Lord Sovereign
The resident Britbong
Ah, the venerable Mig-21. As I understand for its time, this was a truly fearsome warplane.What about a certain flying tub?
Ah, the venerable Mig-21. As I understand for its time, this was a truly fearsome warplane.What about a certain flying tub?
A slight improvement over the 19, but the MiG-21 still looks meh.What about a certain flying tub?
OK, it is more of a flying tube... but cut off top portion and you can definitely get a good tub!A slight improvement over the 19, but the MiG-21 still looks meh.
This time it makes me think more of an ant eater than a pig, though. What makes it a flying tub?
Yep! In 1990s, USN and CroAF held exercises... MiG-21 vs F-18. I think I mentioned them before, but US Navy pilots were rather uncomfortably surprised by MiG-21s low visual signature and small size. IIRC, Croatian pilots "sank" aircraft carrier in that exercise as well.Ah, the venerable Mig-21. As I understand for its time, this was a truly fearsome warplane.
There was a similar exercise around here, lol, where the NATO force had to defend Sofia from attack.OK, it is more of a flying tube... but cut off top portion and you can definitely get a good tub!
EDIT:
Yep! In 1990s, USN and CroAF held exercises... MiG-21 vs F-18. I think I mentioned them before, but US Navy pilots were rather uncomfortably surprised by MiG-21s low visual signature and small size. IIRC, Croatian pilots "sank" aircraft carrier in that exercise as well.
AN-2 Colts...prime mover for North Korean Special Forces...b/c they fly low, slow, and are made of wood...for less radar signature...don't mind the big radial engine on the front...
Interestingly, during the Siege of Vukovar, Serbian radars initially failed to notice the An-2s... because they were flying so slow that they were below the radar gate (if that is the correct term?). The problem was eventually fixed though.An-2 is not made of wood, it has stressed metal skin. The avoiding radar is done by flying low and slow, in Korea this is possible due to mountainous terrain.
The frame is largely wood.An-2 is not made of wood, it has stressed metal skin.
That big radial engine is a supercharged nine-cylinder radial rated for about 1,000 hp.AN-2 Colts...prime mover for North Korean Special Forces...b/c they fly low, slow, and are made of wood...for less radar signature...don't mind the big radial engine on the front...
It can fly at as low a speed as 50kph and maintain altitude. They lose altitude but can maintain control below that. I think they can even fly backwards with a strong enough headwind.That big radial engine is a supercharged nine-cylinder radial rated for about 1,000 hp.
AN-2 pilots don't care about things like the drag coefficient or stall speed because that engine brute-forces through it.
The Nakajima Sakae-12 engines used by the Japaneses A6M2 Zeros in 1942 were only rated for about 940hp.It can fly at as low a speed as 50kph and maintain altitude. They lose altitude but can maintain control below that. I think they can even fly backwards with a strong enough headwind.
The frame is largely wood.
No, no it's not. As one of the people who monitored North Korean Tech in preparation for invasion...wood was defintely a factor in their construction.That's a meme coming from people mistaking it for Po-2 which actually was wood and canvas, but An-2 is full metal construction.
I can piggyback off of this as wellNo, no it's not. As one of the people who monitored North Korean Tech in preparation for invasion...wood was defintely a factor in their construction.
The Nakajima Sakae-12 engines used by the Japaneses A6M2 Zeros in 1942 were only rated for about 940hp.
Those were high-performance and highly maneuverable (although lightly-built and fragile) long-range carrier aircraft with no shortage of firepower which gave the US Navy fits for a quite awhile.
Then they must have built their own version, because Russian and Polish ones certainly don't use wood.