EwenS

With a bit of F-16 and F-35 for good measure. Given all the underwing pylons shown it doesn’t look as if it has internal weapons bays. So just how stealthy will it be?

If you google Mosquito PR.32 (don’t forget the dot) you will turn up a few mostly of NS589. With only 5 built photos are rare. This from the IWM https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205126630 Looks like ginger bob just beat me!

The navy had 2pdr Pom poms, 6 pdr guns and 12pdr guns of various models in both World Wars and also 1pdr and 1.5 pdr from the late 19th century to post WWI. http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_Main.php

This should give you all the answers you need. Serials are being routinely allocated to drones (Reaper ZZ2??), targets (Meggitt Voodoo ZZ42?) and simulators (Atlas ZM398 and 399) nowadays. Also sales to foreign air arms often get a UK serial first. I suppose it makes the accounting easier! http://www.ukserials.com/ The highest serials issued so far seem to be for the 3 RC-135W ZZ664-666. As for what happens when we get to ZZ999? I think that is a long way off, given how few aircraft are being bought these days. We seem to have gone ZR, ZM and started ZP with the Poseidon with ZZ thrown in for good luck. So ZS, ZT, ZV, ZW, ZX, ZY are likely to be used = 6000+ serials still available in theory.

And there goes 10% of the B2 force! Changed days in terms of numbers deployed.

Ahhhhh. The good old days growing up in the country south of Dumfries in the ‘70s In exercise season. Whole days spent watching RAF and USAFE popping over one hill line, across the Nith valley and over the hills on the other side right in front of me without leaving the front room. Hourly supply of Vulcans, B52s, F111s, Phantoms, Jaguars, Buccaneers and the odd Harrier. Who needed airshows in them days! Remember one day out walking the dog, had a Phantom do a very hard low level turn in front of me. Nice view of the crew in their white bone domes. Clearly lost and low trying to avoid flying over a built up area. Later in 1980s living in Edinburgh and popping out to Turnhouse to see what had popped in for a JMC. Highlight then would be a squadron of USN / USMC F18s lined up on the tarmac night stopping. Now living next to Edinburgh Airport flightpath it’s all B737s and A319s with the odd 787 or A330. So dull! But with Flight Radar I can at least know exactly who they are and where they are going to / coming from in real time. So I suppose progress is not all bad.

Here you go. http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/defence-committee/departmental-priorities-postnato-summit/written/96220.html

The 16 two seaters being scrapped, after stripping of all useful spares, were Typhoon IPA / Tranche 1 aircraft. IIRC these had different computer hardware and wiring from subsequent Tranches which made upgrading them a lot more difficult and expensive. With the various cutbacks the 33 single seaters were to go the same way but then back in 2015/2016 it was decided to keep them, but operate them in separate squadrons in the pure air defence role to simplify maintenance and support. As of May this year that plan seems to have changed again with the Tranche 1 aircraft being mixed with the later Tranche 2 & 3 aircraft on the squadrons. The current status of these aircraft is noted here ZJ800 onwards and some have now been scrapped:- http://www.ukserials.com/ It is really confusing as all single seaters are designated FGR4 despite coming from distinct Tranches and batches, some of which have limited uses. I found this which may help everyone's understanding. http://www.fast-air.co.uk/uk-typhoon-fleet-by-block/ The missing serials are Block 11 ZK348 Block 15 ZK349-354 Block 20 ZK355-374 Block 25 ZK375-378 and ZK424-439. The last of these was delivered to Coningsby last month. Latest Typhoon plans https://www.janes.com/article/88235/raf-stands-up-9-squadron-as-latest-typhoon-unit 12 squadron, the new joint UK/Qatari squadron at Coningsby got its first aircraft in July ZK436

Have you tried Sherman Minutia. Scroll down the page in the link. http://the.shadock.free.fr//sherman_minutia/cupolas/cupolas.html

Another publication you might be able to track down is Jerry Scutt’s “Marine Mitchell’s in World War Two” by Phalanx Publications in the US. There is a whole chapter devoted to VMB-612. According to that VMB-612 had its aircraft repainted overall blue before leaving the US in late 1944, and replacements were similarly coloured. It’s aircraft were distinctly non-standard due their operating at night, first from Saipan and then later from Iwo Jima and Okinawa. They started with PBJ-1D and began to receive -1Js in March 1945. Many of their aircraft lost their mid upper turrets and gained ECM and tail radar. The squadron had a preference for a nose mounted radar, even on the late model -1J.

I notice someone on that thread was hoping something might turn up in Russia. Given that only 14 left the UK for Russia and 2 of those crashed en route, I think that is a forelorn hope considing the wood content of the airframe and the passage of 76 years. In Russia they were apparently relegated for use by Aeroflot under civil registrations. Still its a wonderful thought.

My understanding was that the Mil Mi-14 was a land based anti submarine helicopter and Poland still operates them in both SAR and ASW roles. It acquired some (4?) SH-2G Super Seasprites in the early naughties to operate off the 2 Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates they acquired from the USA. In April/May this year it was announced that they had signed up for 4 Leonardo EH-101. It seems unclear if they are to replace the SH-2G or the Mi-14 as sources seem to vary about the plans. I would have thought the latter more likely.

Plead guilty at the first opportunity? Maybe but how do you manage to defend a client pleading not guilty who was caught red handed on the premises as I understand this lot were? Hard for the parents to say wee Jimmy was’nae there so it couldn’t be him

You might like this from 1946 - 0.10 onwards.

Birmingham completed in Nov 1937 and it was several months before she got any real sea time. The next cruiser class was the Dido class, which began to be laid down from Aug 1937. After that all the RN cruisers were Colony class or derivatives thereof. They started being laid down in Feb 1938. So in reality there was no time to evaluate the results of the Birmingham experiment. Given the need to get ships completed it is no wonder they didn’t tinker with the basic hull designs of later ships. There were more important issues like AA armament, radar etc. I’ve not seen anything that comments one way or another about the success of B’ham’s bow. There is a big new book on the Town class due to be published at the end of the year. Maybe that will include something. i seem to recall an article in an Airfix Magazine back in the mid 1970s detailing how to convert the Airfix Belfast to one of the earlier Towns. I also recall trying it and that substantial reinforcement of the hull was needed after cutting out the Belfast bulges and chopping some length out of the hull.