GMK

Pretty excited about this release, having commanded a few of these back in the day.

Pascal, Amazing work all around, the CAD, “kit” design, print, build, paint, & finish. May I ask what are the specs of the computer you use for CAD? cheers, Greg

In a follow up to their box-scale ornithopter kits released late 2023, Meng has announced a 1/72 kit. Box art: 1/72 compared to their box-scale release. “MENG will release the DS-007 1/72 Dune Atreides Ornithopter model kit officially licensed by the Legendary Pictures. The model has a wingspan of 720mm and a length of 318mm once assembled. This kit includes transparent parts for the cockpit canopy, fine decals, and a display stand. Let’s check the details. DS-007 Dune Atreides Ornithopter Scale: 1/72 Available in: April 2024”

Well, Meng has now announced a 1/72 scale kit!

As a long-time fan of the Dune books & Dune Part 1, I was excited by the announcement of Atreides & Harkonnen ornithopter kits by Meng. Turns out, they are very, very small! Still, should a quick & fun project.

The aggressor F-35 Lightnings are looking sharp for Red Flag 24-1!

My gosh that’s lovely work, Mark.

Certainly looks like one.

Ukraine, of course.

Hello, recently found this press release on fitting the M3M .50 cal machine gun to HC.4 helicopters - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/commando-helicopter-force-get-to-grips-with-new-gun Any pics of this installation out in the wild? cheers.

Had the opportunity to see this irl today, both in the box & built/painted. Absolutely lovely kit. The quality of the moldings are incredible.

Having seen The Creator, can’t help but wonder whether there’s any mainstream or garage kits either announced or out & about?

This was first done in Syria in 2015. There was also an incident in Mosul in 2015 against coalition special operations; which was first is a bit contentious by a few days. Ukraine adopted this idea. “Cope” is a gamer term encouraging someone to get over it, more or less. The likely ineffectiveness of the cage, seemingly fielded in response to the pre-Feb 2022 supply of Javelin to Ukraine, makes the meme-level name of “cope cage” nickname almost inevitable.

Defeating drone-dropped or first person view (FPV) drone ordnance (an ordinance is a bylaw, ordnance is a munition) is certainly a challenge not anticipated by first generation active protection systems. Like all emerging threats, a mix of technologies & procedures will likely be the answer.

New pics of the Metkave 4M (not IV, Hebrew & Roman numerals don’t work well together!) are now starting to sport cope cages.

USMC F-35B flying in support of the PWLS integration test campaign.

Some more.

G’day Mike, Thanks for the review. This boxing includes T156 track (chevron blocks), instead of the correct T158LL track (rectangular blocks). T156 is incorrect for all HA, HC, AIM, & A2 models, which is a bit annoying! The Australian 1st Armoured Regiment vehicle should also have a fridge in its bustle rack & a bustle rack extension, among some other details which have been excluded. hth Cheers.

Quote from LinkedIn from a colleague who commanded 5th Aviation Regiment. “As I prepared to launch my MRH90 Helicopter off HMAS Adelaide's Flight Deck on 26 June 2019 to coordinate the ADF's largest-ever amphibious helicopter mission, I took a moment to reflect on whether I had addressed all the risks. Little did I know that just a few days later, a mere 5mm of carbon would prevent us from losing an aircraft and its crew into the Pacific Ocean. I was determined to ensure the safety of MRH90 operations, but I wasn't alone in this endeavour. I had the support of thousands of individuals from the Army, Navy, and Defence Industry. However, the support and engineering system at the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) level was failing. This failure had been ongoing for several years. But it was becoming increasingly worse. Despite these challenges, as we embarked on the mission that day and continued flying throughout the afternoon and late into the night, we demonstrated the aircraft's capability. My helicopter served as the command and control (C2) for the entire mission. With the assistance of a moving map with tactical overlay, weather radar, five radio networks, and a data link back to the ship, we executed the mission flawlessly. We successfully inserted several hundred soldiers onto the target, lifted M777 Artillery Guns with Chinook, conducted escort and strike operations with ARH Tiger, and carried out Medivac missions. All accomplished while performing multiple hot refuels off the ship and flying late into the evening using Night Vision Goggles. At the beginning of the year, our unit, the 5th Aviation Regiment, had a fleet of 19 MRH90s. These helicopters were crucial in supporting various operations such as the North Queensland floods, the Solomon Islands election, and now the Amphibious exercises. The demand for our fleet was high but had been anticipated. However, the sustainment and engineering support system could not meet the demand. Especially as our sister unit, the 6th Aviation Regiment, was also starting MRH90 operations. Consequently, the number of operational aircraft rapidly declined. Parts were wearing out much earlier than expected, and we faced difficulties sourcing replacements from Europe. To keep certain helicopters flying, we had to cannibalise parts from others. Additionally, we encountered challenges in obtaining answers for complex maintenance issues. Despite our team's world-class expertise in maintaining and operating the MRH90, there were limitations to what we could accomplish.”

The unloaded gear is a nice touch.

I only use “chopper” during Arnold impersonations, though. It wasn’t a nuanced position, true. How about this: “generally speaking, for military tasks, modern European military helicopters have proven unsuitable for Australian conditions, distances, use cases, & availability.” Absolutely - none of those applications are military.

The floor issues were mainly from soldiers boarding damaging the floor, seats that weren’t designed to accommodate soldiers wearing their equipment, guns precluding fast roping or rappelling operations, plus the overall difficulties in repairing a composite monocoque airframe. Couple that with low parts availability as Airbus could either deliver new aircraft (to other customers) or deliver spares, & you’ve got an unavailability nightmare exacerbated by a tiny fleet size. Different role for the HH-60W. Long range combat search & rescue is problematic across the northern & eastern pacific, that’s for sure. Which is why belonging to large, standardised global fleets like MH-60R, CH-47F, C-130J, C-17, AH-64E, & C-17 is so important. Minimal modifications, minimal customisations, maximum commonality to the point of interchangeability. The US Navy, for example, is now having Australian maintenance facilities doing depot-level servicing of their MH-60Rs.

Didn’t see the EC135 on your original list? You’re right: it has an aircrew training role, though originally was provided at Airbus’ expense to cover shortfalls in availability…of the MRH90. MRH90 was a political decision, imposed on Army & the RAN by the government of the day.

Apart from the Sea King, none down here. The distances & conditions are a lot different. The US’s global commitments & continental distances make their military helicopters, by & large, better suited to our needs. No doubt they’re good for other customers, just not for us.

That looks amazing! As the F35 now has 12 European operators, is it the true claimant to the “Eurofighter” title?