I’d imagine the QR Max8 is likely an unidentified/leased frame. They still have something like 30 A320’s, including a couple in storage. A long term combination of Max8/321NEO’s wouldn’t be the craziest NB fleet.
Jump to postYes, if the production version was only the size of a C-17, it would be pointless. I'm hoping this post was sarcastic. The bigger the aircraft becomes the fewer coastline areas it will able to unload. So the USAF would want the aircraft to be as small as possible while still being able to fit one A...
Jump to postHow many nice soft beaches are there for something like this to unload/load with, that are then also well connected to a road system? This seems like a silly waste of money, to be frank. A huge lumbering target cruising across the ocean in a high (-ish) threat environment loaded with many tons of tr...
Jump to postI think they're still building 1.5 P-8's a month, right? https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-airshow-boeing-p8-idUSKCN1TH09J This is essentially a separate NG line right now, as I understand it. It's sold very well, though originally the expectation had been to wind this production line down i...
Jump to postAlso LOL @ 15-18 A220’s a month. How many years has that wild speculation been the case for ‘2 to 3 years from now’ as a production rate? It just never happens. Also LOL @ 74-80 737's a month then, based on recent track records, if we are really objective. I think both Airbus & COMAC shouldn't ...
Jump to postFor now the target is 50 P/m by 2025/2026, that's 3-4 years from now. Pretty sure by then the supply chain would be more robust and stable than it is today. As for higher production rates, I'm guessing that's for 2026 and beyond, over 4 years from now. So we are at least 4 years away from seeing su...
Jump to postMy suspicion is that the Boeing windows are nothing more than letting an intern print stickers to fit the model. Just as we saw some absurd window hints with the B-21 ‘leaks’ that were nothing else, the Boeing cockpit windows/tight shape for a manned aircraft make little real world sense. At least t...
Jump to postVery interesting. Pretty crude models, I doubt this is much beyond an early engineering scale-concept, but would be nice to see something like this advance.
Jump to postThat’s a fairly beautiful image, imho. I do think that though the A320/737 are not ideal from certain perspectives for the mission type, the overall ‘airline durability’ baked in for these is bound to wind up keeping them in service/more affordably long term. Now, this may sound crazy, but I do wish...
Jump to postThat frame really appears to have a lot less reinforcements relative to for example the EFW A330 conversions. I wonder if it was already painted partially but for the door area?
Jump to postThe issue is that Boeing is apparently unable to make the business case for building such an SUV. Not without a new engine. Open rotor won't be ready until the 2030s I believe. Open rotors of course not being available for anything else… Fred Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Or truss braced wings...
Jump to postAlready made that reference once, so here it is again: MoM is tough to crack. Look at cars. We have 2-seaters and we have 4-5 seaters. Logically, a 3-seater seems a great idea. MoM is like the 3-seater. I'd say the 737 and A320 are subcompacts, and the widebodies are full size cars of the 70s. The ...
Jump to postIs there any information about possible new-build A321XLR "F" variant being offered?
Jump to postHow many 4000+ NM flights are 321XLR’s carrying, err, wait will they really be used on? https://airinsight.com/first-delivery-airbus-a321xlr-slips-to-early-2024/ https://expertwriterforhire.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/airbus-a321xlr-makes-a-strong-case-for-long-range-efficiency-with-13-hour-flight-tes...
Jump to postHow many 4000+ NM flights are 321XLR’s carrying, err, wait will they really be used on? https://airinsight.com/first-delivery-airbus-a321xlr-slips-to-early-2024/ https://expertwriterforhire.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/airbus-a321xlr-makes-a-strong-case-for-long-range-efficiency-with-13-hour-flight-test...
Jump to postThe Global Express enters to thread… https://warriormaven.com/land/army-moves-to-high-tech-fixed-wing-jet-for-surveillance-isr The USAF E-11 fleet has upwards of 25,000 hours per frame now, been leading the fleet for years. Exactly. And though the aircraft are tremendous/sound from a technical stan...
Jump to postIf the Atlantiques are any indication, then the fact that A320’s are likely to be flying much longer than a biz jet should matter. You would think a bigger aircraft flies further, but an NB like a A320 is optimized for 6x 1000NM trips a day, with 150 passengers. Typical NB maximum range is 3000NM. ...
Jump to postIf the Atlantiques are any indication, then the fact that A320’s are likely to be flying much longer than a biz jet should matter.
Jump to postKeesje has waxed poetically about theorized A330 derivatives here for literally decades (and, yes, reborn A300’s). Given the production rate/order book for the A330NEO today, I think we can safely dismiss his most recent pontifications on the subject. New aircraft with very efficient/lean production...
Jump to postTo add to that, 3000 shp ‘class’ is what is discussed with the T901. UH-60V, Lakota, and others are probably in advanced planning stages internally/commercially. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/ges-t901-engine-critical-path-us-army-modernization That may or may not be enou...
Jump to postThey just can’t afford to replace all of those blackhawks, 1:1 or otherwise, over 10 years or so, and Lockheed is gonna be very motivated to throw the T901’s to keep selling them both to the US Army and others, I expect. As well, the FARA won’t replace any Blackhawk’s, if I said that, sorry. The FAR...
Jump to postThat’s not a new analysis and I am not sure what you are throwing on the thread at this point, RJMAZ. Yes, the T901 is slated to be on the Apache, Blackhawk, and -47 down the road. No, the Army doesn’t have a specific procurement timeline on those. Yes the OH-58’s are retired. FARA is to fill that r...
Jump to postThe Osprey engines have no relation to the FLRAA/FARA programs. I recommend you read up on the program/award, RJMAZ. You seem to be jumping to a lot of conclusions/guesses that are just wrong, in post 118 here. The V-280 demo prototype which is the FLRAA winner used the Honeywell T55 from the Chino...
Jump to postThe Osprey engines have no relation to the FLRAA/FARA programs. I recommend you read up on the program/award, RJMAZ. You seem to be jumping to a lot of conclusions/guesses that are just wrong, in post 118 here.
Jump to postThe V-280 was not really a prototype, but a developmental proof of concept vehicle, I believe. It used for instance an entirely unrelated engine (as did the Sikorsky) with something like a third less power. The composite fuselage was materially significant (from Spirit, btw, I believe), as were the ...
Jump to postCongrats to the Rafale team. Perhaps the most beautiful fighter in production today. Having a dissimilar type vs. others is not always bad, certainly, and it might afford greater industrial participation than what is, at least in the Americas, a dying industrial base for production of F-16’s, moving...
Jump to postI would expect Airbus would be pushing the A220 to Scoot hard. The type does not have much success in East Asia except for the 10 ordered by Korean. Korean did not follow up with additional order too. Airbus can use some new orders in this market. While one would expect Airbus to bid the A220, I co...
Jump to postArticle from Dominic Gates: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/congress-year-end-bill-clears-faa-to-certify-boeing-737-max-7-10-unchanged/ Not surprising but they really let it go down to the wire. Part of the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill. Not real surprising, they try to pass the...
Jump to postYes, the existing conditions of the airline affect what is best to order for them. At the moment DL's best choices are with mostly Airbus aircraft, UA's are with Boeing. WN's approach is single model, LH seems to do well with nearly every model made. I look for trends, the best way to judge aircraf...
Jump to postCongrats to the Luftwaffe/partner groups in Germany supporting the systems. With FCAS ostensibly to fly in 2029, it will be curious if that timeline impacts any follow on orders down the road.
Jump to postCongrats indeed to the Bell team. Now, I did always expect this to be a split award between FARA/FLRAA but this was the way I wanted the Fara to go first and foremost. I am convinced it is just a more sound/simple solution than the somewhat ungainly Lockheed. Will see how FARA is decided in 6 months?
Jump to postYes, the body and the scoops are of the most interest to me, as well. It would seem tough to get enough air through one of those to an F135 but I am guessing they also are using some clever shrouding/boundary layer gimmicks to provide consistent flow, particularly at cruise speeds. We really don’t h...
Jump to postNot as light as a MiG-21 but the F-106 always deserves mention as a very fast, light fighter.
Jump to postCongrats to the guys/gals at Nasa/SLS.
Jump to postHelicopters performed badly or those responsible for planning the missions did not coordinate properly? I don't know. Personally I would just not feel comfortable entering areas where people are shooting while being 100% dependent that nothing touches the vulnerable mechanism of my rotorhead ... In...
Jump to postThe brits really should have just put them into long term storage, imho. There is more than a decent probability they will need such capabilities again in the future and operating/qualifying the A400M for all of those missions will similarly be uneconomical/infeasible. What is the purpose of puttin...
Jump to postThe brits really should have just put them into long term storage, imho. There is more than a decent probability they will need such capabilities again in the future and operating/qualifying the A400M for all of those missions will similarly be uneconomical/infeasible.
Jump to postI wish spacex was public. Musk makes good things happen because he is willing to take risks. He’s definitely willing to take risks, but the whole risk of starlink (and spacex) going public too early is that then he wouldn’t be able to do so with them; they’d be handcuffed by a board of directors/sh...
Jump to postWhich is a lot of words to say “Well I think you are wrong, and I may or may not have secret information about all the expertise/knowledge nasa has institutionally but I won’t post it here if so.” People see a company as a brand, like nike or reebok or Toyota, and think of it as a loyalty issue. I d...
Jump to postWell, we aren’t that far off then, maybe. I just don’t see things through the same prism/perspective (lacking multiple contacts at Boeing/LM etc, and not really seeing it as “spacex vs. nasa”). But, were I “king of appropriations/programs for 5 years with a finite budget of maybe $10 Billion or so” ...
Jump to postEven today, a decade later, SpaceX is only on the verge of being able to do so, and the design of Starship cannot be rated for human launch. And as mentioned earlier here, the NASA policy has been to commercialize when at least two vendors are able to provide the capability. And to foster the indus...
Jump to postWould using an existing a/c also alleviate the dire need to also have a new cockpit human/machine interface demanded by the FAA for new designs, they would at least be able to test the wind tunnel projections. They don't need any new cockpit for the test frames at all as this is an experimental pro...
Jump to postIFlyVeryLittle wrote:Are the trusses shaped to also create lift?
Interesting. I didn't read much about that procurement, were they seriously looking at the Embraer or Airbus?
Jump to postand he forgot about this https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/without-nasa-there-would-be-no-spacex-and-its-brilliant-boat-landing/ In his excellent book Elon Musk, author Ashlee Vance recounts the most dramatic of NASA's saves. From 2006 to 2008, SpaceX endured three failed launches of the Falc...
Jump to postSpaceX puts a lot more stuff in orbit nowadays than NASA, or nasa money does. https://twitter.com/BryceSpaceTech/status/1586179769007316993 NASA’s fatality and launch failure rates over a 30 year period would be a lot higher in any comparable analyses than SpaceX ‘in a vacuum,’ so I certainly hope ...
Jump to postbasic point is that as Starship comes closer to viability and carrying humans, SpaceX will have to demonstrate the same levels of safety as NASA. NASA does this by extensive testing of every component, then also testing them again while integrated together. Their method is methodical and precise. N...
Jump to postThe Koreans are the latest to invest in a future attack helicopter, with this news;
https://twitter.com/janesintel/status/1 ... 4735969280
I would say that to me that looks…very busy, visually. Whatever, it should work for the mission.
CrewBunk wrote:DeltaRules wrote:I've always wondered- what's the purpose of the strip that runs across the top of the fuselage? Air intake? Older-style antenna?
It housed the HF antennae.
Here is a tribute/perspective from a blog I read sometimes.
https://mydailykona.blogspot.com/2022/1 ... -a300.html
The plane itself was the beginning of a great story!