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talonlm

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Everything posted by talonlm

  1. More likely than not, the the CT3 will replace the MC-130Es, all of which are 47+ years old. We're good, airframe-wise, for another few years (2015-ish) but we can't go much more than that without big money from AFSOC to extend the life of the Combat Talon. AFSOC has the opportunity to acquire new iron--they'd be foolish to dump that much money into an airplane that will be more than fifty in a few years. T-2s have a lot more 'life' left in them without major rework, so I expect they will be around for quite a while yet.
  2. No one is putting out much public information on the possibility of a CT-3, but I imagine that's a good bet.
  3. They have a set of yokes to install (out of our aircrew lounge!) . . . and rumor has it they've even scared up some fending lines from somewhere, so it may yet have the old Fulton config.
  4. talonlm

    A Model

    That last bit hasn't changed at all--the SF bubbas still don't know how to use a scale!
  5. Nothing new. Last I heard was we'll be flying them for a while yet, at least the next four or five years. That, of course, depends on the bean counters . . .
  6. I was under the impression Lockheed was not building any more 'short' 130s; am I mistaken, or is the HC-J based on a short herk?
  7. I would love to see the Talon flying beyond 2015--but I am truly looking forward to the Combat Talon III. As capable as the Combat Talon is, it will be interesting to see what forty years of combat experience mixed with innovation can come up with.
  8. Politics drives everything. The AC-27 was cut, so AFSOC came up with cloning and improving the Marines and their palletized gunship mod.
  9. x2. Lots of new hardware, lots of 'hurryitup-itis', lots of new aircrews and all relying on a computer to get it right. Not knocking the crewdogs, but caution should be the word of the day here . . .
  10. All true, and you don't need the buffer boards to utlize the 250 kt ramp. The buffer boards are a holdover from the Fulton system. We'll fly the Talon without them now and again, but I like having them there for pretty much anytime the ramp and door are opened in flight at any airspeed, especially during high speed drops and refueling the whirling cuisinart of death.
  11. We refuel them now and again; it's similar to standard helo refueling procedures, only a good bit faster. Tip lights they have are kind of cool.
  12. talonlm

    Gunship

    So long as it works.
  13. We're still flying 0565. I think she's one of the latest to come out of PDM, though I am not sure about that. 7785, I understand, is going to DM right now. Rumors--and only rumors, nothing definative--have it this tail may end up at Eglin.
  14. We're not quite done with the rest of them yet, so there's still some history to be made yet. The writing, however, is on the wall. Rumors carry the rest of them at least through 2012, some through 2015.
  15. talonlm

    C27j

    Heard rumors, nothing more, of either one or two 30mm or 40mm. Take it for what it's worth.
  16. :woohoo: Pictures to follow . . .
  17. Yes, saw that in the AF Times day before yesterday. They\'ve all backed down on this issue.
  18. We\'ve been told by the intel gurus to stay away from that site; from what we are told, it\'s not even based in the US.
  19. About 400 miles different, Crash. I don\'t think illegals would be very concerned about that. Grumman will get workers from the same place they always do--locals. The workforce will be trained by qualified folks coming from everywhere else in the country. Boeing did this to themselves, plain and simple. They got greedier and it bit them. Now, Airbus will reap the reward for Boeing\'s corrupt dealings.
  20. Talon1LM wrote: The plaque--with several 8th SOS patches and all the keys--is hanging up on the wall in at the 711th SOS.
  21. It\'s a FLIR turrent. Can\'t think of the name of the mod right now.
  22. Dan Wilson wrote: The MC-Es aren\'t all headed to the boneyard just yet. Someone down at AFSOC got a clue light (or a swift kick) and the ten AFRC-funded Es got extended a little more, to at least 2011. The four MC-Es that were AFSOC funded are still in limbo at the moment. That, of course, only treats a symptom, not the problem.
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