German military kicks off heavy lift helicopter competition

Post by d__k » Fri, Dec 15, 2017, 9:07 PM UTC

distances wrote: post #34

leroy_masochist wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure it makes sense to buy military aircraft from any given country if being able to stop them from invading you is your military's primary mission.

It depends a bit. For example Finland used to use a lot of Soviet weaponry while (practically if not officially) preparing to deter Soviet attack. Some upsides: - Results in trade deals with a neighboring superpower - In case of war, looted enemy armament is familiar and compatible - Cheaper due to Soviet attempts to keep sphere of influence (e.g. no direct NATO compatibility)

Post by d__k » Fri, Dec 15, 2017, 9:16 PM UTC

vpribish wrote: post #33

AcerbicZero wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well besides the political aspect of Germany sourcing key military hardware from what is arguably their largest regional threat, there would also be possible logistical and maintenance issues. Also switching to Russian Helicopters (The company) and trying to integrate those into the NATO force structure would likely require a great number of changes to be made to the aircraft, which might make them non-competitive on…

not to detract in any way, but Germany was operating Soviet Mig-29s alongside NATO kit for years (maybe still?) after reunification. So if anyone could do it...

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Dec 15, 2017, 9:24 PM UTC

Post by dozzie » Fri, Dec 15, 2017, 9:40 PM UTC

foldr wrote: post #48

alexanderstears wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

During the D maintenance, every part should be inspected. Things like fuel lines should be inspected much more regularly, ideally more often than it would take to rub through a fuel line. But a visual inspection on a fuel line can be really difficult. I had a motorcycle with a leaky fuel line once, luckily it sprung a leak while warming up in my driveway and I turned off the bike before anything bad happened but it w…

If the 6 million parts figure is correct, it's obvious that it is not possible to inspect every part of a 747. Suppose we allow 1 minute per part inspection. Then that's still about 11 years of inspection time (without taking any breaks!)

Post by leroy_masochist » Fri, Dec 15, 2017, 9:47 PM UTC

devereaux wrote: post #54

leroy_masochist wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stopping a major combined arms invasion from an easterly neighbor is the focus of all of Germany's big training exercises to this day. Instead of whatever the Heer says through its public affairs officers, look at what is actually being practiced and paid for with the Euros in the defense budget. It's not counterinsurgency, it's not disaster relief, it's training out of Wildflecken focused on stopping a theoretical i…

Why not penetrating with tanks, starting Kaliningrad, through Poland??? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulda_Gap : "With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the reunification of Germany in 1990, and the subsequent withdrawal of Soviet forces, the Fulda Gap lost its strategic importance, but it remains a powerful symbol of the Cold War."