Article

2008-02-03 Britain

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by lotp 2008-02-03 00:00|| || Front Page|| [10 views ] Top

#1 "Ministry of Defence (MoD) cash crisis that rules out the money for a replacement aircraft "

Nimrods.

Posted by Albert Snotle2061 2008-02-03 08:22|| 2008-02-03 08:22|| Front Page Top

#2 I had no idea variants of the Comet were still in service.

Posted by M. Murcek">M. Murcek 2008-02-03 08:29|| 2008-02-03 08:29|| Front Page Top

#3 They got the kinks worked out, the Electra based P-3C had a nasty childhood too.

Posted by Thomas Woof 2008-02-03 08:42|| 2008-02-03 08:42|| Front Page Top

#4 The Comet's problem was fatigue around the square passenger windows. Cracks developed in the corners and caused decompression failures.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-02-03 09:30|| 2008-02-03 09:30|| Front Page Top

#5 a 319 coudl be recondfigured and woudl work pretty well as an ELINT platform. Uprated new 737 would be even better.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-02-03 12:01|| 2008-02-03 12:01|| Front Page Top

#6 Maybe the Brits should consider outsourcing the defense of their nation to private contractors. Outsourcing is a common business solution when you do not have the expertise (or motivation) to do it in-house. /me sees this as the wave of the future for small countries. Hell, we are already doing with Blackwater and such.

Posted by SteveS 2008-02-03 12:24|| 2008-02-03 12:24|| Front Page Top

#7 I bet they are just marking time until they can deploy a robust UAV program. RJs and Nimrods are very expensive to run and puts people in danger.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2008-02-03 12:53|| 2008-02-03 12:53|| Front Page Top

#8 UK has some excellent UAV research programs.

Posted by lotp 2008-02-03 13:08|| 2008-02-03 13:08|| Front Page Top

#9 US Rivet Joint The plane is decent but the name sounds cheap.

Either way, at least they can fly for a few years.

Posted by Cravith Poodle2527 2008-02-03 13:09|| 2008-02-03 13:09|| Front Page Top

#10 The Nimrod has to be the ugliest-looking aircraft flying today. Most of it's because the airframe has had bits and pieces added on to make it useful for its current role. That's also one of the major headaches with operating these aircraft - they're a beast to work on. There is usually one at every British airshow in the UK, and frequently at American ones. Like most British warfighting equipment, however, comfort for those that have to operate them is not even a secondary consideration. I think they'll be quite surprised at the COMFORT aboard Rivet Joint aircraft.

As for capability, Rivet Joint is just one of more than a dozen different aircraft and configurations the US uses for intelligence purposes. The British have "put all their eggs in one basket" because they refuse to pay for multiple aircraft for multiple missions. When socialism gobbles up the majority of your tax income, you take shortcuts elsewhere - something we in this country need to seriously remember.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-02-03 13:15|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-02-03 13:15|| Front Page Top

#11 That's not an ELINT, that's an ICBM hauler. No "Flying Saucer" on top. Bulbous fuselage.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2008-02-03 13:41|| 2008-02-03 13:41|| Front Page Top

#12 Nope RJ, the weird lowered nose bulb just makes the fuselage look particularly large. Trompe l'eoil.

Posted by remoteman 2008-02-03 15:54|| 2008-02-03 15:54|| Front Page Top

#13 I see it now, you're right does look distorted.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2008-02-03 16:36|| 2008-02-03 16:36|| Front Page Top

#14 Odd air inelts too. Squarish?

Posted by Redneck Jim 2008-02-03 16:37|| 2008-02-03 16:37|| Front Page Top

#15 RENSE > 50% OF WEALTHIEST PLANNING TO LEAVE UK.

Is SOCIALIST "GOVT ASSUMPTION OF THE BOTTOM LINE" WORTH LOSS OF LIBERTY + WEALTH???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-02-03 21:41|| 2008-02-03 21:41|| Front Page Top

#16 IRANIAN.WS > GORBACHEV: USA IS TARGETING RUSSIA, NOT IRAN, via US GMD in Czech-Poland; + RIAN > RICE: US MISSLE DEFENSE WILL NOT AFFECT RUSSIA'S MISSLE CAPABILITY.

See RIAN, RENSE, etc for the continuing BOMBER FLIGHT escapades of the RUSSIAN AIR FORCE.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-02-03 21:45|| 2008-02-03 21:45|| Front Page Top

23:57 trailing wife
23:49 Jeff
23:46 trailing wife
23:45 ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding
23:32 www
23:29 SteveS
23:16 gorb
23:14 USN,Ret.
23:14 Broadhead6
23:06 g(r)omgoru
23:03 Broadhead6
22:57 Barbara Skolaut
22:55 trailing wife
22:50 www
22:49 Junior Assistant Sock Puppet of Doom
22:45 gorb
22:44 trailing wife
22:43 Junior Assistant Sock Puppet of Doom
22:36 trailing wife
22:36 M. Murcek
22:36 www
22:30 Junior Assistant Sock Puppet of Doom
22:28 Grease Dark Lord of the Algonquins9226
22:25 M. Murcek