http://s017.radikal.ru/i432/1112/2b/c432578c7fe7.jpg

Now that’s a superbly well-built model of the Kuznetsov.

then the camera zooms in to the rear point of impact and even there we can see the next bursts of fire being dispersed over an area and not getting localized to the intended (?) target area…. I felt it that way, and hence asked if anyone else saw that…

here is the start of that firing…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oI4g0TBUOy8#t=894s

Ah, yes. Well the M197 mounted on a helicopter isn’t exactly a pinpoint weapon. Year or so ago I saw a video (on liveleak, tried looking but can’t find it now) of a house being shelled by an Apache and a Cobra, and the latter’s gunfire effect was much more spread out.
It’s not really a flaw if you want to suppress dug-down infantry in areas without civilians (or if you don’t care about that).

Seen videos of Tigers with the GIAT 30mm. Also unstable when firing over long range.

It’s not that far fetched. The Patriot is only 50% longer than an AMRAAM (17ft vs 12ft).

Indeed PAC-3 is quite compact. One quad pack canister is the size of the old single-missile PAC-1/2 canisters.

thank you for the URL for the ‘secret projects’. Adrian

You’re welcome 🙂 Did you check the first page? There’re pics of early concepts such as fixed wing F-14, swing-wing F-15-alike, etc.

Also from poster F-14D in that thread:
(On the VFX competition, and Grumman’s proto-Tomcat versus the McD-D model 225 which was the swing-wing F-15 with pop-out canards.)

Only McDonnell’s and Grumman’s designs were able to meet the Navy requirements, and McDonnell’s only barely. Grumman’s design was head and shoulders above everyone else’s.

(This post is in reply to to obligatory’s question “was there any study of navalizing F-15E.” Not a reply to the F-14 vs SH discussion.)
(P.S. Of course McD 225 is not F-15E… but it’s probably the closest you can get to an answer.)

They could have taken the franchise anywhere, even back to WW2. It could have been filmed neutral where its a build up to a fight between a Japanese ace and an American ace or something where neither side looks bad, but everyone looks bad ass.

Yes I think you’re on the right track, these days with movies like Letters from Iwo Jima, you can make a blockbuster movie without the good guy/bad guy mechanic.
However, the Top Gun image/DNA/whatever is very much tied to fast jets. Which is where this comes in:

They’re actually talking about some UAV angle for this one.

As in rogue UAVs? Top Gun meets Skynet. 🙂 The Soviets in the original Top Gun were little more than robots, so it’s not like you lose any kind of human angle.

Month-old news, but haven’t seen it in this thread: Soyuz launching the first two Galileo 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWaTjLH8_Js&feature=player_embedded

Also the first Soyuz launch from French Guiana.

The Kuznetsov group stayed in international waters for the entire exercise.

Has SEAD been traditionally a ‘none of my business’ area for the Swedish air force?

Yes. 1946-1990 their hypothetical surface targets were 1.) A Soviet amphibious force coming across the Baltic. The Lansen and attack Viggen had the radar guided Rb 04 anti-ship missile, some versions also with a home on jam mode.

And 2.) Soviet armour. AGM-65 and various dumb munitions for this purpose. Attack profile was tree-level.