Although this would better fit the Tiger Meet topic, this special scheme is still the sweetest Tiger ever:

Source: http://www.airshots.com

King Jester

Here the 25th Anniversary Mirage IIIEA in special scheme.

Source: Spotter.com.br

More to follow….

KJ: mate the only problem with those rounded hangars is the amount of room you have to move in them.

Yes, I prolly overstated that those hangars would fit a Sea Sprite :p
But a Sea Linx should fit nicely. The problem with the tight working space remains, of course.

On the 140 without the hanger, the Box just above the guys head, is that some sort of optics?

Same take on this as Wanshan already posted, some sort of landing aid or some sort of video survilaince for the landing ops, likely.

King Jester

Interesting stuff there mate, I had no idea about it. So I guess a co-operation deal would be right out then

Just to comment on both Wanshan an your own reply, co-operation is not that far out the question. It really has only become a matter of funds.

Argentina´s navy trusted ASMAR shipbuilders in 1998/2000 to reform ARA D-1 Hercules (former T-42 type) with a wider helo pad and huge hangar. Altought the resulting hybrid is not particularly pretty, the job was well done.

There was some talks about upgrading chilean subs (U-209s) at the MMDG shipyard in Buenos Aires. Finally the deal did not stick.

In the 2002/2003 timeframe there was a serious plan to build a total of 6 MEKO A-200 frigattes (four for Chile and two AAW´s for Argentina) on the Rio Santiago shipyard in Buenos Aires and ASMAR in Valparaiso. Lack of funds posponed the proyect, and Chile bought the secondhand M-class instead.

There was indeed some talks about building a large series of OPVs, for both navies, but then hesitation (lack of a clear idea of what the functions of an OPV are in the argie navy, really) on the argie side posponed the deal again.

Argentina is currently shuffling two or three offers, the strongest one from a spanish shipyard for a total of four OPVs (can´t remember the design name right now), but has in the past also looked closely at the MEKO 100 design, at a portuguise OPV and at a very simplyfied version of the locally build MEKO 140.
The spanish offer is the strongest, cause it includes spanish government soft credits for 200 million $. Spain is interested in keeping shipyards in Galicia alive, so they can afford to spend that kind of money. I personnally would prefer a local solution to the OPV question, a very simplyfied MEKO 140, or may be a carbon copy of the BAZAN Halcon design (which were build in Spain for the argie Coastguard in the 80´s), that way our own shipyard workers would stay in business.

As for the limits treaty, my view may of course be skewed (im argie!), both the ruling of 1977 and the Vatican solution of 1984 violate a basic principle outlined in the 1880 general limits agreement, which states clearly that Chile has souvereignty on the Pacific and Argentina on the Atlantic. By granting the islands to Chile, chilean souvereign waters and ZEE protrude clearly into the Atlantic. Just my two cents.

King Jester

What I always find interesting is the idea of teloscopic hangers like what the Russians have on some of their ships, IIRC the Lurssen ships used by the UAE have this function, I may be wrong about that though.

With 90 mts length and 1800 tons displacement they are outside the scope of the topic, but argie MEKO 140´s of the second batch have telescopic hangars. I had the info that these hangars are of cannuck design, but may be wrong. The hangars are spacy enough for an Alluette or Fennec (none of ´em having a collapsible tailboom), so even bigger specialized naval helos (Sea Linxs, may be even Sea Sprite) should fit, altought I´m unsure about the landing pad beeing safe for a Sea Sprite.

What about Jaques Cuosteau CALLYPSO? Under 450 tn (TON minehunter) could support* a Schweizer helo AND two minisubs. Now thats impressive!!

* I know, I know…only landing pad, no hangar.

King Jester

I’d rather that she had elected to get the invaders killed instead.

Yes, she should have nuked Gral. Menendez and his whole lot in Port Stanley!!! Err…., no wait a minute, I think there is a flaw on that plan :confused:

TTP wrote:

no question the scene in “Empire of the Sun” when the P-51’s attack the Japanese Airfield!!! “P-51 Cadillac of the sky!!!”

Sends chills down my spine!!! If you haven’t seen it , Rent It!!! defeinately worth the wait!!!!!

Empire of the Sun its a masterpiece to the ultimate detail. Better yet than the P-51 straffing the airfield me likes the scene when the boy craddles into the downed Zero while flying his glider during the fancy ambassador reception.

The camera plays around with the boy sitting in the cockpit, the glider wusshing back and fort, you only hear the soft windnoise of the glider passing by and the boys heavy breathing and his head turning as if he really is in a dogfight…as you said it brings about cold chills running down the spine.

Some pretty awsome “real” “no CGI” scenes in “Air America” with the Turbo Porters landing on a hill.

Whats the movie about Korea with Robert Wagner and William Holden? “Aces over Korea” me thinks, but that may be the computer game. Anyhow, pretty good footage for the late 50´s.

As for worst scenes, how come nobody has mentioned Iron Eagles I, II, III, IIII (err, sorry, that would be IV), and other various sequels??

King Jester

c. … which were targeted in any sort of way by the Dassault Etendard or Super Etendard.
UK, Chad, Cote d’Ivory, Bosnia and Sudan are all correct.
The country i was still waiting for was the US, obviously because of the USS Stark which was hit by one of Iraq’s leased Sues.

I have to side with troung here. USS Stark was indeed hit by Exocet, but launched from an Mirage F-1EQ (or at least so is stated). IRCC by 1987, all 5 leased iraki SUEs had been returned already. So, Iran should be the answer.

King Jester