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Appears to be 3 British Carrier Pilots with their Corsairs

British pilots of a Corsair squadron based on the HMS Illustrious, isn't it?[:D]

Its the modern HMS Illustrious,the Sea Harriers are being retired
and the new VTOL planes are not ready.Plus its probably all we can afford anyway.
Maybe the MOD could buy back HMS Hermes from India.

French Navy can not afford much more with our single CVN Charles de Gaulle only sailing 6 months per year although the Rafale M based on it are pretty efficient fighters. May be should we reactivate the CV Clemenceau who is waiting at Toulon for her destruction, too sad...[:D] Oh, I forgot we have picked up her screw-propellers to equip the first one.[;)]
Our both government have planned to build CV in cooperation, isn't it? But when it will be done...[&:]one day...

More seriously I really think it is british pilots of a Corsair squadron based on the HMS Illustrious may be after operations over Sumatra...I guess...

The middle one is Clive Wayne, uncle of Bruce Wayne, showing off his concept of a "Bat Vest".

Normaly I would not offer up a Hint but in this case I will make an exception, one of three men shown is a Famious Canadian, his fame is tied to the planes in the background.

the one on the right is the famous Ace , Louie Corsair!!

It is, Lt. Don Sheppard(Far Right).


..................


Lt. Don Shepard was the RN's Only all Cousare ace, interestingly he was actualy in the RCNVR.

I wonder why the French or British don't just buy one of our old Carriers off teh shelf? They are not Nuclear but they are modern, up to date Conventionals sitting in various ports, in ready reserve. We sell off old ships to countries all the time, hell we Have teh Midway in San Diego right now, and she is a museum. She fought in teh Gulf War I and had more sorties off of here than any other ship. We have the Constelation which was on Active duty 'till this past OCtober. SHe is slated for Scrap so I know that coudl be sold. Oh well, I guess they jsut don't want American castoff's? oh, and our carriers woudl be larger and carry more aircraft than your new "ight" ships. Maybe that is why? But if that is the case we have several old LHD's (Tarawa class) that you coudl turn into Jump/Helo carriers very easily. Just an idea.

If we can sell ships to Turkey, and Lybia (long ago) we should be able to sell them to GB and France.

UB

The retired ships are old, tired, expensive to operate and badly in need of expensive upgrades to electronics and probably other systems as well. I think Midway was retired at a point in her life where it would require another SLEP (costing several hundred million dollars) just to keep her running. At that point she is a liability rather than an asset.

BTW, what exactly is the French aircraft carrier's raison d'etre?

Thats completley Irrelevant! (sorry I couldn't resist!)

I agree the Midway woudl have been expensive, but eh Connie woudl not be that bad. She was up to date for her last WESTPAC. Ther are several others I am sure that woudl fit the bill, and be cheaper to refit than to build from Keel up.

UB

Thanks for your generous suggestion.[:D]
The next French Navy CV should be bigger than the current one but she will not be built and put in active service before 2014.(should be able to carry 40 Rafale M).
We don't need your old LHD as we have already 2 LHD in construction which will be in active service in 2005 and 2006 and
the Mistral and Tonnerre will carry our AH Tiger.[:D]

Thats completley Irrelevant! (sorry I couldn't resist!)

You couldn't resist? That's just passing the buck, Uncle.

We could use them,old carriers. in a massive real time test of soviet shipbuster and our anti shipbuster missiles... What is that huge air launched mf they developed?

Europe cant afford to mantain a CV much less build one. Selling one would do no good.

Thats right I forgot they lost all of there Defense Budget when they stopped gettign all teh money form Iraq for arms sales. [:@]

hmmm, he Tim Horton, eh. First onboard "Coffee Vest", not Mae West. [:D]

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

Europe cant afford to mantain a CV much less build one. Selling one would do no good.

Psst!!! Don't tell the Royal Navy, they've got 2 new carriers being built...[8D]
Of course, they'll need aircraft to fly off of them, so you guys had best hurry up with the new VSTOL fighter! [;)]

Steve.

ORIGINAL: steveh11Matrix

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

Europe cant afford to mantain a CV much less build one. Selling one would do no good.

Psst!!! Don't tell the Royal Navy, they've got 2 new carriers being built...[8D]
Of course, they'll need aircraft to fly off of them, so you guys had best hurry up with the new VSTOL fighter! [;)]

Steve.

Of course... I forgot that dear old blighty designed and built the Harrier VTOL aircraft[8D][&o]. AND we gave the Harrier it to the Americans for free who could then copy and build it for free without paying us a penny, which I thought was jolly decent of us as we're cannon fodder... I mean Allies[8|]. Who then shafted us something rotten by making us have to pay for each and every C130 Hercules we commisioned for the RAF[:-]. Without Harrier your much vaunted Marines would not have had the perfect air support weapons platform.