Military and Aviation News Thread (NO DISCUSSION)

[LARGE]

This looks horrible, good to hear the pilots managed to bail out. Since the blades are still intact I guess they didnt use their ejection seats.

 

It says it could be an ejection failure, thus the blades did not self destruct and both pilots are badly injured.

[Andrei]

It says it could be an ejection failure, thus the blades did not self destruct and both pilots are badly injured.

 

From here: http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1917363&postcount=3303

"The crashed helicopter was used as a testbed. They came spinning during the landing, falling from 20-25 meter height. After the crash helicopter came on its side. Pilots bailed out themselves". Both are in the hospital.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Andrei

[karambiatos]

Yet you expect to pay peanuts for a trip half way around the world. You can't have it both ways...

but seats that are smaller than stadium seats?

[Yurgon]

Yet you expect to pay peanuts for a trip half way around the world. You can't have it both ways...

 

Well, I kinda could. The article argues that some airlines aim at at fitting an additional row of economy class seats to compensate for larger (=less) business class (and above) seats so that they don't lose any money because of the latter. If that is correct, then the bulk of fliers will have to put up with less comfort while a select few gain some.

 

If I'd ever flown business and/or paid top dollar for it, I'd possibly appreciate this development, but a) I haven't and b) I don't think it's a good development no matter how you look at it.

[chaos]

Airlines, by and large, make no money on selling economy seats. The only thing that turns a profit are the "economy plus" and "business class" seats. BTW; those 'profits' are razor-thin. If people are willing to pay a little extra to get a little bit more wiggle-room, why wouldn't the airlines offer that service? They're not in it for fun... it's a business.

 

Just because 'you', as an economy passenger, are not able to afford anything extra doesn't mean that no-one else should get it either, right? Unfortunately space is limited and so, yes, it will be at the expense of the economy class... unless you're willing to sacrifice toilets, galleys etc. Maybe we could do without pilots too... just so you can have more elbow room. :-)

 

Unfortunately it is this general idea that "I should be able to go anywhere for next to nothing-" that doesn't seem to go away ('thanks' to the low-cost airlines). Get real, people... You're going to pay for it, one way or another.

Edited October 30, 2013 by chaos

[Griffin]

Skunk Works Reveals SR-71 Successor Plan

 

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_11_04_2013_p18-631880.xml

 

Dubbed the SR-72, the twin-engine aircraft is designed for a Mach 6 cruise, around twice the speed of its forebear, and will have the optional capability to strike targets.

[Pilotasso]

^^^^^ scary stuff

[topol-m]

Skunk Works Reveals SR-71 Successor Plan

 

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_11_04_2013_p18-631880.xml

 

very interesting, thanks for sharing

[Pilotasso]

Romania confirms deal to purchase 12 PoAF F-16MLU for 15.5 million each unit. (the best they could pay).

 

Which leaves me in shock since we had to buy extra hulls from the USA and just updated them for a total 30 mil... wow

 

Whats even funny is that Romanians think it was a bad deal. :huh:

 

The Romanians are paying 420 mil more for infra structures and weapons.

 

http://www.f-16.net/news_article4794.html

 

Following this deal it looks like Romania also wants to weapons :

 

 

 

13 Embedded Global Positioning Systems/Inertial Navigation Systems (EGPS/INS) with GPS Security Devices, Airborne

3 AN/ALQ-131 Electronic Countermeasure Pods

30 AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM)

5 AIM-120C Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs)

60 AIM-9M Sidewinder Missiles

4 AIM-9M CATMs

48 LAU-129 Launchers

10 GBU-12 Enhanced Guided Bomb Units

18 AGM-65H/KB Maverick Missiles

4 AGM-65 CATMs

15 Multifunctional Information Distribution System/Low Volume Terminals

2 Multifunctional Information Distribution System Ground Support Systems

 

Source:

http://www.f-16.net/news_article4804.html

Edited November 13, 2013 by Pilotasso

[Yurgon]

Promo from about a year ago, single-seat prototype:

 

 

The maiden flight of the two-seater prototype took place on November 17th 2013. This flight was unmanned and remote controlled.

 

 

More information:

 

Edit: http://www.e-volo.com/entwicklungs-news-en/successful-maiden-flight-of-the-worlds-first-green-helicopter

 

Information in German:

 

www.e-volo.com/de/entwicklung/erfolgreicher-jungfernflug-mit-dem-ersten-grunen-hubschrauber-der-welt

 

http://heise.de/-2051023

Edited November 23, 2013 by Yurgon
Found some English info

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Brazilian Air Force may be considering second-hand F-16C Block 40/42 as stop-gap measure after retirement of Mirage 2000C fleet on the 31st December.

 

The retirement leaves Brazil with no Mach-2 capable aircraft. The 1st Air Defence Group (1o GDA) will be reduced to six airmen, one Major and five Captains, to perform administrative duties and keep their flying up to speed for whenever a replacement is brought in. The squadron will have no aircraft for the time being, while 2 F-5EMs from other squadrons will do rotations in QRA duties to fill the gap. These will sometimes be flown by GDA pilots in the meantime.

 

Curiously enough, the F-X2 competition had the same finalists as the Swiss fighter competition, however air force evaluations were entirely different: the Gripen NG ended up first including among test pilots, while the Rafale is rumoured to have been third. A Super Hornet deal was nearly announced but went down the drain when NSA spying on the Brazilian Presidential Office surfaced. Sources point at a decision in 2015, after the election year.

 

Article in Portuguese, Google Translate is advised: http://www.aereo.jor.br/2013/11/18/indecisoes-no-f-x2-onde-ha-fumaca-ha-f-16/

Edited December 1, 2013 by Lucas_From_Hell

[Vekkinho]

Whats even funny is that Romanians think it was a bad deal. :huh:

 

Cause it was a bad deal.

 

First of all what made Poland so eager to sell 'em?! They just got 'em few years back...They don't sell any jets from their Malbork sqn...

 

Secondly, it's a '80s aircraft outdated by today's standars.

 

I just watched "Jagerpilotene" 'bout RNoAF 338th Sqn with pilots craving for F-35 with their Falcons being close to their life expectancy of 8.000 flight hours.

[Alfa]

Cause it was a bad deal.

 

15,5 million? - hardly a bad deal.

 

First of all what made Poland so eager to sell 'em?! They just got 'em few years back...They don't sell any jets from their Malbork sqn...

 

PoAF = Portuguese Air Force ;)

 

Secondly, it's a '80s aircraft outdated by today's standars.

 

They are F-16MLUs - i.e. upgraded to today's standards.

 

I just watched "Jagerpilotene" 'bout RNoAF 338th Sqn with pilots craving for F-35 with their Falcons being close to their life expectancy of 8.000 flight hours.

 

There is a difference between "outdated" and "worn out".....and a very big difference between 15 million and 150 million :)

[Pilotasso]

What Alfa said. They cost us 30 million each and sold for 15 million each. They can fire AMRAAM's JDAM's LGB's and have helmet mounted sights, Litening AT pods and datalink.

 

They do have limitations though, after all its a light weight fighter conversion. There is nothing else out there for this much bang for the buck unless Romania spends much more money that they haven't.

 

They are not worn out because they have over 5000 hours left in their airframes, i.e. several live times worth of mig21 lancers. ;)

Edited December 7, 2013 by Pilotasso

[FoxHoundELite]

New Stealth Spy Drone Already Flying Over Area 51

 

 

The latest top secret unmanned spy plane to be uncovered isn’t just a design idea, it’s already flying at the Air Force’s famed Area 51. Unlike the recently announced SR-72, the new RQ-180 from Northrop Grumman is believed to be currently in flight testing according to Aviation Week and Space Technology.

 

The RQ-180 is a new design aimed at intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR, a.k.a. spying) and incorporates stealth technology, in addition to an efficient new design that’s tailored to flights over countries where the red carpet isn’t being rolled out for current U.S. spy drones.

 

It’s the successor to the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, known as the “Beast of Kandahar” for its countless missions out of Afghanistan since 2007. It is assumed the RQ-170 has flown missions over Iran and Pakistan, but the aircraft lacks the endurance of other unmanned aircraft, somewhat limiting its capabilities. Iran displayed what is claimed to be a captured RQ-170 in December 2011. The U.S. Air Force would only acknowledge that it lost control of an RQ-170 over western Afghanistan at the same time.

 

The new RQ-180 is thought to largely address the problem of flying in hostile airspace through improved stealth design and better aerodynamics. According to Aviation Week, the unmanned spy plane would allow the Air Force to expand ISR capabilities beyond the “permissive environments — such as Iraq and Afghanistan,” where current drones such as the Global Hawk and Predator/Reaper operate. Instead the RQ-180 would be able to fly undetected in airspace where the U.S. does not have permission and/or the protection needed to fly.

 

This denied airspace capability has been missing from the Air Force’s inventory since the speedy SR-71 retired in 1998. The Blackbird mainly relied on its speed and altitude — along with some stealth-like qualities — to fly over countries and gather intelligence where the U.S. was not welcome.

 

Aviation Week points to financial reports from Northrop Grumman that suggest the possibility of the new airplane, as well as satellite images of the company’s facility in Palmdale, California and Area 51 that show new hangars capable of holding aircraft with a wingspan of at least 130 feet — larger than a Boeing 737. When asked about the existence of the RQ-180, the Air Force told the trade publication that it “does not discuss this program.”

 

The use of unmanned aircraft for spying continues to rise year after year. But most of the work is done by slow flying aircraft such as the Global Hawk and Predators. In addition to flying relatively slow, these airplanes are also far from invisible to radar. Most of their use has been limited to flying over areas where manned fighter aircraft are able to control the skies, providing protection for the vulnerable drones.

 

The RQ-180 on the other hand is expected to have a stealth design with greatly improved aerodynamics giving it greater efficiency, which in the case of ISR work, translates to longer missions which could include longer transits to a target area, or more time over the target.

 

Northrop Grumman has also been publicly flight testing its X-47B unmanned combat aircraft, including take offs and landings from an aircraft carrier. The X-47B is aimed at combat as well as intelligence gathering, and is being developed for the Navy.

 

 

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/12/new-stealth-drone/

[Namenlos Ein]

Navy Launches UAV from Submerged Submarine

 

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with funding from SwampWorks at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Department of Defense Rapid Reaction Technology Office (DoD/RRTO) demonstrated the launch of an all-electric, fuel cell-powered, unmanned aerial system (UAS) from a submerged submarine. From concept to fleet demonstration, this idea took less than six years to produce results at significant cost savings when compared to traditional programs often taking decades to produce results.

 

XFC UAS

http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2009/nrls-xfc-uas-achieves-flight-endurance-milestone

[Weta43]

Chinese airforce flexing its muscle - A2A live fire demo's

http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/dec/08/china-missile-tests-fighter-jets-video

[Kaktus29]

as some (me included) assumed the Light Fighter multirole project is coming on or has been on for some time..

 

now question what will it look like..

 

i think it will be a crossover of Su-25/Mig-29 but in a modern stealth way.. so the light fighter project will be as air-to-air oriented also capable of doing lion share of CAS work in the future when Rooks get replaced..

 

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20131211/185462424/Russia-to-Develop-Light-Class-Fighter-Jet.html

[GripenNG]

Brazil seem to have choosen JAS 39 Gripen for it´s FX-2 contender. Only info on Portugese and Swedish so far. Estimated official statement at 20 CET.

[Vekkinho]

as some (me included) assumed the Light Fighter multirole project is coming on or has been on for some time..

 

now question what will it look like..

 

i think it will be a crossover of Su-25/Mig-29 but in a modern stealth way.. so the light fighter project will be as air-to-air oriented also capable of doing lion share of CAS work in the future when Rooks get replaced..

 

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20131211/185462424/Russia-to-Develop-Light-Class-Fighter-Jet.html

 

Same story as in the past:

F-15 / Su-27

F-16 / MiG-29

F-22 / T-50

F-35 / T-xx

 

etc...

[Kaktus29]

5th generation helicopter that goes 600 km/h .. and has stealth features..

 

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20131219/185741567/Russia-to-Develop-5th-Generation-Attack-Helicopter-by-2017.html

 

how can Mi-28 be transformed into this miracle i don't know, but i'm excited to see what happens.. is it possible to just strap a jet engine on its back and there you go..but then overall range will be bad as chopper gets much heavier..

[vtsgoose1606687932]

First Dutch pilot flying the F-35:

 

[ALDEGA]

High energy laser demonstration against mortars and UAVs.

 

Z71TOPLy1dU

[Pilotasso]

There was a news report on national TV about the F-16 deal with Romania and the need to replace the PoAF units within 15 years due to fleet sustainability no longer viable beyond that as the other countries we are partnered with in Europe for their maintenance are replacing their fleets.

 

If the government intends to keep armed forces we should have a fighter tender some years before that. No idea how economical recovery will impact this timing though. Projections say we just went thru the worst of it this year.

 

EDIT: Finally on youtube

 

_wep-I7BuB4

 

Warning: In Portuguese, no subtitles.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Pilotasso

[tflash]

Tornado flies with 3D-printed parts!

 

http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/world/raf-jets-fly-with-3d-printed-parts/story-fnjbnxoi-1226795256755