fleet air arm

As said in the tin. When you think about it, it would avoid an immense amount of suffering and money waste. Kind of - screw the Tigers - screw CVA-01 - screw Spey Phantoms do we agree all three above were expensive boondoggles ? so good riddance (sorry, that's the radical in me... !) Also...

the Falklands war occurred in 82 Ark Royal (or another ship of the same class?) was decommissioned in 79 What if they had opted to delay the decommissioning by a few years but then the Falkland war occurred anyways Would the Ark Royal have been sent? would it have contributed differently than...

Saunders Roe Jet Propelled Flying Boat, Project 16.7.43

Blackburn B-37 Firebrand

The arrival of a new book on the F8 Crusader got me thinking of the old chestnut of giving the RN a fighter for Ark, Eagle, Victorious and Hermes I have always felt that if we had done what France did and purchased the F8 we could have kept a carrier force as long as the French did. We could...

Blue Envoy Press are pleased to announce The Admiralty and the Helicopter by James Jackson. A companion volume to The Air Staff and the Helicopter, this latest addition to the Project Tech Profile series charts the development of the Admiralty’s pioneering requirements and the numerous...

In July 1945 Supermarine had not yet finalised their design for the Type 392 Attacker. This drawing (39200 116) shows one of the alternatives considered; note the design of the tail surfaces, the repositioned air intakes, the four cannon mounted alongside the cockpit, and, of course, the...

1983, rather than 1982 is a key date for decisions for the RN and UK defence as a whole, in the light of the Falklands and it's effect not just on defence thinking but on the UK populace's attitude to their country. As surely as it was to the political establishment. But in terms of changes a...

True hero sadly departs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-35626854

Pics , drawings ,models and book

The usual crew of retired military and political types are warning that the UK is not able to meet its defence requirements with the present budget and kit. Given the collective expertise on this board what advice would you give the Prime Minister who takes over in May after the election? I...

I've caught papacavy's "What If" disease, but this is purely for interest rather than literary purposes. As we all know, the Fairey Battle was an airplane which, once tested in combat, did not imbue its crews with any confidence that they would come home from attacking defended targets. Let's...

Just wondered why this amazing aircraft doesn't enjoy such a reputation as compared to TSR2? Thinking back to the sixties would it not have made sense to take up the Yorkshire suggestion rather than one from a neighbouring county? After all a supersonic Bucc would have saved developmental...

I know this is a well covered subject but I was wondering if there is anywhere an RN document from 1965 or 1966 showing what its planned 1975 or so carrier fleet was supposed to look like. Based on what has been posted here already here is a stab at what I think was intended Fleet Carriers...

Anyone have a three view drawing of the Blackburn B.29 torpedo bomber? prior posting: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4519.msg35771/topicseen.html#msg35771

Let us consider the following. Suppose that CVA-01 and her two sisters are built as originally planned*, entering service in, say, '72, '75 and '78 respectively. The CAG would have been, iirc, 36 jets, 18 Phantoms and 18 Buccaneers on each ship. Given that the FAA replaced these aircraft with...

One of the joys of this site is the quantity of info available on unbuilt aircraft projects. Particularly tantalising are the various projects in the 70s and 80s for a supersonic VSTOL to replace the Harrier. The Bae 1216 has been the best covered thanks to Michael Pryce. Various US designs...

The F4 Phantom might have failed to materialise as the wonderful plane which the RAF and RN used to fill various gaps from the 60s onwards. In a Phantomless world would P1154 have been developed as planned in 1963 for both RAF and RN or would the Lightning have been developed in its swing wing...

The next PTP I am writing, on Harrier Projects, is about 50% written. It will feature some things already known about, but tell their full story, such as: as well as revealing wholly new stories, such as the full saga of the Harrier III, the proposed Sea Harrier FRS.3 and some weird and...

. I don't know where this really belongs (if at all) anyway, out of interest, Air Britain have (?) released a new book on RAF unmanned aircraft / target drones / recon drones called "Sitting Ducks and Peeping Toms" - I do NOT know if any projected models are included :-...