Military Hard(on)ware

As always an interesting debate about whether we will ever need them.  But let's say we are human and history repeats and we get to that pointy end, we need to be trained and armed.  So my bet is on a light attack aircraft, that does troop support and marine 'inderdiction'. The usual ISTAR stuff (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) could be done with an unmanned aircraft like a Global Hawk, though the RAAF decided against this.  I understand there is an 'expression of interest' from the RNZAF (i.e. show us the goods) because of its long range abilties.  The RAAF went with the Heron (two days on watch at 35,000 feet).  I was told the Heron did a trial here back in 2008.  Air superiority isn't a priority in the current climate, so sadly no F-15s .  Must say the new F18 are much improved. Would love to afford an F22, even second hand.

However, I suspect NZ will skip a generation and go for armed unmanned aircraft and simply tool up for whatever mission, troop support, naval support, ISTAR.

There's a whole heap of RAF Harrier Jump Jets sitting in the Arizona desert.  Ours for just GBP 115 mill.

Viffing - better than self-abuse

(anyone else got a hard-on yet?)

The Boneyard.

Airfix, brings back memories.

The Boneyard is superb on Google Maps Satellite.  Have a look at Bremerton on there and you can see the Kitty Hark class carriers and the Hull of the Long Beach.

Also love looking at Military and naval bases and trying to find the supercarriers on there as well.

The fumes from the polystyrene cement.

The fumes from the humbrol enamel paint and thinners.

The fiddly feckin decals which kept tearing when you tried to put them on the tail or the fuselage.

The wheels that kept breaking...

Were you one of these modellers who painted the parts first or after the model was built?

Lucky the we didn't have Google Earth/Maps back in Dec 1941 then.

Although it probably would have caused the same isue as an old photo might have said the carriers were there when they weren't.  Much like the actual events.

Even better

Just did a "google Satellite" on Devonport Naval base... there`s a ton of shit going on there

Must be something big going down Whenuapai Air Base is even more interesting !

Can see the similar thing if you look at Woodburn Airbase in Blenheim.... All our skyhawks in a line wrapped in Gradwrap!

Invisible stealth wrapping.

Thats how they made the Nighthawks.  Wrapped a Skyhawk in Bubblewrap.

30,000 pounds of Freedom, nicknamed the 'penetrator'..   

"The biggest conventional bomb ever developed is ready to wreak destruction upon the enemies of the US, after Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said its record-breaking bunker-buster has become operational after years of testing.

“If it needed to go today, we would be ready to do that,” said Donley. “We continue to do testing on the bomb to refine its capabilities, and that is ongoing. We also have the capability to go with existing configuration today.”

The Pentagon has spent $330 million to develop and deliver more than 20 of the precision-guided Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-busters, which are designed to blast through up to 200 feet of concrete."

http://www.rt.com/news/massive-ordnance-penetrator-bomb-bunker-buster-144/

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/9474509/Divers-find-WWII-Japanese-sub

The 122-metre Sen-Toku class vessel - among the largest pre-nuclear submarines ever built - was found in August off the southwest coast of Oahu and had been missing since 1946, scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa said.

The I-400 and its sister ship, the I-401, which was found off Oahu in 2005, were able to travel one and a half times around the world without refuelling and could hold up to three folding-wing bombers that could be launched minutes after resurfacing, the scientists said.

all nz military does is throw rainbows and glitter at the axis of evil . That's pretty much how our force is these days.

Get one giant super carrier and run the military off that. Airforce, navy and army .I am sure all of nz defence personal would be able to fit on a carrier.

I do however like the look of the NH-90's . Blackhawks do look pretty good to tho. Army need tanks bigger and better ones

ooh ooh also love the military hovercraft

A super carrier has a crew of about 5,000.  The whole of the NZDF could fit inside a M1 Abrams.

NZRAF bought some T-6 Texans trainers a while back, am digging the black paint job.

am told the next big purchase will be replacements for the Hercs (SURPRISE!) which might be Airbus A400's.

which I am also told is a bad thing? Not sure why though.

The props look cool though.

Nothing can kick arse like a Black Herc...except maybe a Fairchild A10

A-10's always make me drool, seem to be more a counter insurgency craft these days, though they can't really loiter and flip back like a Tucano.

I read a while back that there is an alleged plan to use F-35s as replacements down the line. 

When the gattling gun gets working EVERYONE dives for cover and craps themselves! Not known as a Tank Buster for playing nice. Youtube has some excellent footage.

Not sure if it was a modified vulcan or something else? but the gun itself has just become redundant with smart bombs these days, it's such an impressive cannon but only allows for about 16 seconds of continuous fire, but thats not any surprise for a cannon on a craft, bursts usually do the trick, especially as the rounds will probably have depleted uranium tips.

Somehow they're wanting this new fangled quad cannon on the F-35s which is being held up due to congress in the states.

- latest Private Eye