Disclaimer: I am not nor have I ever been an employee of N-G. Yes, I have over 3,000 hours in their E-2C and it is with that time, and the experiences it has brought across a wide playing field that the following is submitted. – SJS The final deliveries of supplies and materials for the…
Previous in series: The Missiles of Winter (I): International Conventions The Missiles of Winter – Part II: Rampant Proliferation Pyrolytic or fibrous reinforced graphites. The raw material is a very fine dark grey to black powder – processed, the density ranges from 1.72 to 2.2 g/cc, with the latter being the case for pyrolytic graphite….
Previous: The Missiles of Winter (I): International Conventions March 1985. In the high desert, west of Tehran, an element of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Air Force (IRGC AF) is going about their business in the early morning darkness. The object of their attention is a SCUD-B SRBM fixed to a MAZ-543P transporter-erector launcher, both…
The “Flying Prostitute” it was called – the design, radical for the time, featured wings so short in span that there appeared to be “no visible means of support,” hence the moniker. Later, as inexperienced crews were dropping more and more of them into the waters of Tampa Bay, it earned another – “widow maker.” …
If news reports coming from South Korea and echoed through the West are to be believed, North Korea is moving towards another attempt at launching a Taepo Dong – 2 IR/ICBM, ostensibly as a space launch vehicle (SLV). This would be the third such attempt, with previous attempts in July 2006 and Sept 1998 ending…
While “Fate is the Hunter†ought to be required reading for any and all associated with flying of any type, Chp 3, “The Seasoning†is particularly apropos. Start at pg. 79 if you like, or here: “I stop pumping, tune the D.F.’s radio to Knoxville frequency, and reach for the loop crank. In doing so…
Vikings. Hawkeyes. CODs. Prowlers. Whales (when they were still around)… Cats and dogs we were called. Didn’t go fast (‘cept down hill). Didn’t do afterburner flybys. Boss and Handler generaly tolerated ’em, barely, unless they went stiff wing in the wires, then all hell was unleashed. Usually got the back-end pick of the Ready Rooms…
We’re in the land of lotus-eaters this week for a conference supporting the book project we previously mentioned. Busy times with trying to cram three days of stuff into two, so our time, perforce, is limited for posting until we return to Occupied Territory later this week. In the meantime – some quick thoughts: It…
(…and no, it’s not .50 cals we’re talking about) The period from the end of the Korean War through the commissioning of the USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) was witness to an incredible period of growth in knowledge and experience with all things in naval aviation. From straight-decks and props to nuclear power and supersonic fighters,…
Comes word over night of an apparently successful attempt by Iran to place a satellite in orbitusing the Safir-2 space launch vehicle (SLV). The Safir (“Ambassador”) was ingeniously developed as part of Iran’s growing rocket and missile program and has direct links to its attempts to develop extended range missiles in the IRBM and ultimately,…
