Back in the 90s, one would have heard the name "Patriot" very often in the news, especially during the first Gulf War of 1991, I remember this because I was starting college in the US. The Patriot Missile was credited of shooting a good number Iraqi Scud missiles aimed at Israel. Effectively, the Patriot Missile was the weapon system what kept Israel out of the Gulf War, which Iraq wanted...
After the Battle of Britain (from mid July to the end of October 1940) the Hurricane was replaced by the Spitfire as the backbone of the RAF. And another work horse the Spitfire ended up being as it too served on all major theaters and continued to be improved and produced throughout the war. At the end, the Spitfire ended up being the most produced (most units) British aircraft. In...
Like the P-40, the Hawker Hurricane was another work horse that got eclipsed by its newer more capable stable mates (in this case the Spitfire). But like the P-40 on the American side, the Hurricane held the line against more modern, more capable airplanes like the Bf-109 in the early days of WWII. It too served in all major theaters and even on carriers. If you do some readings you...
Yes, the P-40 might have been outdated and outclassed by the early days of WWII, but no other type of Allied plane played a bigger role in virtually all theaters of WWII. From Europe, to Asia (most famously under the Flying Tigers), to Africa and the Middle East, the P-40 Warhawk was there to hold the line when the outcome of WWII was really up for grabs. What is...
Back in the 70s there was a Russian pilot who defected to Japan flying a Mig-25 (score for the Americans!). The Mig-25 was out of radar when the pilot flew at low level. This made the Japanese realize that they needed an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). At that time, the E-3 Sentry was the standard, but due to the delivery commitments to the USAF, that E-3 would not...
The Doolittle Raid was America’s retaliation to Pearl Harbor. From Pearl Harbor (Dec 7, 1941) it took the US until April 18, 1942 to put together the air strike and although it was clear that the material damage would not be much, it was needed for psychological reasons; to put doubt in the Japanese and to boost America’s morale. The plan called for 15 B-25s to take off from a...
In the late 70s and 80s there was a lot of political turmoil in Argentina. This lead to an arms embargo from the US to Argentina. Because of this, Argentina could not get the spare parts to service its A-4s so Argentina decided to purchase 5 Super Etendards coupled to 5 Exocet anti-ship missles from the French. This purchased was delivered in late 1981. On April 1982, Argentina decided to...
The KC-10 Extender is the flying gas station that allows America to conduct operation anywhere in the world. It has taken part in virtually all major air operations. This is not just about air refueling fighter-bombers and attack planes, but also heavy bombers like the B-1, B-2 and B-52, moreover it is not just about enabling an air strike but also allowing for rapid deployment of materiel and personnel. As...
There are 3 interesting type of submarines to compare side by side: 1. The Sen Toku Class I-401 Japanese sub2. The Balao Class American USS Archer sub3. Type VII German sub The I-401 was the biggest sub of WWII, and for a while it was the biggest sub in the world. The idea behind this was that it would carry up to 3 planes and launch them for bombing...
A Terrible Way to Check Out (Raining bullets) When I was a kid a remember watching the movie "The Green Berets" with John Wayne. There is a scene where all hell is breaking lose and the good guys call air support. Just like that a C-47 (DC-3) show up with miniguns (the type that rotates) and basically rains bullets on the bad guys. Needless to say that it made a...
So yesterday I got an interesting email from a mother it read: "Thank you for the Beetle, it is beautiful. It is for my son's birthday and he will love it." Appreciative of the note I was a bit concerned with the son's age and emailed her back with: "Thanks for sharing the details about your son's birthday. Just keep in mind that these are really not toys, but models....
This week marked the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As always, every time I watch the memorials and think about the events, I am moved deeply as I imagine all the civilians that suffered through the ordeal. Not just the actual bombing, but the suffering that extended after the bombing. Through my readings of the subject people have pointed...
