Military transport Aircraft. Part-Two.

Enter the Giants.

The United States have a choice of three heavy transports from the C-141 Star lifter, C-17 Globe master and the enormous C-5 Galaxy. This has proven invaluable for them as a world superpower over the years.

Initially the Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation to have developed their three types, but all from one manufacturer Antonov with the An-22, An-124 Ruslan and the An-224 Mirya (Dream).

Both superpowers have also the back up of their own large civilian commercials such as the Boeing 747-2/400F' and the Ilyushin IL-89/96.

These dominate heavy lifting capability around the world, in the moving of missile systems, radars, and extra warheads, The Boeing 747-400 and the Russian Antonov An-224 were adopted and developed for both the NASA Space shuttle and the Soviet Buran to piggy back between landing and relaunching.

Most of the aircraft are capable of the movement of between 150 to 250 fully laden combat troops, with essential equipment from vehicles to artillery. Apart from Surface to Surface missiles, there is of course the need to move medium range mobile carriers for Nuclear ICBMs.

Today some of these aircraft also work with the United Nations in medical and food relief to disaster zones.

Christmas.

In light of a wet Christmas in the U.K

Perhaps everyone across the northern hemisphere has had some ammount of snow, the U.K. has seen very violent storms, winds rain with severe flooding. Instead of sleds, it has been the boats and inflatables to the rescue.

The inflatable, Zodiac and even the standard rowing boat continues to be part of the invaluable tools used for basic search and rescue across the globe, in all types of flood zones. Little and easy to inflate, they can work in tight spots. Speed is also an essential element to small craft used in this role along with depth levels changing suddenly.

I think we sometimes forget so easily about the very little machines that we use around us, that they do thr very simple jobs and roles. We also tend to forget how much, we could not do without them.