Archive for category Italy

U.S. AIR FORCE RADIO NEWS – 10/7/2011

Oct 7

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in American, Firefighting, Italy, Japan, Korea, S., LISTEN, MEDIC, PLS 3 / SLP 3, USA, USAF | No Comments

Listen to the USAF Radio News: Click here:

or here: >>>>>

Tags: Air Base, American, Audio, Aviano, Clinic, Dental, Fire, Firefighters, Firefighting, Health care, Hose, Hoses, Incirlik, Interservice, IPAP, Italy, JAPAN, Japanese, Korea, LISTEN, MEDIC, Medical, Military, Misawa, NEWS, Physician, PLS 3333, Prevention, Radio, Rugby, Rugby union, South Korea, Tug-of-war, U.S., US, USA, USAF, USAG, WOMEN, Yonsan

FREMM multipurpose frigate

Mar 31

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in A2, Bilingual, DLPT, Exocet, France, FREMM, Italy, Morocco, NH90, PLS 1 / SLP 1, R&D, READ, Sailors, SCALP, Stealth | No Comments

FREMM stands for Frégate multi-mission or Fregata Europea Multi-Missione, which mean multi-purpose frigate. This warship has been delivered to the French, Italian, and Moroccan Navies. A new version – FREDA – has been planned for air-defense purpose.

Video with bilingual French/English captions:

Tags: A70, Aquitaine, Artemis, ASM, Aviation, Bilingual, BILINGUE, Block 3, Boat, Boats, Bridge, Captions, Center, Central Operations, CIC, Command Information Center, Control, D650, DCNS, Deck, Depth, DLPT, Electric, Electrique, ENGINES, English, Exocet, Flyin, FRANCE, French, French Navy, Gas, Gaz, GE/Avio, Hangar, Helicopter, Héraklès, IRST, Italian, Italian Navy, Italy, Jammer, Living spaces, Locaux vie, Machine, Marina Militare, Marine nationale, MARITIME, MM-40, Moroccan, Morocco, Motor, Multi-mission, Multi-purpose, Multimission, Najir, Naval, NAVY, Nexter, NH90, Otobreda 76 mm, Passerelle, PLS 1111, Propulsion, Quarter deck, R&D, READ, RECM, Room, Royal Moroccan Navy, Samahé, SCALP, Sea, SHIPS, Sigen, Sonar, Stealth, Sylver, Thales, Turbine, UMS 4410 CL Hull, Variable, Vessel, Video

Nations backing the no-fly zone & suppressing Gaddafi’s air defenses

Mar 20

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in Aeronautica Militare, American, Armée de l'Air, C1, Canada, CH-46 / CH 113, CV-22, E-3, EdA, F-16, France, Harrier, Harrier AV-8B, HH-60, HOT SPOTS, Italy, J3 Operations, Jordan, Libya, Libyan AF, Libyan no-fly zone, LISTEN, M-346, Mirage 2000, Misc., MQ-1, NATO, Pilots, PLS 4 / SLP 4, Qatar, Qatari AF, R91 Charles de Gaulle, RAF, Rafale, RCAF, S-125/SA-3, S-200/SA-5, S-75/SA-2/V-750, Satellites, Saudi Arabia, SCALP, Spain, Tomahawk, Tornado, UAE, UAEAF, UK, USA, USAF, V-22 | No Comments

According to the BBC, RAF Tornado warplanes would have launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles (equivalent to French MBDA SCALP) on Libya to destroy Gaddafi’s military assets. The Storm Shadows punch holes in runways, radar facilities, and bunkers thanks to their BROACH warheads. (BROACH means Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented CHarge)

The French aircraft – Mirage 2000, and Rafale – seem to have carried out missions over Libya before SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) and flew under the threat of Gadhafi’s GBADs (Ground Based Air Defenses). The UAE and the Qatari air forces could be committed to Operation Odyssey Dawn. Here is the situation according to CNN:

Tags: .50 BMG, Aeronautica Militare, AI, AIR FORCES, Air Interdiction, Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground, AIRCRAFT, American, Amphibious assault, Angara, Arleigh Burke, Armament, Armée de l'air, Arms, ASW, Attacks, Austin, AWACS, Az Zawiyah, Ballistic, Benghazi, BGM-109, Bin Jawad, Blue Ridge, Bombing, British, Bushmaster, Canada, cannon, CAOC, CH-46, Charles de Gaulle, Class, Coalition, Command ship, Crater, Cruise missile, DDG-52, DDG-55, Destroyer, Dubna, Dvina, E-3, Ejército del Aire, F-16, FIGHTER aircraft, FIGHTERS, FRANCE, French, Gaddafi, Gadhafi, Gammon, Goa, GR4, Great Britain, Ground-Attack, Guideline, Harrier AV-8B, Harrier II, HH-60H, HOT SPOTS, Imagery, Installations, Italian, Italy, J3, Jamming, JCC-20, Jordan, Knight Hawk, LCC-20, LHD-3, Libya, Libyan, Libyan AF, LISTEN, Los Angeles class, LPD, LPD-15, M-346, Mark 36, Mediterranean, Military, Mirage, Misrata, Misratah, Missiles, Misurata, Mk 32, Multinational, NAVY, Neva, NEWS, Odyssey Dawn, Ohio, Ohio class, Operation Ellamy, Opération Harmattan, Operation Mobile, Operations, Osprey, OTAN - NATO, Pechora, Phalanx CIWS, Pilots, PLS 4444, Pounding, Prohibit, Qatar, Qatari, Radars, RAF, Range, Ras Lanuf, RECCE, Recce 233 Savoie, Reconnaissance, RIM-156, Rolling Airframe, RUM-139, S-125, S-200, S-75, SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, SAM, Satellite, Saudi Arabia, Sea Hawk, Sea Knight, Sea Sparrow, SEAD, SH-60, SH-60F, SHIPS, SM-2, Spain, Spanish AF, SRBOC, SSGN-728, SSN-719, Strike, Submarine, Targets, Tomahawk, Torpedo, Tripoli, U.S., UAE, UAEAF, UNSCR 1973, US, USA, USAF, USS Barry, USS Florida, USS Kearsarge, USS Mount Whitney, USS Ponce, USS Providence, USS Stout, V-22, Vega, Video, VL-Asroc, VMM-261, Weapon, Zawiya

French FIGHTERJETS and/or PILOTS possibly SUPERIOR

Feb 20

Posted by Recce 233 Savoie in Aeronautica Militare, Armée de l'Air, B2, Brazil, China, Dogfighting, F-22, F-5, FAB, France, Germany, HAF, IAF, India, Italy, J-20 / J-XX, Korea, S., MiG-21 / J-7 / F-7, Mirage 2000, Misc., Pilots, PLAAF, PLS 3 / SLP 3, RAF, Rafale, READ, ROKAF, Swiss AF, Switzerland, Typhoon, UAE, UAEAF, UK, USA, USAF | 3 Comments

First of all, it is not that simple. Last instance: The “World’s Armed Forces Forum” has recently posted a new topic relating to this Prepa PLS Anglais post: /rafale-vs-typhooneurofighter/ which was edited here on December 20, 2009. It is very clear that this was just a post to pass rumors on to other websurfers who may not have already read/heard such gossips.

This post may have been deemed as a preposterous one among the aviation community. That is why I then posted this post: /french-fighter-aircraft-performance/ in early 2010. Well, in hindsight I ought to add that I had forgotten that confrontation between the French Dassault fighter aircraft with the Eurofighter: the Rafales – there were only two of them according to the report – shot down four Typhoons during an exercise. Yes, twice as many…

The assumption that a Rafale might have shot down an F-22 Raptor left my readers in utter disbelief in 2009. Well, in hindsight again, I ought to add that I had forgotten to quote the Korean balance sheet about the Rafale performance, as I had forgotten that a United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) Mirage 2000-9 (variant of Mirage 2000-5 Mk.2) flown by a French pilot would have – virtually – shot down an F-22 Raptor as well…

RAFALE fighter aircraft aerobatics at La Ferté Alais airshow 2010

RAFALE La Ferté Alais 2010 © Xavier Cotton http://passiondesavions.blogspot.com/

I would never write anything like “an F-5 cannot down any French jetfighter”. Let us get real on this – I guess that either an F-5 or a MiG-21 could down any Mirage 2000 or Rafale. It depends on the radars; the sensors; the weapon systems used that day; the weather conditions; the pilots’ training; and their skills; the distance – BVR or WVR, not to mention autonomy; etc. When I read that some people remain adamant that any Rafale cannot have downed any F-22 Raptor, I think that they have the right to take such a stance. As I have the right to believe that they are wrong in their assertion. All-in-all, everything would be rumors… So, why should they care about them?

The pragmatic Swiss have honestly stated that they would be interested in the French Rafale for they got the results of their demanding NAC tests. However, due to a shrinking defense budget, they may not buy Rafales.

As far as the Brazilian, Emirati, Greek, and Indian (for MMRCA tender) media are concerned, they have already issued – at least once – breaking news according to which their countries would not purchase any Rafale for it would be “too expensive“.

Blimey! Let them buy what they like. I do not know whether it is worth paying for such performance because with these tenders, it is not a question of purchasing warplanes but foreign policies. Nonetheless, I would not be suprised to learn that some French Rafale pilots might be eager to challenge the brand new Chinese J-20 5th-generation fighter aircraft as it is deemed to be less performant than the F-22 Raptor.

If it were to happen – J-20 vs Rafale – the result would remain, as usual, among the rumors.