Xinhua

MiG-29

Le plan russe de fournir 10 chasseurs Mig-29 au Liban entrera dans sa dernière phase tout prochainement, a rapporté lundi l’agence de presse Al-Markazia.

Un groupe de militaires russes se rendra dans les prochains jours au Liban pour explorer les capacités des bases libanaises d’accuellir les Mig russes.

Des envoyés militaires libanais partiront ensuite en Russie pour mettre la dernière touche de la transaction, selon la même source.

L’accord avait été annoncé en décembre 2008 lors de la visite du ministre libanais de la Défense Elias Murr à Moscou.

Les chasseurs seront fournis gratuitement au Liban par la Russie en vertu d’un accord d’assistance militaire entre les deux pays.

L’armée de l’air libanaise possède maintenant seulement cinq appareils, dont quatre sont des Hawker Hunters, un avion à réaction fabriqué par la Grande-Bretagne dans les années 1950 et 1960.

Des avions de guerre israéliens violent souvent l’espace aérien libanais. Avec ses appareils démodés, l’armée de l’air libanaise ne peut pas faire face à son homologue israélien équipé de F-15 et de F-16.

Control Tower, Kemble Airfield

Well, the 2009 GVFWE has come and gone…..and it was a roaring success. Elements from previous events seemed to blend easily with the new, thanks to some excellent work by Glen and all at Kemble Aviation,  (here is a shot of the control tower at Kemble, ICAO designation EGBP) . I know that those of us who were ‘carry-overs’ from previous years found ourselves thoroughly at home. Kemble, of course, is used to holding some first-rate aviation events, including an Air Day (this year a two day show) featuring some of the local Delta Jet fleet. GVWFE was re-worked to include a one-hour flying programme, in the middle of each day, which also featured sparkling displays by a Delta Jets two-seat Hawker Hunter, in the colours of No.  111 Squadron, RAF, and many other aircraft. 

All in all, a great start to a ‘new’ edition of this classic event.

(Hawker Hunter libanês in http://eliedh.com)

Após 15 anos de armazenamento, três Hawker Hunters estão de novo operacionais na força aérea libanesa na base de Rayak. Em 2007, fora anunciada a intenção do governo para fazer regressar alguns destes vetustos, mas muito robustos aparelhos ao serviço ativo. Em novembro do ano passado, o primeiro Hunter estava pronto para tornar a voar e a missões de treinamento começaram pouco depois.

Pelo menos enquanto os 10 MiG-29 oferecidos pela Rússia não estão operacionais, os quatro Hunter (um dos quais bilugar) poderão ser usados em missões de patrulhamento e apoio terrestre. A reactivação ocorre num momento em que a tensão na fronteira com Israel assume renovada intensidade com disparos a patrulhas israelitas a partir de solo jordano e com o Hezbollah ansioso por se juntar ao Hamas no bombardeamento das zonas israelitas de fronteira.

Fonte:
Air Forces Monthly, janeiro de 2009

Every December and January you get “end of the year” lists.  Best of this…Worst of that, etc.  If it is good enough for everone else, it is good is enough for me.

Top 10 models I completed in 2008:

#10 thru #2 {blank}

#1 Revell 72nd scale Hawker Hunter

Now, I know what you are saying to yourself.  It is number one because it is the only model you finished in 2008.  While techincally true, that doesn’t keep it from being #1.  As I said in a previous post, it is a great kit.

Ten worst models I finished in 2008. (See list above)

Yep, same reason. Only one model finished.  Pretty sad.  Doesn’t make for much of a list.

Top ten models I’d like to complete in 2009.  Now I know what you are saying to yourself.  You finished one in 08, what makes you think you can finish 10 in 09?  I don’t really.  My eyes are always bigger than my stomach or my building skills.

10. Academy F-8E (The Battle of the Barristers build)

9. Trumpeter Su-15

8. Trumpeter P-40B/C

7. Revell Me-262

6. Trumpeter Hawker Sea Fury

5. DML MiG-17

4. Another Revell Hawker Hunter

3. Hasegawa B-24D

2. Revell He-177

1. Anything. Just finish a model!!!!

My next post will be a list of all the models languishing in half built condition in my model room, or as it is known throughout the land, “The List of Shame”.

Well, sort of. I still need to add the nav. lights to the top of the wings. Other than that, here it is.

Jordanian Hunter

Another shot

Another view

The Russians just announced that they were going to supply, free of charge, 10 MiG-29 fighters to Lebanon.  Read about it here.

Libnanews

En préparation du défilé militaire du 22 novembre à l’occasion de la fête nationale, l’armée libanaise a fait aujourd’hui survoler plusieurs région par un avion de type Hawker Hunter, une première depuis le dernier vol de ce type d’appareil en 1988.

Ayant effectué son premier vol en 1951, une escadrille de Hawker Hunter, avion de chasse britannique ayant des capacités supersoniques a été livrée à l’armée libanaise en 1959 pour être remplacée en 1969 par des avions français de type Mirage III.

Depuis entreposés, les Hawker Hunter ont été notamment utilisé par l’armée libanaise en 1983 avec une couverture aérienne d’avions de chasse français et des unités américaines dans les bombardements de positions tenues par des miliciens du PSP elle-même appuyées par des unités de l’armée syrienne. Un Hawker Hunter avait alors été abattu tandis que le deuxième a atterri à Chypre. (Voir lien Ina)

Depuis, alors que les Mirage III ont été revendus en 1999 au Pakistan bien que n’affichant que peu d’heures de vols, l’armée libanaise avait tenté de refaire volé sans succès en 2007, lors de sa confrontation avec le groupuscule terroriste Fatah al Islam 12 avions de ce type entreposés à l’aéroport militaire de Kleiat au Nord Liban. Des bombes à l’origine destinées aux pylônes de transport du Hawker Hunter avaient alors été modifiés par les unités de génie militaires pour pouvoir être larguées depuis des hélicoptères militaires, sur le camp palestinien fortifié doté par Yasser Arafat à la fin des années 70 et début des années 80, de bunkers capables de résister aux bombardements aériens israéliens.

Alors que les autorités militaires libanaises demandent avec insistance, la donation d’avions de chasse afin de mettre un terme aux violations quotidiennes de l’espace aérien libanais par la chasse israélienne et la possibilité de bombarder des régions fortifiées tenues par des groupes armés, les objections de Tel Aviv ont amené jusqu’à présent les autorités américaines à refuser que l’armée libanaise soit dotée de ce type d’équipement.

WERI

Your Guardians of Freedom
In an increasingly volatile world, the United States Air Force depends on our Airmen’s families more than ever for their support.

Your Guardians of Freedom acknowledges the courageous husbands and wives of America’s Airmen for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us in the Global War on Terrorism.

Celine Dion sings “God Bless America”

A National Salute to the US Military”.

TECHNOLOGY

AEROBATICS by 747

a 747 performs several aerial
maneuvers, showing how even something
that big can look graceful

The Swiss Air Force

(Schweizer Luftwaffe, Forces aériennes suisses, Forze Aeree Svizzere) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces. It was established on July 31, 1914 but did not become a separate service until 1936.During World War II, it defended Swiss airspace against incursions by both Allied and Axis aircraft, shooting down aircraft from both sides of the conflict.[citation needed]

A report in the Swiss news magazine FACTS reveals that the Swiss Air Force only provides ready-to-take-off aircraft during office hours — on working days. The air force staff declared that, due to financial limits, they are not operational all the time.The difficulty of defending Swiss airspace is illustrated by the small size of the country; the maximum extension of Switzerland is 348 km, a distance that can be flown in little over 20 minutes by commercial aircraft. Further, Switzerland’s policy of neutrality means that they are unlikely to be deployed elsewhere.

Its primary front-line air-defence fleet consists of 33 F-18 Hornets (Squadrons: 11, 17, 18. 34 were originally bought, but one crashed) and 54 remaining F-5 Tiger IIs (110 were originally purchased). In 2010 the Swiss Air Force intends to begin the retirement of the F-5 in the three squadrons (Patrouille Suisse, 8th, 19th) that use it and hopes to acquire a New Warplane/Neues Kampfflugzeug (NFK) as replacement. As with the earlier F/A-18 procurement conducted in the late 1990s, this is expected to prove a politically fraught procurement due to Switzerland`s socialist, anti-army and green groups, which are all opposed to such purchases. The Patrouille Suisse will need to change to a new aircraft, either the F/A-18 Hornet or the new fighter. Although they are likely to acquire the new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, other 4.5 generation fighter planes such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and the Saab Gripen are being considered.

In 2011 the Swiss Air Force will also be retiring its venerable fleet of 60 Aérospatiale Alouette III, which will be replaced by Eurocopter EC-635s.

Aircraft/Historical

The national aerobatic demonstration team of Swiss Air Force is the Patrouille Suisse, which flies the F-5 Tiger II aircraft.The Swiss Air Force has nine air bases, the most important of these being Payerne, in western Switzerland. The others are the helicopter base at Alpnach, a dormant base at Buochs and several other bases at Bern, Dübendorf, Emmen, Meiringen, Sion and Locarno. However, the air force closed Mollis by January 2007, and Alpnach will be reduced in size.

Well, the Hunter won’t be done for Huntsville tomorrow.  However it is very close and will certainly be done for Cincinnati on October 18th.  I like the way it is looking.

Decaling in process

Here is a side view.  I love the Jordanian markings

Decaling the Hunter

I will try and liveblog from Huntsville Saturday if I can.

Two frustrating things about the FM-2 gear:

1. Getting all my scratchbuilt additions into the bay around the rest of the struts is a huge pain. At least the styrene rod flexes – I was able to squeeze the A-frame truss into the bay and only lost one easily-replaced strut in the process. Now, getting CA glue to the proper attachment points is the next big challenge – it’s not easy. I have three little struts to add, followed by some solder “hoses;” none of this is made easier by the dark sea blue color. It’s like a black hole in there. However, from the side, all these struts, wires and hoses will be readily visible, so I can’t just skip it

2. I’ve done this before – in 2002 with an F4F-4 – and I can’t remember how I did it! Ugh!

F4F-4 Wildcat - Hasegawa, 2002

Ohm, wait a second – I just discovered how by looking here at this build article. Turns out it was easy then. So, like so many things about the FM-2, it’s just innately harder than the Hasegawa kit. Sheesh.

(By the way, I like the 40mm barrels on the left;cropped right, they look like they’re in the foreground. The backdrop is a photo in the Ethell book on the USN, with the styrene deck section blocking off the stern end of the ship and its associated aircraft. The guns were impossible to place so they weren’t “in camera.” They look good – although the late Bill Surgi of VF-4 pointed out that they were anachronistic, since the plane went down with the Yorktown on June 6, 1942. Bill also pointed out the lack of tie-downs on deck – I don’t think Evergreen makes scribed stock with WWII-era carrier tie downs yet!)

I picked up some 1.5mm yellow-amber-red lenses for the belly signal lights at D&J last night – along with the Hunter FGA.9 from Revell Randy got me at Yanni’s. When that will be built is anyone’s guess…

Monografia della Squadron Signal in formato pdf (50 pp – 10 mb) del bellissimo caccia britannico.

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