Global Reach is a military buzzword that has the ability to send the shivers through the insurgents mind – soon to be followed by something much more substantial. This bird flew in, did the business then flew home. I have no idea where this came from… but it is an ugly little devil isn’t it?
This is a photo of the Global Hawk UAV that returned from the war zone recently under its own power. (Iraq to Edwards AFB in CA) – Not transported via C5 or C17…..
Notice the mission paintings on the fuselage.
It’s actually over 250 missions…. (And I would suppose 25 air medals).
That’s a long way for a remotely-piloted aircraft.
Think of the technology (and the required quality of the data link
to fly it remotely).
Not only that but the pilot controlled it from a nice warm control panel at Edwards AFB.
Really long legs- can stay up for almost 2 days at altitudes above 60k.
The Global Hawk was controlled via satellite; it flew missions during OT&E that went from Edwards AFB to upper Alaska and back non-stop.
Basically, they come into the fight at a high mach # in mil thrust, fire their AMRAAMS, and no one ever sees them or paints with radar.
There is practically no radio chatter because all the guys in the flight are tied together electronically, and can see who is targeting who, and they have AWACS direct input and 360 situational awareness from that and other sensors.
The aggressors had a morale problem before it was all over.
It is to air superiority what the jet engine was to aviation.
It can taxi, take off, fly a mission, return, land and taxi on it’s own.
No blackouts, no fatigue, no relief tubes, no ejection seats, and best of all, no dead pilots, no POWs?
Here are a couple of pictures taken during descent into Sydney the other day.
It is amazing what having a little compact digital camera can yield if you are prepared to whip it out on spec.
Adjusting cravat and tapping microphone… “Ahem, I would just like to pass some of the credit for this award to my learned friend, who, for reasons of security I cannot name. Without his photographic contributions there would be a good deal less color and interest here. Thank you Ian. Oh! Darn! Everything I know I learnt from Rob Mark at Jetwhine.com.”
……………………………… Open Skies was entered into with a certain amount of good faith being committed on either side. As with any deal, it is only worth anything to both parties if the agreed terms are abided by. There is a clause within this contract that states that an exit point, 2010 I believe, may be utilized if either party considers that the terms have not been met. Open Skies collapses and the previous status-quo returns. At the time of signing, the cynics among us Europeans were convinced that the US would take whatever measures were necessary to get the ball rolling then renege when it came to opening the US internal market to European carriers. We all thought at the time the hands were shook that for perfectly understandable political reasons, the US would be highly unlikely to open their skies – a ‘no brainer’ really. They signed the instrument anyway to the consternation of carriers on both side of the pond (that one has always confused me). Well, the US administration bet heavily that the Europeans, being fractured across national grounds and consumed by hubris, would paper over that gaping chasm and cave in when ‘push came to shove’ in 2010. That crossroads, when it arrives could be illuminating and may well shape the climate across the Atlantic for a considerable time after its passing .
…………………………… In the world of international negotiation this is all to be expected really, particularly when dealing with an entity as disorganized and vacuous as the EU. So ‘well done the US of A’ I say; we deserve all we get and more for being so stupid… if we ‘stack’ in front of a good hand, well engineered.
Ever read Chickenhawk? It is quite some biography that Robert Mason turned out and the reviewers at Amazon hand out five star ratings seldom seen in such quantity. It’s tempting to call it an aviation classic but it is much more than that. In his book Mason charts his progress through Marine helicopter school to Vietnam. I am not about to do a review here, more an invitation to flex your imagination at the maelstrom that the guys flying this poor little OH58 (Jetranger) flew through to trash their Helo in such a way.
Being shot at is a deeply personal experience if you are aware of it at the time; living through this kind of abuse must be enough reason for a spirited celebration of life. I sincerely hope they got away with it.
Three of my colleagues were presented with an interesting situation yesterday after a long night out of bed on the way home from Beijing. It seems that they had a double engine failure on short finals, some reports say at around 6oo’ which would be two mile final. !0 seconds earlier with the engine failures and the story would have been very different by all accounts.
The AAIB are hard at work having debriefed the crew, they should produce preliminary findings before too long and a full report after the usual interval. ANY speculation before then is both unhelpful and frankly pointless.
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I have had a quick rail at the press before now for their irresponsible treatment of aeronautical pieces in their newspapers andlamented the lack of the good old fashioned ‘Air Correspondent’.Never before though have we seen drivel churned out with such alacrity in both the printed media and on the TV.
Congratulations to Captain Peter Birkilll and his crew for an exceptional job well done. That much we are aware of.
I hope they enjoyed their quiet beers and a large curry in London after the snooze and the debrief.
For many years now, people have been using the Land’s End to John O’Groats journey to raise money for charity. Wheelbarrows, horses, bedsteads and just about any mobile carriage has been used at one time or another.
My pals down at the Paramotor Club at Lambourn have cooked up a plot to fly six paramotors on the journey in aid of The Forces Children’s Trust and UK Air Ambulance services. Both are dear to the heart of the organizer and Chief Flying Instructor, Simon Westmore.
Simon earns his crust by teaching people to fly paramotors but for a number of years he was a soldier. In these troubled times his motivation to support the children’s charity is pretty obvious, the Air Ambulance connection less so. Some time ago Simon’s father was involved in an accident with a JCB, it rolled on him leaving him critically injured and close to death. The Air Ambulance in Devon, which at the time was a very new addition to the counties medical facilities, whisked him away to hospital. Without it, it is certain his Dad would not be with us now.
As it is he will be waving the boys off on the 29th July this year when they strike East then North for John O’ Groats.
I will pass you more information as the Event unfolds, the website will be live soon but until then you can find out more here.
I guess they (the US) new they were there somewhere. Interesting that with satellite overflights and other means of reconnaissance they didn’t watch them being buried. Still, I guess we assign too much capability to these technologies and Governmental abilities sometimes. I wonder what weight is exerted on an aircraft buried ten feet beneath the sand…. I wonder if they have flown it yet, will it creak and groan a bit at Mach 3 after the experience? We will probably never know – but someone might. Good Luck someone.
The Iraqi jet, an advanced Russian MiG-25 Foxbat, was found buried in the sand after an informant tipped off U.S troops. The Foxbat is an advanced reconnaissance version never before seen in the West and is equipped with sophisticated electronic warfare devices.
The MiG was dug out of a massive sand dune near the Al Taqadum airfield by U.S. Air Force recovery teams. The MiG was reportedly one of over two dozen Iraqi jets buried in the sand like hidden treasure, just waiting to be recovered at a later date. Contrary to what some in the major media have reported, not all the jets found were from the Gulf War era.
U.S. Air Force recovery teams had to use large earth-moving equipment to uncover the MiG, which is over 70 feet long and weighs nearly 25 tons.
The recovery of the MIG is considered to be an intelligence coup by the U.S. Air Force.. The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian- and French-made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a UN ban on arms sales to Baghdad.
The buried aircraft at Al Taqadum were covered in camouflage netting, sealed and, in many cases, had their wings removed before being buried more than 10 feet beneath the Iraqi desert. X Marks the Spot The discovery of the buried Iraqi jet fighters illustrates the problem faced by ! U.S. inspection teams searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is larger in size than California, and the massive deserts south and west of Baghdad were used by Saddam Hussein to hide weapons during the first Gulf war.
U.S. intelligence sources have already uncovered several mass grave burial sites in the open deserts with an estimated 10,000 dead hidden there. In addition, Iraq previously hid SCUD missiles, chemical weapons and biological warheads by burying them under the desert sand
At first sight it looks (one way or another) like a breakdown in communications caused a little bother here.
So here in 2008, let’s raise a glass to those unsung heroes who remembered to write up the ‘Work In Progress’ in 2007 thereby letting us all know what’s happenin’ down the line. Keep them coming guys, because surprises like these below we can all do without.
Afghanistan and Africa? – and that’s just the ‘A’s.
Adjusting cravat and tapping microphone… “Ahem, I would just like to pass some of the credit for this award to my learned friend, who, for reasons of security I cannot name. Without his photographic contributions there would be a good deal less color and interest here. Thank you Ian. Oh! Darn! Everything I know I learnt from 
