This was probably the first official IDF photo in the late 1980s on their new Merkava 3 MBT for public viewing. Most of the vehicular weaknesses seen on the earlier two versions had been rectified & 100% improved on. The turret design is completely redesigned & modular for the turret armour package. For better performance with the new 1200 hp rated engine, a revised wider track design is also implemented on the vehicle.

Side view of the same vehicle. The bigger 120mm smooth-bore main gun designed locally in Israel can be seen clearly from this view. Without doubts, the gun performance should be on par or even better than the German designed 120mm smooth-bore gun used on the US M1A2 Abrams.

One of the more unique feature for the Merkava is the well-known rear crew escape hatch. Logical speculation is of course to act as an infantry carrier for troops in special condition as seen from this photo image. However, in my personal view, the real genuine application is still primarily for crew escape and extra ammo storage.

One of the most shocking vehicle based on Russian T-54/55 ever designed by the Israelis for their defense doctrine. If you have read the article posted on the Modelling Forum, the author of the article, Mr Sim Jaan Yeu mentioned a rough figure of 300 to 400 vehicles in IDF service!! This estimate, I believe in my personal opinion is a bit on the high side if you look at the low production rate of the Merkavas from the 1970s till today? Agree?

Another view of the Achzarit vehicle. Other than the Swedish S Tank, this got to be one of the lowest profile operational APC/IFV right now in the world. This particular vehicle may be one of the earlier prototype since the shape is quite different?

This view is probably the IDF/manufacturer public announcement of the upgraded M113 with new armour modules? The utilisation of tapered shape armour modules allows better deflections against kinetic rounds compared to normal flat surfaces.

Speeding is probably the weakest point for the design of Merkava since the No. 1 focus is on crew protection on this 60+ tons AFV. The IDF claimed that NOT even a single crew was lost out to anti tank weapons/tank engagements during their 1982 Lebanon Operation! This indirectly caused a high popularity among the enlisted tankers waiting for their unit posting wishing for Merkava units.

Rolling Good Times? A Merkava 2 at very odd angle. You may think this is just the camera angle but look at the grass around the vehicle. Also how the crew trying to stay up at their stations!

Another Speeding scene. This time with the smoke generator activated. The IDF have always trained their tank commanders using MARK One Eyeballs. That's why we always see TCs standing tall at their stations. From what I understand, this practise indirectly get many good TCs killed in the process but also give the Israeli an upper hand when contacted since they always spotted their enemy First!

IDF Magachs with blazer suite covering each other moving into position. Blazer suite was one of the most interesting reactive armour for AFVs during the 1980s. Always a life saver for the tank crew when confronted by the irritating but dangerous anti tank teams lurking everywhere in the battlefields. It seemed that the IDF learnt their painful lessons well in Yom Kippur when their once formidable tanks are easily stopped by simple portable Egyptian SAGGER ATGM teams. Blazer may actually very well the product/solution developed by IDF to counter losses from these ATGM attacks after the war.

This photo was taken while I was doing my Solo Europe backpacking in 1995. I am not very good in aircrafts so please forgive me in the commentary. If I am not wrong, this is the only fighter that have engines stacked up on top of each other! I am not quite sure whether both engines controlled by just one single throttle or separately? If this aircraft do have separate throttles, maybe this should be one of the first fighter jets that are capable of doing vector thrusting?

I believe the Royal Air Force used different powerplants from the American counterpart for their Phantoms. Notice the low Viz markings on the Phantom at the background?

American WW2 long range fighter carrying Invasion strips on the belly. These strips are used for preventing unwanted friendly fire. The frameless design of the canopy allows virtually no blind spots for the pilots during furballs. And not suprisingly, this design has carry on till today on almost all modern American fighters.

SU-27 Flanker being towed back to the static display area after flight. When this Sukhoi first performed "Cobra" in the Paris Air show, it really worried the western countries. However, there is still no proven results whether this tactical manuveur works effectively in multiple aircrafts furball. Personally, I don't think any Flanker pilot would use this method in actual furball. With such good power to weight ratio, why not manipulate the enemy using vertical?

Another view of the same Flanker. The cannon is mounted on the starboard wing root as can be seen from this particular view. The BIG Russian ejection seat is also clearly shown and how it actually block the pilot's rear view!

Close up view of the Sukhoi cockpit area. Not suprisingly, rear view mirrors are still being mounted due to the blocking ejection seat. Rather than aiding the pilots in close visual engagements, these mirrors normally ended up blocking their forward vision.

One of the world famous US jet that see widespread uses around the world. The first jet that mounted the stick to the right rather than conventional between the legs. Suprisingly, when the Israelis worked on their LAVI merging F-16 & Mirage/Neshers, they opted to put back the stick between the legs. Their logics being very much due to pilots injuries in engagements. If a F-16 Viper driver get injury on the right arm, he can forget about going back home. If the stick is mounted centrally, the pilot still have a 50% success of flying the jet back using his left hand.

This particular double seater being towed off for flight demonstration. A very capable high performance multi-role fighter that has been sadly shadowed by the Americans in almost every air show in the world since 1980s.

Another French Mirage being towed off for flight demonstration in the local typical hot afternoon. Notice the small Alpha jet in front?

RSAF A-4 Super Skyhawks keeping a tight formation during Asian Aerospace flying display. Singapore A-4SU is probably the fastest Skyhawk right now among all A-4 operators due to the bold integration of the modified GE F404 powerplant onboard. This upgrading improved the overall survivability of the aircraft but also inherited some interesting "hipcups" too since the original airframe was not designed specifically for supersonic flight.

Another view of the RSAF Black Knights holding their tight formation over the top. Beside the powerplant retrofitting, the simple A-4 Skyhawk also received new avionics suite to fulfill RSAF unique mission specifications.

Russian MI-35 export Hind performing in Asian Aerospace. One of the most feared type of tank buster used commonly by eastern bloc countries during the 80s. The distinct advantage of this platform compared to western attack helicopters is the extra loading capacity for personnels in the cabin.

Another view of the same Hind showing off it's powerful handling characteristics. Even though the Hind is heavy & sluggish to fly with, it is still highly versatile/dangerous against other helicopter engagements.

US Navy Hornet pulling some G's during the daily flying display. With two intended roles built into one platform, the Hornet is as good in air-to-ground operations as in air-to-air engagements. One gulf war engagement illustrated this handy capability when bombs loaded F/A-18s being bounced by Iraqi fighters. Instead of aborting their mission, the Hornets engaged the offensive Iraqis without jettisoning their loads. And carried on with their original mission immediately after their successful confrontation!

Another view of the same Hornet pulling G's during the daily flying display. The most logical decision why the US Navy chosen the F/A-18 Hornet over F-16 Falcon in the selection phase was likely the twin engines & tails configuration of the Hornet which provide redundancy in naval emergencies.