electric indigo Posted January 22, 2015 Posted January 22, 2015 The 400M project gets quite a bashing in the press. After years of delay, the first machines were to be delivered with limited capabilities within this year, now even this date is questioned. The current 400Ms seem have no missile defense system, so they can't replace the ages old Transall as a frontline support. Quote
F-ZeroOne Posted January 23, 2015 Posted January 23, 2015 Military acquisitions seem to be one of those cases where there never is any good news until the damn thing is actually in service. Look at the C-17, which went through much the same. Or the V-22. Or the Eurofighter Typhoon. Or the most recent one I'm deliberately not going to mention, just for variety's sake... Quote
Dobber Posted January 23, 2015 Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) Lol, true enough. To be honest, I never have been overly critical of such things before, until the unmentionable one I'm probably just prejudiced against it because I think it is just butt ugly and not in a cool way, like the A-10 is considered. Makes no sence, I know, I just hate how the damn looks. Chris P.S. I'm speaking about the JSF for those who are wondering. Edited January 23, 2015 by Dobber Quote
F-ZeroOne Posted January 23, 2015 Posted January 23, 2015 For a minute I did think you meant the A400M, which I've seen "in person" and thought was quite cool. Quote
electric indigo Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 We reached the point where the new cargo planes look cooler than the new fighters... Quote
F-ZeroOne Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Ah, wait until Northrop unveil their entry to the "sixth-gen fighter" competition; with their track record it will be the coolest looking fighter ever. And then it will lose to whatever fake-plastic-dog-t**d-with-wings-stuck on that Boeing comes up with. Quote
electric indigo Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 And then it will lose to whatever fake-plastic-dog-t**d-with-wings-stuck on that Boeing comes up with. I bet it won't even have the wings this time... Quote
F-ZeroOne Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 On reflection, I think I went a bit too far there, sorry if I offended any Boeing fans... its just every time I think "Boeing" and "fighter" the X-32 appears... Quote
Dobber Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 TBH, I actually prefer the X-32 to the 35. Even in the looks department..... I know, I'm an oddity. Chris Quote
renegadeleader1 Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) This reminds me the X-32 was actually featured in episode 8 of Najica Blitz Tactics. In the episode Najica and Lila are bodyguards posing as spokesmodels at the Paris airshow when one of the Humeriits they are tracking steals the X-32 nicknamed here as the Oboro. They end up chasing it down in a Blackburn Buccaneer of all things. The episode is on youtube, just be warned this anime was made by Studio Fantasia who are known for two things being hardcore military equipment nuts and including tons of fanservice pantyshots in their shows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoyPNMH49vs Edited January 27, 2015 by renegadeleader1 Quote
Knight26 Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Seriously WTF was that? The stupid panty shots were just... Quote
SchizophrenicMC Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 I'm not gonna pretend I don't enjoy fanservice, but that was half panties and half lamebrain early-00s animation tropes. If you're going to make softcore porn, you need to at least follow To Love Ru's example. Anyway, I seem to recall Boeing losing every fighter plane competition. They pretty much only seem to win cargo/tanker/spacerocket contracts. Which is fine and good, because those are Boeing's areas of expertise. Quote
F-ZeroOne Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 I was going to point out that a Buccaneer doesn't have a built-in cannon, but then someone goes snatching rockets out of the air... Quote
renegadeleader1 Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) Damn harsh crowd. I wouldn't recommend watching episode 3 as it involves taking down a weapons dealer and blowing up his private vintage aircraft collection which includes things like the Arado Blitz, a drakken and a ME262. Edited January 27, 2015 by renegadeleader1 Quote
mechaninac Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 ^Seeing such fantastic aircraft turned into just so much burnt slag and scattered debris has got to hurt all the way deep into one's very soul, even if it's only a cartoon... Quote
F-ZeroOne Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 The Me262 is popular in anime - in Mazinger Z, its shown being used by the JASDF to fight Doctor Hells creations...! Quote
electric indigo Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 TBH, I actually prefer the X-32 to the 35. Even in the looks department..... I know, I'm an oddity. Chris A little bit of tweaking, and you have a cool fighter... Quote
Sildani Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Very cool looking. That anime was... just... ick. Quote
renegadeleader1 Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Here let me make up for it with this.... another anime featuring the Buccaneer. Quote
Guest davidwhangchoi Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 reading the model F-14 kyekye posted i watched this: F-14 TOMCAT Full Afterburner Take off 1996 Quote
Dobber Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) I have never seen a service, or at least a services leadership, continue to show as much contempt for a successful and effective weapons system as the U.S. Air Force does for the A-10. This is just unbelievable! http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/air-force-probing-alleged-treason-remark-general-28553046 Chris Edited January 29, 2015 by Dobber Quote
Sildani Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 The Air Force, for whatever reason, has always disliked the idea of moving mud. Bombers yes, CA, not so much. It's very believable that many in the AF want to be rid of it. But there's other reasons for that as well. I can't say what they are, but the reasons are valid. The thing is, in my opinion, those reasons are outweighed by the Hog's effectiveness and the fact that nothing in the current inventory can really take its role. The Strike Eagle comes closest, but it really doesn't have the legs or survivability to battle damage. As for airmen not being able to express themselves freely - that's true, always been true, and don't believe differently. Quote
raptormesh Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Pretty sure if you paint stripes on them hogs... Anyway it's a question of budget, I'm sure the airmen would not mind having the hogs around more if they don't have to sacrifice other elements. Bottom line, they had to choose and they chose the fast jets. Quote
Model-Junkie Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 The Boeing 747-8 is announced as the replacement for Air Force One Quote
Shadow Posted January 31, 2015 Posted January 31, 2015 I have never seen a service, or at least a services leadership, continue to show as much contempt for a successful and effective weapons system as the U.S. Air Force does for the A-10. This is just unbelievable! http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/air-force-probing-alleged-treason-remark-general-28553046 Chris If the Air Force really doesn't want the Hog anymore, maybe the Army will buy them up. Also, one of the final F-14 demo's. This time with GE engines. Quote
Nekko Basara Posted January 31, 2015 Posted January 31, 2015 If the Air Force really doesn't want the Hog anymore, maybe the Army will buy them up. Unless there have been some big changes, the Army is prohibited from operating fixed-wing aircraft in an offensive capacity. That is strictly the Air Force's turf. If I recall, it was wrangling over whether the Air Force could provide the CAS capability the Army demanded that led to the A-10 in the first place. The Army wanted support that could loiter for long periods, respond quickly to needs on the ground, and could provide fire right down in the dirt, close to the troops. The Air Force traditionally favors a fast get-in, get-out approach that doesn't allow for such close target identification and cooperation. Quote
Noyhauser Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 (edited) The Air Force, for whatever reason, has always disliked the idea of moving mud. Bombers yes, CA, not so much. It's very believable that many in the AF want to be rid of it. I think that's been a bit of a misconception, particularly given that the past decade has seen the USAF do little else but CAS. Much of the view of the USAF's past resistance is critiqued in this post: http://elementsofpower.blogspot.ca/2011/07/debunking-close-air-support-myths-part_24.html But there's other reasons for that as well. I can't say what they are, but the reasons are valid. The thing is, in my opinion, those reasons are outweighed by the Hog's effectiveness and the fact that nothing in the current inventory can really take its role. The Strike Eagle comes closest, but it really doesn't have the legs or survivability to battle damage. As for airmen not being able to express themselves freely - that's true, always been true, and don't believe differently. I really disagree with this statement. The reality is that most tactical fighters can do the CAS role significantly better than the Warthog can. The Warthog has accounted for less than 1 in 5 CAS sorties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why? Because the way that CAS operates has changed. CAS isn't really about going low and gunning down targets with the Avenger. Rather its mission that employs a variety of systems and platforms, from the JTAC on the ground, UAV sensors in the air, artillery, and aircraft. Within current doctrine, aircraft typically deliver precision guided munitions at medium to high altitudes utilizing advanced targeting pods like Litening or Sniper. The combination of the two make for a far more lethal capability than in previous generation. We now have bombs with a wide variety of effects, from the 250lbs Small diameter bombs, 500lbs cement LJDAM, to 2,000 lbs JDAMs... CAS is conducted with a precision now that was never dreamt of before. The last series of upgrades to the A-10 would basically allow it to operate more like its brethren, the F-16 and F/A-18, not vice versa. Ironically, many cite Desert Storm as the turning point where the USAF changed its views on the necessity of the A-10 and its low level CAS mission. The reality was quite the opposite: DS made it painfully evident that low level strikes were not survivable by any aircraft, particularly the "armoured" A-10. It suffered disproportionate losses, due to its low level attack profile. Their most effective weapon was not the GAU, but the AGM-65, a weapon almost every other fighter could carry. The A-10 was further handicapped by the fact it did not have a infrared targeting pod like LANTIRN; pilots were forced to use their Mavericks as a ersatz IR sensor due to this limitation. Why is does the USAF want the A-10 removed? For a number of reasons. It reasonably believes that it can undertake the CAS with other assets, as it has been doing since 2001. Moreover, sequestration has had grievous impacts on its budget and it is trying to scrounge up every penny and resource to support its transition to the F-35. While the A-10's 3~4 billion dollar budget seems small compared to the multibillion dollar JSF, it takes up an important part of the service's resources. A few months ago the JSF PEO Chris Bogdan suggested the F-35A's IOC would be delayed because of Congressional resistance towards retiring the A-10. That's basically the lay of the land. I think within the Service and its perspective, there isn't much dispute about whether the A-10 can be effectively replaced by other aircraft: it already has. Rather the A-10 replacement is really a political battle that any serviceman or woman will be wading into if they make a statement. The congressional authorities perspectives are not entirely motivated by a reasonable difference on what mix of capabilities are required. Rather, it is motivated in part to keep bases open in their home districts, which further hamstrings the USAF's ability to make rational decisions about its future force structure in a period of growing instability and austerity. AF officials speaking on this topic are basically operating against the best interests of the service. Anyway, I hope that provides you with the perspective about why the A-10 is being retired and all the atmospherics surrounding it. Edited February 3, 2015 by Noyhauser Quote
David Hingtgen Posted February 4, 2015 Author Posted February 4, 2015 That's just friggin' nuts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BIsUCQEv_8 And the car that the wingtip clips: Sadly, death toll from the crash still rising. Quote
sketchley Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Did it clip the building on the way down? It seems to have been flying level up until it passes - and then starts rolling sharply to the left after passing. Quote
frothymug Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 The rate of descent is ridiculous; I think there was already a problem before it got close to the building Quote
Beltane70 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 The driver of that car was really lucky, I hope that they didn't have a passenger! Quote
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