#lockhead martin

[w4ddle]

Return of my OC, Lockhead Martin!

[riseuptimes]

Caitlin Johnstone: The Mad Propaganda Push To Normalize War Profiteering In Ukraine

[terorismus]

F-35 T-Shirt by Lockhead Martin (2023)

[ask-a-bot]

*slides starscream a 20 dollar bill*

Will you take me flying now?

Maybe... where are you, roughly? I'm on holiday, right now. In Scotland. Because Megatron thinks it's like Tarn.

Personally, I don't think he's right in the head.

[princessszoboszlai]

So Dom saw all of those LFC Palestine flags at the parade and still did a campaign with McDonalds 😭

I'M SAYING.

Like, its likely that this is a contract thing, but he can still terminate the contract, post something for Palestine and pick up a new contract??

It's not like he's without money. He's paid well with Liverpool, has a good contract with RB, T-Mobile Hungary and other very important places in Hungary. Terminating the McDonald's Hungary deal would not have killed him!!

[lobosfoodbowl]

i think a lot about who otacon was prior to the shadow moses incident.

(t/w: brief child sexual assault mention, abbreviated as csa)

one of the big things that bothers me is that in a LOT of iterations of otacon in fandom is that he’s helpless and feeble and that honestly makes no sense to me. okay, sure, he’s extremely clumsy and he’s a coward, otacon is a poor example of An Adult - but he’s also 25 with a doctorate and multiple bachelors, was part of the FBI (and was subsequently kicked out), he’s the head of a major project for what is essentially the mgs version of lockhead martin.

like he probably pays his taxes early. he’s had a full life before SM and he had to have survived somehow.

i see this a lot in tandem with his assault and that irks me too - csa victims aren’t feeble, they’re just people and i really don’t like infantilizing. the thing is, learning to live with it is a fascinating journey that i don’t think is explored enough - how does otacon live like an adult when he’s always got this weird notch carved into his soul. a pebble he can never shake from his shoe, you know?

personally, he seems like someone who would pour himself into his work but can never keep the fridge clean. he’ll climb up on whatever thing he’s working on and weld the iron slabs down without fear but he cries when the popcorn he’d been craving all day long is slightly burnt. he pays his taxes on time but he’s always late with his bills because he’s so busy at work he forgets. and he’s terrible about eating but has a high alcohol tolerance and can down a fireball in one gulp easily. idk. i just want MORE out the fandom’s vision of my little scrawny boy.

[whencyclopedia]

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engined, long-range bomber of the United States Air Force. The largest of all Second World War (1939-45) bombers, B-29s were used to strike Japanese targets from the summer of 1944. In August 1945, the B-29s 'Enola Gay' and 'Bockscar' each dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, thereby ending the war.

Development

In the 1930s, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) required a long-range strategic bomber that could attack enemy targets thousands of miles from the aircraft's home base. One of the problems to make such an aircraft a reality was to find engines which were powerful enough for the task. The project to design and build a long-range, high-altitude precision bomber, or VLR (Very Long Range) as such aircraft became known, was greatly accelerated following the invasion of Poland in 1939 by Nazi Germany and the outbreak of WWII. In January 1940, five aircraft companies were tasked with designing a VLR bomber. Four companies came back with a design proposal: Consolidated, Douglas, Lockhead, and Boeing. After two of the companies later withdrew, only Consolidated and Boeing won construction contracts in September 1940. Ultimately, each company built three prototypes. Boeing's construction plans were more advanced since it had already been working on modifications of its existing Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress design. Boeing received an order of 1,500 VLRs and promised these aircraft would be ready within three years.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, home of the US Pacific naval fleet, on 7 December 1941, the need for VLRs in the vast theatre of the Pacific Ocean suddenly became a necessity. The first Boing VLR prototype, called XB-29, flew on 21 September 1942. The very large wings of the craft were designed to help it land at lower speeds, and tricycle landing gears helped bear the tremendous weight. 14 test aircraft began to fly from June 1943. The planes were built at four principal plants: Renton, Wichita, Marietta, and Omaha. Boeing, Bell, and Martin were just three of the main companies involved, but there were thousands of others providing components and partial assembly. The B-29 project "was the largest aircraft manufacturing project undertaken in the USA during World War II" (Mondey, 29). It was also the most expensive. From the autumn of 1943, the first B-29 bombers were delivered to US air bases.

B-29 Superfortress in Flight

US Air Force (Public Domain)

Continue reading...

[annaphoenix1994]

When the World Fades

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter

»»-------¤-------««

I sat in the kitchen area at the end of the hallway, sitting alone as I recalled the last several hours, Valeria's words seeping into my mind like a bad infection. "You tell me. You're the contractor, no?"

That question replayed in my mind like a broken record, and I possibly was overthinking the question, but I knew better than to brush it off due to my gut instinct telling me to look into it more. Why did Valeria call him a contractor? Because contractors plan and execute ideas. Why would she call him a contractor if she didn't know something?

Immediately, I pulled out my phone to check for new notifications, a sigh of relief leaving me when I got an email notification from Kate, stating that she was now okay and was able to confirm that the guidance systems for the missiles were originally in Spain and were now on the missiles. I had my confirmation with something to branch off of for more research.

I took another drag from my vape pen, exhaling through my nose before I stood to my feet, making my way towards my room before locking myself inside. I was so fucking tired now that my adrenaline was wearing off, a faint soreness invading my limbs after I sat down at the small desk, opening my laptop and notepad to begin my research, the small piece of paper I had written on during Hassan's interrogation pressed beneath a paperclip on the first page of my notebook.

I was going to do more research, remembering how Kate mentioned why she was tasking me on this in the first place.

Starting off, I did a background check on both Graves and Shepherd, seeing that there wasn't anything to use for potential evidence.

That was, until I started digging a little deeper...

0511. That was the number on the missile Soap told me about when his team found the first missile in Al Mazrah.

"What was your intention on sending missiles to my land?" I remembered Hassan asking Graves the night of his interrogation, the same question written on my scrap piece of paper. 

I began to start my research with the number on the missile, finding that I was able to track it by seeing its history of being assembled in Alabama at the MFC (Lockhead Martin Missiles and Fire Control), which is where most American missiles are manufactured, seeing that it was then transported to Arlington, Virginia, coincidentally along with two other missiles out of Texas, which is also where Graves called home. After that, I was able to track a shipment from Virginia all the way to Urzikstan without the proper stops and checkpoints required for transporting missiles overseas. This was off the books.

A Black Bag Operation.

Conducted by Commander Graves and approved by General Shepherd.

Oh, I've got you now, motherfucker.

I quickly dialed Kate's phone from my burner phone, a smart move considering anything could be tracked nowadays. "Kate, how are you?"

She sighed, "Better than how I was. What've you got for me?"

"I started with the number on the missile Sergeant MacTavish found with the team in Al Mazrah. I traced it back from Alabama where it was made and sent to Virginia before it was transported out overseas. Never once made a mandatory stop at checkpoints."

"Any names?"

"Yeah. Conducted by Graves and approved by Shepherd."

"I'm going to do some digging. I'm due back to the Pentagon tomorrow morning."

"Okay. We also found and interrogated a sicaria posing as El Sin Nombre. I'm going to link up with Graves and see what he was able to find out all while gathering intel on my own."

"Okay, Kiera. Report back to me with what you can find out." 

"I will. Stay safe out there." 

"Always. You too." 

I locked my laptop and put it away along with my notebook before deciding to take a shower, eager to rid my skin of the thin sheen of sweat that consumed the top layer of my skin.

Relieved and relaxed, I left my hair down over my shoulders after I had changed into a new set of attire that were designed to keep me cooler in the Mexican climate, strapping a thigh holster against me just in case.

Until we gathered additional intel, the Task Force, me, and Mexican Special Forces were on rest for the remainder of the day. Most took advantage by taking longer showers, having fun on utility vehicles to explore the desert, or engaging in P.T. As for me, I found myself on top of a hill that was mainly used for a lookout, but I found myself enjoying the isolation and take advantage by listening to my favorite playlist, cracking open a can of Dr. Pepper, and taking a few drags from my vape pen as I gazed over the landscape Mexico had to offer. The live version of Kate McCannon by Colter Wall played lowly from my phone's playlist, drowning out the silence that surrounded me.

The strong chords and low voice reminded me of Wyoming, and I wished I was home – far better than where I currently was.

"Interesting music taste." A voice startled me, nearly making me jump out of my skin. Ghost – standing there as if I had taken his lookout spot.

"It's real music if that's what you're asking." I smirked.

"You say so," He shrugged. "Never heard it."

"Not surprised. Didn't think music like this would exist in the U.K. You're missing out," I teased. "You look like you're here to take a post. I'll get out of your way—"

"No need. I usually come up here to do the same thing you're doing," He cut me off. "Care for some company?"

"You didn't seem the type to like company."

"It usually doesn't bother me. Unless it's Soap, then I like being alone." He shook his head, taking a seat close by before removing his balaclava from his head, running his fingers through his hair with a deep sigh.

This man was beautiful, and I wondered why he chose to conceal his identity. He had deep brown eyes with dark blonde hair and light stubble with a build that I couldn't help but get butterflies over. He was a prime example of a military man, and my stomach twisted into a knot when I realized that his sleeve concealed an arm full of tattoos on his left arm.

I couldn't help but take another hit from my vape pen when I watched him roll up the sleeves of his ACU jacket, desperate to rid my mind of realization that this man was insanely attractive, and I knew I would have no chance.

"How'd he acquire a callsign like that?" I asked him.

"I really don't know. To be honest, I'm afraid to ask."

I chuckled, "why's that?"

"You know what they say about don't drop the soap. He strikes me as the one who has, and it just stuck."

"Great, now I can't look at him another way even if he does eventually tell me why he chose Soap as his callsign." I shook my head, taking another drag before I offered it to him. "Want a hit?"

He shook his head, "I'm alright. I don't smoke unless I'm anxious."

"If you're anxious, it must be serious, because I've been anxious ever since I've been here." I giggled.

"You'd be surprised," He huffed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What you said about Graves a couple days ago. Why'd you say it?" He asked, his tone of blunt curiosity, which surprised me. I haven't known this man long, but I did know that he was a reserved, observant type, and if something intrigued him enough to ask a question that he knew he probably shouldn't, he was genuinely curious.

"I'm afraid it's classified information, Lieutenant."

"Okay."

We caught each other's gaze, looking into the other's eyes for a few seconds, seeing that he was genuinely wondering what I was doing here if I wasn't a part of the Task Force or Special Forces. He knew I had worked alongside his Captain before, yet we had never met prior to our assignment. He knew I worked closely with Kate, and he seemed to be trying to put together the pieces as to who I was. Not for intel, but his own curiosity, perhaps interest. I felt like I could trust him, but I've learned a long time ago to not trust anyone fully, especially a man, and that was of no fault of his own, but it's unfortunate that a few bad encounters I've had with men aside from enemy forces had ruined that for me.

"I'm here for the same reason you are, following orders."

"Fair enough."

A moment of silence fell between us, and I was oblivious to how much I relaxed while in his presence. He was mysterious and intimidating, yet I felt the safest when around him. I felt the world seem to fade around me when I was with him, and I knew that I was thinking too far and giddy from the excitement of having an attraction to someone.

I couldn't help but hum along to the next song that played from my playlist, Zach Bryan's song Dawns featuring Maggie Rogers. "It just dawned on me, life is as fleeting as the passin' dawn..." I thought that my humming was low enough to keep him from hearing the words I was singing along to, but I guess I wasn't as oblivious as I thought.

"I take it you like to sing, yeah?" He asked.

I couldn't help but smile. It was a genuine smile that appeared very briefly throughout my life – a smile that was innocent and vulnerable when all I was used to was being dominant and intimidating. "I do, but I'm not a professional or anything. Just a talent that I occupy my time with."

"Any favorites?"

"Any song I like is a favorite," I chuckled. "I mumble just about anything."

"You've got to have a favorite that you can't help but sing every time you hear it, no matter where you are."

"Eh, you'll think it's silly."

"Try me."

"You know that movie with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga?"

"Who? I don't really watch a lot of movies, love. Don't have the time."

"Do you even know who they are?"

"No."

"Well, they're in a movie together called A Star is Born. There's a song in that movie called Always Remember Us This Way, and I've loved it ever since I heard it. It's one of my favorite movies."

"I'm assuming it's a love story type of movie?" He guessed.

"Yeah, not surprising, huh?" I laughed. "I've always loved that song, but it was catchy with no meaning behind it for me. Never had a reason to sing it and actually enjoy it."

"Why?"

I never expected to hear him ask that question when I figured he'd just drop it and not pry, so I was caught off guard and surprised that he wanted to know.

"Stupid reason. Had a man who I thought loved me, but I wasn't good enough, I guess. I caught him cheating on me, and when I confronted him about it, he got defensive and tried to gaslight me into making me think I was crazy."

"You shouldn't let that affect what you love to do."

"Easier said than done, Lieutenant—"

"Simon." He corrected, his tone sounding of regret after correcting me. I saw how tense he was, letting down a wall of his own because he wanted me to know. I showed him a smile of vulnerability, something that I rarely ever did because of my own trauma and past experiences as I didn't want to give him a chance to take advantage of me, yet he gave me his name when it was obvious he went by Ghost for a reason.

He was being vulnerable with me, even if it was just an ounce of it.

"Simon." I repeated, a faint smile spreading on my face.

"Simon Riley." He choked out. Another ounce of vulnerability. I finally knew this man's name, sharing the same information that possibly very few people knew.

"Kiera Dutton."

"Strong name." He complimented, unaware that I was able to realize that he forced out the compliment as it was something new and rare for him, obvious that it wasn't common for him to express a compliment to anyone besides saying "good work" or "nice shot."

"Thank you. You need a strong name for living in Wyoming," I giggled, easing the tension before looking down at my watch. "Well, I gotta get back to the base. I asked Alejandro to sit down with me for a briefing before turning in for the night." As I went to get up, a rock that had shifted under my foot caused me to lose my balance, and Simon didn't hesitate to reach his arm out and prevent me from falling on my back, but he was a second too late. I laughed as I embraced my embarrassment, accepting his offer of helping me to my feet to keep me from falling again.

"Clumsy today, yeah?" He teased me, keeping a firm grip on my bicep until I was stable on my own two feet.

"I sat for too long, and my leg is still hurting from that terrifying cliff jump, ya know. My leg fell asleep and did me dirty."

"That wasn't even a far fall."

"I beg to differ!" I scoffed. "That was a first-class ticket straight to hell if I had to name it!"

"You must've not jumped out of planes before, then."

"Believe it or not, I have. I felt safer because I had a parachute, but when we jumped off of that cliff? I had to rely on positivity and luck not to hit a jagged rock."

"Fair enough."

"Here," I said, handing him my iPod I kept as a spare just in case I broke my phone. "Listen to all of my good music that you're missing out on. You won't regret it." I giggled.

"I might."

"You never know. Might find a song you like."

»»-------¤-------««

For the rest of the day, Kiera and I haven't seen each other since we split off from the lookout post. I got a good look at her face in the golden hour of a Mexican sunset, and she didn't fail to make my breath hitch. She was so bloody gorgeous, and only having the interaction from earlier and not being close to her since we separated, it was a bloody tease.

I had gone off to bed early, taking the advantage of a day off to get much-needed sleep, but my body was against me as I suffered through usual insomnia. Kiera's iPod was sitting next to me on my cot, yet I hadn't even listened to any of her music that she suggested. In fact, I didn't even touch it because I didn't want to drain her battery, but perhaps she had a song on her music list that could possibly help me fall asleep. I never had a particular taste in music, listening to a random song on the radio while I was back home in Manchester.

Deciding to give this iPod a try, I held it above my head, pressing the button and seeing that her background wallpaper was a family photo – all on horseback with a rugged mountain backdrop behind them. She must have a perfect life.

I knew I shouldn't have tapped on her photo album, not wanting to invade her privacy, but I figured it was harmless curiosity as well as keeping my embarrassment of having to ask her more questions about her personal life. I figured that I could get to know her better this way. I was horrible with communication and self-esteem, and I knew that trait was what ruined my former relationships, my most recent being a lass named Sarah. We had been broken up for a couple of years now, but we were both toxic for each other. It started off as a mutual no-strings-attached type of relationship and had a few night stands before I started developing feelings for her. The first couple of months were perfect until I had to go off for a deployment. She didn't like that, but I didn't care. She knew from day one about my work but couldn't handle the fact that I would be gone. She ended up getting more than "clingy." It was borderline stalker behavior – always around my flat, asking my friends where I was and when I'd be coming home, and even reaching out to my own Captain and asking him to release me.

It was bloody ridiculous, and I wasn't having it anymore.

By the time I eventually came back, she was suffocating to be around. I tried to make it work – tried to understand her behavior, but it wasn't working. She didn't understand that I needed my space after coming home to decompress from the violence and carnage I participated in. It got to a point where I would take longer showers just to have time to myself because she wouldn't leave me alone.

I tried not to fault her for it or consider her crazy, because she wasn't. She was just insecure – too insecure with herself to not leave me alone in fear of losing me.

It was a mistake, and I never should've pursued a relationship when I knew that there was a possibility that it wouldn't work or that she would lose me.

And now here I was, wishing that something could end up working between me and Kiera because I had a strong interest in her. I didn't intend on a one-night stand with her or a no-strings-attached sort of relationship. I could see myself with her, and that was a ridiculous thought considering I haven't known her for more than a week, and perhaps I was so lonely and lovesick that I saw an opportunity with every woman I came across.

I ended up tapping on the photo album, seeing many various photos of her personal life that I had no business looking into, seeing photos of different horses, dogs, her and her parents, food, and landscapes – no personal photos (or selfies as younger people call it) or anything inappropriate. She was classy and full of life outside of the military, and I grew attracted to her even more.

Especially when I didn't see any evidence of a relationship waiting for her back home.

I had no problem attracting women, but impressing one that I really had an interest in was a severe skill I lacked.

My favorite photo of her was a portrait of her with a palomino horse, her eyes sparkling with happiness and peace with her long hair blowing with a breeze. I wished I could print it off and keep it to just look at when I was wanting to look at her, but I guess looking at it was enough.

After I had looked through every photo, I eventually tapped on her music app, seeing various playlists with a lot of songs within them. There was a playlist titled 'Daily', which contained the obvious, I guess. Another was titled 'outlaw country', and the last was titled 'foreign.'

I curiously went through every one, seeing a lot of songs from a band named Rammstein. I had heard their music before, but I barely understood German, so I never listened to them on my own free will. One of my comrades listened to Rammstein and Eisbrecher while doing P.T. when we were in Austria for a mission years ago.

I'd be lying if I said Bestrafe mich wasn't a good song.

I didn't know what it meant, and it could've been about worshipping Satan for all I knew, but I liked the sound of the song.

Her 'daily' playlist consisted of various different genres and different artists like Bon Jovi, George Straight, Alice Cooper, Nickelback, Johnny Cash, and Slipknot. I didn't find any song that I was curious about listening to, so I found my way to the 'outlaw country' playlist, and I was happy with my decision when I found one of the songs she had been listening to while we were sitting at the lookout post.

Within that playlist was a lad named Colter Wall, and he had some pretty good music he put out, The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie being my favorite one so far.

I wasn't even aware that I was falling asleep, until my eyes shot open at the sound of muffled singing coming from Kiera's room. My cot was right against the wall, and coincidentally, the wall was the only thing separating us from laying alongside each other. She wasn't trying to sing loud – just something to occupy her mind. If I had to guess, she wasn't realizing how good her voice sounded even if she was singing at a low tone.

"That Arizona sky; burnin' in your eyes; you look at me and babe, I wanna catch on fire; it's buried in my soul; like California gold; you found the light in me that I couldn't find..."

I felt bad for curling my finger against the wall, delivering a soft knock to the drywall before I heard her immediately stop, likely out of embarrassment, but I wanted her to keep going.

Dammit, Riley, if you would've just stayed quiet, she would've sung for you! Bloody idiot!

It was when she knocked back that I knew she wasn't embarrassed, but she still didn't continue singing when she knew I'd be listening.

Instead, I knocked back. 

[wof-inbox]

Hey Winter, Rememeber that Su- Something something air plane? IT AIN'T GOT NOTHING ON THIS!

The F22 Raptor! Designed by Lockhead Martin for the American air force. If you're like me and not in the air force then just like me you probably assumed the F35 was better than the F22 because it was a higher number. That could not be further from the truth, the F35 is stealth but not nearly as capable. Allow me to put this in perspective you know all those CEO's who only care about making money off of something? Congress straight up told Lockhead Martin he wasn't allowed to sell the F22 to any other countries. Even allies! Mainly because if someone got a hold of it and knew what they were doing, there's nothing we could do to stop them. Except intercept with some more F22's. The F22 raptor is capable of something called hyper cruising, meaning without full afterburner the F22 can just cruise past the soundbarrier. Granted my knowledge is very limited when it comes to aircraft but the only other one I know that can do that is SR-71 blackbird. I'm gonna tell you a little story so you can understand, a few years ago there was a US drone off the coast of Iran and Iran decided to spin up a couple of F4 Phantoms to intercept. Now the F4 was a great platform, in Vietnam when we used them. What those F4's where incapable of detecting was the scariest flying object since the cretasiouc period. So a couple of F22s came up right underneath the F4's without being detected, check their entire payload, and then came up behind them and said: "You should go home now.". I don't know if I'm making myself clear the sheer existence of this thing is a war crime. Most aircraft are limited by how fast they can go this thing is limited by how fast it can go before the paint peels off. and what it's painted in is also classified. Most of the time even ground based high-fidelity radars can't detect this thing until it opens it's bombay doors increases it's radar cross section. Radar cross section is a measurement of how big something looks in the sky. And this thing looks like it doesn't exist until it decides to unalive you. Now lets go ahead and talk about dog fighting, you've must of heard about those before, there things are capable of stalling, and turning around within the length of their own aircraft. So a common tactic for fighter air craft when their intercepting is going nose to nose and they try and out turn one another to turn around a fire. Most of the time what happens up there is by the time your halfway through your turn this thing has already unleashed it's payload and destroyed you. Lets say you get lucky and the Pilot's having a off day and you end up behind a F22 and your trying to get missle lock, good luck. Again this thing looks so small in the sky most missiles won't lock on to it. And I can just hear someone going "WhAt AbOuT hEaT sEaKeRs?" in the background. It's gonna drop flares, chaff, either outmanuver you or climb to a elevation your aircraft can't compete with and then it's gonna come in behind you and kill you so dead you'll be reincarnated as a bug about to be squished. Legit overwhelming odds is the only chance you have against this thing, that or somehow the slow guy in class managed to get behind the controls of the most advanced fighter aircraft on the planet. I am really glad this thing is on our team.

“And they’re all so amazing!” -Winter

[qzse-rtv]

To celebrate pride month i will give 150 bucks to lockhead martin and 300 to Dassault

[im-literally-just-an-olm]

Princess Bubblegum would probably work at lockhead martin

[w4ddle]

Meet a new OC, Lockhead Martin!

Yes, his name is a wordplay on Lockheed Martin.

NO, he's not gonna be praising the Military industrial complex, he's gonna be a tragic character, who threw away the key to his life(his conscience), to be able to support his family with the money from working for an arms systems manufacturer. And somewhere deep inside, he is heartbroken and sad and doesn't understand why anymore.

We're definitely gonna be making more of this guy :(

[georgebuckettwo]

The “Sea Shadow” stealth boat by Lockhead Martin

Where the Amazon River meets the Black River in Brazil

Arctic Henge, built on the Northern tip of Iceland in 2004 by artist Haukur Halldórsson

[kwebtv]

El Dorado  -  BBC One -  July 6, 1992 - July 9, 1993

Melodrama (156 episodes)

Running Time:  30 minutes

Stars:

Jesse Birdsall as Marcus Tandy

Patricia Brake as Gwen Lockhead

Julie Fernandez as Nessa Lockhead

Polly Perkins as Trish Vanentine

Derek Martin as Alex Morris

Campbell Morrison as Drew Lockhead

Josh Nathan as Blair Lockhead

Kai Maurer as Dieter Schultz

Patch Connolly as Snowy White

Leslee Udwin as Joy Slater

Jesse Birdsall as Marcus Tandy

Bo Corrie as Ingrid Olsson

Sandra Sandri as Pilar Moreno

Roland Curram as Freddie Martin

Hilary Crane as Rosemary Webb

Franco Rey as Roberto Fernandez

Stella Maris as Rosario Fernandez

Faith Kent as Olive King

Framboise Gommendy as Isabelle Leduc

Daniel Lombart as Phillipe Leduc

Mikael Phillippe as Arnaud Leduc

Burt Armstrong as Gerry

Roger Walker as Bunny Charlson

Kathy Pitkin as Fizz

Hayley Bromley as Tracy

Jose Antonio Navarro as Antonio

Barry Mitchell as Phillip Wentworth

[kiss-me-aphrodite]

i genuinely think everyone in the world who makes weapons policy should have to watch the What A Wonderful World montage (and clip before it from Lockhead-Martin's PR dept.)

[whencyclopedia]

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engined, long-range bomber of the United States Air Force. The largest of all Second World War (1939-45) bombers, B-29s were used to strike Japanese targets from the summer of 1944. In August 1945, the B-29s 'Enola Gay' and 'Bockscar' each dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, thereby ending the war.

Development

In the 1930s, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) required a long-range strategic bomber that could attack enemy targets thousands of miles from the aircraft's home base. One of the problems to make such an aircraft a reality was to find engines which were powerful enough for the task. The project to design and build a long-range, high-altitude precision bomber, or VLR (Very Long Range) as such aircraft became known, was greatly accelerated following the invasion of Poland in 1939 by Nazi Germany and the outbreak of WWII. In January 1940, five aircraft companies were tasked with designing a VLR bomber. Four companies came back with a design proposal: Consolidated, Douglas, Lockhead, and Boeing. After two of the companies later withdrew, only Consolidated and Boeing won construction contracts in September 1940. Ultimately, each company built three prototypes. Boeing's construction plans were more advanced since it had already been working on modifications of its existing Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress design. Boeing received an order of 1,500 VLRs and promised these aircraft would be ready within three years.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, home of the US Pacific naval fleet, on 7 December 1941, the need for VLRs in the vast theatre of the Pacific Ocean suddenly became a necessity. The first Boing VLR prototype, called XB-29, flew on 21 September 1942. The very large wings of the craft were designed to help it land at lower speeds, and tricycle landing gears helped bear the tremendous weight. 14 test aircraft began to fly from June 1943. The planes were built at four principal plants: Renton, Wichita, Marietta, and Omaha. Boeing, Bell, and Martin were just three of the main companies involved, but there were thousands of others providing components and partial assembly. The B-29 project "was the largest aircraft manufacturing project undertaken in the USA during World War II" (Mondey, 29). It was also the most expensive. From the autumn of 1943, the first B-29 bombers were delivered to US air bases.

Continue reading...