. Japanese terms included;
1 The Emperor would remain in power.
2 The Japanese Military would be retained.
3 Japanese accused of war crimes would be tried by Japanese courts.
4 No foreign troops would be stationed on Japanese soil. (Did this include giving back Iwo Jima and Okinawa?)
This would be a fairy tale. The UK or the USSR would not go along with this.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: PBS TV/Internet Series “Carrier”
My favorite part so far was the end of the pitching deck sequence
It was my favorite part in that entire ten hour program. Even my wife was in awe watching the twenty some minute sequence on the pitching deck. After being on a cruise ships and how smooth it was, I was surprised to see how much a carrier moved in heavy seas.
The one thing I found interesting is an aircraft approaching and having a ‘bolter’ because ship movement, not anything the pilot did wrong.
I have heard (on other programs) that in rougher weather the glide slope is increased from 3º to 4½º. Does anyone know if this is the maximum or not?
I saw the series and I loved it, the best “warts and all” documentary I’ve seen on any military in a long time.
I agree, my only problem was those who had the worst or minial jobs made no effort to get more education or learn a skill that would qualify them for a better job. All in all, this was the best program to show “human face” in the Navy on long cruises.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: US Air Force declassifies elite aggressor program
The US bought 21 MiG-29s from Moldovia in 1997 and a couple SU-27s from Ukraine.
The USAF purchased MiG-29’s from ‘Russia’ (legally) as well as MiG-29’s from many other FSU republics along with their missiles (AA-10, AA-11, AA-12, etc.) on some of these orders. The USAF also in November 26, 1995 purchased two Su-27’s from Russia. They were ‘officially’ purchased by a private firm, (a CIA front company?) and they were delivered by AN-124 to a base in a sandy part of the USA (Groom Lake, Nevada? [the base at Area 51]).
In 1998, the Japanese Government appropriated $300,000 (USD) for two F-15 pilots to go to Moscow to take a 46 day course on how to fly the Su-27. Japan a year later offered to purchase two Su-27’s but, Russia said the purchase of only two would not be enough! Russia wanted to sell at least four or six aircraft. Japan declined the offer.
How do you think the U.S. got their hands on bits and bobs of S-300 system and their associated radars in the early 1990s? The whole situation led to wide spread corruption with ex-Soviet kit up for grabs. Do you not think the U.S. and others took advantage of this?
Back when the ATF program started, the CIA, USAF Air Intell and, DARPA did estimates on on what the USSR was capable of designing in fighter aircraft for the time period 1990 to 2010. This information was used to set the specs for the ATF program. Of course this estimate was based upon the Cold War continuing. The break-up of the USSR allowed the US to find out how accurate the studies were and allowed the US to update the the studies.
Likewise the USSR would have had a hard time keeping an F-111 or F-14 flyable.
This is the first I have heard about the USSR having a F-111! Was this made from the F-111’s that crashed during the Viet Nam War?
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Non-Naval F-18’s
One advantage of the carrier version of the F/A-18 is that the airframe has a far long service life! I read once it is around 8,000 hours. It was part of the sales pitch that McDD used to get orders. Part of the reason Northrop sued McDD, but lost.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Japan to consider F/A-22 to replace its F-4s
I don’t see Japan having much interests in either more F-15’s or new F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. Really, the F-35 is the only serious contender here…… That said, I would discount the F-22 yet….
I don’t understand Japan’s reluctance in considering the purchasing of the Typhoon if America doesn’t want sell them the F-22A?
The USAF never considered the probability of an export version of the F-22A. All the avionics that make the F-22 such a “wonder weapon”, are the reason the USAF does not want any other country to have this technology.
What about a project between India and Japan with the Su-30MK having Indian and Japanese avionics??
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Drone shot down over Georgia
Pilot should have blown it to pieces with 30mm. No kill like a gun kill
Most pilots today prefer the missile kill to guns.
AFAIK shooting down very slow target with a gun is risky. MiG could have collided with the wreckage.
Yes, with the close range that past dogfights took place at this is a real risk. The risk using the thirty millimeter cannon is greatly reduced at ranges of 800m and more.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: STEALTH VS BVR MISSILES???
I am also not certain if the RAAF fighter pilot got to see the F-22 in full cloak of stealth or with INCREASED RCS with those blinkers on etc etc .
The F-22A has “levels” of stealth depending on the situation. The shield all the antennas is where the F-22A has such a small RCS.
The USAF exercises the F-22A at times without its maximum stealth ability because it wants to explore situations where the F-22A will fight without stealth! The F-22A’s blistering performance makes it far more of a match for anything flying without stealth.
And they are not going to give up those statistics because of secrecy .
First real numbers of what the F-22A can do will come when the USAF has to let Congress know more to get increased funding. Or some loud-mouth congressman has “oral diarrhea” and releases information he should not have stated in public. Either way, it will be part of marketing that we find out more.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Reload this Page Video of 22-plane Tomcat flyover.
Sferrin, thanx for the URL for the video.
The Tomcat was retired because of the maintenance bill! It outlived the threat of its primary mission of stopping Soviet Naval Aviation. It already had a ARH missile, so it didn’t receive the AMRAAM even though the software for the missile was first verified on the F-14D!
While the GE engines improved its performance, in the end it was no longer effect in the WVR against fighters that have or were becoming operational, especially when you add HMDS/HOB missiles. None of these improvements were destined for F-14 due to a tightening budget.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: KC767, KC330….what latest?
The A-330 getting the contract is simply the case of bush handing out a contract as a favor for backing the USA in the Middle East! The continuing sinking dollar compared to the Euro translates into the AirBus costing more and more as time goes on.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: US Navy defeated by…whales?
Has anyone pointed out how much contamination would be caused by a super-carrier sinking?
Adrian_44RE: Stupid ? F-22 vs Typhoon?
no su-30 mks fought the f-15s. only su-30 k’s did. and the lopsided results were as much a result of usaf overconfidence as they were to roe’s.
Actually, the Su-30K’s that the IAF operated, had been upgraded to the MK standard by the end of 2000!
there is no “word” on the su-30 mkis ever getting a bad time in bvr from the tornados. there was one pak idiot who made up a story about it and posted it on another forum
Thanx for ‘that’ update.
in fact, it was pretty much the reverse with the raf commander praising the mkis as a far superior aircraft. the tornados did set up bvr traps on occasion tho’ some of which worked against bisons etc- not much to do with any aircrafts per se but tactics and a testimony to the raf’s bvr skills.
Hasn’t that been the story of the Tornado’s life, with tactics they can accomplish their mission against anyone. Their kills in exercises against F-14’s and F-15C’s were basically due to tactics not the performance of the Tornado.
My late friend Art, an F-14A pilot stated the greatest strength of the Tornado community is their tacticians. The tactics and discipline pilots made the plane a good aircraft.
According to one of the pilots who actually flew those missions overconfidence was nowhere to be seen. They knew before they even got in the planes that based on the ROE they were in for a difficult fight. AvWeek talked to them extensively.
True, AW&ST stated and alluded to this several times. Statements about leaving their F-15C’s equipt with the (V)2 radars, “-9X” and, HMDS were left at home for these aircraft were already scheduled for an air exercise with the Singapore AF. That they realize the ROEs agreed upon took away their best effort by limiting the USAF SARH missile firing eighteen miles on the offensive and twenty miles on the defensive plus the opposition was able to ARH missiles (Adders and MICAs).
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Stupid ? F-22 vs Typhoon?
This thread reminds me of a thread on F-16.Net, F-22 Forum in which an F-22 pilot and an F-15D (“RaptorKiller”) disagreed over an engagements between the two types of aircraft. They went back and forth a couple of times until I interjected the detail of ROE’s. I stated they were probably both correct in that there is nothing to state that both sides had the same ROE’s!
The F-22 pilot did make mention that there are different levels stealth of which the F-22 can use!! It (stealth) is not an all or nothing situation of which most people tend to think. Drop tanks, leaving certain antennas uncovered, etc. can greatly enhance the capability of the F-22’s opposition.
We can’t even begin to intelligently speculate on the F-22 or Typhoon versus any other aircraft until both sides are allowed to work the skies without restrictions. Remember how bad the USAF’s F-15C’s looked up against the InAF’s Su-30MK’s until we learned the ROE’s.
Since then word has come out the RAF Tornado’s working with AWACS gave the InAF’s Su-30MK’s a real bad time in BVR. Another posting made the comment that there are ‘points’ at speeds above Mach 1.1 and above 30K ft. (9,150m) where the F-15 can out turn the Su-30. (I have no second confirmation by some authority on that but, I have seen diagrams of rate of turns between the F-15 and the Su-27).
The only thing we do know for sure is that free play (no ROE’s), the F-22 defeated five F-15C’s, four F-16C’s (in BVR) and, shot them all down. In another exercise three F-16C’s with HOB missiles (Archer Class) plus HMDS went against in WVR. The F-22 shot down all three of the F-16C’s although the third F-16C fired simultaneously as the F-22, so it was judged a mutual kill.
Adrian
Adrian_44RE: Two Super Bugs crash in the Persian Gulf
I am glad to hear the three crewmen survived.
Having a “stick” for the WSO might be O.K. to land at some airbase but, a night landing on a carrier from the rear seat is not something that would be desirable.
Adrian
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