Originally Posted by
just another jocky
Ok, if this is going to descend into silliness....
The press never find out that the carrier (through-deck cruiser really) had to spend a couple of weeks in port because the radome nearly fell off its mountings.
The press never find out that the carrier (through-deck cruiser really) sailed out of theatre because its aircraft could no longer get airborne with any significant weapons load due to the ambient temperature (not a problem on a long, fixed runway of course).
Now, has that moved the debate on a bit?
While I think we are all aware that my jibe about bosses behaviour was in jest rather than a real reason, I don't think that your examples are really similar.
A radome problem is an unserviceability like any other, and whilst the Harrier certainly was weight limited for bring-back in the heat, I don't think that is embarrassing so much as part of the compromise inherent in the design. The trade-off is of course that you can put it really close to the enemy and move it around.
A little research on your part could have found far more relevant port visits.....
