MigBuster

F-16 Standard loading these days is AIM-120s on the wingtips - reduces wing flutter better in flight apparently. FA-18s are not rated to carry AIM-120 on wingtips AFAIK Assuming they took out the captured IS airbases then basic precaution would be required against Syrian / Iranian aircraft/UAVs maybe.

Tell me about it - I still recognise all the music.

Back to Op Pulsator (Beirut 1983). Between trips to the Lebanon, we did a lot of excellent training flying, taking advantage of the glorious weather in Cyprus. It is worth mentioning a fight that my nav and I got into one glorious and cloudless Friday afternoon on a training sortie there. Not a fight as in fisticuffs, the more gentlemanly pursuit of aerial jousting; Air Combat Training. Although it was not all that uncommon to practice 1 v 1, 2 v 2 and (occasionally) 4 v 4, three element fights were more unusual; in this case 1 v 1 v 1. Three aircraft each on his own side trying to 'kill' the other two and attempting to avoid being shot by either. Perhaps I should explain how this works. All three players start at the same point and split outwards, at 120° intervals, to a pre-nominated range (say, 10 or 15 miles from the start point (This is known as the 'Mercedes Split' - think of the Merc symbol and it will all make sense). Then they are allowed to turn in and may take shots on either or both the other players. The training advantage of this is that it stops crews from getting involved in a lengthy, 1 v 1 fight as the third aircraft can enter the fray at any moment and engage the other two players. The idea, as I saw it, was to force the other two to get tied-up and be the third jet, the one who gets to kill everyone else. So, on the Friday in question, I had a brilliant game plan; so brilliant that it couldn't possibly fail. We split, to set up the fight, with us heading southeast. As we extended out towards 15 miles from the centre point, I started a climb to get as high as we could whilst explaining to my nav what my wily scheme entailed. We would not rush into the fight; we would take our time, gain as much altitude as possible and let the other two get tied up together and, hopefully, lose sight of us. Then we could swoop down on them from the heavens like a silent avenger from the Gods, unseen and unopposed, heroically to shoot them both while they were too busy even to see where we came from. Then we would roll in behind them and take a few yards of gun camera film with which to taunt the other players later. He seemed reasonably impressed with this. Oh, yes, one other thing, I was not going to get caught slow, I would have 'fighting speed' (at least 450 knots)all the time. Everything went swimmingly. Our powerful F-4K FG.1 made it to over 50,000 feet and still at a respectable speed. Nobody would ever see us up here. And, even better, the other two were engaged in a 'knife fight in a phone booth' directly below us, highlighted beautifully against the shiny Mediterranean. Rolling my mighty Phantom on her back and leaving both throttles parked up by the firewall (full burner), I pulled the nose down to point at our unsuspecting prey. Now in a vertical dive, God's own gravity combined with the potent thrust of the Phantom's two Rolls Royce Speys in full burner to accelerate us dazzlingly quickly toward the gleaming sea. In the time it took me to position the sight on each of our opponents in turn and to unleash terrible destruction upon them, we were too. Upon them..............I mean, not only upon them but straight through the middle of the now defunct fight, still accelerating. I heaved on the stick, planted it firmly in my lap in a vain effort to level out from this screaming dive. At such high speeds the F-4 Phantom was not over-blessed with what we call 'nose authority'; the ability to point the nose of the aircraft where desired - in this case, above the horizon. Now I was no longer battling to enter the fight with unarguable advantage, I was battling to recover from this self-induced, high speed, high angle, death dive in the distance remaining between the sea and us. 'Calmly' I closed both throttles, opened the speed brakes and pulled like a bastard, remarking 'casually' to my back-seater 'I think we've blown this', to which he replied, 'What do you mean, “We”?' from Paul Courtnage ex RAF

In Greek mythology, Heracles, or Hercules, the son of Zeus, performed 12 labours: a dozen incredibly difficult and highly dangerous tasks. But slaying the Neamean lion or battling the Lernaean hydra must have been a walk in the park, compared to what Vladimir Putin has had to deal with. At least, that's the impression you get from this bizarre exhibition. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29513589

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTheyLIvRc

Version of a Beach Boys classic done for children in need - a few faces you might recognise

American Warplane’s Forgotten Nazi Past The A-10 has been the favorite plane of American grunts for decades. But it was one of America’s most fearsome enemies who helped inspire the design of the so-called “Warthog.” The U.S. Air Force’s A-10 is an ugly, low-flying, slow-moving beast of an aircraft known affectionately by the troops as the Warthog. But even as the flying tank gets ready to shred ISIS terrorists to pieces over Iraq and Syria with its massive 30mm cannon-- firing depleted uranium shells the size of a Coke bottle--it hides a dark secret: an unrepentant Nazi fighter pilot helped to develop the ungainly warplane. Engineer Pierre Sprey, a former Pentagon procurement official who helped design the A-10, confirmed to The Daily Beast that none other than legendary Luftwaffe Colonel Hans-Ulrich Rudel was consulted to develop the Warthog. “While we were readying the airplane and gun for full scale production, the 30mm gun program manager, Col. Robert Dilger, invited Rudel to lead a symposium in DC attended by several hundred engineers, analysts, tacticians and intel types on all aspects of CAS [close air support] operations in combat,” Sprey told the Daily Beast. “For lots of them it was eye-opening. I translated for Rudel who spoke very little English.” Rudel was the Nazi-era Wehrmacht’s (which included the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe) most highly decorated officer and the only man to have been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. During his wartime career, Rudel flew over 2,530 combat sorties over the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union and amassed a combat record of over 2,000 targets destroyed--800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery pieces, 70 landing craft, nine aircraft, four armored trains, several bridges, a destroyer, two cruisers, and the Soviet battleship Marat. “Rudel was certainly the expert on killing Soviet tanks, 519 of them. But he was also brilliant on tactics—both ground and air—training, C3 [Command, Control & Communication], reconnaissance and squadron leadership,” Sprey said. “During our concept design phase, I required every member of the team to read Stuka Pilot, Rudel's superbly detailed recounting of his combat experiences, in order to understand the most crucial combat effectiveness characteristics of a CAS fighter.” Indeed, many of the characteristics of the Warthog, which is a darling of ground troops fighting in close proximity to enemy forces, were directly influenced by Rudel’s experience flying the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber and the ground-attack version of the Focke-Wulf 190D-9 fighter against the Soviet Red Army. “The book most certainly influenced me, particularly regarding how critical it was to incorporate in any effective CAS design such things as cockpit armor, fire suppression, need for ultra-tight turn radius maneuvering performance, ability to fly under 500ft weather, getting 3-5 sorties per day per plane, large caliber cannon, ability to move a squadron overnight, and ability to operate sustainably from unprepared fields--grass, dirt, mud, gravel, etc,” Sprey said in an email. However, as good a fighter pilot as Rudel was, it is an undeniable fact the he was an unrepentant Nazi and devotee of Adolf Hitler. After, the war Rudel—who became a relatively successful businessman--continued to advocate for the Third Reich and its genocidal, racist policies. One example of that: Rudel was a prominent member of the neo-Nazi German Reich Party from 1953 onward. Others within the U.S. Air Force dismiss Rudel’s impact on the A-10 design. “Frankly, I’m not sure why he would be consulted, Rudel was a statistical outlier in life-expectancy for ground-attack pilots in the Luftwaffe,” one Air Force official told The Daily Beast. Further, the Air Force official poured some cold water on the legacy of the Warthog—despite its popularity with the ground troops. “There is so much myth and half-truth wrapped around the A-10,” the official said. It’s a common sentiment in some corners of the Air Force, which has been looking to jettison the A-10 for decades. The Air Force wants to replace the Warthog because the jet would be hopelessly vulnerable against a modern enemy like China or Russia even if the aircraft can handle itself against relatively primitive enemies in Iraq or Syria. Instead of the slow-moving, low-flying A-10, the Air Force would prefer to use the stealthy $400 billion F-35 stealth fighter for future wars. Thus far, Congress has prevented the service from putting the Warthog out to pasture. The Air Force has some valid reasons for its view. One example cited by the Air Force official was the 1973 Yom Kippur war, when Israel was attacked by Egypt and Syria. The official pointed out that low and slow flying ground attack planes directly supporting the ground infantry were easy prey to even 1970s-era Russian-built surface-to-air missiles. “One inconvenient aspect of the A-10 is how its proponents often overlook the impact of the Yom Kippur War on the idea of CAS in a near-peer environment,” the Air Force official said—near-peer being a military jargon for well-equipped and trained forces like those of Russia or China. Israel’s losses during the Yom Kippur led the U.S. government to begin a frantic effort to replace the planes that were mercilessly shot out of the sky. Instead of using slow, low flying planes to support ground troops Israel began deploying the supersonic Mach 2-capable F-4 Phantom II for that role. “Yom Kippur lead to Operation Nickel Grass in which the U.S. replaced nearly half of Israel’s ‘low and slow’ CAS capability destroyed by SA-6 [surface-air-missiles], which didn’t change the fact that the IDF [israel Defense Force] had already switched to ‘fast-CAS’ with the F-4 in response.” Even to this day, Israel uses fast sophisticated supersonic fighters like the F-15 and F-16 to support its ground forces—just like the majority of the U.S. Air Force’s missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, the service often uses everything including B-1 and B-52 bombers to F-15E Strike Eagle fighters to support ground forces, the official said. The Air Force, the official said, does not “hate” the Warthog as many critics have charged. The service is “being prudently skeptical about the resiliency of an aircraft merely designed to suffer ZSU-23 [radar-guided anti-aircraft guns] and SA-7 [shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile] threats,” the Air Force official said. Simply put, the Air Force does not believe that an aircraft like the A-10, which was designed to survive in an era before long-range, high performance guided missiles were commonplace, can survive during future conflicts. The Air Force official reiterated that modern enemy missiles are far more deadly than the weapons the A-10 was designed to face. “SA-6s are the least of our concerns for CAS in the modern age of surface-to-air missile system proliferation,” the official said. Proponents of the Warthog, however, argue that the ageing plane has no equal in supporting troops on the ground. “You've got a purpose-built airplane with the survivability, firepower and loiter time to cripple ISIS mobility,” said one veteran former U.S. Army Apache gunship aviator. Yes, the plane is vulnerable to ground fire. But it’s also super tough. “There's the survivability to take into account, too, which negates a lot of that vulnerability.” by Dave Mjumdar http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/12/american-warplane-s-forgotten-nazi-past.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thedailybeast%2Farticles+%28The+Daily+Beast+-+Latest+Articles%29

New images released by the Islamic State show the recent shootdown of an Iraqi helicopter with a shoulder-fired missile, raising fresh concerns about the proliferation of such weaponry in the region and the limitations of American airpower. The still images released by the Islamic State show the firing of a Chinese-made MANPADS system at a helicopter said to be over the city of Baiji in northern Iraq. The missile tracks upwards before hitting its target, what appears to be an Mi-35M gunship, causing the aircraft to catch fire before crashing. Advanced systems like MANPADS, or man-portable air defense systems, present a particularly challenging threat for Iraqi forces. The U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria has been focused on conventional elements of the Islamic State’s military equipment, including tanks and artillery. MANPADS are highly portable and difficult to target. “You’re not going to see a MANPADS until they fire,” said David Maxwell, associate director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. “It’s a very complex operation to suppress enemy air defenses, and I don’t know if the Iraqi army has the capability yet to conduct an integrated and combined fight of the likes it takes to defeat these kinds of capabilities.” MANPADS are ideal weapons systems for “asymmetric” warfare, Maxwell said. Fighters can blend into populated areas and employ the systems only when they see targets of opportunity — like low-flying Iraqi helicopters. As the Islamic State has marched across parts of Iraq and Syria, its fighters have overrun military facilities, collecting advanced weapons systems in the process. Arms researchers say they are seeing a greater array of MANPADS than they did before. Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher with the arms research project Small Arms Survey, said the images released from the shootdown of the Iraqi helicopter in Baiji marked the first documented time the Islamic State is believed to have used the Chinese-made, heat-seeking FN-6 MANPADS in Iraq. The FN-6 can hit targets flying at more than 11,000 feet. Other MANPADS, however, can reach much higher. The Russian-made SA-24, for instance, which has also been documented in the region, can hit targets flying at up to 20,000 feet. Schroeder said he’s concerned about the Islamic State obtaining SA-24s. Late last month, the Iraqi Defense Ministry uploaded a video to YouTube showing Iraqi security forces receiving what appears to be a shipment of the advanced systems. “I’m concerned that with the security situation as it on the ground that ISIS could seize the facilities that are storing those systems,” he said, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State. While difficult to identify the specific aircraft downed in Iraq recently, photographs of the wreckage show weapon systems consisted with the standard armament of the MI-35M, according to a report from IHS Janes. The Iraqi Defense Ministry confirmed that an Mi-35 was shot down near Baiji on Oct 3., as was a scout helicopter on Oct 8 in the same area. The Mi-35 is billed to have advanced countermeasures to mitigate heat-seeking missiles. Those countermeasures, however, wouldn’t have been sufficient to protect the downed aircraft if the pilots didn’t take precautions. “[The Iraqis] were probably flying the same route every day,” said a Marine pilot with experience flying over contested air space. The Islamic State fighters, he speculated, “figured it out and just waited for them, missiles and cameras in hand.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/10/10/islamic-states-shootdown-of-an-iraqi-helicopter-amplifies-fears-of-shoulder-fired-missiles/

The images in this post were shot on Sept. 30, at around 11.00AM, from Brainwash Butte. Although much distorted by the high temperature and distance, they clearly show an F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jet operating at the Tonopah Test Range, in Nevada. The aircraft reportedly flew on both Sept. 29 and 30. Even though flights of the Black Jets have been documented a few times on video past its official retirement in 2008, these are the first images that prove the stealth plane, most probably two of them, since, according to the contributor who sent us the blurry images he shot from the hills east of TTR, the plane that flew on the 29th was in a different barn than the one flew on the 30th. Interestingly, the aircraft flew on Sept. 29 using radio callsign “Knight 12″. Why some F-117s were kept in flying conditions and still operate in secrecy (although during daylight…) more than 6 years after their official retirement remains a mystery. There are several possibilities, among them, the most plausible, is that the aircraft is used to test some other technology: radar or Infra Red Search and Track systems, SAM (surface to air missiles) batteries, 6th generation fighter planes, next generation AEW (Airborne Early Warning) platforms or UAVs (unmanned Aerial Vehicles). There is someone who speculates the aircraft may be actually “unmanned” and used as fast, combat capable, stealth UCAVs. http://theaviationist.com/2014/10/03/photo-f117-still-flying/

Thought you had changed jobs for a second there that is funny thou

Cool

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/learjet-collided-with-german-eurofighter-during-hard-404523/ The two-man crew of a Bombardier Learjet 35A died when their aircraft was in collision with a German air force Eurofighter after a quick reaction alert training exercise went wrong, Germany’s BFU accident investigation board has concluded, in an interim report into the 23 June accident.

You looking to pick up an older card from eBay - or a newer mid end card? If new what about this: http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/nvidiageforcegraphicscards/nvidiagtx750tiseries/n750titf2gd5oc.html http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-750-ti Basically if you run games with high requirements the card heats up so big fans mean better cooling and very quiet compared to basic reference cards. It has a very good cooling system and runs lower temps than the older 700 series cards - because its a newer Maxwell chip Fubar runs this Twin Frozr card with SF2 and says it works great - comes with an MSI app where you can change it to game/OC/quiet mode with one click.

Reported as an F-15D on combat training - glad all was okay

Good article: It flew at nearly Mach 7, seven times the speed of sound and twice the speed of a rifle bullet. The speed record it set 47 years ago today still stands today. It flew so high its pilots earned Air Force astronaut wings: 280,500 feet or 53.1 miles above the earth. http://alert5.net/2014/10/02/47-years-ago-today-the-fastest-manned-aircraft-flight-ever/

The US mission in the Middle East is without a code name. How do you choose a title for a military campaign, asks Jon Kelly. There is no "Operation Inherent Resolve". The code name was suggested for the latest US mission in the Middle East by US military strategists, according to reports. But it was rejected, apparently because it was judged to be "kind of bleh". Coming up with a title for a military mission is a delicate task. There have been many memorable ones - Desert Storm, Overlord, Rolling Thunder.Others have attracted attention for the wrong reasons. Operation Killer, a US Korean war counter-offensive, was widely criticised for being distasteful. Operation Masher, an American campaign in Vietnam, was considered so ill-judged it was re-named. The US build-up in Afghanistan after 2001 was initially code-named Infinite Justice. But after it was pointed out that the name was considered offensive to the Islamic faith, it was changed to Enduring Freedom. The practice appears to have begun with the German high command during World War One, according to Gregory C Sieminisky's seminal article on The Art of Naming Operations. The Kaiser's forces borrowed religious and mythical titles - Archangel, Mars, Achilles. During World War Two, Winston Churchill was aghast to learn an attack on Romanian oil fields was to be code-named Soapsuds. Names of missions should never be frivolous, he said - he did not want "some widow or mother to say that her son was killed in an operation called 'Bunnyhug' or 'Ballyhoo'". But he also believed they should not be "boastful or overconfident". He recommended references to Greek and Roman mythology, the stars and constellations, famous racehorses and British and US war heroes. Operations Market Garden, Mincemeat and Bodyguard are all names from WWII that have lived on in the popular imagination. Churchill came up with Overlord himself. Today the US military, like other forces around the world, has protocols for naming operations. The tone for modern titles was set by the 1989 American invasion of Panama - initially titled Blue Spoon, but eventually christened Just Cause because, according to Gen Colin Powell at the time, "even our severest critics, when attacking us, will have to say 'just cause'." In its wake there was Allied Force (Nato's bombing campaign in the former Yugoslavia) and Neptune Spear (the killing of Osama Bin Laden). Desert Storm is the apotheosis of this kind of operation name, says James Dawes, professor of American literature at Macalester College and author of The Language of War. It is "grandiloquent without sounding too grandiloquent". It references the theatre of action and implies a sense of inevitability. By contrast, not having a name at all conveys a "sense of indecision". But for the Pentagon it's an improvement on Operation Bleh. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-29482455

dont remember this - lots of swearing included

Sad news - may he RIP

Remember flying it off a B-52 in this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Prey_(video_game) Not much of game otherwise IMO

If you have FC3 then this is a free update for you DUXFORD, UK, October 6th, 2014 – Su-27 for DCS World is now available for pre-purchase! This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 700x1000. The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics are pleased to announce that Su-27 for DCS World is now available as a pre-purchase from the DCS e-shop at: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/. The pre-purchase provides both a 20% discount off the retail price and access to the Open Beta coming later on November 15th, 2014. In addition to the 20% purchase discount, pre-purchasers will receive a 20% full-price value in bonus points for future purchases! http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.co...q/bonus_rules/ The Su-27, NATO codename Flanker, is one of the pillars of modern-day Russian combat aviation. Built to counter the American F-15 Eagle, the Flanker is a twin-engine, supersonic, highly manoeuvrable air superiority fighter. The Flanker is equally capable of engaging targets well beyond visual range as it is in a dogfight given its amazing slow speed and high angle attack manoeuvrability. Using its radar and stealthy infrared search and track system, the Flanker can employ a wide array of radar and infrared guided missiles. The Flanker also includes a helmet-mounted sight that allows you to simply look at a target to lock it up! In addition to its powerful air-to-air capabilities, the Flanker can also be armed with bombs and unguided rockets to fulfil a secondary ground attack role. Su-27 for DCS World focuses on ease of use without complicated cockpit interaction, significantly reducing the learning curve. As such, Su-27 for DCS World features keyboard and joystick cockpit commands with a focus on the most mission critical of cockpit systems. Su-27 for DCS World will sell for $9.99 at November 15th. Pre Purchase now for $7.99 and save 20%! Note: This will be a free update to owners of Flaming Cliffs 3! Key Features of the Su-27 for DCS World: A professional level flight model provides unmatched flight physics that allow you to truly feel what it's like to fly this amazing aircraft. A true model of the Su-27 flight control system that allows you to perform the “cobra” and other “out of the envelope” manoeuvres. Updated Head Down Display (HDD) with more realistic data link and navigation modes. Highly detailed, six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) cockpit. Accurate Su-27 Flanker model, squadron markings, and weapons. New instant action, single missions and interactive training missions. Battle the F-15C in head-to-head. ABOUT DCS WORLD Digital Combat Simulator World (DCS World) is a free-to-play digital battlefield game, focusing on a military aircraft simulation. It includes a FREE TF-P1D Mustang and a Su-25T attack aircraft. DCS World includes a vast mission area of the Caucasus region that encompasses much of Georgia - the location of the 2008 conflict. Further maps will be available in 2014. Additionally, DCS World includes: • Powerful mission and campaign editors • Multiplayer • Massive inventory of air, land and sea combat units and weapons • Advanced AI • Fast mission generator • Dynamic weather and seasons • Training missions • Mission replay system • Pilot log book This all allows the creation of engaging, real-world combat missions in this flashpoint region. DCS is a true "sandbox" simulation that can and will cover multiple time periods covering many types of combat and civilian units. DCS World allows both realistic game play and more relaxed game play to suit the player. Download DCS World for free from: www.dcs-world.com New Su-27 HDD indication. Nav and BVR modes. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=131959

Microsoft unveils Windows 10 system with Start Menu http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29431412