Sell a few basses and buy...

[lowend1]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/slideshow/2012/11/16/ww-ii-vehicles-battle-for-bids-at-auction/?intcmp=features#sl=undefined&slide=1

[Highlander]

Nice, Billy, but this hits the spot a wee bit better...

http://www.globalplanesearch.com/warbirds/combat/north_american/p_51_mustang.htm

[the mojo hobo]

Living close to a shallow lake I would like one of these:



but I'm sure I don't have enough basses to cover the cost.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

If Uwe REALLY wanted one, this model jet used to be in the East German Air Force.

[Highlander]

Living close to a shallow lake I would like one of these ...

Misuse sunk a Sunderland when it took out one of the floats... (Chindit stuff)

[uwe]

If Uwe REALLY wanted one, this model jet used to be in the East German Air Force.

Good plane that is except for the gas guzzling. Flown by German navy pilots after the reunification, they immediately fell in love with its handling characteristics, there was even talk of the German Armed Forces building it in license from the Russians, but of course the combined Western arms lobby put a halt to that and pushed for the so much more expensive Eurofighter. The Russians could have used the money, we could have used the plane, but of course things are never as easy.

But in any case, I have a Bird from the Cold already. My Bicentennial was abducted from the Land of the Free to communist tyranny and sold in an East German music shop and then played in an East German blues band until post reunification before I bought it off the original owner in the early noughties. A bass commemorating yankee imperialism, yet played behind the Iron Curtain, life writes the best ironies.

[Highlander]

Ironing the curtains...?

Ah... sorry... drifted out there, there...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Good plane that is except for the gas guzzling. Flown by German navy pilots after the reunification, they immediately fell in love with its handling characteristics, there was even talk of the German Armed Forces building it in license from the Russians, but of course the combined Western arms lobby put a halt to that and pushed for the so much more expensive Eurofighter. The Russians could have used the money, we could have used the plane, but of course things are never as easy.

Agreed, even if the version you guys had was the downgraded export model. Your pilots embarassed quite a few Eagle drivers in them. But if you have never ponied up for the EF 2000, you wouldn't have a plane that embarasses the sickenly overpriced F-22 Raptor for a far cheaper price tag.

[uwe]

We of course took the planes over from the NVA (East German Armed Forces). I didn't know that they only had an export version.

[Highlander]

Hmm... were building an aircraft carrier (or two) and we have no planes for it...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I didn't know that they only had an export version.

The USSR viewed its export customers, Warsaw Pact and other allies, including China, with a mixture of distrust and a measure of disposability and hence, NOBODY outside of Russia and Ukraine got top-line Soviet hardware unless it was being operated BY Soviet soldiers reporting to Moscow. They sold MiG-29's to Iraq, several countries in Africa, and most notably, India (with whom Russia still operates joint design and manufacturing on the Su-30MK) in addition to deploying them in its satellite countries. They exported/licensed several aircraft designs to China that were substantially dumbed-down on purpose and for fear of their "ally" reverse engineering and producing unlicensed, superior craft (justifiably so, look into the Chinese "J-15" sometimes). The export variant of the MiG-29 generally had lower-powered engines (88% of Soviet standards), much more primitive radar, and a much-downgraded version of the passive optical targeting system, but there were different standards for different destinations. Bascially the idea is a new airframe with lesser engines would be up for export, but the electronics, weapons, and radar supported by that model would be two to three generations older.

[Highlander]

It is even nicer to have the power to "pull the plug" too... is there any other "significant" gps other than the USofA one...?

[Psycho Bass Guy]

China operates its own military GPS. The US (commercial) and European networks rely substantially on Russian satellites, but the US military has one or more backup GPS networks that are not tied to the commerical system. If it were, it would be a simple matter for military hackers to redirect GPS guided-weapons off-target.