[TysonWarm]

Johnny was the best.  Nobody else on late night can hold a candle to him.  He was actually born not to far from my town.

[luvdemwhoppers]

  Blitzer has some real problems with barrel ware they need to solve.. Going to be a kick ass weapon though..

Hello, and yes there are problems and that's the reason Senate cut off funding. But I think, like most new stuff, it will be refined, worked out
and then the  Chinese will copy and sell in the gray market. Benefits of this type of weapon, no propellant to store on board, projectiles are small

[pedonbio]

it's 25 years, I think

Maverick: Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby.

Hot Damn! This fucker gives a Hell of a ride!

[luvdemwhoppers]

this is the same technology employed by nasa and used on the space shuttle. It was offered
as optional equip by Detriot on a few select models. It never caught on. go figure..

[pedonbio]

Yesterday was truly a "watershed" day--The work to remove the Lower Elwha Dam started. The political fight has been going on for more than thirty years; at one time federal law prohibited what happened yesterday. But as the dams silted more and more, the electricity they produced, never impressive, fell lower and lower. Built 100 years ago, the dams destroyed one of the richest salmon runs in the world. The Makah and Clallam tribes have consistently advocated for yesterday's work to begin. Next year at this time the dams will be gone, and the river will belong to the fish again.

seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/specialreports/elwha/

[luvdemwhoppers]

things we take for granted, mother earth, the soil. I grow these, not so many perhaps 80 per year. eat most give rest to neighbors.
the good earth is a marvel. when we abuse or forget ......as peter lorre said "we're doomed"

[gOOber]

^

[luvdemwhoppers]

^feel better now?

[luvdemwhoppers]

the warthog, possible best ground attack platform eva.

[TysonWarm]

the warthog, possible best ground attack platform eva.

Definitely was one of the reasons the Commies didn't try busting through the Fulda Gap. 

[TysonWarm]

the warthog, possible best ground attack platform eva.

Probably is the best ground attack plane ever, that or the Skyraider.  But those planes are useless if you cannot take off.  So, I will raise your Warthog with my SEA HARRIER.  Born out of the Cold War fear that NATO air bases would be annihilated in a first wave strike by the USSR.  Also, this plane was a war winner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNcdN3OWnXQ

[luvdemwhoppers]

Harrier is 1 awesome flight platform. Ask Arnold. Burns fuel rite quick, does not have the amour plate like the  A10.
A-10 was designed for low speed close to ground support. Harrier for bombing. I like it a lot. but IMHO it's apples vs. oranges.

[Palomine]

Not to detract from the significant engineering accomplishment that is the Harrier, complete with VTOL capability, but I've always been under the impression that it's expensive (compared to some other hardware used for similar missions), maintenance-intensive, heavy/thirsty, limited to subsonic flight and notoriously difficult to fly (especially on the early versions with less computer assistance/intervention). Besides, so much of what the Harrier can do can now be done by modern attack helicopters. I kind of think of the Harrier like I think of the Concorde, or the Space Shuttle: extremely impressive engineering accomplishments but with some significant practical caveats.

It's an apples and oranges comparison of course (thus, not really a direct comparison at all) but I too consider the Warthog to be my favorite military aircraft: it's dirt-cheap, so ugly it's charming (and very photogenic), ultra-low-tech and durable as hell. Yes, modern super-fighters are practically straight out of science fiction, but the A-10 has always just been so full of win from the very beginning of service in the early 70s.

[Bad Kitty]

Well the harrier can engage jet fighters in a dog fight, and is actually devastatingly effective at it. Attack helicopters are generally 'easiy pickings' for jet fighters. It can fly much much faster than an attack helicopter, over longer ranges, carrying a much heavier payload, fire ranged radar guided air to air missiles, etc. drop gps guided bombs... it does 'everything', and it does if from a small ship or rooftop or clearing in the jungle. It's not the best at anything, but it does everything. And the marine corps have nixed any plans to replace it, leaving the JASP development program.

The thunderbolt/warthog is a counter insurgency close attack plane. Actually it's mission profile, and price point, is much more similar to an attack helicopter. it gets in close, and fires short range ordinance at things point blank. The only difference between it and an attack helicopter, is that the warthog could stand a small chance of coming out of a jet aircraft dogfight in one piece, it has a longer range, and it carries more ordinance... at the tradeoff of requiring a runway. It can't seriously engage other jet aircraft which could likely destroy it from beyond visual range with ease. The a10 and attack helicopters need 'air cover' from faster planes with real radars that cost many times as much.

[Palomine]

...It's an apples and oranges comparison of course (thus, not really a direct comparison at all)...

Yes, as I mentioned (above), I'm aware that the roles of the Harrier and A-10 aren't equivalent, thus not really comparable. However, the points I raised about the Harrier still stand, and because of these compromises (which were unavoidable in order to achieve it's primary trick: the VTO&L) it actually isn't really on-par with modern, high-end/first-world dedicated superfighters (yes, which need runways). This is not to say that Harriers haven't bested regular jet fighters... of course they have, though that's more possible when the opposing jets are not exactly state-of-the-art or high-end or current-generation (i.e.: in the Falklands against the Argentine air force, etc...).

In fact, because the VTOL capability can enable basing Harriers near the front lines/theater of operations (be they land-based or flying off of small carriers) the Harrier is often utilized in ground support efforts (like the A-10, attack helicopters, etc...). And yes, like other jets, Harriers can carry heavy bombs of various flavors, which copters don't (btw, I didn't suggest that helicopters carried similar ordinance or were capable of engaging jets either).

I'm not bashing the Harrier: it is a capable platform with one very useful and (relatively) unique capability (not counting the new F35) that sets it apart. Just like the A-10, it has it's role.

Edited to correct typo: I meant F35, not J35.