Fly Post

摘要

As a junior RAF engineering officer at 431MU, Germany in the early 1980s, I was training others in the techniques of aircraft battle damage repair. We had a collection of older Lightnings that we used to blow holes in with a 23mm shell simulator (using 25mm Oerlikon rounds which, when fired statically, had the same fragment spray pattern as a Russian 23mm round fired dynamically). The device had been supplied by a scientist at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. We would then task squadrons during exercises to repair the damage using improvised techniques. On several occasions, we'd invite visiting VIPs to RAF Briiggen to detonate a round and arrange for them to come by our hangar four hours later to see the repaired systems. Most were impressed.