KingRat

Those are very interesting, thanks for posting.

I'm imagining it in bits in a hangar while a fat Chf Tech spits out obscenities while trying to find a hydraulic leak.

Lots of pictures of birds with big nogs (including 'Foxy Killer') crudely drawn onto Tonkas by gingers here: http://www.raf.mod.uk/gulf/tornadogrs.html

50 or 100 is irrelevant because obviously the Australian JSF purchase is not being pursued with any consideration of warfighting ability but instead to secure a geopolitical alliance with the US. If the hordes start flooding south over the Timor Sea then a close alliance with the US is going to be a lot more important to Australia then a few fighter aircraft. Leaving the politics aside, Su-27/30/35 will NEVER happen due to interoperability and logistics issues.

I remember an emergency working party being dragooned from a nameless RAF base in Northumberland. We flew them in a SK to some baffled old woman's garden to dig out a tank that had come detached from visiting a SHar during 'energetic' maneouvering. Even empty it made an effing enormous hole in the lawn. The tank got cut up at a local scrap yard and everybody involved continues to deny everything.

Doesn't really matter anyway, theres a good chance the carriers will never happen. The only reason they're still being discussed is the presence of a rather large shipyard in Gordon Brown's constituency. Also, the RN might have to trade them away to get the Trident replacement.

I can say with a degree of certaintly approaching 100% that the RSAF airframes will be diverted from the RAF order. Brace yourself for some bullsh!t along the lines of increased capabilities means less numbers required, etc. etc.

I think you could be right there. It would give the MoD the excuse they need to cancel the carriers. Cue unconstrained glee in the RAF.

Exactly right. Though I think it might be more of a British Army (who surpass all other fighting forces in the world in breadth, vulgarity and inventiveness of their slang) thing than an RAF thing. The last time I heard the G-word used was by an ex-squaddie in our office who was describing one he had recently encountered as resembling "two pounds of cheap bacon".

Just as soon as you've starred in and written a highly successful television show for 5 seasons.

This was quite cool, especially the in flight stuff. The Typhoon had about 20 deg AoA on to stay in formation with a Spitfire (which I assume had the throttle on the firewall). The pilots interviewed had the usual lack of coherence and vocabulary one expects from steely FJ types.

Or saying the WS is played in one county when it can and has involved teams from two countries.

There's an ex Black Buck Vulcan (575?) at the Donington Aero Park near the airport at EMA. Not sure how much of the BB fit remains on it, but I'll take a look next time I'm passing through.

1/48 Super Hornet is state of the art...

Great picture. He's giving it a bootfull of rudder too.. I'd suspect him of being an ex Phantom mate if they weren't all dead of old age.