Cold War Aviation Porn

[T & P]

Stretching the aviation point a bit… Trident 1 and 2 (?) with aerospikes displayed.

Might not be to some people’s tastes…

View attachment 344573

Well, I’m sure most of us here don’t wish for any war to happen let alone a nuclear holocaust, but you can still admire the technology behind such weapons. One could also add that nuclear ballistic missiles have not only not killed a single person in anger, but that they have proven crucial in avoiding a Third World War by enabling the concept of M.A.D., even if they weren’t designed for that purpose.

Not worse than admiring the surviving Lancasters and B-29s that facilitated the obliteration of hundreds of thousands civilians if not millions over the course of WWII.

 

[A380]

Never knew about these aerospikes. What are they for?

They reduce drag* on the ascent through the atmosphere.

* it’s probably a bit more complicated than this. After all, it is rocket science…

 

[2hats]

The blunt nose SLBM helps you fit it in the sub, get it out the water and accommodate the payload/re-entry bus (upper stage motor, RVs and decoys). The aerospike deploys in the first few seconds of flight to improve aerodynamics in the transonic to hypersonic phase in the lower-mid atmosphere.

 

[High Voltage]

Never knew about these aerospikes. What are they for?

So that if some dopey twat is wandering around a hanger with broom and he accidentally knocks the end of one it doesn't go off bang

 

[bcuster]

 

[DownwardDog]

Pretty sure the camera ship was Hunter T7 XL591 not a Harrier. Now at the Gatwick museum...

 

[David Clapson]

Can't believe we haven't had this yet.

 

[Elpenor]

A few from my trip to the national
Museum of flight in East Lothian. One of the Vulcans used on Black Buck, one of only two Vulcans to have been used in action (it’s the one that diverted to Brazil due to refuelling malfunction). Not in the best condition sadly as it’s being kept outside


Also saw a Czech plane for the first time I can recall


Well worth a visit and only £12.50, could easily spend a full day here

 

[StoneRoad]

A few from my trip to the national
Museum of flight in East Lothian. One of the Vulcans used on Black Buck, one of only two Vulcans to have been used in action (it’s the one that diverted to Brazil due to refuelling malfunction). Not in the best condition sadly as it’s being kept outside

View attachment 345910
Also saw a Czech plane for the first time I can recall

View attachment 345912
Well worth a visit and only £12.50, could easily spend a full day here

Sadly, at most of the smaller museums, a lot of the Vulcans and other large aircraft are kept outside.
Although I know Solway and NESAM want to put stuff undercover, hangers are expensive.

That's [MoF] going on the list !

Next weekend, possibly, as I'm in Bo'ness & Falkirk - mostly a business trip.

 

[David Clapson]

one of only two Vulcans to have been used in action

So only two Vulcans made it to the Falklands?

 

[Elpenor]

So only two Vulcans made it to the Falklands?

Avro Vulcan: A Cold War defence | National Museums Scotland

The story behind V bombers and their role in Britain's nuclear defence strategy during the Cold War.

www.nms.ac.uk

Perhaps I wasn’t fully clear - from the link

XM597 remains one of only two Vulcans which dropped weapons in actual conflict.

 

[David Clapson]

Avro Vulcan: A Cold War defence | National Museums Scotland

The story behind V bombers and their role in Britain's nuclear defence strategy during the Cold War.

www.nms.ac.uk

Perhaps I wasn’t fully clear - from the link

So all the Vulcans used in conflict have been scrapped, except this one and another one?

Edit: been reading wiki. There were 7 Black Buck missions, each with a primary Vulcan and a reserve. Only 2 Vulcans got to the Falklands and bombed something, this one and XM607, which is at Waddington.

 

[Elpenor]

So all the Vulcans used in conflict have been scrapped, except this one and another one?

Sorry not sure what you’re getting at. That’s not what the link said, and tbh it feels like you’re trying to argue over a technical point of what combat is to show off that you’re more knowledgeable than me which I’m sure you are.

I just posted some pictures of what I went to see today because I thought people might like to see them. Don’t know why I bothered tbh, perhaps I won’t next time.

 

[David Clapson]

Sorry not sure what you’re getting at. That’s not what the link said, and tbh it feels like you’re trying to argue over a technical point of what combat is to show off that you’re more knowledgeable than me which I’m sure you are.

I just posted some pictures of what I went to see today because I thought people might like to see them. Don’t know why I bothered tbh, perhaps I won’t next time.

Not at all, I was surprised that only 2 had ever been used in conflict. I vaguely remember there were quite a few Black Buck missions, but I'd never realised that all the bombing was done by just two aircraft. The wording of the link is ambiguous

 

[kebabking]

Not at all, I was surprised that only 2 had ever been used in conflict. I vaguely remember there were quite a few Black Buck missions, but I'd never realised that all the bombing was done by just two aircraft. The wording of the link is ambiguous

The outcome of 'fleets within 'fleets'. Only half(?) the Vulcans had upgraded engines which were fuel efficient enough to get them to the Falklands, of those, only a percentage had the right bombing avionics, of those, only a percentage had working AAR gear - once you start penny pinching you very quickly go from having a headline of 50 Vulcans, to less than half a dozen which were actually mission capable.

One of the Vulcans lost a seal around a cockpit window so couldn't pressurise and therefore couldn't fly high. Another lost the tip of the refuelling probe while AAR - even if they can be repaired, that's still missions scrubbed, wear and tear on the tanker fleet (was it 11 Victors to get one Vulcan with 21 bombs down to Stanley?) many of which took of an hour+ before the Vulcans in order to get into position with the right amount of fuel...

Even ignoring the combat element, it's a miracle none of them - the Victors, the Vulcans and the Nimrod's - were lost.

 

[David Clapson]

Even ignoring the combat element, it's a miracle none of them - the Victors, the Vulcans and the Nimrod's - were lost.

Bloody right! Also a miracle that the 2 aircraft which got there were able to go back and do another mission without weeks of maintenance. 597 did 2 missions and 607 did 3. The maintenance people must have been gods.

The whole escapade was just mad. Reminiscent of the old days when the Navy had horrible carrier-borne jets which killed half the pilots.

 

[bcuster]

 

[A380]

Sud VJ-101 X-1 VTOL, a German supersonic fighter.

 

[bcuster]

 

[David Clapson]

Lightnings on the telly in 9 minutes! TalkingPictures TV, Freeview 82 The New Men on Talking Pictures TV, Tue 18 Oct 10:50pm - TV Guide UK TVGuide.co.uk

 

[A380]

Probably could have put this in one of the S&T space threads. But thought it fitted here too…

 

[A380]

 

[Chz]

View attachment 350614

Destroyed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(the An-224, not the Buran)

 

[StoneRoad]

Destroyed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(the An-224, not the Buran)

and I doubt that the An-224 destruction was totally accidental !

 

[existentialist]

and I doubt that the An-224 destruction was totally accidental !

Wanton and pointless destruction does seem to be something that comes alarmingly naturally to some Russians...

 

[kebabking]

An interesting, illuminating thread not just on the spe ifics if the day, but a reminder: unscheduled change is baaad....

 

[Idris2002]

 

[A380]

 

[spitfire]

View attachment 352877

Ooof. Weathering.

* rubs knees *

 

[kebabking]

And this is why you can't have nice things....