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Drones ;) AQM-37A Jayhawk Targetdrones Just a little sideproject to keep me motivated. AQM-37-model made by me with Blender. Inspired by > this < picture.

Sometimes is shooting at short distance not such a good idea.

Back in 2004 a book was released by Osprey that likely caused a few (thousand) Internet forum arguments……………...Iranian F-14 Tomcat units in combat by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop. The information in the book shattered the typical Western held views and perception of what really might have happened during the eight-year Iran Vs Iraq conflict in the 1980s. The book is probably owned by most Tomcat fans out there and even was referred to positively by both Dave Baranek and his guest Iranian former F-14 pilot (Mikey) in Episode 5 of the Tomcast on YouTube. But what was the controversy all about and how accurate was the information presented? After all information is usually the first casualty of war and it usually takes decades afterwards to even start scratching the surface. Lack of Information Osprey books are normally very well researched using the best information available that they can get released into the public domain. That information can often be cross checked especially in the US where more of this information is available. The problem with the Iran/ Iraq conflict is that most of the official Iraq war records seems to have been lost during the constant state of conflict there. Likewise getting credible information from Iran also involves contacting those who have to remain anonymous due to such things as political persecution and death threats. (Even if they live outside of Iran) Trust Today Tom Cooper is probably one of the top authorities on Middle Eastern Combat having published many books with leading Historians….. but this book was one of his first and it had listed almost no source references! You basically had to put trust that Osprey had actually had a look at where this information was coming from. What gets your backs up! The book is only written from an Iranian point of view and thus, to most of us that does not mean you can dismiss it but you need to be weary that there is always more than one side to every story. We also have to accept that the information on the conflict was still not great at this point in time and therefore unlike most Osprey books you had to accept that the information was raw and a higher percentage of it was likely wrong. For an example of the hodgepodge of data, in the chapter “The Fog of Disinformation” it states: “It remains unclear exactly how many air-to air kills were scored by IRIAF F-14s between 7 Sept 1980 and 7 July 1988” It then tells us that a Post war Iranian conference concluded that a total of 71 x AIM-54s had been fired with a further 10 lost (Due to crashes/defection etc) The conference also determined the F-14 had a total of 30 x confirmed kills with 16 of those confirmed AIM-54 kills. The author then states that they have further evidence for 130 confirmed kills total including 40 with the AIM-54. Then if we move to the Appendices, it lists another figure - around 58 “confirmed kills” with the AIM-54 and around 159 total confirmed kills. [more on that later] So then the hodgepodge of information gives a total that might be in the range of 30 to 159 for total claims, and AIM-54 claims might range from 16 to 58 [okay] Accuracy The book was the first time most found out that perhaps the F-14s were used in combat and that stories of the US sabotaging all the missiles etc were not completely true. This is one thing in the book at least that is backed up in some other interviews like here: What is the biggest myth about the Iranian F-14s? “The most tiresome is that the departing US personnel stationed in Iran managed to sabotage Iranian F-14 radar, electronics and Phoenix missiles before leaving Iran in the ensuing days after the 1979 revolution. Let me tell you that I was a young officer during those days at Esfahan Khatami air base. Our wing commanders and senior officers made sure this never happened. We lined up departing American personnel before boarding their TWA aircraft and inspected them all. From: F-14 Tomcat pilot Col. Fereydoun A. Mazandarani (rtd) The Appendices and the art of the Kill Although there is probably a lot of useful information in the book the one area that always seems a tad flaky was the Appendices which lists 159 confirmed kills in total for the Iranian F-14A. It does at least list some sources for the information. What we can do is take information released more recently (including newer text from T Cooper) from the Iraqi side and see what has changed and if it can be matched up in anyway to these confirmed kills. In particular Iraqi Mirages in Combat (2018, Miguel Garcia, Independent) Iraqi Mirages (2019, Tom Cooper & Milos Sipos, Helion) A confirmed kill is not a confirmed Kill In the history of aerial warfare, the difference between confirmed kills stated by one side only and the real actual kills has been like the difference between Jupiter and the Sun! In fact, ridiculous claims are even partly to blame for major blunders such as the USAAF sending in unescorted bombers for so long over Germany in 1943 to their inevitable slaughter. After all, why do you need escort fighters if your bomber crews claims show they have already shot down the entire Luftwaffe! A good airforce should only claim a confirmed kill based on multiple criteria – even gun camera film in the past has not been enough evidence of an actual shootdown. Pilots in the stress of combat are extremely bad eyewitnesses and here we have a conflict where pilots are firing missiles BVR. One explosion in the distance or a radar blip disappearing are not evidence of an actual shootdown. So, a “confirmed kill” by one side is usually better described as a “Claim” instead. 33 claims on Mirage F1s………. hmm That’s right, the Appendices in the book list 33 F-14A “confirmed kills” (claims) over Mirage F1s. (Garcia M) only lists a total of 32 Mirages lost over the period to all causes! Out of that, only 2 of those dates match any of those 33 events. [what!] So is that 2 actual losses only out of 33 claims listed!! [Oh dear]. But wait you say that independent book from Garcia M cannot be much use, can it? Well, the thing is the 2019 (T Cooper / Sipos) book actually matches the information in the (Garcia M) book closely and almost disowns the 2004 data like a child that doesn’t meet its ideals. The (T Cooper / Sipos) book does mention another 2 of the events out of the list of 33 but in both cases states the missiles fired by the F-14 missed the Mirages. So where does the figure of 33 comes from? - Is it coincidence that the total number of Mirage F1 losses (Garcia M) to all causes comes to about 32 for that period?? Better information? Either way both of the newer books provide information that Iranian F-14As may have shot down 7 or 8 Mirage F1s during the conflict [Yes, slightly less than 33]. Likewise, they also show that Mirage F1s may have shot down 4 x F-14As (a 5th F-14A was hit but flew back to base) Is that accurate? – only time will tell but at least the numbers are going in the right direction [down] Other things noted in the 2004 book are, the Appendices also show most of the Sidewinders and Sparrows used as the type AIM-9P and AIM-7E-4. The more recent information suggests that Iran only had the AIM-9J and AIM-7E-2 and were essentially using ones supplied for their F-4s which had degraded capability because of it. Also, on page 76 the 2004 book tells us (from the Iranian side) that Iraq received Super 530D and Magic 2 missiles. The recent information in both newer books suggest Iraq only received Magic 1 and Super 530F missiles and nearly all their claims were using the Super 530F. So, perhaps some progress has been made in the past 2 decades because instead of these authors shouting at people on internet forums (yes, some did) there is maybe a bit more calm and willingness to look at both sides and the actual data available. The final word on the book is that its real value was not only to highlight that the conflict was very different to published stories about it at the time, but also may have helped inspire those more passionate to get out there and start digging for better information. Sources · Iraqi Mirages in Combat (2018, Garcia M, Independent) · Iraqi Mirage (2019, Cooper T, Sipos M, Helion) · Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in combat (2004, Cooper T, Bishop F, Osprey) · Air Combat Memoirs of the Iranian Air Force Pilots (2015, Ryan, K, Bishop F, Independent) · Schweinfurt-Regensburg 1943 (2020, Marshall Michel III, Osprey) The Tomcast Episode 5: Iranian F-14s (2020, Baranek, Online): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q5Y_ai4s2Y Interview with Fereydoun Mazandarani (2020, Hushkit, Online): https://hushkit.net/2020/04/07/interview-with-the-greatest-living-fighter-ace-f-14-tomcat-pilot-col-rtd-fereydoun-a-mazandarani/

Lockheed F-104H Starfighters of Fliegerstaffel 17, Swiss Air Force, 1971

That was hell long two weeks. Check downloads .

View File EF-101D Jammin VooDoo. What If... I have absolutely no idea what I am doing here... The true story behind Jammin VooDoo When USAF realized that maintaining expensive RF-101B become problematic for the budget they started to look for potential clients among allied forces. Imperial Iranian Air Force saw an opportunity in this. After closing the deal IIAF immediately asked the Israeli industry to prepare a possible package for 22 airframes. The deal covered the full conversion of existing airframes into electronic countermeasure fighters. RF-101B received ground mapping radar and sophisticated electronics. It was successfully used by IIAF in escort and SEAD missions until 1979. Soon before the revolution, Israel was afraid that Jammin Voodoo electronics will get into the wrong hands. Thanks to diplomatic efforts Heyl Ha'Avir acquired all 22 airframes. Jammin VooDoo stayed in Israel until 1983 where it served in 253 Tayeset as an experimental ECM detachment. In 1983 due to huge expenses with old airframes, EF-101 was sold back to the USA. All aircraft were sent to two National Guard squadrons where they served for 4 more years in "wild Weasel" detachments. In 2380 due to a temporal anomaly, USS Titan was sent into 1988. On secret assignment, all 22 aircraft were beamed into the cargo bay where airframes were scrapped and electronics were used to create a time beacon. Basic modding skills are required t run this mod. credits: RF-101B by erikgen pylons from great Nyghtfal A-4 pack converted to use with Jammin VooDoo. ALQ and AGM-45 by Ravenclav. skins,ini etc..me Have fun Jarek H. Submitter yakarov79 Submitted 01/23/2022 Category What If Hangar  

Lockheed F-104A Starfighter - 302nd Fighter Squadron, Imperial Iranian Air Force, 1966 The F-104A was the initial production single-seat interceptor version of the Lockheed Starfighter and entered service with the USAF in 1958 but was soon relegated to Air National Guard units in the early 1960's although a small number were retained by the USAF Air Defense Command. From 1963 many surviving F-104A's were released for export to Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, and Taiwan. The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) received its first 16 F-104A's and 4 F-104B's in early 1965 to form the 302nd Fighter Squadron which was declared operational in July 1965. The IIAF were satisfied enough with their F-104A's to order 120 F-104G's and 24 TF-104G's all of which came from the Canadair production line. As the F-104G's entered IIAF service the F-104A's were initially relegated to training purposes but from 1970 they were used exclusively by the IIAF's aerobatic display team, the Golden Crown. After the Iranian revolution in 1979, the new Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) was moderately successful at keeping Western fighters in service but the F-104A's were quick to deteriorate through a lack of spares and did not remain in service to participate in the Iran-Iraq war that started in September 1980.

So much to catch up and comment! But first, here's the latest from Auguste... The War Diary of Auguste Besson, Escadrille MS. 23, part 3. Our offensive in the Artois sector came to an end in late July. Sadly, despite a massive effort by all of our combined forces on both land and in the air, the outcome was a failure. There were some local successes, but the boche lines held and could not be broken. By then, I was getting quite familiar with everything and was actually enjoying my duties as a military pilot, despite all the dangers inherent to the job. I had managed to find my place in the escadrille and was developing a certain daily routine, which of course depended greatly on the orders we were given. In the last week of July, the Chief of Aviation of the Second Army issued a relocation order to our escadrille. We were ordered to move to a field located at a place called Matougues, near the city of Châlons-sur-Marne in the Marne Department. The Second Army front was being reorganized following the failed offensive, and our allies the British were extending their lines to the south with additional forces. The relocation of a whole escadrille from one base to another requires a major logistical effort and also great feats of improvisation. So, in the first week of August, our ground personnel began to gather up everything for transportation. They needed a lot of cars and lorries for the job, and what equipment the escadrille lacked was rapidly provided for by the army parks. The distance from Lahoussey in Flanders to Matougues in Marne is about 200 km as the Parasol flies, so it was no small task to get everything sorted out. Obviously the distance is even greater when travelling on the roads behind the front. Perhaps we will eventually have flying cars or big transport planes to fix that problem! We kept flying missions for as long as possible, in order to not waste any of our aviation resources still present in the Artois sector. But eventually, all of our machines were dismantled for transportation too. Fortunately the Parasol is a rather small and lightweight machine, and can be easily carried by a lorry. The journey to our new field was somewhat arduous. The weather turned bad in August and constant rains made the roads muddy and slippery. There were also mechanical failures in the lorries, which slowed our progress down to a crawl. I felt nothing but admiration for the men, NCO’s and officers serving as our support troops and doing their often difficult duty without complaints. Theirs is a task that does not receive any attention by the press, nor is it written about by authors interested only in stories of heroic combat. And yet, without the mechanics, drivers, and engineers, all of our efforts at fighting a modern war would soon grind to a halt! On August 7, we were finally at our new home, Matougues. It is a small community located on the southern bank of the river Marne along the road from Épernay to Châlons. Roughly to the northwest is the major city of Reims, defiantly facing the invading boche armies. The frontlines ran about 20 km from our field. We were now in the Fourth Army sector, though still formally attached to the Second Army of General Petain. Though Matougues is just a small village, the region itself is densely populated and there is no lack of proper housing for comfort-loving aviators! So we quickly set ourselves up in brick houses and the ground crew put up tent hangars for the machines. The field itself was smaller than Lahoussey but also quite easy to locate, being so close to the Marne.Terrain to the south of Reims is heavily wooded, especially compared to the open fields of Flanders. Flying in such a region presents additional challenges to the pilot, as making an emergency landing in a forest usually ends in a disaster! As soon as everything was ready on the ground, we began flying orientation missions to familiarize ourselves with our new sector. TO BE CONTINUED...

First attempts to make coast tiles. The buildings are TOD made, taken from Starys Green hell 3.5. The water and the port are new. I'm not really happy with it yet. But it is only a first step of a very long way.

View File Panavia Tornado F.3 RAF for ODS edition upgrade 1.0.0 Tornado F.3 RAF Super Skinpack The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) was a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979, and it entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1986. The Tornado ADV was originally designed to intercept Soviet bombers as they were traversing across the North Sea with the aim of preventing a successful air-launched nuclear attack against the United Kingdom. In this capacity, it was equipped with a powerful radar and beyond-visual-range missiles. The type has been replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon. WHAT'S IN: - 27 new High Rez skins - serial numbers by squadron - data.ini taxing fix (same as AMI pack) CREDITS: - Bobrock: plane & templates - Menvra: ODS Edition upgrade - paulopanz: skins by squadron, serials by plane, ini edit INSTALL: - ODS Tornado F.3 installed - All in your mod folder Enjoy @ paulopanz Submitter paulopanz Submitted 01/23/2022 Category Tornado  

I will be adding this to the bottom of my to do list but no promises in when it will be completed.

Early riser.. So of course, when the sun came up, I flew my dumb@$$ directly over a Sam Nest, with predictable results.... So much for flying & drinking coffee.

You know...It is a NUCLEAR matter.

Collecting blueprint for MQ-9 Reaper

View File Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UCAV Hello, and thank you for downloading my work. https://gkabs.net https://gulfknights.net What's included: Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) model. this come with 6 Texutes (Azerbaijan, Morocco, Poland, Qatar, Turkey and Ukraine) All my files should include the Strike Fighters 2 Series game file, (.old) and the texture required. (tested and work only for SF2) Installation: Copy files to their proper folder If you need any further help, please read the Knowledge Base at: https://combatace.com/forums/forum/268-thirdwire-strike-fighters-2-series-knowledge-base/ Version 1.0.3 Improve the FM and removed VTOl from the hud display. Thanks to Coupi. Version 1.0.2 Updated the data file thanks to yakarov79's help in showing me how to fix it. now the camera and the laser are working searching around for targets. 1.0.0 LICENSE: You are allowed to, use this model and everything included with it for personal non-profit use for Strike Fighters 1 and 2. For use outside of this scope, you need to contact me for permission. gkabs@gkabs.net Credit goes to the following: Third Wire for making this outstanding game. Coupi for his early trying to work on the model and testing and for making the promo screenshots compufat for working on all textures for the TB2 (except the Turkish one) and for making the decals and testing the model. guuruu for making the all FM files, also for making the UMTAS Missile and Rail, and for reworking the UVW for the two missiles MAM-C and L. Thank you so much for all the time spent making this model come to life. Zurawski for using his outstanding MQ-10A Kodiak cockpit Credit goes to https://www.textures.com as I use a lot of their photos to create the skins. Google for some photos and information. And finally not to forget the wonderful site of https://combatace.com and all the nice members and their dedicated support for this game. Software used: 3d Max 2009 UVLayout v2 Pro Substance Painter Adobe Photoshop If you need any assistance, please contact me at gkabs@gkabs.net Submitter GKABS Submitted 01/16/2022 Category Other  

F-104M Starfighter - Imperial Iranian Air Force, 1972 (Shar-fighter?)

Okay, the "swing wing" at the nose of the Dassault Milan is rather small, but it is a "swing wing".