best machine the RAF never had
6F1,
Thank you for putting me back in my box but two things.
a. You will possibly have missed that any comment about the Belvedere and carriers was tongue in cheek given its size, the problems with its blades and fire risk with its vertical engines and magnesium alloy construction.
b. A CRAB I may have been in later years but a FISH-HEAD when first allowed into the great outdoors.
O-D
Thank you for putting me back in my box but two things.
a. You will possibly have missed that any comment about the Belvedere and carriers was tongue in cheek given its size, the problems with its blades and fire risk with its vertical engines and magnesium alloy construction.
b. A CRAB I may have been in later years but a FISH-HEAD when first allowed into the great outdoors.
O-D
it has to be F-15. had we gone for F-15 in the 70's we might actually have had some form of plausable AD capability for the last 2 decades of the Cold War.
imagine that...
imagine that...
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it has to be F-15. had we gone for F-15 in the 70's we might actually have had some form of plausable AD capability for the last 2 decades of the Cold War.
I guess as I'm not writing this in Russian, our AD capability was wholly sufficient during the Cold War.
Bear
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It has to be F-15. had we gone for F-15 in the 70's we might actually have had some form of plausable AD capability for the last 2 decades of the Cold War.
imagine that...
imagine that...
For me, HMS in the Tornado F3, a Buccaneer with decent avionics or a Lightning with 4 missiles. All would have been totally different jets.
Last edited by Geehovah; 26th Apr 2012 at 06:04.
...And to reinforce Geehovah's point, the F3 wasn't really ready by the end of the Cold War having been in service about 3 years when the wall came down...
The F4 did a very fine job in the AD role up to that point.
The F4 did a very fine job in the AD role up to that point.
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MH-53 would have been a huge capability for the CHF as a SK 4 replacement, although none of our decks were stressed for anything that heavy.
Blackhawk as a Merlin 3 alternative may be cheaper, sooner but IMHO not better.
Sukhoi 25 Frogfoot as a Jaguar replacement for CAS?
B1 as a replacement for Vulcan?
Blackhawk as a Merlin 3 alternative may be cheaper, sooner but IMHO not better.
Sukhoi 25 Frogfoot as a Jaguar replacement for CAS?
B1 as a replacement for Vulcan?
Sukhoi 25 Frogfoot as a Jaguar replacement for CAS?
But back to thread..............
I used to dream of F-16s in RAF colours.
I still think the RAF would have done well with such a beast. A's in the 80s, turning to Block 25/30 Cs in the 90s, and Block 50/60s by the noughties. We could have gained over 30 years experience of operating them by now.
What would that aircraft have done for pilot retention??
Ideally based at Chivenor!!
Oh well!!
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The RAF would have bought the CH 53 when they realised they could ditch half the rotorblades and saved money by using 3 rotors only 
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I still think the RAF would have done well with such a beast. A's in the 80s, turning to Block 25/30 Cs in the 90s, and Block 50/60s by the noughties. We could have gained over 30 years experience of operating them by now.
sake.
The Bristol 188...
Mind you, the 250+KIAS VR in full blower must have looked dramatic! I spoke with a chap involved in the test programme recently and he said that the 20-25 min max flight duration barely gave them any worthwhile test results.