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Two SU-27's intercept B-52 over the Black Sea

Randy Daytona said:
I still remember the Russian artillery engaging targets in Iceland - and then their commanding officer sees the massive bulks of the Iowa and New Jersey steaming into view. Uh oh…

I think Griz and Wink will back me up, but as good as Red Storm Rising is, The Third World War by General Sir John Hackett is better. The conversation also reminded me of A Passing Advantage by Mark McGarrity. I remember reading it about 40 years ago - now wondering how well it held up. (The US uses cloud seeding to develop an immense snowstorm immobilizing the Soviet tank armies.)


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The Third World War is a great read…I love the opening.
 
IKE said:
We already had an Oceanhawk, and it is sorely missed every time I fly one of its replacements.

NOTE: Unlike the HSC community, I understand that Oceanhawk was just a fun, unofficial nickname for the SH-60F Seahawk.
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I'm not sure what you missed but the helo under discussion is a 60F in the book. Since red storm Rising arguably takes place in the mid to late 80s the 60F was discussed as a new aircraft at the time of the story.
 
Clancy was just unwittingly ahead of his time with the idea of embarking a dipper on a smallboy.

The hangar on the Spruances could fit an H-3 (there were tiedown points labelled as such) and definitely fit a 60F (60B's Irish twin). I'm not so sure about the Perrys being able to swallow an H-3 (the folded up 60 just barely fit) and I don't have a copy of the ships resume to look it up anyway. The Navy has embarked helos on hangarless Flight 1 Burkes for short periods, left them out in the weather (obviously) and used a lot of fresh water to fight the salt buildup. I mean tactically embarked with a mini det footprint, not just lily padding or overnighting because of unusual circumstances.

Either way, Clancy's poetic license to have a 60F cooperating with RBJ isn't far fetched at all.
 
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Pags said:
I'm not sure what you missed but the helo under discussion is a 60F in the book. Since red storm Rising arguably takes place in the mid to late 80s the 60F was discussed as a new aircraft at the time of the story.
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Ah, well, what I missed is the whole book. I haven't read fiction in a long time, and when I did it was along the Heinlein, Herbert, Asimov vector.

Also, it's really easy for me to rant about the kaniggit-hawk moniker.
 
Jim123 said:
Clancy was just unwittingly ahead of his time with the idea of embarking a dipper on a smallboy.

The hangar on the Spruances could fit an H-3 (there were tiedown points labelled as such) and definitely fit a 60F (60B's Irish twin). I'm not so sure about the Perrys being able to swallow an H-3 (the folded up 60 just barely fit) and I don't have a copy of the ships resume to look it up anyway. The Navy has embarked helos on hangarless Flight 1 Burkes for short periods, left them out in the weather (obviously) and used a lot of fresh water to fight the salt buildup. I mean tactically embarked with a mini det footprint, not just lily padding or overnighting because of unusual circumstances.

Either way, Clancy's poetic license to have a 60F cooperating with RBJ isn't far fetched at all.
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No FLIR on the 60F; that must save ~2 ft of folded length.
 
IKE said:
Ah, well, what I missed is the whole book. I haven't read fiction in a long time, and when I did it was along the Heinlein, Herbert, Asimov vector.

Also, it's really easy for me to rant about the kaniggit-hawk moniker.
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You should read it, it's a fun read (and easy).

Sorry for any snark in my reply, was not intended.
 
IKE said:
No FLIR on the 60F; that must save ~2 ft of folded length.
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It actually didn't save any room. The aircraft would be spotted in the same place with or without the FLIR due to the RAST track ending. No FLIR did make it easier to slither around the nose to the Mx shop in the port hangar, especially if you had a HAZMAT locker (or something similar) just in front of the helo. If you had a FLIR in the starboard hangar, it usually wasn't worth the effort to get around and was easier to just walk all the way around the tail.

But...<pushes glasses up>...there wouldn't have been any FLIR at the time, since even if it was a Bravo, they didn't really get them until the '90's.

I'm traveling during the 4th holiday. Looks like I'll have something new to read.
 
HAL Pilot said:
There used to be H-3s and SH-60Fs operating off destroyers and cruisers in SoCal back when. They’d go out for training when the CVs stayed home. We’d train with them all the time.
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Did a whole deployment with two Sierras on an FFG, no issues. RAST was not necessary.....
 
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