text:
Talk:Chen Yi (Kuomintang)

Chief Executive or Governor
Chief Executive or Governor? --Jiang

 * Chief Executive. Nominally definitely not a "governor". I'll work on the list in Taiwan Province. --Menchi 08:55, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Also take a look at the question I posed at Talk:Taiwan Province. --Jiang

Chong-Shang Hall
Reference:

English introduction

Manderin introduction Mababa 06:04, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * The Legislative Yuan website used "Sun Yat-sen Hall", which is the literal translation. The official website uses Zhongshan Hall and Chungshan Hall. I dont know where "Chong-Shang Hall" came from. --Jiang 06:45, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I think I might have found that weird spelling from my previous internet research and it could be a mis-spelling. I have changed it to Zhongshan Hall in accordance to the spelling system prevailing in Taipei city. I am actually surprized to see that the Legislative Yuan website used "Sun Yat-sen Hall". I did tried to verify if people used "Sun yat-sen Hall" and all I pulled out from google are the one in PRC.

Sorry about the confusing changes. I still changed to Zhongshan Hall in the article since this is the one more commonly known among the public. People would definitely confused to see "Sun yat-sen Hall". That could be an editorial decision to make the literal translation on Legislative Yuan website. I am not sure if that is being used any where else.Mababa 21:14, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Fascist?
This question is germane to the debate at Talk:Kuomintang. I have an accusation here (pdf file, page 75) that Chen Yi operated as a fascist, but I have no idea as to the reputability of the source. Stlemur 15:42, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Spelling in Chinese
The page for Chen Yi (communist) use 陈毅 (simplified) and 陳毅 (traditional), the one for Chen Yi (Kuomintang) use 陳儀 (traditional?) and the one for Chen Yi (composer) use 陈怡 (simplified?). Are all of these spellings correct?

62.113.159.156 17:24, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

 * It's very common for different characters to have the same pronunciation in Mandarin Chinese. --Ahyangyi (talk) 22:44, 6 July 2013 (UTC)

Category change
Jeffrey, I've challenged your category change. Chen Yi certainly was executed by the state, and the common name for the state that has existed on Taiwan island since 1949 is Taiwan. Your category change is not necessary. – NULL  ‹talk› ‹edits›  23:44, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

228 Incident
The section regarding the 228 incident is written so horribly that I can't even parse it. It is not written in an even remotely neutral voice. Also, I have a suspicion that many of the statements are flat out untrue, as they seem to contradict the account given in the more notable article 228 Incident. For example, in the latter article there is no mention of Japanese soldiers nor slaughter of mainlanders. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.23.18.251 (talk) 07:20, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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Mainlanders?
A paragraph in the opening says: "He is considered to have mismanaged the tension between the Taiwanese locals and Mainlanders..." Mainlanders? What does that mean? That term is incorrect. You cannot consider China (Communist China) "mainland", as opposed to Republic of China (Taiwan). That would imply that Taiwan is (or was) part of China. When? It never was. Taiwan (and the island of Formosa) were never part of China. Before removing this incorrect term (perpetuated by the media), I would like some discussion as to why is it there, and why should it stay. -- Alexf(talk) 16:26, 26 February 2017 (UTC)
 * A long time has passed and nobody commented. Edited. When Chen Yi and Chiang were born, there was no "mainland" China. Even today they are not related. China is a separate country from Taiwan and viceversa. The label "Mainland" is propaganda~perpetuated in the media for political reasons or laziness on their part. -- Alexf(talk) 21:19, 26 June 2018 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Chen Yi (Kuomintang)


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Hellenic Air Force

The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; Πολεμική Αεροπορία, sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (Hellenic being the endonym for Greek in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 18th out of 139 countries. Under the Kingdom of Greece from 1935 to 1973, it was previously known as the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF) (Ἑλληνικὴ Βασιλικὴ Ἀεροπορία).

The Hellenic Air Force is one of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces, and its mission is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, and to provide humanitarian aid in Greece and around the world. The Hellenic Air Force includes approximately 33,000 active troops, of whom 11,750 are career officers, 14,000 are professional soldiers (ΕΠ.ΟΠ.), 7,250 are volunteer conscripts, and 1,100 are women. The motto of the Hellenic Air Force is the ancient Greek phrase Αἰὲν Ὑψικρατεῖν (, 'Always Dominate the Heights'), and the HAF emblem represents a flying eagle in front of the Hellenic Air Force roundel. The General Air Staff (GEA) is based at the Papagou Camp in the Municipality of Filothei - Psychiko of the Prefecture of Attica.

Origins
In 1911, the Greek Government appointed French specialists to form the Hellenic Aviation Service. Six Greek officers were sent to France for training, while the first four Farman type aircraft were ordered. All six graduated from the Farman school in Étampes near Paris, but only four subsequently served in aviation. The first Greek civilian aviator that was given military rank was Emmanuel Argyropoulos, who flew in a Nieuport IV.G. 'Alkyon' aircraft, on 8 February 1912. The first military flight was made on 13 May 1912, by Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos. In June, Kamberos flew with the 'Daedalus', a Farman Aviation Works aircraft that had been converted into a seaplane, setting a new average speed world record at 110 km/h. In September of the same year, the Greek Army fielded its first squadron, the 'Aviators Company' (Greek: Λόχος Αεροπόρων).

Balkan Wars and aftermath (1912–1930)
On 5 October 1912, Kamberos flew the first combat mission, a reconnaissance flight over Thessaly. This was on the first day of the Balkan wars. On the same day a similar mission was flown by German mercenaries in Ottoman service, over the Thrace front against the Bulgarian Army. The Greek and the Ottoman missions, coincidentally flown on the same day, were the first military aviation missions in the history of conventional war. As a matter of fact, all Balkan countries used military aircraft and foreign mercenaries during the Balkan Wars.

24 January 1913, saw the first naval co-operation mission in history, which took place over the Dardanelles. Aided by the Royal Hellenic Navy, destroyer RHNS GREEK DESTROYER Velos, 1st Lieutenant Michael Moutoussis and Ensign Aristeidis Moraitinis flew the Farman hydroplane and drew up a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet, against which they dropped four bombs. This was not the first air-to-ground attack in military history, as there was a precedent in the Turkish-Italian war of 1911, but the first recorded attack against ships from the air.

Initially, the Hellenic Army and the Royal Hellenic Navy operated separate Army Aviation and Naval Aviation units. During the Balkan Wars, various French Henry and Maurice Farman aircraft types were used. The Hellenic Naval Air Service was officially founded in 1914 by the then Commander in Chief (CnC) of the Royal Hellenic Navy, British Admiral Mark Kerr. Greek aviation units participated in World War I and the Asia Minor Campaign, equipped by the Allies with a variety of French and British designs.

Foundation, World War II and Civil War (1930–1950)
In 1930, the Aviation Ministry was founded, establishing the Air Force as the third branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The Hellenic Army Air Service and Hellenic Naval Air Service were merged into a single service, the Royal Hellenic Air Force. In 1931, the Hellenic Air Force Academy, the Icarus School (Greek: Σχολή Ικάρων), was founded.

At the end of 1936, Greece ordered 36 Polish PZL P.24 fighter aircraft, which entered service with the 21st, 22nd and 23rd Pursuit Squadrons and after completion of deliveries in 1938, formed the core of the RHAF fighter force. The planes were well armed; 12 planes of the P.24F version had 2 machine guns and 2 20mm autocannons, the remaining 24 planes of the P.24G version had 4 machine guns.

In 1939, an order for 24 Marcel Bloch MB.151 fighter aircraft was placed, but only nine of the aircraft reached Greece, since the outbreak of World War II prevented the French from completing the order. The aircraft entered service in the 24th Pursuit Squadron (MD – Moira Dioxis) of the air force.

During the Italian invasion of Greece (1940-1941) in the Second World War, although being severely outnumbered and counting only 79 aircraft against 380 fighters and bombers of the Italian Regia Aeronautica, RHAF managed to successfully resist the assault. On 30 October, two days after the start of the war, there was the first air battle. Some Henschel Hs126s of 3/2 Flight of 3 Observation Mira took off to locate Italian Army columns. But they were intercepted and attacked by Fiat CR.42 Falcos of 393a Squadriglia. A first Henschel was hit and crashed, killing its observer, Pilot Officer Evanghelos Giannaris, the first Greek aviator to die in the war. A second Hs126 was downed over Mount Smolikas, killing Pilot Officer Lazaros Papamichail and Sergeant Constantine Yemenetzis. On 2 November 1940, a Breguet 19 intercepted the 3 Alpine Division Julia while it was penetrating the Pindos mountain range in an attempt to occupy Metsovo. On the same day, 2nd Lieutenant Marinos Mitralexis having run out of ammunition, aimed the nose of his PZL P.24 right into the tail of an enemy CANT Z.1007bis bomber, smashing the rudder and sending the aircraft out of control.

After 65 days of war, the RHAF had lost 31 officers, seven wounded, plus four NCOs killed and five wounded. Meanwhile, the number of combat aircraft had dropped to 28 fighters and 7 battle-worthy bombers. By March 1941, the Italian invasion on air and ground had been successfully pushed back, aided by the vital contribution of the RHAF to the Greek victory. During the Greco-Italian War the Royal Hellenic Air Force shot down 68 enemy aircraft (official records) and claimed another 24. The British RAF claimed 150 additional air victories against Italian aircraft. However, the Italian Air Force recorded only 65 aircraft lost, during the entire campaign against the Greeks and later the British, with 495 additional aircraft reported as damaged.

In April 1941, the German Wehrmacht invaded Greece in order to assist the Italian assault. During this second wave of foreign invasion, the Luftwaffe eventually succeeded in destroying most of the Royal Hellenic Air Force. However, some aircraft managed to escape to the Middle East, including five Avro Anson, one Dornier Do 22, one Arado 196, and three Avro 626.

During the German occupation of Greece, the Air Force was rebuilt under the expatriated Greek Air Force Ministry based in Cairo. Three squadrons were built, operating under the command of the British RAF. These squadrons were the 13th Light Bombing Squadron flying Avro Ansons, Bristol Blenheims, and Martin Baltimores, and the 335 and 336 Fighting Squadrons flying Hawker Hurricane I and IIs and Spitfire V types. The RHAF squadrons in the Middle East flew a variety of missions, including convoy patrols, anti-submarine search, offensive patrols, reconnaissance, attack and interception of enemy aircraft. In Summer 1943, the Greek squadrons participated in the attack against the German Wehrmacht on the island of Crete, and then from May to November 1944 in Italy. During those years, seventy Greek pilots were lost.

During World War II, Greek pilots who were flying with the RAF achieved many victories. Rhodesian-born Wing Commander John Agorastos Plagis shot down 16 enemy aircraft over Malta and Western Europe. Lieutenant Vasilios Michael Vassiliadis was credited with 11.5 enemy aircraft over Western Europe before he was killed in action on 15 March 1945, over Germany. Steve Pisanos, an immigrant to the US in 1938, joined an Eagle Squadron of American volunteers in the RAF and fought over Western Europe. He later joined the USAAF and acquired US citizenship and continued to fly with the same squadron, now part of the USAF 4th FG. He had achieved ten victories with the USAAF by 1944.

After Greece's liberation in 1944, RHAF returned to Greece and subsequently played a decisive role in the Greek Civil War, which lasted until 1950. By then, it was re-equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX, Spitfire Mk.XVI fighters, and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver bombers.

Post-war developments (1950–1970)
After the end of the Greek Civil War in November 1950, Greece sent seven Douglas C-47 Dakota transport aircraft of the 13th Transport Aircraft Squadron to South Korea to assist the United Nations (UN). Greek aircraft participated in many battles including Battle of Chosin and operated in Korea until May 1955. Greek pilots flew thousands of missions including air evacuations, personnel transport, intelligence gathering, and supply flights. In 1952 Greece joined NATO, and the Air Force was rebuilt and organised according to NATO standards. New aircraft, including jets, were introduced.

The first jet fighter flown by the RHAF was the Republic F-84G Thunderjet in 1955. It was also flown by the first Air Force aerobatic team 337 SQ 'Hellenic Flame' (Greek: Ελληνική Φλόγα). The RF-84F entered service with the 348 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in 1956. Although the F-84G was replaced by the Canadair Sabre 2 in 1954 and 1955 after one-hundred units were retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force and upgraded in the United Kingdom before entering service with the RHAF, the RF-84F remained in service until 1991. The Lockheed T-33 was also delivered as a trainer in 1955. Some RT-33s were used for reconnaissance missions.

In the late 1960s, the RHAF acquired new jet aircraft. These included the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger (in service 1969–1975), the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, and the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter. The F-104 and F-5 stayed in service until the mid- to late 1980s.

In the mid-1970s, the Hellenic Air Force was further modernised with deliveries of the Dassault Mirage F1CG fleet, the Vought A-7 Corsair II (including a number of TA-7Hs), and the first batch of McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs.

In 1993, the United States Air Force delivered sixty-two additional A-7Es and TA-7Cs increasing further the air-to-ground capabilities of the HAF. These aircraft remained in service until 2011.

Modernisation (1980–1997)
Until the late 1980s, the Air Force deployed missiles armed with U.S. nuclear warheads using the LTV TA-7C Corsair II. As a result of Greco-Turkish tension caused by the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the U.S. removed its nuclear weapons from Greek and Turkish alert units to storage. Greece saw this as another pro-Turkish move by NATO and withdrew its forces from NATO's military command structure from 1974 to 1980.

In March 1985, the Greek government announced the purchase of thirty-four F-16C and six F-16D Block 30 variant in the 'Peace Xenia I' modernisation programme. In the same month, Greece ordered thirty-six single-seat Mirage 2000EG and four two-seat Mirage 2000BG, as part of the 'Talos' modernisation programme.

Subsequently, in 1989, the first fourth-generation fighter jets were introduced, marking the beginning of a new era: the first Mirage 2000 EG/BG aircraft were delivered to the 114 Combat Wing in Tanagra air force base, and equipped the 331 and 332 squadrons. In January 1989, the first F-16C/D Block 30 arrived in 111 Combat Wing in Nea Anchialos air force base, and were allocated to the 330 'Thunder' and 346 'Jason' interceptor squadrons in Larissa air force base.

On 29 March 1991, the RF-84F were retired from service after 34 years and 7 months of operational life. In November 1992, more RF-4Es were delivered to the 348 'Eyes' Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.

In 1993, the 'Peace Xenia II' modernisation programme began. Greece ordered thirty-two F-16C and eight F-16D, Block 50 variant. The first Block 50 was delivered on 25 July 1997. These aircraft, equipped with the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod, along with AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-88 HARM missiles, were allocated to the 341 'Arrow' and 347 'Perseus' squadrons in Nea Anchialos air force base. The basic mission of 341 'Arrow' squadron is Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). The role of 347 'Perseus' squadron is air-to-ground missions.

Entering the 21st century (1998–2007)
In 1998, Greece decided, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Industry (DASA) and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI/EAB), to upgrade thirty-nine F-4E Phantom II fighters. The first aircraft was delivered at Andravida Air Base in December 2002. This aircraft, which was named Princess of Andravida (s/n 72-01523), was unique because it did not have the M61 Vulcan gun installed. All upgraded F-4s were equipped with the new AN/APQ-65YG radar similar to that of the F/A-18 Hornet, a new onboard Mission Control Computer (MCC), a head-up display (HUD), the identification friend or foe (IFF) interrogator, multi-function displays, and were also capable of carrying a variety of advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. These included the AIM-120 AMRAAM (although only the -B edition), the AIM-9M missile, the automated flight-director system (AFDS), and the entire family of the Paveway (I, II and III) laser-guided bombs. These aircraft were the F-4E Peace Icarus 2000 (PI2000) or F-4E Phantom II AUP (Avionics Upgrade Programme) variants. Although gradual retirement of F-4 units started in 2017, they are still operational in multi-role missions with the 338 Squadron 'Ares' and the 339 Squadron 'Ajax' based in Andravida air force base. The F-4E Phantom II PI2000 (AUP) has been certified for use of GBU-27 Paveway III laser-guided bombs, making the aircraft an excellent and modern platform for precision strikes.

In 2000, Greece decided to purchase a large number of fighters to replace the remaining non-upgraded F-4E Phantoms, a number of A-7 Corsairs, and the fleet of Mirage F1CGs. An order for sixty F-16 Block 52 Plus was placed. The order was for fifty single-seaters of the C version and ten two-seaters of the D version.

Until 2001, Greece participated in NATO's nuclear weapons sharing, using the A-7 Corsair II to deploy tactical B61 nuclear warheads from Araxos Air Force Base. Greece then strategically decided to remove all nuclear weapons under storage in Greece, and did not purchase any more aircraft with nuclear mounting capabilities.

In September 2004, Greece also decided to upgrade all of its existing Mirage 2000 to the Mirage 2000-5F (Mk2) standard, and place an additional order for fifteen new Mirage 2000-5Mk2 aircraft. The project was undertaken by Dassault Aviation and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI/EAB). The Mirage 2000-5Mk2 has a new and more powerful radar, improved long range air-to-ground capabilities which includes the SCALP EG cruise missile, a new self-protection system (SPS), a new inertial navigation system (INS), a glass cockpit, and the addition of aerial refuelling capability.

Eventually in 2005, HAF was officially the first air force in the world to add the F-16 Block 52 Plus to its inventory, since the first aircraft were delivered. This advanced F-16 type is an improved version of the Block 50, featuring a more powerful radar, conformal fuel tanks for longer operational range, advanced communication systems, an upgraded engine, Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), and is capable of carrying more advanced weapons, including the IRIS-T air-to-air missile. Three squadrons are operating with this type of F-16. These squadrons are the 337 'Ghost' in Larissa air base, the 340 'Fox', and the 343 'Star' in Souda air base.

In 2007, the Greek government ordered an additional thirty F-16 fighters; twenty single-seaters and ten two-seaters. However this time, the aircraft variant was the F-16C/D Block 52+ Advanced, that had been specifically modified for the Hellenic Air Force and offered as F-16 52M by Lockheed Martin, due to the improved computing power of the onboard mission computer (MMC). The difference between the Block 52+ and the Block 52+ Advanced, is the LINK 16 communications system of the Advanced version, as well as a more powerful mission control computer, an extra multi-function display with a movable map navigation, advanced debriefing system, and the capability to carry the RECCE reconnaissance pod. The first aircraft were delivered in May 2009, and operated by the 335 'Tiger' squadron at Araxos air base.

Later years and Greek economic crisis (2007–2018)
Due to the retirement and obsolescence of units that had concluded their operational cycle (A-7E Corsair II and F-4 Phantom II), HAF was looking forward to acquiring new 4th, 4.5th or 5th generation fighters, and at the same time, maintain a total number of three-hundred advanced fighters, also according to the Supreme Air Force Council 2007–2012 operational planning, which was published in 2007. Candidates for the new generation aircraft were the Dassault Rafale, F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, MiG-35, and the Sukhoi Su-35.

During the Greek economic crisis (2008-2018), budget cuts forced HAF to ground many of its F-16s due to lack of spare parts and maintenance. Eventually in 2015, Greece placed an order for provision of spare parts in support of its F-16, F/RF-4E, C-130H/B, C-27J, T-6A/C, and other aircraft with systems / sub-systems of U.S. origin. The estimated cost of this order was $160 million. In addition, some long-awaited programmes were rescheduled for the future. The HAF modernisation programme estimated in 2007 that a purchase of forty-five advance training aircraft, fifteen search and rescue (SAR) helicopters, and forty-to-sixty new fighters was necessary. Some of these programmes were either postponed, or eventually cancelled.

Post economic crisis (2018-)
The Hellenic Air Force currently possesses several fighter types and is in the process of obtaining new ones. There is the F-4, F-16 in several variants, Mirage 2000 and Rafales. As well, the F-35 will be obtained soon. This is very expensive for the Armend Forces and this needs reformed. In March 2024, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias announced that the F-4's will be retired soon and the older F-16's and Mirage 2000's will be sold off. This will streamline the Air Force.

This streamlining can be of benefit to other countries such as India which may buy the Mirage jets. As well, the older F-16's may be sold to Ukraine which is in desperate need of new aircraft.

SAAB GlobalEye
The airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) in the current fleet is the Embraer E-99 fitted with the SAAB Erieye radar. This was introduced over twenty five-years ago, and it is ageing. SAAB has offered the GlobalEye as a replacement for these old aircraft. This is still unconfirmed.

F-16V
During the latter part of the Greek Economic Crisis, HAF after years of austerity decided to modernize the aging fighter fleet. It dedicated resources for the upgrade of the fleet of its existing Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters. In 2018, Lockheed Martin was contracted to upgrade eighty-four F-16C/D Block 52+ and Block 52+ Advanced (Block 52M) to the latest F-16C/D Block 70/72 (F-16V Viper) standard, bringing capabilities to the fleet only available in 5th generation fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II. This upgrade was also considered by HAF as an essential first step for future compatibility with the F-35 fighter. While HAF's earlier F-16C/D Block 30 and Block 50 aircraft were not included in the programme, they were planned to receive equipment donated from the upgraded platforms. The upgrade programme is scheduled to be completed by 2027, and carried out exclusively in Greece by Hellenic Aerospace (HAI). As of July 2024, 20 aircraft have been upgraded.

F-35
In April 2019, as part of the selection process for the new HAF 5th generation fighter, Greece selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 as a replacement of its older F-16 Block 30s or F-4 Phantoms, and as complementary to the F-16V upgrade programme. The timeline for acquisition of the new aircraft, depended mainly on the country's fiscal plans and Washington's ability to offer a long-term payment framework. At the same time, the US Pentagon confirmed Greece as one of five countries to be considered as potential new customers.

In January 2020, Greece formally expressed interest in acquiring and participating in the F-35 programme, following a visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the White House. A figure of twenty aircraft was initially floated, to be acquired following successful completion of the upgrading of the Greek F-16 fleet in 2027.

However, reports in September and October 2020, claimed that Greece could receive at least six F-35 jets much earlier, originally built for Turkey before its ouster from the programme, after the latter conducted tests of the S-400 missile systems purchased from Russia. In late-October 2020, it was made public that the United States and Greece had further discussed the sale of eighteen to twenty-four F-35 jets to Greece, during U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Athens earlier that month. The following month, Greece officially addressed a letter of intent (LoI) to the US Pentagon. In that LoI, Greece even showed interest in acquiring used USAF jets, if that meant initial deliveries could be agreed as early as 2021. According to earlier reports from Greek national daily Estia on 19 October however, an optimistic scenario would mean that the first six aircraft could only arrive in Greece by 2022, at the earliest.

On 30 June 2022, Greece's prime minister confirmed that the country has sent a request to the United States for the purchase of twenty F-35s, with the option of buying a second group of jets also being examined. The expected delivery date is 2027–2028.

On 27 January 2024, it was announced that the USA approved the sale of 40 F-35's to Greece. These will replace ageing aircraft such as the F-4. This was on the same day as Turkey's approval to buy 40 F-16V's and 79 modernisation kits for its F-16C's. The procurement of 20 aircraft was approved by the Hellenic Parliament on 27 June 2024.

C-390
The C130-B and C130-H variants are coming to the end of their service lives. These need to be replaced soon. As announced in January 2023, the Hellenic Air Force is in talks to potentially buy the Embraer C-390 Millennium from Embraer. Another potential option is to buy retired C130J's from the Royal Air Force.

Despite this, there is no conformation of any purchase, and talks are ongoing.

Rafale
In August 2020, Greece announced the acquisition of eighteen Rafale multi-role aircraft from France. Initial reports stated that ten would be the new C-built Rafale F3-R version, and eight would be older F1 & F2 versions already in use with the French Air Force, that would be given to Greece free-of-charge. However, later reports stated that all eighteen aircraft would be the new F3-R version, and would replace an equal number of older Mirage 2000EGM aircraft, that had not been previously upgraded to the 2000-5 Mk2 version. Finally in January 2021, the official agreement with Dassault Aviation was ratified in parliament, and included the purchase of six newly built, and twelve 'slightly used' F3-R aircraft in previous service with the Armée de l'Air, for a total cost of €2.4 billion, including their armament and ground support. Theodoros Lagios, Director General of Armament and Investments of the Greek Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Éric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, signed the contracts in Athens on 25 January.

In June 2021, Dassault Aviation released the first photographs of Rafale F3R of the Hellenic Air Force, bearing the HAF roundel and fin flash, and in July, the first aircraft was officially delivered to Greece. The aircraft were commissioned to the 332 'Falcon' All-Weather Squadron, previously operating with Mirage 2000EGM/BGM jets.

On 11 September 2021, Greek Prime Minister at the 2021 Thessaloniki International Fair announced the purchase of six additional Rafale, bringing the total order number to twenty-four. Greece officially signed the new contract for the acquisition of six additional new Rafale aircraft on 24 March 2022, which follows Greece's acquisition of Rafales in January 2021, and increased number of Rafales to be operated to twenty-four aircraft.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
In 2019, Greece reached an agreement with Israel for the lease, with an option to purchase, of two-plus-one IAI Heron unmanned aerial vehicles. These aircraft would be utilised by HAF and the Hellenic Navy in land and marine border patrol missions. Greek Herons include a unique maritime configuration with sensors and communications designed to monitor the extensive water borders of Greece.

In addition, in November 2020, the Greek multinational company Intracom Defense Electronics (IDE) was placed head of a consortium that included the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT), the University of Patras, as well as many other Greek and European companies from Cyprus, Spain, and the Netherlands, for the design and construction of stealth swarm drones, codenamed Project LOTUS (Low Observable Tactical Unmanned System). It was noted that two types of drones will be built as part of Project LOTUS. The first will be the 'mothership', a large drone with stealth characteristics, to be designed by the AUT based on the Delaer-RX3 prototype designed by the university's Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery (LFMT). The rest will be smaller swarm drones built in large numbers, linked to, and supported by the mothership. These endogenous aircraft will be primarily used in border and maritime patrol missions, high value target reconnaissance and surveillance, while utilising data-fusion technologies to cooperate with HAF's future 4.5 and 5th generation fighters. According to IDE, the air force could completely cover its operational needs within a 5-year plan. On 9 June 2021, the Hellenic MOD approved the project for development, as part of sixteen other multi-national and European projects that were examined and approved by MOD technical staff.

In July 2022, the Hellenic Air Force signed a deal with General Atomics to obtain three General Atomics MQ-9C Sea Guardian UAVs. These will enhance the maritime surveillance capability of the air force, as each aircraft can remain in the air for forty hours.

Turkish drones frequently violate Greek airspace, and they can overwhelm Greek air defences. It is difficult for the likes of a Greek F16 to engage a Baykar Bayraktar TB2 if it enters Greek airspace four times a day. For this reason, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel is providing the Drone Dome, a system of electronic devices. These can disrupt the communications and GPS signals of the TB2. This can deny Greek airspace to Turkish drones in the event of a war and even eliminate them with a 10 kW laser.

The defence firm Hellenic Aerospace Industry unveiled the new Archytas UAV at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September 2022. This is a fixed-wing UAV in a pusher configuration, with four additional motors to allow the aircraft to take-off and land vertically. Archytas is primarily designed for surveillance by the armed forces. However, it can also be used by civil defence agencies, and can be armed with up to 14 kg of weapons. It has a range of 300 km, a top speed of 120 km/h, and a four-hour flight endurance.

It has been announced that the first Greek UCAV is under development. It will be called Grypas. The project is led by EAB, with the collaboration of several universities such as the Democritus University of Thrace. Large scale production is expected to start in 2025.

Turkey
In international politics, the antagonism between Greece and Turkey has made it imperative for HAF to maintain parity with Turkish Air Force (TAF). HAF and TAF pilots have engaged in mock dogfights over the Aegean Sea for years, with some turning deadly; such as the 1996 shooting down of a Turkish F-16 by a Greek Mirage 2000, and the 2006 crash of a Greek F-16 where Greek pilot attempted a move to escape the Turkish F-16 and subsequently crashed into the Aegean sea with the pilot losing his life.

The regional balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean was inevitably affected during the Greek government-debt crisis. However, it was subsequently restored, influenced by negative developments in Turkey's F-35 programme in 2019, rise of diplomatic tensions in Turkey-US bilateral relations during the same period, and at the same time, the decision of Greece to direct funds towards the upgrade of its existing F-16 and Mirage 2000 fleet, and eventually to acquire new 4.5 generation fighters in 2020. By 2023, several Rafale jets have been delivered, as well as the upgrade of F16's to the Viper variant.

Cyprus
HAF is also tasked for the defence of Cypriot airspace, as Cyprus Air Command has no combat jet capabilities. HAF aircraft have to be able to reach the island and remain over Cypriot airspace for prolonged periods of time and possibly under combat conditions. The distance between the nearest Greek air base on the island of Crete and Cyprus is about 700 km. Furthermore, HAF seeks to have the ability to strike at distances of more than 1000 km from its airbases. To that effect in September 2020, during increased tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean amidst Turkish attempts to conduct hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters, Greek F-16 fighter jets taking off from Crete reached and landed on the island of Cyprus for the first time in almost 20 years, participating in joint drills together with Cyprus and France, and successfully returning to their home base after.

The Balkans
In May 2019, the defence ministers of Greece and North Macedonia signed a military agreement, for the policing and patrolling of North Macedonia's airspace by Greece. The agreement also included other areas such as military technology, cybersecurity, intelligence and air traffic control, all provided by the Hellenic Air Force. Since 2017, Greece and Italy also provide, in rotation, policing of the airspaces of Albania and Montenegro. Additionally, as part of Greece's conventional obligations within NATO, HAF and USAF aircraft cooperate in a variety of missions, from air patrolling, to ground target marking, and provision of air defence training to allied Balkan countries.

North Africa and Persian Gulf
As part of multilateral arrangements, Greece remains in close military cooperation with countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Persian Gulf, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia. On 14 September 2021, the Hellenic Air Force deployed a fully equipped battery of MIM-104 Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia as part of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Concept. According to official statements, Athens and Riyadh had agreed on the deployment of the Hellenic Force of Saudi Arabia (HFSA) consisting of the MIM-104 Patriot System and 120 men with their relevant gear and infrastructure for an unspecified length of time, to guard "critical energy infrastructures".

In September 2020, Greece and the UAE conducted common air superiority drills in the eastern Mediterranean region, which lasted almost three weeks. As the two air forces share very similar types of fleets, and following these common exercises, the two countries signed a mutual defence agreement further reinforcing bilateral military and political ties.

In December 2020, Greece and Israel came closer to a €1.4 billion agreement over twenty years, for the creation of the International Air Force Training Centre (IAFTC) in the Greek city of Kalamata. The IAFTC will provide advanced training to new Greek and Israeli military pilots, as well as lease services to international air force customers, utilising the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master jet trainer that will replace the North American T-2 Buckeye. The main Israeli company committed to the investment is Elbit Systems. The International Air Force Training Centre (IAFTC) officially opened in October 2022, with fourteen Beechcraft T-6 single-engine turboprop aircraft, with M-346 and additional T-6 to join in the near future.

Retired
Previous notable aircraft operated were the Supermarine Spitfire, F-86 Sabres, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Sikorsky H-19, Bell 47, Dassault Mirage F1, Lockheed T-33, Republic F-84F, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Northrop F-5, A-7 Corsair II, and the RF-4E

Ranks

 * Officer ranks

 * Other ranks

Aircraft markings and camouflage
The primary camouflage scheme utilised by the Hellenic Air Force is the Aegean Ghost (Φάντασμα του Αιγαίου) scheme. This is modified slightly for each aircraft type, but is standard for all combat and transport aircraft in the inventory. Some training, search-and-rescue, and firefighting aircraft are coloured partially or completely in high-visibility colours for identification and easier location in case of an accident. The air force also frequently uses colourful commemorative schemes to mark anniversaries and other special occasions or for display purposes. National markings are applied to all aircraft, with the national roundel consisting of concentric blue, white, and blue rings, displayed on the fuselage sides and wing surfaces, and a tricolour fin flash of similar blue, white, and blue horizontal stripes on the tail fin. The words Πολεμική Αεροπορία (or simply the abbreviation ΠΑ) are applied to the fuselage as well, although this is less common in current schemes. Aircraft in Aegean Ghost scheme may have low visibility markings applied in which blue is replaced by dark grey and white by light grey.

Originally, many aircraft in service retained the basic colour scheme they were acquired in. Prior to World War II, combat aircraft were given a green and brown top scheme with white or sky blue underside, similar to the Royal Air Force. After the war, jet fighter aircraft such as the Sabre and Starfighter would serve in a polished metal scheme. Later, most aircraft received green and brown camouflage again, consistent with the United States Air Force's South East Asia scheme, referred to as Vietnam camouflage in Greece. A-7 Corsair IIs would be some of the last aircraft to fly with this scheme, retaining it until their retirement, long after all-over grey schemes had become the normal application for Greek aircraft. C-130 Hercules transports which were used in south-east Asia early in their careers were repainted in an overall grey theme.

Aircraft accidents and incidents
The worst accident in the history of the Hellenic Air Force occurred on 5 February 1991, when Lockheed C-130H Hercules s/n: 748 crashed into Mount Othrys during the landing approach to Nea Anchialos. Sixty-three people were killed.

The latest accident occurred on 30 January 2023, when a Hellenic Air Force upgraded two-seated F-4E Phantom crashed in the Ionian sea at around 10:30 am, 25 nautical miles (46,3 km) south of Andravida air base. The aircraft belonged to the 338th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the 117th Combat Wing based in Andravida. The accident occurred during a training exercise with another F-4E that successfully returned to base, the aircraft that crashed was the No.2 of the flight formation. According to early sources, shortly before the crash, the two pilots sent a distress signal that they would abandon the aircraft and use the ejection seats, later it was indicated that neither of the pilots ejected from the aircraft. A large search and rescue operation involving helicopters and ships from the Hellenic Air Force, the Hellenic Navy, and the Hellenic Coast Guard was set to find and rescue the pilots. The co-pilot was confirmed killed, while the captain was declared dead a few days later. It is still unclear what caused the crash, but some speculate that it was due to a technical failure.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Hellenic Air Force


text:
Muriel's Wedding

Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Jeanie Drynan, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding and improve her personal life by moving from her dead-end hometown, the fictional Porpoise Spit, to Sydney.

The film premiered at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in Australia on 29 September 1994. It received positive reviews and earned multiple award nominations, including a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Collette).

Plot
Socially awkward young Muriel Heslop is the target of ridicule by her shallow and egotistical friends, Tania, Cheryl, Janine, and Nicole. She spends her time listening to ABBA songs and daydreaming of a glamorous wedding to get her away from the dead-end beach town of Porpoise Spit and Bill, her domineering father and corrupt politician who constantly belittles his whole family. Muriel attends the wedding of Tania and Chook, during which she sees him and Nicole secretly having sex. Wedding guest Dianne, a department store detective, calls the police on Muriel for stealing the dress she is wearing, and they publicly escort Muriel out of the reception.

Soon after, Bill's rumoured mistress, Deidre Chambers, recruits Muriel into her multilevel marketing business, and Muriel's "friends" officially kick her out of their group after clarifying she is not invited on an island holiday. Muriel's mother, Betty, signs a blank cheque for Muriel to buy products for the cosmetics business, but she instead uses it to withdraw $12,000 and follow them to the island anyway. There, Muriel runs into Rhonda Epinstall, an old high school acquaintance, and they quickly strike up a friendship, cemented when Rhonda gleefully tells Tania about Nicole and Chook.

Returning home, Muriel is confronted by Betty regarding the stolen money. She immediately runs away to Sydney, sharing a flat with Rhonda and changing her name to Mariel. She gets a job at a video store, meets and briefly dates an awkward but kind man, Brice Nobes. One night, Rhonda suddenly falls down, unable to feel her legs. While at the hospital, Muriel calls home and learns her father is being investigated for taking bribes. Rhonda has a cancerous tumour in her spine and undergoes multiple operations, eventually leaving her paraplegic. Muriel promises Rhonda to look after her and never let her go back to Porpoise Spit. She also uses Rhonda's health crisis to obtain pampered service at numerous bridal shops, trying on wedding dresses and taking photographs to indulge her wedding obsession. When Rhonda confronts Muriel, she finally confesses to her fixation on a storybook wedding, and their friendship becomes strained.

Desperate, Muriel agrees to marry South African swimmer David Van Arkle so he can join Team Australia in the upcoming Olympics; she is paid $10,000 by David's parents for her help. At Muriel's elaborate wedding in Sydney, Tania, Cheryl, and Janine are her bridesmaids; bitter Rhonda refuses to be one. Bill openly treats Deidre as his date, and Betty is late to the wedding as she is unable to afford plane tickets; Muriel does not notice her at the wedding. Rhonda moves back to her mother's home, unable to live in Sydney without help. After the wedding, David makes his disinterest in Muriel clear to her.

In Porpoise Spit, an increasingly distraught Betty unintentionally shoplifts a pair of sandals she tries on, and Dianne calls the police. Bill arranges for the charges to disappear. Betty then pleads with Bill for help, only for Bill to announce his intention to divorce her and marry Deidre. She is later found dead by her daughter Joanie. It is announced that Betty had a heart attack, but Joanie reveals to Muriel that it was suicide. At her mother's funeral, David comforts Muriel, and they finally consummate their marriage. Her mother's death forces her to take a hard look at her life, and she tells him she can no longer remain married to him as neither of them are in love, and she wants to stop lying. Bill asks Muriel to help raise her siblings, as Deidre is less likely to marry him with the children in tow. He has also lost his job on city council. Muriel stands up to him, giving him $5,000 of her wedding money and telling him she will repay the rest of the stolen amount when she gets a job in Sydney. Impressing her father with her more assertive personality, Muriel demands that he stop his verbally abusive treatment of her siblings.

Muriel goes to Rhonda's house, where Muriel's former tormentors are visiting, and offers to take her back to Sydney. Rhonda accepts and lets the other girls know what she thinks of them, much to their shock and anger. The best friends head to the airport, happily leaving Porpoise Spit behind for a more promising future.

Production
The film used Tweed Heads as the locale for Porpoise Spit, although the scene of Muriel and Rhonda leaving Porpoise Spit was filmed in its adjoining "Twin Town", Coolangatta. Other filming locations included Moreton Island, Darlinghurst, the Gold Coast, Elanora, Tugun, Parramatta, Kensington, Surfers Paradise and Sydney.

For the role of Muriel, Toni Collette gained 18 kg (40 lb) in seven weeks.

Release
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1994 and opened in Australia at the end of the month, a month after another Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Critical reception
Muriel's Wedding received positive reviews from critics and has a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The critical consensus states "Heartfelt and quirky, though at times broad, Muriel's Wedding mixes awkward comedy, oddball Australian characters, and a nostalgia-heavy soundtrack." The film also has a score of 63 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 14 critics, indicating 'Generally favourable reviews'

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times stated the film "is merciless in its portrait of provincial society, and yet has a huge affection for its misfit survivors...has a lot of big and little laughs in it, but also a melancholy undercurrent, which reveals itself toward the end of the film in a series of surprises and unexpected developments...The film's good heart keeps it from ever making fun of Muriel, although there are moments that must have been tempting."

Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "With such recent hits as Strictly Ballroom and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Australia seems to be cornering the market for odd but delightful comedies laced with substance and romance. The latest, Muriel's Wedding, is another bright, occasionally brilliant, example... the movie is much meatier than its larky comic sheen leads you to think at first...There's poignant drama in this brash, sometimes overstated film, and Muriel's transformation is truly touching."

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "exuberantly funny...a crowd pleaser that spices a tired formula with genuine feeling... In the final scenes, when Hogan dares to let his humour turn edgy, Collette's performance gains in force, and Muriel's Wedding becomes a date you want to keep."

Box office
Muriel's Wedding grossed AU$2.2 million in its opening week in Australia (September 1994) from 72 screens, at that time the third biggest opening for an Australian film behind two films starring Paul Hogan (no relation to the director of Muriel's Wedding) – Crocodile Dundee II (1988) and Lightning Jack (1994). It went on to gross AU$15.8 million (equivalent to AU$34.7 million in 2023) at the box office in Australia.

It earned US$245,000 on 14 screens in its opening weekend in the US (March 1995) and eventually grossed US$15.1 million in the United States and Canada.

Soundtrack
The music of ABBA forms the backbone of the film's soundtrack. Songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson allowed their use in the film and permitted "Dancing Queen" to be adapted as an orchestral piece. Additional ABBA songs included are "Waterloo" and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do".

ABBA only gave permission for their music to be included in the film two weeks before shooting commenced; the filmmakers were considering changing Muriel's favourite band to The Village People.

Also included in the soundtrack are "Sugar Baby Love" by The Rubettes, "The Tide Is High" by Blondie, "I Go to Rio" by Peter Allen, and "Happy Together" by The Turtles.

Stage adaptation
In September 2016, it was announced that Sydney Theatre Company would produce a musical adaptation of Muriel's Wedding. Muriel's Wedding the Musical incorporates songs by ABBA as well as original music by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall. P. J. Hogan wrote the musical's book, Simon Phillips directed, and Gabriela Tylesova designed the set and costumes. The musical ran at the Roslyn Packer Theatre from 6 November 2017 through 27 January 2018.

title: Muriel's Wedding


text:
Grimace

Grimace may refer to:
 * A type of facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
 * Grimace (composer), a French composer active in the mid-to-late 14th century
 * Grimace (character), a McDonaldland marketing character developed to promote the restaurant's milkshakes
 * Grimace scale, a method of assessing the occurrence or severity of pain
 * Grimace Shake, a McDonald's milkshake

title: Grimace


text:
Rescue

Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, removal from danger, liberation from restraint, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an incident. It may be facilitated by a range of tools and equipment necessary to deal with the specific circumstances.

Rescues may be necessary in a wide range of circumstances and environments, and specialised procedures have been developed for many of these. A rescue may also be performed on an ad hoc basis by the people who are available on site, using equipment available on site or assembled from available materials, particularly when the rescue is urgent or it is unlikely that specialist assistance will be available within a reasonable time. First aid medical attention is often closely associated with rescue, and may be a necessary part of a rescue.

Equipment used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue horses, helicopters, the "jaws of life", and other hydraulic cutting and spreading tools used to extricate occupants from wrecked vehicles. Rescue operations may be supported by rescue vehicles operated by rescue squads.

Searches are often associated with rescues when persons are missing and likely to be in danger.

Body recovery is also closely associated with rescue operations, and may be subject to different legal constraints. Occupational safety and health legislation may be waived for rescue operations where there is a realistic probability of saving a life, but not for body recovery.

Interspecies rescue can occur when people rescue animals, when animals are part of a rescue team, and less often, when animals rescue people on their own initiative.

Self-rescue is the process of getting out of an emergency situation by one's own efforts as an individual or a group.

Definition and meaning
Merriam-Webster defines rescue as to free from confinement, danger, or evil, including to forcibly take someone or something from custody or relieve them from attack. Rescue also implies that the danger is imminent and the action is generally prompt or vigorous.

Circumstances requiring rescue
Circumstances that lead to the necessity for rescue can develop due to bad luck, when the events were not foreseeable, duty, where there is known risk, but the person is legally or ethically obliged to take the risk, through voluntary assumption of reasonable risk in the pursuit of profit, knowledge, entertainment or other perceived reward, ignorance of risk foreseeable by a well informed person, denial of obvious risk, or intentional exposure to obvious risk.

Ethics
It is a common belief that one has a duty to rescue other people from serious and imminent danger when the risk and cost to oneself is low. This duty is not easily explained as part of a broader consequentialist requirement to prevent harm, nor is it a duty of social justice owed between citizens as part of a social contract for mutual protection. It is rather a duty of justice in its own right that is based on the direct encounter between the rescuer and the persons in danger, which limits its scope. The situation may be complicated when there are more than one person in a position to contribute towards rescue efforts, and the responsibility is diffused amongst the group until it has been fairly allocated among those present, at which stage justice requires each to discharge their own share, though it would be considered a humanitarian duty to compensate for inadequate response by other persons for whatever reason.

As a general rule, a higher level of risk may be acceptable for actions more likely to result in successful rescue of a larger number of people, or of a person or persons of higher value to the rescuer.

Law
Laws relating to rescue operations may constrain the activities of the rescuers by limiting the level of risk they may be exposed to under the direction of an employer (occupational safety legislation). The level of risk a competent person may voluntarily expose themself to may be significantly higher.

Liability for compensation for loss or injury during a rescue is a complex matter.

Types of rescue operations
Some rescue operations require a high degree of competence and are usually performed by specialist rescue squads with appropriate training, either independent or part of larger organizations such as fire, police, military, first aid, or ambulance services. In the U.S., they are usually staffed by medically trained personnel as NFPA regulations require it.

Other rescues can be performed by any able bodied person who happens to be available at the time, using tools and equipment as may be available. There may be legal protection for non-specialist persons performing rescues for which they are not technically qualified in an emergency, in case they accidentally harm anyone or damage or trespass on property while attempting an apparently urgent rescue. Laws will vary depending on jurisdiction.

Special situations involving rescue, and specialised rescue equipment, include the following topics:

Rescue equipment
Rescue equipment can be any equipment used for the purpose of rescue, but particularly equipment designed, manufactured, and marketed for rescue applications. Ropes and special equipment may be used to reach and remove living people and animals from difficult locations. Some equipment may be carried by people or vehicles intended to facilitate rescue if an incident occurs. This is usually a transponder to broadcast a distress signal allowing the location to be established.

 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.
 * , a device made for lifting a casualty, commonly out of a body of water.

Topics of the same name
Rescue is a potent theme in human psychology, both from mortal perils and moral perils, and is often treated in fiction, with the rescue of a damsel in distress being a notable trope. Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud introduced the concept of "rescue fantasies" by men pursuing "fallen women" in his 1910 work "A Special Type of Choice of Object Made by Men"; Freud's insight into this aspect of male psychology might retain merit, though his proposed Oedipus complex used to frame this concept is no longer in vogue. Within the practice of psychoanalysis, the term has taken on the additional sense concerning therapists' desire to 'rescue' their clients.

Historically, rescue could refer to an act of property seizure in service of an unpaid debt. For example, there is record of a countryman living in the vicinity of present-day Wythenshawe being prosecuted in a local court for "making rescue" of a pig which had been seized as a distress for non-payment of money owed.

title: Rescue


text:
Cinema of Nepal

Nepali Cinema, also referred to as "Nepali Chalachitra" (नेपाली चलचित्र) is the filmmaking industry in Nepal. This includes films in various languages of Nepal, most notably in Nepali language and Maithili. The term Cinemandu is also used, as a portmanteau for films produced in the Nepali language while the Nepalese films produced from Kathmandu and Janakpur in the Maithili language is known as Mithilawood. Both of these film industries are the largest viewing cinema of Nepal and are collectively known as Nepali Cinema.

History
The making of Nepalese films is said to have begun with D.B. Pariyar's Satya Harishchandra, which was the first Nepali-language movie to be shot. It was produced in Kolkata, India, and released on 14 September 1951. Aama (mother) was the first film produced in Nepal and was released on 7 October 1964. It was produced by the Information Department of His Majesty's Government of Nepal (now Government of Nepal (GoN)).

The first film to be produced under a private banner was Maitighar, which was released at the end of 1966.

The Nepal government established the Royal Nepal Film Corporation in 1971. Mann Ko Bandh was the first film produced by the corporation.

Paral Ko Aago was produced by Cinema in 1978. The music director Shanti Thatal became the first female music director in Nepali movies.

Golden era
With the start of the 1980s, more films were being made and they were more accepted by Nepalese audiences. Badlindo Aakash, Samjhana, Kusume Rumal, Lahure, Kanchhi, Basudev, Saino and Koseli were released between 1984 and 1993. The leading actors were Bhuwan K.C. and Tripti Nadakar, whose on-screen chemistry saw them being dubbed the "golden couple" of the industry. In the later years of the decade, the industry saw the rise of Rajesh Hamal and Karishma Manandhar.

In 1990, the film industry began to grow rapidly. There was an unprecedented growth in the number of productions. Within three years, some 140 films were made. Cinemas increased to more than 300.

Conflict era
Because of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal in the mid-1990s a very small number of films were made, and audience numbers fell sharply. In the later years after the conflict, the production and release of Nepali films had almost come to a standstill. Many actors and filmmakers left the country in search for work abroad. Actors like Saroj Khanal, Shiva Shrestha, Karishma Manandhar, Tripti Nadakar, Kristi Mainali and Gauri Malla had little work.

In 2000–2001, the then-highest-grossing Nepali film Darpan Chaya and 'Jindagani' were made.

2006–present
By 2006, as the situation in Nepal calmed down and with Maoists coming into mainstream politics, the Nepali film industry started to return to its previous state, and more films were being made and released. This period also marked the commencement of digital films in the industry.

In December 2016, Bijuli Machine, Nepal's first science-fiction film with a social story was released and ran successfully in cinemas. The movie was directed and written by Navin Awal with Santosh Lamichhane as a scientific consultant. It was reported that the movie set a trend in Nepali films by a making a movie with a low budget, without an item song, stereotypical fights or a romantic story, rather with an authentic Nepali story inspired by the problems faced in the society, like electricity power cuts, and still succeeded to entertain the audience.

The Legend of Shankhadhar is reported to be the first animated Nepali film.

Film Development Board
The Film Development Board is a liaison to facilitate the conceptualization, making, distribution and exhibition of Nepali films.

Tharu cinema
Films were also produced in the Tharu language by the Tharu people in the Terai region of southern Nepal. The first Tharu film, Karam, was released in 1990.

title: Cinema of Nepal


text:
Cave rescue

Cave rescue is a highly specialized field of wilderness rescue in which injured, trapped or lost cave explorers are medically treated and extracted from various cave environments.

Cave rescue borrows elements from firefighting, confined space rescue, rope rescue and mountaineering techniques but has also developed its own special techniques and skills for performing work in conditions that are almost always difficult and demanding. Since cave accidents, on an absolute scale, are a very limited form of incident, and cave rescue is a very specialized skill, normal emergency staff are rarely employed in the underground elements of the rescue. Instead, this is usually undertaken by other experienced cavers who undergo regular training through their organizations and are called up at need.

Cave rescues are slow, deliberate operations that require both a high level of organized teamwork and good communication. The extremes of the cave environment (air temperature, water, vertical depth) dictate every aspect of a cave rescue. Therefore, the rescuers must adapt skills and techniques that are as dynamic as the environment they must operate in.

Overview
A network of international cave rescue units is organised under the banner of the Union Internationale de Spéléologie (UIS). Most international cave rescue units are listed with contacts for use in the event of a cave incident.

The world's first cave rescue team, the Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO), was founded in 1935 in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Like all UK cave rescue groups, it is composed of volunteer cavers and funded entirely by donations. In the UK, regional groups have 'callout lists' containing the details of over 1,000 cavers around the country who can be contacted in case of an emergency. Since 1967, the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) has coordinated cave rescue organizations in the United Kingdom.

Historical examples

 * Floyd Collins from Sand Cave, Kentucky, in 1925. Likely the first high-profile cave rescue in history. Collins' desperate situation in the depths of Sand Cave made headlines across America. Over 10,000 spectators flocked to Sand Cave in the week following the news of Floyd's predicament. The National Guard was called in to control the carnival-like atmosphere surrounding the cave. Despite the heroic efforts of volunteers who attempted to dig a parallel shaft to free Collins, he was found dead, buried to his shoulders in debris. One 25 lb rock had jammed Collins' foot, preventing his escape. Collins remained trapped in Sand Cave for another two months until a crew of German engineers finished the digging of the shaft and extracted his body.
 * Marcel Loubens from Gouffre de la Pierre-Saint-Martin in the French Pyrenees in August 1952. During the ascent, Loubens's harness broke off leading to him subsequently plunging down the 1135 ft entrance shaft. Members of Loubens's expedition spent over 24 hours attempting unsuccessfully to haul their friend back to the surface. Despite the efforts of the team doctor, Loubens died 36 hours into his rescue attempt. After his death the remaining members aborted their recovery attempt. Loubens's body remained in the cave for two more years before cavers returned him to the surface in 1954. The blood transfusion given to Loubens by the team doctor was likely the first subterranean care of its kind.
 * Neil Moss in Peak Cavern, England in 1959. Trapped in a narrow tunnel, he was suffocated by carbon dioxide after prolonged efforts to free him. Rescuers were unable to free Moss and the family asked that his body remain in the cave.
 * James G. Mitchell from Schroeder's Pants Cave in Manheim, New York in 1965. Mitchell was a 23-year-old chemist whose death made national headlines in February 1965 when he died of hypothermia after becoming stranded on rope in a 75 ft pit with a frigid waterfall. Initial efforts to recover Mitchell's body failed. A rescue team was flown from Washington, D.C., on Air Force Two. A subsequent three-day effort to retrieve Mitchell was aborted after repeated failures and a collapse. The cave was abandoned and blasted shut, essentially making the cave a tomb. Mitchell's death made headlines again forty-one years later when a group returned to the cave and successfully recovered his remains.
 * In 1967, six cavers were in Mossdale Caverns in North Yorkshire when a flash flood inundated the system. A major rescue attempt was made, but the men were discovered to have perished in the flood. It remains the worst caving disaster in the UK. Their remains were retrieved and buried further in the system four years later.
 * Eight amateur cavers were found alive by divers after two days trapped in a Kentucky cave after flooding in 1983.
 * Emily Davis Mobley from Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico in 1991. More than 200 people worked over four days to bring her to the surface after her leg was broken. This was the deepest and most remote cave rescue in American history.
 * A diving instructor was trapped in a cave air pocket in Venezuela in 1992 and later rescued by two American divers.
 * Gerald Moni from McBrides Cave in Alabama in 1997. Moni and his group entered McBrides Cave in flood stage attempting a pull-down trip to the cave's lower entrance. A flash flood caused the situation in the cave to become extremely hazardous. While attempting to negotiate a pit being inundated with a high flow of water, Gerald mistakenly grabbed only one of two ropes necessary to descend the pit. The resultant fall to a ledge part way down the drop resulted in a broken femur. A few members of the group managed to negotiate the lower stream passage before it sumped and reached the surface. The others remained with Moni until local rescue agencies could mobilize and attempt a rescue. Rescue teams spent hours waiting for the water levels in the cave to recede enough to attempt an extraction. When teams finally reached Moni, he had been exposed to frigid water for over 12 hours. Rescue teams risked drowning themselves and Moni while traversing the flooded lower cave. 18 hours after his fall Gerald was returned to the surface alive.
 * Alpazat cave rescue in 2004. Several British military personnel on a recreational expedition were trapped in a cave in Mexico after flooding. They were rescued after nine days underground by Richard Stanton and Jason Mallinson from the British Cave Rescue Organisation.
 * John Edward Jones in Nutty Putty Cave in Utah in November 2009. Jones, an inexperienced caver, had become wedged in an unmapped portion of Ed's Push at a 170-degree downward angle with his feet over his head, complicating rescue. After over 24 hours rescuers had been able to move him 2 ft upward, and lower down food and water, when a part of the rescue rope system failed, dropping him fully back into the wedge. It was after this that he became too weak to help the rescuers in their efforts and he died shortly thereafter. Following this, it was decided by the family and landowner to leave his body in place and seal the cave permanently.

 * In February 2014 two Finnish divers died in Jordbrugrotta, Norway. Norwegian authorities summoned an international team of cave divers including Britons Richard Stanton, John Volanthen and Jason Mallinson to recover the bodies. After diving to the site, they deemed the operation too difficult. A diving ban was later given for the cave. However, the involved Finnish divers returned later without official authorisation and recovered the bodies. Their recovery expedition was filmed as the documentary Diving into the Unknown. The diving ban was overturned on 31 March 2014.

 * Riesending cave rescue in 2014. Johann Westhauser was hit on the head by a boulder 1148 m below the entrance of Riesending Cave, in Germany. 728 people were involved in his evacuation, which took 11 days.
 * Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018. Twelve members of the Moo Pa (Wild Boar) soccer team, aged 11–17, and one coach were trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand. A search was immediately commenced when a ranger of the National Park in Chiang Rai province alerted authorities of the missing boys after seeing their unclaimed belongings at the entrance to the cave. The team was located, alive, on 2 July 2018 by British divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen; they were assisted later by Jason Mallinson. More than 1,000 people were involved in the rescue operation, including teams from China, Myanmar, Laos, Australia, the UK, and the United States.
 * In September 2023, Mark Dickey, an instructor with the US National Cave Rescue Commission, was rescued from Morca cave in Turkey by a team of 196 people from 8 countries (Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Poland, Albania, and the United States). Nine days after the rescue call, having been transfused for blood loss and fed intravenously, he was evacuated on a stretcher.

In the United States
Organized cave rescue units in the United States are generally city/county funded volunteer squads, composed mainly of seasoned, local cavers. A pioneer organization in cave rescue in the 1960s was the CRCN (Cave Rescue Communications Network). Although it was not, itself, a rescue unit, it served to organize communications and coordinate contacting experienced cavers in the area to facilitate a rescue. The CRCN nominally operated out of Washington, DC, and covered the mid-Atlantic area. The typical Southeastern US cave rescue team averages between 15 and 20 active members. Due to the excessive amount of manpower required for a large-scale cave rescue, it is not uncommon for multiple cave rescue units from various regions to assist another in extensive underground operations. Because organized cave rescue teams are quite rare, it is also quite common for local units to cover regions that extend far beyond the area they are nominally responsible for. The number of cave rescues in North America are relatively small compared to other common wilderness rescues. The average number of reported cave related incidents is usually 40 to 50 per year. In most years, approximately 10 percent of reported accidents result in death.

Organized Cave Rescue Teams generally utilize the Incident Command System (ICS). Originally devised for wildland fire teams, today the ICS is used by a variety of agencies throughout North America. The ICS can be modified by each agency depending on the nature of their emergencies. Below is an example of a typical cave rescue Incident Command System.

 * Incident commander
 * is responsible for all activities, including the development and implementation of strategic decisions during the course of an incident. The IC monitors all aspects of an operation including planning, logistics, communications and information.

 * Underground manager
 * usually responsible for implementation of the plan provided by the incident commander. The underground manager assigns and monitors vital tasks including rigging, medical, patient packaging and transport, and communications with the IC on the surface. The underground manager is also usually responsible for the safety of the entire underground team.

 * Initial response team
 * a small unit of first responders. The task of the IRT is to travel through the cave to the patient and evaluate the situation with the purpose of reporting back to the appropriate manager. The IRT usually includes the medical personnel so medical intervention can begin early if necessary.

 * Medical team
 * varies in size and level of the medics ability from agency to agency. The medical team rarely participates in any other rescue function other than managing patient care.

 * Communications team
 * responsible for creating and maintaining communications between the teams in the cave and the Incident Commander. A common means of communications on a cave rescue are military field phones. Military phones are reliable but heavy, and the need for abundant amounts of com-line can make running communications deep into a cave difficult. Another, more advanced type of communication, are low frequency radios, which eliminate the need for thousands of feet of com line in a cave. Low frequency radios can communicate through thousands of feet of solid rock, making them ideal for use deep into caves.

 * Rigging team
 * responsible for one or more stations in a cave that require the rigging of ropes or systems to safely transport the patient and emergency personnel through the cave. In a large scale rescue, many rigging teams could be scattered throughout a cave, assigned with multiple tasks.

 * Litter team
 * made up of rescue personnel that are not already assigned to rigging, communications, medical or management positions. The responsibility of the Litter Team is the packaging and safe transport of the patient through the cave.

 * Entrance control
 * responsible for the logging of all personnel entering and leaving a cave. In some cases the Entrance Control could also be assigned the duty of logging all gear entering and leaving the cave. This is an important task on any cave rescue.

title: Cave rescue


text: Talk:Cinema of Nepal

title: Talk:Cinema of Nepal


text:
JATO Rocket Car

The account of the JATO Rocket Car was one of the original Darwin Awards winners: a man who supposedly met his death in a spectacular manner after mounting a JATO unit (a rocket engine used to help heavy aircraft to take off) onto an ordinary automobile. It was originally circulated as a forwarded email.

In 1996, after numerous inquires, the Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a news release posted on their website concerning the story. It termed the story "an Arizona myth."

The story was also debunked in 2003 on the pilot episode of MythBusters, titled "Jet Assisted Chevy".

Usenet posting
This is the text as it appears, possibly most frequently, in usenet repostings:

"You all know about the Darwin Awards – it's the annual honor given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it.

And this year's nominee is:

The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. the wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. The lab finally figured out what it was and what had happened.

It seems that a guy had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off – actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO!

The facts, as best could be determined, are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 mi from the crash site. This was established by the prominent scorched and melted asphalt at that location. The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within five seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 MPH [350 mph], continuing at full power for an additional 20–25 seconds. The driver, soon to be pilot, most likely would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, basically causing him to become insignificant for the remainder of the event. However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 mi (15–20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 ft, leaving a blackened crater 3 ft deep in the rock.

Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however, small fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel."

History
The original Darwin Awards were fictitious. Both were contained in a 1990 version if the JATO Rocket Car urban legend posted to the rec.models.rockets Usenet newsgroup. When this urban legend was debunked, it was specifically pointed out that the mentioned Darwin Awards were fictitious. It contained a reference to the 1985 mention of a Vending Machine Tipover Darwin Award. It was Paul Vixie who wrote this introduction to the JATO urban legend that first included the term "Darwin Award". Vixie credits Charles Haynes with making the (informal) Darwin Award Nomination, but it was Vixie's specific wording, with the first sentence crediting Haynes stripped off, that was actually circulated and actually referred to the Darwin Awards as if they actually existed and were common knowledge, though the message was not widely circulated until it was reformatted.

It remained fairly dormant until 1995, when the message surfaced again in rec.pyrotechnics with the email header stripped off the introduction, though the main story is still indented. Three days later the introduction is fully integrated into the story and it appeared on rec.humor in a form that made it a truly infectious meme. Shortly after it was reposted in 1995 it quickly began to spread, being posted on Usenet 24 times within the next month. In 1996 the legend was further embellished with references to the year of manufacture of the car and G-Forces and to the form which was widely circulated via email (55% of all postings on usenet which included "JATO Rocket Darwin Award impala" also included "g-forces".

Cult of the Dead Cow, a hacker group and ezine, published an extensive elaboration in 1998 that claims to explain how the story came into being, describing the most common details of the Rocket Car legend. Four males under 25 engaged in scouting, welding, drinking, and Rube Goldberg engineering to build a rocket rail car after they happened upon JATOs in a junk pile. Supposed author CarInTheCliff also describes the car's only test plus the elements he has added while discouraging repeats by example. In this account it is also claimed that the story had first circulated long before 1990.

The Darwin Awards meme was also spread by Wendy Northcutt, who collected the Darwin Awards on a public website in 1993, and circulated new stories in a regular newsletter.

The MythBusters investigation
To test the story – the very first myth they tackled – Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, with help from honorary MythBuster Erik Gates, procured a 1966 Chevrolet Impala, and after they were unable to obtain actual JATOs, they substituted three model rockets in succession to produce an equivalent amount of thrust (3000 hp for 15 seconds). They also installed a rocket rack and reinforced the car so that the rockets would not tear off the roof, and even made use of a hydraulic system that the previous owner had installed on the car to lower the front of the car and make it more aerodynamic. However, when tested in the Mojave Desert, the car did not go anywhere near the 300 mi/h reported in the original story, and failed to become airborne.

The program has revisited the story twice, in 2007's "Supersized Myths" (the rockets exploded on the ramp) and their 10th Anniversary episode "JATO Rocket Car: Mission Accomplished?". The 12 motors were built by John Newman, Rick Maschek, and others with one motor first being static tested, successfully, at the FAR site (Friends of Amateur Rocketry) to avoid another explosion. On the two cars used, the motors were stacked vertically to keep the cars going straight in the event one or more of the motors did not ignite. The car was weighted towards the front in an attempt to improve its aerodynamic stability but no attempt was made to ensure the thrust vector of the rocket pack was being applied through the center of gravity (CG) of the car. The thrust vector proved to be far too high above the CG causing the car to immediately nosedive as it left the ramp and smash into the ground. The still firing motors propelled the car up into the air a second time where it did a rotation until smashing into the ground.

Dodge Coronet TV ad
To advertise the stopping power (rather than speed) of the 1958 Dodge Coronet's 'total contact' brakes, a JATO bottle was fitted to a Coronet and it was driven at speed across the El Mirage dry lake. This commercial was broadcast during the Dodge-sponsored Lawrence Welk Show.

title: JATO Rocket Car


text:
Whiskered tern

The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The specific hybridus is Latin for hybrid; Peter Simon Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of white-winged black tern and common tern, writing "Sterna fissipes [Chlidonias leucopterus] et Hirundine [Sterna hirundo] natam".

This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details.

C. h. hybrida breeds in warmer parts of Europe and the Palearctic (northwestern Africa and central and southern Europe to southeastern Siberia, eastern China and south to Pakistan and northern India). The smaller-billed and darker C. h. delalandii is found in east and south Africa, and the paler C. h. javanicus from Java to Australia.

The tropical forms are resident, but European and Asian birds winter south to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. A tagged whiskered tern was spotted at Manakudi Bird Sanctuary, Kanniyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, India in the month of April 2021.

This species breeds in colonies on inland marshes, sometimes amongst black-headed gulls, which provide some protection. The scientific name arises from the fact that this, the largest marsh tern, show similarities in appearance to both the white Sterna terns and to black tern.

Description
The size, black cap, strong bill (29–34 mm in males, 25–27 mm and stubbier in females, with a pronounced gonys) and more positive flight recall common or Arctic tern, but the short, forked-looking tail and dark grey breeding plumage above and below are typically marsh tern characteristics. The summer adult has white cheeks and red legs and bill. The crown is flecked with white in the juvenile, and the hindcrown is more uniformly blackish, though in the winter adult this too is flecked with white. The black ear-coverts are joined to the black of the hindcrown, and the space above is mottled with white, causing the black to appear as a C-shaped band. The sides of the neck are white; this sometimes continues across the nape. The collar is less sharply defined. All through the year the rump is pale grey. In the juvenile, the mantle has a variegated pattern. The feathers of the back and scapulars are dark brown, with prominent broad buff edgings and often subterminal buff bars or centers. There is usually an admixture of new gray feathers, especially on the mantle, quite early in the fall. The mantle is silvery-gray in the adult. The call is a characteristic krekk.

In winter, the forehead becomes white and the body plumage a much paler grey. Juvenile whiskered terns have a ginger scaly back, and otherwise look much like winter adults. The first winter plumage is intermediate between juvenile and adult winter, with patchy ginger on the back.

The whiskered tern eats small fish, amphibians, insects and crustaceans.

title: Whiskered tern