The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

In this photo, 304 is at the Pleasure Beach loop, back on the tramway for the very first time in several years in revenue-earning service on Heritage special services, and awaiting time before running the closing service of the daytime heritage service for 2014: the final afternoon tour to Fleetwood and back.

One of our motion control systems

Greenwich Peninsula (beside the O2)

As the world entered the supersonic age, the US Air Force had to assume that the Soviet Union was designing jet bombers, possibly supersonic ones. The subsonic interceptors then in service, such as the F-89 Scorpion, would not be able to reach jet bombers. Accordingly, the USAF issued a requirement in 1949 for what was simply called the “1954 Interceptor,” as that was the expected in-service date. Unlike earlier aircraft, however, the new aircraft would be designed around the fire control computer (the Hughes MX-1179) and would incorporate all-missile armament. Of 18 proposals sent to the USAF, the service chose Convair’s Project MX-1554 in late 1951. This proposal incorporated then radical delta wings, a powerful Wright J67 turbojet, and an internal missile bay that was also equipped with rockets, along with the MX-1179 fire control system.

Problems arose with both the engine and fire control system, however, but the USAF decided to go ahead with production of what was now the F-102A Delta Dagger, the third aircraft of the Century Series of fighters in the 1950s. The F-102A was considered as interim until the more advanced F-102B could come online later; emphasis was getting a supersonic interceptor into service as soon as possible, even if it used a less powerful Pratt and Whitney J57 and a simpler M-9 fire control computer. The first YF-102 flew in October 1953.

It was a failure. The YF-102 could not even reach supersonic speeds, its ceiling was below that of even the F-89, and the prototype crashed only a week after its first flight. Convair went back to the drawing board, this time using the recently discovered area rule principle, changing the fuselage from a conventional round shape to a more streamlined “coke bottle,” lengthening and narrowing the nose, and adding shock blisters around the engine. The redesigned YF-102A flew in December 1954, and was able to meet the USAF’s requirements, though it was still slower and had a lower ceiling than the USAF would have liked. Since the F-102A was again only supposed to serve as an interim for the F-102B, which would later become the F-106 Delta Dart, the USAF was willing to overlook the shortfall in performance. The first F-102 entered service in 1956.

In service, the “Deuce,” as it became known, got mixed reviews. The fire control system (the MG-3; the F-102 was never to receive the Hughes MX-1179 it was designed for) was improved with an infrared turret forward of the cockpit, and it had comparatively heavy armament in the form of four AIM-4 Falcons and 24 rockets carried in the weapons bay doors. The aircraft were also re-winged with a more efficient design in 1957. Later F-102s had the rockets removed to allow carriage of two AIM-24 Nuclear Falcons. All this aside, the delta winged design proved to be tricky to get used to, and the F-102 suffered a high accident rate. TF-102A conversion aircraft were built, which involved a radical redesign of the Delta Dagger from the intakes forward, as the TF-102 had side-by-side seating. This adversely affected performance, giving the TF-102 its moniker of “Pig.” Nonetheless, the F-102 was to perform yeoman service throughout the late 1950s and 1960s as an interceptor, supplementing the earlier F-101 Voodoo and its replacement, the F-106. As the Delta Dart entered service, more and more F-102s were relegated to Air National Guard units, where the Deuce would serve until 1976.

F-102s would see wartime service as well. As North Vietnam had a number of Ilyushin Il-28 Beagles in service, F-102s were deployed in detachments to USAF bases in South Vietnam to guard against a surprise attack. These aircraft were drawn from both active duty units and Air National Guard units under Operation Constant Guard. As the Il-28 threat never materialized, the F-102s were used as escorts for B-52s on Arc Light sorties over South Vietnam, and escort for USAF missions in Laos or EB-66 jammer aircraft supporting Rolling Thunder sorties. In this capacity, the F-102 would see at least one air-to-air combat with MiG-21s, but came off second best with the loss of aircraft and pilot. Other F-102s were used as ground support aircraft, a role to which the Deuce was completely unsuited, for a brief time and with poor results—though the F-102’s infrared sensors gave it all-weather capability that at that time was matched only by the F-4D Phantom II. Truly lacking a role, the F-102 detachments were withdrawn from Southeast Asia in 1968. F-102s were exported to Turkey and Greece in the mid-1960s, and these were used in the 1974 Cyprus Crisis; none were reported lost on either side, though rumors persist of Turkish F-102s either shooting down or being shot down by Greek F-5A Freedom Fighters.

All F-102s, foreign and domestic, were withdrawn from service by 1979. In the US, nearly all were converted to QF-102 drones and expended as targets, ending in 1986. Of approximately 900 Delta Daggers produced, at least 35 remain today in museums.

This picture was taken by Bary Poletto at Great Falls International Airport sometime in the late 1960s. The two F-102As in the foreground belong to the 120th Fighter-Interceptor Group (Montana ANG), getting ready to taxi out for a sortie. Large identification numbers were carried on the tail of the 120th's Deuces, along with a single blue stripe with five stars and the legend "Montana"--a forerunner of the more gaudy and impressive tail colors used by the 120th's F-106s. While the 120th aircraft carry standard Air Defense Gray, the F-102 rolling out in the background is camouflaged in Southeast Asia colors, meaning that it probably served in Vietnam with Constant Guard detachments. (As the Montana ANG never operated camouflaged F-102s, it probably belongs to another unit--possibly the Wisconsin ANG.) The 120th would reequip with F-106s in 1972, making this a fairly rare picture.

Note the lax security. The man on the left could easily run out onto the tarmac of not only an active fighter flightline, but an international airport! You would not see this today, to say the least.

The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

In this photo, 304 is at the Pleasure Beach loop, back on the tramway for the very first time in several years in revenue-earning service on Heritage special services; alongside is English Electric Balloon 701 in its 1991 Routemaster livery that it aquired following refurbishment at the time. Originally designed to replace the Balloons, now Coronation and Balloon stand side by side in what I call 'active preservation'.

A NATO E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft sits on the tarmac in Konya, Turkey. Since October 2016, NATO aircraft have flown over 1,000 mission hours in support of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. These AWACS aircraft fly from a base in Konya, Turkey, and help manage the busy airspace in Iraq and Syria. Allies decided to provide AWACS support to the Global Coalition in July 2016.

U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet

E-3 SENTRY (AWACS)

E-3 Sentry celebrates 30 years in Air Force's fleet

Mission

The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, aircraft with an integrated command and control battle management, or C2BM, surveillance, target detection, and tracking platform. The aircraft provides an accurate, real-time picture of the battlespace to the Joint Air Operations Center. AWACS provides situational awareness of friendly, neutral and hostile activity, command and control of an area of responsibility, battle management of theater forces, all-altitude and all-weather surveillance of the battle space, and early warning of enemy actions during joint, allied, and coalition operations.

Features

The E-3 Sentry is a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial airframe with a rotating radar dome. The dome is 30 feet (9.1 meters) in diameter, six feet (1.8 meters) thick, and is held 11 feet (3.33 meters) above the fuselage by two struts. It contains a radar subsystem that permits surveillance from the Earth's surface up into the stratosphere, over land or water. The radar has a range of more than 250 miles (375.5 kilometers). The radar combined with an identification friend or foe, or IFF, subsystem can look down to detect, identify and track enemy and friendly low-flying aircraft by eliminating ground clutter returns that confuse other radar systems.

Major subsystems in the E-3 are avionics, navigation, communications, sensors (radar and passive detection) and identification tools (IFF/SIF). The mission suite includes consoles that display computer-processed data in graphic and tabular format on video screens. Mission crew members perform surveillance, identification, weapons control, battle management and communications functions.

The radar and computer subsystems on the E-3 Sentry can gather and present broad and detailed battlefield information. This includes position and tracking information on enemy aircraft and ships, and location and status of friendly aircraft and naval vessels. The information can be sent to major command and control centers in rear areas or aboard ships. In time of crisis, this data can also be forwarded to the president and secretary of defense.

In support of air-to-ground operations, the Sentry can provide direct information needed for interdiction, reconnaissance, airlift and close-air support for friendly ground forces. It can also provide information for commanders of air operations to gain and maintain control of the air battle.

As an air defense system, E-3s can detect, identify and track airborne enemy forces far from the boundaries of the United States or NATO countries. It can direct fighter-interceptor aircraft to these enemy targets. Experience has proven that the E-3 Sentry can respond quickly and effectively to a crisis and support worldwide military deployment operations.

AWACS may be employed alone or horizontally integrated in combination with other C2BM and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance elements of the Theater Air Control System. It supports decentralized execution of the air tasking order/air combat order. The system provides the ability to find, fix, track and target airborne or maritime threats and to detect, locate and ID emitters. It has the ability to detect threats and control assets below and beyond the coverage of ground-based command and control or C2, and can exchange data with other C2 systems and shooters via datalinks.

With its mobility as an airborne warning and control system, the Sentry has a greater chance of surviving in warfare than a fixed, ground-based radar system. Among other things, the Sentry's flight path can quickly be changed according to mission and survival requirements. The E-3 can fly a mission profile approximately 8 hours without refueling. Its range and on-station time can be increased through in-flight refueling and the use of an on-board crew rest area.

Background

Engineering, test and evaluation began on the first E-3 Sentry in October 1975. In March 1977 the 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing (now 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.), received the first E-3s.

There are 32 aircraft in the U.S. inventory. Air Combat Command has 27 E-3s at Tinker. Pacific Air Forces has four E-3 Sentries at Kadena AB, Japan and Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. There is also one test aircraft at the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle.

NATO has 17 E-3A's and support equipment. The first E-3 was delivered to NATO in January 1982. The United Kingdom has seven E-3s, France has four, and Saudi Arabia has five. Japan has four AWACS built on the Boeing 767 airframe.

As proven in operations Desert Storm, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector the E-3 Sentry is the world's premier C2BM aircraft. AWACS aircraft and crews were instrumental to the successful completion of operations Northern and Southern Watch, and are still engaged in operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. They provide radar surveillance and control in addition to providing senior leadership with time-critical information on the actions of enemy forces. The E-3 has also deployed to support humanitarian relief operations in the U.S. following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, coordinating rescue efforts between military and civilian authorities.

The data collection capability of the E-3 radar and computer subsystems allowed an entire air war to be recorded for the first time in the history of aerial warfare.

In March 1996, the Air Force activated the 513th Air Control Group, an AWACS Reserve Associate Program unit which performs duties on active-duty aircraft.

During the spring of 1999, the first AWACS aircraft went through the Radar System Improvement Program. RSIP is a joint U.S./NATO development program that involved a major hardware and software intensive modification to the existing radar system. Installation of RSIP enhanced the operational capability of the E-3 radar electronic counter-measures and has improved the system's reliability, maintainability and availability.

The AWACS modernization program, Block 40/45, is currently underway. Bock 40/45 represents a revolutionary change for AWACS and worldwide Joint Command and Control, Battle Management, and Wide Area Surveillance. It is the most significant counter-air battle management improvement in Combat Air Forces tactical Command and Control history. The Block 40/45 Mission Computer and Display upgrade replaces current 1970 vintage mission computing and displays with a true open system and commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software, giving AWACS crews the modern computing tools needed to perform, and vastly improve mission capability. Estimated fleet upgrades completion in ~2020.

General Characteristics

Primary Function: Airborne battle management, command and control

Contractor: Boeing Aerospace Co.

Power Plant: Four Pratt and Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan engines

Thrust: 20,500 pounds each engine at sea level

Rotodome: 30 feet in diameter (9.1 meters), 6 feet thick (1.8 meters), mounted 11 feet (3.33 meters) above fuselage

Wingspan: 145 feet, 9 inches (44.4 meters)

Length: 152 feet, 11 inches (46.6 meters)

Height: 41 feet, 9 inches (13 meters)

Weight: 205,000 pounds (zero fuel) (92,986 kilograms)

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 325,000 pounds (147,418 kilograms)

Fuel Capacity: 21,000 gallons (79,494 liters)

Speed: optimum cruise 360 mph (Mach 0.48)

Range: more than 5,000 nautical miles (9,250 kilometers)

Ceiling: Above 29,000 feet (8,788 meters)

Crew: Flight crew of four plus mission crew of 13-19 specialists (mission crew size varies according to mission)

Unit Cost: $270 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars)

Initial operating capability: April 1978

Inventory: Active force, 32 (1 test); Reserve, 0; Guard, 0

Point of Contact

Air Combat Command, Public Affairs Office; 130 Andrews St., Suite 202; Langley AFB, VA 23665-1987; DSN 574-5007 or 757-764-5007; e-mail: accpa.operations@langley.af.mil

www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=98

The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

In this photo, 304 is at North Pier, back on the tramway for the very first time in several years in revenue-earning service on Heritage special services and is waiting to head to Pleasure Beach. I myself have waited for 18 years to see this tram in action in Blackpool and to travel on it through its home system.

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REASONABLE, HONEST, GENUIN, FAIR LOCKSMITH WITH CRUDENTIALS BOUNDING OF PROFF ON SITE

1-866-539-3397

DO NOT MISS THIS IN ACTION

LIST IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS

Very Genuine With Prices

Very Genuine With Prices

LOS ANGELES LOCKSMITH

IN ALL OVER LOS ANGELES COUNTY AREA

REASONABLE, HONEST, GENUIN, FAIR LOCKSMITH WITH CRUDENTIALS BOUNDING OF PROFF ON SITE

1-866-539-3397

DO NOT MISS THIS IN ACTION

LIST IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS

Very Genuine With Prices

allsecuritylockandkey.com

ericlocksmith.com/index.html

starslockandkey.com/

ADVANCE

-24 Hour Emergency Locksmith Services with competitive products to offer-

All products are at attractive prices with special discounts for:

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Door Installations hanging / fixtures , Door & Window Locks repair / Pick / Install , Padlocks ,Open Filing Cabinets , Open Mailboxes locks , Burglary / Break in Repairs Open locked car door / Trunk / fuel door , Open locked / Stuck garage door , Open automatic driveway gates , Open / Repair any type of safe , Open High security locks , Door Installations hanging / fixtures , Door & Window Locks repair / Pick / Install Open automatic driveway gates , Open / Repair any type of safe , Open High security locks.

Prompt Locksmith Services in The Entire Los Angeles Area

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LOCKSMITH 92870, LOCKSMITH 92886

Locksmith, 92887

LOS-ANGELES LOCKSMITH at LOS-ANGELES LOCKSMITH, LOS-ANGELES

The other week I lost my keys on my way back from a party sure was tipsy, I contacted All security lock and key locksmith service to Rekeying my house locks.

Also kind enough to explain, that I can save time consuming money by rekeying the previous key, rather then changing all the locks. Their technician arrived pretty fast i would say, and within less then an hour and half it was all done. Recommend professionalism, at

Any time of day when it’s my security, so thanks again.

To avoid any legal questions, we sure want to see some ID identification to be on the safe side my house your house could be.

LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH,LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90219 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 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LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH,LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90219 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH,LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90219 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 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LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH,LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90219 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH,LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90210 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90219 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90211 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90212 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90213 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90209 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90208 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90207 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90206 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90205 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90204 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90203 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90202 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY HILLS LOCKSMITH, LOCKSMITH 90201 BEVERLY SMITH, Prompt Locksmith Services in The Entire Los Angeles Area

Locksmith Los Angeles 90001 Locksmith Los Angeles 90002

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Locksmith Los Angeles 90005 Locksmith Los Angeles 90006

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Locksmith Los Angeles 90010 Locksmith Los Angeles 90011

Locksmith Los Angeles 90012 LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90013

LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90014 Locksmith Los Angeles 90015

Locksmith Los Angeles 90016 LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90017

Locksmith Los Angeles 90018 Locksmith Los Angeles 90019

LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90020 Locksmith Los Angeles 90021

Locksmith Los Angeles 90022 LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90023

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LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90026 Locksmith Los Angeles 90027

LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90028 LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90029

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Locksmith West Hollywood 90038 Locksmith Los Angeles 90039

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LOCKSMITH West Hollywood 90046 LOCKSMITH Los Angeles 90047

LOCKSMITH 90038 LOCKSMITH 90039

LOCKSMITH 90040 LOCKSMITH 90041

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14.septembrī Starptautiskajā lidostā “Rīga” nosēdās NATO agrīnās brīdināšanas un kontroles sistēmas (Airborne Warning & Control System) lidmašīna, kas ieradusies no Gaisa spēku bāzes Geilenkirhenē, Vācijā.

Latvijā ieradās Sabiedroto spēku augstākās virspavēlniecības Eiropā komandiera vietnieks ģenerālis sers Džeimss Everards (James Everard) un NATO agrīnās brīdināšanas un kontroles spēku komandiere ģenerālmajore Davna Danlopa (Dawn M. Dunlop), pirms tam veicot novērošanas un gaisa telpas kontroles lidojumu no Gaisa spēku bāzes Gailenkirhenē līdz Rīgai.

AWACS ir vienīgie NATO īpašumā esošie gaisakuģi. NATO neizmanto kopējo finansējumu, lai pirktu militāro spēju platformas, proti, kuģus un tankus, jo tā ir katras dalībvalsts individuāla izvēle un atbildība.

Geilenkirhene ir galvenā bāzes vieta Eiropā AWACS lidojumiem, jo no 19 lidmašīnām, kas Eiropā veic lidojumus, 16 bāzējas tieši Geilenkirhenē, vēl trīs atrodas Vašingtonā Lielbritānijā.

Kopš Krimas aneksijas 2014. gadā tiek novērota arī Latvijas gaisa telpa. Reaģējot uz situāciju Ukrainā, NATO Ziemeļatlantijas padome 2014. gada 10. martā ieviesa atbalsta pasākumu plānu, tādējādi demonstrējot alianses vienotību un apņēmību aizsargāt sabiedrotos. Trīs dienas vēlāk, 13. martā, NATO atbalsta pasākumu programmas ietvaros notika pirmais NATO agrīnās brīdināšanas un kontroles sistēmas lidojums no NATO bāzes Geilenkirhenē, Vācijā.

Latvijā AWACS lidmašīna viesojusies divas reizes — 2004. gadā, pirms Latvijas iestāšanās NATO. Savukārt 2016. gada 11. oktobrī, pirmo reizi kopš iestāšanās NATO, Starptautiskajā lidostā “Rīga” piezemējās AWACS lidmašīna, tādējādi demonstrējot pasaulei NATO klātbūtni un lojalitāti Latvijai, Lietuvai, Igaunijai, Polijai un Rumānijai.

AWACS lidmašīnas kopš 2014. gada pavasara ir veikušas vairāk nekā 1000 novērošanas un gaisa telpas kontroles lidojumus.

Par AWACS

“E-3A Sentry” uzbūvēta uz «Boeing 707» bāzes. Lidmašīnas astes galā atrodas radars (tā diametrs 9 m), kas apgādā apkalpi ar datiem, ko analizē datori un citas elektroniskās iekārtas lidmašīnā.

Parasti lidmašīnas lido astoņas stundas aptuveni 10 km augstumā, nosedzot vairāk nekā 400 km novērojamās platības.

Maksimālais ātrums — 853 km/h. Degvielas ietilpība — 89 610 litri. Spēja lidot bez papildu uzpildes — 11 h. Šī modeļa lidmašīnām iespējama uzpilde gaisā, ko veic ar gaisa tankkuģa KC-135 palīdzību. Arī šī lidmašīna izvietota Geilenkirhenē, nodrošinot ilgstošu AWACS uzdevumu izpildi.

Ekipāža — 2 piloti, 1 lidojuma inženieris, 1 navigators, 12 apkalpes locekļi, no kuriem vairāki atrodas taktiskajā operāciju centrā. Modernizētajā AWACS versijā pilotu kabīnē paredzētas 3 vietas, jo tehnoloģiskās inovācijas aizstāj navigatoru.

Gaisakuģa garums — 46,61 m, augstums — 12,73 m, tukšas lidmašīnas masa — 78 000 kg, ekipētas — 147 420 kg.

AWACS nodrošina plaša spektra uzdevumu izpildi, piemēram, gaisa kontroli, pretterorisma akciju atbalstu, evakuācijas, agrās brīdi¬nāšanas un krīzes reaģēšanas operācijas.

AWACS bija svarīga loma NATO operācijās ASV pēc 2001. gada 11. septembra terorakta, pēc viesuļvētras “Katrina” 2005. gadā. Arī 2010. gada zemestrīces Haiti un plūdu seku novēršanā Pakistānā 2010. gadā. AWACS sniedz gaisa atbalstu, lai padarītu drošākus NATO samitus un svarīgus starptautiskus pasākumus, piemēram, ASV prezidenta vizīti 2016. gadā Vācijā, arī Eiropas futbola čempionātu 2016. gadā Francijā.

Foto: Armīns Janiks (Jaunsardzes in informācijas centrs)

As the world entered the supersonic age, the US Air Force had to assume that the Soviet Union was designing jet bombers. The subsonic interceptors then in service, such as the F-89 Scorpion, would not be adequate. Accordingly, the USAF issued a requirement in 1949 for what was simply called the “1954 Interceptor,” as that was the expected in-service date. Unlike earlier aircraft, however, the new aircraft would be designed around the fire control computer (the Hughes MX-1179) and would incorporate all-missile armament.

Of 18 proposals sent to the USAF, the service chose Convair’s Project MX-1554 in late 1951. This proposal incorporated then radical delta wings, a powerful Wright J67 turbojet, and an internal missile bay that was also equipped with rockets, along with the MX-1179 fire control system. Problems arose with both the engine and fire control system, however, and the USAF decided to go ahead with production of what was now the F-102A Delta Dagger, the third aircraft of the Century Series of fighters in the 1950s. The F-102A was considered as interim until the more advanced F-102B could come online later; emphasis was getting a supersonic interceptor into service as soon as possible, even if it used a less powerful Pratt and Whitney J57 and a simpler M-9 fire control computer. The first YF-102 flew in October 1953.

It was a failure. The YF-102 could not even reach supersonic speeds, its ceiling was below that of even the F-89, and the prototype crashed only a week after its first flight. Convair went back to the drawing board, this time using the recently discovered area rule principle, changing the fuselage from a conventional round shape to a more streamlined “coke bottle,” lengthening and narrowing the nose, and adding shock blisters around the engine. The redesigned YF-102A flew in December 1954, and was able to meet the USAF’s requirements, though it was still slower and had a lower ceiling than the USAF would have liked. Since the F-102A was again only supposed to serve as an interim for the F-102B, which would later become the F-106 Delta Dart, the USAF was willing to overlook the shortfall in performance. The first F-102 entered service in 1956.

In service, the “Deuce,” as it became known, got mixed reviews. The fire control system was improved with an infrared turret forward of the cockpit, and it had comparatively heavy armament in the form of four AIM-4 Falcons and 24 rockets carried in the weapons bay doors. The aircraft were also re-winged with a more efficient design in 1957. Later F-102s had the rockets removed to allow carriage of two AIM-24 Nuclear Falcons.

All this aside, the delta winged design proved to be tricky to get used to, and the F-102 suffered a high accident rate. TF-102A conversion aircraft were built, which involved a radical redesign of the Delta Dagger from the intakes forward, as the TF-102 had side-by-side seating. This adversely affected performance, giving the TF-102 its moniker of “Pig.” Nonetheless, the F-102 was to perform yeoman service throughout the late 1950s and 1960s as an interceptor, supplementing the earlier F-101 Voodoo and its replacement, the F-106. As the Delta Dart entered service, more and more F-102s were relegated to Air National Guard units, where the Deuce would serve until 1976.

F-102s would see wartime service as well. As North Vietnam had a number of Ilyushin Il-28 Beagles in service, F-102s were deployed in detachments to USAF bases in South Vietnam to guard against a surprise attack. These aircraft were drawn from both active duty units and Air National Guard units under Operation Constant Guard. As the Il-28 threat never materialized, the F-102s were used as escorts for USAF missions in Laos or EB-66 jammer aircraft supporting Rolling Thunder sorties. In this capacity, the F-102 would see at least one air-to-air combat with MiG-21s, but came off second best with the loss of aircraft and pilot. Other F-102s were used as ground support aircraft, a role to which the Deuce was completely unsuited, for a brief time and with poor results—though the F-102’s infrared sensors gave it all-weather capability that at that time was matched only by the F-4D Phantom II.

Truly lacking a role, the F-102 detachments were withdrawn from Southeast Asia in 1968. F-102s were exported to Turkey and Greece in the mid-1960s, and these were used in the 1974 Cyprus Crisis; none were reported lost on either side, though rumors persist of Turkish F-102s either shooting down or being shot down by Greek F-5A Freedom Fighters.

All F-102s, foreign and domestic, were withdrawn from service by 1979. In the US, nearly all were converted to QF-102 drones and expended as targets, ending in 1986. Of approximately 900 Delta Daggers produced, at least 35 remain today in museums.

A friend got me a 1/144 scale F-102A a few years ago, and it sat on my "Shelf of Doom" for awhile. Last year, I finally got my act together and finished it. Though I thought seriously about doing my hometown Montana ANG 120th Fighter-Interceptor Group, I chose instead the rather attractive markings of the 112th FIG of the Pennsylvania ANG. The 112th only flew the F-102 from 1960 to 1962, but with an all-black tail, dorsal spine and wingtips, their Deuces have become subjects for many model builders--and I'm no different.

This didn't come out quite as good as I'd liked--my masking skills clearly need more work. There are also no 112th markings in this scale, so it lacks any sort of tailcode or ANG markings. All the same, despite some of the rough work, it turned out all right.

The US Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. It was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. Despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 (fully 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem over the course of its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all wartime refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats.. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally used, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

F-14A Bureau Number 161615 joined the Navy in 1983, first serving with the Pacific Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) VF-124 ("Gunfighters") at NAS Miramar, California. From there, it would serve with four other squadrons: VF-21 ("Freelancers") aboard USS Constellation (CV-64); VF-111 ("Sundowners") aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70); VF-211 ("Checkmates") aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68); and finally VF-41 ("Black Aces") aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). While with VF-211, it may have flown combat TARPS missions during the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm).

With fleet F-14 squadrons beginning to reequip with F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, 161615 moved to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) at NAS Fallon, Nevada--whereas Tomcats would always be associated with the movie "Top Gun," 161615 would actually belong to the program. It would be flown either as a spare for students or even occasionally as an aggressor aircraft. It was retired in 2003 and donated to the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas.

While not the best angle to get a F-14's picture (because of the very crowded conditions in the CAM's restoration hangar), this nose view shows 161615's modification to F-14A+ standard with the undernose TCS. The aircraft lacks engines (which were destroyed to ensure no parts end up on the black market for Iran to obtain), and, when on public display, the gun is display with the inspection panel open. While in the hangar, the gun panel is covered in aluminum foil.

It's a bit strange to see a F-14 in landlocked Kansas, but this is actually one of two that can be seen in Kansas--the other is a roadside attraction at WaKeeney.

A U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft from the 964th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron takes off from an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on Nov. 23, 2010. The E-3 is an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Harris)

The US Navy began planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to use the USAF’s F-111A Aardvark tactical bomber as a basis for the new fighter. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion, except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. The F-111B was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. The aircraft was also given the ability to carry bombs, but this would not be developed for another 20 years; despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, which allowed the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all previous refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by US Navy Tomcats; this was due mostly to Iraqi fighter pilots, who were experienced in fighting Tomcats, and refused to be drawn into a BVR engagement with the aircraft. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the definitive F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally developed, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown and, in the final cruise of the Tomcat, F-14Ds were also used in the FAC role. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

This particular F-14A in the Malmstrom Museum belonged to VF-111, the famous "Sundowners," whose markings were considered remarkable even by US Navy standards. Even in subdued markings, VF-111's F-14s retained the squadron's setting sun tail motif (a reference to the unit's record against Imperial Japan in World War II) and their sharkmouths. This aircraft is configured for a standard air-to-air mission, with two AIM-9L Sidewinders, two AIM-7M Sparrows, and two AIM-54 Phoenixes. VF-111 was deactivated in the gradual drawdown of Tomcat units in the late 1990s; it is now VFC-111, flying F-5s in the aggressor role. At the time this model was built, VF-111 was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson.

A crane and rigging are used to lift the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

NASA image use policy.

A snapshot of a work-in-progress software to control a LEGO(r) train layout using Bluetooth LE.

The layout in the panel is configurable by code to adapt to different real layouts.

Fifty years ago today millions of us were glued to the television as we watched the historic launch of the Saturn 5 rocket that would take the Apollo 11 astronauts to the moon. Therefore I thought it appropriate to post a quick shot of the 1st quarter moon as it appeared from our home's observatory last week using a wide-angle scope & DSLR.

Like many others, watching events like the Apollo program unfold undoubtedly was a major influence in my decision to pursue a career in science later in life. Having been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work on a variety of fascinating projects over the years, including the honor of playing a very small part in the engineering & fabrication of some of the components for NASA's current TESS spacecraft, I found the emphasis on teamwork to be extraordinary.

And so, not only to those brave men who started their perilous journey a half century ago today, but also to the thousands and thousands of folks who small parts over many years make projects like this possible, I say congratulations on jobs well done; and to all, I say onward - Ad astra!

Image Details: Taken by Jay Edwards at the Homcav Observatory on the evening of July 9, 2019 using an ED80T CF (i.e. an 80mm f/6 carbon-fiber tube triplet apochromatic refractor), connected to a Tlevue 0.8x ff/fr & a Canon 700D (t5i) DSLR and tracked on a Losmandy G-11 mount running a Gemini 2 control system.

It is a stack of 19 frames taken using 1/100 second exposures at ISO 100. As presented here it is cropped 1 to 1, placed in an HD aspect ratio and the bit depth has been lowered to 8 bits per channel.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The HAL Ajeet II (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a development of the British Folland Gnat fighter that was built under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

But the light fighter concept was soon outdated. The Ajeet I was retired in 1991 and, unlike the IAF Gnats, never saw combat. The Ajeet II was kept in service only a little longer, and its retirement started in 1994. The remaining machines were concentrated in one single squadron, but this, too, was disbanded soon and switched to the MiG-29. The last Ajeet II flew in late 1997.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10,54 m (34 ft 6 2/3 in)

Wingspan: 8,57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 3.56

Empty weight: 3,100 kg (6,830 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,440 kg (11,990 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Viper 601-22 turbojets, rated at 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) dry

and 4,500 lbf (20.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,152 km/h (622 knots, 716 mph) at sea level

Range: 1,150 km (621 nmi, 715 mi)

Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,720 m)

Wing loading: 331 kg/m² (67.8 lb/ft²)

Rate of clim: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm ADEN cannons with 90 rounds each

Up to 3.000 lb (1.360 kg) of external stores on four underwing hardpoints

The kit and its assembly:

Well, this whiffy Gnat/Ajeet was actually born through an incomplete Matchbox kit that I bought in a lot a while ago. It lacked decals, but also the canopy... Vacu replacements are available, but I rather put the kit on the conversion list, potentially into a single seater.

Since I'd have to improvise and modify the fuselage anyway, I decided to take the idea further ans create a "supersonic Gnat". Folland actually had such designs on the drawing board, but I do not think that the company considered a twin jet layout? That idea struck me when I held a PM Model F-5A in my hands and looked at the small J85 engine nozzles. Could that...?

From there things evolved, a bit like what Fiat did with the G.91 that was turned into the G.91Y. I wanted the Gnat to become bigger, also in order to justify the two engines and the wider tail. Therefore I cut the fuselage in front of the air intakes and behind the wings and inserted plugs, each ~6mm. Not much, but it helps. I also found new wings and stabilizers in the scrap box: from a Revell Fiat G.91. More slender, more sweep, and a slightly bigger span so that the overall proportions were kept. A good addition to the sleek Gnat/Ajeet. The fin was left OOB.

Another personal addition is the radar nose - I found the Gnat trainer's nose to be rather pointed and long, and the radome (IIRC from an F-4E!) was more Ajeet-style, even though of different shape and suggesting a radar dish underneath.

The new canopy is a donation from a Mastercraft (ex KP/Kopro) LWS Iskra trainer. Even though the Ajeet II is a single seater I used the Iskra’s two-seater option in order to fill the gap above the Gnat's second seat. I just cut the Iskra canopy in two parts and used the rear half as a fuselage/spine plug – fit was pretty good.

The fuselage extension and the new tail section necessitated massive putty work, but the result is surprisingly organic and retains the Ajeet's profile - the whif factor is rather subtle. ^^

The landing gear was taken OOB, the cockpit interior was improvised after the fuselage was more or less finished with parts from the original kit, plus an extra dashboard.

Painting and markings:

Surely this was to become an Indian Air Force aircraft, and for the paint scheme I took inspiration from the manifold IAF MiG-21s and the garish combat training markings of Indian aircraft.

The scheme is inspired by MiG-21MF "C2776" of IAF 26 Sqn "Warriors“ and “C2283” of 3 Sqn “Cobras”: a basically all-grey aircraft, with added camouflage on the upper side, plus bright fin colors.

The camouflage consists of Humbrol 127 (FS 36375) for the lower surfaces and in some areas where it would show through the added paint: a basic coat of Humbrol 108 (a murky, dark olive drab) with large mottles in a mix of Humbrol 62 and a bit of 80 (Sand and Grass Green). Rather odd, but when you look at the pics (esp. in flight) this seems to be very effective!

The fin decoration actually comes from an ESCI Harrier GR.3 (RAF 4 Sqn flash), roundels and other markings were puzzled together, among others, from the Iskra donation kit.

The cockpit interior was kept in a very dark grey while the landing gear and the air intakes are Aluminum.

A small project, literally, and a subtle one. While this aircraft looks a lot like a simple IAF Ajeet, there's actually hardly anything left from the original aircraft! And the paint scheme is spectacular - India has a lot to offer! :)

www.medilaw.tv - This movie illustrates the technique for performing a lumbar trial spinal cord stimulation. This movie shows patient positioning, skin preparation, local anesthetic injection, wire electrode insertion, trial stimulation, wound dressing and external pulse generator placement.

Special pain nerves carry pain messages from the body through the spinal cord, to the brain. When the messages reach the brain, we become aware of the pain. If the adjacent non-pain nerves in the spinal cord are activated, it can decrease the transmission of the pain nerve's pain messages to the brain and hence decrease our awareness of the pain.

Spinal cord stimulation is used to decrease the sensation of pain from a particular area of the body by activating the adjacent non-pain nerves. The first spinal cord stimulation system was implanted in 1967. A strip of electrodes on a lead is placed in the epidural space next to the spinal cord in the spinal canal. The lead is either connected by cable to a low voltage battery-powered impulse generator that is implanted under the skin, often in the lower abdomen or upper buttock, or to a receiver under the skin which receives power and instructions from a radio-frequency transmitter worn against the skin. The implantable impulse generator and the receiver/transmitter units are not seen through clothing or heard when operating. They can be programmed to send varying patterns of electrical current to the spinal lead, which masks the painful messages being transmitted to the brain by producing a tingling or numb sensation in the area of the original pain.

The conventional batteries in an implantable generators last two to five years, whereas the rechargeable batteries last five to ten plus years. However the rechargeable batteries take twenty minutes to two hours to recharge. Both batteries eventually need to be replaced by a minor surgical procedure. The conventional generators are best for simple pain patterns and low to moderate pain levels as they are less programmable and they produce lower power output. They can be turned on and off with an external magnet or hand-held programmer. More complex pain patterns requiring higher power output ideally would have a rechargeable impulse generator.

The radio-frequency transmitter-receiver systems have the power and control systems outside the body. The transmitter is worn on a waist belt, and its antenna is taped to the skin. The antenna transmits to the receiver just under the skin. They are better for complex pain patterns, as they can deliver more energy and can be programmed to produce complicated electrical patterns. Programming can be done using the external power transmitter. A flat battery in the external transmitter is easily replaced, and does not require a surgical procedure. However radio-frequency systems require daily maintenance, and the transmitter needs to be worn against the skin whenever pain relief is required, which can cause skin irritation.

A trial stimulation is usually undertaken for a few days to assess pain relief during daily activities. You will be asked to keep a diary of the electrical patterns used and their resulting pain relief during different activities. Trial stimulation is not essential, but allows assessment of pain relief, daily function and sleep improvement, and narcotic medication reduction before permanently implanting the generator or receiver. The trial electrode-containing lead is placed percutaneously through the skin by a needle requiring only local anesthesia and some IV sedation. The percutaneous procedures are usually done as an outpatient, that is, in and out of the hospital on the same day. The trial lead is often left in place for one week, then removed. If the trial is successful, the implantable generator or the receiver and new leads are inserted two weeks later, using light sedation or general anesthesia. Larger paddle electrodes require the removal of some bone from a vertebra under a general anesthetic to make room to slide them into the epidural space. In this case, you will need to stay overnight in the hospital. When the leads are implanted, your doctor will position the lead and program the electrical stimulation pattern and ask for your feedback to determine the best pain relief set-up. You will be able to modify the electrical stimulation during daily activities within limits set by your doctor, by using the external programming unit. pain management videos

Linda DeFrancesco, mother of Senior Airman Lawrence DeFrancesco, places her hands on a plaque with her son’s name on it during a quiet moment before a ceremony at the YUKLA 27 Memorial. American, and Canadian Airmen assigned to the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron, distinguished guests, and surviving family members of the crew of the E-3B Sentry, Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, call sign "YUKLA 27" gathered for 20th anniversary memorial ceremonies on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. On Elmendorf Air Force Base, Sept. 22, 1995, the "YUKLA 27" aircraft from the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron encountered a flock of geese and crashed shortly after takeoff on a routine surveillance training sortie, killing all 24 U.S. and Canadian Airmen aboard. (U.S. Air Force photo/Justin Connaher)

A look at the forward section of Space Shuttle Discovery. Missing is the forward reaction control system (FRCS) which was being decommissioned at the time, it has since been re-installed.

The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

This photo shows the controls in the driving cab - the driver sits on top of the VAMBAC controller (seen bottom centre, lever to the left); top left are new additions of the transponder system required for the tram to progress north beyond Cabin and operate the traffic lights, whilst the VAMBAC backup battery is far left; top centre is an air brake (don't know if its original or not) and lit up to the right are the air pressure gauges.

The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

In this photo, 304 is at the Pleasure Beach loop, back on the tramway for the very first time in several years in revenue-earning service on Heritage special services; alongside is English Electric Balloon 701 in its 1991 Routemaster livery that it aquired following refurbishment at the time. Originally designed to replace the Balloons, now Coronation and Balloon stand side by side in what I call 'active preservation'.

U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet

E-3 SENTRY (AWACS)

E-3 Sentry celebrates 30 years in Air Force's fleet

Mission

The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, aircraft with an integrated command and control battle management, or C2BM, surveillance, target detection, and tracking platform. The aircraft provides an accurate, real-time picture of the battlespace to the Joint Air Operations Center. AWACS provides situational awareness of friendly, neutral and hostile activity, command and control of an area of responsibility, battle management of theater forces, all-altitude and all-weather surveillance of the battle space, and early warning of enemy actions during joint, allied, and coalition operations.

Features

The E-3 Sentry is a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial airframe with a rotating radar dome. The dome is 30 feet (9.1 meters) in diameter, six feet (1.8 meters) thick, and is held 11 feet (3.33 meters) above the fuselage by two struts. It contains a radar subsystem that permits surveillance from the Earth's surface up into the stratosphere, over land or water. The radar has a range of more than 250 miles (375.5 kilometers). The radar combined with an identification friend or foe, or IFF, subsystem can look down to detect, identify and track enemy and friendly low-flying aircraft by eliminating ground clutter returns that confuse other radar systems.

Major subsystems in the E-3 are avionics, navigation, communications, sensors (radar and passive detection) and identification tools (IFF/SIF). The mission suite includes consoles that display computer-processed data in graphic and tabular format on video screens. Mission crew members perform surveillance, identification, weapons control, battle management and communications functions.

The radar and computer subsystems on the E-3 Sentry can gather and present broad and detailed battlefield information. This includes position and tracking information on enemy aircraft and ships, and location and status of friendly aircraft and naval vessels. The information can be sent to major command and control centers in rear areas or aboard ships. In time of crisis, this data can also be forwarded to the president and secretary of defense.

In support of air-to-ground operations, the Sentry can provide direct information needed for interdiction, reconnaissance, airlift and close-air support for friendly ground forces. It can also provide information for commanders of air operations to gain and maintain control of the air battle.

As an air defense system, E-3s can detect, identify and track airborne enemy forces far from the boundaries of the United States or NATO countries. It can direct fighter-interceptor aircraft to these enemy targets. Experience has proven that the E-3 Sentry can respond quickly and effectively to a crisis and support worldwide military deployment operations.

AWACS may be employed alone or horizontally integrated in combination with other C2BM and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance elements of the Theater Air Control System. It supports decentralized execution of the air tasking order/air combat order. The system provides the ability to find, fix, track and target airborne or maritime threats and to detect, locate and ID emitters. It has the ability to detect threats and control assets below and beyond the coverage of ground-based command and control or C2, and can exchange data with other C2 systems and shooters via datalinks.

With its mobility as an airborne warning and control system, the Sentry has a greater chance of surviving in warfare than a fixed, ground-based radar system. Among other things, the Sentry's flight path can quickly be changed according to mission and survival requirements. The E-3 can fly a mission profile approximately 8 hours without refueling. Its range and on-station time can be increased through in-flight refueling and the use of an on-board crew rest area.

Background

Engineering, test and evaluation began on the first E-3 Sentry in October 1975. In March 1977 the 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing (now 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.), received the first E-3s.

There are 32 aircraft in the U.S. inventory. Air Combat Command has 27 E-3s at Tinker. Pacific Air Forces has four E-3 Sentries at Kadena AB, Japan and Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. There is also one test aircraft at the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle.

NATO has 17 E-3A's and support equipment. The first E-3 was delivered to NATO in January 1982. The United Kingdom has seven E-3s, France has four, and Saudi Arabia has five. Japan has four AWACS built on the Boeing 767 airframe.

As proven in operations Desert Storm, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector the E-3 Sentry is the world's premier C2BM aircraft. AWACS aircraft and crews were instrumental to the successful completion of operations Northern and Southern Watch, and are still engaged in operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. They provide radar surveillance and control in addition to providing senior leadership with time-critical information on the actions of enemy forces. The E-3 has also deployed to support humanitarian relief operations in the U.S. following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, coordinating rescue efforts between military and civilian authorities.

The data collection capability of the E-3 radar and computer subsystems allowed an entire air war to be recorded for the first time in the history of aerial warfare.

In March 1996, the Air Force activated the 513th Air Control Group, an AWACS Reserve Associate Program unit which performs duties on active-duty aircraft.

During the spring of 1999, the first AWACS aircraft went through the Radar System Improvement Program. RSIP is a joint U.S./NATO development program that involved a major hardware and software intensive modification to the existing radar system. Installation of RSIP enhanced the operational capability of the E-3 radar electronic counter-measures and has improved the system's reliability, maintainability and availability.

The AWACS modernization program, Block 40/45, is currently underway. Bock 40/45 represents a revolutionary change for AWACS and worldwide Joint Command and Control, Battle Management, and Wide Area Surveillance. It is the most significant counter-air battle management improvement in Combat Air Forces tactical Command and Control history. The Block 40/45 Mission Computer and Display upgrade replaces current 1970 vintage mission computing and displays with a true open system and commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software, giving AWACS crews the modern computing tools needed to perform, and vastly improve mission capability. Estimated fleet upgrades completion in ~2020.

General Characteristics

Primary Function: Airborne battle management, command and control

Contractor: Boeing Aerospace Co.

Power Plant: Four Pratt and Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan engines

Thrust: 20,500 pounds each engine at sea level

Rotodome: 30 feet in diameter (9.1 meters), 6 feet thick (1.8 meters), mounted 11 feet (3.33 meters) above fuselage

Wingspan: 145 feet, 9 inches (44.4 meters)

Length: 152 feet, 11 inches (46.6 meters)

Height: 41 feet, 9 inches (13 meters)

Weight: 205,000 pounds (zero fuel) (92,986 kilograms)

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 325,000 pounds (147,418 kilograms)

Fuel Capacity: 21,000 gallons (79,494 liters)

Speed: optimum cruise 360 mph (Mach 0.48)

Range: more than 5,000 nautical miles (9,250 kilometers)

Ceiling: Above 29,000 feet (8,788 meters)

Crew: Flight crew of four plus mission crew of 13-19 specialists (mission crew size varies according to mission)

Unit Cost: $270 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars)

Initial operating capability: April 1978

Inventory: Active force, 32 (1 test); Reserve, 0; Guard, 0

Point of Contact

Air Combat Command, Public Affairs Office; 130 Andrews St., Suite 202; Langley AFB, VA 23665-1987; DSN 574-5007 or 757-764-5007; e-mail: accpa.operations@langley.af.mil

www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=98

The XM6 Badger IFV sports a dual climate control system that integrates NBC protection for the crew and passengers. The system is capable of heating or cooling the engine as well as the crew compartment.

The system is able to direct cool air to the engine exhaust port to cool the hot gases, effectively masking the vehicle on infrared imaging systems. ADF testing teams reported a 83% increased camouflage rating over similarly configured IFVs being considered in the XM6 competition.

In the event of a failure in one of the units, the climate control computer can redirect the air flow to either engine or fighting compartments using either air intake system.

The US Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. It was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. Despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 (fully 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem over the course of its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all wartime refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats.. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally used, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

160909 served with at least four F-14 squadrons--it was one of the first F-14s to equip VF-74 ("Be-Devilers"), then served with VF-14 ("Tophatters") aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) during Operation Desert Storm. It was then transferred to VF-101 ("Grim Reapers"), the Navy's F-14 Atlantic Fleet F-14 replenishment squadron, and finally with the Naval Reserve's VF-201 ("Hunters") at NAS Dallas, Texas. While with VF-201, 160909 also flew as an aggressor aircraft. It was retired in 1999 when VF-201 reequipped with F/A-18 Hornets, and went on display at then-NAS Atlanta. When NAS Atlanta closed, it was moved to its present location at the Marietta Museum of History's Aviation Wing, on the northwest side of Dobbins ARB.

It was a bit of a surprise to find a F-14 at the Marietta airpark, but 160909 looks to be in pretty good shape. VF-201's markings are carried on the tail. I got this picture on a wet and humid Georgia day in June 2019.

The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons - being 50ft long and 8ft wide so larger than a normal one-car tram too), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

This photo shows its first northbound journey in revenue-earning service from the Pleasure Beach in several years, posed on the centre line at the Bispham terminus. Special permission had been granted for enthusiasts to alight the tram on the centre line with care and get photos of the tram here - possibly the first time such permission has been granted.

The US Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to use the USAF’s F-111A Aardvark tactical bomber as a basis. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. The F-111B was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. The aircraft was also given the ability to carry bombs, but this would not be developed for another 20 years; despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 (fully 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem over the course of its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all wartime refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by US Navy Tomcats. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the definitive F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally developed, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown and, in the final cruise of the Tomcat, F-14Ds were also used in the FAC role. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

This F-14A, Bureau Number 160395, last served with VF-32 ("Swordsmen") when it was retired sometime in the 1990s and donated to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. In 2006, it was loaned to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in the famous skull-and-crossbones of VF-84 ("Jolly Rogers"). VF-84 was probably the most famous of all Tomcat squadrons, appearing in two movies ("The Final Countdown" and "Executive Decision") and inspiring the colors of Skull Squadron in the anime Robotech. (It's also the second VF-84 F-14 I have in my photography album.)

The US Navy began planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to use the USAF’s F-111A Aardvark tactical bomber as a basis. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. The F-111B was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. The aircraft was also given the ability to carry bombs, but this would not be developed for another 20 years; despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, mainly to end Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat overflights.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the 1980s. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated General Electric F110 turbofans. Among other refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by US Navy Tomcats; this was due mostly to Iraqi fighter pilots, experienced in fighting Tomcats, avoiding the aircraft. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the definitive F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service, due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally developed, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown and, in the final cruise of the Tomcat, F-14Ds were also used in the FAC role. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

Dad built this 1/72 Hasegawa F-14 back in the late 1970s; it was his first Tomcat, but not his last! At the time, the F-14 was just beginning its career, so this aircraft still wears the very flamboyant colors of the Navy during the Vietnam years and immediately afterwards, before the Navy began toning down colors. This colorful scheme belonged to VF-2 ("Bounty Hunters"), which were the first squadron to operationally deploy with the Tomcat; they would fly the first combat sorties in the aircraft, covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975. They were aboard the USS Enterprise at the time.

Besides the then-standard Navy camouflage of light gray over white, this F-14 also carries a nonstandard loadout of four AIM-54 Phoenixes and two AIM-9J Sidewinders. While four Phoenixes was not uncommon for the F-14, they were almost always carried beneath the fuselage rather than on the wing stations.

The quality of the picture is not the best, but Dad was still learning how to use his Minolta. I still have this kit, but it ended up in Dad's "scrap" pile for the better part of 20 years, and it's not in great shape. He planned on repainting it as the fictional Israeli F-14s from Nelson DeMille's novel "By the Rivers of Babylon," but never got around to it.

Sea Cat was a British short-range surface to air missile system intended to replace the ubiquitous Bofors 40 mm gun aboard warships of all sizes. It was the world's first operational shipboard point-defence missile system and was designed so that the Bofors guns could be replaced with minimum modification to the recipient vessel and (originally) using existing fire-control systems. A mobile land-based version of the system was known as Tigercat.

Sea Cat was designed by Short Brothers of Belfast for use against fast jet aircraft that were proving to be too difficult for the WWII-era Bofors guns to successfully intercept. The missile was based on the Shorts Green Light prototype, itself a development of the SX-A5, a research missile based on the Australian Malkara anti-tank missile to test radio manual guidance of a short range surface to air missile. It replaced the Orange Nell development programme for a lighter weapon than the enormous Sea Slug missile. The first public reference to the name Seacat was April 1958, when Shorts was awarded a contract to develop a close in short range air to air missile. The missile was shown for the first time to the general public at the 1959 Farnborough Air Show. The first acceptance trials of the Seacat on a warship was in 1961 aboard HMS Decoy. The Seacat became the first operational guided missile to be fired by a warship of the Royal Navy. Later it was adopted by the Swedish Navy, making it the first British guided missile to be fired by a foreign navy.

Sea Cat is a small, subsonic missile powered by a two-stage solid fuel rocket motor. It is steered in flight by four cruciformly arranged swept wings and is stabilised by four small tail fins. It is guided by command line-of-sight (CLOS) via a radio-link; i.e., flight commands are transmitted to it from a remote operator with both the missile and target in sight.

All Sea Cat variants used a common 4-rail, manually loaded, trainable launcher that incorporated the antennae for the radio command link. All that was required to fit the system to a ship was the installation of a launcher, the provision of a missile handling room and a suitable guidance system. Sea Cat was widely used in NATO and Commonwealth navies that purchased British equipment and has been used with a wide array of guidance systems. The four systems used by the Royal Navy are described below.

GWS-20

This was the initial system, which was intended to replace the twin 40 mm Bofors Mark V gun and its associated fire-control systems. The original director was based on the STD (Simple Tachymetric Director) and was entirely visual in operation. The target was acquired visually with the missile being guided, via a radio link, by the operator inputting commands on a joystick. Flares on the missile's tail fins aided identifying the missile. The more advanced CRBF (Close Range Blind Fire) director equipped with spin-scanning radar Type 262 for automatic target tracking could also be used.

GWS-20 was trialled on board HMS Decoy, a Daring class destroyer, in 1961; it was subsequently removed. It was carried in active service by, amongst others, the Fearless class landing ships and the Type 81 Tribal, updated Type 12 Whitby, Type 12I Rothesay and (originally) County class escorts. It was originally intended that all C class destroyers should receive it and the class were prepared accordingly. In the event only HMS Cavalier and HMS Caprice received it, in 1966 refits.

GWS-20 saw active service in the Falklands war on board the Fearless class and the Rothesay frigates HMS Plymouth and HMS Yarmouth, who retained the GWS-20 director when upgraded to GWS-22.

GWS-21

GWS-21 was the Sea Cat system associated with a modified Close Range Blind Fire analogue fire control director (CRBFD) with Type 262 radar. This offered manual radar-assisted (Dark Fire) tracking and guidance modes as well as 'eyeball' visual modes. It was carried as the design anti-aircraft weapon of the Type 81 Tribal class frigate and on the first four County class destroyers.

GWS-22

GWS-22 was the Sea Cat system associated with the full MRS-3 fire control director with Type 903 radar and was the first ACLOS-capable (Automatic, Command Line-Of-Sight) Sea Cat. It was fitted to most of the Leander, Rothesay and County class escorts as they were refitted and modified in the 1970s, as well as the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. It could operate in automatic radar-guided (Blindfire), manual radar-guided, manual CCTV-guided or, in an emergency, 'eyeball' guided modes. It saw active service in the Falklands onboard all these classes.

GWS-24

The final Royal Navy Sea Cat variant, this used the Italian Alenia Orion RTN-10X fire control system with Type 912 radar and was fitted only to the Type 21 frigate. This variant saw active service in the Falklands.

(Text Wikipedia)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The HAL Ajeet II (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a development of the British Folland Gnat fighter that was built under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

But the light fighter concept was soon outdated. The Ajeet I was retired in 1991 and, unlike the IAF Gnats, never saw combat. The Ajeet II was kept in service only a little longer, and its retirement started in 1994. The remaining machines were concentrated in one single squadron, but this, too, was disbanded soon and switched to the MiG-29. The last Ajeet II flew in late 1997.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10,54 m (34 ft 6 2/3 in)

Wingspan: 8,57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 3.56

Empty weight: 3,100 kg (6,830 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,440 kg (11,990 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Viper 601-22 turbojets, rated at 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) dry

and 4,500 lbf (20.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,152 km/h (622 knots, 716 mph) at sea level

Range: 1,150 km (621 nmi, 715 mi)

Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,720 m)

Wing loading: 331 kg/m² (67.8 lb/ft²)

Rate of clim: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm ADEN cannons with 90 rounds each

Up to 3.000 lb (1.360 kg) of external stores on four underwing hardpoints

The kit and its assembly:

Well, this whiffy Gnat/Ajeet was actually born through an incomplete Matchbox kit that I bought in a lot a while ago. It lacked decals, but also the canopy... Vacu replacements are available, but I rather put the kit on the conversion list, potentially into a single seater.

Since I'd have to improvise and modify the fuselage anyway, I decided to take the idea further ans create a "supersonic Gnat". Folland actually had such designs on the drawing board, but I do not think that the company considered a twin jet layout? That idea struck me when I held a PM Model F-5A in my hands and looked at the small J85 engine nozzles. Could that...?

From there things evolved, a bit like what Fiat did with the G.91 that was turned into the G.91Y. I wanted the Gnat to become bigger, also in order to justify the two engines and the wider tail. Therefore I cut the fuselage in front of the air intakes and behind the wings and inserted plugs, each ~6mm. Not much, but it helps. I also found new wings and stabilizers in the scrap box: from a Revell Fiat G.91. More slender, more sweep, and a slightly bigger span so that the overall proportions were kept. A good addition to the sleek Gnat/Ajeet. The fin was left OOB.

Another personal addition is the radar nose - I found the Gnat trainer's nose to be rather pointed and long, and the radome (IIRC from an F-4E!) was more Ajeet-style, even though of different shape and suggesting a radar dish underneath.

The new canopy is a donation from a Mastercraft (ex KP/Kopro) LWS Iskra trainer. Even though the Ajeet II is a single seater I used the Iskra’s two-seater option in order to fill the gap above the Gnat's second seat. I just cut the Iskra canopy in two parts and used the rear half as a fuselage/spine plug – fit was pretty good.

The fuselage extension and the new tail section necessitated massive putty work, but the result is surprisingly organic and retains the Ajeet's profile - the whif factor is rather subtle. ^^

The landing gear was taken OOB, the cockpit interior was improvised after the fuselage was more or less finished with parts from the original kit, plus an extra dashboard.

Painting and markings:

Surely this was to become an Indian Air Force aircraft, and for the paint scheme I took inspiration from the manifold IAF MiG-21s and the garish combat training markings of Indian aircraft.

The scheme is inspired by MiG-21MF "C2776" of IAF 26 Sqn "Warriors“ and “C2283” of 3 Sqn “Cobras”: a basically all-grey aircraft, with added camouflage on the upper side, plus bright fin colors.

The camouflage consists of Humbrol 127 (FS 36375) for the lower surfaces and in some areas where it would show through the added paint: a basic coat of Humbrol 108 (a murky, dark olive drab) with large mottles in a mix of Humbrol 62 and a bit of 80 (Sand and Grass Green). Rather odd, but when you look at the pics (esp. in flight) this seems to be very effective!

The fin decoration actually comes from an ESCI Harrier GR.3 (RAF 4 Sqn flash), roundels and other markings were puzzled together, among others, from the Iskra donation kit.

The cockpit interior was kept in a very dark grey while the landing gear and the air intakes are Aluminum.

A small project, literally, and a subtle one. While this aircraft looks a lot like a simple IAF Ajeet, there's actually hardly anything left from the original aircraft! And the paint scheme is spectacular - India has a lot to offer! :)

Seen recently in the skies over RAF Brize Norton was this NATO Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, registration LX-N90442. The aircraft is based at the NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, located in the Federal Republic of Germany.

-------------------------------------------------------

© Crown Copyright 2014

Photographer: Steve Lympany - RAF Brize Norton Photographic Section

Image: BZN-UNCLASS-20140203-092-001.jpg

From: www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton/

Note: This file is available for reuse under the OGL (Open Government Licence), a link to which is published in the 'MOD copyright licensing information' document on the Ministry of Defence copyright licensing information page.

For latest news visit:

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Other aircraft involved in the exercise include Royal Navy Sea King helicopters, RAF Puma helicopters based at a Territorial Army centre in Ilford, east London, and Army and Royal Navy Lynx helicopters on HMS Ocean in the Thames.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The HAL Ajeet II (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a development of the British Folland Gnat fighter that was built under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

But the light fighter concept was soon outdated. The Ajeet I was retired in 1991 and, unlike the IAF Gnats, never saw combat. The Ajeet II was kept in service only a little longer, and its retirement started in 1994. The remaining machines were concentrated in one single squadron, but this, too, was disbanded soon and switched to the MiG-29. The last Ajeet II flew in late 1997.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10,54 m (34 ft 6 2/3 in)

Wingspan: 8,57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 3.56

Empty weight: 3,100 kg (6,830 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,440 kg (11,990 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Viper 601-22 turbojets, rated at 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) dry

and 4,500 lbf (20.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,152 km/h (622 knots, 716 mph) at sea level

Range: 1,150 km (621 nmi, 715 mi)

Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,720 m)

Wing loading: 331 kg/m² (67.8 lb/ft²)

Rate of clim: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm ADEN cannons with 90 rounds each

Up to 3.000 lb (1.360 kg) of external stores on four underwing hardpoints

The kit and its assembly:

Well, this whiffy Gnat/Ajeet was actually born through an incomplete Matchbox kit that I bought in a lot a while ago. It lacked decals, but also the canopy... Vacu replacements are available, but I rather put the kit on the conversion list, potentially into a single seater.

Since I'd have to improvise and modify the fuselage anyway, I decided to take the idea further ans create a "supersonic Gnat". Folland actually had such designs on the drawing board, but I do not think that the company considered a twin jet layout? That idea struck me when I held a PM Model F-5A in my hands and looked at the small J85 engine nozzles. Could that...?

From there things evolved, a bit like what Fiat did with the G.91 that was turned into the G.91Y. I wanted the Gnat to become bigger, also in order to justify the two engines and the wider tail. Therefore I cut the fuselage in front of the air intakes and behind the wings and inserted plugs, each ~6mm. Not much, but it helps. I also found new wings and stabilizers in the scrap box: from a Revell Fiat G.91. More slender, more sweep, and a slightly bigger span so that the overall proportions were kept. A good addition to the sleek Gnat/Ajeet. The fin was left OOB.

Another personal addition is the radar nose - I found the Gnat trainer's nose to be rather pointed and long, and the radome (IIRC from an F-4E!) was more Ajeet-style, even though of different shape and suggesting a radar dish underneath.

The new canopy is a donation from a Mastercraft (ex KP/Kopro) LWS Iskra trainer. Even though the Ajeet II is a single seater I used the Iskra’s two-seater option in order to fill the gap above the Gnat's second seat. I just cut the Iskra canopy in two parts and used the rear half as a fuselage/spine plug – fit was pretty good.

The fuselage extension and the new tail section necessitated massive putty work, but the result is surprisingly organic and retains the Ajeet's profile - the whif factor is rather subtle. ^^

The landing gear was taken OOB, the cockpit interior was improvised after the fuselage was more or less finished with parts from the original kit, plus an extra dashboard.

Painting and markings:

Surely this was to become an Indian Air Force aircraft, and for the paint scheme I took inspiration from the manifold IAF MiG-21s and the garish combat training markings of Indian aircraft.

The scheme is inspired by MiG-21MF "C2776" of IAF 26 Sqn "Warriors“ and “C2283” of 3 Sqn “Cobras”: a basically all-grey aircraft, with added camouflage on the upper side, plus bright fin colors.

The camouflage consists of Humbrol 127 (FS 36375) for the lower surfaces and in some areas where it would show through the added paint: a basic coat of Humbrol 108 (a murky, dark olive drab) with large mottles in a mix of Humbrol 62 and a bit of 80 (Sand and Grass Green). Rather odd, but when you look at the pics (esp. in flight) this seems to be very effective!

The fin decoration actually comes from an ESCI Harrier GR.3 (RAF 4 Sqn flash), roundels and other markings were puzzled together, among others, from the Iskra donation kit.

The cockpit interior was kept in a very dark grey while the landing gear and the air intakes are Aluminum.

A small project, literally, and a subtle one. While this aircraft looks a lot like a simple IAF Ajeet, there's actually hardly anything left from the original aircraft! And the paint scheme is spectacular - India has a lot to offer! :)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The HAL Ajeet II (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a development of the British Folland Gnat fighter that was built under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

But the light fighter concept was soon outdated. The Ajeet I was retired in 1991 and, unlike the IAF Gnats, never saw combat. The Ajeet II was kept in service only a little longer, and its retirement started in 1994. The remaining machines were concentrated in one single squadron, but this, too, was disbanded soon and switched to the MiG-29. The last Ajeet II flew in late 1997.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10,54 m (34 ft 6 2/3 in)

Wingspan: 8,57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 3.56

Empty weight: 3,100 kg (6,830 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,440 kg (11,990 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Viper 601-22 turbojets, rated at 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) dry

and 4,500 lbf (20.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,152 km/h (622 knots, 716 mph) at sea level

Range: 1,150 km (621 nmi, 715 mi)

Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,720 m)

Wing loading: 331 kg/m² (67.8 lb/ft²)

Rate of clim: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm ADEN cannons with 90 rounds each

Up to 3.000 lb (1.360 kg) of external stores on four underwing hardpoints

The kit and its assembly:

Well, this whiffy Gnat/Ajeet was actually born through an incomplete Matchbox kit that I bought in a lot a while ago. It lacked decals, but also the canopy... Vacu replacements are available, but I rather put the kit on the conversion list, potentially into a single seater.

Since I'd have to improvise and modify the fuselage anyway, I decided to take the idea further ans create a "supersonic Gnat". Folland actually had such designs on the drawing board, but I do not think that the company considered a twin jet layout? That idea struck me when I held a PM Model F-5A in my hands and looked at the small J85 engine nozzles. Could that...?

From there things evolved, a bit like what Fiat did with the G.91 that was turned into the G.91Y. I wanted the Gnat to become bigger, also in order to justify the two engines and the wider tail. Therefore I cut the fuselage in front of the air intakes and behind the wings and inserted plugs, each ~6mm. Not much, but it helps. I also found new wings and stabilizers in the scrap box: from a Revell Fiat G.91. More slender, more sweep, and a slightly bigger span so that the overall proportions were kept. A good addition to the sleek Gnat/Ajeet. The fin was left OOB.

Another personal addition is the radar nose - I found the Gnat trainer's nose to be rather pointed and long, and the radome (IIRC from an F-4E!) was more Ajeet-style, even though of different shape and suggesting a radar dish underneath.

The new canopy is a donation from a Mastercraft (ex KP/Kopro) LWS Iskra trainer. Even though the Ajeet II is a single seater I used the Iskra’s two-seater option in order to fill the gap above the Gnat's second seat. I just cut the Iskra canopy in two parts and used the rear half as a fuselage/spine plug – fit was pretty good.

The fuselage extension and the new tail section necessitated massive putty work, but the result is surprisingly organic and retains the Ajeet's profile - the whif factor is rather subtle. ^^

The landing gear was taken OOB, the cockpit interior was improvised after the fuselage was more or less finished with parts from the original kit, plus an extra dashboard.

Painting and markings:

Surely this was to become an Indian Air Force aircraft, and for the paint scheme I took inspiration from the manifold IAF MiG-21s and the garish combat training markings of Indian aircraft.

The scheme is inspired by MiG-21MF "C2776" of IAF 26 Sqn "Warriors“ and “C2283” of 3 Sqn “Cobras”: a basically all-grey aircraft, with added camouflage on the upper side, plus bright fin colors.

The camouflage consists of Humbrol 127 (FS 36375) for the lower surfaces and in some areas where it would show through the added paint: a basic coat of Humbrol 108 (a murky, dark olive drab) with large mottles in a mix of Humbrol 62 and a bit of 80 (Sand and Grass Green). Rather odd, but when you look at the pics (esp. in flight) this seems to be very effective!

The fin decoration actually comes from an ESCI Harrier GR.3 (RAF 4 Sqn flash), roundels and other markings were puzzled together, among others, from the Iskra donation kit.

The cockpit interior was kept in a very dark grey while the landing gear and the air intakes are Aluminum.

A small project, literally, and a subtle one. While this aircraft looks a lot like a simple IAF Ajeet, there's actually hardly anything left from the original aircraft! And the paint scheme is spectacular - India has a lot to offer! :)

The exercise, which will test the Ministry of Defence’s response to a airborne terrorist threat during the Olympics, will last for eight days and involve aircraft based at RAF Northolt.

An MoD spokesman said: “In preparation for their important role, a series of exercises has been taking place, bringing together all of the military assets such as helicopters, fighters, ground-based radar systems and air defence missile systems. During early May this training will culminate with a large military exercise in London and the Home Counties.”

Ex Olympic Guardian will test the response to an unknown aircraft entering the restricted airspace over London, which no aircraft can enter without approval from a specialist flight planning centre set up to handle London air traffic during the Olympics.

RAF Typhoon, RAF Puma, Royal Navy and Army Lynx helicopters and other target aircraft, will fly between 4,000ft and 2,000ft above ground level for the majority of the exercise. Although only the Typhoons and Sea Kings are based at RAF Northolt, the other aircraft will be based at a number of locations around London.

E-3D Sentry AWACS aircraft and VC-10 tankers will also operate around London during the exercise, although these will be flying in each day from their home stations in Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire.

On three occasions aircraft will descend as low as 500 feet. At least one of these occasions will involve a Typhoon interceptor operating as late as 10.30pm, on 5th May.

The MoD spokesman added: “It is recognised that military aircraft operating at this level could cause concern to the general public; therefore, time spent at the lowest levels will be minimised. However, members of the public should be reassured that safety remains are utmost priority, and our pilots and aircrew are well-trained and experienced in these sorts of operations.”

“We regret any disturbance caused, but we hope that the public will understand why this important training has to take place.”

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The HAL Ajeet II (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a development of the British Folland Gnat fighter that was built under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

But the light fighter concept was soon outdated. The Ajeet I was retired in 1991 and, unlike the IAF Gnats, never saw combat. The Ajeet II was kept in service only a little longer, and its retirement started in 1994. The remaining machines were concentrated in one single squadron, but this, too, was disbanded soon and switched to the MiG-29. The last Ajeet II flew in late 1997.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10,54 m (34 ft 6 2/3 in)

Wingspan: 8,57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 3.56

Empty weight: 3,100 kg (6,830 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,440 kg (11,990 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Viper 601-22 turbojets, rated at 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) dry

and 4,500 lbf (20.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,152 km/h (622 knots, 716 mph) at sea level

Range: 1,150 km (621 nmi, 715 mi)

Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,720 m)

Wing loading: 331 kg/m² (67.8 lb/ft²)

Rate of clim: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm ADEN cannons with 90 rounds each

Up to 3.000 lb (1.360 kg) of external stores on four underwing hardpoints

The kit and its assembly:

Well, this whiffy Gnat/Ajeet was actually born through an incomplete Matchbox kit that I bought in a lot a while ago. It lacked decals, but also the canopy... Vacu replacements are available, but I rather put the kit on the conversion list, potentially into a single seater.

Since I'd have to improvise and modify the fuselage anyway, I decided to take the idea further ans create a "supersonic Gnat". Folland actually had such designs on the drawing board, but I do not think that the company considered a twin jet layout? That idea struck me when I held a PM Model F-5A in my hands and looked at the small J85 engine nozzles. Could that...?

From there things evolved, a bit like what Fiat did with the G.91 that was turned into the G.91Y. I wanted the Gnat to become bigger, also in order to justify the two engines and the wider tail. Therefore I cut the fuselage in front of the air intakes and behind the wings and inserted plugs, each ~6mm. Not much, but it helps. I also found new wings and stabilizers in the scrap box: from a Revell Fiat G.91. More slender, more sweep, and a slightly bigger span so that the overall proportions were kept. A good addition to the sleek Gnat/Ajeet. The fin was left OOB.

Another personal addition is the radar nose - I found the Gnat trainer's nose to be rather pointed and long, and the radome (IIRC from an F-4E!) was more Ajeet-style, even though of different shape and suggesting a radar dish underneath.

The new canopy is a donation from a Mastercraft (ex KP/Kopro) LWS Iskra trainer. Even though the Ajeet II is a single seater I used the Iskra’s two-seater option in order to fill the gap above the Gnat's second seat. I just cut the Iskra canopy in two parts and used the rear half as a fuselage/spine plug – fit was pretty good.

The fuselage extension and the new tail section necessitated massive putty work, but the result is surprisingly organic and retains the Ajeet's profile - the whif factor is rather subtle. ^^

The landing gear was taken OOB, the cockpit interior was improvised after the fuselage was more or less finished with parts from the original kit, plus an extra dashboard.

Painting and markings:

Surely this was to become an Indian Air Force aircraft, and for the paint scheme I took inspiration from the manifold IAF MiG-21s and the garish combat training markings of Indian aircraft.

The scheme is inspired by MiG-21MF "C2776" of IAF 26 Sqn "Warriors“ and “C2283” of 3 Sqn “Cobras”: a basically all-grey aircraft, with added camouflage on the upper side, plus bright fin colors.

The camouflage consists of Humbrol 127 (FS 36375) for the lower surfaces and in some areas where it would show through the added paint: a basic coat of Humbrol 108 (a murky, dark olive drab) with large mottles in a mix of Humbrol 62 and a bit of 80 (Sand and Grass Green). Rather odd, but when you look at the pics (esp. in flight) this seems to be very effective!

The fin decoration actually comes from an ESCI Harrier GR.3 (RAF 4 Sqn flash), roundels and other markings were puzzled together, among others, from the Iskra donation kit.

The cockpit interior was kept in a very dark grey while the landing gear and the air intakes are Aluminum.

A small project, literally, and a subtle one. While this aircraft looks a lot like a simple IAF Ajeet, there's actually hardly anything left from the original aircraft! And the paint scheme is spectacular - India has a lot to offer! :)

The US Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. It was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. Despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 (fully 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem over the course of its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all wartime refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats.. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally used, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

This Tomcat, 164343, was a F-14D variant (note the "double" TISEO on the nose and different exhaust) and one of the last Tomcats produced. It entered the fleet with VF-101 ("Grim Reapers") in 1991 and finished its career with VF-31 ("Tomcatters") aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in 2010. It was one of the last F-14s in US Navy service, and participated in combat as a "Bombcat" during the Second Gulf War over Iraq. It was retired to the Evergreen Aviation Museum and sits in superb condition outside the museum's front entrance. As standard for current Navy aircraft, it is painted in overall light gray with subdued markings. The nose marking (which reads "Tomcats and Targets") is unofficial and was applied to the aircraft on retirement. Also unofficial is the drop tank marking, which shows VF-31's Felix the Cat mascot laughing at a silhouette of a F/A-18 Hornet--showing Tomcat crews' opinion of the squadron converting to Super Hornets.

A five man version of Hallvard Industries Longhouse Bunker.

This version is equipped with an LRM 5 Turret with Artemis IV Fire Control System

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The HAL Ajeet II (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a development of the British Folland Gnat fighter that was built under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

But the light fighter concept was soon outdated. The Ajeet I was retired in 1991 and, unlike the IAF Gnats, never saw combat. The Ajeet II was kept in service only a little longer, and its retirement started in 1994. The remaining machines were concentrated in one single squadron, but this, too, was disbanded soon and switched to the MiG-29. The last Ajeet II flew in late 1997.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10,54 m (34 ft 6 2/3 in)

Wingspan: 8,57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 3.56

Empty weight: 3,100 kg (6,830 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,440 kg (11,990 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Viper 601-22 turbojets, rated at 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) dry

and 4,500 lbf (20.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,152 km/h (622 knots, 716 mph) at sea level

Range: 1,150 km (621 nmi, 715 mi)

Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,720 m)

Wing loading: 331 kg/m² (67.8 lb/ft²)

Rate of clim: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm ADEN cannons with 90 rounds each

Up to 3.000 lb (1.360 kg) of external stores on four underwing hardpoints

The kit and its assembly:

Well, this whiffy Gnat/Ajeet was actually born through an incomplete Matchbox kit that I bought in a lot a while ago. It lacked decals, but also the canopy... Vacu replacements are available, but I rather put the kit on the conversion list, potentially into a single seater.

Since I'd have to improvise and modify the fuselage anyway, I decided to take the idea further ans create a "supersonic Gnat". Folland actually had such designs on the drawing board, but I do not think that the company considered a twin jet layout? That idea struck me when I held a PM Model F-5A in my hands and looked at the small J85 engine nozzles. Could that...?

From there things evolved, a bit like what Fiat did with the G.91 that was turned into the G.91Y. I wanted the Gnat to become bigger, also in order to justify the two engines and the wider tail. Therefore I cut the fuselage in front of the air intakes and behind the wings and inserted plugs, each ~6mm. Not much, but it helps. I also found new wings and stabilizers in the scrap box: from a Revell Fiat G.91. More slender, more sweep, and a slightly bigger span so that the overall proportions were kept. A good addition to the sleek Gnat/Ajeet. The fin was left OOB.

Another personal addition is the radar nose - I found the Gnat trainer's nose to be rather pointed and long, and the radome (IIRC from an F-4E!) was more Ajeet-style, even though of different shape and suggesting a radar dish underneath.

The new canopy is a donation from a Mastercraft (ex KP/Kopro) LWS Iskra trainer. Even though the Ajeet II is a single seater I used the Iskra’s two-seater option in order to fill the gap above the Gnat's second seat. I just cut the Iskra canopy in two parts and used the rear half as a fuselage/spine plug – fit was pretty good.

The fuselage extension and the new tail section necessitated massive putty work, but the result is surprisingly organic and retains the Ajeet's profile - the whif factor is rather subtle. ^^

The landing gear was taken OOB, the cockpit interior was improvised after the fuselage was more or less finished with parts from the original kit, plus an extra dashboard.

Painting and markings:

Surely this was to become an Indian Air Force aircraft, and for the paint scheme I took inspiration from the manifold IAF MiG-21s and the garish combat training markings of Indian aircraft.

The scheme is inspired by MiG-21MF "C2776" of IAF 26 Sqn "Warriors“ and “C2283” of 3 Sqn “Cobras”: a basically all-grey aircraft, with added camouflage on the upper side, plus bright fin colors.

The camouflage consists of Humbrol 127 (FS 36375) for the lower surfaces and in some areas where it would show through the added paint: a basic coat of Humbrol 108 (a murky, dark olive drab) with large mottles in a mix of Humbrol 62 and a bit of 80 (Sand and Grass Green). Rather odd, but when you look at the pics (esp. in flight) this seems to be very effective!

The fin decoration actually comes from an ESCI Harrier GR.3 (RAF 4 Sqn flash), roundels and other markings were puzzled together, among others, from the Iskra donation kit.

The cockpit interior was kept in a very dark grey while the landing gear and the air intakes are Aluminum.

A small project, literally, and a subtle one. While this aircraft looks a lot like a simple IAF Ajeet, there's actually hardly anything left from the original aircraft! And the paint scheme is spectacular - India has a lot to offer! :)

Acer Milo's bagged A4 B8 on CV201DCs / ACCUAIR Air Control System

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (Oct. 17, 2022) - A NATO E3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) assigned to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, lands after training during RED FLAG-Alaska 23-1 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Oct. 17, 2022. RF-A 23-1 provides tactical training for the full spectrum of conflict, emphasizing air superiority, precision engagement, close air support, command and control, intelligence coordination, and personnel recovery. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maria Galvez) 221017-F-OE152-1008

** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/INDOPACOM | www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **

Boeing B-52D Stratofortress

AWACS aircraft, NATO operates a fleet of Boeing E-3A 'Sentry' Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft, which provide the Alliance with an immediately available airborne command and control (C2), air and maritime surveillance and battlespace management capability. NATO Air Base (NAB) Geilenkirchen, Germany is home to 17 E-3A aircraft.

More pictures :

www.nato.int/multi/photos/awacs.htm

Read more on this topic :

www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48904.htm

Watch a video :

www.nato.int/multi/video/2006/060710-awacs/video-a.htm

The highlight of the late summer bank holiday weekend was that of 1952 Roberts-built Coronation tramcar 304 making a much-anticipated return to the Blackpool Promenade, the result of a years' work by Brian Lyndop to jump through all the necessary hoops such as electricial safety, engineering assesments and training due to the different control system inside this tram, as well as type training for the drivers (of which several drivers gave up their own free time to train up to drive this tram). 304 starred on TV in Channel 4's 'Salvage Squad' program where it underwent a full restoration back to original condition, and was originally one of 25 from this class of graceful tram built by Charles Roberts & Co between 1952-1954 (this being built in 1952) for use along the promenade. What makes this tram special is that it still retains its original VAMBAC control system (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control) which was a British development of an American design which had been used in trams such as, I believe, the PCC cars in San Francisco - and worthy of note is that the equipment from 304 went on show for the Festival of Britain in 1951... whilst I am not sure how the system actually works, the concept was to provide smoother acceleration and braking all through just a single control lever. The problem though was that the system required lots of ventilation, and open vents to electrical systems beside a west-facing seafront isn't a particularly good combination - sand and water would enter the mechanism and would short circuit on the acceleration side, whilst at other times there were issues with the brakes not working (though this might have been caused more by something else, read on...). The Coronation trams (or 'Spivs' as the platform staff called them) had four motors instead of the usual two seen on other trams - these were not just to haul around the exceptionally heavy tramcar around (each tram weighed in at a staggering 20 Tons), but also to provide enough power for good acceleration and a good top speed - the problem though was that this could never really be utilised because the trams got caught behind the previous service (the original idea had been to replace Balloons with these on a higher frequency service - sounds familiar to modern day bus route planning)... the other problem with the four motors was how thirsy they were on the electricity; many time they would draw so much current they would trip the breakers in the substations, rendering a whole section of the tramway (and therefore any trams on it) dead and immobile. The heavy body led to several axles fracturing in addition to wheelsets breaking (these being rubber-sandwiched sets and so needed specialist attention and more frequent maintenance), whilst the roofs were prone to leaking - 304 was the very first Coronation delivered, and it was even said at the time that the roof was leaking even whilst it was being taken off the low-loader on delivery.

To cut down on their weight, the steel panels of the trams (which, it should be noted, were built by a company more familiar with railway wagons) were replaced by aluminium ones, and I believe there may have been upward-facing skylights which were panelled over too, whilst the heavyweight batteries providing backup power to the VAMBAC system were removed entirely to save further weight... the problem with this idea was that the batteries kept the system ticking over when the tram was on a neutral section of unpowered track (a neutral section being the divide between the overhead power coming from different substations), and by removing them the VAMBAC system reset everytime the tram went through a neutral section; what this meant was that if the tram went through the section whilst braking, the system reset and the brakes came off regardless of the position of the control lever - to get the brakes to work again, the control lever had to put back to position 0 and then put back ninto the braking positions: in some cases there simply wasn't enough time to do this, and on other occasions the driver was unaware of this and so the tram was reported as having a full brake failure. All of these problems led to most trams losing their VAMBAC controls in about 1963-65 in favour of more traditional Z-type controllers salvaged from English Electric Railcoaches, the converted Coronations being referred to as "Z Cars". In 1968 the class were renumbered, and 304 became 641 (the series was 641-664) but by this time were already being withdrawn and some of them scrapped; by 1971 only 660, 641 and 663 remained (the latter two having gone off to museums whilst 660 had been preserved by Blackpool Transport). 313 had been the first to be scrapped, in 1965 and so never saw itself renumbered. The last Coronation ran in normal service in 1975.

The Coronations were by far the most luxurious trams on the Blackpool system, but were also by far the most expensive. due to problems with the control system and specialised equipment, repair bills went through the roof; meanwhile the debt to buy these trams in the first place was still not even paid off when the entire class had been withdrawn from service! And all the problems associated with these trams brought the system to its knees and almost saw it off. However, the class had still remained popular with passengers and so forward-thinking preservation groups managed to save representatives from the group so future generations could enjoy their good looks and smooth ride.

304 was stored at Blackpool until 1975 when it was moved to the National Tramway Museum store at Clay Cross. Later it moved to Burtonwood after being acquired by the Merseyside Tramcar Preservation Society for use on a possible heritage tramway in Bewsey, Warrington. No progress was made and in 1984 the MTPS decided to concentrate resources on their preserved Liverpool trams and No. 304 passed to the Lancastrian Transport Group.

It was moved to the St.Helens Transport Museum in 1986 and restoration work started in 1993. This involved underframe overhaul, new flooring and a complete rewiring, partly funded by the Fylde Tramway Society. Work stalled following access restrictions at the St. Helens site but in 2002 the tram was selected as a project to feature in Channel 4's "Salvage Squad" series.

No. 304 returned to Blackpool Transport's depot in June 2002 for an intensive period of restoration work that culminated in the tram returning to the Promenade rails on 6th January 2003 for the finale of the Salvage Squad filming. The programme was broadcast on 17th February 2003 and was watched by over 2.5 million viewers.

In this photo, 304 is at North Pier, back on the tramway for the very first time in several years in revenue-earning service on Heritage special services and is having the trolleypole turned around before reversal to Pleasure Beach. I myself have waited for 18 years to see this tram in action in Blackpool and to travel on it through its home system.

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (Oct. 17, 2022) - A NATO E3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) assigned to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, lands after training during RED FLAG-Alaska 23-1 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Oct. 17, 2022. RF-A 23-1 provides tactical training for the full spectrum of conflict, emphasizing air superiority, precision engagement, close air support, command and control, intelligence coordination, and personnel recovery. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maria Galvez) 221017-F-OE152-1004

** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/INDOPACOM |

www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **

The US Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. It was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.

The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. Despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.

The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.

The high losses due to problems with the TF30 (fully 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem over the course of its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all wartime refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.

The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats.. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.

Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally used, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.

F-14A Bureau Number 159829 joined the fleet around 1977, and spent most of its career as a test aircraft, either with VX-4 at NAS Point Mugu, California (where it briefly wore the experimental "Ferris Splinter" camouflage) or the Naval Air Test Center at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. Around 1995, it was transferred to VF-211 ("Checkmates"), and 159829 saw combat during Operation Southern Watch and over Afghanistan after 9/11; the squadron was embarked on the USS Stennis (CVN-74) and the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) during this time period. When VF-211 reequipped with F/A-18F Super Hornets in 2004, 159829 was retired and donated to the Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver, Colorado.

Though Wings Over the Rockies tends to be a bit crowded, they have done a superb job in keeping up this Tomcat and in the display (with a fake carrier deck and catapult shuttle, though the F-14 really should be "kneeling" for that). One forgets just how huge the Tomcat was--that's my friend Darren in the picture next to it, and he's a big guy.

Though the technology is classified, the principal behind it is not: disable or intercept the communications and control systems of the enemy vessel before they destroy you.

The labor-intensive job of diverting fresh water into the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge has become easier since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District replaced the old wooden structures with custom-built diversion gates. The Fresh Water Control System was originally installed as a mitigation feature for the 1977 Savannah harbor deepening project. At a cost of $12.5 million, the new stainless steel structures modernize and automate the process of controlling water in the area. Previously, wildlife managers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could only route water to 3,000 acres of wetlands for waterfowl; with the gate improvements, the water management area has doubled to 6,000 acres. The project was completed in autumn 2011.