Roman Numerals

A quick summary of roman numeral conversion is available over at Nova Roma

AirToAirCombat.com

AirtToAirCombat.com is an exhaustive military aviation, fighter jet, and warbird resource.

Aircraft Cockpits

Like instruments, switches, guages and controls? This one’s for you.

Police Radio Codes

If like me, you’ve been watching World’s Wildest Police Videos, World’s Most Amazing Videos, Cops and stuff like that, and keep wondering what those police radio codes are, here’s your answer.

SpaceWar.com

SpaceWar.com is an informative resource for Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons and Missile Defense.

Brevity Code

Brevity codes are used by the military (mostly Air Force personnel), to convey convex information in a few words. Here’s a list of American/NATO Multiservice Tactical Brevity Codes. As far as I know, the codes for alphabets that the Indian defence services use are (corrections/additional info welcome):

Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Gamma Hotel India

Joker Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo

Sera Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey X-ray Yankee Zulu

If you notice carefully, these codes are designed in a way that when somebody is saying them over a noisy radio connection, no two alphabets can be confused with each other. Each of them has a unique sound and has as few syllables as possible (and no silent letters).

Further, all over the world, to reduce confusion between one and nine, the latter is commonly substituted by niner.

Zulu also refers to GMT time.

Also see STANAG (Standardization Agreement) and the NATO STANAG Library (English).

World War II Planes

An interesting take on six of the greatest aircraft from World War II, from a watch company.

Military

It’s not about WAR… it’s about Whiskey Alpha Romeo.

War is evil (some argue a necessary one), but being smart, disciplined, punctual, tough and respected isn’t. Soldiers all over the world put their lives on the line so that people like you and me can live their lives peacefully, and continue fretting about things like traffic, body odour and how tasteless our coffee is.

Although territorial aggression is as old as humans themselves, an organized military is something that came into existence around the same time as what we generally refer to as civilization. A military serves the purpose of not only aggression, but also defence and protection.

The definitive reference is Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”, a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC. The e-book is available at Project Gutenberg here.

05003 Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan

Scale:	1:720
Make:	Revell
Model #:	05003
Year:	2003
Name:	Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan
Description:	Unassembled plastic model kit Skill Level: 5 (difficult) No. of components: 180 Length: 46.6 cm

Features:

• Detailed hull and deck
• New underwater bow section
• Detailed new control tower (island) with large aerial mast
• 2 separate aircraft lifts
• Aircraft carried: F/A-18 Hornet (folded and open wings), E-2 Hawkeye, SH-60 Sea King
• RAM defence systems
• Sea sparrow launch systems
• Tractors
• 4 Propellers
• Display stands
• Detailed decals for all deck markings and lifts

From Revell - Ships:

“The USS Ronald Reagan CVN-76 is the ninth aircraft carrier of the Nimitz Class and is also the most modern vessel of this type. She was called after the 40th President of the United States of America who died on 5th June 2004. Compared with her sister ships this vessel has a number of electronic modifications such as an integrated communications system. The most striking external alternation however is the island; it is larger and higher than its predecessors, of more angular design and also 600 tonnes heavier. The vessel was launched on 5th March 2001 and went into service on 12th July 2003. She has an overall length of 332.85 metres. This carrier has a full load displacement of over 100,000 tonnes, reaches a speed of over 30 knots and can operate for about 20 years on one charge of uranium. She is powered by two nuclear reactors supplying four main engines that operate four five-bladed screws. The carrier is equipped with 4 catapults. The air group consists of over 85 aircraft. The USS Ronald Reagan has a crew of about 3200 seamen and needs 2480 additional people for flying operations.”

WWI Sopwith Camel

Scale:	1:63
Make:	N/A
Model #:	N/A
Year:	1917
Name:	WWI Sopwith Camel
Description:	Sopwith F.1 Camel in Royal Air Force livery

The Sopwith Camel has two claims to fame of interest to me. The first is that it is the aircraft that Snoopy (of the “Peanuts” comic strip) imagines his doghouse to be, when he’s in his WWI flying ace mood. The second (connected) is that it is the aircraft that Canadian pilot Captain Arthur “Roy” Brown was flying when he shot down the [in]famous Red Baron, Captain Manfred von Richthofen.The Red Baron, a German fighter pilot, was the most successful flying ace of World War I, with 80 confirmed kills.