Free Republic

In the summer sky over rural Dorset, a swirling air battle rages. Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes vie for control of the air with Messerschmitt Me 109s, while Stuka dive-bombers plunge earthward, sirens screeching, to attack shipping off the coast. There’s a momentary miscalculation – and a Hurricane collides with a 109, slicing it in half. The stricken fighters spiral to the ground as above them RAF and Luftwaffe pilots, twisting and turning in a desperate mass dogfight, battle on regardless. This is the Battle of Britain, fought not in 1940 but in the present day – and at a...

Raytheon launches JSOW-ER talks with Stork Fokker By Stephen Trimble Raytheon is discussing co-development of a powered version of the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon with Dutch aerospace firm Stork Fokker, with the cruise missile design to offer a range of 555km (300nm). The US company has launched the JSOW-ER programme without a launch order, but hopes the maritime and land attack weapon will attract domestic and foreign customers. The missile will have a unit cost of $350,000, excluding development charges. Stork Fokker is holding "initial licensing discussions", although the nature of its role is not yet determined, says John O'Brien,...