north atlantic treaty organisation

The US Navy's Iwo Jima class helicopter carriers were the closest the US came to a Harrier carrier when one was used as an interim Sea Control Ship. The US Marines went on to operate its Harriers from Tarawa and Wasp class ships. But the compact Iwo Jimas might have been a quick and dirty...

I should know the answer to this. When does Lance first emerge as a likely replacement for Honest John and Sergeant and even Corporal, given its range. I only ask because Lance does seem to make Blue Water pretty pointless as it has better range and more mobile with its M548 based launcher...

This one is not really feasible but it does produce some interesting models or artwork. The USAF had its Hound Dogs in service from the Cuban Missile Crisis well into the 70s. If politics and other considerations had not got in the way, permutations of NATO Hound might have served on the...

I had always been puzzled by who in NATO apart from the US received nuclear missiles. The UK received Corporal (range about 75miles) while Belgium, France, Germany, Italy as well as UK got Honest John(12 miles or so) It then gets interesting. The UK comes up with Blue Water (range 50-60 miles)...

Tieback = Soviet Air Defence Forces (V-PVO) GCI/EW system. In effect the top tier of the overall Soviet strategic IADS. -Markham = Lazur Semiautomatic Datalink. Key component of Tieback. Came in a number of different variants.

In the late 60s the Germans were looking for a replacement for its ground attack Fiat G 91s. As an offset against costs for BAOR and RAF Germany the UK succeeds in selling Harriers to the Bundeswehr and getting Dornier involved in its production and a joint trainer which becomes the Hawk. HS and...

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/usaf-northrop-harassment-weapons-1817855401

I wonder if anyone with a first or second edition copy of Janes Weapons Systems (1969 or 70) could help me track down an image showing a Marder like mock up of a US MICV design for the 1967 MICV competition. I photocopied it some years back from a Library copy (now no longer available) and...

Was leafing through a book in a German bookshop in a series on army weapons and with the title British Army Nuclear Missiles and Artillery in German. I came across an official drawing of a Blue Water missile mounted on an FV4020 chassis. This is the first time I have seen, what was presumably a...

As we know the Russians managed to standardise their tanks forces in the 60s and 70s on two designs: The T55 and later the T72. What tank should NATO have chosen if politics had been no object?

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...

Stinger MANPADS are being modified to avert obsolescence and add some new capabilities such as the proximity fuze but the end of it's use and service is foreseeable. I´ve read about the "Future Stinger Capability Working Group". What covers behind this group? Are there any new planned systems...

Chaparral 2000/Roadrunner/Advanced Chaparral/Chaparral Chassis Service Life Extension Program (CCSLEP)/LAV MPLS (MultiPurpose Launcher System)/Chapfire /1/ 1999 report by "Forecast International" Chaparral III?. Loral, along with other companies, was trying to interest the US Army and other...

I know that this is a well trodden subject but I thought that it would be interesting to compare the plans with what happened in reality. Ground Attack/Recce Squadrons It was planned to replace the Hunter with the 1154 Harrier in 8 squadrons: 2 in the UK, 2 in Germany, 2 in the Gulf and 2 in...

Does this mean that the A-10 Thunderbolt II has been saved from the budget cutting block? "Northrop Grumman Awarded U.S. Air Force A-10 TLPS Task Orders" Published November 19, 2013 | By Marcel van Leeuwen Source...

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a127471.pdf

NH90 has been sized and conceived to be able to operate from any type of prepared or unprepared surfaces and to satisfy already in its basic design the entire specific feature requested by tactical transport requirements. Sharing common basis, only the on-board mission system differentiates the...

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...

MBDA mini cruise missile, 100km range, F-35B loadout 8x internally. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-mbda-sharpens-spear-missile-design-for-f-35-integration-373453/

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...