MigBuster

And the M3.5 speed? good luck sorting out the friction issues guys - may as well redo the XF-108 Canada going by themselves to produce a very expensive jet that no one else would likely buy - wont happen.

Saw this today - Excellent film - up there with the best of this type IMO.

Saw it was in the Oscar nominations list yesterday - will see it this week I suspect

A newsnight report from the carrier during recent operations. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-30825586

http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/14/baltic-air-policing-photo-session/

The Douglas Skyraider has been the last piston engine propelled aircraft to shoot down a jet fighter. The last propeller U.S. Navy attack aircraft to disappear from the decks of the flattops was the Douglas AD Skyraider. This airplane had a unique capability: even when it carried its full internal fuel of 2,280 pounds, a 2,200-lb torpedo, two 2,000-lb bombs, 12,5 inch rockets, two 20 mm guns and 240 pounds of ammunition, the Skyraider was still under its maximum gross weight of 25,000 pounds. Entered in service just in time to take part in the Korean War, the Skyraiders in the improved A-1H version were quite slow; nevertheless in spite of performance not even comparable to those of the other assets in the air wing’s strike group, the propeller-driven attack aircraft managed to shoot down two MiG-17s during the early part of the Vietnam War. In fact, some of the most unusual kills of the conflict did not come from the F-4s, F-105s, or F-8s, but from the Korean War-era piston-engine Skyraiders, thanks to the four M3 20 mm fixed forward-firing cannons capable of firing 800 rounds per minute, that fitted the A-1Hs. The first of these victorious engagements took place on Jun. 20, 1965, when a flight of Skyraiders from the Strike Squadron 25 (VA-25) Fist of the Fleet, took off from the USS Midway (CVA-41) supporting the rescue of a downed USAFpilot in the northwest corner of North Vietnam were attacked by a flight of MiG-17s. The two enemy jets launched missiles and fired with their cannons against the two A-1Hs, but both Skyraiders’ pilots, Lt. Charles W. Hartman III, flying A-1H BuNo 137523, radio callsign “Canasta 573,” and Lt. Clinton B. Johnson, flying A-1H BuNo 139768, callsign “Canasta 577,” evaded them before and maneuvered to shoot down one of the MiGs with their 20 mm cannons. Lt. Johnson described this engagement in Donald J. McCarthy, Jr. book “MiG Killers A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973” as follows: “I fired a short burst at the MiG and missed, but got the MiG pilot’s attention. He turned into us, making a head-on pass. Charlie and I fired simultaneously as he passed so close that Charlie thought I had hit his vertical stabilizer with the tip of my tail hook. Both of us fired all four guns. Charlie’s rounds appeared to go down the intake and into the wing root, and mine along the top of the fuselage and through the canopy. He never returned our fire, rolled, inverted, and hit a small hill, exploding and burning in a farm field.” The subsequent MiG kill of this engagement was shared by both Hartmann III and Johnson. The second victory of the propeller-driven Skyraider against a North Vietnamese MiG-17 jet fighter, took place on Oct. 9, 1966 and involved four A-1Hs launched from the deck of the USS Intrepid (CV-11) in the Gulf of Tonkin flying as “Papoose flight.” The flight was from the Strike Squadron 176 (VA-176) Thunderbolts and it was led by Lt. Cdr. Leo Cook, with Lt. Wiley as wingman, while the second section was led by Lt. Peter Russell with Lt. William T. Patton as wingman. It was during the RESCAP (the REScue Combat Air Patrol, a mission flown to protect the downed pilots from ground threats) flight, that the “Spads” (as the Skyraiders were dubbed by their pilots) were attacked by four MiG-17s. This engagement ended with one Fresco confirmed as being shot down, a second as probably shot down and a third heavily damaged. According to McCarthy, the MiG-17 kill was awarded to “Papoose 409,” the A-1H BuNo 137543, flown by Lt. Patton who, after having gained a position of advantage on one of the MiGs, opened fire with his four guns, hitting the tail section of the enemy jet. Patton followed the MiG which descended through the cloud deck and when Papoose 409 emerged from the clouds he spotted the enemy pilot’s parachute. The U.S. Navy Skyraiders last combat tour took place from July 1967 to 1968 onboard USS Coral Sea (CV-43), but this versatile propeller aircraft continued to fly with the U.S. Air Force and with the Vietnamese Air Force until the end of the conflict thanks to its unparalleled capabilities in close air support. http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/14/the-most-unusual-mig-killer-the-skyraider-air-to-air-victories-on-north-vietnamese-mig-17s/

It goes by Rainbow or Star Wars Canyon, but it's officially known by those who blast through it as the 'Jedi Transition.' http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-jedi-transition-a-canyon-that-fighter-pilots-love-1678453195

Off to Red Flag http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/12/typhoons-over-grand-canyon/

"Su-27 - The Ultimate Argument" Campaign is available! The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics are pleased to announce that first payware DCS campaign: Su-27 - The Ultimate Argument is now available for download via ingame Model Manager and as separate module from the DCS E-Shop “Su-27 - The Ultimate Argument” is the storyline campaign for the Russian Air Force pilot flying the Su-27 aircraft for the Digital Combat Simulator. The campaign is based on a fictional Caucasus conflict scenario, into which border states of the region got involved. Throughout 20 missions you will have to put up intense air combat, to escort and protect your aircraft, combat air patrols, ground strikes, search for enemy in mountains and gorges, fly day and night. Features of the campaign “Su-27 - The Ultimate Argument”: 20 storyline missions for a single player. More than 300 triggers for interactive environment. 126 voice-overs. Briefing’s art with maps. Russian and English localizations. Voice-overs are recorded in Russian. In the English localization the voices are provided with English subtitles. The DCS: Flaming Cliffs 3 or DCS: Su-27 modules are required to be installed and activated into the DCS World for the campaign.

Still get the maintenance message here

Well the trailer looks good - will probably see this in April

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTAlX5ZbZfc

Tribute video

more.............. http://www.codeonemagazine.com/article.html?item_id=151&utm_source=Code+One+Magazine&utm_campaign=13a1cfae31-Code_One_V30N01%281_9_2015%29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a634c22da7-13a1cfae31-154309433

France decided to deploy Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier before the terrorist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo which claimed 12 victims. The Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier will deploy to the Persian Gulf to strengthen the French contingent already fighting ISIS in the region, Agence France Press news agency reported on Jan. 6. The news that the 38,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would be about to join the war on Islamic State widely spread through social media on Jan. 7, after the Paris shooting, but the decision to deploy the battle group was taken well before the deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo. According to the AFP, the aircraft carrier would operate in the Gulf on its way to India, where the French Navy’s flagship is scheduled to take part in drills in mid-April and the deployment is set to be announced by President Francois Hollande on Jan. 14, during the annual New Year’s speech to the armed forces. French Navy Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard, Dassault Rafale M and E‑2C Hawkeye aircraft operating from the Charles De Gaulle would reinforce the current French contingent made of 9 Rafale, 6 Mirage 2000 jets, 1 C-135FR tanker, 1 E-3F Airborne Early Warning aircraft and an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft already deployed to airbases in UAE and Jordan. http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/08/de-gaulle-joins-isis-war/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-30725366 USAF to pull out of airbases at Mildenhall, Alconbury and Molesworth The United States Air Force (USAF) has confirmed it will pull out of three UK airbases. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Americans will leave RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire. The move is part of a programme to save £320m ($500m) a year across Europe. The USAF lease the RAF bases. Mr Hagel said he understood it would mean job losses and thanked those who had supported the US Air Force.

Crikey! Even if the Boeing B-52 was born to be the mainstay of the U.S. Air Force nuclear deterrent, the Stratofortress saw an extensive use as conventional bomber during the Vietnam war. The full potential of the B-52 was applied during the massive Operation Linebacker II, the 1972 Christmas air offensive which represented the biggest bombing campaign conducted by the U.S. over North Vietnam. Robert P. Jacober, an experienced B-52 pilots who logged 64 combat sorties flying the BUFF, deployed in Southeast Asia just in time to take part as a BUFF copilot to Linebacker II. As he explained to Walter J. Boyne for his book “Boeing B-52 A Documentary History,” every month there was the “15th of the month rumour” that B-52Gs were going back to the U.S. in 1972. Then, one day in December, when all of the BUFF crews on Guam were assembled in the “D Complex”, the briefing room already used for Operation Arc Light missions, the briefing officer projected on the screen an image of a small portion of a map. As Jacober explained, a huge surprise appeared in front of the Stratofortress aircrews: “The map scale was such that ‘HA’ was on one side of a city and ‘NOI’ was on the other. The mind did not fuse the words until the briefing officer said ‘Hanoi’. Dead silence was followed by everyone talking at once. Dramatic and impressive, yes. Scared, yes. Eager, yes.” More .38 ammo were delivered to every crew member and, as already happened during the World War II, everyone watched the bombers take off. The trip towards North Vietnam airspace was boring, but as the bombers neared Hanoi everyone began to feel the real sense of combat. According to Jacober, the most impressive thing was the sound of the multiple emergency locator radio beacons, activated by a parachute opening after an ejection. So many ‘beepers’ going off could only means that a BUFF had been shot down by a SAM: according to Jacober, the only way to avoid to be hit by a surface to air missile was keeping it moving across the B-52 windscreen. During the bomb run, Jacober became very busy: in fact, being the copilot of the leading aircraft of the cell (the typical three ship formation used during air raids over North Vietnam to maximize ECM protection) he had to cover all radio communications between his BUFF and the other two aircraft, keep the heading marker updated to the bomb run heading during the evasive maneuvers to give the pilot a reference mark to roll out on, and observe outside the cockpit to watch for any enemy aircraft, since they had been informed that MiGs were scrambled to intercept them. The Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) warned that SAM radars were following them and almost immediately the first SAM left its launcher and quickly lit up the foggy sky like a candle thrown against Jacober B-52. Seven SAMs were launched against them, four on their inbound run and three over Hanoi, but only one of them was guided. The EWO said “Uplink” (meaning that the command uplink embedded in SA-2’s SNR-75 engagement radar had acquired its target) and the SAM came up through the clouds, passing off of their nose and exploding several feet above them: if they had had their B-52’s altitude right, they would probably have been hit. The bomb run went smooth, but their post target turn bring them again towards the four SAM sites downtown Hanoi. Three surface to air missiles were launched against them and the pilot rolled into a 70 degrees bank, loosing several thousand feet of altitude. Luckily, none came close to them and the return flight to Guam as told by Jacober was a quiet, subdued, introspective trip and the same people who watched the B-52 taking off, “counted them as they landed wondering where the missing were.” In the video above you can listen to the tape of a typical Linebacker II mission: the professionalism you can hear in the aircrews’ voices while they fly through countless SAMs launches is still very impressive. from http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/05/linebacker-ii-b52-story/

B-52s had Chaff and multiple different types of Jammers which were amplified by flying in formations called cells. Apart from that there was possibly standoff jamming from EB-66 / EA-6 types and a lot of tactical jets flying Wild Weasel / Iron Hand.

File Name: Thirdwire F-104A/C Pack 1 File Submitter: MigBuster File Submitted: 05 January 2015 File Category: F-104 Thirdwire F-104A and C pack 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- THIS IS FOR THE THIRDWIRE F-104A/C (DLC28) MODELS ONLY (SF2). Includes new Hi Res skins and revised flight models along with everything needed to fly them. Variants: F-104A (GE-3B engine & Internal Gun) USAF ADC & ANG, Jordan (RJAF), Pakistan (PAF), Taiwan (ROCAF) F-104A (GE-11A engine) Pakistan (PAF) F-104A (GE-19 engine) USAF ADC, Taiwan (ROCAF) Default is the initial high thrust rating - but an alternate data.ini is inluded for the reduced thrust GE-19 version. F-104C (GE-7A engine) USAF TAC (shooting star silver schemes) F-104C 1961 (GE-7A engine) Adds centerline AIM-9 catermaran under Project Grindstone (that was never used.) USAF TAC (Early Vietnam silver scheme) Click here to download this file

Nice selection of footage - couldn't help but notice Willy Fudd at the start!

DCS World - 2014 Summary 2014 was a busy and productive year for Eagle Dynamics with the continued development and improvement of DCS World. A key element of DCS World has been the creation of an air combat simulation experience that spans several decades... from World War II to the modern day. Although we started with modern day aircraft, 2014 has allowed us to expand into the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War periods. Most noteworthy has been the rapid development of the DCS: World War II line of aircraft that now includes the P-51D Mustang, Fw 190 D-9 Dora and the Bf 109 K-4. Work is already underway on the Spitfire IX and P-47D for 2015. Additionally, we’ve been able to use 2014 to further improve our line of Flaming Cliffs 3 aircraft with the addition of a 6 DOF cockpit and professional flight models for the Su-27. While Eagle Dynamics has certainly been busy, our 3rd party partners have been equally so! With the release of a Professional Flight Model for the F-15C and the F-86F by Belsimtek (MiG-15bis in development), the MiG-21bis by Leatherneck Simulations, the Hawk by VEAO Simulations, and the C-101 by AvioDev nearing completion, we’ve taken great steps in 2014 to expand DCS development to our partners. Behind the scenes, we have been very busy in 2014 developing DCS World 2 with an all new graphics engine and support for new maps such as the Nevada Test and Training Range (now in Pre-Alpha testing), Strait of Hormuz, and Normandy 1944. We realize that having appropriate theater maps is a critical aspect of moving the series forward. This development work in 2014 will allow us to release DCS World 2 and new maps in 2015 and bring the DCS World to the next level. As a little New Year’s gift, here is a compilation of video segments I recorded while doing NTTR testing. This video is by no means polished and is already rather dated by several weeks. The map art is complete, but several items involving the AI and effects still need to still be resolved. However, I thought you might like to see a rather more detailed look of where we are going in 2015. Best wishes and Happy New Year from myself and the rest of the The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics Team! http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=136759