You like JATO Jim then how would you like this C-130 they fitted up for a mission that did not go ahead, the plane was supposed to land and take off within a soccer stadium.
Sadly the forward thrusting rockets fired too early on a test landing and the aircraft was lost no crew were lost the hostages were released through diplomatic channels so the aircraft was not needed they had another one put together but it was not required.
Who ever was slated to fly the rig and the S.Op's on board for the mission then they had real big kahoona's it would have been a pretty wild ride and then some.
Dark Doc's has some pretty interesting stuff also another I watch on you tube is Plainly Difficult he mainly covers nuclear accidents along with other types.
Yes the A400 has been undergoing trials for the last four years for Parachuting conversion. A good friend who spent the last 5 years of his 22 in The Parachute Regiment, was at RAF Brize Norton Number 1 PTS doing just that.
Very brave if you ask me, not a job I'd like to have done, but it was all wasted as the aircraft had a modification and all his chancing with death was wasted and the trials continue.
16 Air Assault Brigade has a new General..... Andy Harrison, and with that comes fresh ideas.
Probably back to being called 16 PARA Brigade (so called following the Battle for Arnhem when 1st Airborne and 6th Airborne were the Force to be reckoned with in WW2 after quick formation when Churchill needed 5,000 PARA trained troops) thought I would throw that in for those that didn't know! Thats why history plays a big part in retaining the numbers!
We will probably be called COMBAT units soon, so we can have the Royal Marines join the happy throng.................why not.....as long as they have done their PARA course and everything that entails. Afterall, they do have a company of RM's in the Special Forces Support Group with a company of RAF Regiment with 1 PARA.
WHO CARES WHO WINS!!
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
Most interesting ride in one (with intention of landing with it, not one of those one-way trips) was the hop from Ramstein to Sarajevo. The standard preflight pax instructions were being recited and he said 'if you hear a bell signal...' and at that precise moment, a bell signal started. He looked around, we thought it was part of the brief, and he looked back at us to say 'leave the aircraft'. We sat mutely, as we thought he had arranged the signal as an example. He got much louder "LEAVE THE AIRCRAFT!' Turned out to be a faulty temp sensor in one of the engines. Fun times, we had to wait for them to spin up a neighboring C130.
Yer but someone has probably designed a half sized A400, the A200, just like the C130 only European.
Iran use to like C130's being one of the largest operators after the US and UK. If Iran did decide to buy them it would be interesting to see what BS was come up with to make it a politically acceptable transaction in the UK and how any restrictions were overcome to get them to Iran.