Here’s to hoping the pendulum can delay a bit in the center so we’re not blindly going from one idiotic extreme to the other.
Then again I’m an incurable optimist.
prattling All hail the B-21 as the most advanced aircraft ever! Assuming “most advanced” is a euphemism for “newest” and you ignore the many areas of it that really aren’t that advanced because they don’t support your argument, as well as that many of the “bleeding edge” systems are merely newer ve...
Jump to postThis is, after all, the very first aircraft they've ever produced in the entirety of their corporate history. It is the first military modification after the regulatory tightening after the MAX debacle. The same regulatory difficulty will rear its head with the E-7 mod. bt Yes, exactly. As I mentio...
Jump to postzululima wrote:Taking ignorant commenting to a new low.
...Yes, the revision packages are tailored for the regulatory environment and regime. So first there is revision to bring the aircraft under the commercial FAA regime. Then there is another revision to bring it under the specialized military-commercial FAA regime (relatively few aircraft have to me...
Jump to postAm I remembering right that the KC-46 boom is 5" diameter? up from the KC-135 4"? What are the typical fuel loads transferred for: B-52, C-17, KC-46 receiving, C-5A, F-15, & F-16. Does a F-15 take on fuel faster than an F/A-18 on drogue? or about the same. Isn't a wing pod drogue usin...
Jump to postNewark727 wrote:...I have questions.
Only thing is form rejoins generally don’t have the dumps going Like most things involving the Russian Air Force, this is between a clown show and a dumpster fire.
Jump to postInteresting, it would be the Brits. I guess no savings in removing the receptacle. They used to tank off of their VC-10s and (probably) their Tristars, so the probe was used for them. Their Voyagers also have centerline drogues, so it’s possible (if they still flew the E-3) but their A400s are clea...
Jump to postFun fact, the Thud was the only plane I know of that could do either boom or probe refueling. I give you: the British E-3D AWACS! https://theaviationist-com.cdn.ampproject.org/i/s/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/E-3D-AAR-KC-135.jpg Doesn't the F35B/C have a boom receptacle? Just the o...
Jump to postAvatar2go wrote:…Here is a far more accurate take on the paper and the intent…
If there really were a mid-air collision, would there not be more damage to the prop then a single bladetip? Could the fuel dump actually have caused this damage? I might be missing something but are you asking if jet fuel can bend metal? For all those who arrogantly mocked the U.S. shooting bullet...
Jump to postIt's stated in international airspace, which will be the same as other drones and manned recon and intel assets. Where it has come down is also international as it's likely the Black Sea that could be problematic for recovery, though the info is the operators ditched it, presumably as in the best p...
Jump to postVintage wrote:But what was the 'job'?
Based on average g-loadings per flight these aircraft would be considered wreckage if they were airliners. I see you don't know much about the stress points in an airplane. They were to get new wings and longerons. Praise from Caesar... I fail to see how new wings and longerons also means replacing...
Jump to post12 million apiece - no more structural issues, they're practically brand new from that aspect...Based on flight hours these aircraft would be considered yearlings if they were airliners. Based on average g-loadings per flight these aircraft would be considered wreckage if they were airliners. The r...
Jump to postI doubt that any fighter can fully use a loadout of 22 missiles against a saturation cruise missile attack. Endurance will be a bigger concern. For the US, endurance can be supplemented with tankers. I think he's coming from the standpoint that with less endurance it means more time transiting and ...
Jump to postHmm... The intrigue continues! Shame to have retired her in the first place.
Jump to postThat makes a lot of sense, it can’t help the stability to have that much weight added so high up but I can see how it would be worth the trade off for the reasons you mentioned I can barely spell helicopter so I'm probably far off, but wouldn't it make the helicopter more stable to have the weight ...
Jump to postVintage wrote:If you support Pentagon waste you're no American patriot: exactly the opposite.
My guess is it's for visibility for the observer in the bubbles and the pilots. This Black Hawk is a SAR asset so external fuel and a probe are great, but with the lower tanks like what you'd see on the 160th SOAR birds, the visibility to the sides and rear would suck. Not a big deal if you've got s...
Jump to postGotta wonder if the Army really wanted their new light tank to be non-air droppable, how is the Air Force gonna get them in country to support the paras?? Interesting question, new air lifter??? I'm hoping the Army has finally figured out they don't need the added structural weight and pain for air...
Jump to postThere's more to a depressurization (or rapid depressurization) than just losing breathing air. Your body reacts to the pressure and air composition changes with various signs and symptoms that fall under the umbrella term DeCompression Sickness (DCS), and the longer you're above 18,000 feet the gre...
Jump to postAn single F-35 can carry 8 SDB-II guided glide bombs internally. Meaning it can attack 8 different moving targets in 8 completely different locations with pinpoint accuracy while maintaining it's stealth. It can respond pretty much instantly to any CAS request over a large area, retarget on the fly...
Jump to postcjg225 wrote:GDB wrote:
I wonder what that second, smaller flash was.
Why would a pilot on oxygen have to defend to 10000 ft. I thought the oxygen mask was to enable higher flight. There's more to a depressurization (or rapid depressurization) than just losing breathing air. Your body reacts to the pressure and air composition changes with various signs and symptoms ...
Jump to postI met one of the great Tomcat guys from that generation, Hoser, many moons ago at an airshow at Point Mugu or March. Everyone knew him (except me) and he just seemed larger than life. Imagine a guy like him teaching you how to fly...
Jump to postWhat's 'decompression fuel'? I'm just curious. Recover to an alternate in the event of depressurization—tanker or receivers. I thought if a fighter had a decompression, the pilot just breathed through the mask. Is this not so? I'm also curious what gets dragged accross the ocean thats not a fighter...
Jump to postEven a Stinger can fly Mach 2.2. I don't think an F-35 at low level gets even close to that speed. Also, one might shoot as it's approaching, not flying away. Remember, if it takes 100 MANPADS to shoot an F-35 that's a victory. Now an F-35 up high is unreachable by MANPAD, but it costs $30,000/hour...
Jump to postHow the Taliban Came to Hate (And Fear) the B-1 Bomber https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/how-taliban-came-hate-and-fear-b-1-bomber-178526 The B-1 thus became a form of flying artillery orbiting overhead, on-call as ground troops ferreted out enemy positions and marked them for destruction. I...
Jump to postWords So the A-10 would make a great air superiority fighter in Ukraine, but sucked at providing CAS in Afghanistan??? Right… And I’m the one who regularly gets drug tested :roll: Hate to bruise your understanding, but the Taliban weren’t shaking in their sandals while looking up. Nor did they “gro...
Jump to postGalaxyFlyer wrote:The F-8 guys did the SHB right—deck level, at 600 indicated, fan break to downwind with as much G as you could stand.
What happens during a fuselage pressure test? What causes a catastrophic failure, and does the fuselage essentially explode outward? Just Google "The Aviation Geek Club kc-135 pressure test failure" for an example of a failed pressure test. Anything will fail if pushed far beyond its desi...
Jump to postBecause the A-10 would start shooting down Russian fighters with AIM-9X. Things could quickly turn nuclear... As Maverick said: "The terrain will confuse his targeting system"...The A-10 radar warning receiver would provide great situational awareness... The A-10's would then be facing th...
Jump to postA $1.3B B-2 got trashed because of a few bad sensors, the most expensive single plane crash ever. Worst part is the sensors were fine, they were just calibrated with moisture in the system - pitot heat wasn't applied, as that wasn't in the checklist for air data calibration - so when pitot heat was...
Jump to postSo you physically walk the routing requests from the weather officer to the pilots?
Great reference! Really, well done!
2nd ADG? Yeah, a bit before my time. Had a few fighters go lost wingman during drags. Fun stuff but not too bad. Worst was a B-2 lose sight in contact. Gets the pucker factor up when the last you saw them they were moving in and knowing there’s nose-to-tail overlap with the receptacle 35 feet behind...
Jump to postHer selfless assistance in the escape of a wrongfully imprisoned banker must rank high in her list of accomplishments.
However, whether her contribution was the result of conspiracy is debatable to some.
In a way Milley is re-enforcing Putin's world view by suggesting that he as the most senior general of the world's biggest superpower is speaking for the entire globe. I see where you're coming from, but I think if Miley had offered Putin milk, cookies, and eternal friendship Putin would still thin...
Jump to postWonder if this might give more impetus to quickly replace the H’s. The Nav and FE unions will strenuously object, but this could tip the balance in favor. When the weather birds out of Keesler got the Js, the navs were programmed to go per Fogleman. The navs go ahold of Senator Trent Lott who chang...
Jump to postA recently retired C-130 Loadmaster was telling me that when they transitioned to the J they were able to relocate from Pope AFB to Little Rock. The J's fuel savings allowed them to complete Fort Bragg 82nd missions from Little Rock all within the duty day. I don't really know any details, but I wo...
Jump to postHow about instead of the US building it's own LMXT fleet, it helps the RAF and RAAF expand their own KC fleet? This keeps the logistics simple until the shooting starts and then they can swap capabilities as needed. bt Many Americans can't find the UK or Australia on a map, and right now one politi...
Jump to postLyleLanley pointed out the slow connection times with the KC-46 when using the boom. This is hinting that with fighters there wouldn't be enough time on the boom. That is why I pointed out there is twice as many booms with the KC-46. It's not a boom limitation, it's an RVS limitation which necessit...
Jump to postGalaxyFlyer wrote:Heck, NAS stations don’t always have an ILS. I did a few PARs to mins because there was no other way in or divert.
I believe the USMC baby hornets still lack ILS. It’s oftentimes a “boat thing” to not have it as they use some other system there but I don’t know if there’s a real reason not to.
Jump to postHeated debate topic, I think that RVS should be integrated to KC-135's for night/IFR operations, as a screen the boom operator can easily see/use if he so chooses. If done correctly with the right setup, it could increase efficiency. I could see it definitely being safer and probably more efficient...
Jump to post...the KC-46A... unreliable at BEST in adverse condition(IFR/night operations). Minor point, but I actually think night is the best time for the RVS. The scenery is stable because the sun isn't moving around, reflections are generally minimal, etc. Depth perception at night with the RVS is still mu...
Jump to postI'm well aware the KC-46 has only one drogue basket while the KC-10 has two. I'm sure you're equally "well aware" that a WARP'd KC-10 actually has three baskets. Those pesky details... Even in your cherry picked scenario...Why is a third KC-46 needed?...As soon as you originally said the ...
Jump to postWith the accuracy of modern ICBMs and SLBMs all but assuring a direct hit on fixed installations by bringing the CEP from hundreds or thousands of meters to a handful, the usefulness of an airborne C2 is probably higher now than during the first Cold War.
Jump to post...I point out the clear corruption highlighted by the fact the USAF needs 240t of fuel to replace 165t of fuel... There is no way you could convince me that 240t is needed to replace 165t. In the RAAF we aren't controlled by the US military–industrial complex and we can also do basic math. You wro...
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