#carrier-based fighter

[carbone14]

Chasseur embarqué Grumman F6F Hellcat

©Kaboldy

[nocternalrandomness]

Photo pass by a 1963 Sea Vixen at the Imperial War Museum Airshow

[stone-cold-groove]

A U.S. Navy Vought F7U-3 Cutlass and its pilot preparing for a shakedown run.

[postcard-from-the-past]

American carrier-based jet fighter aircraft McDonnell F2H Banshee on a vintage postcard

[redarmyscreaming]

Douglas F3D Skyknight is an American twin-engined, mid-wing jet fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed in response to a requirement issued the United States Navy in 1945 for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. Skyknight was successful in that role during the Korean War, achieving a 6:1 kill ratio over the North Korean opposition. The Skyknight would go on to a 20 year service life in several roles for the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

[probablyasocialecologist]

THE REGIONAL WAR in the Middle East now involves at least 16 different countries and includes the first strikes from Iranian territory on Israel, but the United States continues to insist that there is no broader war, hiding the extent of American military involvement. And yet in response to Iran’s drone and missile attacks Saturday, the U.S. flew aircraft and launched air defense missiles from at least eight countries, while Iran and its proxies fired weapons from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

[...]

While the world has been focused on — and the Pentagon has been stressing — the comings and goings of aircraft carriers and fighter jets to serve as a “deterrent” against Iran, the U.S. has quietly built a network of air defenses to fight its regional war. “At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.” As part of that network, Army long-range Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense surface-to-air missile batteries have been deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and at the secretive Site 512 base in Israel. These assets — plus American aircraft based in Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia — are knitted together in order to communicate and cooperate with each other to provide a dome over Israel (and its own regional bases). The United Kingdom is also intimately tied into the regional war network, while additional countries such as Bahrain have purchased Patriot missiles to be part of the network. Despite this unambiguous regional network, and even after Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria earlier this month, the Biden administration has consistently denied that the Hamas war has spread beyond Gaza. It is a policy stance — and a deception — that has held since Hamas’s October 7 attack. “The Middle East region is quieter than it has been in two decades,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an ill-timed remark eight days before October 7. “We don’t see this conflict widening as it still remains contained to Gaza,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said the day after three U.S. troops were killed by a kamikaze drone launched by an Iran-backed militia at a U.S. base in Jordan. Since then (and even before this weekend), the fighting has spread to Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Yemen.

[kaot1c-cl]

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft designed for carrier-based operations. It was developed by Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman) for the United States Navy and first entered service in the 1970s.

It was regarded as one of the most iconic and versatile fighter jets of its time.

[texasteaparty]

Soulmate Hangster au

A soulmate universe where 87% of the population has text writing depicting the name of their soulmate, Bradley is born without a mark at all.

Carole and Nick are aghast, but do their best to be supportive. Their own marks match, in loopy cursive along their inner elbow.

But when Bradley is 4, he wakes up to the burning sensation on his back that makes him cry out. His parents are there in an instant, soothing and confused, both watching in surprise as the beginnings of a mark etches into their sons shoulder—

—but not as writing, or even the start of a name, but as a murky, blurred symbol.

As Bradley grows up, he begins to hide his mark. Not because he's ashamed, or that he doesn't like it, but because it's special. He knows his match is out there somewhere, and their bond is destined for greatness. For something beautiful.

Mav says his mark looks like an unfocused image of an f-14, and his dad agrees. His mom says it doesn't matter what it might be, just that he's sure to have one helluva soulmate if their mark is that of a fighter pilots plane. Uncle Ice spends the following month teaching him the ins and outs of a tomcat, and any other plane Bradley wishes to learn about as well.

High school is a mess. Girls and boys alike flock to Bradley because he's so secretive of his mark. Bets and rumors and guesses flood the student body about who it might be, and why Bradley is hiding it.

(A notable rumor is that his mark names that of a teacher, and that he's secretly fucking them after class everyday. How some people got to that, he'll never know, but it's hilarious. )

Although he gets accepted into Annapolis, he still wants to see if anything may tickle his fancy, so he opts into attending Virginia state university. It's okay, pretty boring and definitely not what he wants to do with his life. So back to school he goes.

Flight school is grueling but people there aren't as worried about marks as they are about surviving the onslaught of hell week and training exercises and studying. Bradley gets acquainted with Natasha, a fiery female pilot that threatens to kick his balls the first time they met.

He also meets Jake Seresin. A very arrogant asshole that makes Bradley want to simultaneously tame the brat and simply lie down and let him show off how he desires. It's confusing and arousing and Bradley can't help but want more; more interaction, more arguments, more more more.

But the one thing that holds him back is that Jake mentions his mark—or lack thereof. He tells it simply, that he's markless and proud and doesn't give a rats ass about soulmates and marks and what anyone thinks.

Bradley, who has spent years yearning for his other half, for his mark to make sense, to share a bond like his parents, like his uncles, he struggles with this.

Because on one hand he's drawn to Jake, but he's also weary of trying to go forth.

So he does neither and let's the festering feelings boil in his chest, and only let's it out as sharp remarks and scathing words. He and Jake become the infamous rivals—always picking apart the others' flaws and performance, always at each other's throats.

Years pass by, and Bradley catches glimpses of Jake on base, on carriers, at local bars with Coyote and some civilian hanging off his arm. He doesn't try to approach him, for fear of that bubbling something in his chest boiling over and spilling out for all to see.

They go to Top Gun, then go their own ways again. Bradley keeps up with Jake's career through inconspicuous probing to uncle Ice and uncle Mav, who answer his questions with knowing looks and teasing jibes.

Time passes. Then one evening Bradley was cooking and everything was fine, until he's brought to his knees by the burning burning burning on his back, his mark scathing so bad he's almost in tears clutching at the countertop. He panics and calls Mav and when the older pilot shows up and checks him over, he's surprised when Mav says his mark had changed, expanded. His tiny little tomcat mark now has two fighter jets, one slightly higher and to the left of his original. Mav doesn't know what it means, nor does Ice or his parents when they call them. So Bradley hopes it means something good and tries to move on.

Then they get called back for the uranium mission.

Bradley hasn't seen Jake in years now, he isn't prepared for Jake at the hard deck to be so bright, to be so cocky. To have a soulmark proudly displayed on the side of his throat, so beautiful and out of this world; the matching mark to Bradley's own.

Theyre soulmates.

It makes sense, then, to him. All those years he spent with Jake at the back of his mind, always a second thought during his days. The need to know what Jake was doing, how he was doing. The desire to learn what Jake's lips taste like. What his skin feels like under his fingertips.

He's breathless and surprised and thrown off guard and almost stumbles when Jake's gaze finally lands on him. "Bradshaw, as I live and breathe."

Bradley has to hope his face isn't doing something ridiculous as he replies, "Hangman, you look" amazing perfect mine "...good."

He has to talk to Jake, but alone. Not right now. They have time.

[usafphantom2]

Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Chance Vought F4U Corsair

Eighty-five years ago today, a warbird legend was born. On May 29, 1940, the prototype Chance Vought F4U Corsair roared to life over Bridgeport, Connecticut, marking the first flight of what would become one of the most iconic carrier-based fighters of World War II.

Published May 29, 2025

4 1

VAN Today in Aviation History Banner

On this day in aviation history—85 years ago, on May 29, 1940—the prototype Chance Vought F4U Corsair took to the skies for the first time. Designated XF4U-1 (bureau number 1443), the aircraft was flown by Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft’s Chief Test Pilot, Lyman A. Bullard Jr., from Bridgeport Municipal Airport in Connecticut. This flight marked the beginning of the Corsair’s legendary journey, which would be forged in the crucible of aerial combat.

ought XF4U 1 Corsair prototype in flight in 1940

The first prototype of the Vought XF4U-1 Corsair in flight in 1940.

The F4U Corsair was a single-seat, carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and built in the United States. It quickly became iconic for its distinctive inverted gullwing design—a solution that provided ground clearance for the large propeller, accommodated the robust landing gear, and allowed space for wing-mounted oil coolers. This wing configuration also contributed to improved aerodynamic efficiency and stability.

1109px XF4U 1 NACA 1940

The Chance Vought XF4U-1 Corsair prototype (BuNo 1443) during tests at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Langley Research Center at Hampton, Virginia (USA), in 1940-41.

During World War II, the Corsair served extensively with both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and it became one of the most successful carrier-based fighters of the conflict. Its rugged construction, high speed, and heavy armament made it a formidable opponent in both air-to-air combat and ground attack missions.

Screen Shot 2018 02 03 at 08.40.44

Charles A. Lindbergh in the cockpit of a Vought F4U-1 Corsair, Green Islands, Solomon Sea, May 1944. (National Air and Space Museum)

Powering the Corsair was the 2,380-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, giving it a top speed of 446 mph. The aircraft had a combat range of 328 miles and a service ceiling of 41,500 feet. The F4U-4 variant featured a four-bladed propeller and was armed with six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, each supplied with 375–400 rounds. It could also be equipped with eight 5-inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVARs) and carry up to 4,000 pounds of bombs, making it a potent multi-role platform.

1945 Goodyear FG 1D Corsair BuNo 67089

The beautiful 1945 FG-1D Corsair sporting John Glenn’s Corsair paint scheme of VMF-155. Photo via Platinum Fighter Sales

In total, 12,571 Corsairs were produced for the war effort. While many were scrapped after WWII, a significant number survived. Today, 38 Corsairs remain airworthy and are regularly seen flying at airshows across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and mainland Europe. Many more are under restoration to return to the skies—a fitting tribute to an aircraft that earned its place among the greats. Keeping the Corsair flying is a way to preserve its legacy and honor the generations of aviators who once flew her into battle.

Vultures Row Aviations F4U Corsair Restorations 34

Vultures Row Aviation’s F4U Corsair known as “Birdcage” with its Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine ready to be installed. Photo- Chuck Wahl/Vultures Row Aviation

[subdee]

While Trump hasn’t made a final decision about whether to strike Iran, he suggested that “the next week is going to be big” and said “I like to make a final decision one second before it’s due, you know, because things change.” Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters: “I may do it, I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m going to do.” The U.S. military, meanwhile, sent a second carrier strike group and F-22 fighters to the region. Trump said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “keep going” and claimed Iran is “defenseless” under Israeli pressure.

He's getting off on this, I hate him so much.

My fellow elder millennials ... Do you remember when literally all of this happened already? Because I do. The protests against the war in Iraq were the LARGEST in our nation's history until the Women's March against Trump in his first term and the #NoKings rally just this past Saturday. Going to war with Iraq was overwhelmingly unpopular among the large number of people who knew it was bullshit. Didn't matter. We went to war. The newspapers lied about weapons of mass destruction to sell the war to Americans who weren't paying attention. Literally no one outside of this country was fooled. If there's another 9/11 type event this time it WILL be an inside job (and I'm no 9/11 truther). You hear that? If Iran conveniently bombs a US base in the next few weeks... no they didn't. Trump's administration did because they're a bunch of delusional warmongers trying to keep their poll numbers up, and they want an excuse to use the military to crack down on the domestic protests this war will inevitably bring on. Only 16% of the country wants to go to war with Iran. Not even Republicans want this war. That's why they will have to manufacture a fake crisis - a Trumpian speciality.

Anyway.

Some reading for you guys, because knowledge is power:

Timothy Snyder: The Next Terror Attack

Laurie Woodward: Trump's Delusion, Our Consequences

Your reps already know you don't want this, but feel free to call them anyway. Write letters to the editor of the local newspaper. Talk to your neighbors. Post anti-war things on social media. And if there's an anti-war rally in your area - show up.

[carbone14]

Un F4U-4 Corsair du Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA-212 est sur la catapulte, prêt pour un lancement depuis le porte-avions d'escorte USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) pour une frappe en Corée – Guerre de Corée – 1952

Photographe : Gerald Haddock

©US Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation - 1996.253.7154.010

[nocternalrandomness]

De Havilland D.H.110 Sea Vixen XJ474 photographed March 1957 over Bournemouth, Hampshire.

[usafphantom5]

11 Jan 1947 – First flight McDonnell F2 H Banshee single-seat carrier-based jet fighter.McDonnell Aircraft. It was an early jet fighter operated by USN and USMC as well as being only jet-powered fighter to ever be deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy.

@kadonkey via X

[nightshadewine]

post apocalyptic chronic illness:

assigning night watches according to which hour someone's pain wakes them up at

wandering sages who consult with weather predictions that they can feel in their bones

scattered handwritten tomes with illness wisdom of the survivors and the long dead

hidden caches of pills and medicine bottles buried under moss covered houses

the local alchemist who tinkers with salvaged alembics to recreate aspirin and other common pain medications

degraded forms for the names of chronic illnesses from being passed down by word of mouth

dystopic settlements which separate the ill based on their conditions, compared to nomadic tribes which intermingle regardless of health conditions

each skeleton and rotting corpse accompanied by an equally rotten mobility aid

wheelchairs fashioned from gnarled oak trees and willow

masks worn to ward off plagues and as camouflage in the forests

the rare healthy survivor that wanders lost throughout the world and occasionally helps out struggling groups of the ill

community organised around energy levels and pain

untranslatable medical textbooks from the old language and hand-tattooed symbols of chemicals that once meant something

cults of healthy people who use pain- and exhaustion-addled chronically ill people as slaves

subsequent freedom fighters who work in shifts of seasons lasting years to recover from the incredible damage their work has done

stories and myths of cures that were once known and now lost passed by whispers from town to town by traders and wanderers

mystic areas like hinkley and taishan which misguided cunning folk promote as cures

languages evolving around pain and fatigue

coming of age rites which involve acquiring an adult mobility aid fashioned and blessed by elders

sigils worn by immune carriers of pestilence to warn off vulnerable folk

funerals mostly involve cremation or rotting as no one has the strength to dig graves

first-generation adults who are mostly silent from the shock of sudden and inescapable pain

later-generation children who start to fill the world with laughter because pain is all they have known and they will live regardless

water is collected in pails, because the word for pots has become associated with something else

migration patterns to avoid intense heat and cold which worsen illness

annual periods of loneliness and isolation to avoid infection

the few who grow out of their illness and give hope to the majority living in pain

still observed rituals like fasting the feet and calves with tight wrappings which once had a purpose but have now been forgotten

whole generations of humanity learning to create art and stories around their newfound shared suffering

family remedies specific to the few illnesses that are predominant in that line

gardens grown with herbs cultivated for the needs of the community illnesses

passed down recipes for the ones they call seelacks, but no one knows why

family books for recording and tracking generational symptoms

folk charms tailored to each condition, with bones for the theebromyals, and dried skin charms for the lupines

elderly arthritic folk who take years to sew together blackout curtains from old cloth for the myaljiks

hobbled together museums in damp buildings displaying canes from a bygone era, which can be loaned to those in need

stray ankylosing animals who are taken in and cared for by village eccentrics

specially made wooden boxes for heirlooms like stethoscopes, whose purpose is still known and used, but which can no longer be made

rumours of creatures in the darkness driven mad by pain, who prey on the weak and lost

fairy stones - piles of stones which are to be added to when a stranger comes across a corpse draped in white cloth, signifying one who took themselves off to die

feeding tubes made from animal gut and twine

rumours of strange and evil symptoms which pass through communities rarely and are said to be hallmarks of sprites

[dangerousthingobservation]

US Navy Grumman F9F Panther, a carrier based jet fighter-bomber. Saw extensive action in the Korean War. A later swept-wing F9F variant designated the Cougar continued to serve as a fighter and as a two seat trainer long after Korea. Grumman fighters were loved for their toughness and overall capabilities, particularly in Naval service.