Multi-Role Amphibians.
Military requirements for their need to mover troops and other equipment means that they have to be far different from civil or commercial vehicles. Most military trucks are higher from the ground and today the amphibious capability, even on limited scale is a standard requirement.
The British army at one point relied on a limited number of home built British designs from Bedford TM 6-6 to heavy lifters and recovery such as the Scammel and Foden Alpha A36R. But today with the international market being so open and the various alliances which have had to be formed over the years to fight various wars and International terrorism the choice is limitless.
The German Man HX77 8x8 and Japanese/U.S. Izuzu-Okhosh has been one of the biggest providers to the U.K., with Japan providing other specialist trucks. These trucks are required to move Main battle tanks and missiles, from Nuclear to Surface to surface.
Many trucks are used for munitions re-supply, recovery, and hauling field artillery. ambulances, chemical, radioactive and biological units, radio, radar, and other command and communications.
But many Bedford and Foden's are still in use, by the British and have been exported to the commonwealth and other buyers.
Tuesday 29 December 2015
Tuesday 22 December 2015
Snow Patrol. Part-Two.
The elusive white Stuff.
This year the Britain, Ireland and Northern Europe are experiencing some of the warmest winter temperatures on record. But in the southern-hemisphere New Zealand and Antarctica, the warmest also for their summer.
Santa must of forgot something this year?
Despite the lack of snow here, America and Canada are having severe storms and drifting and even their specialised machines cannot operate because of the heigth of the drifts. Despite many clever designs that are available, there are just times when non of them can get out and do their thing.
Many modern snow ploughs now, do much more than shovel snow, they can heat the tracks, sand, de-ice and brush a path through. Italy-Switzerland employ such trains daily to keep their mountain railways open. Some of these machines have been adapted to work on air crafts, allowing them to continue to operate in snow and ice conditions.
This year the Britain, Ireland and Northern Europe are experiencing some of the warmest winter temperatures on record. But in the southern-hemisphere New Zealand and Antarctica, the warmest also for their summer.
Santa must of forgot something this year?
Despite the lack of snow here, America and Canada are having severe storms and drifting and even their specialised machines cannot operate because of the heigth of the drifts. Despite many clever designs that are available, there are just times when non of them can get out and do their thing.
Many modern snow ploughs now, do much more than shovel snow, they can heat the tracks, sand, de-ice and brush a path through. Italy-Switzerland employ such trains daily to keep their mountain railways open. Some of these machines have been adapted to work on air crafts, allowing them to continue to operate in snow and ice conditions.
Tuesday 15 December 2015
Space Exploration. Part-Two.
2015 A great Year.
A British man in Space, the July Pluto flyby, Pictures from a Comet and Mars seen from three views. Most people don't even bother looking up at the sky, day or night. Sometimes its the occasional drunk who claims to have seen more than one Moon!
But for may others it is the closet that we will perhaps for some time yet get into space? Just a pair of Binoculars and you open your eyes to see ponderous things, from nearby planets to distant stars and galaxies.
One may also see the International Space Station and other man made objects. The Moon is the nearest object to view, we only see one side of it because it does not rotate. Venus and Mars are next, followed by the gas giants, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Other wise we can visit the Indian, European, Russian and NASA websites to see the feast of what these many robotic craft are doing in space and on Mars.
A British man in Space, the July Pluto flyby, Pictures from a Comet and Mars seen from three views. Most people don't even bother looking up at the sky, day or night. Sometimes its the occasional drunk who claims to have seen more than one Moon!
But for may others it is the closet that we will perhaps for some time yet get into space? Just a pair of Binoculars and you open your eyes to see ponderous things, from nearby planets to distant stars and galaxies.
One may also see the International Space Station and other man made objects. The Moon is the nearest object to view, we only see one side of it because it does not rotate. Venus and Mars are next, followed by the gas giants, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Other wise we can visit the Indian, European, Russian and NASA websites to see the feast of what these many robotic craft are doing in space and on Mars.
Tuesday 8 December 2015
Cumbria, Ireland and Scotland Floods.
Rescue Services
This past week the United Kingdom and Ireland suffered severely from the aftermath of Atlantic storm Desmond, with winds well over 120 mph and severe flooding. Many people were stranded and cut off in their homes without power. Carlisle was the worst effected with a large part of the city under 5-9 feet of water. The east-coast rail line was also flooded between Preston and Glasgow, I think for the first time?
The R.N.L.I. was the main force employed with rescue boats to ferry out the old and those who were either disabled or ill. Other services such as the Coast Guard, mountain rescue and military provided helicopters for those really bad areas.
Fourteen inches of rain fell in a 39 hour period across these islands and most rivers could not cope, even with recent improved defences. There will be many questions in relation to infrastructure and did the building of banks and glass walls really help?
Money will always be the main issue in these matters and perhaps the failure to dredge rivers is one of the main problems, apart from building on low level land to the water table.
The inflatable comes into its own in these types of flood condition, there were also many other small boats involved with outboard engines.
This past week the United Kingdom and Ireland suffered severely from the aftermath of Atlantic storm Desmond, with winds well over 120 mph and severe flooding. Many people were stranded and cut off in their homes without power. Carlisle was the worst effected with a large part of the city under 5-9 feet of water. The east-coast rail line was also flooded between Preston and Glasgow, I think for the first time?
The R.N.L.I. was the main force employed with rescue boats to ferry out the old and those who were either disabled or ill. Other services such as the Coast Guard, mountain rescue and military provided helicopters for those really bad areas.
Fourteen inches of rain fell in a 39 hour period across these islands and most rivers could not cope, even with recent improved defences. There will be many questions in relation to infrastructure and did the building of banks and glass walls really help?
Money will always be the main issue in these matters and perhaps the failure to dredge rivers is one of the main problems, apart from building on low level land to the water table.
The inflatable comes into its own in these types of flood condition, there were also many other small boats involved with outboard engines.
Tuesday 1 December 2015
FMA IA 58 Pucara
An Argentine Winner.
Argentina had until recently a well established, but limited aviation industry. It has over the years built many successful types and made various adaptions of others from light aircraft to combat jets and civil airliners. In fact in the 1950's it developed probably the best aviation jet fighter of the day and if they had developed it to today, they would of won the Falklands war.
The Pucara is one of those interesting oddities in the aviation world, developed in 1969 for counter-insurgency operations (COIN). This twin-engined Astazou turboprop aircraft looks like a Beech King Air, in its layout. But it can operate from very short rough airfields and is was known for its amazing manoeuvrability, it was used extensively during the Falklands war in 1982.
The FMA IA 58 is armed with one 20mm cannon and four other machine guns, was capable of carrying 1,500Kg bombs of three pylons. Maximum speed is 500Km/h (300Mph) and a range of 3,042 Km (1,925 miles). Size. Span 14.5m, Length 14.5m.
One aircraft was captured by the British RAF and remains in the U.K. as a victory capture. I have filmed this aircraft seen flying over Swansea, S-Wales. U.K.
Argentina had until recently a well established, but limited aviation industry. It has over the years built many successful types and made various adaptions of others from light aircraft to combat jets and civil airliners. In fact in the 1950's it developed probably the best aviation jet fighter of the day and if they had developed it to today, they would of won the Falklands war.
The Pucara is one of those interesting oddities in the aviation world, developed in 1969 for counter-insurgency operations (COIN). This twin-engined Astazou turboprop aircraft looks like a Beech King Air, in its layout. But it can operate from very short rough airfields and is was known for its amazing manoeuvrability, it was used extensively during the Falklands war in 1982.
The FMA IA 58 is armed with one 20mm cannon and four other machine guns, was capable of carrying 1,500Kg bombs of three pylons. Maximum speed is 500Km/h (300Mph) and a range of 3,042 Km (1,925 miles). Size. Span 14.5m, Length 14.5m.
One aircraft was captured by the British RAF and remains in the U.K. as a victory capture. I have filmed this aircraft seen flying over Swansea, S-Wales. U.K.
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