Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Four generations of Fighter Ground Attack planes
A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang
MV-22 Osprey
Approx 448 of these versatile craft will serve with the US forces, although originally they wanted over 900. Battle damage tolerance is built into the aircraft via composite construction, and separated flight control, electrical, and hydraulic systems.
F-102 Delta Dagger
1,000 built between 1956-1973. Saw combat in Vietnam, and with Turkish air force. Retired from USAF service 1979, although hundreds of F-102s were converted for use as target drones for F-4, F-106, F-15 and Patriot missile testing.
(last Delta Dagger PQM-102 drone was shot down in 1986)
F-102 fighters at Tan Son Nhut,Vietnam,1969
(last Delta Dagger PQM-102 drone was shot down in 1986)
F-102 fighters at Tan Son Nhut,Vietnam,1969
Monday, 17 March 2008
David & Goliath
And Goliath turned and ran...
Tupolev Tu-95 (Туполев Ту–95) (NATO code Bear)
It's an old game, here's a F-102 Delta Dagger sending a Bear home in early sixties
Tupolev Tu-95 (Туполев Ту–95) (NATO code Bear)
It's an old game, here's a F-102 Delta Dagger sending a Bear home in early sixties
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Psst! Wanna cheap airplane?
Aircraft boneyards
Just in case you still don't realise how HUGE these boneyards are...
Just in case you still don't realise how HUGE these boneyards are...
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
A giant WW1 bomber,the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI was a four-engined German biplane strategic bomber of 1917-18.
It had an eight man crew, and needed a ground staff of 42 just to get the plane out of the hangar!
The bomber was the largest wooden aircraft ever built until the advent of the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, the "Spruce Goose"in 1947.
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI's wingspan of 138 feet 5.5 inches (42.2 meters) nearly equaled that of the World War II B-29 Superfortress!
It operated 11 raids on Great Britain between September 28, 1917, and May 20, 1918, dropping 27,190 kg (30 tons) of bombs in 30 sorties. Aircraft flew to their targets on moonlit nights, using directional bearings by radio and using the river Thames as a navigational landmark. Missions on the 340-mile round trip lasted seven hours. None were lost in combat over Britain, but two crashed returning to base in the dark. A total of four R.VI's were shot down in combat, with six others destroyed in crashes.
Six of the 18 eventually built survived the war or were completed after the armistice.
It had an eight man crew, and needed a ground staff of 42 just to get the plane out of the hangar!
The bomber was the largest wooden aircraft ever built until the advent of the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, the "Spruce Goose"in 1947.
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI's wingspan of 138 feet 5.5 inches (42.2 meters) nearly equaled that of the World War II B-29 Superfortress!
It operated 11 raids on Great Britain between September 28, 1917, and May 20, 1918, dropping 27,190 kg (30 tons) of bombs in 30 sorties. Aircraft flew to their targets on moonlit nights, using directional bearings by radio and using the river Thames as a navigational landmark. Missions on the 340-mile round trip lasted seven hours. None were lost in combat over Britain, but two crashed returning to base in the dark. A total of four R.VI's were shot down in combat, with six others destroyed in crashes.
Six of the 18 eventually built survived the war or were completed after the armistice.
SHOT DOWN IN A BLAZE OF GLORY ( 8 ) B-26 Marauder
German flak bags another unfortunate B26
Flak shoots off B26 wing
B26 limped home aftr raid in Africa
Martin B-26 Marauder, Poperinge, Belgium
Flak shoots off B26 wing
B26 limped home aftr raid in Africa
Martin B-26 Marauder, Poperinge, Belgium
SHOT DOWN IN A BLAZE OF GLORY ( 8 ) B24
B24 approx 10 kms off Cable Beach, Australia, shot down during the infamous raid on Broome airfield March 3rd 1942
B24 shot down over Malm, Sweden 1944 by german fighter (all crew survived)
Flak over Germany claims another unlucky B24
Collision!
Tragic ground collision between a B-26 Marauder and B-24 Liberator at San Pancrazio, Italy, on 2 Nov 44.
Martin B-26 Marauder
5,288 built between 1941–1945
Consolidated Aircraft B-24 Liberator
Many B-24 Liberators were built by the Ford Motor Company at a purpose-built factory in Willow Run, Michigan, USA. (above). The largest assembly line in the world
(330,000 m² or 3,500,000 ft²) at the time of completion, mass production began in August 1943. At its peak the factory was completing 428 B-24s per month!
18,482 were built between 1940-1945
Martin B-26 Marauder
5,288 built between 1941–1945
Consolidated Aircraft B-24 Liberator
Many B-24 Liberators were built by the Ford Motor Company at a purpose-built factory in Willow Run, Michigan, USA. (above). The largest assembly line in the world
(330,000 m² or 3,500,000 ft²) at the time of completion, mass production began in August 1943. At its peak the factory was completing 428 B-24s per month!
18,482 were built between 1940-1945
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