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I always wondered how they select which troops - Miramar doubles as a marine base IIRC - get to be the ones who stand around the vehicles and equipment on display. They seem to really enjoy themselves.
It's kind of common that - the troops I've seen doing public displays and meet n greets at places like the Erskine Hospital and Glasgow Green and so on are always cheerful and enthusiastic when they're talking to the folks that basically pay their wages. And not falsely so either. I still remember the Scots Guards Colour Sergeant who without even trying to nearly got me to join his regiment rather than the Signals when I was of age to do so. Smart as a carrot he was. With his medals awarded for campaigns and gallantry on his No 2 Dress Tunic, little though I knew that at the time.
V
Martin-Baker to be prosecuted over death of Red Arrows pilot
The ejector-seat manufacturer is to be prosecuted for an alleged breach of health and safety law related to the death of Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham on 8 November 2011 at RAF Scampton. "We have conducted a thorough investigation and consider there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring a prosecution," the HSE said on its website.
Flt Lt Cunningham died after his ejector seat initiated during the pre-flight checks of his BAE Systems Hawk T1 (XX177) aircraft while on the ground and stationary at the Lincolnshire airbase. The HSE was handed primacy of the investigation following a Ministry of Defence service inquiry, investigations by the civilian and military police, and technical investigations involving the Military Aviation Authority and the Military Air Accident Investigation Branch.
Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd will appear at Lincoln Magistrates Court, at a date to be confirmed, to face a Section 3 Charge under the Health and Safety of Work Act 1974, which states, "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."
In a statement Martin-Baker told IHS Jane's that, "Martin-Baker has been made aware of the Health and Safety Executive's intent to prosecute for the 2011 accidental ejection incident of Red Arrows pilot Flt Lt Sean Cunningham. The company has not yet received the summons related to this incident and is consequently unable to comment more at this time. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Flt Lt Cunningham's family.
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
That is curious. I can't imagine any use for them is the thing. Like I can't see using it as a testbed given it's uniqueness and retired status. Or any point in training people on it.
Oh really when?
Testing radar for stealth sensitivity?
"Yup. That tasted purple."
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
That's what I'm starting to think now. Maybe this is a cheaper way to run some tests with stealthed aggressor craft than to pull F-22s away from wherever.
Oh really when?
Or you know, it could be "retired".
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
Testing new RAM compounds, I suppose? I should dig up that old Foxtrot Alpha article on them...
Oryx Blog on Sudan's newly refurbished ex-Libyan MiG-23s. Ex-Libyan because they were operated by Libyan pilots despite ostensibly being "donations".
Well, I suppose it was easier to find someone with the know-how to refurbish those than an F-5E. Even if you really would have gotten better operational results from operating the latter.
I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
QF-117, for testing newer radar-guided missiles?
V
And no doubt doing anything with an F-5E would require US Government approval.
edited 28th Sep '16 9:01:13 AM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
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From Jane's:
Tamarack Aerospace Group pitches winglets for C-130
The Idaho-based based company is looking to present its technology to Lockheed Martin in the hope of launching a collaborative effort to help solve the fuel reduction mandates required by the USAF, IHS Jane's was told.
"We have confidence in our models that we can give the C-130 a 10% improvement in fuel savings. Other benefits include an extension of the wing life, better hot and high performance, a potential to increase gross weight and maximum zero fuel weights, slower stall speeds, and shorter landing and take-off requirements," company spokesperson Bill Mitchell said on 26 September.
Tamarack Aerospace Group's interest in a potential collaboration with Lockheed Martin stems from the news earlier in the year that the USAF had commenced winglet trials with its MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft. Engineers from the 413th Flight Test Squadron modified an MC-130J with winglets in April as part of a trial to ascertain possible fuel efficiencies Martin in accordance with contracted research and design (CRAD) funding granted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in September 2014. Eight test sorties of the winglet-equipped MC-130J were flown out of at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, though the findings have not been disclosed.
According to Mitchell, the winglets developed by Tamarack Aerospace Group differ from those developed elsewhere to reduce wing loading also, and thereby increase the wing's service life. "We have patented a load alleviation device that 'aerodynamically turns off the winglets' during those rare moments when 'g' forces are high. The system is constantly monitoring and predicting gusts and/or manoeuvres, and 'positions' the Tamarack Active Camber Surface (TACS) as necessary to eliminate the additional loads that a static winglet would normally affect.
China flight testing modified J-15 for CATOBAR operations
Released on 15 September, the images show a Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-15 in flight featuring what appear to be modifications to its front undercarriage that would enable the aircraft to conduct catapult-assisted take-offs: yet another indication that China may be planning to develop a CATOBAR aircraft carrier.
Expectations that China's third carrier, which is commonly referred to as the Type 002, will be equipped with catapults were reinforced in early August when images emerged on Chinese online forums showing the country's land-based aircraft carrier mock-up in Wuhan, Hubei Province, undergoing modifications.
Most significantly, the ski-jump section had been removed from the mock-up.
Construction of China's third carrier is expected to take place at the Jiangnan Changxingdao shipyard near Shanghai. So far there has been no official confirmation of the programme, nor visible evidence of the construction, but there has been considerable speculation that production of the initial modules is already in progress.
Airbus Defence and Space imagery captured on 20 June 2016 already showed that significant progress was being made on two land-based catapult tracks for testing and training.
Constructed at the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier air wing training facility at Huangdicun Airbase, the two tracks consist of a steam-powered track and an electromagnetic catapult track placed at the northeastern end of a new runway under construction. Installation of both suggests that a final decision on which system to adopt may not yet have been taken.
edited 28th Sep '16 11:24:08 AM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
My money is the F-117 is being used for some sort of secret tests and isn't the only thing involved in said test just the one people have been seeing.
Who watches the watchmen?
So the Chinese look likely to get a cats and traps carrier, and the nation that gave the world the idea of the aircraft carrier to begin with - and the steam catapult too, for crying out loud, is going for a fucking skyramp on both HMS White Elephant and HMS White Elephant Too?
Someone stop the world, I wanna get off.
V
HMAS Melbourne — the Australians left the steam catapult, arresting equipment and mirror landing system on the vessel when it was sent for scrapping in 1985 (the vessel was probably finally scrapped quite a few years later — some say around 2002).
edited 28th Sep '16 2:18:33 PM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
Yet further investigations point to Russian fired Buk missile responsible for downing MH-17. The various pieces of evidence include traces of explosive residue on aircraft remains, fragmentation patterns, blast wave pressure patterns, and distinctive fragmentation shape found in the Buk missile. Bellingcat is mentioned and of course their methods are pretty much vindicated yet again.
Eye'm the cutest!
So reinforcement of that which we already knew. The only piece missing is which PVO outfit did that Buk belong to? Rebels my arse.
"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
In case you missed it, Bellingcat reckons that Buk 332 belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, originally based in Kursk and part of the 20th Guards Army.
Eye'm the cutest!
Welp, there we have it. Like Crimea, the "rebels" are actually Russian military.
And we let this frozen conflict happen why? (Although that does say a huge amount regarding how ill-prepared the Russians are for an actual symmetrical conflict if they've done that poor against Ukraine of all places.)
edited 28th Sep '16 6:15:29 PM by MajorTom
"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."
Eye'm the cutest!
Considering the European leaders in the region were acting as if Ukraine had intruded upon Russian territory and hoisted their flag over a town when all they had done was just elected somebody Putin didn't approve of, their responses were pathetic at best and outright submissive to Putin at worst.
We the US should not have been one of the loudest voices on the issue. Instead because everyone else was quieter and weaker, our feeble little speeches ended up being louder than the rest of the world combined.
"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
The rebels aren't Russian military though. They're separatists with direct supply lines to the Russians but they're not actual soldiers, it's why you see them commit rookie mistakes and fuckups all the time.
We've got evidence of when proper Russians did get involved and every time the Ukrainians suffered immediate and catastrophic losses.
Oh really when?
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
Like tracing that Buk launcher to the Russians or several MLRS and heavy artillery strikes to positions the Russians were known to be in.
Who watches the watchmen?
Yeah. They are getting more like us, those robots.![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]")