No one wants gifts given by this Santa

[Stealhead]

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/wtf_santa_claus_on_helicopter_with_a_machine_gun-tfb2_zps4610418d.jpg (http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/datsun260zyojimbo/media/wtf_santa_claus_on_helicopter_with_a_machine_gun-tfb2_zps4610418d.jpg.html)

More Union Jack flyers.Top photo is a Brit as well look at the chopper shadow.
http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/62249_zpsccfe577a.jpg (http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/datsun260zyojimbo/media/62249_zpsccfe577a.jpg.html)

[Wolferz]

Bring us some peace Poppa Noel.
Fitting gifts for the naughty.

[Betonov]

look at the chopper shadow.


Seaking :hmmm:

[Penguin]

No one? Nah, I would love to receive a Gimpy + ammo :smug:, I have Hippies living on the other side of the street... :arrgh!:


Top photo is a Brit as well look at the chopper shadow.


Puma?

[Oberon]

Could be a Merlin. although if it is then it's probably a picture from last year because I don't think we have any Merlins in 'stan at the moment.

I don't think we have any Sea Kings there either, they were replaced by the Merlins in 2011, but the Merlins transitioned out last year. Not sure about Pumas in 'stan, I think we do have some out there, although it could equally be a hired helo from another nation, that happens too.

[Stealhead]

Could be a Merlin. although if it is then it's probably a picture from last year because I don't think we have any Merlins in 'stan at the moment.

I don't think we have any Sea Kings there either, they were replaced by the Merlins in 2011, but the Merlins transitioned out last year. Not sure about Pumas in 'stan, I think we do have some out there, although it could equally be a hired helo from another nation, that happens too.

I have no idea how old the photo is could be a few years old but the gun is British,Canadian or Dutch the M240 has a different muzzle our aircraft mounted version almost always has spade grips.

I just realized that Penguin is in the second photo in the center behind the three dogs doing the double thumbs up but you only see the bottom of his beak must have been a slight bit warm for him.

Edit it is a Seaking I think judging from this photo
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01549/afghanistan-helico_1549609i.jpg

[Oberon]

Wow...you've got to admire the Sea King, I mean she's forty-four years old and still going strong. They're going to be phased out of our SAR operations in the coming couple of years as private companies take over the role, I will miss the old yellow giant thudding over the house.

[Jimbuna]

Sure looks like a Sea King especially if the photo is pre 2012.

[August]

Years later during a Futurama film festival a refugee from Afghanistan is sent into a violent flashback by this image:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YoY6DEkZ6-w/TREmFXXiWhI/AAAAAAAABFQ/0K4X2teDzS8/s640/futurama+santa.jpg

[Penguin]

I have no idea how old the photo is could be a few years old but the gun is British,Canadian or Dutch the M240 has a different muzzle our aircraft mounted version almost always has spade grips.


I am pretty sure that it is a FN FAL (http://detail-photos.jugem.jp/?eid=773) - the Brits call it Gimpy, might not be a familiar term in the US.


I just realized that Penguin is in the second photo in the center behind the three dogs doing the double thumbs up but you only see the bottom of his beak must have been a slight bit warm for him.

Indeed! :o The inappropriate clothing and goofy pose also fit - but I swear I'm a draft dodger! :)

[Oberon]

I am pretty sure that it is a FN FAL (http://detail-photos.jugem.jp/?eid=773) - the Brits call it Gimpy, might not be a familiar term in the US.

FN MAG I believe, we call it the L7 or L8 General Purpose Machine Gun, or GPMG, or, as Penguin correctly states, the 'Gimpy'.

[Jimbuna]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_MAG

http://s16.postimg.org/3wr7ujz39/cache_20250220.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

[Penguin]

arrgh, yes, meant FN MAG, at least the link was to the right pic. :oops:

*grabs into excuse box* On German keyboards 'F' and 'M' and 'L' and 'G' are interchanged... reaggy! :know:

[Oberon]

arrgh, yes, meant FN MAG, at least the link was to the right pic. :oops:

*grabs into excuse box* On German keyboards 'F' and 'M' and 'L' and 'G' are interchanged... reaggy! :know:

Shamemug dispgay! :O:

[Stealhead]

Yeah it is an FN MAG what I am saying is that it is not the American version the ours(M240) has a smaller flash suppressor and some other details that are preferred by the US military.I am betting that it has different sight graduations as well.Of course if you can use one version of FNMAG you can use any version.

The US Army and USMC first used it as a coaxial MG to replace the M60 in 1977 it took them a while but by the mid 90's the USMC said "hey this gun is much better than the M60 and they converted some coax guns with a trigger and stock.Later the Army officially ordered the M240B that is why the M249 has lower number despite the fact that it was in use for nearly a decade before the 240 became the standard GPMG but received its number in 1977.

The UK was much wiser and adopted their version of the just a year or two after the FNMAG first was introduced.At that time the US would not touch foreign military designs with a ten foot pole despite the fact that the M60 was clearly a much crappier design.

I have no idea what the UK L7/8 has that differs from the Belgian original some UK military specific bits I suppose.The FNMAG took the good of the MG42 but made their own design and lowered the rate of fire they also moved the bipod towards the middle of the weapon which gave ti better balance not as good a tripod but it was better the previous standard of bipod near the muzzle.

The M60 on the other hand was American engineers looking at the Mg42 and the FG42 and trying to "improve" it.So they decided to attach the bipod to the gas tube and also make the gas tube and the barrel a single unit so when you swapped a barrel the 60 was in two pieces ideal for combat.The FNMAG stays in one piece and you simply remove the barrel replace and lay down some lead.

Both weapons showed up on the scene around 1958 the FN MAG 650-1,000 RPM the M60 500-650RPM and a horrible barrel change also it had a bad tendency to pull in reversed rounds during most of vietnam the only cure was tin can tac welded to the receiver.

[Herr-Berbunch]

The photo is from Christmas Day 2010 over Helmand Province, it is a RN Sea King, the guy is (was) a Petty Officer, and it is a GPMG - that's standard for all door gun mounts in the British forces with the exception of the C-130J where costs inhibited changing the existing mount from the M240, so we just bought them instead. :sunny:

For a price I can also supply the name of the PO, and the photographer. :O:

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Wow...you've got to admire the Sea King, I mean she's forty-four years old and still going strong. They're going to be phased out of our SAR operations in the coming couple of years as private companies take over the role, I will miss the old yellow giant thudding over the house.What is rationale behind privatization? What you do when pilots are in strike? :hmmm: I assume they are full civilians and can't bge forced to fly? :o

[Tango589]

What is rationale behind privatization? What you do when pilots are in strike? :hmmm: I assume they are full civilians and can't bge forced to fly? :o

Send in the reserves, so long as you want something doing on a weekend or bank holiday...:O:

(Just kidding, please don't hit me!:timeout:)

[Oberon]

Send in the reserves, so long as you want something doing on a weekend or bank holiday...:O:

(Just kidding, please don't hit me!:timeout:)

Well, the army first, so long as it's not a Thursday. :O:

What is rationale behind privatization? What you do when pilots are in strike? :hmmm: I assume they are full civilians and can't bge forced to fly? :o

Part of the ever closer to the bone budget cuts of the UK, it's a form of tradition that every British government since World War II takes a giant axe to the military, but the trouble they're running into now is that they're running out of things to cut without leaving us with the military strength of Liechtenstein.

In regards to strike action, I guess the pressure would be on the RNLI lifeboats to take up the call, or they might well put them under the same sort of agreement that the police are under which prevents them from going on strike (which means that the police can be absolutely rogered by the government and there's nothing they can do about it...but that's another story), but to be honest that's a legal grey area, and since the whole thing is purely financially motivated the people making the decisions really don't care.