Worlds most kick-@$$ aircraft!

[hamin_aus]

Why we even needed these planes was a mystery to me.

We should have spent this money on helicopters and transport planes which we could use to carry troops and equipment to places that need it quickly.

We are far more likely to have to drop food, water and medical supplies somewhere than a bomb...

[Ron2K]

Too cool not to be posted here.



And... how it was done:

[Anakha56]

http://www.dailytech.com/F35+Lightning+ ... e17944.htm

F-35 Lightning II Cost has Doubled; F136 Engine Completes Afterburner Test

The JSF continues to increase in cost, while Lockheed Martin and military official defend the program


The cost of each next-generation F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft has ballooned from $50 million per craft in 2001 to more than $113 million in 2010.

The price tag has ballooned due to delays and other major holdups. Such a drastic price increase has again forced military leaders to defend the JSF program in front of Congress – patience is running out as the military looks for ways to trim costs.

Lockheed Martin also has been forced to defend the numerous delays and price increases to the government, but still has been unable to keep costs under control.

There is possible evidence the contractor "bought into" the JSF program by offering a lower price it knew it would be unable to meet (without steadily raising the costs in later years). Lockheed Martin was able to edge out Boeing's competing X-32 offering in part to due to better SVTOL performance, a low price tag, and the fact that the X-35 (precursor to the F-35 Lightning II) would borrow some technology from the larger F-22 Raptor.

The F-35 Lightning II was expected to become the most expensive weapons program picked up by the Pentagon, and the new price will again lead some politicians and military leaders to discuss dropping the program. Continued disappointment has led the USAF to show more interest in mobility instead of relying on the JSF program -- especially after the expected one-year delay.

The U.S. military does have some positive outlooks, however, with the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team recently completing successful afterburner tests on its third engine. There are six F136 engine tests scheduled in 2010.

“We are marching along in development, making progress every day, and achieving full afterburner on our newest engine demonstrates the capability and success of the F136 team. It also means the F-35 program is another step closer to reaping the proven benefits of enduring competition in the engine program,” said Al DiLibero, President of GE Rolls-Royce's Fighter Engine Team.

[Anakha56]

http://www.dailytech.com/Air+Force+Not+ ... e18136.htm

Air Force: Not Throwing in the Towel on F-35

Even though the project is overbudget and still delayed, the USAF will continue to show faith in the Lockheed Martin F-35


The United States Air Force confirmed it will move forward with F-35 Joint Strike Fighter adoption in the future, despite numerous delays and budget issues related to development. The F-35 is expected to push the F-15, F-16 and A-10 programs closer to retirement, with the Air Force currently uninterested in launching additional programs to extend the lifeline of any of the fighters.

Recent Air Force budget outlines indicates $70 billion will be used to purchase 602 F-35 Lightning II aircraft over the net 10 years.

The F-35 was expected to enter operational capability in 2013, but has been pushed back until 2016. Until the F-35 is available, the Air Force will continue to repair and maintain its F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, according to military testimony in front of the air-land subcommittee controlled by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The Air Force is committed to the [F-35] Joint Strike Fighter to be our solution to recapitalization," noted Lt. Gen Mark Shackleford, USAF military deputy for acquisition. "We are focused on the fifth-generation fighter."

Lockheed Martin is under additional scrutiny to get the struggling JSF program back on track, as the USAF, Navy and Marine Corps anxiously await F-35 rollout.

The Marine Corps also said it will stay committed to the JSF program -- USMC is expected to receive the F-35B Lightning II -- but also urged the military contractor to make improvements.

[hamin_aus]

There's no way the F-35 will replace the A-10...
As I understand it, the F-22 will replace the F-15 as the US air superiority fighter fighter and the F-35 will take over the roles held by the F-16's and F-18's of the USAF, Army and Navy eventually.


But I can understand why they are persevering with it, Lockheed and the US stand to make big money from international sales...

[Anakha56]

http://www.dailytech.com/US+Hypersonic+ ... e18240.htm

U.S. Hypersonic Glider Sets a World Record of Mach 20, Then Crashes

Craft is being designed to strike enemies in far away regions like the Middle East in under an hour


NASA's X-43A (Hyper-X) test vehicle currently holds the record for the fastest aircraft. Back in November 2004, it achieved a speed close to Mach 10 (12,000km/hr or 7,000mph). That's well into the hypersonic range, which starts at Mach 5.

For the Air Force and U.S. Armed Forces, it's highly desirable to develop hypersonic aircraft. Such designs could offer strikes in under an hour from the U.S. to anywhere in the world. Many in the armed forces view hypersonic strike-craft as a potentially game-changing weapon in the fight against terrorism.

On Tuesday the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) tested a new design, the HTV-2. The HTV-2 is classified as a hypersonic glider. To get it up to its extreme target speed of Mach 20, it is first launched to the edge of space aboard a Minotaur IV Lite solid fuel rocket.

Once at the edge of space the craft detaches and screams down towards its target. Its thin wedge-shaped body is designed to produce greater lift. It is protected against the extreme heat it will encounter by carbon-carbon material used in the body, the same material used in carbon brakes and Space Shuttle tiles.

On Tuesday the craft embarked on its first test flight, launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The craft was to fly across the Pacific Ocean before landing at its target, Kwajalein Atoll, a tiny island in a chain of islands northeast of Australia known as the Marshall Islands. Kwajaleien is approximately 4,800 miles from VAFB.

Launching on its 30 minute journey everything seemed to be going perfectly. The craft boosted to near-space, then detached successfully. It hurtled towards Earth, performing the prescribed maneuvers as it went. And according to DARPA spokeswoman Joanna Jones it "achieved controlled flight within the atmosphere at over Mach 20" -- a new world record.

Then at nine minutes, during the final stages of maneuvers disaster struck. Something happened and the craft abruptly stopped responding to the Air Force.

That set back may spell trouble for the cash-strapped hypersonic test program. The hypersonic strike-craft are currently competing with two other technologies. One alternative is to repurpose ballistic missiles to carry non-nuclear payloads. However, this runs the risk of nuclear nations mistaking the missile for a nuke and initiating a counter-strike.

Another option is to use a modified cruise missile that can travel at Mach 5 or Mach 6. This program, like the hypersonic glider, seems promising, but has been dealt a setback, with tests pushed back from December 2009 to May 2010.

Still, despite the setback the glider may be the best option, if DARPA can fine-tune its design. Dr. Mark Lewis, the former chief scientist of the Air Force, comments, "There’s always a concern that a conventional warhead on an ICBM might be confused with a nuclear device - what can you do to prove otherwise? With a high lift vehicle, your trajectory would be so different that no one would likely confuse it with something more sinister."

The HTV-2 is only the second major experimental aircraft to launch in the last two weeks. Last week the X-37B unmanned space shuttle was launched by the Air Force into orbit on a super-secret mission.

[Anakha56]

http://www.dailytech.com/Boeing+Unveils ... e18381.htm

Boeing Unveils Phantom Ray, an Autonomous, Unmanned Stealth Fighter

First flight will be conducted in December


Last year, Boeing discussed the future of the "Phantom Ray", a stealthy, unmanned aerial vehicle. The Phantom Ray was based on the X-45C design which Boeing produced for the DARPA Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program.

On Monday, Boeing unveiled the near complete fighter-sized automated craft and announced that plans to conduct a December test flight and nine more test flights in the following six months were proceeding quite nicely.

Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works cheered, "We are on a fast track, and first flight is in sight. Phantom Ray is on schedule to fly in December, about two years after this project began. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Boeing and the Phantom Ray team."

The Phantom Ray is designed to fulfill a variety of roles including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; electronic attack; strike; and autonomous aerial refueling.

Today, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are fast becoming a mainstay of the U.S. Armed Forces in the global arena, but most UAVs currently in action require extensive piloting. The Phantom Ray, by contrast, would be mostly autonomous, making its own way to designated targets and only requiring a human operator to pull the trigger. The Phantom Ray is also larger than most UAVs currently in action, and thus should be able to support more diverse roles or provide more destructive power.

Test taxis will take place this summer. Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager for Boeing, describes the flights that will follow, stating, "The initial flights will take Phantom Ray through its paces for the flight test profile. Beyond that, the missions and systems tested will be determined by future warfighter needs."

Boeing describes its secretive Phantom Works division writing:
Phantom Works uses rapid prototyping initiatives to design, develop and build advanced aircraft and then demonstrate their capabilities.

A number of military suppliers were involved with the Phantom Ray. Among those announced by Boeing include General Electric-Aviation (propulsion and power distribution), Honeywell (brake system), Woodward-HRT (flight control actuation system), Crane Hydro-Aire (brake controls) and Heroux-Devtek (landing gear).

The U.S. Air Force last year gained their first jet-powered UAV. If the tests of the Phantom Ray go smoothly, it may decide to soon add its first semi-autonomous stealth UAV to its stable.

[Prime]

Here is a question for the Aircraft Buffs.

Whats the operating typical Voltage for the Electrics on WW2 Aircraft and Tanks (American Built)?

I have a Vintage Generator Set. Its 110V AC, 12V DC start and charge circuit, but its not fully screened and the Company that built it (Atlas Aircraft Products which became Cyclohm Motor Corp.), built American Aircraft parts during WW2. This is not the same Atlas that built planes in SA.

[hamin_aus]

The Sherman M4 ran on a Wright R-975 engine whose alternator put out 24 volt 50 amp

Many of the P-40 and P-51's flew with an Allison V-1710 family engine which used a 27 volt electrical system that needed anywhere from 130 to 290 amps, depending on the variant...

[Hman]

If I remember correctly teh Spitfires I have for FSX's voltage guages read to 24 volts

[Anakha56]

http://www.dailytech.com/Skyscrapersize ... e18506.htm

Skyscraper-sized Airship to Float Over Homeland, Battlefields Soon
Jason Mick (Blog) - May 26, 2010 2:25 PM

Giant blimp will serve to relay satellite communications, perform surveillance


Science Fiction epics like the Final Fantasy Video games and current series Fringe often depict a world in which giant air ships rule the skies. While airplanes aren't about to give up their command of the skies above our world, there's recently been a surprising rejuvenation in real world airships as well.

E-Green Technologies will be among the companies leading airships into the future following its acquisition of 21st Century Airships, in November 2009. Armed with its new acquisition, the company has created an incredible aerial "stratellite" (stratosphere-satellite) ship, which it plans to sell to military and civilian interests alike.

The new airship, dubbed the Bullet-580, features a massive cylindrical body with a cone head. The ship measures 235-feet (75 m) long -- as tall as a 23-story skyscraper. The airship's outer envelope is made of kevlar, the same material used it bulletproof vests. It is one-sixteenth of an inch thick, but is 10 times as strong as steel in terms of impact resistance.

That strong envelope can protect up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of cargo, which can be carried at altitudes of 20,000 feet (6,096 m). Such high altitudes and ample cargo hauling abilities make the airship well suited for military surveillance or commercial telecommunications duties.

The massive airship is still significantly smaller than its predecessors in the early twentieth century, such as the ill-fated German Hindenberg, which measured 804-feet (245 m). However, its smaller size allows it to be pretty quick; the Bullet-580 has a top cruising speed of 80 mph.

NASA and Old Dominion University have offered up an experimental payload for the craft's maiden flight, which will be conducted in Norfolk, Virginia. later this year. The instrumentation put aboard the craft will be used to collect data on moisture content in soil.

The first step towards that test flight -- the inflation of the craft -- has just been carried out. The craft seems to be holding together perfectly as it rests in the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, AL.

Among the diverse roles E-Green Technologies says the craft can fulfill are battlefield surveillance, missile defense warning, electronic countermeasures, weapons platforms, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) services, weather monitoring, broadcast communications and communications relays.

The company hopes production demands will create hundreds of new textile jobs in Alabama where the kevlar coat is produced. It also hopes for even more engineering, operations, and testing jobs to be created in Central Florida and Northern California, where the company hopes to set up operational centers.

[GreyWolf]

Osprey >>>> Picnic

[Lithe_Joint]

Anyone picked up on the latest scramjet at mach5+? It got launched from a stratofortress recently and propelled for about 20 seconds...which hardly leaves enough time to **** yourself...but then again, the flight was computer controlled.

[Anakha56]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/ ... n/#content

Navy Shoots Down Plane With Really Big Raygun



The U.S. Navy has a raygun -- and it's a big one.

In a red-letter week for the military, the Naval Sea Systems command "successfully tracked, engaged, and destroyed” several unmanned aircraft with its Laser Weapon System, otherwise known as LaWS. and on the ground, iRobot unveiled its gift to the Pentagon -- the 710 Warrior designed to clear an entire 45 square meter minefield in one blow.

But first, the raygun.

According to The Register, "it represents the first Detect-Thru-Engage laser shoot-down of a threat representative target in an over-the-water, combat representative scenario." LaWS is fitted to the Navy's "R2-D2" robotic gun turret and looks every bit like what you'd expect a raygun to look like.

In normal operations, R2-D2 would support the Navy's Phalanx 20mm cannon, which automatically locks onto incoming missiles and blasts them out of the sky. Unfortunately for anyone in the impact zone, that usually results in a shower of shrapnel or the 20mm shell itself if it fails to explode.

The LaWS system simply vaporizes the target.

Naval spokesman Captain David Kiel said the success test "validates the military utility of (rayguns) in a maritime environment".

"Further development and integration of increasingly more powerful lasers into Surface Navy LaWS will increase both the engagement range and target sets that can be successfully engaged and destroyed," he said.

As for iRobot's Warrior, an extremely convincing video shows how it can roll into a minefield and deploy a set of grenades to clear a large chunk of turf.

iRobot co-founder had previously told Wired that his company wasn't in the business of making weaponized robots, and it's probably sticking to its guns, so to speak.

But obviously iRobot can't tell the US military how to use its devastating metal marine...

[Prime]

Imma charging ma lazor.

Shoop da Woop!

[VoxynQueen]

Not sure if this has been posted yet.
Unmanned combat aircraft planned by RAF.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10602105.stm

[SoulBlade]

http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2009 ... r-cabrios/

[SoulBlade]

Su-27 Carrier Landing Abort.


Not sure if the Pak Fa has been covered...
PAK FA T-50 maiden flight

2nd flight

Road to T-50


More info...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_PAK_FA
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... pak-fa.htm
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... -50-PAK-FA

[hamin_aus]

Nice looking plane.

But the Ruskies are still making their planes with oversized engines... look at the two on that T-50 (or PAK_FA - what happened to that designation?), they stick out of the fuselage like tumours. Will probably have an enormous thrust-to-weight ratio, but as always, Russia, what good is being fast and super-manoeuvrable when your enemy can see you coming before you see him.
The air intakes are not baffled on the T-50 and radar waves will probably go right in, hit the jet turbines and come out, whereas on the F-22, the are intakes go through ans S-shaped funnel to avoid this.
Also the nose of the plane is still very round...
At the moment I doubt very much if the RCS of this plane is smaller than the F-35, let alone the F-22. It also has that smell of cheap knock-off. Like they waited until the US had a working YF-22 and then cribbed all the notes and built their own version. Most experts (western and Russian) doubt whether this plane will be ready for service by 2017 - they say more likely 2020.

Nice price tag tho - half the price of a Raptor for what might amount to nearly comparable performance once they have finished tweaking it...
With this plane going on the international market, Japan might be interested in buying a few and with India buying 200, I can just see Pakistan looking under it's couch cushions trying to scratch together enough cash to compete.

[SoulBlade]

0:25 and onwards is the PAK FA I wanted to see. Yep, the real PAK FA doesn't feel and look well though out.

[SoulBlade]

PS, can someone identify the name and artist of the song used in above vid?

[Ron2K]

I'm sure I can post passenger aircraft in here - anyway, want to know what an A380 approaching you head-on looks like?

[hamin_aus]

Search for pilot of F-22 fighter jet after it crashed in remote Alaska

An aerial search is underway in the Alaskan wilderness after a U.S. fighter pilot crashed during a training exercise.

A single-seat F22 fighter jet - the most sophisticated in the U.S. Air Force fleet - left Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage on a routine training run but crashed after 80 minutes of flight on Tuesday evening.

Wreckage of the high-speed aircraft has been found about 100 miles north of Anchorage but officials hope the as-yet-unnamed pilot could have survived the crash.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this missing Airman, and we thank all Alaskans for their continued support and prayers during this trying time,' said Air Force Col. Jack McMullen, 3rd Wing commander.

'Finding the missing pilot is our top priority.'

Col. Jack McMullen said the pilot would have been prepared for the cold conditions if he had ejected from his jet and survived.

'[The pilots] have survival gear,' he explained. 'He's Arctic trained to survive in that environment. He's got the gear on.

'He's got stuff in his survival kit, so that he could hunker himself down and fight the extreme cold.'

Rescue aircraft and the Alaska Air National Guard scoured the crash site on Wednesday morning while two Air Guard helicopters and a C-130 airplane searched for signs of the pilot's potential survival, such as a parachute or a campfire.

'There's no sign of the pilot at this point, from what I've been told,' guard spokesman Major Guy Hayes commented.

A pararescue team is to return to the crash site on Thursday, Major Hayes added.

'They're going to put them back in at first light, or they'll put in somebody - a crash recovery team or somebody.'
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, with Air Force officials saying the fighter jet had been nearing the end of its training run on Tuesday evening when ground radar lost sight of it and another pilot on the mission lost communications.

The twin-engine F-22 Raptor is one of the fastest, most manoeuvrable jets in operation, with a confidential top speed and the ability to cruise at more than 1.5 times the speed of sound without using its afterburner.

However, plans to add seven more F-22s to the U.S. Air Force's fleet of 187 were last year cancelled by Congress, saving $1.75 billion from the Defence department's budget.

[hamin_aus]

Iran claims to down spy planes but offers no proof

Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims to have shot down several Western spy planes, including two in the Persian Gulf, but provided no evidence.

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in the Gulf, says it has no reports of aircraft downed "recently."

Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency on Sunday quoted the head of the Guard's air force
wing, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, as saying Iran has "shot down a large number of ... highly advanced spy planes" that violated Iranian airspace.

Hajizadeh provided no proof, and did not say when the aircraft were downed or what country they belonged to.

Iran is locked in a dispute with the U.S. and its allies over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, which the West believes aims to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusations.

Well, between Fox news and Fars news I dont know which is more bias... but a while back Iran claimed to have shot down a US spy plane and when they recovered the wreckage it turned out to be one of their own missile drones they were testing...



For now I'll call shenanigans on president Ahmadouchebag's claims...

[Anakha56]

Pics of China's "Stealth" plane. Put stealth in "" because it does not look stealthy at all...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... TopStories

BEIJING—The first clear pictures of what appears to be a Chinese stealth fighter prototype have been published online, highlighting China's military buildup just days before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates heads to Beijing to try to repair defense ties.

The photographs, published on several unofficial Chinese and foreign defense-related websites, appear to show a J-20 prototype making a high-speed taxi test—usually one of the last steps before an aircraft makes its first flight—according to experts on aviation and China's military.

The exact origin of the photographs is unclear, although they appear to have been taken by Chinese enthusiasts from the grounds of or around the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute in western China, where the J-20 is in development. A few experts have suggested that the pictured aircraft is a mock-up, rather than a functioning prototype of a stealth fighter—so-called because it is designed to evade detection by radar and infrared sensors.

But many more experts say they believe the pictures and the aircraft are authentic, giving the strongest indication yet that Beijing is making faster-than-expected progress in developing a rival to the U.S. F-22—the world's only fully operational stealth fighter.

China's defense ministry and air force couldn't be reached to comment on the latest photos. Even without official confirmation, however, the photographs are likely to bolster concerns among U.S. officials and politicians about China's military modernization, which also includes the imminent deployment of its first aircraft carrier and "carrier-killer" antiship ballistic missiles.

...

If you want to read further follow the link.