IAF at Red Flag / Nellis AFB 2008

Brando · Post by **Brando** » 30 Jul 2008 05:30

Too bad we couldnt participate in the Red Vs Blue part of the exercise . That seems like the real deal.

The visual picture they obtain from the the AWACS and etc is truly remarkable with the 3-D display of the battle field and the aircraft .

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 30 Jul 2008 06:56

Brando,

What else did they go there for? Just curious.

What is that equipment? Does this kind of asymmetric layout have any affect aerodynamically and if yes, how do you counter that? Asymmetric thrust or continous rudder input?

That is a refueling station, the 2nd one.

Note that it hangs off of a wing shaped protrution. Theat wing is designed to create its own lift, equal to the weight of the entire attachment. (Just like an AWACS' rotating disk - which is also designed to take the load of its own weight - or close to it.)

rkhanna · Post by **rkhanna** » 30 Jul 2008 07:10

Too bad we couldnt participate in the Red Vs Blue part of the exercise . That seems like the real deal.

For a visiting Foriegn Team being part of Red Team is the most prestigious. However you dont get thrown into the deep end on the first day. It will take the InAF 4-5 outings before they get invited to take part in A-A Combat.

andy B · Post by **andy B** » 30 Jul 2008 07:18

Given that we have seen the mki's carry the litening pod at "LAL JHANDA" do you guys reckon they would have been simulating paveway II drops or the russian LGBs???

Anshul · Post by **Anshul** » 30 Jul 2008 16:31

How does it matter.You use the pod and it sets of fireworks.Now the pod is compatible with numerous PGMs.You just want to see that the POD works fine and sets off the fireworks.

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 30 Jul 2008 18:38

Gunfighters and Indians - Workups for Red Flag - Day 2 - Sagar N. Pathak

narayana · Post by **narayana** » 30 Jul 2008 19:52

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2008/07/mo ... u-30s.html

More pics from idaho base

Shivani · Post by **Shivani** » 30 Jul 2008 21:16

narayana wrote:http://livefist.blogspot.com/2008/07/mo ... u-30s.html

Somewhat offtopic, but if you follow the link and enlarge the picture and click on "Properties", you'll notice:

livefist.blogspot.com wrote:

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D3
Image Date: 2008:07:24 13:25:37
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 36.0mm (35mm equivalent: 36mm)
Exposure Time: 0.0010 s (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO equiv: 250
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)

Progress is being made! Never though that our IAF people would get to play with a D3!! ¹

Also, the picture showed up on Livefist on 30.07.2008, and if the EXIF data hasn't been manipulated to misguide the curious, it was indeed clicked a week ago. I hope these harmless observations do not alarm anyone into scrubbing EXIF from future images.

¹: Presuming that the image source is indeed IAF, the blog doesn't give any credit to source.

EDIT: This other one is from a D2X

livefist.blogspot.com wrote:

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D2Xs
Image Date: 2008:07:24 15:36:07
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 200.0mm (35mm equivalent: 300mm)
Exposure Time: 0.0010 s (1/1000)
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO equiv: 200
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 30 Jul 2008 21:24

The image source is US Airforce
http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/photos/

neerajb · Post by **neerajb** » 30 Jul 2008 21:53

All the jets that I have seen emit reddish orange flame when using afterburner but MKI has a blue exhaust plume when using afterburner. My sixth standard science teacher told that blue flame indicates complete combustion and red incomplete. So can it be attributed to better afterburner design of Al-31FP

?

Cheers....

Raveen · Post by **Raveen** » 31 Jul 2008 02:28

All the jets that I have seen emit reddish orange flame when using afterburner but MKI has a blue exhaust plume when using afterburner. My sixth standard science teacher told that blue flame indicates complete combustion and red incomplete. So can it be attributed to better afterburner design of Al-31FP ?

Cheers....

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... urners.jpg

I am not claiming to know it all, but I always noticed the flame going from yellowish to bluish over time and attributed this to the temp of the exhaust gases increasing with time (from the time the afterburner is engaged to the time it reaches it optimal temp where there is full combustion and the flame is bluish) this would explain why you could find pics of almost all planes with both yellowish and bluish afterburner flames (the images above are from an F-18 with a blue flame)

viveks · Post by **viveks** » 31 Jul 2008 05:50

Tragedy strikes red-Flag....pilot killed...phrrrrrrrr.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_ ... /f15_crash

Brando · Post by **Brando** » 31 Jul 2008 05:51

I always figured that the color of the exhaust had to do with the amount of oxygen available for combustion. A blueish flame indicate adequate oxygen and a yellowish flame indicating insufficient levels.

But that is a stunning photograph of an F-18.

Brando · Post by **Brando** » 31 Jul 2008 05:53

viveks wrote:Tragedy strikes red-Flag....pilot killed...phrrrrrrrr.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_ ... /f15_crash

The risk of such a collision is incredibly high in the red vs blue face offs. In the video posted on this thread, the number of aircraft that criss cross and use the same airspace is phenomenal . A slight miscommunication or deviation from an established flight plan could lead to accidents in the sky.

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 31 Jul 2008 11:39

Gunfighters and Indians - Workups for Red Flag - Day 3 - Sagar N. Pathak

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 31 Jul 2008 11:48

Kakarat wrote:Gunfighters and Indians - Workups for Red Flag - Day 3 - Sagar N. Pathak

The SU-30 starring down an F-15 from Nellis AFB.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Jul 2008 17:06

http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/shared/m ... 1C-001.jpg

anyone know what this could be? looks like a lathe or grinding machine to me.

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 31 Jul 2008 17:16

Singha wrote:http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/shared/m ... 1C-001.jpg

anyone know what this could be? looks like a lathe or grinding machine to me.

It looks like a CNC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Smal ... Center.jpg

Rupesh · Post by **Rupesh** » 31 Jul 2008 17:24

Kakarat wrote:Gunfighters and Indians - Workups for Red Flag - Day 3 - Sagar N. Pathak

Have we sent some HAL employees to Nellis AFB..i can see two men in HAL uniform

Aditya_M · Post by **Aditya_M** » 31 Jul 2008 18:15

Shivani wrote:Someone help me understand what is going on in this picture:

(Edit: Now with specificity)

What is that equipment? Does this kind of asymmetric layout have any affect aerodynamically and if yes, how do you counter that? Asymmetric thrust or continous rudder input?

Edit: Wait, is that the third (or second) refuelling station? The picture almost makes it look like it is mounted on the main wing.

It is indeed the so called centreline station

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Jul 2008 19:12

indeed they are HAL. must be engineers tasked to look after the electronic systems.

Kapil · Post by **Kapil** » 31 Jul 2008 20:23

Whistle.

Good to see the Lightning Badge on the fin.

Thanks!

Kapil · Post by **Kapil** » 31 Jul 2008 20:25

And yes that is a Haas lathe.

They sell a lot of these from their Bangalore warehouse.

I guess that bit of the offset is under control

MukulMohanty · Post by **MukulMohanty** » 31 Jul 2008 22:21

Rupesh wrote:
Kakarat wrote:Gunfighters and Indians - Workups for Red Flag - Day 3 - Sagar N. Pathak

Have we sent some HAL employees to Nellis AFB..i can see two men in HAL uniform

Funny thing about this photo is that it is parked right next to an F-15 while being serviced. Wouldn't there be a confidentiality issue with this?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 31 Jul 2008 23:12

^^^
that's an F-16.

Anant · Post by **Anant** » 31 Jul 2008 23:28

Rahul's right. It is indeed a Falcon. You can tell by the contour and the landing carriage.

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 01 Aug 2008 03:24

And they are opening the radar compartment too and right next to the Eff solah. Also I don't like the guy getting so close to the aircraft and taking all those pictures. I know US intelligence probably has the aircraft's systems all figured out, but then why help their case?

sum · Post by **sum** » 01 Aug 2008 09:10

Wonder what the Garuds are upto?

No pics of them(even the HAl guys have managed to get themselves photographed

)!!!

vivek_ahuja · Post by **vivek_ahuja** » 01 Aug 2008 11:15

sum wrote:Wonder what the Garuds are upto?

No pics of them(even the HAl guys have managed to get themselves photographed )!!!

I think part of their job description might actually have the following statement writen down somewhere: Don't get yourself photographed while in uniform.

Security issues, you see.

sum · Post by **sum** » 01 Aug 2008 11:54

Was under the impression that one of their jobs was to keep snooping reporters and Amrikans far away from our secret babies...
However, the particular photographer seems to be quite close to comfort,esp when the radar is being serviced(with no visible security(read:Garuds) in sight)!!!!

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 01 Aug 2008 12:55

Does the IL-78 have space in it to carry some equipments for the sukhois? Only one IL-76 to ferry all the 150 odd airmen and officers and the equipment seems to me to be too cramped.
Won't the garudas be deployed to lase the targets while they are hit by the sukhoi's?
Are HAL personnel routinely deployed at all airbases where the MKI operates? or have they been deployed here because the aircraft carries some equipment normally not carried by the ones back home? I mean some sort of recording equipment to analyze the exercises and performances later by TACDE

Shankar · Post by **Shankar** » 01 Aug 2008 13:07

Was under the impression that one of their jobs was to keep snooping reporters and Amrikans far away from our secret babies...
However, the particular photographer seems to be quite close to comfort,esp when the radar is being serviced(with no visible security(read:Garuds) in sight)!!!!
not necessarily the radar is being serviced -all avionics connection need to be checked before and after sorties and that has to be done by taking down the nose cone for accesses. Just by looking inside the nose cone it is diffcicult to gage its performance characteristics

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 01 Aug 2008 15:03

sum wrote:Was under the impression that one of their jobs was to keep snooping reporters and Amrikans far away from our secret babies...
However, the particular photographer seems to be quite close to comfort,esp when the radar is being serviced(with no visible security(read:Garuds) in sight)!!!!

The photgrapher appears to be an IAF officer author of that blog.

Anant · Post by **Anant** » 02 Aug 2008 00:10

Shiv,

While the author of the blog is of Indian ethnicity, he's an American. He works for the Moffett Field Museum. So, he has no linkage to the IAF but more so the USAF.

http://horizontalrain.com/blog/about/

Anant

Mihir · Post by **Mihir** » 02 Aug 2008 00:42

p_saggu wrote:
And they are opening the radar compartment too and right next to the Eff solah. Also I don't like the guy getting so close to the aircraft and taking all those pictures. I know US intelligence probably has the aircraft's systems all figured out, but then why help their case?

Didn't those Flankers go to Red Flag minus their radars?

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 02 Aug 2008 01:04

I thought it would be the case, but we need a guru to confirm. I hypothesised that if god forbid one of the aircraft crashed during exercise in foreign land, all its secrets would be out.
But the link you provide has this error:

NIIP N001 radars

John Snow · Post by **John Snow** » 02 Aug 2008 01:23

Singha wrote:http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/shared/m ... 1C-001.jpg

anyone know what this could be? looks like a lathe or grinding machine to me.

It is CNC Horizontal multi spindle Jig boring or horizontal Machining center.
http://www.directindustry.com/prod/maki ... 61541.html

details
5-axis CNC horizontal machining center MAKINO
MAG Series

MAG Series

click on the video to see the components for aerospace being made

Notice the axis of spindle rotation.

The picture ( guruji) is multi spindle CNC horizontal machining center

VikramS · Post by **VikramS** » 02 Aug 2008 02:35

viveks wrote:Tragedy strikes red-Flag....pilot killed...phrrrrrrrr.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_ ... /f15_crash

http://deepbluehorizon.blogspot.com/200 ... crash.html

http://www.kxnt.com/Deceased-Nellis-Pil ... ed/2709695

The 2nd pilot was an RAF airman who survived.

The pilot killed, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bouley, was the leader of the Nellis' 65th Aggressor Squadron which did not participate in the next day's exercise.

Shows the risk the pilots take every time they go up.

John Snow · Post by **John Snow** » 02 Aug 2008 04:56

I cant beleive that electronics gurus and analysts are not thinking of hidden cameras in those hangers fitted specially for look at Rambha undressed by uncle(in thongs i.e bundle of wires

)

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2008 07:51

so unkil has expensive cnc machines on airbases

boy they are a tough lot...