Aircraft Super Thread Mk.VII

[plutoniumhunter]

Nice Phantom picture! It's like one of my childhood legends. I agree with David as well, kind of lost track of all the Flanker variants after the -27, -30, -33...

[505thAirborne]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw0gjw1XIIk&feature=youtu.be

[electric indigo]

Meteorite or Zetraedi invasion? News at 11!

[505thAirborne]

Meteorite or Zetraedi invasion? News at 11!

Definitely the SDF-1 headed for South Ataria Island

[LOW_ALT]

I'm not gonna say it was aliens....but aliens man, aliens

[David Hingtgen]

At least a few people here should get this:

[David Hingtgen]

Interesting at 4:30, very interesting at 6:43.

[robodragon]

Top story in the Fresno Bee this AM. Fresno to get F-35's to replace F-18. That's a joke right? The F-35 is going to replace the F-18's? Yeah I'm sure that's a punch line to some bad joke. LOL

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/19/3180020/lemoore-navy-base-gets-early-nod.html

[505thAirborne]

All of those Super Hornet pilots must be thrilled!

[renegadeleader1]

Interesting at 4:30, very interesting at 6:43.

Okay did you see the same thing I did?

[Shadow]

Tomcat: Miss me yet?

[Bowen]

*snip*

Tomcat: Miss me yet?

I think there's something in my eye... ;_;

[505thAirborne]

Been missing my beloved Tomcat for a long time now...

[Chronocidal]

Top story in the Fresno Bee this AM. Fresno to get F-35's to replace F-18. That's a joke right? The F-35 is going to replace the F-18's? Yeah I'm sure that's a punch line to some bad joke. LOL

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/19/3180020/lemoore-navy-base-gets-early-nod.html

No joke, but they're talking about Lemoore, not Fresno. Fresno's ANG base has had F-16s for a long time. Anyway though, they're talking about legacy hornets, F-18C/D models, which the JSF will replace eventually.

Not going to replace the superhornets anytime soon, especially not at Lemoore, since I think that's basically the west coast headquarters for superhornet operations and training.

I think someone in congress has been trying to float the idea of a multi-service base, consolidating the Fresno ANG and Lemoore NAS aircraft into one area. Makes some sense, due to the land-locked nature of KFAT, and the relatively remote location of LNAS, but I don't expect it to happen any time soon.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Chronocidal

[electric indigo]

Been missing my beloved Tomcat for a long time now...

Don't worry, they're in good hands...

[robodragon]

No joke, but they're talking about Lemoore, not Fresno. Fresno's ANG base has had F-16s for a long time. Anyway though, they're talking about legacy hornets, F-18C/D models, which the JSF will replace eventually.

Not going to replace the superhornets anytime soon, especially not at Lemoore, since I think that's basically the west coast headquarters for superhornet operations and training.

I think someone in congress has been trying to float the idea of a multi-service base, consolidating the Fresno ANG and Lemoore NAS aircraft into one area. Makes some sense, due to the land-locked nature of KFAT, and the relatively remote location of LNAS, but I don't expect it to happen any time soon.

Yeah I meant Lemoore, Just had a brain fart and typed Fresno. I thinks that's a sign I've been here (Fresno) to long. I guess at some point I'll be seeing 35s over head instead of the 18s when they come over from LNAS. The article said beginning 2017 and full replacement by 2028.

[Uxi]

Finally got a Testors/Italeri YF-23 off evilbay for a reasonable price. Gonna build a PAV-1 out of it.

Really wish Hasegawa would do a modern mold/sculpt, so an accurate PAV-2, if not an EMD.

[LOW_ALT]

Don't worry, they're in good hands...

Looks like De Niro in the middle there lol

[Chronocidal]

 

Yeah I meant Lemoore, Just had a brain fart and typed Fresno. I thinks that's a sign I've been here (Fresno) to long. I guess at some point I'll be seeing 35s over head instead of the 18s when they come over from LNAS. The article said beginning 2017 and full replacement by 2028.

 

Hehe, I grew up in Hanford, know the feeling.

The superbugs will be around for a long time yet though, they're only talking about replacing the old model hornets. Maintenance costs for those oldies are skyrocketing, because all the focus is shifting to the E/F/G model hornets.

Gonna be really weird when/if the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds both start flying the F-35... they've had the 16s and 18s for so long now.

[MechTech]

A buddy told me the older Hornets weren't holding up either as originally expected. The last two wars put more hours on the airframes than expected and they had to retire a lot of them very early.

It's sad seeing that old Tomcat in Iranian hands. They supposedly tried to maintain them and fix them, but with their current leadeship hating the free world, I miss the old Itolah days when they were buds and NOT trying to nuke the free world.

That footage of the F-7U with that dude jumping out in front of it was crazy! The pilot probably lost his concentration when that dude ran out like that! - MT

[Lightning]

I think the guy already knew something was up before he bailed from his post.

I wouldn't mind seeing more Phantom pics! <3

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, the old F7U was notoriously bad for carrier ops. Horribly underpowered, and the engines were unreliable on top of that. Apparently a sizable number were lost on failed catapult launches because the engines flamed out. The ludicrously high nose gear and crazy angle of attack needed for landing didn't help either.

What's actually amusing.. my dad owns a couple 1/72 kits of the Cutlass, and has compared some part sizes with the idea in mind to make a next-generation version of sorts, sort of a 70s era revamp of the design. If the internal ducting in the kit is accurate, it looks like you could literally just take out the old engines, and replace them with modern F-18C/D turbofans with very minor changes.

I always loved the design of the prototype, which had an actual streamlined cockpit, but that huge bubble nose ruined it.

[mechaninac]

It's sad seeing that old Tomcat in Iranian hands. They supposedly tried to maintain them and fix them, but with their current leadeship hating the free world, I miss the old Itolah days when they were buds and NOT trying to nuke the free world.

I think you mean the Shah. The ayatollah (Khomeini) was the instigator/inspiration for the revolution that caused the deterioration of Iran's relations with the western world which has brought us to the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in today. It was very unfortunate that those Tomcats were lost to the Islamic take-over. I remember a Heavy Metal episode about the Tomcat, on the History Channel, where they mentioned unconfirmed reports that Grumman's crew of technicians, who were in-country to train the Iranian pilots and maintenance crews how to service the F-14s at the time of the revolution, sabotaged the birds by removing key avionics and other vital equipment, rendering the fighters innoperable... and since the new Iranian regime could no longer get support and parts to make the Tomcats flight ready, not to mention the know-how, they just sort of went into a forced mothballing from which they've never emerged.

[Fatalist]

Anyone really surprised?

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/f-35-grounding-latest-setback-for-troubled-program-87953.html#ixzz2Let51KbV

[David Hingtgen]

A buddy told me the older Hornets weren't holding up either as originally expected. The last two wars put more hours on the airframes than expected and they had to retire a lot of them very early.

That's highly related to the F/A-18A+ program. Since the "C" came out quite soon after the "A" a lot of A's were sent to reserve/training squadrons, and thus saw little combat, high-weight flying, carrier landings, etc. While the C's have been at war almost constantly. Thus, most A's are effectively "younger" than C's nowadays, when it comes to wear/tear/stress etc. So the A's are being upgraded with C avionics and engines, as they are the newest airframes available--in a manner of speaking. (they certainly have the most "useful life remaining")

[electric indigo]

Double Awesomeness

[hutch]

Was in Turkey this last week, got to hang around a bunch of F-16s and F-4s and see a lot of F-4s in flight. Was a blast.

[hutch]

All JSF Operations suspended

http://www.f-16.net/news_article4704.html

[David Hingtgen]

"The F-35 will deliver 90% of the F-22's performance at half the cost".

Bet they wish they'd just bought more F-22's, now...

Conspiracy theory: The program is being intentionally sabotaged etc to send the message that manned fighters really are too complicated and expensive to make any more, and we should just have zillions of cheap drones instead of fewer more capable planes.

[MechTech]

Yeah, the Shah, my mistake. I still remember watching them tear up his body as "tribute" to his greatness after he died!!?? The American public was like "what the heck is wrong with these people!" We were about to deliver the Kidd class destroyers to them too before that all went down. We just absorbed them into our Navy then. That 747 that went down some years ago was an ex tanker they had too. It's amazing how one guy can change the course of a nation!

That's interesting about the F-18A's being upgraded. I thought they would have phased them out by now. Even withsome making it into private hands. I thought the EA-6B's were phased out too, but they're still around as well.

Those Cutlasses look awesome in the Black Tiger Scheme. Too bad it's just modeling and Photoshop! The Cutlass was one of my favorite designs growing up. It was a combination of hight tech airframe - lower tech engines. Any plane you keep the canopy open to quickly escape from if the launch fails can't be good! - MT

[David Hingtgen]

The F/A-18A+ is the best version of the Legacy Hornet there is now. Lowest weight, most modern avionics, and most powerful engines. Export Hornets tend to have the better engines but not the avionics. Late-build US C's are the opposite.

[renegadeleader1]

Yeah, the Shah, my mistake. I still remember watching them tear up his body as "tribute" to his greatness after he died!!?? The American public was like "what the heck is wrong with these people!" We were about to deliver the Kidd class destroyers to them too before that all went down. We just absorbed them into our Navy then. That 747 that went down some years ago was an ex tanker they had too. It's amazing how one guy can change the course of a nation!

That's interesting about the F-18A's being upgraded. I thought they would have phased them out by now. Even withsome making it into private hands. I thought the EA-6B's were phased out too, but they're still around as well.

Those Cutlasses look awesome in the Black Tiger Scheme. Too bad it's just modeling and Photoshop! The Cutlass was one of my favorite designs growing up. It was a combination of hight tech airframe - lower tech engines. Any plane you keep the canopy open to quickly escape from if the launch fails can't be good! - MT

1.The Shah of Iran never returned to his home country. He passed away in Egypt and interred at a mosque there.

2.I'm pretty sure those aren't Cutlasses in that Black Tiger photo. Either that or heavily edited.

Edited February 24, 2013 by renegadeleader1

[electric indigo]

2.I'm pretty sure those aren't Cutlasses in that Black Tiger photo. Either that or heavily edited.

Hint: One tail fin is missing.

Taken from here.

[hutch]

F-35s cleared for service

http://www.f-16.net/news_article4705.html

US buys A-29 Super Toscano's for Afghanistan

http://defense-update.com/20130228_las_a-29_super_tucano.html

[mechaninac]

@F-35s cleared for service: Cool, it appears that the problem that prompted the grounding was a one-off; the blade apparently cracked due to a material and/or machining flaw, and not a design one -- this is not unheard of as an undetected microscopic flaw in the metal or a minor manufacturing goof that's not caught immediately can create a failure several months, or years, or decades later depending on stresses encountered.

@US buys A-29 Super Tucanos for Afghanistan: Just follow your nose... and why aren't the Afgans paying for them?