One of the world's worst airshow disasters. Seventy-two spectators as well as three pilots were killed and 346 were seriously injured in the resulting explosion and fire. The event took place in front of an audience of 300,000 on 28/08/1988 at the Ramstein Air Base in the US.
The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Avro Vulcan XH558 was the first Vulcan B2 to enter service with the RAF in July 1960, and the last to fly (with the RAF Vulcan Display Flight in 1992). The Vulcan to the Sky Trust is labouring to restore this historical aircraft, get it air-worthy and keep it that way. www.tvoc.co.uk
1983 in Murdock Illinois, a tanker carrying 113,000 liters of liquid propane gas explodes in an enormous BLEVE. A TV news crew record the explosion from half a mile away.
The Avro Vulcan was an RAF delta wing subsonic bomber which operated from 1953 until 1984. The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence during the Cold War. It was also capable of a conventional bombing role. Music: "Thunderbirds" Theme & Leftfield - "Song of Life".
Formed in 1946 under the directive of Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Blue Angels are the US Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron. In the course of their history they have used the F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, F9F Panther(first jet), F9F-8 Cougar, F11 Tiger, F-4 Phantom, A-4 Skyhawk and shown here the F/A-18. Hornet.
The A-10 was designed for high-survivability with a titanium cover surrounding both the cockpit, ammunition and fuel tank. Placement of the engines decreases the infrared signature lowering it's vulnerablity to heatseeking missiles and ground fire.
The B-17 was primarily employed in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The U.S. 8th Air Force based in England complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in Operation Pointblank, to help secure air superiority over Western Europe in preparation for Operation Overlord. Despite their legendary ability to absorb damage, especially in belly-landings and ditchings, aircrews faced a 1 in 3 chance of not returning from their missions. Music: Max Richter - 'On The Nature Of Daylight'.
Mexico city, a tanker carrying 3000 gallons of petrol collides with a passenger train and ignites. The ensuing fire causes a massive BLEVE.
The MiG-29 OVT (NATO code name "Fulcrum-F) is a variant of the Soviet air superiority fighter. Retro-fitted with thrust vectoring engines and fly-by-wire controls, it serves as a test bed and demonstrator for these technologies.
World War I was the first modern global military conflict which took place in Europe between 1914 to 1918. Archaic military tactics met modern industrialised warfare for the first time, resulting casualties on a previously unimaginable scale. Men rotted in the mud, then were sent to face massed machine gun fire, modern artillary, tanks and chemical weapons. Over 40 million soldiers and civilians died and countless others were physically maimed or mentally scarred by the horrors of trench warfare.
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