Alright, Panavia Tornado ADV F.3 Guide Uploaded.
Great work pace
I really don't want to appear arrogant, but, thank you to all who congradulated me on the wiki badge, and on my work.... thanks!!!!!!!!!Metal-Eater-GR wrote:
Great work pace
And thank you to those who helped give me ideas and provided me with pictures, and info.
152 blows. cessna 172-sp ftwPoseidon wrote:
Do one about the Sopwith and Cessna 152. DO IT.
Alrite, uploaded a Q-5 fantan guide, and some tornado pictures. Putting on the messerschmitts now...
Last edited by pace51 (2010-04-25 06:14:05)
If you followed the link, you should be here. This is my next post where I am storing a bunch of planes.
Now, how do I do a post link? Oh wait, thanks Floppy.
Germany: Messerschmitt Me 262
Germany: Messerschmitt ME 163 Komet
Russia: Tu-28 Fiddler
Europe: Eurofighter Typhoon
Germany: Junkers Ju-88
USA: A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
Russia: Mig-21
Russia: Mig-31
Japan: Mitsubishi A6M Zero
Japan: Kawski Hien
India: Hindustan HF-24 Marut
USA: AH-1 Cobra
Britain: Boulton-Paul Defiant
Britain: Harrier/ Sea Harrier FA.2
Britain: Hawker Hurricane -NEW-
South Africa: Aatlas/Denel Cheetah
Fri. Apr. 16/10 Pace51
Real World War 2 Facts about the Messerschmitt Me262
Maiden Flight: July 18, 1942
Max. Speed: 870 KpH
Powered By: Dual Junkers 900 Kg thrust Jumo 004B-1 Turbojets.
Armament: Four 30mm nose mounted cannon, and 12 air-to-air rockets under the wings.
Country: Germany
This was the aircraft your history teacher used to mention when they talked about Germany having phenomenally advanced weaponry that could have won the war. The V2 rocket, Frankfurters (tasty), and this. It was the world first operational jetfighter. Many Germans, and historians today, believed it was a war winner. However, extensive allied bombing campaigns ravaged the plants where these were being manufactured.
In late 1938, design work started on this aircraft. It looked great on paper, but it wouldn’t be flown until the prototype came out, 4 years later, and even then, it wouldn’t be frequently used. Messerschmitt’s incredibly famous and deadly Bf109 would control the skies until then. It had amazing revolutionary gas turbines, manufactured by BMW.
The piston engine remained in the nose of this aircraft, and the aircraft was forced to take off using all three engines, for safety. Now, this was the best aircraft of the Third Reich, and when Germany’s even more advanced Me163 Komet came along, this mean, green(It carried a camouflage similar to that of certain focke-wulfe FW-190D’s, will research technicalities.) Fighting machine was actively taking on the allies. It was the first Jetfighter to fight in combat, when engaged a British Mosquito flying recon over Munich.
One major problem of the Me262 was this. It was too fast. Now, speed is good and all, but put in to mind that Germany did what Windows did with Vista, and released early because they were pressured. Also keep in mind that speeding up its production means scientist’s are bound to overlook important details. Well, here’s the problem. Well, both problems. One, its speed meant that taking this aircraft too far, which happened a lot in dogfight’s, meant that its wings had a tendency to COME RIGHT OFF. That is very bad. You lose complete control. Try flying with your tailfin and elevator. Secondly, the engines? They were ridiculously unreliable, shutting down mid-dogfight. Sure, you can glide a bit, and then parachute out… if the Spitfire who’s pals you killed decides to let you go. The undercarriage? Collapse prone. The guns? Jamfestival.
However, the main reason these weren’t able to turn the tide of the war, and they were very close to doing this, was that a lack of resource and vicious Allied bombing campaigns blew the manufacturing plants off the face of the Earth. 1400 were produced by VE (Victory in Europe) day. Only 300 saw combat action. The allies bombed hundreds of them out of commission. However, when I say it couldv’e one the war, I’m not panic-mongering. It was superior to every other aircraft in every way. Even when Britain’s Gloster company produced the Meteor jetfighter, the Me-262 was the king of the skies… if it was up there, with its wings still attached.
However, as the war wore on, even though Hitler bragged about this aircraft, Germany focused on improving the already active Bf109 and BF110 aircraft. However, ace Adolf Galland managed to speed up aircraft production after flying it and proclaiming it remarkable. But Germany was short on fuel, resources, supplies, manpower, and aces. As many of you military strategists reading this article will recognize, having a nifty new weapon doesn’t always mean you can use it.
No Me262 ever fought a Gloster meteor. In March 18-21, 1945, more than 40 campaigns were flown by Me262’s. It was far too late to salvage the German War Machine, so these caused damaged, but only slowed the inevitable. Two seater radar-equipped night fighters and new engine improvements rolled off the production lines.
I will post and F-14 guide, and hopefully an F-16 and Mig-29 guide in the furture. Aand maybe an A6M zero guide.
Me-262. Discuss.
Mon. Apr. 19/10 Pace51
Real world facts about the Me163 Komet
Maiden Flight: June 23, 1943
Powered by: Walter 1700 Kg- thrust HWK 509A-1 rocket motor
Max. Speed: 960 KpH
Armament: Two 30mm cannon
As ww2 worsened for the Axis, the German inventions and designs became more innovative and radical. The Me163 is a perfect example of this. This aircraft was test-flown after the Me262, but was slightly newer. However, the Me163, although it looks like one, was not a jet. It was the world’s first rocket powered tailless glider, designed by Dr. Alexander Lippisch.
The Komet worked like this. Using rocket power, it would fly at incredible speeds (for the time), even faster than the Me262. The early versions could only achieve powered flight for a total of seven and a half minutes, although later versions weren’t much better. The aircraft would use rocket power to reach its targets, and engage them. However, this meant that there was huge room for error. The aircraft had to attack from a close proximity to its target. If the aircraft was towed, it could glide towards it’s targets, and then fire up the engine and engage them, meaning that it had more than enough fuel to engage it’s target and return home. However, if the aircraft flew from a base, it would have to use its engine to propel itself into the air. The problem with this is the limited amount of fuel the engine used. The aircraft would have lost a large amount of fuel flying to its target. When engaging a target, the speed of the glider meant that you had as little as 3 seconds to attack your target, as the first squadron using this plane to attack US bombers discovered. However, that was because the rocket gliders flew at top speed towards Flying Fortresses, limiting the window for attack, and that was only the first pass. However, when you fly back to your base, you only have usually a few minutes of powered flight left, if you’re lucky. You have to glide the rest of the way, which led to risky landings. Partly because the lack of powered flight gives you only one try, because you can’t really pull out of a landing or correct without power. You get one try. Secondly, Me163’s couldn’t engage enemy aircraft when landing. They could only land, usually while being shot at.
Only 9 bombers were destroyed by this incredible aircraft, but it had some extraordinary new weaponry, the SG 500 Jagdfaust, (Fighter fist). This is how it worked. In the wing root’s, on either side of the fuselage, were 10 vertically firing tubes, 5 on each side of the wing. Each pointed straight up, and carried only on .50 calibre bullet. Ana photo-electric cell was mounted in the middle. This was a brilliant and devastating weapon. When the Me163 flew under a bombers shadow, the photo-electric cell noticed it. And when it noticed the shadow, all ten .50 bullets shot straight up… into the enemy bomber. It was successfully combat tested on a B-17, when a Komet destroyed it in mid-air.
In late 1943, Japan, more specifically Mitsubishi, was able to get manufacturing rights from the Germans for this aircraft. The navy got the J8M1, and the army got the Ki-200. However, one of the u-boats carrying the blueprints was sunk. The Japanese, incredibly, were able to produce prototypes from the incomplete blueprints before the war ended. One even flew before the war ended.
The Komet was futuristic in several ways. It was one of the first aircraft that used swept-wings, which were used in later fighters. It was rocket powered, and flew at incredible speeds. It was shaped like a combination of a bat and a dart, and was small and agile. The Komet used two hypergolic, or spontaneously combusting, liquids, T-Stoff and Z-Stoff. When they were combined, they reacted so violently the resulting explosion propelled it forward. It was flown at the secret test facility of Peenemunde in June 1940, by pilot Heini Dittmar. It had an awesome speed and a steep climb rate, and killer handling. One was towed to a height of 4000 meters before it was released. It fired its rocket engine and reached speeds of around 1003 KpH before it started to become unstable, which destroyed the world speed record at the time. However, the Komet’s were armed with cannons’, and only 60 rounds per cannon, and not particularly effective. They could have been, though, with more design improvements.
Sun. Apr. 25/10 Pace51
Real world Facts about the Tupolev Tu-28
Maiden Flight: 1957
Powered by: Dual Lyulka 11,200 Kg afterburning thrust AL-21F turbojets
Armament: Four AA-5 “Ash” LRAAM’s.
Max. Speed: 1850 KpH
Range: 5000 km
The quite large Tupolev tu-28, NATO codename “fiddler”, gave the USSR a long range interceptor with fighter capabilities from the 1960’s until it was replace by newer Su-27’s and the Mig-31’s. It is the largest Soviet interceptor ever built, and the largest interceptor ever.
Just like the American’s had their own fighters ready to intercept Soviet bombers, the Soviets had their own interceptors ready to take on American bombers. These interceptors protected soviet airspace in all weather conditions from American missile bombers and other aircraft. It had a range of an astounding 3000 km and was deployed protecting the Northern Soviet Union as well. Its NATO codenamed “Ash” missiles were quite deadly long ranged missiles, and packed a significant punch.
In the early 1960’s, production began and the aircraft actually entered active service in the mid ‘60’s. However, the western powers didn’t even realize its existence until the famous 1967 Soviet Aviation Day (National Comrades Showoff Day).
The two crew members sat next to each other like on the SU-32/34. By 1992, they were taken out of service. By the largest interceptor ever built, I mean, it was huge. It was 27.2 meters long, with large delta wings.
Mon. Apr. 26/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Eurofighter Typhoon
Maiden Flight: March 27, 1994
Powered by: Dual EJ200 9198kg afterburning thrust turbofans
Armament: One 27mm cannon plus 13 hardpoints carrying up to 6500 kg/20, 250 pounds of ordnance.
Max. Speed: 2020 KpH
Range: 16,775 meters
Today, only the richest, most powerful countries can build a powerful high tech fighter on their own. And if you aren’t America, Russia, and China, well, band together with the neighbours and jetpool. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and spain issued a joint request in 1983 for a single seat fighter with good maneuverability and multi-role characteristics. In 1985, France drew out, probably because of the Rafale’s and because they wanted to keep their aircraft indigenous, but the other nations split up the work. Now, spain did 13 percent, Italy 21 percent, and UK and Germany did the majority of the project, 33 percent each! In 1992, Germany became agitated about the costs that seemed to soar and soar. They threatened to pull out, so a lower-budget but equally deadly Eurofighter was proposed, drawn up, and accepted by all involved. Germany had the honour of hosting the first Typhoon flight in 1994. It has high turning rates and can perform the role of air superiority very well.
High thrust-to-weight ratio, lowered wing loading, easy handling, and excellent all round visibility were the most emphasized features the designers worked on, AKA these were the priority features. It only needs a 700m runway, and has some stealth capabilities. The delta wings and the canards mounted on wither side of the cockpit give the Eurofighter excellent turning, handling, and agility. Not a fighter you want to dogfight with. It will destroy you. This aircraft has high performance, and this combined with awesome visibility and Infra-red radar, Long range radar, SRAAM’s, and a very modern electronic warfare suite which enhances the effectiveness of the weapons, and survivability, makes this a very deadly aircraft. However, not everybody agrees on this. So, let’s get to the flaws…
The Eurofighter is aerodynamically unstable. Ever wondered why it got so shaky at moderat-high speeds in BF2? It has to be this way, though, so that it can reduce drag, enhance lift, and provide high agility levels. Also, the pilot requires the fly-by-wire system to fly this aircraft. Back to the perks. The cockpit, at least, has a great HUD and three colored monitors dominating the interior of the cockpit. The pilot also gets a helmet mounted sight, which is good. There is awesome DVI (Direct Voice Input) so that by talking to the fighter, it does what you want it too. Also, the Eurojet EJ200 has high strength, low fuel consumption, and high thrust.
BAE systems, the company that built and flew the original Harrier’s, used parts made by other countries in the Eurofighter programme to build the British Eurofighters. In Italy, the Eurofighters are assembled in Turin. Germany has a plant in Munich for their Eurofighters. Last and not least, Spain will have their Eurofighters assembled and built in Madrid. The aircraft is not a heavy one, but a hard hitting one.
Tues. Apr. 27/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Junkers JU-88.
Maiden Flight: December 21, 1936
Armament: Two 30 mm cannon and up to 6 20mm cannon.
Powered by: Dual BMW 1700hp 801D-2 14-cylinder radials.
Max. Speed: 573 KpH
Model: Ju-88G
Many of you WW2 historians or pilots will recognize this aircraft. This aircraft was one of Germany’s three most famous medium bombers, not counting dive bombers, along with Heinkel’s HE series and the Dornier DO series. This was one of the most famous bombers of the whole war. It has been called the German Mosquito, because, like De Haviland’s versatile high powered interceptor, this aircraft has suited multiple roles. From dive bomber to torpedo bomber, close support to reconnasicance, heavy fighter/interceptor to nightfighter.
These powerful nightfighter’s carried an extensive early German array mounted on the nose. Since Germany only ever built medium bombers in great number, and not large bombers, when these Junkers aircraft were converted, they could take large loads. The Ju-88 made a perfect interceptor. Back then, although fighter’s like focke wolfe’s did interception and night fighting later on, the best planes suited for the interceptor role were semi-large, multiple engined, had enormous, I mean enormous, firepower, and they usually had to be fast. Like the P-38 Lightning, and Japan’s converted medium bombers which later became interceptors as well. When people say this aircraft was heavily armed, they meant it. Back then, even one small 20mm cannon could chew through armour. Well, how about six 20mm cannon’s? And, two 30mm’s to boot. They were very effective and active against allied bombers over nighttime Germany. Back then, no offence intended, the American’s were in love with machine guns. That’s fine and all, because they’d put about 6 or so per plane, but that wasn’t as effective as the European practice of wing or nose mounted cannon. Because, with a machine gun, and Hawker Hurricane or P-51 pilot will tell you that every hit counts. You have to go for the fuel tank. With a cannon, one hit anywhere on the plane is often enough to take you down, especially if it tears through the wing root. And if cannon fire blasts your cockpit? Even though its low velocity, it will maul your plane. However, the American’s were often engaging the Japanese and their lightly armored planes. The German’s still had a hard time holding off the P-51’s.
The ju-88’s speed almost equaled that of the current fighters at that time. The Ju-88C Heavy fighter series and the original prototype, the Ju-88C-0 flew in July 1939. Jumo 211’s and BMW 801’s were made for the mass produced Ju-88C. Also, solid nose batteries housed cannons and machine guns.
Back to the Ju-88G. It was a radar equipped three seater nightfighter. Although it could take 2 30mm cannons and 6 20mm cannon’s, it sometimes only took 2 30mm’s and 4 20mm’s, which is still insanely powerful. However, these aircraft were designed for bomber destroying. Most of the cannon are pointed diagonally upwards, so that the aircraft could race underneath an allied bomber, hopefully clear the tail gun, and destroy the bomber. The cannons even ripped through the heavily armoured B-26’s and the heavily armed Lancaster’s.
Wed. Apr. 28/10 Pace51
Real world facts about the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
Powered by: Dual 40.3 kN General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines.
Max. Speed: 682 KpH
Radius: 885 Km
Armament: One General Electric GAU-8/A 30mm cannon, plus 7258 kg maximum weapon load. Forward air control ordinance includes up to 12 LAU-68 (OVERKILL), two AIM-9 sidewinders and one ECM pod.
In Vietnam, one of the harshest lessons learned was that powerful and heavily armored ground attack aircraft were necessary to the battlefield. These had to sustain extreme damage, carry large, no, massive loads, and fly from front-line airstrips. Speed was not really required, so this aircraft flew at slow speeds. Barely faster than ww2 Piston engined aircraft speeds. However, although speed wasn’t necessary, it was a subsonic aircraft. It couldn’t even break the sound barrier. It was loved by its pilots for its steady speeds and ease of handling. In fact, some civilian pilots transferring to the air force used to use these aircraft, because they were used to multiple-engined aircraft.
However, 713 aircraft were conceived, built, and ready for battle duty by 1976. American units in Alaska, Europe, Korea, and North America were equipped. It wasn’t really necessary anymore by the end of the cold war, however, because it was too specialist. And as any product manufacturer knows, the problem with a specialized product is, when the only thing its good at is declared obsolete, even if it was really good at it, the product gets retired. Too many AA batteries, SAM sites, and targets were appearing to make it too useful. Also, it wasn’t really a special forces aircraft,. It was used for front-line battle duties in wars.
Because the first explosion wasn't big enough...
The F-16 was to replace its duties, and many A-10’s began to be redesignated OA-10’s to take over from OV-10 bronco’s. The A-10 was a very powerful aircraft. In fact, it was an air tank. It had super reinforced armour, an almighty cannon so powerful that it had to be fired in short bursts because prolonged firing could slow the aircraft into a stall. Wwhich is INSANE. It had split Ailerons, which are the two engines on either side of the rear fuselage forward of the tail. These were powerful enough, but had to carry the A-10 and its enormous loads. However, the A-10 was designed very well. Its designers had many tricks up their sleeve when it came to survivability. The bubble canopy was mounted in a position where it would be largely protected from ground fire. The heavy armour meant that AAA batteries wouldn’t be too much of a problem, and especially not a stray shot. The Ailerons allow it to roll quite fast, which means it can maneuver very nicely at ground level. The straight fixed wings help with this too. Notice the slightly bent wing middle? That allows the aircraft to dive and take strenuous strain on its chassis. A little trick picked up from the Ju-87 Stuka’s and the Vought F4U’s.
Lets get technical! The engines have easy maintenance, and the turbofans are mounted in large pods to prevent airstrip debris from entering. The engine nacelle results in a low Infra-red signature, meaning hit seeking (“Fire and Forget”, a popular nickname) missiles have a bugger of a time locking on. The tank buster cannon is the GAU 8/A Avenger 30 mm Gatling Cannon. This is how the warthog got its nickname, other than because of the characteristic “warthog face” painted on most aircraft. When fired, it makes a huge grunting noise. And yes, it dramatically slows down the aircraft. In FAC roles, OA-10’s usually only used a few non-armament surveillance equipment. The pilot got night vision goggles for night missions. ECM pods were also used for safety. Now, lets show you how powerful this aircraft is. The following are facts. Its armour is solid titanium. That means the aircraft is heavy as hell, but that armour is immensely strong. Also, if one engine or tailfin gets decommissioned or blown off, the aircraft can still fly, although it gets trickier. And slower. The primary tank busting method of the A-10’s is this. When approaching its target, the pilots veers up and gets a lock from the TV monitor. The missiles nose has a camera. Now, the pilot will launch an AGM maverick at the tank, while banking and veering off to the right or left. When he pulls out of these shallow dives and maneuvers, the tank is usually charcoal by now. Like in BF2, the TV guided missile has a TV on its nose which it uses to go after a target, and keep chasing that target.
The YA-10A prototypes flew in 1972. Since then, the aircraft are being painted grey or camouflaged. The Aircraft got an extended life, because while it was going through the retirement process, the Gulf War broke out. And, the A-10’s specialty is wars, especially ones with ground targets. In the gulf war, A-10’s took out two Iraqi helicopters. The largish A-10 was a single seater. Plans to export 50 to Turkey were cancelled, although there was surplus. Cannon fun fact: At full firing speed, it will fire a 30 round burst… in half a second. And, those are 30mm shells, to boot. Very powerful. The Thunderbolt was originally meant as a tank killer, and performed admirably in the role.
Tues. May 4/10 Pace51
Real World Facts- Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21F
Maiden Flight: 1957
Powered by: Tumansky 7500 Kg afterburning thrust R-25 turbojet engine.
Armament: One twin barrel 23mm cannon and provisions for 1500 Kg of weapons.
Max. Speed: 2230 KpH.
The Mig-21 was originally designed as a short-range high-performance interceptor. However, because of its decent armament and great cost effectiveness, it turned into the most widely used aircraft in the world, essentially a flying ak-47.
Using invaluable Korean experience, a delta-wing design was drawn up and added to the Mig-21, after a series of prototypes flew in the mid-50’s. The original Mig-21’s were codenamed “Fishbed” by NATO and they reached the front-lines in the winter of 1957 to 1958. It was only armed originally with 2 30mm cannons. The Mig-21F version was mass produced and saw service in the Warsaw Pact countries, and also saw service with Finland. The Arabian’s also bought huge numbers and used them to fight against the Israelis air force in the Arab-Israeli war, around 1973.Its pilots loved it, for its high maneuverability, more-than-decent handling, and also because it flew at twice the speed of sound, pretty fast for such an early fighter. Many good fighters today don’t go much over Mach 2, however, many of them do. Czechoslovakia and India took licensed production. China, after extensive reverse engineering, took enormous unlicensed engineering on copies of the Migs they acquired legitimately. Aerial AK-47. And talk about legal loophole.
490 Litre drop tanks were added to migs, giving them a longer range. However, as someone pointed out on bf2s.com, the Mig’s range wasn’t a factor, at least in ‘Nam, because its airbases were so close to the front-lines. In the 1960’s, the Mig-21PF model, which included a redesigned nose compartment, featured the new R1L radar in the center of the nose intake, albeit concealed. Also introduced in this model were the much more powerful R-11F2-300 engines which drastically improved performance, and torque. The Mig-21, like our friend the Kalashnikov, has been upgraded and improved and upgraded many times over. In 2000, Romania’s Aerostar still offered much-upgraded mig-21 Lancers for duties like Air Defense. This company had much upgraded the Romanian Airforce Mig-21’s. However, they are much outclassed by now. Many countries still operate the Mig-21, almost 50 years after it originally flew. AK-47’s, Anyone?
Celebrity appearances: Tom Clancy’s HAWX, Ace Combat series, various Vietnam movies, Ho chi Mihn trail, Battlefield Vietnam, Various BF2 mods, and can be seen in many an old museum.
Tues. May. 4/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Mig-31 “Foxhound”
Maiden Flight: September 16, 1975
Powered by: Dual Aviadvigatel 15,520 Kg afterburning thrust D-30F6 Turbofan engines
Armament: One 23mm cannon, four AA-9 Amos LRAAM’s under fuselage, dual AA-6 “Acrid” SRAAM’s, and four AA-8 “Aphids” mounted on underwing hardpoints.
Max. Speed: 3000 KpH
Range: 720 Km
This incredibly fast, brutally long ranged, and super-heavily armed interceptor is something to be reckoned with. So is its price tag. The Mig-31, codenamed “Foxhound” by NATO, was developed from the much loved Mig-25 “Foxbat” interceptor. Just by looking at the aircraft you can easily see the similarities between the two. The Mig-31 replaced the Tupolev Tu-128 as the USSR’s main long-range interceptor, and a potent one at that.
The Mig-31, along with its two man crew, was developed in order to counter and destroy low flying strike aircraft and cruise missiles, and can also engage targets from quite long distances. Using the long-ranged AA-9 AA missile it is an extremely effective defender of the USSR, and a quite potent one at that.
In 1975, the prototype Ye-155MP, the prototype version of the mig-31, first flew. It was a deadly prototype. The first Mig-31 of about roughly 300 were delivered to the Soviet Air Force from 1979 onwards. It was not only inspired by but also based on the incredibly potent mig-25. It is much newer, however, and an all-weather all-altitude interceptor. Light alloys, nickel steel, and titanium all comprise its airframe. It needs to be able to withstand the strain of high performance. The aircraft had a high tech “Flash Dance” Radar which was aid to be the most powerful radar on a fighter in the world. It can scan about 200 km ahead, as well as scan behind and below at the same time. The pilot in the back seat can track up to ten targets at a time and also simultaneously engage four, depending on which present the largest threat. Later on, models were fitted with in-flight refueling capabilities which extended the aircrafts endurance by large amounts. They also greatly extended the endurance of the aircraft and extended the on-board digital datalinks. This let the aircraft pass data back and forth about air targets and strategical encounters/situations.
Mon. Apr. 5/10 Pace51
Real World War 2 Facts- Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen
Maiden Flight: August 1943 (So EA could use it) (The A6M5 version)
Powered By: 1130 Hp Nakajima NK1C SAKAE 21 14-Cylinder two-row radial piston engine
Armament: Two wing mounted 20mm cannon, two 7.7 mm Mg’s in the fuselage, and two 132 pounders on underwing mounted racks.
Max. Speed: 570 KpH
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was perhaps one of the most famous and important Japanese fighters of the war, and definitely Japan’s deadliest Carrier fighter. The Zero was built not for power or heavily armoured, but for maneuverability. It was almost as maneuverable as certain Biplanes, and definitely more heavily armed. In 1937, the Japanese Navy issued a request for a high speed Carrier based fighter to replace the Mitsubishi A5M. In fact, this challenge was so daunting, that only Mitsubishi dared to take it, directed by Jiro Horikoshi. They successfully made their own aircraft obsolete in the process, but that is the price of greatness.
This aircraft destroyed the seemingly impossible to beat record, becoming more heavily armed, maneuverable, and somehow lighter than the A5M in the process. This was outstanding. Originally, the Mitsubishi Zuisei was chosen as a powerful, light piston engine, but the more powerful Nakijima Sakae (Prosperity) 925hp radial, only slightly larger and heavier than the Zuisei, replaced it. With ease, this fighter proceeded to absolutely shatter the performance requirements issued by the Navy, requirements so hard to meet they were considered impossible. Prosuction types of the Navy aircraft were assigned type numbers according to the last number of the Japanese year that production started, and since 1940 was known as year 2600, the A6M became the Type Zero Fighter.
Before the A6M2 was finally accepted as a production fighter airplane, Japans navy asked Mitsubishi to deliver examples for operational use over the Chinese skies to fight China’s ever-growing aerial opposition. In August 1940, over Chungking, the Zeroes met Chinese fighters in combat, and destroyed them. Washington soon got word about this powerful new fighter in Japans arsenal, but did nothing, not considering it to be a serious threat. In Pearl Harbour, the Americans were completely unprepared for these powerful death-bringing fighters. Aactually, every day since Pearl harbour, its appearance ove major war zones gave the allies the idea that Zeroes were infinite in numbers and invincible in a dogfight. Well, they weren’t invincible. However, they were in a dogfight. Nothing at the time could outmaneuver them. However, in order to make a fighter this maneuverable, something had to go. Well, that something was armour. They had very little armour and fuel tank protection. However, the Allies were not aware of this. Yet. Hilariously, in 1941, Japan already had huge numbers of these fighters, numbering way over 420. Until 1942, every fighter that attacked the Zero got ravaged and usually destroyed. On a Japanese raid against Ceylon, which is now known as Sri Lanka, the A6M’s out-maneuvered Hawker Hurricanes. Easily. And, Hawker Hurricanes were supposed to be highly maneuverable.
Finally, in 1942, the Allied forces got an intact Zero, and found tons of flaws. You see, back then, the usefulness of interceptors hadn’t yet been realized. Many fighters were used as multi-role aircraft, or for more than one duty. However, how do you take out a well armed and highly maneuverable fighter that you can’t get a shot at in close range combat? You take it out from a distance. So, heavily armoured interceptors came into play. They didn’t need more than a few machineguns, as zeroes were lightly armoured. P-38’s and Bell Airacobra’s came from the clouds, zipped down, fired at Zeroes, and then sped off. This meant the Zero had no chance of engaging the American fighters in dogfights.
When the 1560 Hp engine was installed in the ultimate Zero, the A6M8, its performance became almost enough to over-run western fighters, but since the zero was still basically the same fighter whose prototype flew in the 40’s, it got destroyed. This aircrafts lowest point was when it was first selected as Japans first Kamikaze (Divine Wind) suicide bomber aircraft. However, this form of attack was majorly successful, and devastating on enemy ships. It became the main Japanese suicide bomber and entire Kamikaze squadrons were formed.
Huge numbers of this aircraft were produced. Massive numbers. Mitsubishi built 3,879. Nakajima built 6,215 of this aircraft. Sasebo and Hitachi, along with Nakajima, made 844 trainer and floatplane versions. This aircrafts total production numbered 10,938.
Celebrity Appearances: The movie Pearl Harbour, amoung many other wartime movies. It was featured in Call of Duty 5, Medal of Honour, and also battlefields 1942 and 1943.
Wed. May 5/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Kawaski Ki-61-IC Hien
Maiden flight: December 1941
Powered by: Kawaski 1175 hp Ha-40 V12 liquid cooled piston engine.
Armament: Dual 12.7mm (.50 Calibre) machine guns on engine and two wing-mounted 20mm cannon.
Max. Speed: 560 KmH
Range: 1900 Km
The Hien is one of the most bizzarely designed aircraft of the war. Notice the liquid-cooled engine, often found in Messerschmitts? And the Cannon-MG combo balance, also found in Messerschmitts? This design was a large step forward for Japans air design wing. It wasn’t built for handling, although it could handle pretty well. It was built for speed and high altitude performance. It was in essence a Japanese Bf-109.
Most Japanese fighters were powered by air-cooled radials. This baby had a license built Daimler-Benz 601A Liquid cooled in-line engine. This was speedy. When the Allies encountered it in combat in June of 1943, they assumed it to be licensed built from Germany or Italy, which ended up in the aircraft being designated “Tony”. It was Japans only in-line engined fighter in service during the war. However, there is a good reason for this radical ness. From 1923-33, Kawaski engineering corporations design head was Dr. Richard Vogt, a German. He went back to Germany in 1933 to help out at Blohm und Voss during World War 2. However, his methods greatly influenced the company, this being the reason that this fighter was such a radical departure.
From 1942 onwards, this fighter was constantly used by the Imperial Japanese Empire until the war ended. However, as the war dragged on, it was outclassed more and more and more. The ultimate Ki-100 version had a radial engine and was an extremely potent fighter.
Comparison: The bf-109 was considerably faster, and had one less cannon but 4 machine guns. However, the cockpit design severely resembled that of the Bf-109, as did the wings and engine. Also, each had the slight curve on the wings necessary for safe diving.
Thurs. May 6, 2010 Pace51
The Hindustan HF-24 Marut
Maiden Flight: June 17, 1961
Powered by: Two Hal/ Rolls Royce 2200 Kg-thrust Orpheus Mk 703 turbojet engines.
Armament: Four 30mm cannon plus a retractable 50-rocket-pack, (68mm rockets) under the fuselage, plus various hard points.
Max. Speed: Over 9000! (1112 KpH)
Country: India
In the 1950’s, after the war years, India decided that they really needed a jetfighter, to stand any chance in modern combat. However, talent and experience was very scarce, since jet engineering was a new technology. So, India went and hired the German engineer Kurt Tank, the famous Fock-wolfe designer. He created a team, mostly comprised of 18 German engineers, and they got to work in India. The name Marut meant “Spirit of the tempest” and a tempest it was. This was India’s first step towards being self-sustainable when it comes to indigenous aircraft production. In 1957, the team got started with the goal of making a Mach-2 capable all-weather multi-role aircraft.
In June 1961, the original prototype flew, with the helpful aid of two Rolls-Royce Bristol turbojets. The production versions had Indian built Orpheus engines instead. In April 1967, the Marut finally entered service. It was groundbreaking because it was the first supersonic aircraft that had ever been built by a non-world-power. However, the 18 German scientists had a lot to do with that.
In 1975, 100 aircraft had been assembled, delivered, and saw action in 1971 during the war against Pakistan. There, the HF-24’s fought Pakistani’s F-86 sabres, which they had acquired from the US. However, these were usually brief dogfights. It didn’t meet the expectations that India had hoped for it as a fighter, but it was definitely capable enough, and cost-effective enough. It did well in Indian Air Staff service, all in all a good plane.
Thurs. May 6/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the AH-1 HueyCobra (Single-engined version)
Model: AH-1G/S
Powered by: One 944-kW Lycoming T53-L-15 or 1210-kW
Max. Speed: 352 Km/H
Range: 590 Km
Armament: One M197 20mm nose turret cannon and 998 Kg of weapons.
The single-engined AH-1 was the original Cobra, raining down hell in Vietnam. It was the world first designated helicopter gunship, although earlier Bell Uh-1 Iroquois (Huey) models had been equipped with retractable rocket packs. Anti-tank warfare, anybody?
In 1965, the US army issued and accepted a request for the worlds first armed helicopter. The Bell AH-1 Cobra was the result, and it was often called the HueyCobra after bells earlier success, the Huey. Although many people had wondered for years how a helicopter would perform in combat, it arrived at the right time in Vietnam. It proved a phenomenal tank buster. It could get to enemy tanks faster than infantry or other tanks, it didn’t have to worry as much about tank cannon fire and small arms fire, and its typical armament of 8 TOW missiles and two miniguns/One Cannon/One miniature grenade launcher was more than enough to destroy tanks. It had a very narrow and streamlined fuselage, and accommodated dual crew members who sat in tandem. Over time, the US army improved this great helicopter more and more until its engines performance and power as well as its armament had been improved enough to be incredibly effective against the North Vietnamese.
Guns and rockets had proved successful multitudes of times against ground troops. They were sent into battle against the Vietcong’s light PT-76 Tanks. The US marine corps and the US army ordered many examples. When the 1970’s began, so did upgrades! Many single engined Huey’s were modified and given much more useful twin engines instead. When the sieges at An Loc and Saigon began, the US needed to push back hard. The spontaneous invasion was extremely unprecedented. The North Vietnamese pushed into South Vietnam and invaded An Loc and Saigon with many units, especially Russian built tanks. Ac-130 Gunships and AH-1’s were scrambled in large numbers and attacked the Vietcong. The Cobra was very deadly in urban warfare, able to fight through narrow streets, level buildings, and strafe towns. In the early operations, AH-1’s took down many Russian T-54 heavy tanks. Many kills were made.
One of the Cobras primary weapons was the BGM-71 TOW missile. Using a trailing wire, the pilot guided the missile towards the unsuspecting target. In the early 70’s, a dark green triple colour camouflauge was used on the helicopters. The Cobra has very tough landing skids, easier to build and utilize than complicated retractable undercarriage chassis’. The AH-1 had a noisy double bladed primary rotor system. The AH-1’s were simple and mass produced, with many primitive but easy to build features. The modern twin engined versions are much upgraded and more advanced. The Cobra’s also carried small 7 round 70mm Lau-68 rocket packs for use against light or unarmoured hostiles and technicals. However, they can also carry heavier 19 round Lau-69 rocket pods. The forward fuselage is narrow and lightly armoured, although there are bullt-proof panels in the cockpits.
The TOW missile had a range of 3 kilometres. The first AH-1 saw action in 1968. The AH-1 was designed in order that it could be as small and avoiadable as possible, and was extremely narrow. The first prototype flew in September 7, 1965. The AH-1 was voted one of the 4 most valuable weapons of Vietnam. More than 1600 singl-engined first generation cobras were built in total. Sometimes, dual 40mm thumper grenade launchers were used as armament.
Celebrity Appearances: Appeared in various battlefield and Call of Duty games, as well as in many Vietnam movies and Video games.
Triple Comparison: Speed, Power, Size, Armament, Combat Radius
AH-1: Fastest
Lynx: largest Combat Radius
Mi-24: Most heavily armed, most powerful, and largest
Fri. May 7/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Boulton Paul Defiant
Max. Speed: 504 KpH
Armament: Four 7.7mm machine-guns in dorsal turret.
Powered by: Rolls-Royce 1280hp Merlin XX piston engine\
Range: 748 Km
Country: Britain
The defiant was one of the most radically different fighters of the war. It looked like an average fighter, had similar performance, and flew fighter missions. So why was this fighter so different? Well, it had four machine guns. All of them pointing BACKWARDS.
It was the first RAF four gun fighter in August 1937 service. On May 12, 1940, these fighters went into action, and took down no less than 65 aircraft over France by the end of the month. See, against forward firing aircraft, the best strategy was to get above or behind them, or below, and come up firing. However, many pilots didn’t realize that the defiant wasn’t forward firing. They employed standard tactics, got behind the Defiants, and got smashed. Especially, the Mark 2 Defiants were deadly.
Four machine guns is something to reckon with. However, this period, nicknamed the “honeymoon”, came to an end. It couldn’t take on the best the Luttewaffe had to offer and was smashed. It was very weak at dodging head-on attacks, which would bring it down. However, what do you do when you have something with good potential and high power? Recycling! The Defiants were turned into nightfighters, and using the classified Airborne Interception Radar, they were formidable. In fact, they had more interception kills than any other fighter during the winter of 1940-1.
Sat. May 8/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the AH-64 Apache
Powered by: two 1265-kW General Electric T-700-GE-701 Turboshaft engines.
Max. Speed: 293 KmH
Range: 428 Km
Armament: One 30mm M230 chain gun cannon with 1200 rounds of US, ADEN, or DEFA ammo, a maximum of 16 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, or up to 76 folding fin rockets.
Ceiling: 6400 M
Country: USA
The Warsaw Pact countries have always had massive armored strength. Legions of tanks were built and prepared in the USSR, ready to roll into combat whenever called. So, Hughes developed the amazing Apache Longbow helicopter for use in battle. McDonnell Douglas Helicopters took over the distribution of this wonderful bird. The Apache can quickly attack tanks from safe distances in any conditions, night or day. It’s not the prettiest helicopter in the world, but looks absolutely awesome.
Using sensors, it can detect, stalk, and engage. The primary apache strategy involves using natural terrain as cover, and then attacking and fleeing. This strategy will be discussed further on in the guide. Since the USSR could smash into Western Europe at any time with legions of well built Soviet Tanks, the US army used AH-64 as a vital strategic asset to send against the tanks. Now, the USSR’s armoured strength was, and is, no joke. The USSR didn’t just have a few thousand tanks, which would’ve been bad. Oh no. They had to go ahead and build 40,000 tanks, which is very bad. It is a tandem seating and very high tech helicopter. Using the Pilots Night-Vision System (Which isn’t just night vision, it’s comprised of instruments giving the pilot “eyes” at night), and the Target Aqcuisition and Designation System, the pilots were able to operate in the ferocious dust storms encountered in Operation Desert Storm, where this Helicopter served as one of the “poster vehicles” of the war. The war was symbolized by M-2’s, Rangers, US Army men, AH-64’s, F-117’s, Pave Low’s, and more. This helicopter escorted the MH-53J Pave Low many times on Special Forces missions. The sensors also allowed this helicopter to attack Iraqi radar sites.
The most challenging part of Apache flying is turning the predatory tank into the prey. You have to sneak up and get the tank, before he can radio in aircraft on you. The Apache’s rely on hit and run, having good speed. Tank commanders fear it, and will be ready to call in air support at a moments notice. The Apache slightly functions like a sniper. It moves in quickly. Then, with the help of an OH-58D or its own sensors, it acquires a target. Then, it will hide under a hill, come up, and snipe the tanks with a powerful Hellfire.
Let’s get technical. The Apache, as said earlier, is very fast. However, it is very lightly armed compared to most helicopters. You need to have incredible skills to fly it because it relies on long range, good speed, and perfect accuracy to be effective. Unlike heavily armed Mi-24F Hinds, this aircraft is fast and lightly armed, but not large. However, it hits its target. The McDD M230 chain gun fires 625 rounds a minute. In the ‘Nam days, when the AH-1Z was flying around, miniguns were used. However, miniguns are kind of like really fast firing multi-barreled machine guns, minus the accuracy. So, cannon’s are far more accurate, have less spray, and although they shoot slower in some situations, try taking a 30mm round to the chest and living. The most common configuration is chain gun, Hellfires, and smaller rockets. The rockets work against tanks, but are great because they are easy to produce and more than enough to destroy light armoured vehicles and un-armored vehicles. With direct hits, of course. The engines are protected by armour plating and the cowling folds so that workers can easily repair and work with the aircraft.
The Hellfire has been much upgraded and is extremely accurate. Go to youtube and search up “Hellfire missile Camera” to see an image not unlike the BF2 TV missiles, except this is for real. If the powered flight control system happens to fail, a secondary fly-by-wire system has been implemented just in case. You won’t find many Apaches with markings or unit markings, especially on Special Operations duties. The Apaches were able to perform even in thick smoke with only 200m of visibility. The main landing gear is shock absorbing, the seats are crash resistant, and the airframe is strong enough to give the crew a 95 %chance of surviving a 12.8 meter per second impact. Now that’s safety. However, that’s only if the engines malfunctions or if you get hit by AAA fire. A SAM can bring down an Apache, as well as a fighter.
The Apache comes in several variants. Although this guide refers mainly to the AH-64A model, the ultimate model was thee AH-64D Apache Longbow. The cockpits are armoured with Boron and the pilots sit on Kevlar. Apache battalions consist of 18 AH-64’s and 13 OH-58D’s. US Apaches took out over 500 Iraqi tanks. The Netherlands leased several examples in 1994. Apaches fired the first allied shots of the Gulf War, taking out radars.
Tues. Apr. 27/10 Pace51
Real world Facts about the Sea Harrier FA.2
As requested, here is a guide to the original British built Harrier’s, especially the GR.1, GR.3, and Sea Harrier. There are some brief references to the AV8B’s. If you want, request it and I’ll make a full AV8B guide.
Maiden Flight: September 19, 1988
Powered by: Rolls-Royce 9765 kg thrust Pegasus 106 turbofan.
Armament: Four AIM-120 AAM’s or 2 AIM-120’s and four AIM-9’s. Two 30mm Aden cannons may be carried underneath fuselage, as well as up to 2270 kg in rockets, bombs, and missiles.
Max. Speed: 1185 kph
VTOL: Yes.
Country: Britain
Model: Sea Harrier FA.2
One of the best examples of British innovation, the VTOL capable Harrier had constantly been improved and improved over the years. It first hovered in October of the year 1960. Although aircraft like the F-35 JSF, V-22 Osprey, and Yak-141 can operate similarly, this baby was the first! Using the Harrier, a military general can plan a strategy without airfields. The sea harrier was designed for air-to-air fighting and naval operations, while the Harrier was designed as close air support aircraft. Harrier’s can easily operate anywhere from a helipad to a small farmers field to a parking lot, so it is a very important tool. It can fulfill aircraft and helicopter duties. Many people still are amazed to see this remarkable aircraft at airshows. The Harrier GR.1 Variant can take off and land vertically by selecting an 80 degrees nozzle and applying full power. It has special nozzles mounted around the plane. These can point downwards, for vertical takeoff, or forwards, for propulsion!
When the aircraft climbs vertically to an altitude of 15-30 meters, the pilot gradually swivels the nozzles so that they start to push the aircraft forwards. The Harrier’s special Pegasus engine with its vectored thrust is how the Harrier takes off. There are four nozzles around the plane, which can be swiveled. The Harrier has very good agility and can perform tight maneuvers. Also, the nozzles can be used to slow the aircraft, so that if an enemy yak-36 or mig-27 was chasing the Sea Harrier, it would zip past and get into the Harrier’s sights instead.
The Harrier GR.1 was the ground attack version and entered service with the Royal Air Force in October 1969, and a very substantial number have been upgraded to the GR.3 version. McDonell Douglas of the US admired the aircraft, and produced very new and improved Harrier AV8A and AV8B models. The GR.7 the RAF uses today is similar to the AV8B. Spain also bought some US built AV8A’s. Many Harrier’s are now getting their Harrier Plus upgrades, to become more powerful. In February 1963 a Harrier landed on the HMS Ark Royal. The navy was pleased, and ordered the Sea Harrier, which arrived in 1978 as the Sea Harrier FRS. Mk 1. It was ordered in 1975. In comparisen with the GR.3, the Sea Harrier had a totally remade fuselage, different avionics, and a special Pegasus engine with improved corrosion resistance engine was added, decreasing the risk of the engine failing, which could prove very bad. Actually, in an “air show” incident, a pilot was hovering his Harrier over the beach. However, he was using an older Harrier. While hovering, his engine began to stutter. Then he went into stall, right on the shoreline in front of the beach. His aircraft plummeted in stall, and just before it hit the water, when the pilot realized he couldn’t regain control, he initiated the ejection sequence and blew out of the cockpit in his chair and parachute, saving his life. Will research what happened to that Harrier.
More changes were made in the conversion from the Sea Harrier FRS to the sea Harrier FA.2. The avionics, airframe, cockpit, armament, and radar were all modified for maximum possible naval capability. It was the first fighter in Europe to get the AIM-120 missile. The RN (Royal Navy)’s sea harrier FA.2’s began their first combat in the august of 1994 over Bosnia. No.889 squadron used them, operating from the Royal Navy’s famous anti-submarine/ship warfare (ASW) carrier HMS Invincible. To all Tom Clancy fans, yes, that carrier existed. And it was pretty powerful. Many people may remember the 1982 Falklands War, to retake the Falkland Islands. They managed to destroy high performance combat aircraft like Daggers, registering 32 kills. 23 were in air combat, the rest were a result from ground strafing. Two seat trainer versions and three-seat special operations versions have been produced, though many classified.
Wed. May 11/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Hawker Hurricane
Maiden Flight: November 6, 1935
Powered by: Rolls-Royce 1030 hp Merlin 3 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled engine
Armament: Eight 7.7mm (30 .cal) machine guns, each gun having 334 rounds.
Max. Speed: 511 KpH
Country: Britain (Allies)
The Hawker Hurricane was perhaps one of the best fighters of the whole war, and definitely one of the best in the early stages of the war. When the Hawker Hurricanes first entered service with the No.111 squadron, and replacing their Gloster Gauntlets, it was the first RAF fighter to ever fly faster than 482 kilometers per hour, and on February 1938, a Hurricane made a night flight from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt and made the history books clocking 408 kilometers per hour.
They definitely were larger in number than the RAF spitfires when the war, and more importantly, the Battle of Britain broke out, one of the largest air wars in history. The first German aircraft shot down in the war was a Dornier Do 17 and was massacred by Hurricanes. In the famous 1940 battle of Britain, probably one of the most famous and largest scale air battles of all time, the Hurricane proved it was worth its praise. They had a hard time holding off enemy fighters like bf109’s and Stuka dive bombers. It shot down more German blitzkrieg aircraft than all the other air and ground and sea defenses of Britain combined. The only Victoria Cross awarded to Flight Command was awarded to Hurricane Pilot Flight Lieutenant J.B. Nicholson on station with no. 249 squadron. To earn this prestigious awarded, he attacked an enemy Messerschmitt bf-109. Oh, and did I mention he did this shortly after his own plane caught fire? On August 2, 1940, the No. 261 Squadron RAF Hurricanes fought to defend Malta against the bombers of Italy’s Regia Aeronautica. Aalso, in a very scarcely known conflict in 1940, the bombers of Italy made only one huge bomber raid on Britain. They lost enormous numbers to the Nos.46,249 and also 257 squadrons, which smashed them. 7 out of ten bomber and four Fiat escorts were shot down in flames.
One of the keys to the Hurricanes success was its good maneuverability. Many may argue that Japanese fighters were more maneuverable, but when it came to maneuverability, the Japanese were so ahead that you couldn’t touch them in that sector. The Hurricanes could out maneuver other fighters, and that’s what counts. Also, it had eight wing mounted machine guns with large amounts of ammo. Barring jams, the guns were beasts. However, each pointed straightforward on the Hurricane. In a quote, famous Childrens book author Roald Dahl stated “Most people knew that the Hurricane had eight machine guns. What they didn’t know was that they aimed forwards. You didn’t aim the guns, you aimed the plane”. The Hurricane also had a swooping nose giving the pilot an excellent dogfighting view, and the Greenhouse canopy, although slightly vision-limiting, still allowed for good frontal attacks.
The mk2 Hurricane squadrons had a more powerful two-stage supercharged Merlin XX engine instead of a merlin 3. The Mk 2’s weaponry varied from the MkIIA’s eight machine guns to the ridiculous 12 machine guns of the mk IIB. Got lead? Only one surviving navalized version exists today, a Sea Hurricane, preserved in the UK. It is a later model and very sleek and beautiful in looks. The Hurricane was a preferred “Kite” by pilots. Nightfighter versions with radar and naval versions complete with clipped wings and strengthened undercarriages appeared soon after. Some versions had two brutal 40mm cannons, which shredded tanks and light armour, in the MkIID model.
The last RAF Hurricane squadron, No.6, used the MkIV, until January 1947. This extremely agile fighter was adored by its pilots. Turkey was the top export customer. Today, many Hurricanes are being restored, meaning good news for collectors.
Celebrity Appearances: Was flown by Roald Dahl in the battle of Greece, and appeared in many a war movie or video game, especially ones concerning the battle of Britain.
Fri. May 7/10 Pace51
Real world Facts about the Atlas/Denel Cheetah
Powered by: SNECMA 6209 kG thrust Atar 9C turbojet.
Maiden Flight: 1986
Max. Speed: 2338 KmH
Range: Classified, similar to the Mirage 3 though.
Armament: One 30mm Cannon, V3B Kukri, V3C Darter, Python, and Shafrir AA missiles plus bombs and rockets.
This awesome multi-role fighter was developed due to a 1977 UN weapons embargo against South Africa. They had a fleet of older mirage 3’s, and were looking for a decent fighter to replace these jets. So, since they couldn’t buy new aircraft, they decided to improve their mirages. The Atlas Company, who had experience from assembling the airframes of Mirage F1 aircraft, teamed up with Denel to build this nicely rounded fighter. It is probably the best upgrading of a Mirage 3 anywhere, even better than Israel’s Kfir fighter. Actually, Atlas teamed up with some IAI developers, the ones who upgraded the Mirages to Kfirs. About 50 percent of the airframe was replaced. Canard foreplanes, brand new avionics and weapons, and more powerful engines were installed. Since South Africa couldn’t buy any aircraft, they were willing to spend a large amount of money to make the Cheetah as deadly as possible.
In 1986, the Cheetah D attack version was the first time the west realized that it existed. Also, single-seat versions were also created of the Mirage 3 upgraded Cheetahs. They were designated EZ and were fighter versions retaining the Mirage SNECMA Atar 9C engine. This actually led to the Cheetah C fighter version which lots of people think is the best mirage upgrade ever. In 1995, the West realized this existed, too. The fighters are armed with indigenous South African missiles.
Now, how do I do a post link? Oh wait, thanks Floppy.
Germany: Messerschmitt Me 262
Germany: Messerschmitt ME 163 Komet
Russia: Tu-28 Fiddler
Europe: Eurofighter Typhoon
Germany: Junkers Ju-88
USA: A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
Russia: Mig-21
Russia: Mig-31
Japan: Mitsubishi A6M Zero
Japan: Kawski Hien
India: Hindustan HF-24 Marut
USA: AH-1 Cobra
Britain: Boulton-Paul Defiant
Britain: Harrier/ Sea Harrier FA.2
Britain: Hawker Hurricane -NEW-
South Africa: Aatlas/Denel Cheetah
Fri. Apr. 16/10 Pace51
Real World War 2 Facts about the Messerschmitt Me262
Maiden Flight: July 18, 1942
Max. Speed: 870 KpH
Powered By: Dual Junkers 900 Kg thrust Jumo 004B-1 Turbojets.
Armament: Four 30mm nose mounted cannon, and 12 air-to-air rockets under the wings.
Country: Germany
This was the aircraft your history teacher used to mention when they talked about Germany having phenomenally advanced weaponry that could have won the war. The V2 rocket, Frankfurters (tasty), and this. It was the world first operational jetfighter. Many Germans, and historians today, believed it was a war winner. However, extensive allied bombing campaigns ravaged the plants where these were being manufactured.
In late 1938, design work started on this aircraft. It looked great on paper, but it wouldn’t be flown until the prototype came out, 4 years later, and even then, it wouldn’t be frequently used. Messerschmitt’s incredibly famous and deadly Bf109 would control the skies until then. It had amazing revolutionary gas turbines, manufactured by BMW.
The piston engine remained in the nose of this aircraft, and the aircraft was forced to take off using all three engines, for safety. Now, this was the best aircraft of the Third Reich, and when Germany’s even more advanced Me163 Komet came along, this mean, green(It carried a camouflage similar to that of certain focke-wulfe FW-190D’s, will research technicalities.) Fighting machine was actively taking on the allies. It was the first Jetfighter to fight in combat, when engaged a British Mosquito flying recon over Munich.
One major problem of the Me262 was this. It was too fast. Now, speed is good and all, but put in to mind that Germany did what Windows did with Vista, and released early because they were pressured. Also keep in mind that speeding up its production means scientist’s are bound to overlook important details. Well, here’s the problem. Well, both problems. One, its speed meant that taking this aircraft too far, which happened a lot in dogfight’s, meant that its wings had a tendency to COME RIGHT OFF. That is very bad. You lose complete control. Try flying with your tailfin and elevator. Secondly, the engines? They were ridiculously unreliable, shutting down mid-dogfight. Sure, you can glide a bit, and then parachute out… if the Spitfire who’s pals you killed decides to let you go. The undercarriage? Collapse prone. The guns? Jamfestival.
However, the main reason these weren’t able to turn the tide of the war, and they were very close to doing this, was that a lack of resource and vicious Allied bombing campaigns blew the manufacturing plants off the face of the Earth. 1400 were produced by VE (Victory in Europe) day. Only 300 saw combat action. The allies bombed hundreds of them out of commission. However, when I say it couldv’e one the war, I’m not panic-mongering. It was superior to every other aircraft in every way. Even when Britain’s Gloster company produced the Meteor jetfighter, the Me-262 was the king of the skies… if it was up there, with its wings still attached.
However, as the war wore on, even though Hitler bragged about this aircraft, Germany focused on improving the already active Bf109 and BF110 aircraft. However, ace Adolf Galland managed to speed up aircraft production after flying it and proclaiming it remarkable. But Germany was short on fuel, resources, supplies, manpower, and aces. As many of you military strategists reading this article will recognize, having a nifty new weapon doesn’t always mean you can use it.
No Me262 ever fought a Gloster meteor. In March 18-21, 1945, more than 40 campaigns were flown by Me262’s. It was far too late to salvage the German War Machine, so these caused damaged, but only slowed the inevitable. Two seater radar-equipped night fighters and new engine improvements rolled off the production lines.
I will post and F-14 guide, and hopefully an F-16 and Mig-29 guide in the furture. Aand maybe an A6M zero guide.
Me-262. Discuss.
Mon. Apr. 19/10 Pace51
Real world facts about the Me163 Komet
Maiden Flight: June 23, 1943
Powered by: Walter 1700 Kg- thrust HWK 509A-1 rocket motor
Max. Speed: 960 KpH
Armament: Two 30mm cannon
As ww2 worsened for the Axis, the German inventions and designs became more innovative and radical. The Me163 is a perfect example of this. This aircraft was test-flown after the Me262, but was slightly newer. However, the Me163, although it looks like one, was not a jet. It was the world’s first rocket powered tailless glider, designed by Dr. Alexander Lippisch.
The Komet worked like this. Using rocket power, it would fly at incredible speeds (for the time), even faster than the Me262. The early versions could only achieve powered flight for a total of seven and a half minutes, although later versions weren’t much better. The aircraft would use rocket power to reach its targets, and engage them. However, this meant that there was huge room for error. The aircraft had to attack from a close proximity to its target. If the aircraft was towed, it could glide towards it’s targets, and then fire up the engine and engage them, meaning that it had more than enough fuel to engage it’s target and return home. However, if the aircraft flew from a base, it would have to use its engine to propel itself into the air. The problem with this is the limited amount of fuel the engine used. The aircraft would have lost a large amount of fuel flying to its target. When engaging a target, the speed of the glider meant that you had as little as 3 seconds to attack your target, as the first squadron using this plane to attack US bombers discovered. However, that was because the rocket gliders flew at top speed towards Flying Fortresses, limiting the window for attack, and that was only the first pass. However, when you fly back to your base, you only have usually a few minutes of powered flight left, if you’re lucky. You have to glide the rest of the way, which led to risky landings. Partly because the lack of powered flight gives you only one try, because you can’t really pull out of a landing or correct without power. You get one try. Secondly, Me163’s couldn’t engage enemy aircraft when landing. They could only land, usually while being shot at.
Only 9 bombers were destroyed by this incredible aircraft, but it had some extraordinary new weaponry, the SG 500 Jagdfaust, (Fighter fist). This is how it worked. In the wing root’s, on either side of the fuselage, were 10 vertically firing tubes, 5 on each side of the wing. Each pointed straight up, and carried only on .50 calibre bullet. Ana photo-electric cell was mounted in the middle. This was a brilliant and devastating weapon. When the Me163 flew under a bombers shadow, the photo-electric cell noticed it. And when it noticed the shadow, all ten .50 bullets shot straight up… into the enemy bomber. It was successfully combat tested on a B-17, when a Komet destroyed it in mid-air.
In late 1943, Japan, more specifically Mitsubishi, was able to get manufacturing rights from the Germans for this aircraft. The navy got the J8M1, and the army got the Ki-200. However, one of the u-boats carrying the blueprints was sunk. The Japanese, incredibly, were able to produce prototypes from the incomplete blueprints before the war ended. One even flew before the war ended.
The Komet was futuristic in several ways. It was one of the first aircraft that used swept-wings, which were used in later fighters. It was rocket powered, and flew at incredible speeds. It was shaped like a combination of a bat and a dart, and was small and agile. The Komet used two hypergolic, or spontaneously combusting, liquids, T-Stoff and Z-Stoff. When they were combined, they reacted so violently the resulting explosion propelled it forward. It was flown at the secret test facility of Peenemunde in June 1940, by pilot Heini Dittmar. It had an awesome speed and a steep climb rate, and killer handling. One was towed to a height of 4000 meters before it was released. It fired its rocket engine and reached speeds of around 1003 KpH before it started to become unstable, which destroyed the world speed record at the time. However, the Komet’s were armed with cannons’, and only 60 rounds per cannon, and not particularly effective. They could have been, though, with more design improvements.
Sun. Apr. 25/10 Pace51
Real world Facts about the Tupolev Tu-28
Maiden Flight: 1957
Powered by: Dual Lyulka 11,200 Kg afterburning thrust AL-21F turbojets
Armament: Four AA-5 “Ash” LRAAM’s.
Max. Speed: 1850 KpH
Range: 5000 km
The quite large Tupolev tu-28, NATO codename “fiddler”, gave the USSR a long range interceptor with fighter capabilities from the 1960’s until it was replace by newer Su-27’s and the Mig-31’s. It is the largest Soviet interceptor ever built, and the largest interceptor ever.
Just like the American’s had their own fighters ready to intercept Soviet bombers, the Soviets had their own interceptors ready to take on American bombers. These interceptors protected soviet airspace in all weather conditions from American missile bombers and other aircraft. It had a range of an astounding 3000 km and was deployed protecting the Northern Soviet Union as well. Its NATO codenamed “Ash” missiles were quite deadly long ranged missiles, and packed a significant punch.
In the early 1960’s, production began and the aircraft actually entered active service in the mid ‘60’s. However, the western powers didn’t even realize its existence until the famous 1967 Soviet Aviation Day (National Comrades Showoff Day).
The two crew members sat next to each other like on the SU-32/34. By 1992, they were taken out of service. By the largest interceptor ever built, I mean, it was huge. It was 27.2 meters long, with large delta wings.
Mon. Apr. 26/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Eurofighter Typhoon
Maiden Flight: March 27, 1994
Powered by: Dual EJ200 9198kg afterburning thrust turbofans
Armament: One 27mm cannon plus 13 hardpoints carrying up to 6500 kg/20, 250 pounds of ordnance.
Max. Speed: 2020 KpH
Range: 16,775 meters
Today, only the richest, most powerful countries can build a powerful high tech fighter on their own. And if you aren’t America, Russia, and China, well, band together with the neighbours and jetpool. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and spain issued a joint request in 1983 for a single seat fighter with good maneuverability and multi-role characteristics. In 1985, France drew out, probably because of the Rafale’s and because they wanted to keep their aircraft indigenous, but the other nations split up the work. Now, spain did 13 percent, Italy 21 percent, and UK and Germany did the majority of the project, 33 percent each! In 1992, Germany became agitated about the costs that seemed to soar and soar. They threatened to pull out, so a lower-budget but equally deadly Eurofighter was proposed, drawn up, and accepted by all involved. Germany had the honour of hosting the first Typhoon flight in 1994. It has high turning rates and can perform the role of air superiority very well.
High thrust-to-weight ratio, lowered wing loading, easy handling, and excellent all round visibility were the most emphasized features the designers worked on, AKA these were the priority features. It only needs a 700m runway, and has some stealth capabilities. The delta wings and the canards mounted on wither side of the cockpit give the Eurofighter excellent turning, handling, and agility. Not a fighter you want to dogfight with. It will destroy you. This aircraft has high performance, and this combined with awesome visibility and Infra-red radar, Long range radar, SRAAM’s, and a very modern electronic warfare suite which enhances the effectiveness of the weapons, and survivability, makes this a very deadly aircraft. However, not everybody agrees on this. So, let’s get to the flaws…
The Eurofighter is aerodynamically unstable. Ever wondered why it got so shaky at moderat-high speeds in BF2? It has to be this way, though, so that it can reduce drag, enhance lift, and provide high agility levels. Also, the pilot requires the fly-by-wire system to fly this aircraft. Back to the perks. The cockpit, at least, has a great HUD and three colored monitors dominating the interior of the cockpit. The pilot also gets a helmet mounted sight, which is good. There is awesome DVI (Direct Voice Input) so that by talking to the fighter, it does what you want it too. Also, the Eurojet EJ200 has high strength, low fuel consumption, and high thrust.
BAE systems, the company that built and flew the original Harrier’s, used parts made by other countries in the Eurofighter programme to build the British Eurofighters. In Italy, the Eurofighters are assembled in Turin. Germany has a plant in Munich for their Eurofighters. Last and not least, Spain will have their Eurofighters assembled and built in Madrid. The aircraft is not a heavy one, but a hard hitting one.
Tues. Apr. 27/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Junkers JU-88.
Maiden Flight: December 21, 1936
Armament: Two 30 mm cannon and up to 6 20mm cannon.
Powered by: Dual BMW 1700hp 801D-2 14-cylinder radials.
Max. Speed: 573 KpH
Model: Ju-88G
Many of you WW2 historians or pilots will recognize this aircraft. This aircraft was one of Germany’s three most famous medium bombers, not counting dive bombers, along with Heinkel’s HE series and the Dornier DO series. This was one of the most famous bombers of the whole war. It has been called the German Mosquito, because, like De Haviland’s versatile high powered interceptor, this aircraft has suited multiple roles. From dive bomber to torpedo bomber, close support to reconnasicance, heavy fighter/interceptor to nightfighter.
These powerful nightfighter’s carried an extensive early German array mounted on the nose. Since Germany only ever built medium bombers in great number, and not large bombers, when these Junkers aircraft were converted, they could take large loads. The Ju-88 made a perfect interceptor. Back then, although fighter’s like focke wolfe’s did interception and night fighting later on, the best planes suited for the interceptor role were semi-large, multiple engined, had enormous, I mean enormous, firepower, and they usually had to be fast. Like the P-38 Lightning, and Japan’s converted medium bombers which later became interceptors as well. When people say this aircraft was heavily armed, they meant it. Back then, even one small 20mm cannon could chew through armour. Well, how about six 20mm cannon’s? And, two 30mm’s to boot. They were very effective and active against allied bombers over nighttime Germany. Back then, no offence intended, the American’s were in love with machine guns. That’s fine and all, because they’d put about 6 or so per plane, but that wasn’t as effective as the European practice of wing or nose mounted cannon. Because, with a machine gun, and Hawker Hurricane or P-51 pilot will tell you that every hit counts. You have to go for the fuel tank. With a cannon, one hit anywhere on the plane is often enough to take you down, especially if it tears through the wing root. And if cannon fire blasts your cockpit? Even though its low velocity, it will maul your plane. However, the American’s were often engaging the Japanese and their lightly armored planes. The German’s still had a hard time holding off the P-51’s.
The ju-88’s speed almost equaled that of the current fighters at that time. The Ju-88C Heavy fighter series and the original prototype, the Ju-88C-0 flew in July 1939. Jumo 211’s and BMW 801’s were made for the mass produced Ju-88C. Also, solid nose batteries housed cannons and machine guns.
Back to the Ju-88G. It was a radar equipped three seater nightfighter. Although it could take 2 30mm cannons and 6 20mm cannon’s, it sometimes only took 2 30mm’s and 4 20mm’s, which is still insanely powerful. However, these aircraft were designed for bomber destroying. Most of the cannon are pointed diagonally upwards, so that the aircraft could race underneath an allied bomber, hopefully clear the tail gun, and destroy the bomber. The cannons even ripped through the heavily armoured B-26’s and the heavily armed Lancaster’s.
Wed. Apr. 28/10 Pace51
Real world facts about the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
Powered by: Dual 40.3 kN General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines.
Max. Speed: 682 KpH
Radius: 885 Km
Armament: One General Electric GAU-8/A 30mm cannon, plus 7258 kg maximum weapon load. Forward air control ordinance includes up to 12 LAU-68 (OVERKILL), two AIM-9 sidewinders and one ECM pod.
In Vietnam, one of the harshest lessons learned was that powerful and heavily armored ground attack aircraft were necessary to the battlefield. These had to sustain extreme damage, carry large, no, massive loads, and fly from front-line airstrips. Speed was not really required, so this aircraft flew at slow speeds. Barely faster than ww2 Piston engined aircraft speeds. However, although speed wasn’t necessary, it was a subsonic aircraft. It couldn’t even break the sound barrier. It was loved by its pilots for its steady speeds and ease of handling. In fact, some civilian pilots transferring to the air force used to use these aircraft, because they were used to multiple-engined aircraft.
However, 713 aircraft were conceived, built, and ready for battle duty by 1976. American units in Alaska, Europe, Korea, and North America were equipped. It wasn’t really necessary anymore by the end of the cold war, however, because it was too specialist. And as any product manufacturer knows, the problem with a specialized product is, when the only thing its good at is declared obsolete, even if it was really good at it, the product gets retired. Too many AA batteries, SAM sites, and targets were appearing to make it too useful. Also, it wasn’t really a special forces aircraft,. It was used for front-line battle duties in wars.
Because the first explosion wasn't big enough...
The F-16 was to replace its duties, and many A-10’s began to be redesignated OA-10’s to take over from OV-10 bronco’s. The A-10 was a very powerful aircraft. In fact, it was an air tank. It had super reinforced armour, an almighty cannon so powerful that it had to be fired in short bursts because prolonged firing could slow the aircraft into a stall. Wwhich is INSANE. It had split Ailerons, which are the two engines on either side of the rear fuselage forward of the tail. These were powerful enough, but had to carry the A-10 and its enormous loads. However, the A-10 was designed very well. Its designers had many tricks up their sleeve when it came to survivability. The bubble canopy was mounted in a position where it would be largely protected from ground fire. The heavy armour meant that AAA batteries wouldn’t be too much of a problem, and especially not a stray shot. The Ailerons allow it to roll quite fast, which means it can maneuver very nicely at ground level. The straight fixed wings help with this too. Notice the slightly bent wing middle? That allows the aircraft to dive and take strenuous strain on its chassis. A little trick picked up from the Ju-87 Stuka’s and the Vought F4U’s.
Lets get technical! The engines have easy maintenance, and the turbofans are mounted in large pods to prevent airstrip debris from entering. The engine nacelle results in a low Infra-red signature, meaning hit seeking (“Fire and Forget”, a popular nickname) missiles have a bugger of a time locking on. The tank buster cannon is the GAU 8/A Avenger 30 mm Gatling Cannon. This is how the warthog got its nickname, other than because of the characteristic “warthog face” painted on most aircraft. When fired, it makes a huge grunting noise. And yes, it dramatically slows down the aircraft. In FAC roles, OA-10’s usually only used a few non-armament surveillance equipment. The pilot got night vision goggles for night missions. ECM pods were also used for safety. Now, lets show you how powerful this aircraft is. The following are facts. Its armour is solid titanium. That means the aircraft is heavy as hell, but that armour is immensely strong. Also, if one engine or tailfin gets decommissioned or blown off, the aircraft can still fly, although it gets trickier. And slower. The primary tank busting method of the A-10’s is this. When approaching its target, the pilots veers up and gets a lock from the TV monitor. The missiles nose has a camera. Now, the pilot will launch an AGM maverick at the tank, while banking and veering off to the right or left. When he pulls out of these shallow dives and maneuvers, the tank is usually charcoal by now. Like in BF2, the TV guided missile has a TV on its nose which it uses to go after a target, and keep chasing that target.
The YA-10A prototypes flew in 1972. Since then, the aircraft are being painted grey or camouflaged. The Aircraft got an extended life, because while it was going through the retirement process, the Gulf War broke out. And, the A-10’s specialty is wars, especially ones with ground targets. In the gulf war, A-10’s took out two Iraqi helicopters. The largish A-10 was a single seater. Plans to export 50 to Turkey were cancelled, although there was surplus. Cannon fun fact: At full firing speed, it will fire a 30 round burst… in half a second. And, those are 30mm shells, to boot. Very powerful. The Thunderbolt was originally meant as a tank killer, and performed admirably in the role.
Tues. May 4/10 Pace51
Real World Facts- Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21F
Maiden Flight: 1957
Powered by: Tumansky 7500 Kg afterburning thrust R-25 turbojet engine.
Armament: One twin barrel 23mm cannon and provisions for 1500 Kg of weapons.
Max. Speed: 2230 KpH.
The Mig-21 was originally designed as a short-range high-performance interceptor. However, because of its decent armament and great cost effectiveness, it turned into the most widely used aircraft in the world, essentially a flying ak-47.
Using invaluable Korean experience, a delta-wing design was drawn up and added to the Mig-21, after a series of prototypes flew in the mid-50’s. The original Mig-21’s were codenamed “Fishbed” by NATO and they reached the front-lines in the winter of 1957 to 1958. It was only armed originally with 2 30mm cannons. The Mig-21F version was mass produced and saw service in the Warsaw Pact countries, and also saw service with Finland. The Arabian’s also bought huge numbers and used them to fight against the Israelis air force in the Arab-Israeli war, around 1973.Its pilots loved it, for its high maneuverability, more-than-decent handling, and also because it flew at twice the speed of sound, pretty fast for such an early fighter. Many good fighters today don’t go much over Mach 2, however, many of them do. Czechoslovakia and India took licensed production. China, after extensive reverse engineering, took enormous unlicensed engineering on copies of the Migs they acquired legitimately. Aerial AK-47. And talk about legal loophole.
490 Litre drop tanks were added to migs, giving them a longer range. However, as someone pointed out on bf2s.com, the Mig’s range wasn’t a factor, at least in ‘Nam, because its airbases were so close to the front-lines. In the 1960’s, the Mig-21PF model, which included a redesigned nose compartment, featured the new R1L radar in the center of the nose intake, albeit concealed. Also introduced in this model were the much more powerful R-11F2-300 engines which drastically improved performance, and torque. The Mig-21, like our friend the Kalashnikov, has been upgraded and improved and upgraded many times over. In 2000, Romania’s Aerostar still offered much-upgraded mig-21 Lancers for duties like Air Defense. This company had much upgraded the Romanian Airforce Mig-21’s. However, they are much outclassed by now. Many countries still operate the Mig-21, almost 50 years after it originally flew. AK-47’s, Anyone?
Celebrity appearances: Tom Clancy’s HAWX, Ace Combat series, various Vietnam movies, Ho chi Mihn trail, Battlefield Vietnam, Various BF2 mods, and can be seen in many an old museum.
Tues. May. 4/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Mig-31 “Foxhound”
Maiden Flight: September 16, 1975
Powered by: Dual Aviadvigatel 15,520 Kg afterburning thrust D-30F6 Turbofan engines
Armament: One 23mm cannon, four AA-9 Amos LRAAM’s under fuselage, dual AA-6 “Acrid” SRAAM’s, and four AA-8 “Aphids” mounted on underwing hardpoints.
Max. Speed: 3000 KpH
Range: 720 Km
This incredibly fast, brutally long ranged, and super-heavily armed interceptor is something to be reckoned with. So is its price tag. The Mig-31, codenamed “Foxhound” by NATO, was developed from the much loved Mig-25 “Foxbat” interceptor. Just by looking at the aircraft you can easily see the similarities between the two. The Mig-31 replaced the Tupolev Tu-128 as the USSR’s main long-range interceptor, and a potent one at that.
The Mig-31, along with its two man crew, was developed in order to counter and destroy low flying strike aircraft and cruise missiles, and can also engage targets from quite long distances. Using the long-ranged AA-9 AA missile it is an extremely effective defender of the USSR, and a quite potent one at that.
In 1975, the prototype Ye-155MP, the prototype version of the mig-31, first flew. It was a deadly prototype. The first Mig-31 of about roughly 300 were delivered to the Soviet Air Force from 1979 onwards. It was not only inspired by but also based on the incredibly potent mig-25. It is much newer, however, and an all-weather all-altitude interceptor. Light alloys, nickel steel, and titanium all comprise its airframe. It needs to be able to withstand the strain of high performance. The aircraft had a high tech “Flash Dance” Radar which was aid to be the most powerful radar on a fighter in the world. It can scan about 200 km ahead, as well as scan behind and below at the same time. The pilot in the back seat can track up to ten targets at a time and also simultaneously engage four, depending on which present the largest threat. Later on, models were fitted with in-flight refueling capabilities which extended the aircrafts endurance by large amounts. They also greatly extended the endurance of the aircraft and extended the on-board digital datalinks. This let the aircraft pass data back and forth about air targets and strategical encounters/situations.
Mon. Apr. 5/10 Pace51
Real World War 2 Facts- Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen
Maiden Flight: August 1943 (So EA could use it) (The A6M5 version)
Powered By: 1130 Hp Nakajima NK1C SAKAE 21 14-Cylinder two-row radial piston engine
Armament: Two wing mounted 20mm cannon, two 7.7 mm Mg’s in the fuselage, and two 132 pounders on underwing mounted racks.
Max. Speed: 570 KpH
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was perhaps one of the most famous and important Japanese fighters of the war, and definitely Japan’s deadliest Carrier fighter. The Zero was built not for power or heavily armoured, but for maneuverability. It was almost as maneuverable as certain Biplanes, and definitely more heavily armed. In 1937, the Japanese Navy issued a request for a high speed Carrier based fighter to replace the Mitsubishi A5M. In fact, this challenge was so daunting, that only Mitsubishi dared to take it, directed by Jiro Horikoshi. They successfully made their own aircraft obsolete in the process, but that is the price of greatness.
This aircraft destroyed the seemingly impossible to beat record, becoming more heavily armed, maneuverable, and somehow lighter than the A5M in the process. This was outstanding. Originally, the Mitsubishi Zuisei was chosen as a powerful, light piston engine, but the more powerful Nakijima Sakae (Prosperity) 925hp radial, only slightly larger and heavier than the Zuisei, replaced it. With ease, this fighter proceeded to absolutely shatter the performance requirements issued by the Navy, requirements so hard to meet they were considered impossible. Prosuction types of the Navy aircraft were assigned type numbers according to the last number of the Japanese year that production started, and since 1940 was known as year 2600, the A6M became the Type Zero Fighter.
Before the A6M2 was finally accepted as a production fighter airplane, Japans navy asked Mitsubishi to deliver examples for operational use over the Chinese skies to fight China’s ever-growing aerial opposition. In August 1940, over Chungking, the Zeroes met Chinese fighters in combat, and destroyed them. Washington soon got word about this powerful new fighter in Japans arsenal, but did nothing, not considering it to be a serious threat. In Pearl Harbour, the Americans were completely unprepared for these powerful death-bringing fighters. Aactually, every day since Pearl harbour, its appearance ove major war zones gave the allies the idea that Zeroes were infinite in numbers and invincible in a dogfight. Well, they weren’t invincible. However, they were in a dogfight. Nothing at the time could outmaneuver them. However, in order to make a fighter this maneuverable, something had to go. Well, that something was armour. They had very little armour and fuel tank protection. However, the Allies were not aware of this. Yet. Hilariously, in 1941, Japan already had huge numbers of these fighters, numbering way over 420. Until 1942, every fighter that attacked the Zero got ravaged and usually destroyed. On a Japanese raid against Ceylon, which is now known as Sri Lanka, the A6M’s out-maneuvered Hawker Hurricanes. Easily. And, Hawker Hurricanes were supposed to be highly maneuverable.
Finally, in 1942, the Allied forces got an intact Zero, and found tons of flaws. You see, back then, the usefulness of interceptors hadn’t yet been realized. Many fighters were used as multi-role aircraft, or for more than one duty. However, how do you take out a well armed and highly maneuverable fighter that you can’t get a shot at in close range combat? You take it out from a distance. So, heavily armoured interceptors came into play. They didn’t need more than a few machineguns, as zeroes were lightly armoured. P-38’s and Bell Airacobra’s came from the clouds, zipped down, fired at Zeroes, and then sped off. This meant the Zero had no chance of engaging the American fighters in dogfights.
When the 1560 Hp engine was installed in the ultimate Zero, the A6M8, its performance became almost enough to over-run western fighters, but since the zero was still basically the same fighter whose prototype flew in the 40’s, it got destroyed. This aircrafts lowest point was when it was first selected as Japans first Kamikaze (Divine Wind) suicide bomber aircraft. However, this form of attack was majorly successful, and devastating on enemy ships. It became the main Japanese suicide bomber and entire Kamikaze squadrons were formed.
Huge numbers of this aircraft were produced. Massive numbers. Mitsubishi built 3,879. Nakajima built 6,215 of this aircraft. Sasebo and Hitachi, along with Nakajima, made 844 trainer and floatplane versions. This aircrafts total production numbered 10,938.
Celebrity Appearances: The movie Pearl Harbour, amoung many other wartime movies. It was featured in Call of Duty 5, Medal of Honour, and also battlefields 1942 and 1943.
Wed. May 5/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Kawaski Ki-61-IC Hien
Maiden flight: December 1941
Powered by: Kawaski 1175 hp Ha-40 V12 liquid cooled piston engine.
Armament: Dual 12.7mm (.50 Calibre) machine guns on engine and two wing-mounted 20mm cannon.
Max. Speed: 560 KmH
Range: 1900 Km
The Hien is one of the most bizzarely designed aircraft of the war. Notice the liquid-cooled engine, often found in Messerschmitts? And the Cannon-MG combo balance, also found in Messerschmitts? This design was a large step forward for Japans air design wing. It wasn’t built for handling, although it could handle pretty well. It was built for speed and high altitude performance. It was in essence a Japanese Bf-109.
Most Japanese fighters were powered by air-cooled radials. This baby had a license built Daimler-Benz 601A Liquid cooled in-line engine. This was speedy. When the Allies encountered it in combat in June of 1943, they assumed it to be licensed built from Germany or Italy, which ended up in the aircraft being designated “Tony”. It was Japans only in-line engined fighter in service during the war. However, there is a good reason for this radical ness. From 1923-33, Kawaski engineering corporations design head was Dr. Richard Vogt, a German. He went back to Germany in 1933 to help out at Blohm und Voss during World War 2. However, his methods greatly influenced the company, this being the reason that this fighter was such a radical departure.
From 1942 onwards, this fighter was constantly used by the Imperial Japanese Empire until the war ended. However, as the war dragged on, it was outclassed more and more and more. The ultimate Ki-100 version had a radial engine and was an extremely potent fighter.
Comparison: The bf-109 was considerably faster, and had one less cannon but 4 machine guns. However, the cockpit design severely resembled that of the Bf-109, as did the wings and engine. Also, each had the slight curve on the wings necessary for safe diving.
Thurs. May 6, 2010 Pace51
The Hindustan HF-24 Marut
Maiden Flight: June 17, 1961
Powered by: Two Hal/ Rolls Royce 2200 Kg-thrust Orpheus Mk 703 turbojet engines.
Armament: Four 30mm cannon plus a retractable 50-rocket-pack, (68mm rockets) under the fuselage, plus various hard points.
Max. Speed: Over 9000! (1112 KpH)
Country: India
In the 1950’s, after the war years, India decided that they really needed a jetfighter, to stand any chance in modern combat. However, talent and experience was very scarce, since jet engineering was a new technology. So, India went and hired the German engineer Kurt Tank, the famous Fock-wolfe designer. He created a team, mostly comprised of 18 German engineers, and they got to work in India. The name Marut meant “Spirit of the tempest” and a tempest it was. This was India’s first step towards being self-sustainable when it comes to indigenous aircraft production. In 1957, the team got started with the goal of making a Mach-2 capable all-weather multi-role aircraft.
In June 1961, the original prototype flew, with the helpful aid of two Rolls-Royce Bristol turbojets. The production versions had Indian built Orpheus engines instead. In April 1967, the Marut finally entered service. It was groundbreaking because it was the first supersonic aircraft that had ever been built by a non-world-power. However, the 18 German scientists had a lot to do with that.
In 1975, 100 aircraft had been assembled, delivered, and saw action in 1971 during the war against Pakistan. There, the HF-24’s fought Pakistani’s F-86 sabres, which they had acquired from the US. However, these were usually brief dogfights. It didn’t meet the expectations that India had hoped for it as a fighter, but it was definitely capable enough, and cost-effective enough. It did well in Indian Air Staff service, all in all a good plane.
Thurs. May 6/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the AH-1 HueyCobra (Single-engined version)
Model: AH-1G/S
Powered by: One 944-kW Lycoming T53-L-15 or 1210-kW
Max. Speed: 352 Km/H
Range: 590 Km
Armament: One M197 20mm nose turret cannon and 998 Kg of weapons.
The single-engined AH-1 was the original Cobra, raining down hell in Vietnam. It was the world first designated helicopter gunship, although earlier Bell Uh-1 Iroquois (Huey) models had been equipped with retractable rocket packs. Anti-tank warfare, anybody?
In 1965, the US army issued and accepted a request for the worlds first armed helicopter. The Bell AH-1 Cobra was the result, and it was often called the HueyCobra after bells earlier success, the Huey. Although many people had wondered for years how a helicopter would perform in combat, it arrived at the right time in Vietnam. It proved a phenomenal tank buster. It could get to enemy tanks faster than infantry or other tanks, it didn’t have to worry as much about tank cannon fire and small arms fire, and its typical armament of 8 TOW missiles and two miniguns/One Cannon/One miniature grenade launcher was more than enough to destroy tanks. It had a very narrow and streamlined fuselage, and accommodated dual crew members who sat in tandem. Over time, the US army improved this great helicopter more and more until its engines performance and power as well as its armament had been improved enough to be incredibly effective against the North Vietnamese.
Guns and rockets had proved successful multitudes of times against ground troops. They were sent into battle against the Vietcong’s light PT-76 Tanks. The US marine corps and the US army ordered many examples. When the 1970’s began, so did upgrades! Many single engined Huey’s were modified and given much more useful twin engines instead. When the sieges at An Loc and Saigon began, the US needed to push back hard. The spontaneous invasion was extremely unprecedented. The North Vietnamese pushed into South Vietnam and invaded An Loc and Saigon with many units, especially Russian built tanks. Ac-130 Gunships and AH-1’s were scrambled in large numbers and attacked the Vietcong. The Cobra was very deadly in urban warfare, able to fight through narrow streets, level buildings, and strafe towns. In the early operations, AH-1’s took down many Russian T-54 heavy tanks. Many kills were made.
One of the Cobras primary weapons was the BGM-71 TOW missile. Using a trailing wire, the pilot guided the missile towards the unsuspecting target. In the early 70’s, a dark green triple colour camouflauge was used on the helicopters. The Cobra has very tough landing skids, easier to build and utilize than complicated retractable undercarriage chassis’. The AH-1 had a noisy double bladed primary rotor system. The AH-1’s were simple and mass produced, with many primitive but easy to build features. The modern twin engined versions are much upgraded and more advanced. The Cobra’s also carried small 7 round 70mm Lau-68 rocket packs for use against light or unarmoured hostiles and technicals. However, they can also carry heavier 19 round Lau-69 rocket pods. The forward fuselage is narrow and lightly armoured, although there are bullt-proof panels in the cockpits.
The TOW missile had a range of 3 kilometres. The first AH-1 saw action in 1968. The AH-1 was designed in order that it could be as small and avoiadable as possible, and was extremely narrow. The first prototype flew in September 7, 1965. The AH-1 was voted one of the 4 most valuable weapons of Vietnam. More than 1600 singl-engined first generation cobras were built in total. Sometimes, dual 40mm thumper grenade launchers were used as armament.
Celebrity Appearances: Appeared in various battlefield and Call of Duty games, as well as in many Vietnam movies and Video games.
Triple Comparison: Speed, Power, Size, Armament, Combat Radius
AH-1: Fastest
Lynx: largest Combat Radius
Mi-24: Most heavily armed, most powerful, and largest
Fri. May 7/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Boulton Paul Defiant
Max. Speed: 504 KpH
Armament: Four 7.7mm machine-guns in dorsal turret.
Powered by: Rolls-Royce 1280hp Merlin XX piston engine\
Range: 748 Km
Country: Britain
The defiant was one of the most radically different fighters of the war. It looked like an average fighter, had similar performance, and flew fighter missions. So why was this fighter so different? Well, it had four machine guns. All of them pointing BACKWARDS.
It was the first RAF four gun fighter in August 1937 service. On May 12, 1940, these fighters went into action, and took down no less than 65 aircraft over France by the end of the month. See, against forward firing aircraft, the best strategy was to get above or behind them, or below, and come up firing. However, many pilots didn’t realize that the defiant wasn’t forward firing. They employed standard tactics, got behind the Defiants, and got smashed. Especially, the Mark 2 Defiants were deadly.
Four machine guns is something to reckon with. However, this period, nicknamed the “honeymoon”, came to an end. It couldn’t take on the best the Luttewaffe had to offer and was smashed. It was very weak at dodging head-on attacks, which would bring it down. However, what do you do when you have something with good potential and high power? Recycling! The Defiants were turned into nightfighters, and using the classified Airborne Interception Radar, they were formidable. In fact, they had more interception kills than any other fighter during the winter of 1940-1.
Sat. May 8/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the AH-64 Apache
Powered by: two 1265-kW General Electric T-700-GE-701 Turboshaft engines.
Max. Speed: 293 KmH
Range: 428 Km
Armament: One 30mm M230 chain gun cannon with 1200 rounds of US, ADEN, or DEFA ammo, a maximum of 16 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, or up to 76 folding fin rockets.
Ceiling: 6400 M
Country: USA
The Warsaw Pact countries have always had massive armored strength. Legions of tanks were built and prepared in the USSR, ready to roll into combat whenever called. So, Hughes developed the amazing Apache Longbow helicopter for use in battle. McDonnell Douglas Helicopters took over the distribution of this wonderful bird. The Apache can quickly attack tanks from safe distances in any conditions, night or day. It’s not the prettiest helicopter in the world, but looks absolutely awesome.
Using sensors, it can detect, stalk, and engage. The primary apache strategy involves using natural terrain as cover, and then attacking and fleeing. This strategy will be discussed further on in the guide. Since the USSR could smash into Western Europe at any time with legions of well built Soviet Tanks, the US army used AH-64 as a vital strategic asset to send against the tanks. Now, the USSR’s armoured strength was, and is, no joke. The USSR didn’t just have a few thousand tanks, which would’ve been bad. Oh no. They had to go ahead and build 40,000 tanks, which is very bad. It is a tandem seating and very high tech helicopter. Using the Pilots Night-Vision System (Which isn’t just night vision, it’s comprised of instruments giving the pilot “eyes” at night), and the Target Aqcuisition and Designation System, the pilots were able to operate in the ferocious dust storms encountered in Operation Desert Storm, where this Helicopter served as one of the “poster vehicles” of the war. The war was symbolized by M-2’s, Rangers, US Army men, AH-64’s, F-117’s, Pave Low’s, and more. This helicopter escorted the MH-53J Pave Low many times on Special Forces missions. The sensors also allowed this helicopter to attack Iraqi radar sites.
The most challenging part of Apache flying is turning the predatory tank into the prey. You have to sneak up and get the tank, before he can radio in aircraft on you. The Apache’s rely on hit and run, having good speed. Tank commanders fear it, and will be ready to call in air support at a moments notice. The Apache slightly functions like a sniper. It moves in quickly. Then, with the help of an OH-58D or its own sensors, it acquires a target. Then, it will hide under a hill, come up, and snipe the tanks with a powerful Hellfire.
Let’s get technical. The Apache, as said earlier, is very fast. However, it is very lightly armed compared to most helicopters. You need to have incredible skills to fly it because it relies on long range, good speed, and perfect accuracy to be effective. Unlike heavily armed Mi-24F Hinds, this aircraft is fast and lightly armed, but not large. However, it hits its target. The McDD M230 chain gun fires 625 rounds a minute. In the ‘Nam days, when the AH-1Z was flying around, miniguns were used. However, miniguns are kind of like really fast firing multi-barreled machine guns, minus the accuracy. So, cannon’s are far more accurate, have less spray, and although they shoot slower in some situations, try taking a 30mm round to the chest and living. The most common configuration is chain gun, Hellfires, and smaller rockets. The rockets work against tanks, but are great because they are easy to produce and more than enough to destroy light armoured vehicles and un-armored vehicles. With direct hits, of course. The engines are protected by armour plating and the cowling folds so that workers can easily repair and work with the aircraft.
The Hellfire has been much upgraded and is extremely accurate. Go to youtube and search up “Hellfire missile Camera” to see an image not unlike the BF2 TV missiles, except this is for real. If the powered flight control system happens to fail, a secondary fly-by-wire system has been implemented just in case. You won’t find many Apaches with markings or unit markings, especially on Special Operations duties. The Apaches were able to perform even in thick smoke with only 200m of visibility. The main landing gear is shock absorbing, the seats are crash resistant, and the airframe is strong enough to give the crew a 95 %chance of surviving a 12.8 meter per second impact. Now that’s safety. However, that’s only if the engines malfunctions or if you get hit by AAA fire. A SAM can bring down an Apache, as well as a fighter.
The Apache comes in several variants. Although this guide refers mainly to the AH-64A model, the ultimate model was thee AH-64D Apache Longbow. The cockpits are armoured with Boron and the pilots sit on Kevlar. Apache battalions consist of 18 AH-64’s and 13 OH-58D’s. US Apaches took out over 500 Iraqi tanks. The Netherlands leased several examples in 1994. Apaches fired the first allied shots of the Gulf War, taking out radars.
Tues. Apr. 27/10 Pace51
Real world Facts about the Sea Harrier FA.2
As requested, here is a guide to the original British built Harrier’s, especially the GR.1, GR.3, and Sea Harrier. There are some brief references to the AV8B’s. If you want, request it and I’ll make a full AV8B guide.
Maiden Flight: September 19, 1988
Powered by: Rolls-Royce 9765 kg thrust Pegasus 106 turbofan.
Armament: Four AIM-120 AAM’s or 2 AIM-120’s and four AIM-9’s. Two 30mm Aden cannons may be carried underneath fuselage, as well as up to 2270 kg in rockets, bombs, and missiles.
Max. Speed: 1185 kph
VTOL: Yes.
Country: Britain
Model: Sea Harrier FA.2
One of the best examples of British innovation, the VTOL capable Harrier had constantly been improved and improved over the years. It first hovered in October of the year 1960. Although aircraft like the F-35 JSF, V-22 Osprey, and Yak-141 can operate similarly, this baby was the first! Using the Harrier, a military general can plan a strategy without airfields. The sea harrier was designed for air-to-air fighting and naval operations, while the Harrier was designed as close air support aircraft. Harrier’s can easily operate anywhere from a helipad to a small farmers field to a parking lot, so it is a very important tool. It can fulfill aircraft and helicopter duties. Many people still are amazed to see this remarkable aircraft at airshows. The Harrier GR.1 Variant can take off and land vertically by selecting an 80 degrees nozzle and applying full power. It has special nozzles mounted around the plane. These can point downwards, for vertical takeoff, or forwards, for propulsion!
When the aircraft climbs vertically to an altitude of 15-30 meters, the pilot gradually swivels the nozzles so that they start to push the aircraft forwards. The Harrier’s special Pegasus engine with its vectored thrust is how the Harrier takes off. There are four nozzles around the plane, which can be swiveled. The Harrier has very good agility and can perform tight maneuvers. Also, the nozzles can be used to slow the aircraft, so that if an enemy yak-36 or mig-27 was chasing the Sea Harrier, it would zip past and get into the Harrier’s sights instead.
The Harrier GR.1 was the ground attack version and entered service with the Royal Air Force in October 1969, and a very substantial number have been upgraded to the GR.3 version. McDonell Douglas of the US admired the aircraft, and produced very new and improved Harrier AV8A and AV8B models. The GR.7 the RAF uses today is similar to the AV8B. Spain also bought some US built AV8A’s. Many Harrier’s are now getting their Harrier Plus upgrades, to become more powerful. In February 1963 a Harrier landed on the HMS Ark Royal. The navy was pleased, and ordered the Sea Harrier, which arrived in 1978 as the Sea Harrier FRS. Mk 1. It was ordered in 1975. In comparisen with the GR.3, the Sea Harrier had a totally remade fuselage, different avionics, and a special Pegasus engine with improved corrosion resistance engine was added, decreasing the risk of the engine failing, which could prove very bad. Actually, in an “air show” incident, a pilot was hovering his Harrier over the beach. However, he was using an older Harrier. While hovering, his engine began to stutter. Then he went into stall, right on the shoreline in front of the beach. His aircraft plummeted in stall, and just before it hit the water, when the pilot realized he couldn’t regain control, he initiated the ejection sequence and blew out of the cockpit in his chair and parachute, saving his life. Will research what happened to that Harrier.
More changes were made in the conversion from the Sea Harrier FRS to the sea Harrier FA.2. The avionics, airframe, cockpit, armament, and radar were all modified for maximum possible naval capability. It was the first fighter in Europe to get the AIM-120 missile. The RN (Royal Navy)’s sea harrier FA.2’s began their first combat in the august of 1994 over Bosnia. No.889 squadron used them, operating from the Royal Navy’s famous anti-submarine/ship warfare (ASW) carrier HMS Invincible. To all Tom Clancy fans, yes, that carrier existed. And it was pretty powerful. Many people may remember the 1982 Falklands War, to retake the Falkland Islands. They managed to destroy high performance combat aircraft like Daggers, registering 32 kills. 23 were in air combat, the rest were a result from ground strafing. Two seat trainer versions and three-seat special operations versions have been produced, though many classified.
Wed. May 11/10 Pace51
Real World Facts about the Hawker Hurricane
Maiden Flight: November 6, 1935
Powered by: Rolls-Royce 1030 hp Merlin 3 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled engine
Armament: Eight 7.7mm (30 .cal) machine guns, each gun having 334 rounds.
Max. Speed: 511 KpH
Country: Britain (Allies)
The Hawker Hurricane was perhaps one of the best fighters of the whole war, and definitely one of the best in the early stages of the war. When the Hawker Hurricanes first entered service with the No.111 squadron, and replacing their Gloster Gauntlets, it was the first RAF fighter to ever fly faster than 482 kilometers per hour, and on February 1938, a Hurricane made a night flight from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt and made the history books clocking 408 kilometers per hour.
They definitely were larger in number than the RAF spitfires when the war, and more importantly, the Battle of Britain broke out, one of the largest air wars in history. The first German aircraft shot down in the war was a Dornier Do 17 and was massacred by Hurricanes. In the famous 1940 battle of Britain, probably one of the most famous and largest scale air battles of all time, the Hurricane proved it was worth its praise. They had a hard time holding off enemy fighters like bf109’s and Stuka dive bombers. It shot down more German blitzkrieg aircraft than all the other air and ground and sea defenses of Britain combined. The only Victoria Cross awarded to Flight Command was awarded to Hurricane Pilot Flight Lieutenant J.B. Nicholson on station with no. 249 squadron. To earn this prestigious awarded, he attacked an enemy Messerschmitt bf-109. Oh, and did I mention he did this shortly after his own plane caught fire? On August 2, 1940, the No. 261 Squadron RAF Hurricanes fought to defend Malta against the bombers of Italy’s Regia Aeronautica. Aalso, in a very scarcely known conflict in 1940, the bombers of Italy made only one huge bomber raid on Britain. They lost enormous numbers to the Nos.46,249 and also 257 squadrons, which smashed them. 7 out of ten bomber and four Fiat escorts were shot down in flames.
One of the keys to the Hurricanes success was its good maneuverability. Many may argue that Japanese fighters were more maneuverable, but when it came to maneuverability, the Japanese were so ahead that you couldn’t touch them in that sector. The Hurricanes could out maneuver other fighters, and that’s what counts. Also, it had eight wing mounted machine guns with large amounts of ammo. Barring jams, the guns were beasts. However, each pointed straightforward on the Hurricane. In a quote, famous Childrens book author Roald Dahl stated “Most people knew that the Hurricane had eight machine guns. What they didn’t know was that they aimed forwards. You didn’t aim the guns, you aimed the plane”. The Hurricane also had a swooping nose giving the pilot an excellent dogfighting view, and the Greenhouse canopy, although slightly vision-limiting, still allowed for good frontal attacks.
The mk2 Hurricane squadrons had a more powerful two-stage supercharged Merlin XX engine instead of a merlin 3. The Mk 2’s weaponry varied from the MkIIA’s eight machine guns to the ridiculous 12 machine guns of the mk IIB. Got lead? Only one surviving navalized version exists today, a Sea Hurricane, preserved in the UK. It is a later model and very sleek and beautiful in looks. The Hurricane was a preferred “Kite” by pilots. Nightfighter versions with radar and naval versions complete with clipped wings and strengthened undercarriages appeared soon after. Some versions had two brutal 40mm cannons, which shredded tanks and light armour, in the MkIID model.
The last RAF Hurricane squadron, No.6, used the MkIV, until January 1947. This extremely agile fighter was adored by its pilots. Turkey was the top export customer. Today, many Hurricanes are being restored, meaning good news for collectors.
Celebrity Appearances: Was flown by Roald Dahl in the battle of Greece, and appeared in many a war movie or video game, especially ones concerning the battle of Britain.
Fri. May 7/10 Pace51
Real world Facts about the Atlas/Denel Cheetah
Powered by: SNECMA 6209 kG thrust Atar 9C turbojet.
Maiden Flight: 1986
Max. Speed: 2338 KmH
Range: Classified, similar to the Mirage 3 though.
Armament: One 30mm Cannon, V3B Kukri, V3C Darter, Python, and Shafrir AA missiles plus bombs and rockets.
This awesome multi-role fighter was developed due to a 1977 UN weapons embargo against South Africa. They had a fleet of older mirage 3’s, and were looking for a decent fighter to replace these jets. So, since they couldn’t buy new aircraft, they decided to improve their mirages. The Atlas Company, who had experience from assembling the airframes of Mirage F1 aircraft, teamed up with Denel to build this nicely rounded fighter. It is probably the best upgrading of a Mirage 3 anywhere, even better than Israel’s Kfir fighter. Actually, Atlas teamed up with some IAI developers, the ones who upgraded the Mirages to Kfirs. About 50 percent of the airframe was replaced. Canard foreplanes, brand new avionics and weapons, and more powerful engines were installed. Since South Africa couldn’t buy any aircraft, they were willing to spend a large amount of money to make the Cheetah as deadly as possible.
In 1986, the Cheetah D attack version was the first time the west realized that it existed. Also, single-seat versions were also created of the Mirage 3 upgraded Cheetahs. They were designated EZ and were fighter versions retaining the Mirage SNECMA Atar 9C engine. This actually led to the Cheetah C fighter version which lots of people think is the best mirage upgrade ever. In 1995, the West realized this existed, too. The fighters are armed with indigenous South African missiles.
Last edited by pace51 (2010-05-13 05:00:51)
Do you think we can do one about a cessna 172/52 or piper arrow/archer or something like that? I know most people here who fly have flown those types of planes and I think it would be a good idea.
Last edited by 11 Bravo (2010-04-25 08:04:20)
Keep it uppace51 wrote:
Alrite, uploaded a Q-5 fantan guide, and some tornado pictures. Putting on the messerschmitts now...
TU-95 is such lulz, saw a documentary about it on Discovery. Something about it making so much noise that US submarines could actually detect it with sonar
I once heard about an interception by a pair of USAF F-18's where the pilots' heads started hurting because of the noise from the Bear's turboprops.RDMC wrote:
TU-95 is such lulz, saw a documentary about it on Discovery. Something about it making so much noise that US submarines could actually detect it with sonar
262 guide is good and all, but some of the facts are a bit off. The plane itself was not too fast, they solved the problem of the wings getting ripped off by sweeping them back (i think it was a roughly 20 degree sweep, not sure.) this improved its stability at high speed maneuvering, but it saw a decreased performance in low speed operations. so they added a slat to the front of it.
Also add something into the F-14, it's not in operational service anymore, got replaced by the F/A-18 officially i think 3 years ago.
Do one on the E/F-111 Aardvark.
Also add something into the F-14, it's not in operational service anymore, got replaced by the F/A-18 officially i think 3 years ago.
Do one on the E/F-111 Aardvark.
Yeah I know, they also said that in the same documentary. I lol'd. Must be hell for the pilots.M.O.A.B wrote:
I once heard about an interception by a pair of USAF F-18's where the pilots' heads started hurting because of the noise from the Bear's turboprops.RDMC wrote:
TU-95 is such lulz, saw a documentary about it on Discovery. Something about it making so much noise that US submarines could actually detect it with sonar
Alrite, TU-28 fiddler guide finished.
And more pictures have been added.
And more pictures have been added.
Last edited by pace51 (2010-04-25 17:17:18)
How would the Piper L-4 grasshopper do?
Alright, Eurofighter Typhoon guide has been completed and uploaded. Right after the TU-28. Enjoy! (Hopefully)
Alrite, added some margins, spaces, made it a little easier to navigate, and updated the index.
Added pictures to make the Eurofighter Typhoon guide complete... hope you enjoy it!
nice work.
seems people want to see some common civilian aircraft, too.
seems people want to see some common civilian aircraft, too.
libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual. http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/
Yes... working on Piper Grasshopper, and will look up the cessnaUzique wrote:
nice work.
seems people want to see some common civilian aircraft, too.
A-10, and sopwith camel are on the way too.
Alright, the Junkers Ju-88 guide has been updated with pictures.
Special thanks to M.O.A.B. for the pictures.
Now, back to writing!!!!!
BTW, If I ever write a guide about a plane that one of you guys has flown, send me a picture of it, or something. That way, the guides can be "personalized", if you will.
Special thanks to M.O.A.B. for the pictures.
Now, back to writing!!!!!
BTW, If I ever write a guide about a plane that one of you guys has flown, send me a picture of it, or something. That way, the guides can be "personalized", if you will.
why fixed wing. how about the chinook
Tu Stultus Es
I don't just do fixed wing, after all, I did an SH-2. Sure, I can do a chinook in the future.eleven bravo wrote:
why fixed wing. how about the chinook
Alright. Ladies and gentlemen, I present... the A-10 thunderbolt II. BF2 warthog fans, here you go!
i dont think anyone here ever flew a grasshoperpace51 wrote:
Yes... working on Piper Grasshopper, and will look up the cessnaUzique wrote:
nice work.
seems people want to see some common civilian aircraft, too.
A-10, and sopwith camel are on the way too.
Hmmm. AU-23 Peacemaker?11 Bravo wrote:
i dont think anyone here ever flew a grasshoperpace51 wrote:
Yes... working on Piper Grasshopper, and will look up the cessnaUzique wrote:
nice work.
seems people want to see some common civilian aircraft, too.
A-10, and sopwith camel are on the way too.