June 1, 2015

Oxford Graduates from Flying School

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As college students by the thousands are graduating from university, it makes sense that Oxford would cash in on the educational theme, if you can call it that. As part of their ever-expanding History of Flight Collection, this British-based model maker intends to bring out a Percival Proctor radio trainer and communication aircraft for the new semester. Not an aircraft that instantly springs to mind amongst the aviation community, the Proctor is, nonetheless, an important aircraft within RAF circles, since it was developed from the Percival Vega Gull in response to Air Ministry Specification 20/38 for a radio trainer and communications aircraft. To meet the requirement, the aircraft based on the Vega Gull had larger rear cabin windows and the fuselage was six inches longer. Modifications were made to the seats to enable the crew to wear parachutes, and other changes to enable a military radio and other equipment to be fitted. In early 1939 an order was placed for 247 aircraft to meet operational requirement OR.65.

Other new air and ground units were also announced by Oxford, so it may take another day or so before they are all up on our site.

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Eaglemoss Puts Four More Vessels to Sea

EMGC40

Earlier today, we learned that four more Eaglemoss warships are pegged for an early June release. The four newbies include Imperial Japanese Navy Nagato Class Battleship – Mutsu (@EMGC13), Imperial Japanese Navy Tone Class Heavy Cruiser – Tone (#EMGC24), Imperial Japanese Navy Zuiho Class Light Aircraft Carrier – Zuiho (#EMGC29), and German Kriegsmarine Deutschland Class Heavy Cruiser – SMS Admiral Graf Spee (#EMGC40). All will likely sell out fast, each covering important subject matter and packed in their traditional bookcase packaging including a full-color magazine.

As an aside, we will not be stocking any of the warships in the series that come simply in the clam shell packaging without the accompanying literature or box. We have just a couple of the German U-Boats left in stock, so if you’re interested, now would be a good time to jump on them.

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The Aircraft Carrier – No Longer the White Elephant in the Room

Carriers

Ever since the dawning of the nuclear age, pundits have long claimed that the aircraft carrier has seen its due, a product of a bygone era that is no longer capable of defending itself against a litany of threats.  If that were indeed true, then perhaps someone should discuss these conclusions with the Peoples Republic of China, Japan, India and Thailand, all of whom now posses an aircraft carrier of one sort or another.

While China is utilizing its first carrier, more-or-less, as a training platform and testbed for future aircraft designs such as the Shenyang J-31, they are currently building a more straightforward design, which includes the use of a catapult system and angled flight decks, and slated to get underway before 2020.

Other countries in the Pacific Rim and southern Asia are also seeking to expand their own capabilities despite the cost of building and operating a carrier. Like China, India has purchased an older Soviet Union-era aircraft carrier to serve as their operational fleet air arm, while quietly developing their own indigenous fleet of  aircraft-carrying warships. Likewise, Japan, still prevented in part by its constitution to project power overseas, can transition its pair of carriers from carrying helicopters to US-made F-35B joint strike fighters.

Thailand still remains a bit of a mystery in the aircraft carrier equation, possessing a smaller and less capable warship bereft of any aircraft, due, in large part, to funding shortfalls. And, with Russia continuing to flex its muscles and threaten its neighbors around the world, it is perhaps only a matter of time before they get back into the aircraft carrier game with an entirely new design.

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The US and Vietnam: Unlikely Allies in the 21st Century

MetalShark

As the Peoples Republic of China continues to unnerve its neighbors in the South China Sea, the US has quietly been bolstering its southeast Asia allies, and, rather curiously, courted new ones  some would never expect to see within the US sphere of influence. In his recent trip to Vietnam, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter agreed that “the US will provide $18 million to Vietnam to help procure coast guard patrol vessels, a first step in what Secretary of Defense Ash Carter hopes is a growing military relationship between those two countries”, according to Defense News.

This isn’t the first time that the US has peered over the spectacles of Communism and looked beyond its decades-long differences with a nation in order to shore up its other interests abroad. Currently, the US has begun the arduous task of normalizing relations with Cuba, has strengthened its ties to former Soviet controlled Baltic republics, stood with Ukraine and Georgia in their territorial disputes with Russia, and looked to bring other nations into the fold of NATO in the resource-rich Arctic region. As China continues to assert its influence over the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands, they have created a difficult diplomatic situation with Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, while simultaneously transitioning the Peoples Liberation Army Navy from one of home waters defense to a blue water navy. Recently they concluded a joint exercise with Russian warships in the Mediterranean, underlying their growing allegiance with Russia and expanding role of its maritime forces.

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