Prologue The concept of seaplane fighters was neither new nor novel – several examples had been put to desultory effect during WW2 and even combining floats with jets (like the British SR.A.1) still failed to overcome the shortcomings of the type. The problem lay in a combination of weight and drag – ruthless enemies where…
Comes the missive from Curt over at CSA that I have been tagged with the notorious “Six Weird Things†meme wherein: “Each player starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged should write something of their own and state the rules clearly. In the end, you should choose 6 people to…
OK guys, sound familiar?
Writing in the latest edition of The Hook (what, you’re not a member? Right this way then — and there’s associate memberships available for those who support tailhook aviation but haven’t experienced it first hand…yet), Boom Powell (“From the Catwalk”) relays a contributor’s lament about squadron tailcodes and callsigns, citing as examples VMA-255’s tail code…
Missile and other news and notes from around the ‘sphere: MANPADs vs Helos Lots of concern/interest in countering the MANPAD (MAN Portable Air Defense) missiles in the wake of increased helo loses these past couple of weeks. While the CH-46 loss that has gained so much coverage appears to have been mechanical in nature (Update:…
No, not for the Scribe or his clan, but for Pinch and his intended Nova Scotian bride-to-be. Drop by and pass along your best wishes!– SJS
Have a couple of irons in the fire — hopefully at least one will be out later this week. Space/missile roll-up tomorrow/Wednesday. In the meantime, a couple of Hawkeye clips for your viewing pleasure… From the ’06 show at Oceana (look close, you’ll see some ‘vapes). This Hawkeye has the new props — while there…
In the face of rising inflation (78% over the past 4 years) nationalization of the country’s largest electric company and the disappearance of staples from store shelves in reaction to government imposed price controls, comes this report on Venezuela’s ongoing military build-up. The Su-30s are kind of old news, but growing bonds with a radical…
A couple of interesting news notes picked up whilst culling international lists (one of the nicer aspects of YHS’ current job):First item — problems continue apace for the sublaunched variant of the Topol-M, the Bulava (“Mace”). Prior to this latest test (failure) there had been a number of statements in what passes for the open…
Hawker Sea Hawk F.Mk.1-6 It may (but really shouldn’t) surprise some readers that the Royal Navy once boasted an air arm of flattops with airwings similar in composition to those of the US (mix of fighters, attack, ASW and of course, AEW) which saw action in various corners of the world. Alas, that heritage is…
