early 1980s

From 1979 to 1980, the United States Navy proposed updating their remaining obsolete FRAM Gearing class destroyers in the Naval Reserve Force as escorts to protect trans-Atlantic convoys against Soviet submarines. Some of the proposed modernization included replacing the WWII-era 5"/38 twin-gun...

Érase una vez sólo dos bandos (y sabías qué esperar) y había un país llamado Unión Soviética. Y el portaaviones era la especie dominante en los mares (Cuanto más grande era el portaaviones, más felices eran los almirantes), pero este tipo de barcos son muy caros, tan caros que parecía que iban a...

In a perfect world for the British armed forces how would you modernise HMS Vanguard and the King George V class to serve in the 1980s? (Before anyone asks Yes CVA-01 through 04 are built in this timeline, so no yapping about building carriers instead, this is a perfect world for the RN, so the...

some GA weirdo projects from early 80s

Freshly published:

Source: p474-p475, US Amphibious Ships and Craft, Norman Friedman The Center of Naval Analyses (CNA) compared a number of different ship designs for the role of the Maritime Prepositioning Squadron (MPS). One of these was the PD-214 "Security Class" (C8-M-MA134), a conceptual mobilisation ship...

Does anyone have any information on the French design at least? The program was a precursor to the equally ill-fated (non-nuclear) Polar 8 icebreaker program of the 1980s. The only hard info I have on the French proposal at the moment is that the reactor was a CAS (Advanced Series Boiler)...

Happy Xmas all and 4 decades ago on this day well 26th rendlesham forest incident between Twin bases of RAF Woodbridge (home of then 67th Aerospace Recovery & Rescue Squadron with HH53C Super Jolly Green Giant and HC-130H Combat Shadow and 81st TFW with A-10 Warthog) Bentwaters had other lot of...

Some time ago, it must have been in 2013-2014, I was able to see in a movie (maybe on YouTube) a guerrilla with the typical Chitral cap used by ethnic Afghans Pashtun, equipped with a weapon system that looked like a German Fliegerfaust / Luftfaust and the militian who used it pointed it...

Image of the Vickers proposal for a modified Invincible Class ship to replace HMAS Melbourne. The enlarged hangar and removal of Sea Dart are of note. Also Invincible image for comparison. Found at: http://warships1discussionboards.yuku.com/topic/24222

Read more: http://nation.time.com/2013/05/30/when-grumman-stood-alone/#ixzz2V50fOksb

Hi, here is the North American/Rockwell MMIPS,a Multimode Integrated Propulsion System, fitted with a small Mach 2.7 SSBJ aircraft. http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810009482_1981009482.pdf

From Sealordlawrence's post on MBT-80 I would add that at this point the British Army was also scheming 1,900 MICV's (which were originally meant to have Chobham armour and a 750hp engine with a total weight of 30 tons). MBT-80 was apparently cancelled in July 1980, it seems that prior to this...

Could the IA-58 Pucará be classified as the last Torpedo Bomber, at least developmental wise, of the 20th Century? For those of you who are not familiar with it, AX-04 was a prototype of the IA 58 Pucará, modified during the Falklands War as part of a joint Air Force/Navy project hoping to...

I seem to recall before they bought more Leanders the RNZN considered a serious conversion of their Type 12 Otago. I am sure I have seen a drawing but cannot remember where? It would make an interesting add on to my UK frigates stuff.

In a e-book 'TUO MAO: THE OPERATIONAL HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY' I have information on a very interesting Chinese AFV: And below you'll find two photos of both the versions of the WZ141, which I've just googled. Perhaps somebody knows more on the subject. Any further info would...

Hi, hear is the Lear design,Fan 2100,in early model,it had many differents. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%203794.html

Litton Industries (Ingalls Shipbuilding) produced a privately-funded design alternative for the DDX that it called DDM (Destroyer, Missiles) in 1980. Link to US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman...

I read long time ago in Armies & Weapons the prototype of the SP-70, a cancelled self propelled howitzer but nothing on the web. Do you have something about it ? ;D

The Rockwell XFV-12 was a prototype supersonic United States Navy fighter which combined the Mach 2 speed and AIM-7 Sparrow armament of the F-4 Phantom II in a VTOL fighter for the small Sea Control Ship which was under study at the time. On paper, it looked superior to the subsonic Hawker...