France Intervenes.

France is showing off its naval Power.

With the recent attacks in Paris last month in which 130 people were murdered, France has had no choice but to be seen on the offencive against the elusive Islamic Khalifate. The first time deployment of a battle group since the end of the second world war (1939-45) is now well underway. 

France has a host of untested combat aircraft type such as the Rafael and its latest Mirage fighter jets. Time will only tell if they are as effective as the Russian bombing missions in eastern-Syria. France has as we have seen has a long history in military equipment developments at sea, air and on land. In fact an interesting fact to be worth noting is that their Surface to Air and air to air missile systems were very effective during the Falklands War. These being Crotale and the Exocet.

Currently this union with Russia may already be under strain, as their aircraft carrier is due to re-deploy to the Persian Gulf. We have to take a historical look at the roles and influences in this region that were marked out by France and Britain 100 years ago in the division up the middle-east, after the collapse of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1919. 

Meanwhile modern Turkish action recently against Russia, with the downing of a Russian Jet and tensions over the French support and recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1900, may be one of many reasons forcing France into U.S. Policy for the region, wither they like it or not?

V/STOL Jets.

The history of the V/STOL (Vertical take-off and short take-off landing) Jets began in the 1950's in the UK, with the secret Pegasus project. By the 1960's British aviation company Hawker-Siddley had developed the engine and were working on an aircraft, which would later be known as the Harrier jump jet.

The British developed two versions of the Harrier, a ground attack and a navel version, known as the Sea Harrier. These top gun aircraft were exported to Italy, Spain and India, while the U.S. were permitted to build their own versions initially under license. AV-I/II Advanced Harriers.

Many new techniques were developed for the naval versions, first by the British and then the Americans. One being a ramp, which was fitted on to aircraft carriers and allowed the jets to produce a rolled take-off, cheaper on fuel. Spain and Italy built smaller pocket sized carriers dedicated to V/STOL jets and helicopters, such as the Spanish Matador class ships.

Soviet Russia had to get in on the act too and they developed the Yakolev Yak-36, which was more of a rolling take-off, rather than vertical type (R/STOL). This aircraft was believed not as stable as the Harriers, but the Russians developed it into the Yak-38 and later on to the perhaps still secret Yak-41/141 supersonic jet. Soviet aircraft were naval deployed and the Soviets had to then dedicate themselves to building their first aircraft carrier.

Soviet Russia is believed to have exported a small number to India, India is the only nation to have both western and Russian types in service.

The British Harriers saw their first combat experience in the Falklands war of 1981 with Argentina, over the (Malvina's islands). Since then the U.S. have developed super versions of their AV-series, the F-35 and F-22.