Aviation

Human-Powered Helicopter - The Gamera

2011-05-15T12:29:00.005-04:00

A team of 52 graduate students of the University of Maryland has successfully flown their human-powered helicopter called the Gamera this week Thursday. The project was started in a bid to set an aviation 'first', a world record, and to win the $ 250 000 Sikorsky Challenge. Although the aircraft successfully lifted off in the air, it is still unofficial as the results still have to be analysed by the NAA and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in Switzerland.

The helicopter is made of light weight materials such as balsa wood, mylar, carbon fiber, and foam. The backbone of the helicopter is a massive X frame with each crossbar measuring 60 ft. (18 m). At the ends of the crossbars are four huge rotors 42 ft long (12.6 m). The pilot seats in the middle and will have to peddle furiously to fly the thing. Although the whole aircraft takes up about a third of a football field, it only weighs 210 pounds, plus the pilot.

The pilot for this Thursday's successful trial is Judy Wexler, a 24 year-old Graduate student of the University of Maryland. Being the pilot, she has to pedal furiously with both her hands and feet as pedaling at 120 rpm will cause the rotors to spin at only 18 rpm. Although the length of the entire flight and the height at which the helicopter reached is uncertain as of now, what is certain is that the aircraft did lift off the ground and that's all they need to beat the world record. Sadly, the Sikorsky Challenge requirements of at least 3 m of altitude and a 1 min flight duration was not met.

It's interesting to note that the Sikorsky Challenge was issued in 1980 and as of today, no one has been able to meet this challenge.

Aerial Intelligence - The LEMV Modern Blimp

2011-05-08T12:02:00.000-04:00

The US military gave Northrop Grumman a $ 517 million contract to create an LEMV or Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle. The LEMV is basically a giant airship that will provide long term aerial reconnaissance and surveillance support for ground troops.

The LEMV is a 300 ft. long behemoth that, like many of the new aircraft being developed, will be unmanned. It can stay aloft in the air for up to three weeks at a time and has a low pressure helium hull. However, what's really incredible of the LEMV is that its aerodynamic hull accounts for 40% of its lift. As a result, the hull does not need a lot of helium to keep it in the airship in the air and so, when the fragile surface of the hull is somehow punctured or shot, the airship will not explode or fall out of the sky.

The LEMV will be powered by four diesel engines and will cost $15 000 per re-fuel for every three-week mission. This is amazingly one-tenth of the price of fuel used for a helicopter and one-quarter of the price of fuel used for an airplane per mission.

The LEMV is set to be finished and operational in the latter half of this year. It will be used for a demonstration mission in Afghanistan and upon success of the missile, five more will be built.

Boeing 787 DreamLiner Photo Gallery

2011-05-07T12:59:00.005-04:00

Dreamliner in flight

State-of-the-Art Dreamliner cockpit

The Dreamliner at its unveiling

Stylish interior

Dreamliner in the factory

Airbus A380 Photo Gallery

2011-05-07T12:49:00.004-04:00

A380 in flight

Crowd gathers around unveiling of A380

Singapore Airline's A380 in flight

Luxurious interior of A380

Spacious seats - What size can offer

'JetMan' Will Fly Through Grand Canyon On Jet Pack

2011-05-01T15:04:00.008-04:00

Yves Rossy, nicknamed 'JetMan', is a Swiss engineer and aviator. Being the first man to achieve sustained human flight with a jet pack, Rossy has flown across the Geneva river, the Alps, the English Channel, and partway through the Strait of Gibraltar (he had to ditch in the ocean because of bad weather but was unharmed). He is planning another feat on Friday, May 6 this month. This time, he will be flying across the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Rossy's jet pack is designed by him and straps onto to him like a backpack. It is powered by 4 jet engines modified from model aircraft engines attached to the undersides of the semi-rigid carbon fibre wings. To steer himself, Rossy's body acts as a rudder. Although powerful, the engines are not strong enough for a takeoff on the ground. Therefore, Rossy has to go onboard a plane and then "takeoff" from there.

In his past flights, Rossy has reached speeds of up to 304 km/h (189 mph).

Assuming that I am able to count, this will be Rossy's 5th official flight to date. In my opinion, it takes a lot of guts to strap onto a jet pack and fly across rivers and mountains at unimaginable heights so let's wish wish Rossy good luck for Friday.

Naval-Aerial Power - Carrier Battle Groups

2011-05-01T14:46:00.005-04:00

A carrier battle group is a group of ships centred around an aircraft carrier. These groups consist of destroyers, minesweepers, oil tankers, battleships, and other such crafts that are dedicated to protecting the aircraft carrier.

The carrier battle group first originated in WWII when Japan demonstrated the power of the carrier in the Battle of Pearl Harbour. Nowadays, the US Navy operates the largest number of carrier strike groups (US Navy term). Ten groups are based in the US and one is based in Japan.

As an example of the composition of a typical carrier battle group, here's what the French Charles de Gaulle carrier battle group usually consists of:

the carrier air wing - about 40 aircraft
a submarine
two anti-submarine destroyers
two anti-aircraft destroyers
one frigate in forward patrol
one supply ship

Phantom Ray - Future of UAV's?

2011-04-25T19:32:00.008-04:00

The Phantom Ray is a stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Boeing using company funds and is currently being used as a testbed for UAV technologies. It made its first flight in December last year and is currently being used in a series of 10 test flights over six months involving a myriad of battlefield duties such as surveillance, ground attack, and autonomous in-air refueling.

The Phantom Ray is derived from the X-45C aircraft. It is fairly large, being 36 feet long and having a wingspan of 50 feet (about 4 cars placed horizontally side-by-side). The aircraft weighs about 36 500 pounds and flies at a cruising speed of 614 mph, one-eight of the speed of sound.

The Phantom Ray will not go into service as a combat aircraft but will instead only be used as a testbed. Nevertheless, with its sleek form and white paint job, the Phantom Ray definitely looks like an aircraft of the future.

Submarines as Aircraft Carriers?

2011-04-24T14:47:00.003-04:00

The details are not clear but what is for sure is that the US Navy is planning to equip their ageing nuclear ballistic missile submarine fleet with aerial drones in the missile launch tubes. Since the end of the Cold War in the 80's, the nuclear threat is much diminished and nuclear ballistic missile submarines have lost much of their value. As a result, the US Navy is now trying to find new ways to utilize these underwater warships besides scraping them.

In September of 2009, the US Navy revealed quite a large extent of this program in an interview with Rear Admiral Mark Kenny. The Admiral stated that already 4 of the Cold War-era missile boats have been stripped of its nuclear missiles to make room for conventional weapons, SEAL deployment chambers, and aerial/aquatic drones. Among these that the Admiral mentioned are: a torpedo-sized drone used for eavesdropping, a 45 pound possibly armed aerial drone, and a 15 pound aerial reconnaissance drone that relays video and radio info back to the submarine.

Not much else has been released by the US Navy but it is very possible that the submarines are now a viable platform to launch these drones. This has much implications for the future of naval warfare. Maybe submarines will become the new aircraft carriers, being able to submerge thus giving more protection and stealth. This idea is not very far-fetched as the Japanese have experimented with underwater aircraft launching with their I-14 submarine during WWII.

SpaceX's New Rocket - Most Powerful Private Rocket Ever Built

2011-04-17T18:03:00.007-04:00

As NASA is wrapping up its space shuttle program, private space corporations are beginning to take a stronghold in space exploration. Recently, SpaceX or Space Explorations Technologies Inc. announced a new rocket called the Falcon Heavy that is only second in size to the Apollo Era's Saturn V.

The Falcon Heavy is planned to have a payload of 117 000 pounds, twice that of the Space Shuttle and rival company United Launch Alliance LLC's Delta IV. The new rocket is also much cheaper per launch, costing $ 80 - 120 million. This is a lot less than the cost of Delta IV ($ 140 - 160 million).

The first demonstration flight of SpaceX's new rocket will be sometime between November and December of 2012 at California's Vandenburg Air Force Base.

The company already has successes with its operational rockets. NASA has given SpaceX a $ 1.6 billion contract to send supplies to the International Space Station through SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on the Falcon 9, the predecessor of the Falcon Heavy.

The Secretive X-37 - Unmanned US Spacecraft

2011-04-16T11:36:00.003-04:00

The Boeing X-37 OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle) is an unmanned spacecraft similar to the space shuttle in appearance that made its first flight on April 22 of last year. The flight lasted for 225 days and the OTV successfully landed on Vandenburg Air Force Base on December 3 of that year.

The OTV is powered by solar energy during its orbit. It features new thermal protection technology, avionics systems, and an autonomous guidance system.

The OTV has generated much controversy. Amateur astronomers have claimed that they have spotted the spacecraft in orbit and states that the course the spacecraft is on brings it over hotspots around the globe such as Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan. The China Daily newspaper picked up the story and stated that the X-37 is raising concerns of a space arms race.

Right now, the X-37 is already well on its way orbiting the planet on its second mission. It launched on March 5 this year in Cape Canaveral.

Hand-launched UAV - The RQ-11B Raven

2011-04-01T16:10:00.003-04:00

Since production of the AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven began in 2004, more than 13 000 units have been built. These small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle or SUAV were originally developed for the US military but have now been adopted by several other countries.

The Raven is now widely used by the US military for reconnaissance, scouting, surveillance, and target acquisition purposes both day and night. It can fly for about 60-90 minutes in an operational radius of 10 km (6 miles). The Raven can either be remote-controlled from the ground or fly autonomous missions using GPS waypoint navigation. Its small 1.9 kg (4.2 pounds) airframe usually harnesses CCD color video cameras and infrared night vision camera. The aircraft is powered by a small propeller located at the back of the wings.

Landing for the RQ-11B is not a problem as it can automatically fly itself to a predetermined landing point and perform a near vertical (1 foot down, 1 foot forward) "Autoland" descent. If its wings snap or break off on landing, a new one can easily be attached.

Video: SmartBird flight further explained

2011-03-26T15:10:00.001-04:00

Festo's Smartbird - An Ultra Realistic Seagull Robot

2011-03-26T15:08:00.003-04:00

A new robotic seagull called the SmartBird designed by the German company Festo that also created the autonomous robotic jellyfish and the elephant-trunk-inspired robotic arm is one of the most realistic animal inspired flying machines ever. To be specific, the robot is modelled after the herring gull and its flight motions and appearance is extremely similar to the real bird. Besides its startling similarities to a real bird, another amazing feature of the robot is that it can take off and land autonomously without any additional drive systems.

To achieve flight, Festo designed the robot with wings that not only beat up and down, but bend at specific spots just like what the wings of a normal bird do in flight. When flying, a lever mechanism increases the degree of deflection from the torso to the wing. The wings can also twist in such a way that during the upwards stroke, the leading edge of the wing is slightly upwards. This is called a positive angle of attack.

Direction can be changed by the opposing motion of the head and torso of the bird. This movement is synchronised by cables and two electric motors. The tail's movements also help change directions. It can tilt left or right to initiate turns or move left to right to generate yaw. The tail also acts as stabilizer and a pitch elevator.

The robot has a wing span of about 2 m (6.5 feet), which is much larger than an actual herring gull, and has a weight of about 400 g (1 pound). To achieve this weight, the company used lightweight carbon fibre in the body of the bird.

All these design features result in a robot that is light and agile with excellent aerodynamic qualities. In developing the Smartbird, the company says it has successfully deciphered bird flight, "one of the oldest dreams of humankind". They also say that the development of this technology with its functional integration of coupled drive units yields significant ideas and insights that the company can then apply to hybrid drive technology.

A Flying Car?

2011-03-22T14:10:00.006-04:00

Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute received $988 000 late last year to develop an autonomous flight system for DARPA's military flying car concept called the Transformer. If DARPA had its way, the Transformer will be a four-wheeled off road military vehicle that can also transform into a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. It will have a range of 250 nautical miles on a single full tank of fuel, seating for four, and a payload of 1 000 pounds.

The Transformer will greatly improve mobility for ground troops. The soldiers will not only move to and fro the battlefield faster, it will also allow them to fly over difficult terrain or terrain with possible enemy troops.

One of the many challenges of developing the Transformer is the flight system. The ordinary soldier will not be able to fly an aircraft and so the flight system of the vehicle will have to be largely automatic. That's where Carnegie Mellon comes in. Their robotics institute have already won DARPA's Urban Challenge, which is a race to create an automatic car, in 2007 and I would say they are well prepared.

The rest of the Transformer will be developed by AAI and Lockheed Martin, who are creating overall design concepts, and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, who is developing the engines.

The Beast of Kandahar

2011-03-21T15:32:00.005-04:00

This mysterious UAV dubbed "The Beast of Kandahar" has surfaced in many photos in recent years. It first appeared in the skies of Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2009 and the US Air Force confirmed that they did indeed operate a stealth drone called the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel and that the drone is the product of Lockheed's Skunk Works, which is also responsible for the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, the F-22 Raptor, and the F-35 Lightning II. However, that was about all that was revealed about this mysterious aircraft.

Pictures of the RQ-170 Sentinel right now show that it does not carry any weapons. So what is it used for? Reconnaissance is definitely part of its function but with so many other drones operating in Afghanistan, it certainly is unlikely that information collection is the only function of the drone. Well, according to Bill Sweetman, a blogger that maintains AviationWeek's Ares blog and the undisputed civilian expert of the RQ-170 at this point states that from looking at the belly shape of the Beast, it is most likely configured to carry "a high-powered microwave source" to fry electronic equipment such as radars and weapons computers or as an electronic jamming platform.

However, right now, the secret drone is more likely jamming radars than using a high-powered microwave weapon. Only four months ago, the US Air Force gave Lockheed Martin $230 000 to develop a microwave energy weapon concept and a month later gave BAE Systems $150 000 to test the effectiveness of microwaves on computers.

It is interesting to note that the RQ-170 Sentinel is similar in appearance to the US Navy's X-47B Stealth UAV drone.

Anti Gravity Helicopter?!

2011-03-21T15:30:00.001-04:00

F-22 Photo Gallery

2011-03-21T12:51:00.009-04:00

3 F-22's in flight

An F-22 firing a missile

An F-22 banking to the right with afterburners on

2 Raptors cruising the skies

Taking to the Martian Skies

2011-03-21T09:21:00.004-04:00

The Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Surveyor (ARES) is a proposed project of NASA's Langley Research Centre that may very well launch the first plane that will fly on Mars. The plane will be rocket powered and once on Mars, will fly for about two hours at about 450 miles per hour.

The ARES plane will explore and provide detailed information of mountainous and rough regions on the Martian surface that is inaccessible by ground-based rovers. It would be flying at about a mile above the Martian surface collecting valuable data and measurements.

The aircraft will reach the Martian orbit via a carrier craft and it will be compacted in an aeroshell. This shell will prevent the fragile aircraft from burning up when entering the Martian atmosphere. It will also have a parachute that will decelerate the aeroshell as it blazes down the Martian skies.

After release from the carrier craft, the parachutes of the aeroshell will deploy and at an altitude of about 20 miles up, the ARES plane will leave its aeroshell and extend its wings and tail. After this is done, the rocket engines will fire.

After completing its 2 hour flight, the ARES plane will have covered more than 932 miles or unexplored Martian terrain and will have given us a much better understanding of the planet. Right now, the ARES team already has a half-scale prototype that have successfully completed tests and drills that prove that it can fly on the Martian surface. The team is hoping that the ARES plane will be selected for the next Mars Scout Mission in 2011.

Iran's Stealth Flying Boats

2011-03-19T13:15:00.010-04:00

Iran unveiled a new weapon in its arsenal last year called the Bavar 2 or Confidence 2, a stealth flying boat that can be equipped with surveillance gears, machine guns, and even missiles. Since its unveiling, Bavar 2 has come under much criticism from the rest of the world.

Many of the criticism is directed at the supposed "stealth" of the flying boat. Iran claims that the specially designed hull of the aircraft is undetectable by radar but some say its just because the Bavar 2 flies so low that it is below the range of radar most of the time. Also, some have joked that the Bavar 2 looks like a watercraft that anyone can order online in kit-form and assemble.

Despite the criticisms, the Bavar 2 does make for a good surveillance aircraft. Its estimated top speed of 100 knots (115.2 miles per hour) and stealth help it patrol Iran's waters keeping out uninvited foreign vessels/aircraft. It could also use its on-board machine gun and even missiles to harass larger, slower vessels. Also, since the Bavar 2 is relatively small and does not employ a lot of high tech equipment, it can be produced in large numbers with relative ease.

The Navy's New X-47B Carrier-Capable Stealth UAV

2011-03-14T20:04:00.009-04:00

Just a week ago, the Navy test-flew its new UAV, the X-47B. The test flight took place at Edwards AFB at 2 p.m. and lasted 29 minutes. The aircraft reached an altitude of 5 000 ft.

The X-47B is said to revolutionize robotic aerial warfare because of some of its one of a kind characteristics. Unlike other UAV's before it, such as the Predators and Reapers operating in the Middle East, the X-47B is powered by a jet engine so it can fly at much higher speeds. This new UAV also possesses stealth characteristics and will also be able to operate off carriers.

The X-47B's airframe looks like a combination between the B-2 and the F-117. It has a tailless design like the B-2 and the wing design of the F-117. The demonstration aircraft seen above is only a fraction of the size the X-47B will be. The X-47C, a proposed larger version, will have a wingspan of 172 ft, more than 4 times the length of the wingspan of the B variant (which is 38.2 ft).

The funding for this aircraft began in 2007 when the Navy awarded a $ 635.8 million contract to Northrop Grumman. It will be a few more years before the X-47B comes into service but it shows that more and more attention is being paid on unmanned aerial vehicles and that in the future, aerial warfare will probably be predominantly unmanned planes.

A Japanese Stealth Fighter?

2011-03-13T14:28:00.004-04:00

Japan has recently announced that it will test fly its own stealth fighter, the Mitsubishi ATD-X, in 2014. This announcement was not a complete surprise as since 2009, it has provided $ 473 million dollars in funding to this program after it became apparent the US will not share its F-22 technology.

The design of the ATD-X is similar to other fourth and fifth generation fighters. It is a single-seater powered by two engines. Right now, there is a 1/3 model of the plane.

Some of the features of the ATD-X include a Fly-By-Optics system where, instead of using wires, the plane uses optical fibres to transfer information. These fibres transfer information at a much higher rate and are immune to electro magnetic disturbances.

The radar of the plane will be an actively electronically scanned array (AESA) radar called the "Multifunction RF Sensor" that is intended to have capabilities such as electronic countermeasures (ECM), electronic support measures (ESM), communications functions, and possibly even microwave weapon functions.

Another feature will be the "Self Repairing Flight Control Capability" that will allow the aircraft to detect failures or damages on its flight control surfaces so that it can use the remaining flight control surfaces to continue flying the plane.

It is interesting to note that just two months ago, China test flew its own stealth fighter, the J-20 and last year, Russia test flew its stealth fighter, the T-50. Currently, the US is the only country that has operational stealth fighters but with so many countries developing their own, this will certainly change in the near future.

China's New Stealth Jet

2011-03-13T13:43:00.004-04:00

China's new Chengdu J-20 aircraft made its first flight on January 11, 2011. It's a fifth generation stealth fighter similar to the US F-22 and F-35 and Russia's T-50. According to a high-ranking official in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, it is expected this jet will become operational in 2017-2019.

The J-20 is a single-seater aircraft powered by two engines. Design features include low jet intakes, a delta wing, forward canard wings, a bubble canopy, a forward chine, and all-moving fins.

Like the F-22 and T-50, the J-20 can supercruise.

Through preliminary photos, it can be seen that the J-20 is certainly larger in size than both the F-22 and the T-50. This means that the J-20 is probably going to be less maneuverable but it will be able to carry more weapons and fuel. Also, according to an Australian defense analyst, Carlo Kopp that the J-20's stealth shape is "without doubt considerably better" than both those two planes.

It is disappointing to note that some people speculate that the Chinese used technology from the downed F-117 of the Kosovo War to develop the J-20. However, according to Xu YongLing, a Chinese test pilot, the aircraft is a "masterpiece" of homegrown innovation and that the F-117 was already "outdated" at the time it was shot down and would not be practical to apply this technology to a next-generation aircraft.

Top 5 Best Looking Fighter Aircraft

2010-11-15T09:57:00.008-05:00

#5 F/A-18 Hornet

#4 JAS-39 Gripen

#3 F-4 Phantom

#2 F-22 Raptor

#1 Su-30

The Canadian Dream

2010-11-13T20:21:00.004-05:00

The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow is a delta winged interceptor aircraft that was shot down at it development stages. The Arrow held high promises as it was expected to reach Mach 2 at 50 000 ft., an advanced technical and aeronautical achievement for the Canadian aviation industry at the time.

The cancellation and subsequent destruction of the Arrow program was a huge blow to the industry and brought Avro Canada out of business. Consequently, 14 528 Avro employees were out of work (Stewart 1998).

Today, Canadians still mourn the loss of the Arrow.

Cancellation and Destruction...

The Avro Arrow's cancellation was announced on February 20, 1959. This decision to cancel was the result of the Liberals losing the election to the Progressive Conservative government of John Diefenbaker.

Diefenbaker had attacked the Liberals on what he claimed was outrageous spending and upon becoming Prime Minister, was ready to cancel the Arrow program.

Not only was cost a factor of the decision, but new found threats. With new ICBMs being developed and the successful launch of the Sputnik, which opened the possibility of attack from space, the threat of a bomber attack was minimal. The Arrow, being an interceptor, was developed to face the bomber threat.

However, cancelling the program was not enough. The government then ordered the destruction of the 6 prototypes built, the Orenda Iroquois engines, the production tooling, and the blue prints for fear of a Soviet "mole" infiltration of Avro.

Design...

The Arrow utilized the delta wing which is optimum for supersonic aircraft because the leading edge of the wing is behind the shockwave generated by the nose of the aircraft flying at supersonic speeds. This is also true for highly swept wings but the delta wing is a lot more stronger, simpler, and cheaper. The delta wing also provides increased lift at high altitudes where the air is thinner.

The delta wing, however, does have its disadvantages. At lower speeds and altitudes, drag is increased. Also, when maneuvering, there is a higher drag compared to conventional wings because of the high wing area.

Replicas...

A full-scale replica was built by Allan Jackson. It was used by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1996 to film The Arrow, a four-hour miniseries. The replica also had several public appearances at air shows and was eventually donated by Jackson to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in his hometown of Wataskiwin, Alberta.

The Avro Museum of Canada built a 0.6 scale remoted-controlled replica of the Arrow. It was the result of eight years of research, five years of volunteer labour in contruction (which started in September 2000), and half-million dollars in materials and parts. The replica had flown successfully several times.

The Canadian Air and Space Museum also has a full-size replica of the Arrow, built by volunteers. It features many authentic-looking equipment and has made several public apperances.

Specifications...

Data from The Great Book of Fighters, The Canadian Approach to All-Weather Interceptor Development (Floyd 1958), Avro Arrow: The Story of the Arrow from its Evolution to its Extinction

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 77 ft 9 in (23.71 m)
Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
Height: 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Wing area: 1,225 ft² (113.8 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 0003.5 mod root, NACA 0003.8 tip
Empty weight: 49,040 lb (22,245 kg)
Loaded weight: 56,920 lb (25,820 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 68,605 lb (31,120 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney J75-P-3 turbojets

Dry thrust: 12,500 lbf (55.6 kN) each

Thrust with afterburner: 23,500 lbf (104.53 kN) each

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.98 max. recorded speed, Mach 2+ potential (1,307 mph, 2,104 km/h) at 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Cruise speed: Mach 0.91 (607 mph, 977 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Combat radius: 360 NM (410 mi, 660 km)
Service ceiling: 53,000 ft (16,150 m)
Wing loading: 46.5 lb/ft² (226.9 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.825 at loaded weight

Armament

Rockets: 1–4× AIR-2 Genie unguided nuclear rockets
Missiles: 8× AIM-4 Falcon, Canadair Velvet Glove (cancelled 1956), 2 AIM-7 Sparrow II 2D active guidance missiles (cancelled)

Avionics

Hughes MX-1179 fire control system

Su-35 - Big Brother to the Su-27

2010-11-13T15:12:00.016-05:00

A Russian 4++ Generation, heavy class, long range, multi-role, single-seat aircraft. It is a redesigned variant of the Su-27, with an upgraded airframe and improved avionics, weapons, and engines.

The Su-35 is basically a modernized version of the Su-27, built in the 1970's, to fill the gap until the new PAK FA T-50 aircraft becomes operational. The PAK FA can be comparable with the American F-22 and F-35. It was presented to the general public in the MAKS 2007 airshow.

Improvements from Su-27M...

The Su-35 has larger wings and engine intakes. The airframe of the Su-35 is reinforced with the use of composite materials (strong and lightweight) like titanium alloys that extends the aircraft's service life by about 4000-6000 hours and lengthens the time period between overhauls (Milavia). The front radar signature of the Su-35 is also significantly reduced.

An advanced digital fly-by-wire (KSU-35) is also introduced into the plane and a rear-locking radar is included for firing Semi-Active Radar Missiles.

The canards from the Su-27M Super Flanker and the speedbrake are also removed. To match or surpass the maneuverability of canard-equipped aircraft, the Su-35 uses its new engine and the digital fly-by-wire system.

The maximum payload, however, has not changed.

New engines...

The new 117S engines of NPO Saturn powers the Su-35. This engine provides 16% more thrust compared to the Su-27's AL-31F. Engine service life and time between overhauls has also been increased.

Specifications...

Data from KNAAPO, Gordon and Davidson, MAKS 2007 Su-35 Display, aviapedia.com, milavia.net

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 21.9 m (72.9 ft)

Wingspan: 15.3 m (50.2 ft)

Height: 5.90 m (19.4 ft)

Wing area: 62.0 m² (667 ft²)

Empty weight: 18,400 kg (40,570 lb)

Loaded weight: 25,300 kg (56,660 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 34,500 kg (76,060 lb)

Powerplant: 2× Saturn 117S with TVC nozzle turbofan

Dry thrust: 8,800 kgf (86.3 kN, 19,400 lbf) each

Thrust with afterburner: 14,500 kgf (142 kN, 31,900 lbf) each

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 2.25 (2,390 km/h, 1,490 mph) at altitude

Range: 3,600 km (1,940 nmi) ; (1,580 km, 850 nmi near ground level)

Ferry range: 4,500 km (2,430 nmi) with external fuel tanks

Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,100 ft)

Rate of climb: >280 m/s (>55,100 ft/min)

Wing loading: 408 kg/m² (84.9 lb/ft²)

Thrust/weight: 1.1

Armament

1 × 30 mm GSh-30 internal cannon with 150 rounds

2 × wingtip rails for R-73 (AA-11 "Archer") air-to-air missiles or ECM pods

12 × wing and fuselage stations for up to 8,000 kg (17,630 lb) of ordnance, including for a variety of ordnance including air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, rockets, and bombs such as:

AA-10 Alamo: R-27R, R-27ER, R-27T, R-27ET, R-27EP, R-27AE

AA-12 Adder: R-77, and the proposed R-77M1, R-77T

AA-11 Archer: R-73E, R-73M, R-74M

AS-17 Krypton: Kh-31A, Kh-31P Anti-Radiation Missile

AS-20: Kh-59

AS-14 Kedge: Kh-29T, Kh-29L

KAB-500 Laser-guided bomb

KAB-1500 Laser-guided bomb

LGB-250 laser-guided bomb

FAB-250 250kg unguided bombs

FAB-500 500kg unguided bombs

S-25LD laser-guided rocket, S-250 unguided rocket

B-8 unguided S-8 rocket pods

B-13 unguided S-13 rocket pods

Avionics

Irbis-E passive phased array radar

The Valkyrie

2010-11-12T15:53:00.007-05:00

The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie was an experimental bomber designed in the 1950's that was able to fly at Mach 3 at 70 000 ft. This means that it would be able to avoid interceptors (aircraft designed with speed in mind, to intercept enemy aircraft), the only effective anti-bomber weapon at the time.

Design...

The XB-70 had six engines which had a total thrust of about 168 ooo pounds with afterburner.

The Valkyrie used a tail-less, canard and delta wing combination seen in many modern planes like the Chinese J-10 and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Canard wings are small wings mounted forward of the fuselage that greatly and effectively increases maneuverability and control of the aircraft. Delta wings are triangular wings.

The plane was mostly built with stainless steel (not corrosion), sandwiched honeycomb panels (reduces weight), and titanium (strong but light).

Prototypes and Testing...

Altogether, two XB-70s were built.

The first plane was discovered to suffer from weaknesses in the honeycomb panels because of the inexperience in the fabrication and application of this new material. The second plane, however, resolved almost all honeycomb structural issues.

The maiden flight of the Valkyrie was on September 21, 1964 and testing lasted for two years (ending in Auguest 6 1966). The Valkyrie first became supersonic on the third test flight on October 12, 1964 and on October 14, 1965, surpassed Mach 3 and reached an altitude of 70 000 ft.

XB-70 #2 was, sadly, destroyed in a mid-air collision with an F-104 after a photoshoot. NASA Chief test pilot Joe Walker (F-104) and Carl Cross (XB-70 co-pilot) died while Al White (XB-70 pilot) ejected but suffered serious injuries.

Cancellation...

The Valkyrie project was cancelled was due to a combination of factors: the introduction of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), the high costs, and new effective high-altitude anti-air missiles.

Aircraft on display...

XB-70 #1 is currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.

Specifications...

Data from USAF XB-70 Fact sheet

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 185 ft 10 in (56.6 m)
Wingspan: 105 ft 0 in (32 m)
Height: 30 ft 9 in (9.4 m)
Wing area: 6,296 ft² (585 m²)
Airfoil: Hexagonal; 0.30 Hex modified root, 0.70 Hex modified tip
Empty weight: 210,000 lb (93,000 kg)
Loaded weight: 534,700 lb (242,500 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 550,000 lb (250,000 kg)
Powerplant: 6× General Electric YJ93-GE-3 afterburning turbojet
Dry thrust: 19,900 lbf (84 kN) each
Thrust with afterburner: 28,800 lbf (128 kN) each

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 3.1 (2,056 mph, 3,309 km/h)
Cruise speed: Mach 3.0 (2,000 mph, 3,200 km/h)
Range: 3,725 nmi (4,288 mi, 6,900 km) combat
Service ceiling: 77,350 ft (23,600 m)
Wing loading: 84.93 lb/ft² (414.7 kg/m²)
lift-to-drag: about 6 at Mach 2
Thrust/weight: 0.314

Vacation in Space?

2010-11-12T10:40:00.003-05:00

On June 21st, 2004, SpaceShipOne completed the first ever privately funded spaceflight.

Developed by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched, rocket-powered aircraft that has suborbital flight capability (up to 100km altitude). It flew 17 times before retirement and is a major step towards commercial spaceflights.

Paul Allen funded the entire development cost, estimated to be about US $25 million.

Design...

SpaceShipOne and its carrier aircraft, the White Knight, was designed by Burt Rutan, a famous American aerospace engineer who also designed the Voyager, the first plane to fly around the world non stop.

SpaceShipOne uses a hybrid rocket motor (motor that uses both liquid and solid fuel), which is a lot safer than solid fuels and mechanically simpler than liquid-fueled rockets.

Its atmospheric reentry mechanism is quite innovative: the rear half of the wing and the twin tail blooms fold upward along a hinge running the length of the wing that increases drag but keeps the plane stable.

Achievements...

On October 4, SpaceShipOne won the Ansari X PRIZE by reaching 100 km twice in two weeks and carrying and equivalent three people on board with no more than 10% of non-fuel weight replaced between the flights. The prize was US $10 million.

SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded aircraft to exceed Mach 2, then Mach 3, the first privately funded manned reusable spacecraft, and the first privately funded spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 100 km.

The White Knight...

The White Knight is a jet powered aircraft that after being used to ferry SpaceShipOne, was also used to both carry and drop test flights of the Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle.

It is a two-seater that looks just as weird as the spacecrafts that it carries.

SpaceShipTwo...

A spacecraft under the development by the The Spaceship Company, a joint venture between Scaled Composites and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Virgin Galactic plans to operate a fleet of five of these spacecraft by 2011.

Based on the design of SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo uses a hybrid rocket and the same reentry mechanism as its predecessor. It will be air launched by its mother ship, the White Knight Two.

The cabin will be about the size of a Gulfstream V Business Jet, according to BBC, which is about 6 feet high and 7 feet wide. The plane will carry 8 people, 2 pilots and 6 passengers.

SpaceShipTwo will have a longer range (about 160 - 320 km) and fly to a higher altitude (about 135 - 140 km), according to Burt Rutan.

Tom Clancy's HAWX 2

2010-11-12T10:02:00.004-05:00

If you are an avid plane lover, then you should definitely try out the Tom Clancy's HAWX series. It's an air combat game that features stunning graphics with high-tech aircraft. You can choose from 50 different planes from the F-22 Raptor to the SR-71 Blackbird and many more loadouts. HAWX is fast-paced and very realistic.

Here's the trailer:

The Chinese Dragon

2010-11-11T14:45:00.014-05:00

The J-10 is a fourth generation multi-role combat aircraft designed, developed, and produced by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAIC) for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-10 first flew in 1998 and is capable of all-weather, day/night operation.

Design...

Th J-10 has canard wings (small wings at the front) and a delta-wing configuration with no tail wings. This is called a "tail-less canard delta" wing configuration and greatly increases the maneuverability of the aircraft, especially at high speeds.

The canopy of the J-10 is a two-piece bubble canopy (canopy juts out of fuselage and shaped like a bubble) that provides a 360 degree view.

Under the delta wings are 11 hard points (points on wing that can have bombs or fuel tanks attached) to which 6000 kg of equipment can be attached.

A 23 mm twin-barrel cannon is located underneath the port (left) side of the engine intake.

Foreign exports...

Pakistan has agreed to purchase 36 J-10's for its air force and delivery is scheduled for 2014-15. The new Pakistani J-10's will be designated JC-20s.

Serbia has also expressed interest for the J-10 when Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac spoke favourably of the plane.

Possible relationship between Israeli Lavi...

There have been conflicting reports that the J-10's design was based off the cancelled Israeli Lavi (developed in the 1980's) as both have the same canard wing configuration. However, the J-9, a cancelled program of the 1960's that led to the J-10, also had a canard wing configuration.

Name...

The J in J-10 comes from the Chinese word Jian (歼), which, translated, means "Interceptor".

Specifications...

General characteristics

Crew: 1 (basic), 2 (trainer variant)
Length: 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
Height: 4.78 m (15.7 ft)
Wing area: 39 m² (419.8 ft²)
Empty weight: 9,750 kg (21,495 lb )
Loaded weight: 14,876 kg (32,797 lb)
Useful load: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 19,277 kg (42,500 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Saturn-Lyulka AL-31FN or WS-10A Taihang turbofan
Dry thrust: 79.43 kN / 89.17 kN (17,860 lbf / 20,050 lbf)
Thrust with afterburner: 122.5 kN / 132 kN (27,557 lbf / 29,101 lbf)

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.9 at altitude, Mach 1.2 at sea level
g-limits: +9/-3 g (+88/-29 m/s², +290/-97 ft/s²)
Combat radius: 550 km (341 mi)
Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,055 ft)
Wing loading: 335 kg/m² (69 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.89

Armament

Guns: 1× 23mm twin-barrel cannon
Hardpoints: 11 in total (6× under-wing, 5× under-fuselage) with a capacity of 6,000 kg (13,228 lb) external fuel and ordnance
Rockets: 90 mm unguided rocket pods
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles: PL-8, PL-9, PL-11, PL-12
Air-to-surface missiles: PJ-9, YJ-9K
Bombs: laser-guided bombs (LT-2), glide bombs (LS-6) and unguided bombs
Others: Up to 3 external fuel drop-tanks (1× under-fuselage, 2× under-wing) for extended range and loitering time

Avionics

NRIET KLJ-10 multi-mode fire-control radar
Externally-mounted avionics pods:

Type Hongguang-I infra-red search and track pod
BM/KG300G self-protection jamming pod
KZ900 electronic reconnaissance pod
Blue Sky navigation/attack pod
FILAT (Forward-looking Infra-red Laser Attack Targeting) pod

From Predator to Reaper

2010-11-07T17:14:00.003-05:00

An improvement on the MQ-1 Predator drone, the MQ-9 Reaper is a UAV that became operational in 2007. Used primarily by the USAF and the CIA, the Reaper has become a very useful and respected battlefield weapon.

Improvements... (Defense-Update)

The Reaper can fly at a higher altitude (50 000 ft.) with higher speeds (260 knots) and for a longer time (14 hours fully loaded). It also has a significantly greater payload than the Predator. In internal stores, the Reaper can carry up to 800 pounds, almost twice the Predator. In external stores, the Reaper can carry up to 3000 pounds! This means that the Reaper is able to carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles, compared to the maximum 2 of the Predator.

Also, the avionics on the MQ-9 is greatly improved.

Armaments...

The Reaper can carry an assortment of different missiles and bombs. Right now, it is able to operate with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles air-to-ground missiles, GBU-12 Pathway II laser-guided bombs, and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs. Testing underway to include the AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missile into the arsenal.

Size and Costs...

The Reaper is about twice the size of the Predator and is about the same size as the A-10 Thunderbolt (Length: 36 ft. Height: 12.5 ft. Wingspan: 66ft.).

A fully equipped Reaper can cost up US $10.5 million, more than twice the costs of a Predator (about US $4.5 million).

Other Uses...

The Reaper is also used by Homeland Security for border patrol and NASA as an information gathering platform.

Helicopter Race - A Look at Future Helicopters

2010-11-07T14:45:00.005-05:00

Right now, Eurocopter and Sikorsky are competing to create a helicopter than can fly at speeds similar to turbo-prop powered aircraft but have full hovering capabilities of a conventional helicopter.

Both have come up with innovative designs.

Eurocopter's X-3 sports a pair of turbine engines as well as a pair of forward-facing propellers mounted on small wings just under the rotor.

Sikorsky's X-2, uses a pair of counter-rotating main rotors and a rear facing propeller, where a tail rotor on a conventional helicopter is supposed to be, to create that extra push.

Both helicopters look increasingly promising, although Sikorsky's two-seat slim design seem to be veering to a more attack-helicopter like concept while Eurocopter's X-3, with its greater cargo space, could be used more as a transport or search-and-rescue aircraft.

Sikorsky's design has recently reached the 250 knot point whereas Eurocopter, a bit behind, plans to gradually work their way to 180 knots by December. Their hope is have the X-3 eventually fly at cruise speeds of 220 knots.

Concorde Successor?

2010-11-07T13:08:00.003-05:00

Its been 7 years since the Concorde was retired. Now, the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ) promises to bring supersonic air travel back into reality. Right now, it is undergoing proof-of-concept aerodynamic testing in NASA wind tunnels and under the belly of a NASA F-15 (TechNewsDaily).

The SBJ is planned to carry up to 12 passengers at speeds of Mach 1.5.

Design...

The new wing design of the Concorde is, according to Brian Barents, vice chairman of Aerion, the prime factor that allows the SBJ to fly economically at subsonic and supersonic speeds, because it reduces drag.

This wing design can also be seen on the F-104 Starfighter, but according the Barents, it is the advancement of materials, such as carbon fiber, that enabled this design to be incorporated onto a passenger plane.

Subsonic speeds...

Because of the wing design of the SBJ, it will be able to fly economically at subsonic speeds, which means that the SBJ will able to operate in the US where supersonic flight is banned due to sonic booms. Its speed will remain at Mach 0.98, which reduces coast-to-coast flight by 41 minutes vs conventional aircraft (TechNewsDaily).

The Future...

High performance while satisfying environmental regulations, the SBJ already has orders and the company hopes that this new aircraft will be certified by the FAA and ready to go by 2015.

The Fall of the Concorde

2010-11-06T21:32:00.005-04:00

The Concorde, introduced in 1976, was the first passenger airliner that traveled at supersonic speeds. This was the product of a joint venture between British and French companies and remained in operation until 2003.

The Concorde could supercruise at Mach 2.02 and had a top speed of Mach 2.04.

Design...

The Concorde utilized a revolutionary dart wing design for passenger planes, obviously for increased speed. It also had a double-delta wing design that allowed for landing at lower speeds. Also, it had a nose that could "droop" down that allowed for better landing visibility.

Early production setback...

The original plan for the Concorde was to have 300 built. However, due to an Arab oil embargo, oil prices rose steeply and orders were swiftly cancelled. In the end, only 20 aircraft were ever built. These were operated by British Airways, Air France, Singapore Airlines, and Braniff International Airways.

Retirement...

The Concorde was facing retirement by the 21st century. It had a dated cockpit with analog dials and controls (since there were no competing aircraft, there was no pressure to upgrade) and an airframe worn down by close to 30 years of service.

The crash on July 25, 2000 sealed the deal. Although this was the only accident in Concorde history, the lost confidence in Concorde was never regained and passenger numbers remained low.

Finally, on November 26, 2003, Concorde G-BOAF of British Airways, the last Concorde still in service, made is retirement flight to Filton, Bristol, UK, her place of birth.

Fuel Efficiency (or inefficiency)...

The Concorde was a fuel consuming beast. The passenger mile to US gallon ratio for a 747 was 109 while the ratio for a Concorde was 14.

An Interesting Fact...

The Concorde could cross the Atlantic in 3 hours, which meant that European passengers could arrive earlier than when they left!

Supercruise - What is it?

2010-10-23T20:30:00.009-04:00

Supercruise is a term that describes sustained supersonic flight without the use of afterburners, hence the name super (supersonic) cruise (cruising).

The first plane that could supercruise was the English Electric Lightning introduced in 1954. From then on, many other planes had this feature.

Some of them include: the F-22 Raptor, the SR-71 Blackbird, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Su-35BM, the JAS 39 Gripen, and the Concorde.

F-35 vs F-22

2010-10-23T16:05:00.013-04:00

The F-22 and F-35, the newest planes in the US military's arsenal. Both are similar in appearances and capabilities. Both are the product of multi-billion dollar projects and both cost millions dollars. However, which is the better plane?

Comparison...

	F-22 Raptor (Air-to-Air)	F-35 Lighting II (Air-to-Ground)
Supercruise	Yes (Mach 1.8)	No
V/STOL (takeoff vertically)	No	Yes (One version)
Stealth	Better	Not as good
Top Speed	Mach 2.25	Mach 1.6
Service ceiling	65 000 ft.	60 000 ft.
Engines	Double	Single
Size	Large	Small
Maneuverability	Better	Not as good
Operate on Carriers?	No	Yes
Cost	US $150 million	US $96 million
Maintenance	More	Less
Payload	Larger	Smaller
Vectored thrusting	Yes (more maneuverable)	No
Avionics (equipment like radar)	Better	Not as good

Chronology of Military Aircraft

2010-10-17T17:22:00.008-04:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE

PAK FA image: http://attach.high-g.net/attachments/pak_fa_2_144.jpg

Surviving a 33 000 ft. fall without a parachute!

2010-10-15T21:53:00.015-04:00

Vesna Vulovic, a former Serbian flight attendant, survived a 33 000 ft. fall on January 26, 1972, without a parachute when a bomb blew up a DC-9 of Yugoslavia's JAT airline (JAT Flight 364). Vesna was 22-years old. She currently holds the world record, according to the Guinness Book of Records, for surviving the highest fall without a parachute. It was exactly 10 160 m (33 333 feet).

The Crash...

The bomb, planted by the terrorist group Ustashe, detonated over the city of Srbska-Kamenica. The DC-9, which had 28 passengers on board, was torn apart by the explosions and the wreckage fell through the air for about three minutes before landing on a snow covered mountain side.

How she survived...

The snow apparently softened the impact and lucky Vesna recieved immediate aid by a German named Bruno Henke. Even better, her rescuer was a World War II medic!

Also, another factor that possibly aided in her survival was her low blood pressure which caused her to pass out quickly and saved her heart from bursting.

Injuries...

At the hospital, the doctors concluded that Vesna had:

broken both her legs
broken her skull (which was also hemorrhaging)
three crushed vertebrae (sections of backbone

Vesna was paralyzed from the waist down and she could not remember anything about the incident and everything one month after - due to amnesia.

Aftermath...

However, movement of both a Vesna's legs were restored with a little bit of surgery and patience. By September of the same year, she was fit for work and was given a desk job at the same airline company (apparently to avoid publicity).

Interesting Facts...

Vesna was not supposed to be on the flight. Her schedule was mixed up with another stewardess with the same name.
The first thing Vesna asked for when she came to was a cigarette.

Vesna Vulovic

This article was created with information from Damn Interesting

Tragic B-2 Crash

2010-10-11T17:43:00.003-04:00

On February 23rd, 2008, the Spirit of Kansas, 89-0127, crashed on the runway shortly after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. This was the first ever crash of a B-2 bomber and one of the most costly aviation accidents ever (total loss was estimated at US$1.4 billion).

The good news is, the two officer crewmen survived after safely ejecting from the plane before it crashed. Also, there were no munitions on board.

Cause...

An investigation into the accident found out that heavy rains caused water to enter the plane's skin-flush air-data sensors, which distorted the angle of attack and yaw data the sensors were feeding the computerized flight-control system. As a result, the flight-control system, using false data, made the disastrous correction during the B-2 takeoff.

Impact...

Following the crash, a B-2 that was already flying was called down and the 19 other bombers were grounded until the initial investigation was complete.

Because the B-2 were grounded, 6 B-52s of the 96th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana were deployed.

Big or Small? (A380 vs 787)

2010-10-11T13:14:00.008-04:00

Boeing and Airbus have been head-to-head in trying to dominate the commercial airliner market since 2001 (year Airbus SAS was established). Since then, both airliner manufacturers have pumped out thousands of planes and many new designs. The two most recent ones are the A380 "behemoth" from Airbus and the B787 Dreamliner "slick and fast" from Boeing. Both planes boast better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs but exactly which is better?

Airbus A380

49% more seating than the Boeing 747 and 4 times more than the Boeing 787
Expensive ($280 million)
More entertainment (bars and Jacuzzis)
The larger area of the A380 is possibility for many airlines to incorporate shops, arcades, and restaurants to make travelling much more enjoyable
Can be used to carry heavy cargo
More people one trip = less fuel (more fuel used per trip but less trips)
Very quiet

Boeing 787

Fast and slick (means you get there faster)
Cheap
Less entertainment
Airports do not have to redesign to accommodate the 787
Lighter weight = less fuel (less fuel used per trip but more trips)
Very quiet
Pressurized for lower altitude and high humidity (sited from)

Specifications... (A380)

1. A380-800

Cockpit Crew: 2
Seating Capacity: 525 (3-class).
644 (2-class).
853 (1-class).
Length: 73 m (239 ft. 6 in.).
Span: 79.8 m (261 ft. 10 in.).
Height: 24.1 m (79 ft. 1 in.).
Wheelbase: 30.4 m (99 ft. 8 in.).
Outside fuselage width: 7.14 m (23 ft. 6 in.).
Cabin width, main deck: 6.60 m (21 ft. 8 in.).
Cabin width, upper deck: 5.94 m (19 ft. 6 in.).
Wing Area: 845 m2 (9 100 sq. ft.).
Operating empty weight: 276 800 kg (610 200 lb.).
Maximum take-off weight: 560 000 kg (1 235 000 lb.).
Maximum Payload: 90 800 kg (200 000 lb.).
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.85.
Maximum Cruising Speed: Mach 0.89.
Maximum Speed: Mach 0.96.
Take-off Run at Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW): 2 750 m (9 020 ft.).
Range at design load: 15 200 km (8 200 nmi.).
Service Ceiling: 13 115 m (43 000 ft.).
Maximum Fuel Capacity: 310 000 L (81 890 US Gal.).
Engines (4x): GP7270 (A380-861).
Trent 970/B (A380-841).
Trent 972/B (A380-842).

2. A380-800F

Cockpit Crew: 2
Seating Capacity: 12 couriers
Length: 73 m (239 ft 6 in)
Span: 79.8 m (261 ft 10 in)
Height: 24.1 m (79 ft 1 in)
Wheelbase: 30.4 m (99 ft 8 in)
Outside fuselage width: 7.14 m (23 ft 6 in)
Cabin width, main deck: 6.60 m (21 ft 8 in)
Cabin width, upper deck: 5.94 m (19 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 845 m² (9,100 sq ft)
Operating empty weight: 252,200 kg (556,000 lb)
Maximum take-off weight: 590,000 kg (1,300,000 lb)
Maximum payload: 152,400 kg (336,000 lb)
Cruising speed: Mach 0.85
Maximum cruising speed: Mach 0.89
Maximum speed: Mach 0.96
Take off run at Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW): 2,900 m (9,510 ft)
Range at design load: 10,400 km (5,600 nmi)
Service ceiling: 13,115 m (43,000 ft)
Maximum fuel capacity: 310,000 L (81,890 US gal),356,000 L (94,000 US gal) option
Engines (4 x): GP7277 (A380-863F)Trent 977/B (A380-843F)

Source: http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/a380/a380/specifications.html.

Specifications... (787 Dreamliner)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787#Specifications

Model	787-3	787-8	787-9
Flight crew	Two
Passengers	290–330	210–250	250–290
Length	186 ft (57 m)		206 ft (63 m)
Wingspan	170 ft (52 m)	197 ft (60 m)	208 ft (63 m)
Wing sweepback	32.2°
Height	55 ft 6 in (16.92 m)
Fuselage height	19 ft 5 in (5.91 m)
Fuselage width	18 ft 11 in (5.75 m)
Cabin width	18 ft (5.49 m)
Cargo capacity	4,400 ft³ (124.6 m³) 28 LD3		5,400 ft³ (152.9 m³) 36 LD3
Empty weight	223,000 lb (101,151.1 kg)	242,000 lb (109,769.4 kg)	254,000 lb (115,212.5 kg)
Maximum takeoff weight	364,000 lb (165,107.6 kg)	484,000 lb (219,538.7 kg)	540,000 lb (244,939.9 kg)
Cruise speed	Mach 0.85 (903 km/h, 561 mph, 487 knots, at 40,000 ft/12.19 km)
Maximum cruise speed	Mach 0.89 (945 km/h, 587 mph, 510 knots, at 40,000 ft/12.19 km)
Range, fully loaded (not max payload)	2,500 – 3,050 NM (4,650 – 5,650 km)	7,650 – 8,200 NM (14,200 – 15,200 km)	8,000 – 8,500 NM (14,800 – 15,750 km)
Maximum fuel capacity	33,528 US gal (126,917 L)		36,693 US gal (138,898 L)
Service ceiling	43,000 ft (13.1 km)
Engines (2×)	General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Maximum thrust capability	53,000 lbf (235.8 kN)	64,000 lbf (284.7 kN)	70,000 lbf (311.4 kN)

Next Generation Bomber - NEW BOMBER FROM BOEING

2010-10-08T11:00:00.004-04:00

Overview...

The NGB is a new medium bomber under development by the United States Air Force. It was originally projected to enter service in 2018 as a stealth, subsonic, medium range bomber that could replace the Air Force's present bomber fleet. With artist impressions making the plane look like something from Avatar, the NGB is going to be one high-tech plane.

"Postponement"...

On June 24, 2010, Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove stated that the "Next Generation Bomber" was dead and that the air force was working on something more affordable.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/07/airforce_long_range_071010w/

Then on September 13 of the same year, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said that the US military will remain committed to building a new long range bomber but will take cautious approach to prevent financial disasters from past programs. The Air Force secretary also said that the new bomber will focus more on conventional weapons than nuclear.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iLoYI0SqumrBY8dra1NEawYt4CRA

Design Goals...

The design goals of the NGB in September 2007 were:
http://www.defensedaily.com/VIP/dd/current.htm#A5
Subsonic max speed
Combat radius of 2 000+ miles
Weapons load of 14 000-28 000 lb
Ability to "survive in hostile air space for extended time"
Ability to carry nuclear weapons
Designed to use new propulsion, C4ISR, and radar technologies
In August 2008, a paper by Northrop Grumman highlighted the following trends and requirements
http://www.northropgrumman.com/analysis-center/images/pdf/The_2018_Bomber_the_case_for_accelerating_NGLRS.pdf
Airfields available for American use have declined since the Cold War
Hostile cruise missiles of aircraft could shut down existing airfields
Fewer fighter aircraft will be available to escort bomber force
Advanced fighter aircraft and surface to air missiles are being made available to potentially hostile states
The current USAF bomber force is small and outdated
In June 2010, Gen. Breedlove said that the aircraft would carry a five ton Next Generation Penetrator Munition instead of the 15 ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
http://www.airforce-magazine.com/DRArchive/Pages/2010/June%202010/June%2025%202010/ASlimmerMOP.aspx

In summary...

The NGB is going to be a major improvement on the B-2. With increased range, greater range, and stealthier than ever, this is the future of the US bomber fleet (that is, if it ever gets off the drawing board).

Six times the Speed of Sound?

2010-04-11T11:00:00.020-04:00

The North American X-15 (first flight: June 8, 1959, last flight: October 24, 1968) was a manned rocket-powered aircraft that broke record after record in the 1960's, flying at astonishing altitudes (328 084 ft) and hypersonic speeds (Mach 6.72). Mach 6.72 is actually 6.72 times the speed of sound!

The X-15 was part of the X-series of experimental aircraft, which the Bell X-1 was part of.

In the end, three X-15's were built and they flew a total of 199 flights (12 pilots):

X-15A-1 - 56-6670, 82 powered flights
X-15A-2 - 56-6671, 53 powered flights
X-15A-3 - 56-6672, 64 powered flights

How the plane was launched...

The X-15 did not launch from a runway. Instead, it was attached to a wing pylon on a specially designed B-52 that brought it to 45 000 feet where the plane was released. The B-52 was designated NB-52 and appropriately called the "mothership".

Two NB-52's were built, NB-52A ( (52-003) and NB-52B (52-008).

Accidents...

Of the three X-15's that were built, planes number 2 and 3 were destroyed in accidents (number 2 was repaired but never flew again). The pilot of the first accident (plane number 2), Jack McKay, survived the crash but was an inch shorter when he was pulled out from under the plane. Unfortunately, the pilot of the second accident (plane number 3), Mike Adams, was killed.

Record Breaking Flights...

Joseph Albert Walker broke the highest altitude record of the time three times, his last on August 22, 1963. He reached 328 084 ft on his X-15.
William J. "Pete" Knight broke the fastest speed record then on October 3, 1967. Knight reached a top speed of Mach 6.72 (6.72 times the speed of sound).

However, the records set by the X-15 have been broken today by new and more advanced planes.

Planes of the X-15 program on display...

X-15A-1 is on display in the National Air and Space Museum "Milestones of Flight" gallery
X-15A-2 is on display in the National Museum of the United States Air Force's Research and Development hanger alongside other "X-planes"
NB-52A is on display in the Pima Air and Space Museum
NB-52B is at the Dryden Flight Research Center

Interesting Facts...

Neil Armstrong (first person to set foot on the moon) was one of the X-15 pilots
The planned 200th flight of the X-15, piloted by William J. Knight was delayed six times due to technical problems and bad weather. It was eventually cancelled

Specifications...

General characteristics

Crew: one

Length: 50 ft 9 in (15.45 m)

Wingspan: 22 ft 4 in (6.8 m)

Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.12 m)

Wing area: 200 ft² (18.6 m²)

Empty weight: 14,600 lb (6,620 kg)

Loaded weight: 34,000 lb (15,420 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 34,000 lb (15,420 kg)

Powerplant: 1× Thiokol XLR99-RM-2 liquid-fuel rocket engine, 70,400 lbf at 30 km (313 kN)

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 6.72 (4,520 mph / 7,274 km/h)

Range: 280 mi (450 km)

Service ceiling: 67 mi (354,330 ft / 108 km)

Rate of climb: 60,000 ft/min (18,288 m/min)

Wing loading: 170 lb/ft² (829 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 2.07

This article was created with information from AcePilots

YF-23 Video

2010-04-04T18:04:00.001-04:00

YF-23 - What could have been the F-22

2010-03-17T22:52:00.020-04:00

The YF-23A was a prototype fighter designed and developed by Northrop and McDonnell Douglas. It was a competitor to Lockheed's YF-22 in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition of the USAF (meant to replace the F-15). Lockheed won and the YF-22 eventually became the renowned F-22 Raptor we now hear so much about.
Overview...
The YF-23 was designed to meet the requirements of the ATF competition, which was stealth, the ability to supercruise (sustained supersonic flight without afterburner), survivability, and ease of maintenance. However, although the YF-23 was stealthier and faster, the F-22 won as it was more agile. The two YF-23's built, the "Black Widow AII" and the "Gray Ghost" and now put on display in museums. The "Black Widow" currently rests in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The "Gray Ghost", which used to be on exhibit at the Western Museum of Flight in Hawthorne, California, was loaned to Northrop Grumman in 2004 and put on display in the car park of the company's factory in El Segundo but will eventually return to the museum's new location at Torrance Airport, Torrance, CA.
Design...
The YF-23 is a very unconventional aircraft. It has trapezoidal wings, substantial area ruling, and a V-tail. The engine exhausts are also quite different from conventional aircraft. Northrop, drawing ideas from its experience with the B-2, decided to use the same engine exhaust configuration of the bomber on the YF-23. This configuration greatly reduces the YF-23’s heat signature as the exhaust from its engines is deflected upwards through troughs lined with heat-ablating tiles. This shields the plane from Infrared (IR) missile (heat seeking missile) detection from below. The YF-23's engines have fixed nozzles.
How this aircraft works...
To provide role, the wing flaps and ailerons deflect inversely on either side. Pitch is achieved by moving both V-tails and yaw is provided by opposite movement. For aerodynamic breaking, the wing flaps are deflected down and the ailerons up on both sides.
Black Widow II and Gray Ghost...
The Black Widow II was the first YF-23 made. It was named after Northrop's P-61 Black Widow of World War II and had a red hour glass marking in a midst of black which resembles the underbelly marking of a black widow spider but was removed on the insistence of Northrop management. Black Widow II was fitted with Pratt and Whitney YF119 engines. Black Widow II first flew on August 27, 1990. It supercruised at Mach 1.43 on September 18, 1990.
The Gray Ghost, named after its gray paint coating, was the second YF-23 made. The plane first flew on October 26, 1990. It was fitted with the General Electric YF-120 engines and reached Mach 1.6 on November 29, 1990.
Data from Sweetman, Bill. YF-22 and YF-23 Advanced Tactical Fighters. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International Publishing, 1991, pp. 44-45
Specifications...
Note that some of the specifications are estimated
Data from Winchester, Jim, ed. Concept Aircraft (The Aviation Factfile) Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2005, Miller, Jay. Lockheed Martin F/A-22 Raptor, Stealth Fighter. Aerofax, 2005, Pace, Steve. F-22 Raptor: America's Next Lethal War Machine. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Length: 67 ft 4 in (20.50 m)
Wingspan: 43 ft 7 in (13.20 m)
Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.20 m)
Wing area: 900 ft² (88 m²)
Empty weight: 29,000 lb (14,970 kg)
Loaded weight: 51,320 lb (23,327 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 62,000 lb (29,000 kg)
Powerplant: 2× General Electric YF120 or Pratt & Whitney YF119 , 35,000 lbf (156 kN) each
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.2+ (1,650+ mph, 2,655+ km/h) at altitude
Cruise speed: Mach 1.6 (1,060 mph, 1,706 km/h) supercruise at altitude
Range: 700 miles (1 200 km)
Combat radius: 865-920 mi (750-800 nmi, 1,380-1480 km)
Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (19,800 m)
Wing loading: 54 lb/ft² (265 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 1.36
Armament
None as tested but provisions made for
1 × 20 mm (.79 in) M61 Vulcan cannon
4-6 × AIM-120 AMRAAM or AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles
4 × AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles

Panavia Tornado

2010-03-17T18:37:00.014-04:00

The Panavia Tornado was the result of the joint effort of the UK, Germany, and Italy. A multirole fighter, the Tornado has three primary versions, the Tornado IDS fighter bomber, the Tornado ECR electronic warfare fighter (suppresses enemy air defenses), and the Tornado ADV interceptor. In total, 992 Tornadoes were built for the RAF, the Luftwaffe, Italian Air Force, and the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Overview...

The Tornado was intended as a low-level supersonic bomber that can operate in high and low speeds. However, planes that are maneuverable in high speeds tend to have poor low-speed performance and vice versa. To counter this dilemma, Panavia decided that a variable wing sweep design will be the ideal feature for the plane. The variable wing sweep design works like this: the wings of the plane go fully swept when the plane is flying at high speeds and return to its original position in slower speeds. This fulfills the requirement that the Tornado performs well in high and low speeds.

The Tornado is also designed to operate on short runways. Since it is a land-based aircraft that has to operate on large airfields that are vulnerable to air attack, the Tornado is required to be able to land and takeoff in short distances. This criteria is fulfilled with the Tornado's variable wing sweep design, which when extended fully forward, creates enough lift to lower the minimum landing and takeoff speeds, thus allowing the Panavia Tornado to operate on short runways.

Variants...

Tornado IDS

The Tornado IDS variants were the strike aircraft version of the Tornado. This variant was designed for ultra-low-level penetration strikes of Warsaw Pact targets and is equipped with a terrain following radar that allowed hands-off all weather low-level flight. Additionally, it is equipped with a Laser Range Finder and Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS) for improved bombing accuracy. The LRMTS can also receive reflected laser energy from a third party laser, which allows the bomber to lock on targets laser-marked by other friendly units.
The Tornado IDS has 4 different versions, the GR1, GR1B, GR4, and GR1A/GR4A.

Tornado ECR

The Tornado ECR is what you would call a "Wild Weasel", which is an aircraft that takes out enemy surface-to-air defenses and their radars, basically all enemy electronics used to detect friendly planes. This version is equipped with the emitter-locator system (ELS) which locates enemy radar positions and armed with the AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) to take the radars out.
The performance is similar to the Tornado IDS.

Tornado ADV

The Tornado ADV is the fighter version of the Tornado. It has a greater sweep angle on the inboard fixed winged sections for greater performance in different speeds. The ADV also has an extended radome to fit the Marconi Ferranti Al.24 Foxhunter airborne interception radar. The fuselage is stretched by 1.36m to accommodate the four Skyflash semi-active radar homing missiles and a plug has been added immediately aft of the fuselage with the added benefits of reducing drag and making space for an extra fuel tank. Finally, the port (left) cannon has been removed.
The ADV has two versions, the F2 and F3.

Specifications...

General characteristics (Panavia Tornado F3)

Crew: 2
Length: 18.7 m (61.3 ft)
Wingspan: (Variable geometry wing)

At 25° wing position : 13.91 m (45.6 ft)
At 67° wing position: 8.60 m (28.2 ft)

Height: 5.95 m (19.5 ft)
Wing area: 26.6 m² (286 sq ft)
Empty weight: 14,500 kg (32,000 lb)
Loaded weight: 21,546 kg (47,500 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 28,000 kg (61,700 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Turbo-Union RB199-34R Augmented Turbofans

Dry thrust: 40.5 kN (9,104 lbf) each
Thrust with afterburner: 73 kN (16,410 lbf) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 800 knots IAS (1,452 mph, Mach 2.27, 2,338 km/h)
Range: 755 nmi (869 mi, 1,390 km)
Ferry range: 2,300 nmi (2,650 mi, 4,265 km) with four external tanks
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.56

Armament

Guns: 1× internal Mauser BK-27 with 180 rounds (versus 2× BK-27 mounted on Panavia Tornado IDS)
Hardpoints: 10 total (4× semi-recessed under-fuselage, 2× under-fuselage, 4× swivelling under-wing) holding up to 9000 kg (19,800 lb) of payload, the two inner wing pylons have shoulder launch rails for 2× Short-Range AAM (SRAAM) each
Rockets: None
Missiles:

Air-to-air missiles:

4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-132 ASRAAM
4× British Aerospace Skyflash or AIM-120 AMRAAM (mounted on 4 semi-recessed under-fuselage hardpoints)

Bombs: None
Others:

Up to 2× drop tanks for extended range/loitering time. Up to 4 drop tanks for ferry role (at the expense of 4 Skyflash/AMRAAM).

Avionics

Marconi/Ferranti AI.24 Foxhunter radar

Saab JAS 39 Gripen

2010-03-14T18:35:00.022-04:00

Designed and the developed by the Swedish aerospace company, Saab, the Gripen is a lightweight multirole fighter currently in service in the Swedish, Hungarian, Czech, and South African Airforces. The Royal Thai Air Force will also be operating them by 2011. The Gripen has a canard and delta wing combination. The canard wings, if you don't know, are the little triangular wings on the front of the plane. This wings are used to increase maneuverability reduced by Gripen's delta-wing design.

Overview...

The Gripen's wing design enables the aircraft to be faster, have a larger payload, and a longer range. This design is also seen in many other modern aircraft like the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale. The Gripen has a built-in eletronic warfare unit so it can load more ordance without losing its self defence capabilities.

The Gripen can operate on any runway longer than 800 m with low maintenance and operating costs. These features allow the Gripen to land on and take off on public roads, which means that the Gripen can operate even if the air force does not have air superiority. This was a requirement by the Swedish military, which, during the Cold War, feared that their defense forces will be overrunned by Soviet forces. As a result, they placed military supply centers all over the country so even if military installations were destroyed, the Swedish military could still maintain a least a shred of combat capabilities and fight back. The Gripen's expeditionary capabilities allow this plane to land, resupply, and takeoff on roads with these supply centers and continue the fight.

Nowadays, this unique feature is (effectively) put to a different use; peacekeeping missions worldwide.

Specifications...

General characteristics

Crew: 1 (2 for JAS 39B/D)
Length: 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 30.0 m² (323 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,700 kg (14,600 lb)
Loaded weight: 8,500 kg (18,700 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 14,000 kg (31,000 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Volvo Aero RM12 afterburning turbofan
- Dry thrust: 54 kN (12,100 lbf)
- Thrust with afterburner: 80.5 kN (18,100 lbf)
Wheel track: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Length (two-seater): 14.8 m (48 ft 5 in)

Performance

Maximum speed:
- At altitude: Mach 2 (2,470 km/h, 1,372 mph)
Combat radius: 800 km (500 mi, 432 nmi)
Ferry range: 3,200 km (2,000 mi) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
Wing loading: 336 kg/m² (68.8 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.97

Armament

1 × 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon 120 rounds
6 × Rb.74 (AIM-9) or Rb 98 (IRIS-T)
4 × Rb.99 (AIM-120) or MICA
4 x Rb.71 (Skyflash) or Meteor
4 x Rb.75
2 x KEPD.350
4 x GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb
4 x rocket pods 13.5 cm rockets
2 x Rbs.15F anti-ship missile
2 x Bk.90 cluster bomb
8 x Mark 82 bombs
1 x ALQ-TLS ECM pod

Data from Gripen International Data, Gripen to Brazil Data, Superfighters (Book), Czech Republic Page, Gripen Weapons, Great Book of Modern Warplanes, Fuel Chart

Dassault Rafale

2010-03-13T15:57:00.012-05:00

The aircraft developed by the French company Dassault Aviation, after the Mirage 2000, the Rafale was introduced on December 4th, 2000 as a multi-role 4.5th generation jet fighter aircraft. The Rafale resembles a Eurofighter Typhoon with its canard and delta wing combination. This fighter is in use by the French Air Force and Navy.

Overview...

The Rafale is agile even in low speed flying and can operate from 400 m runways. This is attributed to its canard wings which increase the plane's maneuverability while maintaing stability. During landing, the canard wings reduce landing speed to 115 knots. However, daring pilots have achieved lower.

This plane can be used for strategic missions - meaning nuclear warfare - and it carries an ASMP nuclear stand-off missile. Also, the Rafale is qualified for the MBDA Storm Shadow / Scalp EG stand-off cruise missile as well. One normal missions, the Rafale carries a variety of weapons, 9 -14 tons for the Air Force version and 13 tons for the Navy.

The Rafale also has radar signature reduction features, meaning it is harder to detect on radar than conventional planes, but it can hardly be categorized as a true stealth aircraft.

Variants...

Rafale A- A technology demonstrator that first flew in 1986. It has now been retired.
Rafale D- Dassault used this designation (D for discret or stealthy) in the early 1990s for the production versions for the Armée de l'Air, to emphasise the new semi-stealthy features they had added to the design.
Rafale B- This is the two-seater version for the Armée de l'Air; delivered to EC 330 in 2004.
Rafale C- This is the single-seat version for the Armée de l'Air; delivered to EC 330 in June 2004.
Rafale M-

This is the carrier-borne version for the Aéronavale, which entered service in 2002. The Rafale M weighs about 500 kg (1,100 lb) more than the Rafale C. Very similar to the Rafale C in appearance, the M differs in the following respects:
Strengthened to withstand the rigors of carrier-based aviation
Stronger landing gear
Longer nose gear leg to provide a more nose-up attitude for catapult launches
Deleted front centre pylon (to give space for the longer gear)
Large stinger-type tailhook between the engines
Built-in power operated boarding ladder
Carrier microwave landing system
"Telemir" inertial reference platform that can receive updates from the carrier systems.

Rafale N- The Rafale N, originally called the Rafale BM, was planned to be a two-seater version for the Aéronavale. Budget constraints and the cost of training extra crew members have been cited as the grounds for its cancellation.

Specifications...

General characteristics

Crew: 1–2
Length: 15.27 m (50.1 ft)
Wingspan: 10.80 m (35.4 ft)
Height: 5.34 m (17.5 ft)
Wing area: 45.7 m² (492 ft²)
Empty weight: 9,500 kg (C), 9,770 kg (B), 10,196 kg (M) (22 478 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 24,500 kg (C/D), 22,200 kg (M) (54,000 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Snecma M88-2 turbofans
- Dry thrust: 50.04 kN (11,250 lbf) each
- Thrust with afterburner: 75.62 kN with M88-Eco >90 kN after 2010 (17,000 lbf) each

Performance

Maximum speed:
- High altitude: Mach 2 (2,390 km/h, 1,290 knots)
- Low altitude: 1,390 km/h, 750 knots
Range: 3,700+ km (2,000+ nmi)
Combat radius: 1,852+ km (1,000+ nmi) on penetration mission
Service ceiling: 16,800 m (55,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 304.8+ m/s (1,000+ ft/s)
Wing loading: 326 kg/m² (83 1/3 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 1.13

Armament

Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GIAT 30/719B cannon with 125 rounds
Missiles:
- Air-to-air:
  - MICA IR/EM or
  - Magic II and in the future
  - MBDA Meteor
- Air-to-ground:
  - MBDA Apache or
  - SCALP EG or
  - AASM or
  - GBU-12 Paveway II or
  - AM 39 Exocet or
  - ASMP-A nuclear missile

Avionics

Thales RBE2 radar
Thales SPECTRA electronic warfare system.
Thales/SAGEM OSF (Optronique Secteur Frontal) infrared search and track system.

Data from Dassault Rafale Characteristics, French Navy Page, and the book Superfighters

Eurofighter Typhoon Photo Gallery

2010-03-12T20:16:00.006-05:00

Two Eurofighter Typhoons loaded with missiles

Eurofighter Typhoon in flight

The back of a Eurofighter Typhoon

Two Eurofighter Typhoons flying vertically

Eurofighter Typhoon

2010-03-07T18:48:00.012-05:00

One of the top military aircraft of our time, the Eurofighter Typhoon was developed by three companies, Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH. A multirole fighter, this plane is now being used in many European countries such as Britain, Germany, France, and Spain.

Overview...

Since the Eurofighter Typhoon's introduction, it has been constantly praised by its pilots. This is not surprising considering its many capabilities. One of the best qualities of the Eurofighter Typhoon is its maneuverability. Even in supersonic or low speeds, this plane is highly agile and this is attributed to what's called a "relaxed stability" design that, although reduces the aircrafts stability, increases its maneuverability greatly. The instability of this aircraft is compensated with a fly-by-wire control system that stabilizes the aircraft automatically since a pilot alone cannot stabilize the plane manually.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is literally a flying computer. This plane's cockpit is filled with the latest high-tech systems that provide the pilot with almost all the information s/he will possibly need on the battlefield. It even has a voice control system!

With so many perks, this plane does not come cheap. It had cost £20 billion to develop this plane and it is estimated that a single Eurofighter Typhoon will cost up to €63 million.

Specifications...

General characteristics

Crew: 1 (operational aircraft) or 2 (training aircraft)
Length: 15.96 m (52 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in)
Height: 5.28 m (17 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 50 m² (538 ft²)
Empty weight: 11,000 kg (24,250 lb)
Loaded weight: 15,550 kg (34,280 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 23,500 kg (51,800 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan
Dry thrust: 60 kN (13,500 lbf) each
Thrust with afterburner: 90 kN (20,250 lbf) each

Performance

Maximum speed:

At altitude: Mach 2+ (2,495 km/h, 1,550 mph)
At sea level: Mach 1.2 (1470 km/h / 913.2 mph)
Supercruise: Mach 1.1-1.5

Range: 2,900 km (1,840 mi)
Combat radius:

Ground attack, lo-lo-lo: 601 km (373 nmi)
Ground attack, hi-lo-hi: 1,389 km (863 nmi)
Air defence with 3-hr CAP: 185 km (115 nmi)
Air defence with 10-min loiter: 1,389 km (863 nmi)

Ferry range: 3,790 km (2,300 mi)
Service ceiling: 19,810 m (65,000 ft)
Rate of climb: >315 m/s (62,000 ft/min)
Wing loading: 307 kg/m² (63 lb/ft²)
Armament
Guns: 1× 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon with 150 rounds
Hardpoints: Total of 13: 8× under-wing plus 5× under-fuselage pylon stations holding up to 16,500 lb (7,500 kg) of payload
Missiles:

Air-to-air missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, AIM-120 AMRAAM, IRIS-T and in the future MBDA Meteor
Air-to-surface missiles: AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, ALARM, Storm Shadow (AKA "Scalp EG"), Brimstone, Taurus KEPD 350, Penguin and in the future AGM Armiger

Bombs:

Paveway II/III/Enhanced Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs (LGBs), Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), HOPE/HOSBO

Others:

Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod and
Electronic countermeasures (ECM) pods
LITENING III laser targeting pod
up to 3× drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.

Avionics

Euroradar CAPTOR Radar
Passive Infra-Red Airborne Tracking Equipment (PIRATE)

Data from
http://www.eurofighter.com/et_ap_pd_ov.asp
http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/typhooneurofighter.cfm
http://www.baesystems.com/ProductsServices/autoGen_106920114440.html
AFM
Superfighters

PAK FA Test Flight

2010-03-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

NEW RUSSIAN PLANE TO RIVAL F-22

2010-03-01T18:45:00.016-05:00

January 29th this year, the PAK FA, developed by the Russian aircraft manufacturer, made its first flight. This plane is a fifth generation fighter that is said to be able to rival the much coveted F-22 and F-35. Like its Western counterparts, the PAK FA, or T-50, has stealth capabilities, the ability to supercruise (which is sustained supersonic flight), and even have an "artificial intelect".

http://www.zeenews.com/news589876.html

The PAK FA will replace the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the current Russian inventory. It will be equipped with next generation of missiles, incorporate a fix-mounted AESA radar, and use a pair of Saturn 117S engines generate 142 kN (32 000 lb!!!!!) of thrust in afterburner and 86.3 kN (19 400 lb) dry.

The PAK FA has since had two more successful flights this year and, according to Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy head of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, will take 5 to 10 years for commercial production.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41866120090820?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=11584

Specifications... (these are preliminary estimates as the PAK FA is still in development)

Data from http://warfare.ru/?lang=&linkid=2280&catid=255 and http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/29-01-2010/111923-fifth_generation-0

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 22 m (72 ft)
Wingspan: 14.2 m (46.5 ft)
Height: 6.05 m (19.8 ft)
Wing area: 78.8 m2 (848.1 ft)
Empty weight: 18,500 kg (40,785 lb)
Loaded weight: 26,000 kg (57,320 lb)
Useful load: 7,500 kg (combat load) (16,534 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 37,000 kg (81,570 lb)
Powerplant: 2× New unnamed engine by NPO Saturn and FNPTS MMPP Salyut of 175 kN each
Maximum Fuel weight: 10,300 kg (22,711 lb)

Performance

Maximum speed: 2,600 km/h (Mach 2.45) (at 17,000 m altitude) (1,615 mph (at 45,000 ft altitude))
Cruise speed: 1,300 - 1,800 km/h (808 - 1,118 mph)
Range: 4,000-5,500 km (2,500-3,100 miles)
Service ceiling: 20,000 m (65,616 ft)
Rate of climb: 350 m/sec (1184 ft/sec)
Wing loading: 330(normal) - 470(maximum) kg/m2 (67(normal) - 96(maximum) lb/ft2)
Thrust/weight: 1.4
Maximum g-load: +10.0/+11.0 g

Armament

Guns: 1×30mm GSh-30-1
Hardpoints: 10 internal, 6 external for R-74M Archer and R-77M Adder missiles
AvionicsN050(?)BRLS AFAR/AESA

The Bronco

2010-01-31T13:44:00.012-05:00

In the 1960's, when the war in Vietnam was in full swing, there emerged an aircraft that was quite unspectacular compared to the supersonic jets of the era like the F-4 Phantom and the F-100. However, the slow and sturdy plane would prove in the long run, just as useful. It is the OV-10 Bronco.

The Bronco was contrived by two Marine Corps Majors, K.P. Rice and William H. Beckett, who realized that with the Navy and Airforce preoccupied with slick, swept-winged jets, the conventional weapons necessary for the close air support of ground forces were forgotten. Thus, they decided to create a plane that will fill in that role, and the Bronco was born. The plane envisioned by the two was a sturdy observation plane that could also attack enemy forces on the spot. It was twin-engined and was capable not only of taking off and landing on short runways but on runways in adverse conditions.

The Bronco was used as a Forward Air Controller (FAC), that calls in artillery, fighter-bombers, or naval gun support to eliminate enemy threats to friendly ground forces. It can also call in Medevacs or helicopters to evacuate ground forces in tight situations.

Armament...

The Bronco has 4 machine guns attached to sponsons under the fuselage and a centerline station for a 20 mm cannon. The OV-10 can also carry up to 2 400 more pounds of explosives such as rockets, missiles, and bombs on the sponsons.

Besides bombs and guns, the Bronco can carry up to 4 paratroopers into battle or injured personnel out.

Weaknesses...

The Bronco, however, had its weaknesses. It lacker power and was vulnerable to groundfire because it often flew at a low altitude and was quite slow.

Into the modern battlefield...

The Bronco continued to be in service until after Operation Desert Storm when the Marine Corps decided to retire it due its slow speed, making it highly vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire. Of the 20 sent in Iraq, 2 were shot down.

Right now, Boeing is working on a newer, modernized version of the Bronco. Although the airframe will not change a lot, the Bronco will have a fully computerized cockpit and will be able to carry newer armament. The centline 20 mm machine gun, for example, will be upgraded to a 30 mm cannon.

Specifications...

OV-10A

Data from Mesko

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 290.95 ft² (27.03 m²)
Empty weight: 6,893 lb (3,127 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 14,444 lb (6,552 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Garrett T76-G-410/412 turboprop, 715 hp (533 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 281 mph (452 km/h)
Range: 576 mi (927 km)
Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,315 m)

Armament

Guns: 4 × 7.62x51mm M60C machine guns
Total stores stations: 5 fuselage and 2 underwing
Bombs: Bombs up to 500 lb
Rockets: 7- or 19-tube launchers for 2.75" FFARs or 2- or 4-tube launchers for 5" FFARs
Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder (Wing pylons only)
Other: SUU-11/A or Mk 4 Mod 0 gun pods

OV-10D

Data from Mesko

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 290.95 ft² (27.03 m²)
Empty weight: 6,893 lb (3,127 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,908 lb (4,494 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 14,444 lb (6,552 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Garrett T76-G-420/421 turboprop, 1,040 hp (775.5 kW) each
*Tailplane Span 14 ft, 7 in (4.45 m)

Performance

Maximum speed: 288 mph (463 km/h)
Range: 1,382 mi (2,224 km)
Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,159 m)

Armament

Guns: 1x 20 mm (.79 in) M197 cannon (YOV-10D) or 4x 7.62x51mm M60C machine guns (OV-10D/D+)
Total stores stations: 5 fuselage (OV-10D/D+ only) and 2 underwing
Bombs: Bombs up to 500 lb (227 kg)
Rockets: 7- or 19-tube launchers for 2.75" FFARs/2.75" WAFARs or 2- or 4-tube launchers for 5" FFARs or WAFARs
Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder (Wing pylons only)

Keeping Airports Birds-Free w/ Birds

2009-10-27T21:09:00.007-04:00

Birds have always been one of a plane's worst enemies, why? It's because even a bird as small as a starlet can break the windshield of a plane taking-off or landing. Birds can also be sucked into engines causing severe damage. What makes it even worse is that an airport is paradise for birds. The flat land and wide expanses of mowed down grass fields can reveal many otherwise unseen prey.

Many airports use different methods to try to prevent an accident like what happened in October of 1960 when a passenger turboprop (a Lockheed Electra) flew into a flock of starlings shortly after departing from Boston's Logan International Airport, shutting down 3 out of the 4 engines and the Electra, without adequate power, crashed into Boston Harbor. Only 10 of the 72 on board survived, the most fatalities from a bird accident to date.

Surprisingly, one of the most effective ways of prevent birds straying into the skies above an airport is through other birds. That's right, many airports use falconers who have trained birds-of-prey as a way to prevent a bird accident. One of them, Canada's busiest airport, Toronto's Pearson Internaitonal Airport, even has a bald eagle named Ivan to scare off Canadian geese.

MiG-35

2009-09-19T20:44:00.005-04:00

Russia’s new MiG-35 (NATO reporting name “Fulcrum-F” is a further development of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB technology. The plane is classified as a 4++ generation jet fighter by Mikoyan. The plane is still under development and as of 2008, there are 10 prototypes built. The MiG-35 was first officially presented by MiG Corporation during the Aero India 2007 air show.

Overview…

The MiG-35 is classed as a medium-weight aircraft that can perform multiple roles. Among its many counterparts are the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

This new and vastly improved version of the MiG-29 uses the new Phazotron Zhuk-AE Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, the more powerful RD-33MK engines, and a new designed Optical Locator System (OLS). There is also a reduction in analog electronics in the MiG-35 cockpit.

Airborne Laser

2009-09-15T20:55:00.004-04:00

The modern U.S. military has a huge range of high tech weapons in its arsenal. From robotic reconnaissance drones to stealth bombers invisible to radar, it is the most formidable force in the world. Then came the ABL (Airborne Laser), which completely revolutionized warfare.

This weapon is a megawatt chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted on a modified Boeing 747-400F. It weighs 6 500 pounds (3 000 kg) and the laser’s main purpose is to defend against incoming tactical ballistic missiles (TBM). The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense and has successfully passed several tests, including the shooting down of a simulated missile in 2009.

How does it Work?

The YAL-1A does not destroy the target directly but heats the missile skin, weakening it so as to cause failure from high speed flight stress.

Other Targets?

The ABL could be used against fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, and even low-earth-orbit satellites but with less efficiency as it is not what the laser was primarily designed to do.

The use of the ABL on ground targets is highly unlikely as the beam weakens when it passes through the atmosphere and armoured vehicles such as tanks are unaffected by a megawatt-class laser.

Future of the ABL…

The ABL, originally set to enter service in 2008, was delayed by the U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ new military budget. However, when the ABL proves its worth it to the politicians, 7 ABL-armed 747s will be built and assigned to two combat theatres.

Why mercury themometers are not allowed on planes

2009-08-16T15:29:00.003-04:00

Mercury thermometers are not allowed on planes is because of how the mercury would react to aluminum, which is the material used for an airplane's frame. First of all, why is aluminum used?

When aluminum rusts, it produces a protective coating of aluminum oxide that protects the metal from further rusting. Also, aluminum is light, strong and cheap.

However, when mercury meets the aluminum, the mercury will break through the aluminum oxide which creates a lot of heat and then eat away the aluminum under.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080418112021AAfuRvJ

Terminal Event- The Book

2009-07-05T14:49:00.003-04:00

Terminal Event is a famous thriller novel that explores the world of NTSB investigators. In this novel, James Thayer brings into light the grim realities facing NTSB investigators everyday. This book will teach you a lot about how the organization operates and how they solve mysterious plane crashes.

The storyline follows a former-NTSB investigator who's trying to find out the cause of a tragic plane crash which killed his wife. As he searches through the wreckage and the black boxes, the evidence keeps pointing to a mid-air explosion probably caused by a bomb that had slipped pass security. However, higher authorities are insisting that the crash was caused by pilot error. What Durant also learns is that the bomber was going to strike again, and soon. Durant has to stop him at all costs before more lives are taken.

The Boeing 797- What the...

2009-07-03T09:34:00.007-04:00

The rumor is that the new Boeing airliner would be a giant "blended wing" passenger airliner. However, according to TruthOrFiction.com, they have went directly to Boeing to find the truth about the rumors, and Boeing replied that they are researching on blended-wing aircraft as a potential military aircraft. Boeing has built a scale model as well as plans (as of 7/13/07) to flight test a scale model. Even so, imagine flying to New York in that aircraft.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 "Fishbed"

2009-04-14T18:46:00.011-04:00

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21), named "Fishbed" by NATO, is a supersonic jet fighter developed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It was introduced in 1959, and is still being used by many countries to date (2009). In fact, the MiG-21 was used by some 50 countries spread out over 4 continents. The MiG-21 holds the record of the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history, the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War, and the longest production run of a combat aircraft, from 1959-1985.

Technical Description...

Probably the reason for the MiG-21s wide use is its low field costs. There was hardly any maintenance required after a flight so mission after could mission could be flown with little or no maintenance at all. However, the MiGs produced by Russia were of low quality.

Wings

The MiG-21 had a delta wing. The sweep angle of the leading edge is 57 degrees. The angle of incidence is 0 degrees. The dihedral angle is -2 degrees.

Fuselage

The MiG-21s fuselage is semi-monocoque with an elliptical profile. The air intake has a cone that regulates the air flow to the engine, and it is three-staged up until the MiG-21PF. When the MiG-21 reaches speeds of Mach 1.5 to Mach 1.9, it is in the middle position and as the speed goes over 1.9, it is in the maximum forward position. Both sides of the nose have gills that supply the engines with more air while in the ground. The pitot tube is located on the bottom of the nose, but after the MiG-21P and every other version after that, it is located on the top of the air intake. There are three air brakes on the bottom of the plane. However, when there is an external fuel tank, the last air brake can't be used. Behind the brakes are the bays for the main landing gear. Under the fuselage, just behind the trailing edge of the wing, 2 Jet-fuel Assisted Take Off (J.A.T.O.) rockets can be attached.

The MiG-21 has a tricycle type undercarriage with a nose gear.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Canadian Aviation

2009-02-23T19:01:00.005-05:00

The Invisible Barrier of Sound

2009-02-21T11:41:00.006-05:00

The invisible barrier of sound was overcome on October 14th, 1947, by a United States Air Force test pilot, Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager, in a Bell X-1, which he christened 'Glamorous Glennis', after his wife. It was a remarkable achievement, and many future planes started to have the ability to reach Mach 1, which was equivalent to the speed of sound multiplied by 1, through the help of an afterburner, which consumed a lot of fuel, but after fifty years of technological advancement, the ability to supercruise, which is to fly at the speed of sound without afterburners and without consuming immense quantities of fuel, was made available. One such example is the F-22 Raptor.

The Speed of Sound is not a fixed constant, and varies at different air temperatures. However, it is commonly accepted that the general speed of sound is 1 234.8 kilometers per hour (767 miles per hour), which means about 1 mile in five seconds. This is only true when dry air is at 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).

When an aircraft reaches the speed of sound, a vapor cone forms around the fuselage and a sonic boom is heard. Some planes can even achieve over Mach 3, such as the SR-71 Blackbird.

AIM-120 AMRAAM

2009-02-01T11:18:00.028-05:00

The AIM-120 AMRAAM, manufactured by Hughes/Raytheon, is commonly known as the Slammer in the United States Air Force. It is an all-weather day-and-night capable Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile. When an AMRAAM is launched, NATO pilots use the brevity code "FOXTHREE". Introduced operationally in 1991, the AMRAAM was the replacement for the AIM-7 Sparrow and made its first appearance on September as an operational missile on board United States Air Force F-15 Eagle Squadrons. It was designed so that a fighter can take on multiple targets at once, no matter the manoeuverability or speed of the target. is commonly mistaken as a pure fire-and-forget missile, like the AIM-9 Sidewinder, but that depends on the range of the target. Only when the missile reaches a range where its small active homing radar is able to find the target, then it can be "forgotten".

Guidance System...

First of all, the AMRAAM has a built-in Inertial Navigation System (INS). It uses this to fly an interception course to the target with information usually from the launching aircraft. It can also be obtained from a data link from another fighter aircraft, or a Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.

When the firing aircraft, AWACS, or another fighter aircraft continues to track the target, periodic updates are sent to the missile that consists of any changes in the target's heading and speed. This way, the AMRAAM would be able to keep the target in its radar seeker's field of view, or basket. However, not all operators have purchased this mid-course update option which might have negative effects on the AMRAAM's effectiveness in some scenarios. In fact, the RAF, which was testing the AMRAAM without the mid-course update for its Tornado F3 force, discovered that its is even less effective than the older semi-active radar homing BAE Skyflash missile.

The only time when the AMRAAM is truly a fire-and-forget weapon is when its fired at close range, which is assumed to be visual range, to the target. At that distance, the AMRAAM's own active radar seeker is automatically turned on and it will start guiding itself to the target. When the active radar seeker is turned on, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) brevity code "PITBULL" would be called on the radio, just like when "FOXTHREE" is used to announce the launch of an AIM-120.

The de Havilland Comet

2009-01-31T19:53:00.021-05:00

The de Havilland Comet, the world's first ever commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, the Comet was considered a landmark British aeronautical design. It not only revolutionised air travel but also brought the world closer together with its high speed, compared to older turbo prop planes.

Although not used in the commercial world, the Comet's military derivative, Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, is still in service and is expected to serve the Royal Air Force until the 2020s, almsot 70 years after its first flight.

Design and Development...

The Comet was designed to fulfill the need for a transatlantic airliner and Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, head of the de Havilland company, used his power and influence, plus his company's expertise with jets, to persuade the Brabazon Commitee that a transatlantic jet mailplane is needed after the war. Subsequently, the Commitee accepted de Havilland's proposal, calling it the Type IV (of five designs), and awarded the production contract to de Havilland's DH.106. The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) found the Type IV rather attractive and in the last month of 1945, agreed to buy ten aircraft.

The Type IV was officially christened Comet in December 1947. First deliveries were expected five years later. The first flight of the Comet was held on July 27th, 1949, and lasted for 31 minutes, by de Havilland Chief Test Pilot John Cunningham, a famous wartime night-fighter pilot. It was then publicly displayed at the 1949 Farnborough Airshow before beginning flight trials. A second prototype made its maiden flight a year later.

The Comet has an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane, and was powered by four jet engines. About the size of a Boeing 737, the Comet was quite luxurious for the first jet airliner. There was lots of room, with 36 seats to each aircraft, and each had its own ashtray. The galley served hot and cold food and drinks, and there was even a bar. Men's and Women's washrooms were seperate, which is something you don't see on modern airliners, and the passenger cabin was much quieter compared to its propeller-driven airliners counter-parts. The Comet's four-man cockpit held two pilots, a navigator and flight engineer. The Comet was also the first pressurised jet-propelled commercial aircraft.

de Havilland's clean, low-drag design featured many unique or innovative design elements, including a swept leading edge, integral wing fuel tanks and four wheel bogie main undercarriage units. Emergencies were countered with lift rafts, which were storeed in the wings near the engines and every seat had a life vest stowed under each seat bottom.

The Comet was powered by two de Havilland Ghost 50 Mk1 turbojet engines buried in the wings close to the fuselage. British engineers chose this configuration as it avoided the drag created by podded engines and allowed fin and rudder, since the hazards of asymmetric, or non-balanced thrust, were reduced. The engines' higher mounting on the wings also lessened the risk of ingestion damage, which is a major problem for turbine engines. However, this design does have its setbacks, such as increased structural weight and complexity of the air frame, as well as a higher chance for wing failure when an engine is on fire, which was cited as the main reason Boeing Aircraft Company chose podded engines over engines buried in the wings.

The Comet's skin is a composition of new and advanced alloys, chemically bonded together with Redux, which is a type of epoxy adhesive, and riveted. It saved weight and reduced the risk of fatigue cracks spreading from the rivets.

Testing...

When the Comet went into service on May 2nd, 1952, it was the most exhaustively tested airliner in history. Water tanks were used to test airframe for metal fatigue by repeatedly pressuring and depressuring the airframe through more than 16 000 cycles, which is equivalent to about 40 000 hours of airline service. The windows were also tested to their max capabilities, and one window frame survived a massive 100 psi, which about 1 250% over the maximum pressure it would encounter in service.

Early Comet disasters...

Early versions of the Comet suffered from catastrophic metal fatigue, which was the root cause of a string of well-publicised accidents. The first of these occured on January 10th, 1954 when Comet G-ALYP ("Yoke Peter"), BOAC Flight 781, broke up in flight mysteriously and crashed into the Mediterranean off the coast of the Italian island Elba. There were no survivors. The entirely Comet fleet was subsequently grounded while the Abell Commitee met to determine the cause of the crash. The conclusion was fire, and modifications were made to the aircraft to protect the engines and wings from damage which might start another fire. However, three months later, another crash of the sort occured in the waters near Naples. Investigators were extremely puzzled and a large investigation board was formed under the direction of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE). They subjected Comet airframes to pressurisation cycles and found the cause of the crashes was metal fatigue. The Comets were redesigned and most served with the military, until 1958 when it resumed commercial service, by which time the much-improved Comet 4 was introduced, and became the first jet airliner to enter transatlantic service. However, by then, United States aircraft manufacturers caught up with Boeing's 707 jetliner and Douglas' DC-8, which were both faster and cost effective, rendering the Comet less profitable. De Havilland later went on to long-range missiles, and in 1962 went back to the airline world with the three-engine jetliner, Trident, but was beat again by Boeing with its 727, also a tri-jet.

De Havilland's hard-learned lessons benefited aircraft manufacturers all over the world, and according to John Cunningham, representatives from Boeing and Douglas "admitted that if it had not been for our problems, it would have happened to them." [Faith 1996, pp. 158-165]

Specifications... (Comet 4)

General characteristics

Crew: 4
Capacity: 56-109 passengers
Length: 34 m (112 ft)
Wingspan: 35 m (115 ft)
Height: 9 m (30 ft)
Wing area: 2,120 ft² (197 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 63A116 mod root, NACA 63A112 mod tip
Empty weight: 75,400 lb (34,200 kg)
Loaded weight: 162,000 lb (73,470 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce Avon Mk 524 turbojets, 10,500 lbf (46.8 kN) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 500 mph (430 kn, 810 km/h)
Range: 2,800 nmi (3,225 mi, 5,190 km)
Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,000 m)

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit

2008-12-20T16:56:00.023-05:00

The B-2 Spirit, commonly known as the Stealth Bomber, is a multirole heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth technology capable of penetrating into dense anti-aircraft defences and drop conventional or nuclear bombs. It is highly stealthed and very hard to detect. However, this is a very expensive bomber, costing the US almost 2 billion to build one, and even more to maintain it.

Although designed for Cold War scenarios, the B-2 has been used to drop bombs in Kosovo in the late 1990's and in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Due to the bombers 'out-of-this world' looks and technology, it has been a prominent public spectacle at air shows since the 1990's and has been the subject of espionage and counter-espionage activities.

Development...

The Northrop YB-49 and Horten Ho 229 flying wing designs of the 1940s preceded the B-2. The Spirit originated from the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) black project that began in 1979. Meanwhile, as Ronald Reagan campaigned for the Presidency in 1979 and 1980, he promised a restoration of American military strength. On August 22, 1980, the Department of Defense first publicly disclosed that it was working to develop stealth aircraft including the ATB. The ATB competition was reduced to the Northrop/Boeing and Lockheed/Rockwell teams with each receiving a study contract for further work. Both teams developed flying wing designs. The Northrop design was larger while the Lockheed design was smaller and included a small tail.

The Northrop/Boeing team's ATB design was selected over the Lockheed/Rockwell design on October 20, 1981. The black project was funded under the code name "Aurora". The Northrop design would receive the designation B-2 and the name "Spirit". The bomber's design was changed in the mid-1980s when its mission profile was changed from high-altitude to low-altitude, terrain-following. The redesign delayed the B-2's first flight by two years and added about US$1 billion to the program's cost. An estimated US$23 billion was secretly spent for research and development on the B-2 by 1989. At the program's peak, 13,000 people were employed at a dedicated plant in Pico Rivera, California for the plane's engineering and portions of its manufacturing.

The B-2 was first publicly displayed on November 22, 1988, at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was built. Its first public flight was on July 17, 1989 from Palmdale. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, is responsible for flight testing Air Force aircraft.

A procurement of 132 aircraft was planned in the mid-1980s, but this was later reduced to 75. Yielding to budgetary pressures and congressional opposition, in his 1992 State of the Union Address, President George H.W. Bush announced total B-2 production would be limited to 20 aircraft. This reduction was largely a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which effectively rendered void the Spirit's primary Cold War mission.

Design...

The B-2 Spirit, as you know it, is designed for stealth and not payload. It is nuclear capable, however, and it can penetrate most of the sophisticated anti-aircraft radars without being detected. The B-2's stealth characteristics are due to its air frame and the special paint coating for maxed stealth. Also, it not only has very reduced radar signature but also reduced acoustic, infrared, and visual detectability as well.

B-2's ability steath capabilities originated from the F-117 Nighthawk, which was one of the first stealth-capable operational aircraft. Both aircraft were made possible due to a Russian-born physicist and mathematician, Pyotr Ufimtsev's, theoritical work.

The B-2 has a crew of two due to the replacement of the duties of many people by the computer. The mission commander seats on the right and the pilot on the left. The B-2's unconventional flying wing design results to control difficulties so much so that it is mostly flown by a highly advanced on board computer. The B-2 is also highly automated so a crew member can use the toilet, prepare hot food, or sleep while the other monitors the aircraft.

Congress recently funded upgrades to the B-2's weapons systems in 2008.

Operational History...

Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan
War in Iraq

During the Iraq War, B-2s dropped a total of 1.5 million pounds of munitions.

Costs...

The B-2 is the mostly costly plane to be built in the world. The program itself costed US 44.75 billion in total in 1997 dollars (projected through 2004) which includes development, procurement, facilities, construction, and spare parts, and each unit cost about US $737 million (1997 air vehicle cost per plane). That's just the initial costs. Maintainence for the B-2 is horrific due to the cost for its air-conditioned hangars large enough for the bomber's 172 ft wingspan, which is required for the B-2 to maintain the aircraft's stealth properties and especially its "low-observable" stealthy skins. In addition, each hour of flight for the B-2 results to a whopping 119 hours of maintenance on the ground, a lot considering the B-52 only needs 53 hours and the B-1, 60 hours.

The total program cost for one B-2 averaged US$2.13 billion. There are currently 20 B-2 aircraft in active service; only a total of 21 were built.

A Costly Accident...

On February 23rd, 2008, a B-2 crashed on the runway shortly after the takeoff in the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The two crew man ejected and survived, but the aircraft, Spirit of Kansas, 89-0127, was completely destroyed, resulting a hull loss estimated at US$1.4 billion. It had been operated by the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and it had logged 5 176 flight hours.

Specifications...

(Data from USAF Fact Sheet, Pace, Spick, Globalsecurity)

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 69 ft (21.0 m)
Wingspan: 172 ft (52.4 m)
Height: 17 ft (5.18 m)
Wing area: 5,140 ft² (478 m²)
Empty weight: 158,000 lb (71,700 kg)
Loaded weight: 336,500 lb (152,200 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 376,000 lb (170,600 kg)
Powerplant: 4× General Electric F118-GE-100 non-afterburning turbofans, 17,300 lbf (77 kN) each

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 0.95 (525 knots, 604 mph, 972 km/h)
Cruise speed: Mach 0.85 (470 knots, 541 mph, 870 km/h)
Range: 6,000 nmi (11,100 km, 6,900 mi)
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,200 m)
Wing loading: 67.3 lb/ft² (329 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.205

Armament

2 internal bays for 50,000 lb (22,700 kg) of ordnance.
80× 500 lb class bombs (Mk-82) mounted on Bomb Rack Assembly (BRA)
36× 750 lb CBU class bombs on BRA
16× 2000 lb class weapons (Mk-84, JDAM-84, JDAM-102) mounted on Rotary Launcher Assembly (RLA)
16× B61 or B83 nuclear weapons on RLA

Later avionics and equipment improvements allow B-2A to carry JSOW and GBU-28s as well. The Spirit is also designated as a delivery aircraft for the AGM-158 JASSM when the missile enters service.

Lockheed/Boeing AC-130 Spectre/Spooky Gunship

2008-12-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

The AC-130, solely used by the United States Air Force, is a turbo prop gunship variant of the C-130 Hercules. Although Lockheed was the designer of the original airframe, Boeing was responsible for the conversion of the Hercules to a gunship. There are two variants of the AC-130 which has two different names. The AC-130H Spectre and the AC-130U Spooky. The AC-130 has a standard crew of twelve-thirteen airmen, five of which are usually officers and the rest enlisted men.

The AC-130's are stationed at Hurlburt Airfield in Northwest Florida, part of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a component of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Design...

AC-130's are heavily armed with many different weapons, even 105 mm howitzers. These weapons are fired from the side of the aircraft. They have both anti-personnel and anti-armor capabilities and are extremely accurate due to a continuous upgrade of on board systems such as radar.

The newer AC-130U Spooky variant is equipped with the AN/APQ-180, a synthetic aperture radar capable of detecting and identifying long-range targets. The airframe is much stronger with the integration of an armor protection system, or APS. It has an onboard GPS and an inertial navigation system. It also has twice the amount of munitions than the AC-130H. The AC-130U, employing technology developed in the 1990's, can attack two targets at one time with first round accuracy. Also, the Spooky has a higher service ceiling and longer range.

The older AC-130H Spectre variant, although it has half the amount of munitions capacity then the Spooky, is an excellent fire support platform. The Spectre is accurate enough to be able to place 105mm, 40mm, or 25mm munitions on targets with first round accuracy. The crews of these aircraft are extremely proficient working in military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) environments.

Operational History...

The AC-130 first appeared in Vietnam on September 27th, 1967 and began combat operations over Laos and South Vietnam.
By October 30th, 1968, enough AC-130 Gunship IIs arrived to form a squadron. The 16th Special Operations Squadron, or SOS, of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand.
During the Vietnam War, the AC-130 was responsible for 10 000 trucks destroyed and participated in many crucial air support missions.
During the Invasion of Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) in 1983, AC-130s were used to supress enemy defences enabling a successful assault of the Points Salines Airfield. One AC-130 crew won the Lieutenant General William H. Tunner Award for the mission.
AC-130s also participated in Operation Desert Storm. On January 31st, 1991, during the early morning hours, one AC-130H, AF Serial No. 69-6567, call sign Spirit 03, opted to stay and continue protecting the Marines despite the increasing threat of SAMs, or surface-to-air missiles. Unfortunately, Spirit 03 was shot down by a SAM and all fourteen crew members were KIA...
AC-130s participated in Operation Restore Hope and United Shield in Somalia.
AC-130s participated in the NATO mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
AC-130s participated in the 1997 evacuation of American noncombatants in Albania.
AC-130s were used in the buildup of US Forces in Iraq in 1998 the Iraqi government to comply with UN weapons inspections.
AC-130s participated in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the Iraq War.
US Special Operations forces used AC-130s in 2007 on attacks on suspected al-Qaeda militants in Somalia.

The AC-130 has never lost a base under its protection to enemy forces.

World Records...

The AC-130 currently holds the record of the longest sustained flight. From the 22nd to the 24th of October 1997, two AC-130U Spookys flew 36.0 hours nonstop from Hurlbert Airfield, Florida to Taegu Air Base (Daegu), South Korea. There were altogether 7 air refuelings by KC-135 Stratotankers. This record shatted the previous one by over 10 hours and the two gunships took on 410 000 lb (184 500 kg) of fuel and displayed the Gunship's ability to match their squadron's motto of 'Any Time, Any Place!'.

Specifications...

General Characteristics (AC_130U)

Crew: 13
Officers: 5 (pilot, copilot, navigator, fire control officer, electronic warfare officer)
Enlisted: 8 (flight engineer, TV operator, infrared detection set operator, load master, four aerial gunners)
Length: 97 ft 9 in (29.8 m)
Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m)
Height: 38 ft 6 in (11.7 m)
Wing area: 1745.5 ft² (162.2 m²)
Loaded weight: 122,400 lb (55,520 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (69,750 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, 4,910 shp (3,700 kW) each

Performance (AC-130U)

Maximum speed: 260 knots (300 mph, 480 km/h)
Range: 2,200 nm (2,530 mi, 4,070 km)
Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Armament

AC-130A Project Gunship II
4× 7.62 mm GAU-2/A miniguns
4× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon
AC-130A Surprise Package, Pave Pronto, AC-130E Pave Spectre
4× 7.62 mm GAU-2/A miniguns
2× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon
2× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon
AC-130E Pave Aegis
2× 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon
1× 40 mm L60 Bofors cannon
1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer

AC-130H Spectre
AC-130H Pave Spectre II
1× 40 mm L60 Bofors cannon
1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer
AC-130U "Spooky" Gunship
1× 25 mm (0.984 in) 5-Barrel GAU-12/U Equalizer Gatling gun
1× 40 mm L60 Bofors cannon
1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer

Grumman F4F Wildcat

2008-12-13T13:21:00.008-05:00

The Grumman F4F Wildcat, was an American carrier-based aircraft famous for its participation in many crucial battles of World War II in the Pacific Theatre. The F4F saw service under the United States Navy and the Royal Fleet Air Arm, and in fact, was the main fighter of the USN for the first year and a half of the United States involvement in World War II.

Design...

The F4F Wildcat started out as a biplane on the drawing boards, and was entered into a U.S. Navy competition. It was beat by the Brewster F2A-1 Buffalo design which resulted to its complete remodelling to a monoplane, XF4F-2. However, Brewster's Buffalo design was still considered superior overall and was chosen for productions. After some changes to the wings and the engines, the new XF4F-3 led to an order for the production of the dash three model (the name "Wildcat" was officially adopted on October 1st, 1941), with the first of which was completed in the February of 1940. The French also placed on order for the F4F-3s, but fell before they could be delivered and was ultimately transferred to the British Royal Navy, which named them "Martlet I"s.

Landing accidents were common, due to the unsual main landing gear design. This design, which was incorporated to all versions of the Wildcat, made it extremely hard to fully lock the landing in place as the fuselage-mounted landing gears had to be painstakingly hand-cranked, with a relatively narrow track.

General Motors built their own version of the Wildcat, designated FM-1. The only difference being the change in armament[1]. It remained in service throughout the remainder of the war on escort carriers where larger and heavier escort fighters could not be used.

Operational History...

Royal Navy- The Wildcat, or Martlet, scored its first combat victory in the European Theatre on Christmas Day of 1940, when a land-based Martlet shot down a Junkers Ju 88 over Scapa Flow. This was also the first combat victory by a US-built fighter in British Service in World War II. In mid-1941, Martlets began combat operations out at sea aboard British ships and had seen to the downing of several enemy planes.

U.S. Navy and Marines- The F4F Wildcat saw more action under the Americans in the Pacific Theatre. It was out-performed by the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the Wildcat's major opponent in the early parts of the war in the Pacific, but it had one advantage over the Zero. The Wildcat had relatively heavy armor, and self-sealing fuel tanks. Zeros, on the other hand, sacrificed protection for agility and power. The F4F Wildcats played a prominent role in many of major battles of the Pacific, such as the defence of Wake Island, the Battle of the Coral Sea and Midway, and the Guadalcanal Campaign.

During the course of the war, Navy and Marine Wildcats flew 15 553 combat sorties (14 027 from aircraft carrriers), destroying 1 327 enemy aircraft at a cost of 191 Wildcats (an overall kill-death ratio of 6.9:1). Wildcats only dropped 154 tons of bombs during World War II.

The Wildcat was replaced by the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Chance Vought F4U Corsair which could take on the Japanese Zero on equal terms.

Specifications...

(Data from The American Fighter, by Angelucci, Enzo)

F4F-3

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 28 ft 9 in (8.76 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft (11.58 m)
Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.60 m)
Loaded weight: 7,000 lb (3,176 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 double-row radial engine, 1,200 hp (900 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 331 mph (531 km/h)
Range: 845 mi (1,360 km)
Service ceiling: 39,500 ft (12,000 m)

Armament

Guns: 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 450 rounds/gun
Bombs: 2 × 100 lb (45 kg) bombs and/or 2 × 58gal. drop tanks

F4F-4

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 28 ft 9 in (8.8 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 0 in (11.6 m)
Height: 9 ft 2.5 in (2.8 m)
Wing area: 260 ft² (24.2 m²)
Empty weight: 5,760 lb (2,610 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 7,950 lb (3,610 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86 double-row radial engine, 1,200 hp (900 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 320 mph (290 knots, 515 km/h)
Range: 770 mi (670 nm, 1,240 km)
Service ceiling: 39,500 ft (12,000 m)
Rate of climb: 1,950 ft/min (9.9 m/s)

Armament

Guns: 6 x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 240 rounds/gun
Bombs: 2 × 250 lb (114 kg) bombs and/or 2 × 58 gal. droptanks

Air Cadets Rule!!!

2008-11-18T18:45:00.000-05:00

Visit your local air cadet squadron to sign-up and learn about air planes marksmanship and get a sense of the air force. (Only for Canadians though...)

Here's the website:

http://cadets.ca/aircad/intro_e.asp

F4U Corsair video

2008-09-17T20:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks to VeohTV

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 "Fagot"

2008-06-15T12:04:00.000-04:00

The MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed after World War II by the Soviets. It first saw action in the Korean War from 1950-1953, fighting against the F-86 Sabre. One thing peculiar is that both of the jets look very much the same, and the reason might be that the U.S. and Russia were looking at the same blue prints of the German jet designs.

An F-86 Sabre.

A MiG-15 "Fagot".

Design...

The Fagot was one of the first jet planes to have swept wings as German research in World War II proved that piston-engined fighters with ninety-degree wings limited their high-speed performance. There were many claims that Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich were heavily influenced by the Folke-Wulf Ta-183, but these claims were discredited as most of the Folke-Wulf engineers were captured by the West and the MiG-15 differ significantly in structure and general design with the Ta-183. Currently, most sources acknowledge that the MiG-15 is an orginal Svoiet design only benefiting from German research.

By 1946, there was increasing problems for the Soviet engineers to perfect the German HeS-011 axial-flow jet engine, making it almost impossible to power the MiG-15. There were also new airframe designs from Mikoyan-Gurevich which threatened to outstrip development of the engines to power them. Soviet aviation ministers approached the Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin with suggestions to buy advanced jet engines from the British. Stalin is said to have replied, "What fool will us his secrets?"

The proposal was, however, approved and engine designers, such as Vladimir Klimov, travelled to the UK to request the engines. To their shock and amazement, the British agreed and they were provided technical information and license to manufacture the Rolls Royce Nene, which was reverse-engineered and produced as the Klimov RD-45, which subsuquently used to power the MiG-15. Rolls Royce, however, was not able to claim £207 million in license fees from the USSR.

Operational History...

The Fagot has seen action throughout the entire Cold War, having confrontations with NATO aircraft and ending up either getting shot down, or shooting down the enemy. And as time went by, MiG-15 aces emerged from the many Soviet pilots, one of them, Yevgeny Pepelyayev having a total of 19 kills.

The MiG-15 first appeared in the Korean War, where it was greatly mistaken as the F-86 Sabre by US Forces due to their remarkable similarity. Many thought they were being attacked by their own people.

MiG-15s also participated in the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis under Egyptian pilots.

Defection...

The first detailed examination of the MiG-15 was capable due to a defection by a North Korean traitor, Lieutenant No Kum-Sok. The U.S., at that time, was offering a US $100 000 (a huge amount back then) reward to any pilot who defected with a MiG-15, and No Kum-Sok recieved every cent of it. However, Lieutenant No Kum-Sok claimed he was not aware of the reward when he decided to defect. The MiG-15 was inspected thoroughly and test flown by several test pilots, as well as Chuck Yeager, the first man to survive breaking the sound barrier. Lieutenant No's aircraft is not in display in the National Museum of United States Air Force.

Specifications...

Generael Characteristics

Crew: MiG-15bis=1, MiG-15UTI=2
Length: 10.11 m (33 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 10.08 m (33 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 20.6 m² (221.74 ft²)
Airfoil: TsAGI S-10 / TsAGI SR-3
Empty weight: 3,580 kg (7,900 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,960 kg (10,935 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 6,105 kg (13,460 lb)
Fuel capacity: 1,400 L (364 US gal)
Powerplant: 1× Klimov VK-1 turbojet, 26.5 kN (5,950 lbf)

Performance

Maximum speed: 1,075 km/h (668 mph)
Cruise speed: 840 km/h (520 mph)
Range: 1,200 km, 1,975 km with external tanks (745 mi / 1,225 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)
Rate of climb: 50 m/s (9,840 ft/min)
Wing loading: 240.8 kg/m² (49.3 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.54

Armament

2x 23mm cannons, 23x115mm, (80 rounds per gun ,160 rounds total), and 1x 37 mm cannon (40 rounds total)
Note: All bullets were armor piercing and highly explosive

2x 100 kg (220 lb) bombs, drop tanks, or unguided rockets on underwing hardpoints.

Rockwell B-1 Lancer- History

2008-06-14T22:05:00.000-04:00

Debut of the first B-1B outside of a hangar in Palmdale, California, 1984. For the full description page, click here.

History...

The B-1 was conceived as the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA) program circa 1965. AMSA was the last in a series of programs through the 1960s that looked at replacing the B-52 Stratofortress with a multi-role supersonic aircraft capable of long-range bombing and missile launching with nuclear weapons. A series of cancellations led to its service introduction being greatly delayed, until the later half of the 1980s, over twenty years after the program first started.

1. The B-70 Valkyrie

In 1955, the USAF released system requirements for a heavy bomber with the B-52's range and payload capabilities, and the supersonic speed of the B-58, in order to replace both of these bombers by 1965. The initial requirements called for a Mach 0.9 cruise speed with a Mach 2+ dash capability. The designs that met this specification were considered unrealistically large, requiring new hangars to hold them and reinforced runways to launch them.

During the design phase new fuels and techniques evolved that would allow an aircraft with similar range to cruise all the way to its target at high speeds. The Air Force asked for new proposals based on these advances, and this work would eventually lead to the B-70 Valkyrie. The Valkyrie was a large six-engine bomber designed to fly at very high altitudes at Mach 3 to avoid defending interceptors, the only effective anti-bomber weapon at that time. Altitude alone was proving so difficult a problem that Soviet interceptors continued to fail to intercept the Lockheed U-2, running out of fuel before reaching a suitable firing point. Given the speed and altitude of the B-70, the defense would have only a few minutes to respond to an attack, and even small numbers of B-70s attacking simultaneously would ensure that most would fly right by the interceptors, regardless of how much warning time they had.

The introduction of effective anti-aircraft missiles rendered this mode of operation dangerous. Unlike a manned interceptor that maneuvers within a plane while climbing, missiles flew straight up and could reach the B-70s altitude in a few minutes. The only concern became speed; as long as the target did not fly out of range before the missile reached it an attack was possible, and a powerful radar giving the operators some "lead time" could easily solve this problem. This was proven in convincing fashion by the downing of Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960.

2. Redefined Role

In response to the missile threat, military planners switched to low-altitude penetration. By carefully selecting the line of approach to a target, and routing the flight path around known anti-aircraft sites, the radar's line-of-sight operation worked in the bomber's advantage by hiding it from view below the landscape. Aircraft speed became much less important. The targets themselves often had defenses located nearby to prevent this sort of approach all the way in, but stand-off weapons such as cruise missiles and the AGM-69 SRAM provided an attack capability from outside of the defensive missile's range. Low-altitude flight also made the bombers very difficult to detect from aircraft at higher altitudes, including interceptors, as radar systems of that generation could not "look down" due to the clutter that resulted from ground reflections.

Operations at low levels would limit the B-70 to subsonic speed, while dramatically decreasing its range due to much higher fuel requirements. The result would be an aircraft with similar speed but much less range than the B-52 it would have replaced. This was not a purely theoretical issue, this exact problem had actually occurred with the B-58, another high-speed aircraft that was forced into the low-level role to avoid missile defenses. The design had "spent" a lot in gaining medium-range Mach 2 performance, but at low altitudes it had strictly subsonic performance and such dramatically reduced range that it limited the selection of targets that could be assigned to it. The "outdated" B-52 outperformed it, as it would have the B-70.

Unsuited for this new role, the viability of the B-70 as a bomber was questioned. Citing high cost, a growing ICBM force, and poor survivability against missiles, the operational fleet was canceled in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, and the program was changed to a supersonic research program.

3. AMSA

The first such study was known as the Subsonic Low Altitude Bomber (SLAB), which was completed in 1961. This was followed by the similar Extended Range Strike Aircraft (ERSA), which added a Variable-sweep wing planform, something then very much in vogue in the aviation industry. ERSA envisioned a relatively small aircraft with a 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) load and a range of 8,750 nautical miles (16,200 km), with 2,500 nmi (4,600 km) being flown at low altitudes. In August 1963 the similar Low-Altitude Manned Penetrator (LAMP) design was completed, which called for an aircraft with a 20,000 lb (9,000 kg) load and somewhat shorter range of 7,150 nautical miles (13,200 km).

These all culminated in the October 1963 Advanced Manned Precision Strike System (AMPSS), which led to industry studies at Boeing, General Dynamics, and North American. In mid-1964, the USAF had revised its requirements and retitled the project as Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA), which differed from AMPSS primarily in that it also demanded a high-speed high-altitude capability, albeit slower than the Valkyrie at about Mach 2. Rockwell engineers joked that the new name actually stood for "America's Most Studied Aircraft", given the lengthy series of design studies.

However, the A.M.S>A. project was cancelled by opposition from many high-ranked staff who preferred I.C.B.M. (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) over long-range bombers.

4. B-1A Program

The B-1A in flight showing its underside. For the full description page, click here.

President Richard Nixon re-established the program after taking office, in keeping with his flexible response strategy that required a broad range of options short of general nuclear war. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird reviewed the programs and decided to lower the numbers of FB-111s claiming it lacked the required range, and recommended that the AMSA design studies be accelerated. In April 1969 the program officially became the B-1A. This was the first entry in the new bomber designation series, first created in 1962.

Rockwell's design featured a number of features common to 1960s U.S. designs. These included the use of variable-sweep wings in order to provide both high lift during takeoff and landing, and low drag during a high-speed dash phase. With the wings set to their widest position the aircraft had considerably better lift and power than the B-52, allowing it to operate from a much wider variety of bases. Penetration of the U.S.S.R.'s defenses would take place in a dash, crossing them as quickly as possible before entering into the less defended "heartland" where speeds could be reduced again. The large size and fuel capacity of the design would allow this dash portion of the flight to be relatively long.

In order to achieve the required Mach 2 performance at high altitudes, the air intake inlets were variable. In addition, the exhaust nozzles were fully variable. Initially, it had been expected that a Mach 1.2 performance could be achieved at low altitude, which required that titanium be used in critical areas in the fuselage and wing structure. However, this low altitude performance requirement was lowered to only Mach 0.85, reducing the amount of titanium, and the overall cost.

Overall it had a range similar to that of the B-52, although more of the flight could be low-level. A combination of flying lower due to better navigation systems and a greatly reduced radar cross section made it much safer from attack by missiles, and the latter also improved its odds against fighters as well. In situations where fighters were the expected competition (i.e. outside the USSR), its high-speed dash was a potentially useful technique the B-52 could not match. A convincing B-52 replacement had arrived.

5. Another cancellation

When Carter took office in 1977 he ordered a review of the entire program. By this point the projected cost of the program had risen to over $100 million per aircraft, although this was lifetime cost over 20 years. He was informed of the relatively new work on stealth aircraft that had started in 1975, and decided that this was a far better avenue of approach than the B-1. Pentagon officials also stated that the ALCM launched from the existing B-52 fleet would give the USAF equal capability of penetrating Soviet airspace. With a 1,500 statute mile (2,400 km) range, the ALCM could be launched well outside the range of any Soviet defenses, and penetrate at low altitude just like a bomber, but in much greater numbers. A small number of B-52 operating outside interception range could launch hundreds of ALCMs, saturating the defense. A program to improve the B-52 and develop and deploy the ALCM would cost perhaps 20% of the price to deploy the planned 244 B-1A's.

On June 30th, 1977 Carter announced that the B-1A would be cancelled in favor of ICBMs, SLBMs, and a fleet of modernized B-52s armed with ALCMs. Carter called it "one of the most difficult decisions that I've made since I've been in office." No mention of the stealth work was made public, the program being top secret, but today it is known that he authorized the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) project in early 1978, which eventually led to the B-2 Spirit.

Flight tests of the four B-1A prototypes for the B-1A program continued through April 1981. The program included 70 flights totalling 378 hours. A top speed of Mach 2.22 was reached by the second B-1A. Engine testing also continued during this time with the YF101 engines totalling almost 7,600 hours.

6. Shifting priorities

It was during this period that the Soviets, also acting in proxy through Cuba, started to exert themselves in several new theaters of action, in particular the Cuban support in Angola starting in 1975 and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The U.S. strategy to this point was containment and a conventional and nuclear war in Europe, which almost all military planning had been focused on. These newer actions revealed that the military was simply incapable of supporting any sort of effort outside these narrow confines.

The Army responded by accelerating its Rapid Deployment Force concept, but suffered from major problems with airlift and sealift capability. While gaming a USSR-led invasion of Iran from Afghanistan, then considered (incorrectly) to be a major Soviet goal, it was discovered that only small numbers of units could be in the field in anything close to a week. In order to slow an advance while this happened they relied on air power, but critically the Iran-Afghanistan border was outside the U.S. Navy's range, leaving this role to the Air Force. They, in turn, had limited capability to offer ground support in many areas that were outside of the range of friendly airbases. Although the B-52 had the range to support on-demand global missions, the B-52's long runway requirements dramatically limited the forward basing possibilities. In real-world scenarios the capabilities of this force against any given potential target was limited, something the B-1 would be better prepared to handle due to its better takeoff performance and range.

During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan campaigned heavily on the platform that Carter was weak on defense, using the cancellation of the B-1 program as a prime example, a theme he continued using into the 1980s. During this time Carter's defense secretary, Harold Brown, announced the stealth bomber project, apparently implying that this was the reason for the B-1 cancellation. Brown later denied this claim, stating Carter was simply opposed to any military buildup. Although Reagan's primary attack on Carter's decision was now rendered moot, he immediately changed his complaint saying that Carter was giving away secrets and politicizing The Pentagon, charges that led to a round of sparring between Brown and Reagan in the press. Interestingly, it was Brown that had led the original AMSA program, but later came to prefer the cruise missile after taking the job of Defense Secretary in 1977.

7. B-1B program

On taking office, Reagan was faced with the same decision as Carter before; whether to continue with the B-1 for the short term, or to wait for the development of the ATB, a much more advanced aircraft. He decided to do both. Air Force studies suggested that the existing B-52 fleet with ALCM would remain a credible threat until 1985 , as it was predicted that 75% of the B-52 force would survive to attack its targets. After this period the introduction of the SA-10 missile, MiG-31 interceptor and the first Soviet AWACS systems would make them increasingly vulnerable.

During the FY81 budget funds were given to a new study for a bomber for the 1990s time-frame. These studies led to the Long-Range Combat Aircraft (LRCA) project which compared the B-1, F-111 and ATB as possible solutions. An emphasis was placed on the design being multi-role, as opposed to a purely strategic weapon. At the time it was believed the B-1 could be in operation before the B-2, covering the time period between the B-52s increasing vulnerability and the introduction of the ATB. Reagan decided the best solution was to purchase both the B-1 and ATB, and this eventually led to Reagan's October 2nd, 1981 announcement that a new version of the B-1 was being ordered to fill the LRCA role.

Numerous changes were made to the design to better fit it to real-world missions, resulting in the new B-1B. These changes included a reduction in maximum speed, which allowed the variable-aspect intake ramps to be replaced by simpler fixed geometry intake ramps in the newer design. This made the B version more radar-stealthy because the compressor faces of the engines, major radar reflectors, would be partially hidden. Low-altitude speed was somewhat improved, from about Mach 0.85 to 0.92. This left the B-1B with the capability for speeds of about Mach 1.25 "at altitude," a reduction from the B-1A's Mach 2 performance. In order to deal with the introduction of the MiG-31 and other aircraft with look-down capability, the B-1B's electronic warfare suite was significantly upgraded. These changes, along with the rampant inflation of the U.S. economy during the time, dramatically increased the nominal price to about $200 million total projected lifetime cost per completed airframe.

Opposition to the plan was widespread within Congress. Critics pointed out that many of the original problems with the concept remained. In particular it seemed the B-52 fit with electronics similar to the B-1B would be equally able to avoid interception, as the speed advantage of the B-1 was now minimal. It also appeared that the "interim" time frame served by the B-1B would be less than a decade, being rendered obsolete shortly after introduction by the much more capable ATB design. The primary argument in favor of the B-1 was its large conventional payload, and that its takeoff performance allowed it to operate with a credible bombload from a much wider variety of airfields. The debate remained rancorous. But the Air Force very astutely spread production subcontracts across many congressional districts, making the aircraft more popular on Capitol Hill
.
The first production model of the revised B-1B first flew in October 1984, and the first B-1B, "The Star of Abilene", was delivered to Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas, in June, 1985, with initial operational capability on October 1st, 1986. The 100th and final B-1B was delivered May 2nd, 1988.

Operational History...

The USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) had B-1 Lancers in service from 1986 through 1992, when SAC was re-organized out of existence. During that time the "Bone" was on limited alert, and the backbone of SAC's alert bombers remained B-52H models. In late 1990 engine fires in two Lancers caused the grounding of the fleet. The cause was traced back to problems in the first-stage fan. Aircraft were placed on "limited alert", meaning they were grounded unless a nuclear war broke out. They were returned to duty one-at-a-time starting in January 1991 as they were inspected and repaired. It was not until mid-April that the fleet was once again declared airworthy.

Originally designed strictly for nuclear war, the B-1's development as an effective conventional bomber was delayed until the 1990s. By 1991, the B-1 had a fledgling conventional capability, forty of them able to drop the 500 lb (230 kg) Mk-82 General Purpose (GP) bomb, although mostly from low altitude. Although cleared for this role, the problems with the engines precluded their use in Operation Desert Storm. Also, B-1s were reserved for strategic nuclear strike missions at this time.

After the absorption of Strategic Air Command (SAC) into Air Combat Command in 1992, the B-1 began to truly develop conventionally. A key part of this development was the start-up of the B-1 Weapons School Division, also in 1992. By the mid-1990s, the B-1 could employ GP weapons as well as various CBUs. By the end of the 1990s, with the advent of the "Block D" upgrade, the B-1 boasted a full array of guided and unguided munitions. This development has continued through the present.

Operationally, the B-1 was first used in combat in support of operations against Iraq during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998, employing unguided GP weapons. B-1s have been subsequently used in Operation Allied Force (Kosovo) and most notably in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In both conflicts, the B-1 employed its full array of conventional weapons, most notably the GBU-31, 2,000 lb (900 kg) Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). During OEF, the B-1 improved its mission capable rate to 79%. The B-1 continues to be used in combat to the present day. The most recent addition to its arsenal is the GBU-38, a 500 lb (230 kg) JDAM. The use of the GBU-38 reduces undesired collateral damage and is very useful in urban Close Air Support.

The B-1 now fills an important niche in the Air Force inventory. The project finished on budget, and the B-1 has higher survivability and speed when compared to the older B-52, which it was intended to replace. With the arrival of limited numbers of B-2s in the 1990s and the continuing use of B-52s, its value has been questioned. However, the capability of a high-speed strike with a large bomb payload for time-sensitive operations is useful, and no new strategic bomber is on the immediate horizon.

The B-1 holds several FAI world records for speed, and time-to-climb in different aircraft weight classes. The National Aeronautic Association recognized the B-1B for completing one of the 10 most memorable record flights for 1994.

Rockwell B-1 Lancer- Design

2008-06-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

A B-1 lancer in flight. For the full description page, click here.

The B-1 Lancer is a supersonic United States Air Force strategic bomber with variable-sweep wings. It was introduced on October 1st, 1986, which enough range and payload to be able to replace the B-52 Stratofortress, but was developed into a primary subsonic low-level, long-range penetrator. The Lancer serves as the supersonic-capable bomber of the United States Air Force's long-range bomber force, which comprises of the sub-sonic B-52 Stratofortress, as well as the also sub-sonic, B-2 Spirit.

B-1B drawing.

Design...

The B-1 has a blended wing body configuration, with variable-sweep wing, triangular fin control surfaces and four turbofan engines, to improve range and speed with enhanced survivability. Forward swept wing settings are used for takeoff, landings and high-altitude maximum cruise. Aft swept wing settings are used in high subsonic and supersonic flight. The wings of the B-1B originally were cleared for use at settings of 15, 25, 55, and 67.5 degrees. The 45-degree setting was later cleared in 1998–99 timeframe.

The length of the aircraft presented a serious flexing problem due to air turbulence at low altitude. To alleviate this, Rockwell included small canards near the nose on the B-1. An accelerometer would actuate the canards automatically to counteract turbulence and smooth out the ride.

A B-1B cockpit at night. For the full description page, click here.

Unlike the B-1A, the B-1B made no attempt at Mach 2+ speeds. Its maximum speed at altitude is Mach 1.25 (about 950 mph or 1,530 km/h), but its low-level speed increased to Mach 0.92 (700 mph, 1,130 km/h). Technically, the current version of the aircraft can exceed its speed restriction, but not without risking potential damage to its structure and air intakes. The B-1A's engine was modified slightly to produce the F101-102, with an emphasis on durability, and increased efficiency. The core of this engine has since been re-used in several other engine designs, including the F110 which has seen use in the F-14 Tomcat, F-15K/SG variants and most recent versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It is also the basis for the non-afterburning F118 used in the B-2 Spirit bomber and the U-2S. However its greatest success was forming the core of the extremely popular CFM56 civil engine, which can be found on some versions of practically every small-to-medium sized airliner. It includes with an "Alert Start" panel on the nosegear, which quickly activated the engines upon order to scramble.

The B-1's offensive avionics include the Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) AN/APQ-164 forward-looking offensive passive electronically scanned array radar set with electronic beam steering (and a fixed antenna pointed downward for reduced radar observability), synthetic aperture radar, ground moving target indicator (MTI), and terrain-following radar modes, Doppler navigation, radar altimeter, and an inertial navigation suite. From 1995 on, the B-1B Block D upgrade added a Global Positioning System receiver.

The B-1's defensive electronics include the Eaton AN/ALQ-161 radar warning and defensive jamming equipment, linked to a total of eight AN/ALE-49 flare dispensers located on top behind the canopy, which are handled by the AN/ASQ-184 avionics management system. The AN/ALE-49 dispenser has a capacity of 12 MJU-23A/B flares each. The MJU-23A/B flare is one of the world's largest infrared countermeasure flares having a gross weight of ~1170 g. The cylindrical Magnesium/Teflon/Viton pellet has a net weight of ~1470 g. The Plans for a defensive systems upgrade program (DSUP) were cancelled for budgetary reasons. The B-1 has also been equipped to carry the ALE-50 Towed Decoy System. The Lancer has an additional Doppler tail-warning radar to detect aircraft or missiles approaching from the rear.

Also aiding the B-1's survivability is its relatively low radar cross-section (RCS). Although not technically a stealth aircraft in a comprehensive sense, thanks to the aircraft's structure, serpentine intake paths and use of radar-absorbent material its RCS is about 1/50th that of the B-52 (probably about 26 ft²/2.4 m²), although the Lancer is not substantially smaller in mass than the Stratofortress.

The B-1 has been upgraded since production through the "Conventional Mission Upgrade Program". This multi-stage program added a new MIL-STD-1760 smart-weapons interface that enables the use of the Joint Direct Attack Munition and other precision-guided conventional weapons, such as the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), and the AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air to Surface Standoff Munition). Future precision munitions include the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb. These and other improvements are intended to ensure that the B-1 will be viable through approximately 2020. In addition, the Air Force has recently announced a program to keep the aircraft flying until at least 2040.

B-1B at R.I.A.T. 2004. For the full description page, click here.

Specifications...

1. General characteristics

Crew: 4 (aircraft commander, copilot, offensive systems officer and defensive systems officer)
Length: 146 ft (44.5 m)
Wingspan:

Extended: 137 ft (41.8 m)
Swept: 79 ft (24.1 m)

Height: 34 ft (10.4 m)
Wing area: 1,950 ft² (181.2 m²)
Airfoil: NA69-190-2
Empty weight: 192,000 lb (87,100 kg)
Loaded weight: 326,000 lb (148,000 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 477,000 lb (216,400 kg)
Powerplant: 4× General Electric F101-GE-102 augmented turbofans

Dry thrust: 14,600 lbf (64.9 kN) each
Thrust with afterburner: 30,780 lbf (136.92 kN) each

Fuel capacity, optional: 10,000 U.S. gal (38,000 L) fuel tank for 1-3 internal weapons bays each

2. Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.25 (950 mph, 1,529 km/h) at altitude (Mach 0.92, 700 mph, 1,130 km/h at low level)
Range: 6,478 nmi (7,456 mi, 11,998 km)
Combat radius: 2,993 nmi (3,445 mi, 5,543 km)
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
Wing loading: 167 lb/ft² (816 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.37

3. Armament

Hardpoints: six external hardpoints for 59,000 lb (27,000 kg) of ordnance (use for weapons currently restricted by START I treaty) and 3 internal bomb bays for 75,000 lb (34,000 kg) of ordnance to carry from:
Missiles:

24× AGM-158 JASSM
12× AGM-154 JSOW

Bombs:

84× Mk-82AIR inflatable retarder general purpose bombs
81× Mk-82 low drag general purpose bombs
84× Mk-62 Quickstrike sea mines
8× Mk-65 naval mines
30× CBU-87/89/CBU-97 Cluster Bomb Units (CBU)
30× CBU-103/104/105 WCMD
24× GBU-31 JDAM GPS guided bombs
15× GBU-38 JDAM GPS guided bombs (Mk-82 general purpose warhead)
24× Mk-84 general purpose bombs
96× or 144× GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb GPS guided bombs
16x B61 thermonuclear variable-yield gravity bombs

Avionics

1× Westinghouse AN/APQ-164 forward-looking offensive passive phased-array radar
1× Eaton AN/ALQ-161 radar warning and defensive jamming equipment
1× AN/ASQ-184 defensive management system
1× Lockheed Martin Sniper XR targeting pod.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

2008-06-13T18:47:00.004-04:00

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, twin engine jet airliner, being developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Although not as big and luxurious as the Airbus A380, the Dreamliner is very fuel-efficient. It is the first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction, and it is also innovative in collaborate management approach with suppliers.

The Dreamliner's original development designation was 7E7, but was changed to 787 on January 28th, 2008.

Design...

1. Features

The 787 features lighter-weight construction. Its materials (by weight) are: 50% composite, 20% aluminum, 15% titanium, 10% steel, 5% other. Composite materials are significantly lighter and stronger than traditional aircraft materials, making the 787 a very light aircraft for its capabilities. By volume, the 787 will be 80% composite. Each 787 contains approximately 35 tonnes of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, made with 23 tonnes of carbon fiber. Composites are used on fuselage, wings, tail, doors, and interior. Aluminum is used on wing and tail leading edges, titanium used mainly on engines with steel used in various places.

The longest-range 787 variant can fly 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles (14,800 to 15,700 km), enough to cover the Los Angeles to Bangkok or New York City to Taipei routes. It will have a cruise speed of Mach 0.85 (561 mph, 903 km/h at typical cruise altitudes).

he 787 will seat 240 in two-class domestic configuration, with a 46-in (116.8 cm) pitch for first class and a 34-in (86.4 cm) pitch for coach class. 296 passengers can be seated in a high-density 3+2+3 coach arrangement with 36-in (91.4 cm) Business and 32-in (81.3 cm) Coach pitch. Up to 234 passengers may be seated in a three-class setup that uses 61-in (154.9 cm) pitch in First Class (2+2+2 or 1+2+1), 39-in (99 cm) pitch for Business (2+3+2 or 2+2+2) and 32-in (81.3 cm) for Coach (2+4+2). Cabin interior width is approximately 18 feet (547 cm) at armrest, and was increased by 1 inch (2.5 cm) over what was originally planned. The 787's interior cabin width is a full 15 in (38 cm) greater than that of the Airbus A330 and A340, but 5 in (13 cm) narrower than the proposed A350-800 XWB. For economy class in 2+4+2 or 3+2+3 arrangements, seat-bottom widths will be 18.5 in (47 cm), comparable to that found on the Boeing 777. For 3+3+3 seating, the seat widths would be approximately 17.2 in (43.7 cm), the same as those found on the Boeing 737. The vast majority of airlines are expected to select the 3+3+3 configuration on the 787.

The cabin windows are larger than others currently on in-service civil air transport (27 cm by 47 cm), with a higher eye level, so passengers can see the horizon, with electrochromism-based "auto-dimming" (smart glass) to reduce cabin glare and maintain transparency. These are to be supplied by PPG. Light-emitting diode (LED) cabin lighting (three color) will be used instead of fluorescent tubes, allowing the aircraft to be entirely 'bulbless' and have 128 color combinations.

A version of Ethernet—Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) / ARINC 664—will be used to transmit data between the flight deck and aircraft systems. The flight deck features LCD multi-function displays, all of which will use an industry standard GUI widget toolkit (Cockpit Display System Interfaces to User Systems / ARINC 661). The Lockheed Martin Orio spacecraft will use a glass cockpit derived from Rockwell Collins' 787 flight deck. Like other Boeing airliners, the 787 will use a yoke instead of a side-stick.

The internal pressure will be increased to the equivalent of 6000 feet (1800 m) altitude instead of the 8000 feet (2400 m) on conventional aircraft. According to Boeing, in a joint study with Oklahoma State University, this will significantly improve passenger comfort. Higher humidity in the passenger cabin is possible because of the use of composites (which do not corrode). Cabin air is provided by electrically driven compressors using no engine bleed air. An advanced cabin air-conditioning system provides better air quality: Ozone is removed from outside air; HEPA filters remove bacteria, viruses and fungi; and a gaseous filtration system removes odors, irritants and gaseous contaminants.

Bleedless turbofans imply the elimination of superheated air conduits normally used for de-icing, aircraft power, and other functions. These systems are to be replaced by an all-electrical system. Another new system is a wing ice protection system provided by Ultra Electronics Controls Division of the UK that uses electro-thermal heater mats attached to the aircraft slats, special electrical harnesses for transferring the electrical power to the heater mats as well as system control and power switching technology.

An Active Gust Alleviation system, similar to the system that Boeing built for the B-2 bomber, improves ride quality. Boeing, as part of its "Quiet Technology Demonstrator 2" project, is experimenting with several engine noise-reducing technologies for the 787. Among these are a redesigned air inlet containing sound-absorbing materials and redesigned exhaust duct covers whose rims are tipped in a toothed pattern to allow for quieter mixing of exhaust and outside air. Boeing expects these developments to make the 787 significantly quieter both inside and out.

Boeing engineers designed the 787 interior to better accommodate persons with mobility, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. For example, a 56-inch by 57-inch convertible lavatory includes a movable center wall that allows two separate lavatories to become one large, wheelchair-accessible facility.

Specifications...

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787#Specifications

Model	787-3	787-8	787-9
Flight crew	Two
Passengers	290–330	210–250	250–290
Length	186 ft (57 m)		206 ft (63 m)
Wingspan	170 ft (52 m)	197 ft (60 m)	208 ft (63 m)
Wing sweepback	32.2°
Height	55 ft 6 in (16.92 m)
Fuselage height	19 ft 5 in (5.91 m)
Fuselage width	18 ft 11 in (5.75 m)
Cabin width	18 ft (5.49 m)
Cargo capacity	4,400 ft³ (124.6 m³) 28 LD3		5,400 ft³ (152.9 m³) 36 LD3
Empty weight	223,000 lb (101,151.1 kg)	242,000 lb (109,769.4 kg)	254,000 lb (115,212.5 kg)
Maximum takeoff weight	364,000 lb (165,107.6 kg)	484,000 lb (219,538.7 kg)	540,000 lb (244,939.9 kg)
Cruise speed	Mach 0.85 (903 km/h, 561 mph, 487 knots, at 40,000 ft/12.19 km)
Maximum cruise speed	Mach 0.89 (945 km/h, 587 mph, 510 knots, at 40,000 ft/12.19 km)
Range, fully loaded (not max payload)	2,500 – 3,050 NM (4,650 – 5,650 km)	7,650 – 8,200 NM (14,200 – 15,200 km)	8,000 – 8,500 NM (14,800 – 15,750 km)
Maximum fuel capacity	33,528 US gal (126,917 L)		36,693 US gal (138,898 L)
Service ceiling	43,000 ft (13.1 km)
Engines (2×)	General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Maximum thrust capability	53,000 lbf (235.8 kN)	64,000 lbf (284.7 kN)	70,000 lbf (311.4 kN)