MigBuster

I would also like to see the Airline companies getting a good kicking as well..............for being so naive into thinking it was an acceptable risk!! Shooting down friendly aircraft and airliners over war zones is consistent throughout conflict. Whether it was downed on purpose or (more likely considering the outfall) someone screwed up doesn't matter - it should not have been there!!

Stick a needle in the chart! http://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/mh17#3d6095b

Doesn't this come back to the guys with the SAMs actually having adequate Identification procedures and reliable systems to provide a 100% ID? And which one of the Airlines is so confident in those systems - they are happy to fly over them safe in the knowledge there is no way they could ever be mistaken for a military transport? And the people in the airlines making these decisions - do they have any clue as to the ID procedures or who is actually operating these systems - think that's a big no. Bare in mind we have no idea how far they were from the Airliner - were they in range for a visual ID (was the weather clear?) or are they just looking at a radar scope and guessing base on incoming vector and flight profile - we will never likely never know.

The one mission RT was either a bug or you basically joined a squadron that starts in 1968. Burning Sands is a ground war is it not - so your ground guys need to reach the objective to win the campaign. if you successfully completed 6/6 missions it might be doable.

Whit Peters, part of the company behind the Scorpion, was involved in the F-35 when he was Secretary of the US Air Force in the 1990s. A few years ago, he and some colleagues had an idea for a new, light tactical fighter for general security and reconnaissance, positioned between existing cheaper, but ageing aircraft, and full-on strike fighters. "We were pretty sure that there was a gap in the market," Mr Peters says. "It was about building something with enough tactical capacity to satisfy customers, but that also had low running costs. We are in an era when defence departments are facing budget cuts." No customers His company, AirLand, pitched the concept to manufacturers, but it was Textron, the US giant behind Cessna corporate jets and Bell Helicopters, that grabbed the opportunity. In 2012, Textron AirLand Enterprises was born. "It started with a team of about 10, a whiteboard and a clean sheet," Mr Peters says. What makes the aircraft so ambitious is that it was conceived and built without a launch customer. Indeed, there is still no customer, which is why the Farnborough debut in front of military delegations from all over the world is so important. Normally, projects on this scale would secure government money and a design deal at an early stage. Not this one. Bill Anderson, Textron AirLand's president, will not reveal how much the company has invested. But analysts estimate the cost would be at least $100m to get just one show-plane ready. "Was it very risky? Yes. Was it a smart risk? Yes," says Mr Anderson. "But the marketplace is very interested. We produce commercial products all the time. That was the approach here." A lot of the technology inside the Scorpion comes from Textron's top-of-the-range Cessna Citation corporate jet. Some companies approached to get involved jumped at the chance. Others shied away. 'Some got it, some didn't' "When you take on a new challenge there are always sceptics," says Mr Anderson. "Some of the companies that turned us down did so because [the Scorpion] was not in their comfort zone. The Textron pitch to sub-contractors was to view the aircraft as a commercial project with military potential. "Some got it, some didn't. Those that didn't are starting to show interest now," he says. The use of off-the-shelf components keeps the cost down, but does that mean the aircraft is low-tech? "I would not use the phrase low-tech," Mr Anderson says. "I prefer to call it mature technology. There's nothing low-tech about a Martin Baker ejection seat or a weapons system." The two-seat, twin-engine Scorpion, made of advanced composites used in civil aircraft, will carry infrared air-to-air missiles and wing-mounted gun pods. Border control, reconnaissance, maintaining no-fly zones: these are the main functions. Indeed, that is the role of most fighter aircraft missions these days. Mr Anderson says the Scorpion's big selling point is its low operating costs - $3,000 an hour. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28260781

On a similar theme.................(Transformers beware) WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy plans to install and test a prototype electromagnetic railgun aboard a joint high speed vessel in fiscal year 2016, the service announced today. This test will mark the first time an electromagnetic railgun (EM railgun) has been demonstrated at sea, symbolizing a significant advance in naval combat. EM railgun technology uses an electromagnetic force - known as the Lorenz Force - to rapidly accelerate and launch a projectile between two conductive rails. This guided projectile is launched at such high velocities that it can achieve greater ranges than conventional guns. It maintains enough kinetic energy that it doesn't require any kind of high explosive payload when it reaches its target. High-energy EM railguns are expected to be lethal and effective against multiple threats, including enemy warships, small boats, aircraft, missiles and land-based targets. "The electromagnetic railgun represents an incredible new offensive capability for the U.S. Navy," said Rear Adm. Bryant Fuller, the Navy's chief engineer. "This capability will allow us to effectively counter a wide-range of threats at a relatively low cost, while keeping our ships and sailors safer by removing the need to carry as many high-explosive weapons." EM railgun technology will complement current kinetic weapons currently onboard surface combatants and offer a few specific advantages. Against specific threats, the cost per engagement is orders of magnitude less expensive than comparable missile engagements. The projectile itself is being designed to be common with some current powder guns, enabling the conservation of expensive missiles for use against more complex threats. "Energetic weapons, such as EM railguns, are the future of naval combat," said Rear Adm. Matt Klunder, the chief of naval research. "The U.S. Navy is at the forefront of this game-changing technology." This demonstration is the latest in a series of technical maturation efforts designed to provide an operational railgun to the fleet. Since 2005, the Navy and its partners in industry and academia have been testing railgun technology at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., and the Naval Research Lab where the service has a number of prototype systems. The final operational system will be capable of launching guided, multi-mission projectiles to a range of 110 nautical miles against a wide range of threats. The series of tests are designed to capture lessons for incorporation into a future tactical design and will allow the Navy to best understand needed ship modifications before fully integrating the technology. The Navy is using JHSV as a vessel of opportunity because of its available cargo and topside space and schedule flexibility. Because JHSVs are non-combatants, there is no plan to permanently install a railgun on any ship of the class. A final decision has not been made on which ship classes will receive a fully operational railgun. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=80055

Two A-7 Corsair jets of the Hellenic Air Force (including a cool Special Color) made a stop over at Aviano airbase on their way to RAF Fairford’s RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo). The Hellenic Air Force operates world’s last ageing but still much loved venerable Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II jets. The aircraft, flown by the 336 Mira (Squadron) “Olympos” belonging to the 116 Combat Wing from Araxos, will be phased-out in October this year. For this reason the one at the RIAT 2014 at RAF Fairford could be the last overseas appearance before retirement. To celebrate this event, the Greek Air Force sent to the UK two “special” Corsairs: an A-7E in a black special livery with the famous “Fly Low – Hit Hard” motto and a TA-7C two seater Corsair that was recently painted with a new wrap-around camo. http://theaviationist.com/2014/07/14/worlds-last-a7-special/

World cup tail:

Hmm - they might not be going http://breakingdefense.com/2014/07/no-f-35s-coming-to-farnborough-safety-first-says-secdef-hagel/ FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: That whoosh sound you just heard was the air rushing out of all the Pentagon officials, Lockheed Martin employees and the myriads who still hoped the F-35Bs would fly here. Rear Adm. John Kirby issued this statement at 7 p.m BST during a Pentagon press conference, less than 12 hours after news broke about the fleet’s grounding being lifted: “This is a limited flight clearance that includes an engine inspection regimen and a restricted flight envelope which will remain in effect until the root cause of the June 23 engine mishap is identified and corrected. “That said, I can confirm that the Department of Defense — in concert with our partners in the U.K. — has decided not to send Marine Corps and UK F-35B aircraft across the Atlantic to participate in the Farnborough air show. “This decision was reached after consultation with operational commanders and air worthiness authorities, despite the decision by air worthiness authorities to clear the aircraft to return to flight. Never mind - there is always next year Or even the next 50 years after that...............

Well I also meant that an Su-22 might suit people who have been flying F-4s for 10 years in the CW era - but might not suit people who want F-15E/Su-35/F-35 etc Anyone who followed Thirdwire over the past 10 years knows this: TWs jets had a lot of detail but were far lighter than FC3 standard. The only reason we had so many terrains and aircraft because they were so much easier to make. The model was barely financially viable at a time before phone / Tablet PCs took over. I would say FC3 level was adequate and more financially sustainable - maybe with a view to turn just a few of them into DCS A-10C. Thirdwire also merged everything into a single game engine back in 2008 - lets hope that ED dont have to follow TW out of the sim business!

You mean FC3 level detail - like the Su-25A? I would enjoy it - but then again I'm the minority..............

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-usafs-deadliest-f-16-viper-pilot-on-women-combat-1603954525/all #1: What makes a good Wild Weasel? Most types of pilots are trying to avoid getting shot at while they do their mission - a Weasel is trying to get shot at so that others do not - and so he can locate the SAMs/AAA and kill them before they get anyone else.Fighter pilots, by nature, can function well when everything around them is falling apart. Weasels must have an extraordinary level of situational awareness as they're not only delivering ordnance, but hunting and killing unknown threat systems. #2: Does being a fighter pilot and wearing a flight really help seal the deal with women? Absolutely! How does a guy in [a] blue polyester getup compete with a man in a flight suit, covered with patches? Though it's not just what he's wearing - without sounding too egotistical, the profession makes the man. It has to or we'd never survive being fighter pilots. There is something primal, yet not completely brainless, about a fighter pilot that many women respond to. I, of course, was always off improving my mind and practicing the violin. #3: What was the most frustrating thing about being a fighter pilot in the USAF? That flying is not the focus of the USAF. It sounds axiomatic but it's true. Political correctness, appearances, humanitarian missions, and not offending anyone are the focus. #4: If you could snap your fingers and one thing would be instantly done that you think would lead to a more effective and deadly United States Air Force what would it be? A wartime mentality. We are always at war, whether declared or not, whether the public is aware of it or not. When that mentality dominates, the correct priorities are made for weapons, aircraft and research, and the correct folks take command because they have to. #5: The F-16 is like a main character in your memoir, can you explain why you have such an affinity towards the Viper? I love the Viper - a perfect melding of man and machine. Most fighter pilots feel that way about their jets, as if they 'wear it' instead of simply fly it. I loved the way it felt and that I knew everything about it. I got to that wonderful point when I knew there wasn't anything that could happen that I couldn't handle with that jet. I do wish it had more weapons stations though! #6: So much of your memoir is about employing the F-16 against ground targets, care to share any good stories about fighting with the Viper in the air-to-air arena? In actual operations no MiGs would fight us... Too bad. I loved the training sorties for air-to-air because they were physically brutal. 9 Gs hurts... Here are a couple of memorable air-to-air stories- One day over Iraq (between the wars) the AWACs declared an unknown jet coming out of Baghdad as 'hostile.' By the rules of engagement I could have shot it down - but something didn't 'feel' right. Despite AWACs' bleating and over their protests, I ran a visual intercept on the target and found it was an unscheduled commercial flight full of UN diplomats. Can you imagine what would've happened if I'd listened to the back-enders and trusted the electronics instead of my own instincts and eyeballs? Technology is a wonderful thing - but situations like this (and real combat) is why the fighter pilot will ALWAYS be needed. Four Egyptian Vipers (me leading) go into the Sinai for a SAT (surface attack tactics) training mission. We hit the target, roar out through the mountains at 100 feet and 500 knots, cross the Red Sea coast and I check six (because I'm an American and we do that) and pick up two more Vipers behind us... I pitch back in (the Egyptians never see a thing and keep heading home) and merge with two lizard painted F-16s - with big blue Star of Davids on the tails...We go round and round a few times, then rock off. They go east and I go west. #7: You are a graduate of both the USAF Weapons School and the TOPGUN, what does it take to wear those coveted patches? TOPGUN was just the TOGs portion (ground school and academics) The Navy philosophy was to put a lot of guys through an intense, relatively short (6 weeks) top-off program. In those days you only had to be a flight lead to be eligible. Good course, but much different than the USAF's Fighter Weapons School. For FWIC (Fighter Weapons Instructor Course) you had to be the top instructor pilot (much higher than a flight lead) in your fighter wing, pass a board of selection and the course was 6 MONTHS long. The idea is to painfully train a very few individuals to the highest possible point and have them disseminate the information to everyone else. The Patch is instant respect... though like everything else in the fighter world, you have to prove it every time you fly. There are a few dual patch wearers... in the USAF it's usually the Test Pilot School and FWIC. My thesis was on Infrared Countermeasures - they make you a master by breaking you into little humble pieces (not easy for IPs) and then slowly rebuild you. What a nightmare. During FWIC we flew against Israeli KFIRs, French Mirages and German MiG-29s which was interesting...hardest fight is still the USAF though. #8: What were some of the best technological revolutions that you experienced while being a fighter pilot in the USAF and was there anything you wanted but never got? Data link, towed decoys and JHMCS...absolutely. GREAT stuff! Also NVGs... much better than the straight FLIR system though they are best together. I always wanted colored MFDs and didn't get them until the F-16 Block 60...which the USAF did not buy. Better SA...really accurate weapons targeting (within a foot) and the ability to do it day or night in any weather. The countermeasures are Gucci to a Weasel...they've saved my life more times than I can count. #9: Did you ever want to go to Test Pilot School, fly for the Thunderbirds, become an astronaut or 'fly' a cushy Pentagon desk during your highly decorated career? TPS (Test Pilot School) is a different route, it is just as specialized as FWIC (Fighter Weapons Instructor Course), but different. I was a fighter pilot and became one to fight - not test aircraft or do loops to music. Nor did the astronaut program appeal to me - too PR oriented. One of the nicest guys I ever knew became an astronaut and eventually left because even he couldn't stomach it any more. I did a staff tour at Langley as a major because I was tired, needed a break and staffs need operational guys to filter in to provide a dose of reality. I don't know of any glamorous non combat jobs in the USAF - there are lots of jobs 'good' for your career if you think that way, but I never did. Flying and fighting was what it was all about for me - not rising to a corner office in the Pentagon. #10: How do you feel about the F-35 program? I was with the F-22 for a few years trying to make it an alternative to the F-35. Didn't work. It was never meant to be a multirole fighter. The whole $3B add ons program was for appearances. They wanted me to fudge reports to make it appear more capable than it was - wouldn't do it. I think the F-35 is the way of the future BUT the unit cost is so high that it will never be able to assume all the commitments faced by an air force deployed around the globe. Either the commitments decrease or we keep around a few older aircraft. I believe the F-16 is the real answer for that as it's a real multi-role fighter. #11: What are your thoughts on women in the role of fighter pilot? As for women in fighters... if someone was selected the same way I was, went through the same nasty process, and came out good enough to get into fighters (with no exceptions nor quotas) then I don't care who it is; what color they are, if they sit to pee or how they pray.What I care about is them doing their job and not getting me killed. #12: What do you think of unmanned military aircraft? I think they're a good tool, like intel, weather etc. They have a purpose and perform well enough in relatively benign situations. They also are not survivable in a real shooting war. That said, they make excellent bait for SAMs and with their long loiter time provide very useful battle damage/intel gathering services - but only after the threat is neutralized. #13: You are widely described as "America's most experienced Viper pilot," considering fighter pilot culture, what is that like? Very nice to say but I never claimed that - nor would I. I have a lot of flying hours, many in combat, am a Targetarm (FWIC grad) but so do a few others. I will say that I don't know of anyone who has killed more SAMs. By killed, I mean with hard ordnance or the gun, not lobbing HARMs at it. To answer your question (I think) I will say that there is nothing more satisfying in any profession than to be respected by those in your profession. It also left me with nothing to prove - ever- except to myself. THAT is a wonderful position to be in. #14: So much of flying fighters is hard work and focus but what was the most fun or awe inspiring moment you ever had under the Viper's iconic bubble canopy? Functional Test flights were always fun because the whole idea was to wring the jet out and make sure everything was working properly. There was never a brief or complicated plan or anything tactical. It was just you and the jet. The most beautiful sight I ever saw in the cockpit was briefly discussed in the 'Valley of the Shadow' chapter in Viper Pilot... I thought I was dead. And to punch up through the clouds, into the sunlight and clear air, and living through that mission is something I'll NEVER forget. #15: From fighter pilot to fiction pen, what led you to becoming a New York Times best selling author? I was a commercial real estate developer after I retired from the USAF and I did quite well, yet I just couldn't get used to living on a beach drinking champagne every night while Iraq and Afghanistan were still going on. So I became a mercenary - sorry, private military consultant. More bad things happened to me and I thought I'd better get some of my experiences down on paper before I disappeared permanently. So I wrote Viper Pilot and The Mercenary. Books follow books, if you're fortunate, and so came Lords of the Sky. As for Lords Of The Sky, the story needed to be told - people need to know how we go to this place in history and about those who got us here. You'll learn things you never knew - not just about pilots and aircraft, but the events of the last century that created them. As for the future, I have two more contracts with Harper Collins Publishing and am still in the private military business, though with my own company.

Worthy winners - cue a load of smug Germans

Good strategy for current flight sims - the Pentium needs far less power and runs relatively cool. Although a mid end card I noticed the 750 has the new Maxwell CPU that will be going into the 800. I lock SF2NA at 60hz to avoid tearing - however in DCS and BMS I have to disable VSync to burn through some of the stuttering both has - higher FPS have lower frame render times. In BMS I see 160 - 300fps - but DCSW is only about 58 - 120. What resolution do you currently run?

EXACTO DEMONSTRATES FIRST-EVER GUIDED .50-CALIBER BULLETS http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/07/10a.aspx

The second goal was not controversial in any way!

Brazil also lost the 2 players holding it all together!! I wont predict a winner for today because they will likely lose

It's from this video - just a concept https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBye_Of2tt4

Finally!

Close your eyes and forget it ever happened - that's what I do. Does the arrester hook have dimensions like length ? Or can you expand the landing wire area on the carrier? Next would be looking at changing some AI flight control data

Fake but pretty good

Partly why I got one of these cases: The CPU is barely taxed with DCS World and a modded Falcon BMS - but my GPU which is also overclocked always maxes out with both of them - so have been waiting to see when the Geforce 880 might be coming around.

Yeah I have been using airplay and adapters for sometime for some time to send desktop and video to large displays - and have been waiting for a universal standard built into every device - something like miracast - http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-034563.htm Smart phones are just mini PCs really - so their performance should increment every year, but they are very low in terms of computing power because everything needs to be optimized for power saving due to the pathetic battery life and no space for cooling - hence the use of ARM CPUs for example. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is I guess high end - that has a 2.5Ghz quad core CPU with 2GB RAM with 1080p native display. With Solid State memory its more than fast enough to run web based stuff like You tube videos and basic low resource games - which is all it needs to do. It will be interesting to see how far they can push the performance without increasing cooling & power over time.

Looks like a smartphone or mini tablet - you streaming it wireless (airplay/chromecast) or using wires (HDMI / VGA)?

Nice Job - see its an LGA1150 board what CPU did you go for? I have that Evo cooler but only run it with one fan at the moment - seems adequate to keep all 4 cores fixed at 4.4Ghz.