F-ZeroOne Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 (edited) "Supply Niner, this is LZ One - be advised we are taking fire, suggest abort cargo run, over." BBBRRRRRTTTTTTT!!! "LZ One, this is Supply Niner, not any more you're not... " Edited January 3, 2008 by F-ZeroOne
kalvasflam Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 Heh, perhaps they are planning to mount a GAU-8 Avenger on the nose of a C-17 and market it as an A-10 replacement. Graham what a lovely idea, and put a couple of 105 mm on the left side, along with a chain gun and have a bay for SBDs, I bet the C-17 can carry a few dozen of those without a problem.
Warmaker Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 ... and after the strafing run, out the back ramp falls out a Daisy Cutter. Or some nifty little FAE bomb(s). Sounds better and better now.
buddhafabio Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 think of how many hellfires can be mounted on the wings.
Warmaker Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 Hmm... we are one step closer to a real life "Macross Missile Massacre"
kalvasflam Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 think of how many hellfires can be mounted on the wings. Not enough... but we can always modify the cargo bay...
Lynx7725 Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 (edited) Nah, the cargo bay is where we keep the 30mm ammo and the MOAB/ MOP payload.. Edited January 4, 2008 by Lynx7725
David Hingtgen Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 August 2008, Nellis AFB: Su-30MKI vs F-22 at Red Flag.
Nied Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 August 2008, Nellis AFB: Su-30MKI vs F-22 at Red Flag. Oh come on you've gotta have a story to go with that David!
David Hingtgen Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 Not much more than that. The F-22 is not confirmed, but you KNOW they're going to be there anyways, especially with the MKI's coming. Basically: India says they're coming to Red Flag, and bringing their MKI's. They are also making a big public fuss that the MKI's radar is so advanced, it will not be used at all, so that its frequency etc cannot be monitored by the Americans.
Nied Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 India says they're coming to Red Flag, and bringing their MKI's. They are also making a big public fuss that the MKI's radar is so advanced, it will not be used at all, so that its frequency etc cannot be monitored by the Americans. Yes that's aparently how things have gone in the past few international exercises. Actually the Air Force might handle things the same way the RAF did and not actually have Raptors go up against MKIs in direct combat, but have them work togethere in mixed formations (exactly what the RAF did with their Typhoons).
David Hingtgen Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 Yeah, and deny us all our fun comparing the two. Of course, they can't really "risk" even one "shoot down" of any plane by a Flanker, or congress will cut all funding. "Why are we paying for this when INDIA can shoot down our billion-dollar planes?"
David Hingtgen Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 Just saw this and had to post it: Red Flag would be AWESOME if they held it in Alaska this year, now that they've got their F-22's:
buddhafabio Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 (edited) fine the US should buy mkis just to fly them in red flag. even if we paid double what they go for the training they would provide will make up for it. Edited January 5, 2008 by buddhafabio
David Hingtgen Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 Here's the article: India bans Su-30MKI fighters from using radars during 'Red Flag Nellis' exercise By Radhakrishna Rao India's defence ministry has confirmed that the six Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighters that will participate in "Red Flag Nellis" manoeuvres at Nellis AFB, Nevada in August 2008 will operate without using their NIIP Bars radars. "The radar frequencies are top secret, as they can be used to block vital functions of the fighter," says the Indian air force, which adds: "While we have a good equation with the USA, we have to be careful about the future." US interest in the system stems from China's large inventory of Russian-made Su-30s, and Moscow has previously stated that the MKI's radar frequencies should not be revealed. India's Red Flag commitment builds on its air force's mid-2007 deployment of six Su-30MKIs to the UK for a bilateral exercise with Royal Air Force types including the Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado F3. The Indian service is also expected to send an Ilyushin Il-76 tanker and two Il-76 transports to accompany its fighters to the USA.
kalvasflam Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 Yeah, and deny us all our fun comparing the two. Of course, they can't really "risk" even one "shoot down" of any plane by a Flanker, or congress will cut all funding. "Why are we paying for this when INDIA can shoot down our billion-dollar planes?" Why not, it would be equivalent of the F-15 ploy, so that we can say that the current generation isn't cutting mustard, and we need full speed ahead on the next generation. I wonder how hard it would be to buy a MKI anyway, it's not as if there wasn't a plethora of Flankers out in the world already.
Awacs Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 The Indian AF did the same thing when the Su-30's were over here for an exercise against RAF Typhoon's earlier in the year. I remember "Air Forces Monthly" making mention of it in an article on the exercise. Apparently it was something that the Russian suppliers (who provide maintenance support after all, giving them a heck of a lot of leverage) insisted on. Makes a lot of sense to me - if I were the Russian's the last thing I would want to do his hand out to NATO, the US or the UK the frequencies that the Su-30's radar would be using in wartime. I'm fairly sure that the RAF do something similar when they exercise with the IAF and other airforces. You always want to keep something back to keep a potential opponent guessing. Karl
David Hingtgen Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 A counter-argument I saw is that India doesn't want everyone to realize their MKI's radar really isn't that good, little better than a basic Flanker B. If it's never used, nobody knows how good (or poor) it really is.
kalvasflam Posted January 5, 2008 Posted January 5, 2008 A counter-argument I saw is that India doesn't want everyone to realize their MKI's radar really isn't that good, little better than a basic Flanker B. If it's never used, nobody knows how good (or poor) it really is. I can understand the need to keep certain things secret, but what is the point of coming if not to test the capabilities of the aircraft and crew in the first place? If they get legitimately beaten by the opposition, then they'll never know if the fault is with the pilots or with the equipment. Which makes the exercise moot.
Nied Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 Yeah, and deny us all our fun comparing the two. Of course, they can't really "risk" even one "shoot down" of any plane by a Flanker, or congress will cut all funding. "Why are we paying for this when INDIA can shoot down our billion-dollar planes?" I'm willing to bet that the Indian Air Force is just as unwilling to risk their relatively expensive MKIs against foreign air forces, lest their parliament start wondering why they're buying MKIs instead of more Mig-21 Bisons or upgraded Mig-23s or something.
Graham Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 A counter-argument I saw is that India doesn't want everyone to realize their MKI's radar really isn't that good, little better than a basic Flanker B. If it's never used, nobody knows how good (or poor) it really is. Radar? What is this radar you speak of? Everybody knows it's just a guy in the nosecone with a pair of binoculars! Graham
eugimon Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 A counter-argument I saw is that India doesn't want everyone to realize their MKI's radar really isn't that good, little better than a basic Flanker B. If it's never used, nobody knows how good (or poor) it really is. I don't want to sound like a flag waving jingoist but I have a much easier time buying your counter argument rather than india's "our radar is so advanced we're keeping it turned off so that you americans don't crap your pants in a jealous rage" statement.
David Hingtgen Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 The SECOND A380 has been delivered. At this rate, I expect to see a dozen 787's in service before a dozen A380's...
LL Cool VF1J Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 I don't want to sound like a flag waving jingoist but I have a much easier time buying your counter argument rather than india's "our radar is so advanced we're keeping it turned off so that you americans don't crap your pants in a jealous rage" statement. Im glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read your post or it would be all over my keyboard.
kalvasflam Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 The SECOND A380 has been delivered. At this rate, I expect to see a dozen 787's in service before a dozen A380's... Who was it delivered to? Was reading that the A380 with SIA had its first mishap, was towed into the grass supposedly.
David Hingtgen Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 Second one is for SIA as well. I *so* need to go to St Maarten some day, it's like Mecca for airliner buffs: http://www.airplanephotozone.com/photos.php?id=9998
kalvasflam Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 Second one is for SIA as well. I *so* need to go to St Maarten some day, it's like Mecca for airliner buffs: http://www.airplanephotozone.com/photos.php?id=9998 And get blown away... literally. heh heh. I hope one day, they'll fly A380s there.
areaseven Posted January 14, 2008 Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) Plane spotting just became cool... Edited January 17, 2008 by areaseven
David Hingtgen Posted January 14, 2008 Posted January 14, 2008 Trainspottting does not equal planespotting. That'd be railfanning. Trainspotting is a movie.
F-ZeroOne Posted January 14, 2008 Posted January 14, 2008 I'm not entirely certain what you mean, David, but in the UK, train-spotters are a well known lack-of-social-skills subgroup. (in popular perception, anyway - as always, the ones I actually know through my job are all nice people... )
Dante74 Posted January 14, 2008 Posted January 14, 2008 Second one is for SIA as well. I *so* need to go to St Maarten some day, it's like Mecca for airliner buffs: http://www.airplanephotozone.com/photos.php?id=9998 Here's another cool one. http://www.airplanephotozone.com/photos.php?id=4767
David Hingtgen Posted January 14, 2008 Posted January 14, 2008 I'm not entirely certain what you mean, David, but in the UK, train-spotters are a well known lack-of-social-skills subgroup. (in popular perception, anyway - as always, the ones I actually know through my job are all nice people... ) In the US, the act of watching planes (often through binoculars) and likely recording registry numbers, is "planespotting". The same thing, but involving trains, is not called trainspotting, though the public thinks it is. Watching trains and recording locomotive road numbers is "railfanning". "Trainspotting" is not a term/verb here, but it was the name of a movie. The word is well-known here due to said movie, but it does not actually describe anything--but the public thinks it does (they think it means railfanning, since "planespotting" is fairly well known).
yellowlightman Posted January 15, 2008 Posted January 15, 2008 So you say it's not a term used here, and then you say thats what people use here to describe the activity. It's popular usage, which pretty much counts.
F-ZeroOne Posted January 15, 2008 Posted January 15, 2008 Okay, thanks for the explanation, David. I'll have to try that one on a colleague of mine, hes been to the U.S. a few times trainspo... er, I mean, "railfanning"...
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