any military buffs?

[KA]

used to be really into the tech info back in high school, particularly aircraft and weapons/artillery. memorizing specs, differentiating the sukhoi's and the mikoyan gruevich's, following 'nam the tv show and enduring clint's firefox, arguing battle scenarios between an m1 abram vs an a-10 hog...

i miss the cold war.

i still smile a little when recalling reading typical grunt's gear list; "'magazine pouch'? i guess they gotta have some reading material for during down times."

[ginrai]

A-10 thunderbolt..Nitpicking.. I know.

I figure it would win.. cause I dunno how well armored the top of an Abrahms is..

[Streck]

In college, I did a 20-page essay on the organizational structure of the Nazi regime, including the SS. Didn't care too much about the technology, though.

[KA]

A-10 thunderbolt..Nitpicking.. I know.


i know abt the thunderbolt designation. isnt it also nicknamed warthog? or am i thinking of the m60 machine gun?

a-10s have most recently been popular in mid-east skirmishes, prior to that, in falklands campaign IIRC.

abrams are reputedly soft at the top. but internally lined with kevlar. but this is like more'n 10 years info.

[ginrai]

the warthog nickname is just that. a nickname. I beleive it got it becuase of the noise the cannon makes.

And seeing as it fires Depleted Uranium shells, the Abrahms kevlar lineing wouldn't stop them at all.. But yeah, they served extensively in the first gulf war, and then in the balkans.. though decidely less.

[ginrai]

In college, I did a 20-page essay on the organizational structure of the Nazi regime, including the SS. Didn't care too much about the technology, though.


You don't by anychance have a digitial copy of that do you ? i would like to see it, if you wouldn't mind to much.

[Soundwarp]

I guess i'm a military buff :peoples:

[Streck]

You don't by anychance have a digitial copy of that do you ? i would like to see it, if you wouldn't mind to much.
It's on a CD somewhere, I'll look for it when I have a spare moment.

[KA]

being in the military doesnt make you a buff. it just makes you cannon fodder :D :P

[ginrai]

It's on a CD somewhere, I'll look for it when I have a spare moment.


Awsome, thanks and No rush.

[Soundwarp]

being in the military doesnt make you a buff. it just makes you cannon fodder :D :P


:eek:........
I got nothin........ :confused2

[SubotaiBaghatur]

I really enjoy reading the military history, especially mongol history, chinese history, and WW2 in the pacific history.

[ginrai]

Have you seen the great raid ? I know its a hollywoodised version of events.. but it was a pretty good movie..

Also i had heard that Clint eastwood and Steven speilburg are getting ready to work on a new WWII movie in the pacific.. or rather 2 movies.. as one of them is filmed from the American pov, and one from the Japanese pov... Both covering exactly the same events except veiwed from two different groups.. I hope the Japanese one will be subtitled.. since a Japanese director is doing it.. while Eastwood is directing the American one.

[Lazerbeak]

the warthog nickname is just that. a nickname. I beleive it got it becuase of the noise the cannon makes.
Not sure if this is true, but I heard that it was given that nickname because pilots said it was as ugly as a warthog, due to its unusual shape.

I myself am a huge military aircraft nut. I'll admit, I'm not as knowledgeable as many others are, but I just love everything about military planes. From classic warbirds to the latest stealth fighters, if it has wings and explosives, I love it.

[Starsabrej]

i miss the cold war.

Me too. I still want to kill some Commies. Now they are harder to find.

[Greyryder]

The A 10 is the Thunderbolt II. The original Thunderbolt Was a WWII fighter. The P 47, I think. It was the first Hog. The Thunderbolt II is the last in a long line of hogs. It got called the Warthog, becasue it's generally considered an ugly plane.

I always thought it looked cool as hell.

[KA]

The A 10 is the Thunderbolt II. The original Thunderbolt Was a WWII fighter. The P 47, I think. It was the first Hog. The Thunderbolt II is the last in a long line of hogs. It got called the Warthog, becasue it's generally considered an ugly plane.

I always thought it looked cool as hell.

yeah! nose cone mounted chain gun, external mounted engines positioned above/behind the wings to diffuse heat emission/avoid detection. i really liked its visual awkwardness.

reminds me of all those ungainly looking WW1 gunships with the gun turrets.

[ginrai]

Yeah it does.. and it can carry enough firepower to level .. well .. anything.. And your right, I did leave off the II.

[Greyryder]

What's not to love? A chain gun that can chew up a tank (and stop the plane, if fired for too long) and the ability to carry more bombs than a WWII B 17. Not to mention that it can almost turn up it's own tail pipe. (not that I'd recomend trying to use it for dog fighting.)

[ginrai]

Oh i like em.. Very cool plane.

But I think my favorite peice of military hardware is either the Great Pajandrum.. or the T-34...

the first one of those was something the british cooked up to roll down the beaches of Kent onto german landing crafts, Basically a large spool normally used for steel cable.. only now its covered in TNT and containers of deisel fuel. I saw a video of it being tested at the Imperial war museam in London last year. Truely impressive.. Though I am glad it never saw service.

[Ops_was_a_truck]

I was a BIIIIG classic and modern aircraft buff when I was a kid. My Dad and I went to Oshkosh in '95 and '97. Most amazing airshow/convention I've ever seen.

[llamatron]

I recently bought a huge-ass book from the 60's entitled "Handbook of Military Infrared Technology" - it's pretty cool. A pic or two may follow for fun.

[centurian]

I spent nearly 5 years in the Royal Navy - I don't know if that makes me a military buff or cannon fodder or what - all I know is that I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a civvie. I certainly know enough about military aircraft recognition to make life hell for my wife when she sits me down and subjects me to Top Gun. Those MiG-28's in that movie look *so* cool.

[Nephthys]

No, My thing in HS was philosophy(mainly Existentialism),geometry and art.In college it was art.

[Skor]

I'm a WWII Aircraft buff to a certain extent, mainly because I've grown up around people who restore various aircraft from that period.

My flight in a P 51-D is still one of my best experiences... There is nothing to compare it to.

One day I'll hopefully get to experience my other favourite, a Mark XVII Spitfire.

[centurian]

My flight in a P 51-D is still one of my best experiences... There is nothing to compare it to.


I am green with envy! That certainly beats all might rides in Sea Kings and Lynxs.

Going up in a WW2 warbird must be the next best thing to a ride in a fastjet.

[squirrelcar]

I love what I do...but I like to leave it at work. However, I'm in Bradleys, and while there are some horrible things about them, they've got some pretty amazing features.

[centurian]

I love what I do...but I like to leave it at work.

Just wait till you eventually leave the sevice... you'll turn in to just another one of us old boars...

[Skor]

The Mustang is the most amazing aircraft I've ever flown in, beating the YK-52, YK-50 and LU-29 into a cocked hat.

It seemed faster, louder and more nimble than any other aircraft i've ever experienced. We roared like a hellish Banshee down the runway, climbing at such an incredible rate that my stomach was left on the peri-track. I came close to black-out AND red-out, I developed an icy knot in my chest and tears streamed from my eyes as we pulled god knows how many G's in a steep dive, only for my neck to feel like it was going to snap as we pullled up. The P51-D can reach 600mph in a steep dive, which is pant wetting speed in something that was invented when my Grandad was still a fairly young man...

A simply incredible piece of Anglo-American engineering and to me, more impressive than anything in the sky today...

[squirrelcar]

Just wait till you eventually leave the sevice... you'll turn in to just another one of us old boars...

I just sent my VFW app in...I can't wait to get back and go drinking at the hall.

[Lance Halberd]

Getting back to the A-10 Thunderbolt II for a sec, it's big honkin' gun we all know and love isn't a chain gun.

"Chain Gun" is a registered trademark of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (now Boeing), and what the A-10 carries is the General Electric GAU-8 "Avenger" 30 mm seven-barrel Gatling gun. The GAU-8 is linkless (i.e., not driven by a chain) as the A-10's hydraulic system drives the barrel rotation.

Just for fun, this is how big the GAU-8 is:

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/attack/a6/a10arm-3.jpg

That puppy can destroy a main battle tank with only 6 rounds.

[Soundwarp]

Wow that's an awesome pic :rock

[Skor]

Getting back to the A-10 Thunderbolt II for a sec, it's big honkin' gun we all know and love isn't a chain gun.

"Chain Gun" is a registered trademark of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (now Boeing), and what the A-10 carries is the General Electric GAU-8 "Avenger" 30 mm seven-barrel Gatling gun. The GAU-8 is linkless (i.e., not driven by a chain) as the A-10's hydraulic system drives the barrel rotation.

Just for fun, this is how big the GAU-8 is:

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/attack/a6/a10arm-3.jpg

That puppy can destroy a main battle tank with only 6 rounds.


Any gun that kind make a aircraft operating at full thrust, hurtling through the sky at 450mph+ lose enough speed to stall is fucking ace in my book :)

[centurian]

Damn - that things bigger the primary weapon on the last warship I served on (and that would have been a 40/60 bofors gun for any armament geeks out there).

Kind of makes me wish I'd gone aboard subs instead - least then I could have bragged abbout the size of my ICBMs.

Looking at that GAU-8 gives me a bad case of weapon envy.