The Sukhoi SSJ (by the way with Engine technology, flight control technology and other systems coming from US or Western Europe) is surely hell of an aircraft, so much new technology, one can’t stand it. It is almost as advanced as an A320, which is only 20 years old. Great achievement. And it has so many orders.

The Sukhoi RRJ might have had some success in export markets if Sukhoi hadn’t continued doing business with Iran and started selling Su-27s to Venezuela. It is now doubtful that the RRJ will contain any American technology – and it will probably never be certified in the US.

Arms sales to despotic and corrupt regimes have ruined any chance for Sukhoi to become a major player in the regional jet market.

The topic it self brought economics because here many say the Russian economy can not afford the PAK FA, then we exposed why that assesment is wrong try to understand the topic itself brought it as a natural need to defend Russia from the Russia bashers

From LADAs

Russia still shows resiliance in order to keep her industry and remain a technological power

Showing pictures of a ridiculous Lada – which looks like a copy of a 10-15 year old Western European supermini – doesn’t defend the “Russia economy” or its “technological power.”

Sadly, this very old fashioned Lada probably isn’t a direct copy of any other car, probably just a very long delayed, underfunded industrial program that has produced another uncompetitive product.

Designing a car that looks like it is 10-15 years old is far worse than just copying a 10-15 year old car. It shows how how inept a company really is – and if it sells it shows that Russian consumers don’t even demand decent, modern products.

It is worth noting that China is getting closer and closer to producing competive automobiles. Chinese companies have copied Japanese, European, American and even Korean automobiles.

The Chinese have never copied a Russian car. That really says something.

OK… what is RAF Alconbury used for now? Not the same place I knew many years ago…

Look at all the vehicles parked there…

Google earth pin attached

It seems that it is now a civilian industrial estate. Some of the building are disused, some have been removed, and many are in active use.

I try to get some insight in the envisioned career of the F-14 at the beginning of its service life. The TF-30 engines were due to be replaced and following variants (B and C) were due to follow in considerable numbers.

The real problem was that the Navy’s F-401 turbofan for the original F-14B was far different engine than the Air Force’s F-100, and it’s development was far less advanced by the end of the Vietnam War. The F-401 had a higher bypass ratio and mass flow than the F-100, as well as a much higher thrust rating. In short, it was a bigger turbofan, optimized for loitering flight and upsized to fit in the same space as the TF-30.

It is hardly surprising that the funding was cut for the F-401 turbofan and the F-14B when Vietnam ended. With the prospect of air combat against fighter sized targets receding, the F-14 community could concentrate on the intended threat of missile firing Soviet bombers. There really was no urgency in improving the F-14A, and the F-401, much like the early model F-100, had it’s share of developmental problems – but nothing that couldn’t have been fixed with enough time and money.

The F-14B/F-401 cancellation was probably the right decision at the time, especially when you consider what terrible economic shape America was in during this period.

Also did the Navy think that the USAF might adopt the aircraft.

Grumman obvious pitched a highly modified F-14 to the USAF as a F-106 replacement, but the lack of a credible Soviet bomber threat against the “lower 48 states,” meant that there was no pressing need.

Grumman did produce a mock-up, but it is hard to believe that anyone took the issue too seriously.

If anyone here is from the UK , you’ll all know a Virgin Pendolino has derailed because of a catastrophic failure on the rail . Right now the authorities are having problems trying to recover carriages but i’m wondering if it is possible to use RAF’s fleet of Chinook Helicopters to lift each carriage and place them somewhere more accessible to road or rail networks. is a train part a piece of cake for the wokkas?

Why use a helicopter instead of a crane? It seems hard to believe that Network Rail wouldn’t have a suitable crane to recover the railway carriages?

The damage doesn’t look as severe as one might expect – perhaps because this ship is steel hulled, not fiberglass!

Yeah, that’s the one. Is there any way to confirm if it is a firefighting training aid?

Trust me, it is a “firefighting training aid.” Actually, it was meant to represent a DC-10. Don’t ask me why a DC-10?

In any case, it isn’t an airplane, it wasn’t meant to fly and it is interesting.

I don’t know how many of these steel aircraft mock-ups are out there, but they do exist.

Indian AEW&C aircraft under development. Bombardier might also want to bid as the platform. This project should deliver 8-10 aircrafts over the course of its life.

Courtesy B. Harry

This appears to be a poorly done model of something that closely resembles a EMB-145 AEW aircraft?

China’s “balance beam” AEW radar appears to be similar to Erieye, so pehaps DRDO is thinking along the same terms?

The big difference is that China has actually been flying the “Balance Beam” Y-8, while DRDO has only produced this rather shoddy model.