Recent content by h3tacco

In the ASW config, with full fuel, weapon and stores load (2xMk46 + 22 Sonobuoy, CMs etc) the CH148 is pretty much taking off at Max GW. I think you are under estimating the weight of the ASW config. This is more or the less the with the MH-60R btw. An aircraft like the AW101 is really the size...

Slight correction S-70 is the Sikorsky model number. This is internal to the company and all their products have some S- designation. H-60 (ie UH-60, MH-60, HH-60 etc) is the US DoD Designation. Sometimes foreign operators use the S- model number sometimes the US DoD model. Another couple...

Warrant Officers in the US Rank Structure are commissioned officers once they are promoted to CW2 (usually 2 years). "Candidates who successfully complete Warrant Officer Candidate School are appointed in the grade of Warrant Officer One. When promoted to Chief Warrant Officer Two, warrant...

When the USAF fielded the F-4C they initially manned it with two pilots. The original USN F-4B was manned with a pilot and a Naval Flight Officer filing the Radar Intercept Officer role. The USN versions of the F-4 had no flight controls in the rear seat, much like the EA-18G, and the NFOs were...

The back-up is inertial. There is sufficient accuracy to get the weapon from the aircraft to the splash point without a GPS fix.

"Mission systems include computing and display systems with dual 61cm (24in) screens at five operator stations - two acoustic stations, one non-acoustic station, one tactical co-ordination and one navigation and communications station. The P-8A stations will be completely interchangeable with...

I have no opinion of which aircraft we should buy. However, buying a developmental aircraft from a yet  to be developed production line is riskier from both a technical and schedule point view. The question to those making the decision is whether the benefit is worth the risk.

The C-17 had a troubled development and was nearly cancelled a number of times in the 1990s. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/12/business/pentagon-warns-mcdonnell-it-may-cancel-c-17-program.html The Canadian purchase of the C-17 is pretty much the exact opposite of the KC-390. We bought the...

Not a SAR Tech. The first pic appears to be Rescue Randy (aka a "dummy") being deployed from the aircraft. The next two pictures it is either an ACSO or AES Op; both are trained to go down on the hoist for dry and wet hoisting. SAR Techs are usually not employed on Sea Kings (though in the...

While I think the AW-101 is by all accounts a fine naval aircraft I think you greatly over state its capabilities and fail to mention any of its downsides. You need only to look at the RN deck and wind limits for operating from the Type 23 and Type 45 to know that in service even the 101 comes...

This is a job at the MHTC teaching ICT and conversion training. Training is ramping up and Sik needs more instructors to support the upcoming course loads. Currently, these instructors do ground and flight sim instruction while Sik Test Pilots do the flight  instruction but I believe they are...

These are both really great points/questions. There is still a lot of work to be done to nail done specific crew duties but there will definitely need to be sharing of sensor duties not just between the SENSO and TACCO but also the non-flying pilot (Pilot Monitoring). I know exactly what you are...

By and large the mission system on the Cyclone is a generational leap ahead of the Sea King. There are a couple capabilities recently added to the Sea King that the Cyclone will lack. The main ones are really a result of the requirements being locked since 2004 and 10 years of operations...

The mission system gets a bad rap for being the cause of all the delays. It certainly has its share of issues but it does share a lot of commonality with the Aurora which from the limited amount I know is performing well on Op Impact. The ASW side is probably the strongest part of mission...

Your sympathies are appreciated but a lot of the issues are similar to the Block III Aurora. Fully capable is often tossed around when it should read fully contract compliant. There will be a lot of growing pains but there will be a lot of capability sooner.