Jets & Planes but no UAV's here.

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

This was a very useful website for the news side of things but more importantly because it covers the full range of MiG aircraft from the beginning (1940 MiG-1) in a very detailed manner. As I've recovered this from a much earlier post for my Jets/Planes system folder, I thought why not re-post it here as well. I think some of you would find it interesting. I think you'll figure out who's behind the website but, again no "hoopla" just "the straight dope" is presented.
http://toad-design.com/migalley/index.php/history/

Enjoy!

Regards,
Pat

[MarkSheppard]

Originally Posted by FASTBOAT TOUGH

This was a very useful website for the news side of things but more importantly because it covers the full range of MiG aircraft from the beginning (1940 MiG-1) in a very detailed manner.

You're better off buying Yefim Gordon's books on Russian Aircraft.

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Mark though I really appreciate the information on the book, I have to at the same time think in game terms out here, which is to say, does a particular site provide me with all the data PLUS a little more to get, improve upon or get deleted a particular piece of equipment entered into a game. Some know that I've "tracked" equipment literally for years out here and my past submissions are littered with them, also this goes for the research side of things I.E. from a simple question presented to the forum about the status of the French 105mm which took about three years to resolve with Don. It would also lead to changes in the French and a couple of other countries in some minor changes to other related artillery units, the "rabbit hole".

So please know this, I spend more time keeping track of my own sources than I do equipment, I constantly am looking for consistency in the data from my all sources as compared against each other and a couple I keep in my "hip pocket" if you will. Many times over the years Don has asked how I feel about that source or another (And I appreciate it.) and sometimes we go with it, hold off on it and rarely not pursue the issue knowing I'm watching (Or he's watching.) if any changes occur to warrant me resubmitting or you find it in the next or future released patch from you know who.

Equipment just changes to quickly, I only own one book on equipment in my library on the matter and it's on WWII aircraft I've had since I can't remember-I guess it reminds that we must not forgot the past and learn from it, but, it hasn't changed. These websites are more fluid and current a book on equipment would be an anchor if you will to what I do here. And you have to admit I cover a lot of areas (Maybe too many.) and all the countries I can as they pop up and have even handled requests for research and submission of equipment from forum members (All are in and thank you again for those.). As you can see it gets complicated and I need to find a "middle ground" somewhere because this will be my 4th year I haven't submitted something of any length and I don't like it.

I do love my books finishing one on the 1916 Easter Rising I got while in Dublin and my next will be one on the battle of Waterloo and Wellington, while in Dublin I saw the Wellington Monument (It is reopened to the public.) to him and the troops that fought it. While looking at that monument (And the tallest obelisk in Europe and tallest 3-sided one in the world.) I wondered why he would design it (The original one.) and put it into the Capital city of Ireland when he supposedly disliked his own Irish background and country. But it was Britain's Ireland then and maybe he was sending his own message too them? But that's what a book is to me the start of an adventure and hopefully not a chore.

I owed you more than a thanks or a whatever (God I hate that term!). Besides books cost money and the one's I'd want from my military background would cost a fortune every year to buy and update but, that's John's department and the fund raising ain't worked out to this point!?! And can you imagine how annoying I'd be to Don!?! He's already pulled enough hair out of his head already because of me, I'll just let'em keep whats left.

So to get why the threads here...So what does it take to develop your own stealth fighter program? The next should provide some insight. Consider this an update because you're right been tracking it almost from the start.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...rogram-010647/

The next shows where the F-35 stands and why those F-35A models were grounded this past September.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...program-07501/

A little more "cover" from my last post in this thread.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...ntracts-06392/
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...hornets-05739/


Sorry to the rest of you but the man deserved a better response and one I'd give to anyone out here under the same circumstances on a matter of personal importance to me.

Regards,
Pat

[IronDuke99]

The F-35 link above does not seem to be working?

[DRG]

Pat.......when we put things like the B-52 in we ask ourselves questions like......." How many would have existed at the first introduction date to participate in ground attack missions? " and the answer is ZERO and if you'd asked yourself that question when you started this quest you would have arrived at the same answer.

Seriously........you want us to make the B-52 available 6 years before the 1960 date that they appear in the game ?

Seriously ? 1954 ?

The first wing to use them didn't become operational until March 1956 and their task was strategic bombing NOT tactical ground support. I think we are being EXTREMELY GENEROUS with the 1960 start date given the first time they were used in conventional bombing was Arc Light in mid 1965 and I am MORE inclinded to move the date BACK to 1965 as it is in the USMC OOB

As for the F-105 ....... are we really under represented in the US OOB for ground attack aircraft with a wide variety of weapons that players have to choose from ?? I'm not quite sure when some players started assuming out purpose was to include every possible combinations of weapons available that any given model of aircraft could carry but we don't. There are 28 units slots let open in the US OOB..... why would we waste them on aircraft when there is already a wide variety of weapon loadouts available to choose from on a variety of aircraft

???

Don

[Suhiir]

Keep in mind the B-52's were designed/intended as strategic bombers. So they would not have been available to anyone but SAC when first deployed.

Even in early Vietnam they weren't used for conventional bombing missions (they used B-25's and 26's). I agree with Don that mid 1965 is a "reasonable" availability date.

[gila]

B-52's may have been rolled out for display in 50's the cold war as a almost global bomber with refueling, to intimidate the ruskies but not used until the 60's in Vietnam.
I was on SAC base for years,you never forget the smell of jet exhuast as 20 or so touch and go when on alert.
Anyways,i'm sure we can all agree,,level bombers are really not an important aspect at all to the game,right?

[Suhiir]

A March 2012 report in the magazine Air Forces Monthly suggested that some of the 72 ex-British Harrier-IIs might fly again; the USMC planned to equip two squadrons with the latter GR.9/9A models due to the well maintained condition of the airframes at RAF Cottesmore, where the aircraft were stored and maintained following their retirement.

[[Gary Parsons (March 2012). "UK Harriers will fly again with USMC". Air Forces Monthly (Key Publishing) (288)]]

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has since stated, however, that the USMC has never had any plans to operate the ex-RAF Harriers.

[[Majumdar, Dave (9 June 2012). "USMC hopes new method for tracking fatigue life will help extend Harrier to 2030". Flightglobal.com.]]

##########

TAV-8B/AV-8B Day Attack (DA): One Rolls Royce Pegasus F402-RR-406 turbofan engine with approximately 20,280 pounds of thrust.

AV-8B Night Attack (NA)/AV-8B Radar: One Rolls Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408A turbofan engine with approximately 22,200 pounds of thrust.

The original DA AV-8B was replaced by the NA variant in 1990.
The NA configuration includes: night vision goggle-compatible cockpit controls and displays, a wide-field-of-view HUD, NAVFLIR Forward Looking Infrared system, a Digital Map Unit (DMU), and an Angle Rate Bombing System (ARBS) with laser spot tracker, which provides first pass day or night target strike capability at low altitude/high speed.

In 1993, the Radar AV-8B was fielded with the full night fighting capability and an AN/APG-65 Radar set to improve A/G and A/A tactical effectiveness.

In 1994, the U.S.M.C. began a remanufacturing process to convert DA AV-8Bs to the Radar configuration (REMAN); deliveries began in 1996.

The Spanish Navy has DA/Radar AV-8Bs.
The Italian Navy has Radar AV-8Bs only.

Federation of American Scientists

[DRG]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

A March 2012 report in the magazine Air Forces Monthly suggested that some of the 72 ex-British Harrier-IIs might fly again; the USMC planned to equip two squadrons with the latter GR.9/9A models due to the well maintained condition of the airframes at RAF Cottesmore, where the aircraft were stored and maintained following their retirement.

I guess this means you don't look at the game USMC OOB very closely...

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

When I first reported on this awhile ago, I was asked if the USMC might use the the UK HARRIERS for more then spare parts and my response was along the lines of "it might be possible but..." I think most know what the "but" was as posted in this thread somewhere. Someone out here knows very well what NAVAIR does and what it's responsible for when it comes to both USN and USMC aviation. There is no information to support the USMC is flying or has assigned any UK HARRIERS to any USMC SQD.

From June this year...
"The sale of these [aircraft] supplies critically needed AV-8B aircraft parts," NAVAIR says. "Many of these parts are obsolete with no source of manufacture. As a result, the USMC has realized an immediate improvement in readiness."

But contrary to media reports, the USMC never had any intention of flying the British jets. Nor did the service ever consider replacing the Boeing F/A-18D fleet with the GR9. "The USMC operation of UK Harriers was not under consideration," NAVAIR says.

Here's the full article and there's more.
http://rpdefense.over-blog.com/artic...106658423.html

With the NAVAIR website...
1. Not listed on under Fixed Wing aircraft.
2. Search result for UK Harriers...No Results Found.
3. Search result for GR 9 Harrier...About 8 hits for the
AV-8B II.
4. Search result for Harrier...I think it was 33 all concerned with the AV-8B/II to include SQD. deployments.
5. Searched 36 pages of NAVAIR and associated commands "PAO" press releases back to 5/21/2010. with no results. Did learn that AV-8BII has successfully flown on a bio fuel, PMA-257 that is in charge of maintaining the USMC Harriers got a new CO very recently and that I might've missed the below news along with the fact it illustrates the point of this exercise.

Found this along the way USMC retired the CH-53D end date change might be required...
http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm...sStory&id=4920

With the HARRIER flying until 2030 this was the only viable option to buy well maintained Harriers for spares with the exception of Spain that had theirs updated I believe last year or 2010 in the U.S. There were also many stories around the time of and in the early stages of the sale that many of the UK airframes suffered from structural fatigue issues. Some was reported by UK MOD and supposedly mostly repaired during the last upgrade period that brought the GR.7 to the GR.9 standard
~2007/2008. I feel these later stories were a "cover" to soften the issues of the price the USMC was able to buy them for.

If NAVAIR doesn't say they're flying...they're not.

I've liked the HARRIER since I was well...a little younger and that was the UK version of course back then. There was an excellent book written on the UK HARRIERS in the Falklands War by a SQD. Leader that I believe got two kills there. Might be posted somewhere in the thread where the HARRIER posts are.
The HARRIER remains one of the best Ground Attack aircraft out there in both it's last UK versions and currently as the AV-8BII and I have to say Spains new version as well.

Regards,
Pat