"Best of" video from the 2012 FIDAE air show

Airbus has just released a 'best of' video from this year's FIDAE (Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio) air show in Chile.

Highlights include the A380 Super Jumbo and the A400M military transport, as well as a rather natty Latin tune.
 

Fully-Restored M151 Jeep

We just dug out some pictures of a beautifully-maintained M151A2 MUTT (Multi-Utility Tactical Truck).

Though to the untrained eye this may look like the classic Willys Jeep seen in so many war films, this is actually a later evolution of that popular American concept. Initially built by Ford, the M151 series replaced the well-known MB and M38 jeep Light Utiity Vehicles that had served so well in WWII and Korea.

In production from 1959 until 1982, some of these M151s may still be in service with the US military but they have virtually all been replaced by the bigger HMMWV. This means the vehicle you see here forms a direct family link from the Jeeps and Hummers on today's roads to the primitive but invaluable jeeps that bounced their way across war fronts on at least four of the world's continents some 75 years ago.

The M151 first saw service in Vietnam and as late as 1999, US Marines were using a FAV (Fast Attack Vehicle) variant of the MUTT in Kosovo.

Despite the MUTT looking like a relic of a bygone age and its having been elbowed aside by the Humvee for almost all front-line applications by US troops, the M151 can still be found in active use with dozens of the world's armies.

Thanks to YouTube, we found a few high-quality videos of an M151A2 for you to enjoy.

The example in these videos appears to be in even better condition. It certainly carries more period equipment.

The Ekranoplan - AKA Caspian Sea Monster AKA кранопла́н AKA KM

The CIA dubbed them the "Caspian Sea Monsters" (one might think because US government spy satellites and overflights spotted these gargantuan beasts skimming across the Caspian Sea but more likely the name came from intelligence "agents" who witnessed the things in what amounts to full flight). The Soviets called them KM. Known as ekranoplan (Russian экранопла́н "screen plane"), these ground effect craft (GEV- ground effect vehicle) were designed to exploit two advantages of low-level flight - the low-propulsion requirements of ground effect flight (WIG - Wing in Ground effect), and the ability to fly below radar coverage.

The Soviets designed, developed and built a range of these huge GEV. They built troop carriers, military transports and they even built versions that operated as (extremely) mobile missile launch platforms. The largest, the KM, weighed some 540 tonnes fully-loaded and could carry over 100 tonnes of cargo (that's as much as a Boeing 757!.

These were some big, bad, battle-cruisers. The only thing they lacked were those cool, robotically-controlled laser guns you see in the movies. Oh, and the ability to jump to warp speed. But no doubt the Soviets had that well in hand too. Damn you, Reagan. DAMN YOU!

Not to worry, the Chinese are on the case.



Not had enough? There is some cool Google Earth-related stuff here.

Russia's Mi-26 Is a GINORMOUS Helicopter

No really. It is gigantic. Have you ever seen a Very Big Helicopter? You know, the Boeing CH-47 Chinook? You must have seen one of those big beasties on TV. They've been a feature of TV and movies since Vietnam and are regularly dropping out of the sky, slamming into mountain sides and otherwise getting into the news.

The Chinook is a BIG helicopter.

Well, the Mi-26 Halo has a takeoff weight more than double that of the Chinook. If the Chinook is considered a "heavy lift" helicopter, what does that make the Mi-26? In fact, the USA hired a Mi-26 to collect a Chinook that had been downed in Afghanistan.

You must have seen the Lockheed Hercules. The C-130 military variant is on TV at least as much as the Chinook. The Mi-26's cargo hold is almost as big as that of the Hercules. The Hercules needs a runway (albeit a short one, especially with JATO).

The Mi-26 goes STRAIGHT UP.

The Mi-26's main rotor carries eight blades and has a diameter of 32 metres!

The wimpy version of the Mi-26 has two engines generating almost 25,000 shaft horsepower between them. Updated versions are expected to have nearly fifty per cent more power.

However you cut it, this is some serious machinery.

The biggest problem is finding pictures that really convey the awesome scale of this beast. I've scoured the web so you don't have to.

You can get a full rundown on the Mil Mi-26's statistics here and good pictures are available here, here, here and here.

There's more information about the Mi-26 here and here and details of the awful shooting down of Russian Air Force Mi-26 at Khankala, Chechnya here. Details of Putin's measured response to the killing of 127 Russians are here.

And yes, they are for sale.