Airfix Model World 07/2013

Ilyushin's 11-2 was one of the most prolific and feared aircraft of World War Two. Designed under the codename 'Ivanov', a total of 36,163 machines were produced in several variants, some being more important than others. One such sub-type was the II-2M, which had two seats and 37mm cannons. The II-2 was a key player in the fight against Germany on the Eastern Front, and it entered service just three months after the onslaught of Operation Barbarossa, in June 1941. It was powered by a 1660hp engine (AM-38), while its armament consisted of two 20mm cannon and two 7.62mm machine guns, and various bombs and rockets. The Shturmovik became a formidable and much-feared tank-killer, as its firepower could easily destroy almost any piece of German armour.lts importance was such that in 1942, it accounted for one third of the total aircraft inventory of the Soviet Air Force.

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Combat Aircraft Monthly 07/2013

THE NORTHROP GRUMMAN X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) conducted its first carrier-based catapult launch from the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia on 14 May. The milestone occurred at 11.18hrs local time. Following the launch the X-47B executed several planned low approaches to the carrier, demonstrating its ability to navigate precisely within the controlled airspace around the aircraft carrier. The UCAS-D subsequently transited across the Chesapeake Bay and control of the air vehicle was passed from a mission operator aboard the carrier to another located in the Mission Test Control Center at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, where the X-47B landed at the conclusion of the 65-minute flight. The X-47B subsequently began touch-and-go operations aboard the ship from 17 May. It will fly multiple approaches to the George H. W. Bush and additional shore-based testing will be conducted at Pax River in preparation for its first arrested landing at sea later this summer.

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Dambusters - The Amazing Story of Operation Chastise

WHEN WAR was declared on September 3,1939, Britain was in no position to mount any serious bombing raids on Germany. The aircraft may have been reasonably modern but the bombs, bomb-sights and methods of accurate targeting were lacking. So the plans that had been worked out by the RAF Air Targets Sub Committee in October 1937 to attack strategic targets in Germany remained on paper. Among the key targets that had been identified as important was the Ruhr valley, where the
bulk of German steel production was concentrated and where many armament and heavy industry producers were located. An Air Ministry committee had worked out that 3,000 sorties would be required to destroy the Ruhr area in Germany and bring the area to a standstill. However, they also worked out that the number of missions could be significantly reduced if the six important reservoir dams that fed the factories of the Ruhr could be breached. The problem the planners faced was that there was no aircraft or weapon large enough to carry out the task. To consider the possibilities and find a solution, an Air Ministry Bombing Committee was formed. At a meeting on July 26,1938, they concluded that a low-level aerial attack on the dams was possible and that the subject deserved further investigation.

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Military Machines International 07/2013

Organiser Rex Cadman is best known for The War and Peace Show, which was at The Hop Farm in Kent for 25 years, moving after celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012. Rex organised this with his team from 1989, taking it from a small club show started by the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS) with just 100 vehicles in 1982, to the world's biggest military vehicle event. The War and Peace Show was the first to feature living history, military vehicles, trade stalls and battle re-enactments together and to introduce vintage entertainment, fashion shows and dance lessons/demonstrations. 2013 sees the move of War and Peace to RAF Westenhanger, Folkestone Racecourse. Featuring military and vintage civilian re-enactors, living history, battle re-enactments and arena events, vintage entertainment, shopping, funfair and models it's a great family day out.

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Model Military International 07/2013

The Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank was developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s. It replaced the earlier Leopard 1 series as the Main Battle Tank of the German Army The Leopard 2 first entered service in 1979 and has been continuously modernised and upgraded over the years since its introduction, serving with the armed forces of Germany and twelve other countries. The Leopard 2 has seen active service in Kosovo with the German Army and Afghanistan, and with the Danish and Canadian contingents of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Over 3,480 Leopard 2s have been produced since it first entered service. In 1963, the United States and Germany began work on a joint tank development. This was expected to ease logistics and supply for NATO. The new tank was known as the MBT70 and was quite a revolutionary design. Unfortunately, many of its systems were just too complex and expensive which eventually put an end to the project in 1969.

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