Alpha BravoIf it was the Iranian passengers, they could have simply threatened some of the passengers or other crew members in forcing the pilots to open the cockpit door. However, if it was something to do with the pilots themselves, and if at least one of them intended to down the aircraft, why fly all the way across the Malaysian peninsula to do so? Even if their was a struggle between the pilots, it couldn’t have lasted long enough for the aircraft to be diverted such a long way without at least some form of communication being made. And the question still remains why the Malaysian military didn’t respond in any way if they could see what was happening on their radars. Mystery indeed.
Alpha BravoLatest news suggests the two individuals with stolen passports were of Iranian origin, and the Malaysian military supposedly tracked the aircraft to the Malacca Straits. However, Interpol are saying there is no terrorist connection. This is becoming even more mysterious, why would the aircraft divert such a significant way to the Malacca Straits for no good reason? If there was a problem, shouldn’t it have been heading back to the closest runway? Furthermore, if the Malaysian military tracked the aircraft, shouldn’t that have raised alarm bells, a commercial flight deviating significantly from its original flight path, and forced them to scramble some fighter jets to intercept and make contact with it?
Although there may not be any terrorist connection, it doesn’t exclude the possibility these two individuals may have hijacked the aircraft for other political or asylum reasons, for example, similar to the case of the Afghan airliner being hijacked around 1999/2000, and being flown all the way to UK in the end , IIRC.
Alpha BravoI’m sure something more substantial could be implemented, what with the internet now being introduced onto airliners, as well as the substantial data feeds that can be achieved using UAV systems like real time video feeds. A few key parameters (e.g. engine readings, GPS location, air speed, heading, altitude, AoA etc) along with voice data from the cockpit could easily be sent via sat link, and stored. Would save on having the need to constantly search for the flight data recorder. What size of data is recorded by those things anyway, is it in the terabyte range or lower?
Alpha BravoHow feasible is it for the flight data recorder to send data via satellite link to some on-shore location where it can be stored, kinda like a cloud based solution? This would really help and get away from the constant need to find the flight data recorder, especially in challenging locations. I’m sure with current technology this could be done.
Alpha BravoThe fact that they have decided to search at the Malacca strait suggests they know something more than they are letting be known in public. This is getting very mysterious now. If the aircraft exploded mid-air, I would have thought there would be some debris field spotted by now. I was also thinking along the lines of a possible shooting down too, any idea if there were any naval exercises in the area at the time?
Alpha BravoI’d be very surprised if this crash turned out to be terrorist related, in this day and age where security meticulously scan and re-scan passengers I just can’t see it happening (Kuala Lumpur is hardly a shanty airport in central Kenya, the security screening meets international standards and is the same everywhere in the world) – I’m sure the issue of the false passports will turn out to be one for immigration authorities to scratch their heads over rather than as a lead for the FBI. The two are probably unrelated but it’s, of course, being played up by the media.
The airport in Kuala Lumpur may be modern with all the security systems in place, but the fact still remains that they allowed two individuals to board a plane with stolen passports. While no security system is 100%, I would expect airports to at least be able to identify stolen or fake passports, and stop individuals from boarding flights using fake ID.
Recent news on the BBC suggests that these two people bought their one way tickets using cash in Thai currency. That should ring alarm bells. Also, the suggestion that the aircraft attempted to turn back, based on radar data, may have been due to the radar picking up large pieces of the aircraft structure as it broke up in the air. Whatever happened, it’s clear that the crew were not in a position to issue a distress or mayday call, so whatever did happen must have been very sudden and/or dramatic.
Alpha BravoAnother naval accident, one officer killed on board INS Kolkata
NEW DELHI: A naval officer has been killed in an accident on board in yet to be operational warship, in a sensation new twist to Navy’s ongoing tryst with accidents.
Sources said a commander rank officer of the Kolkata class destroyer was killed around 1pm on Friday in the accident.
Sources said he was killed because of possible malfunctioning of the firefighting system in the engine room of the destroyer.
The valve on top of the carbon-dioxide cylinder burst, hitting the officer on his chest, and he collapsed. The leaking CO2 would have further added to the confusion, it is believed.
INS Kolkata (officially now called Yard 701) is the most modern destroyer of India, set for commissioning in a few weeks time. It is now at the Bombay Port Trust undergoing trials.
The accident comes days after Admiral DK Joshi resigned as Navy chief, owning moral responsibility for a series of accidents including two aboard submarines. The latest accident would raise serious questions over the quality of MDL worksmanship and supplies.
INS Kolkata is the lead ship in the guided class destroyers India is building now. The other two would be INS Kochi and INS Chennai.
Alpha BravoI know that this is going to sound stupid but did Boeing even have a fast jet past or does it have a present? If we look at the F-15 and F-18 they were designed and developed by McDonnell Douglas. Boeing’s last fighter was developed in the 1940s and they stayed out of the fast jet market until they bought McDonnell Douglas. The F-15 and F-18 had great success, but Boeing hasn’t developed a fighter on their own or as the main contractor for a long, long time.
Best regards,
Boeing is likely to have kept the team that came along when they acquired McDonald Douglas, so although not quite 100% Boeing expertise, they can fall back on all the capability they acquired from those acquisitions. Although how much of that working knowledge they have nurtured and maintained is another question.
Alpha BravoThe redesigned intakes and lines along the nose have a certain F-35 look about them, albeit on a larger scale.
Alpha Bravo2011 is beginning to look a lot like a production version, with all the extra sensors, refined lines and paintwork, but the rear lateral stabilisers on the underside of the fuselage still remain? The pitot tube in the nose is back as well, wasn’t this removed on one of the other prototypes?
Alpha BravoThey are out-gunned to be sure, but they will have my respect if they do what they can.
I was rather referring to what Ukraine could look like at the end of this issue, could we see it being carved up between Russian/Ukrainian lines? Although no one wants to see this escalating into an armed confrontation, it would be weird seeing Russian equipment go up against Russian equipment, and on a grander scale to what we saw in Georgia.
OT, but all the typical rhetoric, moral self righteousness and share two faced hypocrisy coming from Western leaders is so cringe-worthy…accusing another country of “invading another sovereign nation, interfering in other’s internal affairs, undermining democracy, breaking international rules” etc etc… anyone remember that little thing called Iraq? oh and Libya? and not to mention the current fiasco of Syria…anyone?
Alpha BravoIt also appears they are non-simetric now, the left one is longer than the right one- perhaps that’s where the gun is?
I was wondering about them too. Are they really fairings for the tire? I thought the wheel bays would be large enough to house the tires? They seem to be in the wrong place and too small to be for that, as well as non-symmetrical. Perhaps ECM or other sensor package maybe?
Edit: my mistake, in the first pic I can see the wheel bay hatch spanning the fairings.
Alpha BravoBased on recent developments, a title of “Future of Ukraine” would be more appropriate for this thread.
Alpha Bravo^^ Is she really an RAF pilot or a model? Her hair seems way too perfect for a flight helmet as well as too much make up on for standard flight operations 🙂
Alpha BravoIndian Navy chief admiral DK Joshi resigns hours after INS Sindhuratna mishap
Navy chief admiral DK Joshi resigned on Wednesday, hours after seven sailors suffered serious injuries and two officers remained “unaccounted for” in an accident on board India’s Russian-built submarine, INS Sindhuratna.
The latest accident — 11th after the INS Sindhurakshak sank in August — has put the navy’s dismal safety record under further scrutiny and underlined its inability to maintain its dwindling Kilo-class fleet.
Joshi’s resignation has been accepted by the government. A defence ministry spokesperson said he had stepped down taking moral responsibility for the recent accidents.
Navy vice chief vice-admiral Robin Dhowan will officiate as the chief, even though Western Naval Command chief vice-admiral Shekhar Sinha happens to be the senior-most admiral after Joshi’s resignation.
The government will not pick Sinha to head the service as several recent accidents has taken place under his watch.
The accidents under Admiral Joshi’s watch had not only tarnished his track record as navy chief but also complicated his relationship with the defence ministry.
The ministry was upset with Joshi’s inability to reduce mishaps. Much to the ministry’s chagrin, the navy had been in a state of denial under Joshi and had even argued that its safety record was respectable, dismissing a few accidents as “non incidents.”
Three months after the INS Sindhurakshak accident, defence minister AK Antony had asked the navy brass to “optimally operate” the country’s assets and ensure these were not “frittered away.” Joshi is said to have resented this perceived insinuation that the force wasn’t conducting itself professionally.
Weeks later, admiral Joshi virtually brushed aside the minister’s concerns, stressing that the navy’s track record was “not that bad” compared with international navies. A rash of accidents that followed set off alarm bells in the ministry, with the minister giving a piece of his mind to Joshi on several occasions.
The combined cost of warships involved in recent accidents is pegged at more than Rs. 10,000 crore, at a time when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has advised military commanders to exercise prudence in defence acquisitions and “cut our coat according to our cloth.”
Dismayed over a string of accidents involving leading warships, defence Antony had asked the navy three weeks ago to clean up its act, saying he wasn’t satisfied with the force’s functioning.
The latest mishap took place 50 km off the Mumbai coast early Wednesday, while the boat was on a routine training exercise. A navy officer said the sailors became unconscious after smoke started to fill the boat and were airlifted to a naval hospital in Mumbai. Fire in one of the battery compartments, triggered by a short circuit, could have caused the accident, a source said.
“The deputy electrical officer (a lieutenant commander) and the watch keeping officer (a lieutenant) are still missing. Compartments get sealed automatically when the fire-fighting system kicks in,” the source said. Senior navy officials, including Commodore Commanding Submarines (West), were on board the submarine when the accident took place.
The submarine had undergone a refit at the naval dockyard in Mumbai barely two months ago, raising serious questions about the quality of upgrade it underwent.
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