Big E

Its another Big E shot on the horizon.

Did you know that the USS Enterprise is the first nuclear power carrier which bears the name which is not linked to any person or iconic figure.

Being the first nuclear powered carrier in the US Navy, it will also be the first to be decommissioned by the US Navy.

Carrying 70 aircrafts on normal deployment, the Big E has the ability to store a maximum of 90 aircrafts. The carrier is laden with mid range anti air weapon system like the Phalanx and Sea Sparrows, its air wing is the mainstay for its defense and offense. Not only does its airwing cover the defense perimeter of its own ship but also the entire fleet.

The carrier is capable of many sorts of missions. From anti submarine to deep strike air assault, the Big E has the capabilities of what a super-carrier ought to have.




On another note, have been playing World in Conflict, and i was telling josh about how awesome it is. For all those out there who have had their hands on it, im sure u can testify to the fact that this RTS is a winner in many levels and its online platform is very user friendly and awesome to play with. First Sergeant Right now.. working onwards!! WOohoo.

As for model kit construction, still grinding SLOWLY at my next Ticonderoga class VLS Cruiser. Its the case of the usual "too many work, too little time" scenario which has dampen my productivity in getting the ship constructed in double time :P

Enterprise Class Carrier

Hi ppl, i am back again. Hope you all enjoyed many of Joshua's informative and really cool entries

The dude has been a real partner in this military blog. He has also been an awesome help when it comes to doing what we enjoy most. And tht is taking good pictures of military collectibles.

Today, we shall focus on the BIG E.

i Cant recall my last picture in which i focused on the BIG E. But i am prety sure that this is the first horizon shot we have done on the ship.

The USS Enterprise is probably the oldest commission ship in the active US fleet at the moment. Furthermore, it is the oldest carrier in the fleet that has seen conflicts that spanned from post WW2 to the modern age. Form the Korean War to the Gulf War 2, the Enterprise has been the oldest and most iconic symbolism of US Supremacy on waters.

And it will continue to be until the USS Gerard R. Ford CVN-78 will replaced her. The decommisioning period is scheduled to be around year 2014-2015.

Its pretty amazing though. That the BIG E is already 47 years old. Some would say that it could be even older than your daddys and mummys. As far as i noe, all of my friends are way younger than the Big E.

To put things in perspective, the BIG E has outlast most of the ships during her commissioning period. She has also outlast majority of the planes that first set on her deck 40 years ago as well as accommodate for new planes on her flight deck.

The USS Enterprise is an inspirational piece of engineering and military might. And it would be interesting to find out what piece of marvellous engineering will continue to be a long and firm presence in the years to come.

F117 Fly-by

Hey Everyone

Today we have the final feature of JQ's F117 model, this time with a portrait perspective as it flies by in the sunset...from this angle the shot captures the 'awkwardness' of the F117's design, as it became an icon in fighter technology of the '90s after its public announcement that occurred in 1988, about 10 years since the decision was made to undertake full development of the aircraft.

I wonder...would anyone want to venture in buying a Nighthawk now? Not sure if the US is interested in selling that kind of technology to another country...even if it is considered 'old', stealth fighters are still a technological niche that is dominated by the US.


Interestingly, the F117's stealth technology presented an unique 'challenge' to friendly planes too. During the Kosovo War, a F117 was escorted by a wing of F15 Eagles during a strike run. The Eagles were notified of the Nighthawk's presence, but the problem is...they couldn't even detect the plane at all! It so happened that the Eagles met a Yugoslav Fulcrum, and one of them shot an AMRAAM missile...luckily the missile barely missed the Nighthawk that flew in between them, and managed to down the Fulcrum in the end. It was said the missile simply just flew past the Nighthawk's cockpit...

Well, it's about time for me to hand over the blog to JQ, and it has been my honor to type on this blog for your military interests. Thanks for reading, and give a good cheer to...JQ!

Night Hawk Grey Sky

Here's another shot of the world-renowned Nighthawk. I remember this shot being a challenge since I had to hold the tip of the wing (and keep the position there), and JQ had the camera in hand and had to make sure the sky was completely sky (no trees/buildings).


The F117 Nighthawk proved to be an effective stealth bomber, recording a disproportionately high amount of successful bombing runs against enemy strategic targets in the Gulf war (they comprised of 2.5% of aircraft deployed by the US, and hit 40% of high value targets). Best known to be the pioneer of stealth technology in warplanes, the F117 served in multiple campaigns that include Operations Just Cause, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom,

Of course, we all know that the Yugoslav army was able to down one of these guys using 'ancient' SA-3 Goa missiles. It wasn't a random shot in the sky, as the Yugoslavs figured out that if you tried hard enough, you could spot F117s via different methods like IR/Nightvision spotting, unusually high wavelength for radar (F117s actually momentarily show up this way), knowledge of previous F117 strike paths, and proper positioning of SAM sites (which had to be altered constantly to avoid being destroyed by other US aircraft). It is understood that the SAM crew at that time were able to locate and track the F117, and managed to shoot it down. One factor against the F117 was that it lacked radar warning indicator, which gave the pilot only 6 seconds to react to a missile if she/he saw flame from the launched missile.