Re: US military bases in Afghanistan after drawdown?

I'm not sure why the US isn't hitting the Taliban hard now. Just like after 9/11, they (Tailban and Al Quida) are out in the open. A handful of Special Ops guys marking targets would be able to remind the bad guys to behave. The bad guys always wanted our ground forces there because they were going...

Re: United and Mesa with tentative Heart ES-19 order

I think a lot of people would choose an airline that had an electric option. People where ? Not in the U.S. Look at the fraction of battery electric vehicle sales in the U.S.(less than 2.0%) in 2020 versus exploding truck and SUV segments. Too few people give a care. UA isn't going to operate them ...

Re: US military bases in Afghanistan after drawdown?

With the US 'handing over' Bagram air base to the Afghans this week: General Asadullah Kohistani told the BBC that the US left Bagram at 03:00 local time on Friday, and that the Afghan military found out hours later. Bagram also contains a prison, and there are reportedly up to 5,000 Taliban prison...

Re: DC-3 crashed in Colombia July 8, 2021

Reported image of the plane that is circulating. Found in a twitter thread. Translated This photo is circulating and we need to know who took it to indicate coordinates because the rescuers or the air force know where the plane is • help us find who took this photo https://twitter.com/i/status/1413...

Re: Airborne laser weapons news and discussion

It depends on the laser. You can get really high-power pulses, but each pulse lasts for only a short duration. With some clever manipulation of the laser, you can get really high power pulses, although this takes a toll on the optics. But even for pulsed lasers, often the photon-generating source is...

Re: AA Facing Summer Cancellations and Crewing Issues

The pilots rebid equipment and many of those where very senior (B757 & B767 & A330), Some might have got the B787 but most I bet ended up on B737, bumping a bunch of qualified B737 pilots to airbus. So now you have twice the number of pilots you have to retrain. I'm losing a colleague now t...

Re: Stealth is very important

At some point, you will need to win a head-to-head combat mission. How so? What example do we have from history that demonstrates this? ODS, Balkans, Bekaa Valley? None of those. I guarantee you, every aerial encounter in those conflicts was one side pitting every advantage they could scratch toget...

Re: Stealth is very important

I'm not sure I have the answer to all of your questions but I will try to answer what I know and/or think. Some of the strikes in Syria may have been carried by non stealth aircraft, there is obviously an element of "combat proven" capability that 8s part of political considerationsbetwee...

Re: Stealth is very important

Let’s suppose your India. Your main worry the politicians say is China. You can afford either 100 F-35s or 80 F-35s and 80 Jaguars with targeting pods. Which do you pick? I would probably choose 30 F-35s, 100 F-16s and 200 UAVs. Light attack aircraft cannot perform missions with any risk of enemy a...

Re: Stealth is very important

I’m trying to think of a nation that has a significant Air Force but doesn’t care about great power conflict. Maybe France or Israel? Maybe look at today's shoulder-nudging nations. Greece vs Turkey. India vs Pakistan. Recently it was Ethiopia vs Eritrea. In all of those cases, stealth has not been...

Re: Stealth is very important

Duplicate

Re: Stealth is very important

It all depends on who you are and what you think you will be doing. Stealth appears to be a toy of the "Great Game" players. If you are not one of these nations, and your national security assessment doesn't care about highly advanced conflict, then it's not for you. And really, unless you...

Re: Ouch—AA at DFW hits light pole

Would those lights posts be designed in a way to minimise damage to the aircrafts in these instances, e.g. a built-in weak point? I have seen car accidents with more damage after hitting posts. The term you are thinking of is frangible. In airfield infrastructure engineering, frangible means the it...

Re: Will the A380 outlast Concorde

How willing will Airbus be to provide support to airlines for the A380 by 2030 if only a handful of aircraft are still flying ? Part out the ones that got parked. And the OEMs (or more likely their successors) are usually on the hook for support until the last airframe takes its bow. It's an offici...

Re: Gulf War and Iraqi War CRAF flights?

The usual routine I was familiar with was the people-haulers flying into outside bases: Kuwait, Saudi, Qatar, etc. Then C-130 or C-17 into the theater.

Re: Kawasaki C-2: Why CF-6?

As said above, Japan's economy has involvement with the CF6, so it was a natural for a government project looking to take care of its local industry. Kawasaki was smart: they used an off-the-shelf engine with minimal modifications. That kept development costs and timelines safe from the dangers of e...

Re: Would US Military Ever Sell C-5 to the Civilian Cargo Market?

For commercial use: C-5: Was never offered, and I bet no one would have taken it. C-17: Was offered, no takers. C-130 as L100: Did have some takers, but it's a thin market when you divide L100 sales out over the years. An-124: A few takers, although as mentioned above the commercial vs government st...

Re: Drones Of Unknown Origin Swarm US Destroyers At Sea

It's the stuff of conspiracy theories!

I think the Navy's lack of energy to address this is a big hint. They don't seem worked up about it. I would go so far as to suggest they are Navy drones, or at least DoD, and they are classified enough that we the public only get reports that don't make sense.

Re: Why doesn't Boeing build regional jet?

As mentioned above, the RJ space had been hard enough to even survive in, let alone turn a profit. There are too many head stones in that graveyard, and today we are left praying for the survival of Embraer and Mitsubishi (who has yet to actually produce!). For good reason, Boeing doesn't play in th...

Re: UK Defence Command Paper: RAF to Axe C-130 Fleet by 2023

RJMAZ wrote:

What would the members here pick if the costs were equal?

Re: UK Defence Command Paper: RAF to Axe C-130 Fleet by 2023

The British budget axe swings again. Oh, how much damage it has done over the decades. Complete overreaction. I guess you're right. The British government doesn't go around defunding aging platforms before their planned drawdown and retirement, thereby resulting in a capability gap. Except for Nimr...

Re: UK Defence Command Paper: RAF to Axe C-130 Fleet by 2023

The British budget axe swings again. Oh, how much damage it has done over the decades. But on the other hand, the British have a deeper stake in the A400M, and despite being more expensive it is money spent somewhat closer to home. Maybe that is the line of thinking if they come to find a transporta...

Re: KC-135 boom info required please

I like the manual that was on the britmodeller website. Good info, except missing that inner tube diameter. It might be tough to model. The outer tube would be 59 mils in 1/144. You might be limited to what brass rod selection you can get to find something that is close. It's also not a true cylinde...

Re: A350F. Airbus looking to launch: Looking for customers

I think this is a good step in Airbus product line planning. For anyone with a widebody program, it is highly recommended to have a freighter variant and freighter conversion plan waiting in the file cabinet for when the time calls. It may take a long time to come about, but it's an additional reven...

Re: Could SLC be a focus city or hub for a second airline?

PatrickZ80 wrote:

What about a low-cost airline? I'm surprised Salt Lake City has neither Spirit, nor Allegiant, and only very little Frontier. it seems to be full service airlines only. I can totally see Spirit or Frontier make Salt Lake City work for them.

Re: TWA 800 wreckage to be destroyed before 25th anniversary