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Nied

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Posts posted by Nied

  1. Hey, the MD-80's full, official, legal name is still the DC-9-80.  (unless it's an MD-88, then it's an MD-88--but the MD-87 is the DC-9-87)

    Either way, the 747Adv is by far the biggest change Boeing has ever done when calling a new version "Advanced"

    408325[/snapback]

    Arrrg! DC-9s are so confusing! At least for a fighter guy like me. Three different names for various versions of the same plane. Don't even get me started on this whole "Super 800" nonsense.

  2. I don't know why but whenever you do something simple it comes out looking amazing. This one and comic #6 are my two favorites right now (with the super-cool comic #5 coming in a close second). Toni's uniform threw me until I remebered you telling me he's UNSMC, nice touch!

  3. Thread necromancy!

    Whatever I missed this last year, so I get to discucss it now.

    I liked how Paranoia Agent started, it was increadibly interesting but the ending was kind of a let down. I'm not sure why but it just felt kind of meh. I think I might have been expecting it to go in a different direcion than it did, and was disapointed when it didn't.

  4. Actually they did.  They let the SDF-1 punch the nose in one of the latter episodes, and had a bunch of Regults and Gluags waiting to storm the SDF-1 through the open Dedaelus front door.  I believe that that was episode 22.

    Thanks for clarifying the Factory Satellite attack.  Though it doesn't really clarify things either way - as the justification for NOT using the main cannon is that they wanted to capture the satellite and destroy the defenders - not destroy both.

    405773[/snapback]

    Yes but they were also vastly outnumbered by a fleet that included at least one Nupetiet Vergnitz. I doubt they'd need to worry much about hitting the FS in such a target rich environment.

  5. It's showing up now, I wasn't seeing it from my work network yesterday. I could see it when I got home though, and it's showing just fine on my work network today. Weird.

  6. another question, a matchup actually.  F-4 (later models) vs. MiG-21 (same models)

    Any takers?

    405645[/snapback]

    What do you mean? The last models in US and USSR service from the mid '80s, or the latest retrofitted versions? (Kurnas 2000 or latest F-4EJs for the Phantom, Lancer and Bison upgrades for the Fishbed).

  7. Good to know you're doing well Vinnie. Considering how long it had been since you last posted, and where you are right now, I was starting to worry.

    Am I the only one who isn't seeing anything though? I get a broken link when I try to go to your website, and it just says "user posted image" where (I assume) you posted it here.

  8. According to This archive, there's a "Monitor Class" version of the Nupetiet which has the splitting ship and cannon, whereas the normal version doesn't contain this weapon... that seems to be a good explanation.

    405432[/snapback]

    That's all non-canon speculation.

    And if nothing else, the "reflex furnace" part flags it as Robotech-ism. Robotech stuff strays pretty far from Macross' "reality" at times.

    405445[/snapback]

    As stated on the main page it's not all canon, plus some of that data is almost 10 years old from when I did my first page based on Robotech, unfortunately I'm still only one person and don't always remember to catch old Robotech phrasings.

    As for my reference to there being two types of Nupetiet I don't ever remember seeing the one in the series splitting so that's where that comes from.

    It would also be a little more accurate if I could actually find someone to actually translate stuff for me, but my search goes on.

    405547[/snapback]

    There are a couple of times in the series when Vrlwhitai could have used a main cannon on his ship but didn't (notably "Viva Maria"). So either his ship didn't have one, or it wasn't working. Considering the all the refit/repair work shown in "Viva Maria" I don't find the second explanation very likely.

    Given the only time we see a main gun equipped Nupetiet Vergnitz is in DYRL, do we even need to come up with an in-universe explanation other than the fictional producers of DYRL thinking it would look cool?

  9. Okay, a crate of Yohinol to whoever can tell me which aircrafts cockpit this is. A few clues - this is the interior of one of the prototypes, so the picture may not match an in-service model, and only a small number were ever built...

    405530[/snapback]

    Given your clues and the struts visible just outside of the cockpit window I'm guessing it's a Concorde.

  10. The real reasons the F-22 was picked:

    1.  The YF-23 was several inches longer than could be easily accomodated in all the USAF's F-15 hangars.  This could have been easily rectified, but it was a big point with the F-22 already "fitting" in F-15 spots.  (not that the F-22 didn't have every single square inch redesigned from the YF-22)

    2.  Lockheed.  Lobby. 

    3.  It looked more "normal" than the YF-23.  No matter how cool/awesome the YF-23 looked, it was "unusual". 

    PS---Grumman has nothing to do with the YF-23 design.  The company may be Northrop Grumman now, but saying Grumman YF-23 is like saying Boeing F-4 Phantom.    The YF-23 is McDonnellDouglas systems/avionics in a Northrop airframe/skin.  You'd be amazed how many F-15 parts are in the YF-23. 

    The plane is Northrop's.  It's the fighter version of the B-2.  (Go look at the two closely--it's obvious they share designers--same era, too).

    Look at all the cool stuff Northrop made that was never used as intended:

    405169[/snapback]

    You forgott two.

    4. The avionics and other systems on the YF-23 weren't as mature as those on the YF-22 (the YF-22 fired missiles YF-23 did not, the YF-22 flew with a working prototype of the production cockpit the YF-23 did not, the YF-22 flew high alpha maneuvers the YF-23 did not).

    5. The weapons bay design was considered flawed and could not be fixed without an extensive re-design. The YF-23's weapons bay mounted AMRAAMs one above another, if one of those missiles malfunctioned the rest of the missiles above it could not be fired.

  11. Phalanx calm down. Shin wasn't disrespecting you. You have to realize that the info you posted confidently has been discredited. I don't even recognize the site you have there. Not all sources are created equal, and some can be wildly off base. Shin posted some good sources of reliable info on this subject, you might want to read up on them. Also it might be good to pick up a copy of the book Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat by Tom Cooper. TLC and the military channel are good sources for footage but most of what they say is utter crap. I'd recomend you visit the sites we mention here, or go to your local bookstore and pick up a couple of issues of magazines like Air International or Combat Aircraft. They're loaded with info and are a very cheap way to learn stuff you can't find online. Back when I lived in your area I'd go to the Borders in the White Flint mall, read through a bunch of the aircraft books there then pick up a copy of AI or CA. That's a little out of your way but I'd be genuinely surprised if you couldn't find a decent Borders or Barnes and Noble in College Park.

  12. The article in Combat Aircraft mentions that he bases that on the number of different BuNo.s visible in the various photographs and videos of the refit Ali-Cats. This doesn't take into account that 1) It's awfully easy to mis-read those little numbers painted down on the engines (often cast in shadow) accurately and 2) The IRIAF has paint and number stencils. One of the interesting inconsistencies in the article is the claim that the IRIAF is indeed flying Tomcats with the AIM-23 Sedji missile based on the Hawk SAM. This despite the fact that he claimed in "Iranian Tomcats in Action," that the AIM-23 programme was a complete failure and abandoned in the early '80s. Generally speaking unless he has photographic proof I tend to take his claims with a grain of salt.

  13. Funny you mention them reverse engineering the Pheonix missle because the Russians actually purchased an Alicat along with it's set of pheonix missles to do the same thing as the MIG-31 was actually inspired the cat's Pheonix missle system and during the heyday of the MIG-31 it seemed like a suitable equal to the F-14 since it's R-33S missles were the Russian counterpart of American Pheonix missles. However, if that was the case with the F-14, how come the Iranians chose not to purchase a small number of MIG-31B's, MIG-31M,MIG-31FE, OR MIG-31BM's for that matter back then, as they had seemingly formidable updates to their avionics? I mean this would have saved them many man hours of testing and reverse engineering the original F-14s they have as these new Foxhound variants have modern avionics to start off with than their Alicats. If the Iranians were to hypothetically  have either one of these variants, preferably the Foxhound M or FE, the only modifications they would have to do is probably give the aircraft analogue flight controlls and probably add their "Fatter" missles to them.

    404900[/snapback]

    Shin again beats me to the punch again. The Iranians didn't have good relations with the Russians until the early '90s, well after the Mig-31 and it's various systems were developed. Further the Iranians indignantly deny selling their precious Tomcats to the Russians, and the engineers who worked on the Mig-31 indignantly deny basing their premier air defense fighter on anything but their own good work. Remember during the time Iran was supposed to have sold these Tomcats the Russians were busy selling state of the art weapons to their mortal enemy, Iraq.

    Interestingly the article I mentioned above notes that the Russians actually did try to sell the IRIAF several squadrons of Mig-31s as replacements for their F-14s. Iran apparently turned down the offer because of a combination of cost, poor techincal support from Russia, and the Foxhound was judged to have inferior close range performance compared to the Tomcat.

  14. If you ask me, I wouldn't dare modify the avionics or airframe of any aircraft unless I knew the anatomy of a fighter intimately. I wouldn't risk making those modifications for fear that I may mess up the aircraft. But then again, due to the fact they lack spare parts to further maintenacne them and that was what grounded them for so long, I can see why they were truly desperate to make them effecttive. I'm sure tthey know what their doing and fully aware of the risks though. But then again, those Alicat's would't stand a chance our aircraft. I wonder if they managed to get one fully operational variant yet. However, I honestly think it's starnge but interesting seeing an American aircraft being retrofitted with russian engines like the Saturn L'yulka WS-10 engines, however their new enignes they;ve been trying to install in their Alicats' would make it easy to tell that it's not American since Russian engine turbines spin a little differently than AMerican engines, if I recall.

    404806[/snapback]

    Current estimates have the IRIAF with 30-40 operational F-14s, with estimates saying anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3rds being in operational condition at any one time. They've had some 30 years of tearing apart and re-assembling their Tomcats (in the middle of a war no less) to get intimately familiar with them. Iran by necessity has developed quite a robust Aerospace industry. They're now building an indigenous dogfight missile called Fatter (basically an AIM-9P with a locally designed seeker head), and there's credible reports that they've been able to reverse engineer and build Phoenix missiles for their Tomcats. They've also re-built most of their F-5s into F-5B trainers (despite never having purchased that aircraft), and have built a prototype twin engined fighter as a possible replacement for their F-5s, Mirage F-1s and Chinese J-7s.

    As Shin pointed out installing Russian engines into their F-14s was just a rumor, there are plenty of photographs showing recently refitted IRIAF Tomcats with TF-30s. And the Saturn Lyulka is the AL-31F. The WS-10 is a Chinese engine in the same size and thrust class as the Lyulka, GE F110, and PW F100.

  15. Damn, I had no idea the Iranians were trying to refurbish their Tomcats by doing that. After all, they have the original A models that haven't received a huge update in the past 30 years. So I can pretty much imagine that they are going through great lengths just to make their fighters more effective against cuurent aircraft.

    404728[/snapback]

    The Iranians have been trying various re-fit programmes on their Tomcats since the Iran/Iraq War. The May issue of Combat Aircraft Magazine has a pretty in depth article on the IRIAF written by Tom Cooper. Apparently the Iranians have been able to rig a new launch rail to allow carriage of the AA-11 missiles they bought with their Mig-29s. They've also done extensive re-fits to the avionics, replacing most of the AWG-9s analogue components with digital ones.

  16. I'm waiting to do a proper upgrade to my system before I go and buy it off of steam, which barring anything unexpected should be next month. I was able to run the original HL2 decently (it should I built my computer specifically to run it back in 03), but unfortunately my once state of the art Radeon 9800 is now several generations behind, especially if I want to do anything with HDR.

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