Military Aircraft Videos

U.S. Army STOL transports: CV-2 Caribou dynmicpara

When General Gavin was denied putting the world's first satellite into orbit to beat Sputnik by the corrupt Secretary of Defense Wilson http://www.combatreform.com/warandpeaceinthespaceage.htm he was later vindicated by events and to make amends, DoD relented from BS USAF pressure to hog up all fixed-wing aircraft unto themselves and funded OV-1 Mohawk observation/attack planes and CV-2 Caribou transport planes both of which were short take-off and landing (STOL) to operate from short length dirt strips to reduce forward operating base size. The USAF wants to operate from comfy air bases with paved runways that are excellent targets for enemy attack using the convenient, self-created excuse provided by larger transport planes. The USAF later stabbed-the-Army-in-the-back saying they should operate the "C-7" Caribous at the height of the Vietnam war, then retired them in typical bait 'n switch. Since that time we have been saddled with defending and resupplying huge bases--size driven by long runways for pampered transport planes resulting in alienating the local populace of our obnoxious "Ugly American" presence and killing our men in easily ambushed resupply trucks or bleeding the taxpayers dry if air resupply is solely used. One positive USAF action was to take a turboprop version of the Caribou, the "Buffalo" and fit an Air Cushion Landing System (ACLS) years BEFORE the Iranian Hostage crisis...the XC-8A ACLS worked fantastic but the air base pampered aviators didn't want to get dirty so the technology was buried while 8 AF/Mc airmen were burned up needlessly at Desert One in 1980 when an unqualified for SpecOps flying marine helicopter pilot collided with a C-130 on the ground needed to refuel the hungry, inefficient VTOL means. http://www.combatreform.com/c130.htm Had the Army kept Caribous and updated them a special operations aviation version with ACLS for Extreme Short Take-Off and Landings (ESTOL) could have been available in time for the Iran rescue attempt (possibly with Credible Sport rockets for landing in the nearby stadium) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxfpGPWtoOY to preclude the use of mechanically unreliable, fuel-hungry helicopters to get the mission force and hostages transported. The V-22 is a continuation of this failed helicopter mentality when what we really need is to PARACHUTE IN and ESTOL OUT like the SUCCESSFUL Los Banos Prisoner Rescue: http://www.combatreform.com/paratrooper.htm The good news is that the Army is now getting C-27J Spartan twin-turbofan STOL transport planes to regain the small forward operating base resupply and self Airborne Assault 3D maneuver capabilities with M113 Gavin light tanks it should have had all along had it kept operating its own fixed-wing STOL transports. http://www.combatreform.com/aircraftphotos.htm Go Army! Want to know more? Our book, "Air-Mech-Strike: Asymmetric Maneuver Warfare for the 21st Century" is ONLINE for FREE skyjacked by Google! http://books.google.com/books?id=RCWtHnYZ0LMC&pg (more)