F-117A retiring. A world mourns.

[Asher]

If you had real aircraft carriers with real aircraft, you'd see why the Harrier isn't that great.

The only thing exceptional about it is it can take off vertically.

[Cort Haus]

And if you don't have any real carriers, a VTOL is just the ticket.

The damn thing won a war - can't argue with that.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
And if you don't have any real carriers, a VTOL is just the ticket.

The damn thing won a war - can't argue with that.

Yes, you can.

All it did was launch American missiles at long range. They still lost 3 to ground fire and another 3 due to "operational errors" (mostly due to the design of the aircraft).

They still couldn't stop the incoming Hercules airplanes either.

They were simply a generic airplane that happened to take off vertically because the British Navy is pathetic enough to not have real carriers. You could have won that war with Spitfires, provided the Americans gave them Sidewinders as well.

[Cort Haus]

I'm not saying it was a great plane. In fact a number of people at the MoD thought it was complete crap and would fail in the Falklands, so it probably exceeded expectations.

I didn't realise that Spitfires had VTOL, though. Thanks for teh info.

[Asher]

Use the money saved on the Spitfires for a real carrier, and you got yourself a winner.

[Dauphin]

Spitfire.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Dauphin
Spitfire.

Favorite plane of WW2.