[hawkonevoodoo]

Originally Posted by Berkut76

This is my favorite my mud mover. Su-25 during Soviet Afghan War.

Attachment 2439

Between these and the Su-25 pics Admin posted I think my heart skipped a beat. This plane is one of my all time top 5 airplanes.

[Louie]

IL-2. Grumman Albatross, F-105 Thunderchief, F-8 Crusader, Nakajima" Kate", F4B, Curtiss Hawk, PT-17, F-111.

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by hawkonevoodoo

Between these and the Su-25 pics Admin posted I think my heart skipped a beat. This plane is one of my all time top 5 airplanes.

Hmmm, interesting. May I ask why? I mean, I would definitely add a Su-25 to my collection as soon as it were available, but it's certainly nowehere close to top five in my book. Other than action in Afghanistan (with dubious results), that aircraft doesn't stand out historically and certainly won't win any beauty contests. Also has not had a huge export success outside of previous USSR/Warsaw Pact states.

Just wondering...

FVD

[admin]

Originally Posted by djjeffhall

Admin,
Hey there.

What is the history of the F-100 you posted?

Originally Posted by djjeffhall

Admin,
The F-100 I was asking about the was one from post #85. Silver with the yellow highlights.

North American F-100D-80-NH 56-3357 352nd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Yellow Jackets" / 354th Tactical Fighter Wing - Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina May 1959.

This is a 1/48th scale Monogram NA F-100D built by Rodney Williams. This model was also featured in Fine Scale modeler back in 88.

[Berkut76]

Originally Posted by FormerViperDriver

Hmmm, interesting. May I ask why? I mean, I would definitely add a Su-25 to my collection as soon as it were available, but it's certainly nowehere close to top five in my book. Other than action in Afghanistan (with dubious results), that aircraft doesn't stand out historically and certainly won't win any beauty contests. Also has not had a huge export success outside of previous USSR/Warsaw Pact states.

Just wondering...

FVD

Not my top 5 either, but Sukhoi ground pounders of the cold war era from Su-7B to Su-25 were probably the best, and, unfortunately mostly ignore Soviet planes of the era in terms of practical results. I don't know know where you get your info from, but Su-25 was very successful in both Afghan and Chechen conflicts, being able to dish out punishment and absorb insane amount of damage. It is also very maneuverable.

In short, unlike many Soviet designs like MiG-23, for example, Su-25 got the job done when called upon.

Regards,

Sergey

[hawkonevoodoo]

Originally Posted by FormerViperDriver

Hmmm, interesting. May I ask why? I mean, I would definitely add a Su-25 to my collection as soon as it were available, but it's certainly nowehere close to top five in my book. Other than action in Afghanistan (with dubious results), that aircraft doesn't stand out historically and certainly won't win any beauty contests. Also has not had a huge export success outside of previous USSR/Warsaw Pact states.

Just wondering...

FVD

Why wouldn't I like it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just like Berkut76 said, it may not be pretty to most but it got the job done and I think like a lot of Russian equipment it is overlooked, either intentionally or we just don't do enough digging to find out about it. Now if you want to talk butt ugly the A-10, at least the Su-25 has some lines to it. Actually both of these little darlings are among my favorites. If you want pretty and fast call the F-16 but if you want to get down and dirty and close to the ground with the grunts, these little guys will get the job done. Every type of aircraft was designed for a purpose and in my opinion, just my opinion nobody does it better than the Russian Su-25 and the U.S. A-10.

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by Berkut76

Not my top 5 either, but Sukhoi ground pounders of the cold war era from Su-7B to Su-25 were probably the best, and, unfortunately mostly ignore Soviet planes of the era in terms of practical results. I don't know know where you get your info from, but Su-25 was very successful in both Afghan and Chechen conflicts, being able to dish out punishment and absorb insane amount of damage. It is also very maneuverable.

In short, unlike many Soviet designs like MiG-23, for example, Su-25 got the job done when called upon.

Regards,

Sergey

Sergey, yes my use of the word "dubious" was too strong with regards to the Su-25 record in Afghanistan, but I used to fly fighters in the US Air Force, so all I'll say is that we used to study the enemy (back in the Cold War, that would have been the Soviet Union as number one) and I know quite a bit about the combat action of that aircraft.

Suffice to say it was inded more effective than my words led people to believe, but it was not a brilliant performance nonetheless (even if better compared to other Soviet types). Now remember, even the Russian AF admitted these shortcomings, and that was the main impetus for later very significant enhancement to the aircraft (leading ultimately to the Su-39). I would agree that part of the reason for the relative lack of effectiveness was due to the types of weapons being used and the tactics (including the air-ground coordination required for effective Close Air Support), versus an inherent design flaw in the aircraft, and that has largely been corrected since then.

But like I said, a very significant aircraft that would immediately become part of my collection upon availability in diecast. Just not top-five, that's all.

FVD

[admin]

Consolidated B-24M-1-CO Liberator 44-41809 "Out Of The Night II"
of the 63rd Bomber Squadron / 43rd Bomber Group, Clark Field, Luzon, the Philippines May 19th 1945

[kabelace]

MMM me like that B-24 there Admin.

[admin]

I love development aircraft, but they'll never get cast.


Chinese J-7MF



The F-16XL