Rocky, you misunderstood me. I said “cool it about freedom and such” meaning that the US is not fighting any war for the sake of freedom of other nations. I didn’t meant your freedom. 🙂
For that you have every right to fight. Even within your own country ;), if your freedom is restricted.

Dear Aias,
With our financial situation and the mentality of our leaders, I don’t think we will see anything happening as far as a new fighter is conserned, for quite some time……The new government is totally pro American (Which is stupid since we are at the bottom of the American fellow country list, at the moment)and are thinking of buing some extra F16s since they cannot buy F35s till 2017. For the government it is just fine since they understand that the Airforce won’t have to spend a lot of $ to buy anything serious till then. I mean, how stupid can one be? They even went to buy used F16A MTU from Holland in order to do what? Advanced trainer? –>Most of them are single sitters.
Corsair replacements? –>PLEASE! they don’t have the range. But for the bozos in DoD it makes sence to have 4 different variants and generations of F16s (8 if you separate the double sitters)in inadequate numbers, instead of planning ahead and securing a revolving program of new plane purchase, and if possible, construction. In this aspect, the Turks gave us a lesson (first with the F16s then with the upgrade of all their F16 fleet and finally with the f35)and yet our DoD still doesn’t get it…….
And I don’t mean the sellection of the aircraft’s type. I mean the numbers involved and the time schedule.

Rocky, I think you have the politics a little messed up in your mind. I don’t blame you. I have been in the States for 7 years and was shocked at the level of propaganda and widespread mind control going on by the media in the USA. Once a target is sellected by the government then all hell brakes loose to make this target look worse than the devil to the eyes of the American voters. It happened with Iraq in 1988, with Serbia in 1991, with Afganistan, then again with Iraq and again with Serbia. Now it is happening with Syria and Iran. Which country is next? Ever since the Soviet Union collapsed (THE BIIIIIIIIGGG devil for the US), the US government and Weapons industry search for new demons to attack the minds of the Americans.
Iraq lived with fear under Saddam. TRUE. But it was the same Saddam regim that was America’s best friend in the area against Revolutionary Islamic Iran (Which dared to defy the harsh Sach regime supported by the US). The Sach was OK because he liked the US. Saddam was OK as long as he also played with the US rules. Ramsfeld himself sold chemical weapons to Saddam during the Iran_Iraq war, and spoke really kind of him. So lets cut the BS shall we?

And by the way, as far as this quote is conserned:
Quote:
“America is the reason all of Europe isn’t forcibly speaking German or Russian at this point”.
You have the last part right.At this point.In total though, if you read European History, you will notice that conquerors come and go and Bounderies change, but in the end, our nations allways find their place in our continent. Your Nation on the other hand, is so young that is still afraid of its own shadow.
Don’t worry, we would still be speaking our languages even without the Americans and the Brits. Besides, have you ever considered that had things been different, the European infrastructure wouldn’t have been devasted by all the bombings of the Allied airforce and thus there wouldn’t be a need to rebuild so much of Europe? Have you thought what that would mean for the American economy miracle of the fifties, when all the world but the US was devasted and you became the “rulers” of us all?
My friend, there is no black and white in world politics. Only major interests that rule the game. Keep your eyes and your mind open.

Sorry Ristan, I misunderstood you! My deepest apologies 🙁

Fantasma, where can i find IPMS #13?
Ippokratous? I am not a member of IPMS but in the past Plastimodelismo used to carry them. Do you know if he has this one?

What happened to this thread? No more pictures from small air forces?

I think a big “detail” escapes the thread so far. There is a very important factor that makes the difference in the usability of FACs over Corvettes and bigger ships. The area where they are supposed to fight if need be.
Most of the Corvettes and FACs have nowdays similar armament (Harpoons, MM38s or MM40s, Penguins, OTO 76s, RAMs, Bofors or Emerlegs or OTO bredas, HW Torpedoes, etc. Then, the corvettes can have helos, the FACs can lay mines. In a closed, island full sea like the Aegean, where the FACs lay in wait under cover of small isles, they are more useful and have a higher survival rate than a bigger ship that sails away from the shore. The helo in order to be a threat for the FAC, first, it has to see it… before a Stinger or RAM up its’…tail. On the other hand a FAC in open wide sea is nothing but target practice for a ship that can stay out of its range and use helos to attack it directly or indirectly guiding the corvette’s missiles from afar.

So, it all depends on what you want the ship for. Knowing some of the tactics of the Hellenic Navy in the Aegean I would go for more FACs any time (for the Aegean).

Since you are interested in Croatian airforce, do you happen to have any photos of camouflaged cropdusters from the 1991 war?
Like M18 Dromader, Cessna Agtruck, Piper Pa25 Pawnee etc.
I have some from the Insignia magazine but they are BW and the directions are not very clear in their colouring.
Thanks.