International Aerospace Discussion

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by member_23651 »

I remember comanche helicopter was supposed to have similar capability being shown on some Discovery program some years back
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by SaiK »

Boeing dreamliner is facing issues after issues, from brakes, fuel leak and what not even federal authorities considering its air-worthy-ness.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

SaiK wrote:Boeing dreamliner is facing issues after issues, from brakes, fuel leak and what not even federal authorities considering its air-worthy-ness.
Not unusual for new aircraft type entering service more so when you have something of sophistication and size of Dreamliner ..some time back even A-380 faces some issue with engine , wing crack etc.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

Zynda
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Zynda »

Lockeed's old files are declassified. Link is below:

LM files declassified. Truly great aviation drawings. Any aviation buff should appreciate this.

Does this aircraft look familiar? :wink: "An alternate configuration for the lightweight fighter dated 13 August 1971."
Image

Sorry for posting huge image...dunno how to resize. If admins feel the need to remove image, I will just link it.

A couple more:
Configuration 503 was part of the design studies that led to the YF-16
F-111D inboard profile
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Indranil »

Thank you.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by SaiK »

nice
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Arunkumar »

Thanks Zynda.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by GeorgeWelch »

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/p ... -2012.html
F-35 Lightning II Program completed 30 aircraft deliveries . . . 11 Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOLs), 18 Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) variants, and one Carrier Variant (CV) . . . The 30 aircraft delivered in 2012 is more than double the 13 aircraft delivered in 2011

. . .

The 2012 flight test plan called for 988 flights and 8,458 test points by Dec. 31. For the year, the SDD program flew 1,167 flights and tallied 9,319 test points . . . The flight test program is now more than one third complete in aggregate with the Air Force’s F-35A variant leading the way with 43 percent complete . . . F-35 program surpassed 5,000 flight hours
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by member_20292 »

^^^ India would not have joined the LM program though.....there is still a lot of independece and lack of transactionalism in Indian behaviour.

India is the modern France in strategic behaviour.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Singha »

France since yesterday has been bombing the rebels in Mali who are linked to islamists

(Reuters) - French aircraft pounded Islamist rebels in Mali for a second day on Saturday and neighboring West African states sped up their plans to deploy troops in an international campaign to prevent groups linked to al Qaeda expanding their power base.

France, warning that the control of northern Mali by the militants posed a security threat to Europe, intervened dramatically on Friday as heavily armed Islamist fighters swept southwards towards Mali's capital Bamako.

Under cover from French fighter planes and attack helicopters, Malian troops routed a rebel convoy and drove the Islamists out of the strategic central town of Konna, which they had seized on Thursday. A senior army officer in the capital Bamako said more than 100 rebel fighters had been killed.

A French pilot died on Friday when rebels shot down his helicopter near the town of Mopti. Hours after opening one front against al Qaeda-linked Islamists, France mounted a commando raid to try to rescue a French hostage held by al Shabaab militants in Somalia, also allied to al Qaeda, but failed to prevent the hostage being killed.

French President Francois Hollande made clear that France's aim in Mali was to support the West African troop deployment, which is also endorsed by the United Nations, the European Union and the United States.

Western countries in particular fear that Islamists could use Mali as a base for attacks on the West and expand the influence of al Qaeda-linked militants based in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa.

"We've already held back the progress of our adversaries and inflicted heavy losses on them," Hollande said. "Our mission is not over yet."

A resident in the northern city of Gao, one of the Islamists' strongholds, reported scores of rebel fighters were retreating northward in pickup trucks on Saturday.

"The hospital here is overwhelmed with injured and dead," he said, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisals.

In Konna, a shopkeeper reported seeing scores of dead Islamist fighters piled in the streets, as well as the bodies of dozens of uniformed soldiers.

A senior official with Mali's presidency announced on state television that 11 Malian soldiers had been killed in the battle for Konna, with around 60 others injured.

Human Rights Watch said around 10 civilians had died in the violence, including three children who drowned trying to cross a river to safety. It said other children recruited to fight for the Islamists had been injured.

With Paris urging West African nations to send in their troops quickly, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara, chairman of the regional bloc ECOWAS, kick-started a U.N.-mandated operation to deploy some 3,300 African soldiers.

TROOPS BY MONDAY

The mission had not been expected to start until September.

"By Monday at the latest, the troops will be there or will have started to arrive," said Ali Coulibaly, Ivory Coast's African Integration Minister. "Things are accelerating ... The reconquest of the north has already begun."

The multinational force is expected to be led by Nigerian Major-General Shehu Abdulkadir and draw heavily on troops from West Africa's most populous state. Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal each announced they would send 500 soldiers.

French army chief Edouard Guillaud said France had no plan to chase the Islamists into the north with land troops, and was waiting for ECOWAS forces. France has deployed some special forces units to the central town of Mopti and sent hundreds of soldiers to Bamako in "Operation Serval" - named after an African wildcat.

Concerned about reprisals on French soil, Hollande announced he had instructed Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to tighten security in public buildings and on public transport in France.

Hollande's intervention in Mali could endanger eight French nationals being held by Islamists in the Sahara. A spokesman for one of Mali's rebel groups, Ansar Dine, said there would be repercussions.

"There are consequences, not only for French hostages, but also for all French citizens, wherever they find themselves in the Muslim world," Sanda Ould Boumama told Reuters. "The hostages are facing death."

The French Defense Ministry said its failed bid on Friday night to rescue a French intelligence officer held hostage in Somalia since 2009 was unrelated to events in Mali.

The ministry said it believed the officer had been killed by his captors along with at least one French commando. But the Harakat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen insurgent group that was holding Denis Allex said he was alive and being held at a location far from the raid.

RED ALERT

The French Foreign Ministry stepped up its security alert on Mali and parts of neighboring Mauritania and Niger on Friday, extending its red alert - the highest level - to include Bamako.

France advised its 6,000 citizens in Mali to leave. Thousands more French live across West Africa, particularly in Senegal and Ivory Coast.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday urged an "accelerated international engagement" and said the bloc would speed up plans to deploy 200 troops to train Malian forces.

A U.S. official said the Pentagon was weighing options such as intelligence-sharing with France and logistics support. French officials suggest U.S. surveillance capacity, including unmanned drones, would prove valuable in vast northern Mali.

In Britain, a spokesman said Prime Minister David Cameron had spoken to Hollande to express support for France's intervention and to offer two C-17 transport planes to assist the mission.

He said both men discussed "the need to work with the Malian government, regional neighbors and international partners to prevent a new terrorist haven developing on Europe's doorstep and to reinvigorate the U.N.-led political process once the rebel advance has been halted".

Military analysts voiced doubt, however, about whether Friday's action was the start of a swift operation to retake northern Mali - a harsh, sparsely populated terrain the size of France - as neither equipment nor ground troops were ready.

"We're not yet at the big intervention," said Mark Schroeder, of the risk and security consultancy Stratfor.

More than two decades of peaceful elections had earned Mali a reputation as a bulwark of democracy - but that image unraveled in a matter of weeks after a military coup last March that paved the way for the Islamist rebellion.

Interim President Dioncounda Traore, under pressure for bolder action from Mali's military, declared a state of emergency on Friday. Traore cancelled a long-planned official trip to Paris on Wednesday because of the violence.

"Every Malian must henceforth consider themselves a soldier," he said on state TV.

On the streets of Bamako, some cars were driving around with French flags draped from the windows to celebrate Paris's intervention.

"It's thanks to France that Mali will emerge from this crisis," said student Mohamed Camera. "This war must end now."

(Additional reporting Adama Diarra, Tiemoko Diallo and Rainer Schwenzfeier in Bamako, Mathieu Bonkoungou in Ouagadougou, Joe Bavier in Abidjan and Elizabeth Pineau in Paris; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Kevin Liffey)
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Singha »

Khalsa
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Khalsa »

Zynda wrote:Lockeed's old files are declassified. Link is below:

LM files declassified. Truly great aviation drawings. Any aviation buff should appreciate this.

Does this aircraft look familiar? :wink: "An alternate configuration for the lightweight fighter dated 13 August 1971."
ha ha ha you cracked it right down the actual design!!
WELL DONE
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Singha »

rafales also been dispatched now to reinforce Op Serval. the main rebel encampment in the town of Gao on the niger river in flames from plane and helicopter gunship strikes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21002918

The defence ministry in Paris said four Rafale fighter jets, flying from their base in France, had attacked rebel training camps and logistics depots.

Expressing surprise at the fighting strength of the Islamists in Mali, the presidential official told AFP that the rebels had acquired up-to-date and sophisticated weaponry after the Libya conflict.
...........
The unnamed Elysee Palace official quoted by AFP said on Sunday that French armed forces had been surprised by the fighting quality of the Islamist militants they were up against.

"What has really struck us is how up-to-date their equipment is, and the way they've been trained to use it," the official said.

"At the start, we thought they would be just a load of guys with guns driving about in their pick-ups, but the reality is that they are well-trained, well-equipped, and well-armed.

"From Libya they have got hold of a lot of up-to-date, sophisticated equipment which is much more robust and effective than we could have imagined."

charming place Mali
http://www.alternet.org/progressive-wir ... n-thwarted

mauritania, mali, chad, niger must rate as among the top10 most tough places to scratch a living in the world.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

Image
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Philip »

Nice MIG-29/35 pics!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... leets.html

Boeing's Dreamliner...sorry."Nightmare" has been grounded by JAL!

Japanese airlines ground Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets
Japan's two biggest airlines have grounded all their Dreamliners in the most serious blow yet to Boeing's troubled next-generation model after an All Nippon Airways flight was forced into an emergency landing.
16 Jan 2013

All Nippon Airways - the world's first carrier to receive the Dreamliner from Boeing after years of delays - said a battery problem triggered a cockpit error message that forced the pilots to land the plane in southwestern Japan. It grounded its 17 aircraft pending safety checks.

Japan Airlines swiftly followed suit, saying it would suspend all Boeing Co 787 flights scheduled to leave Japan on Wednesday due to safety concerns.

Japan's Transport Ministry said it considered the emergency landing a major incident and that an investigation into the incident had been opened.

Several people were slightly injured during the evacuation, suffering minor scratches as they left the plane.

Broadcaster NHK quoted a passenger saying he had feared the plane was going to crash as it flew over Japan's fourth largest island of Shikoku.
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"I smelled something strange when the plane was going into a cruising altitude after take-off," he told the broadcaster. "I didn't see smoke."

"The plane then started descending rapidly and I thought 'this could crash'. I was surprised as there was an announcement that it was making an emergency landing at Takamatsu airport."

Details of the problem were still being checked, ANA spokesman Takuya Taniguchi said after the flight to Tokyo from Ube landed at the Takamatsu airport.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said it was monitoring the incident.

The FAA said: "The FAA is monitoring a preliminary report of an incident in Japan earlier today involving a Boeing 787. The incident will be included in the comprehensive review the FAA began last week of the 787 critical systems, including design, manufacture and assembly."

ANA's 787s have encountered several problems in the past two weeks, though no injuries had so far been reported.

Taniguchi said the airline was not yet prepared to comment on the general problems that have surfaced in the 787.

The US government is conducting a review to find out what caused a fire, a fuel leak and other worrisome incidents with Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced airliner, though it has reassured the public it is safe to fly.

Japanese airlines have been the first to roll out the 787. Boeing has said that various technical problems are to be expected in the early days of any aircraft model.

A fire ignited Jan. 7 in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of a Japan Airlines 787 empty of passengers as the plane sat on the tarmac at Boston's Logan International Airport. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze. Later last week, a fuel leak delayed a flight from Boston to Tokyo of another Japan Airlines 787.

ANA cancelled a domestic flight to Tokyo on Jan. 9 after a computer wrongly indicated there was a problem with the Boeing 787's brakes. Two days later, the carrier reported two new cases of problems with the aircraft, a minor fuel leak and a cracked windscreen in a 787 cockpit.

ANA has said it has no specific plan for inspections and will continue regular operations, though it said it would comply with instructions from the FAA and other authorities.

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

Philip , Nothing extraordinary for new aircraft to face such problems its not serious enough for FAA to ground it.

Dreamliner is today worlds most sophisticated civil aircraft with 50 % composite structure by weight and most advanced engine flying today in any aircraft of its class , higher the technology curve greater is the probability that it may encounter operational issues.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Singha »

yes , even the quantas A380s had a rough patch last yr. all these issues will be tracked and fixed, there is too much riding on it. A320 also had a pretty rough intro incl multiple crashes incl that in a demo flight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAg-WauGrLU

here a A320 tries to land in heavy cross wind for unknown reason and nearly pays a heavy price
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjn6qyJvlU
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

Off course we all remember the history of Comet....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Cosmo_R »

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/17/busin ... 7s.html?hp
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was temporarily grounding all Boeing 787s operated by United States carriers after several incidents in recent weeks, including a battery fire, and after an All Nippon Airways flight in Japan was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday.

@ Prithviraj ^^^Also flew in the Comet 1962-63 (London-Lisbon-Dakar and back :)
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

Singha wrote:yes , even the quantas A380s had a rough patch last yr. all these issues will be tracked and fixed, there is too much riding on it. A320 also had a pretty rough intro incl multiple crashes incl that in a demo flight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAg-WauGrLU
Its terrible and it seems FBW was the cause of failure. I remember when we had our own A320 crash in Bangalore , Airbus stated that indian pilots were not fit to fly A320 and they should ride the camel instead
here a A320 tries to land in heavy cross wind for unknown reason and nearly pays a heavy price
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjn6qyJvlU
Must have been nerves of steel for the pilot to land that aircraft , I read at HK cross landing is the norm and not all pilots are certified to land there.

Here is more recent video of Tu-204 crash due to overshooting of runway .The impact is to be seen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcHicwIXqt4
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Philip »

An excellent report on the JSF and its current status,the exciting revolution in cockpit management that it promises and the hurdles it is facing getting into production.

Lengthy report,but a must read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... r-jet.html

Inside the F-35, the world's most futuristic fighter jet
An aviation fantasy from the realms of Star Wars, the F-35 is the most sophisticated, expensive and controversial jet fighter ever produced. Jonathan Glancey takes its flight simulator for a spin
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by nits »

Some interesting excerpts from above article...
he total cost to the USA for development and procurement has been estimated at $323 billion, with a total lifecycle cost of $618 million per aircraft. The life expectancy of an F-35 is 30 years. Meanwhile, according to a 2012 US government accountability report, F-35 costs have increased 93 per cent, in real terms, over the 2001 estimate.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

U.S. Air Force Is ‘Committed’ To Long-Range Strike Bomber
Facing an uncertain budget environment in the coming months, the U.S. Air Force will nevertheless continue developing a new long-range strike bomber (LRS-B) capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons. “Long term, we’re committed to the long-range strike bomber. We’re going to try to keep programs like that on track,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said.

Donley briefly discussed the secret LRS-B program during a “state of the service” briefing at the Pentagon on January 11. He was accompanied by Gen. Mark Welsh III, recently appointed Air Force chief of staff upon the retirement of Gen. Norton Schwartz last fall. Donley said he would issue guidance to the major Air Force commands to prepare for threatened “sequestration” budget cuts that would reduce the service’s operations and maintenance spending by 20 percent unless Congress acts to stop sequestration by March 1. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has advised Air Force leaders to plan “reversible and recoverable” cuts for the balance of Fiscal Year 2013, which ends September 30.

Sequestration would affect every program, including the new bomber, Donley said. But the service intends to preserve its core missions. “We’re going to continue to do global ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance]. We’re going to continue to do global precision attack,” he said. “You can see now what the Air Force will look like in 2020 in terms of new capabilities coming on board. The [KC-46A] tanker will be fielded. The F-35 will be fielded. We’ll be well along in the development of the bomber program. … But the underlying issue is size [and] overall capacity of the armed forces.”

The LRS-B was initiated in Fiscal Year 2012 as a successor program to the cancelled next-generation bomber effort. Major contractors interested in the program were instructed not to discuss their proposals in public. The LRS-B will be a “family of systems,” an optionally manned platform incorporating already proven subsystems, including engines, radars and avionics, according to the Air Force.

In its Fiscal Year 2013 budget submission, the service said the LRS-B average procurement unit cost is expected to be $550 million for 80 to 100 aircraft. Planned funding for the program from Fiscal Years 2013 through 2017 is $6.3 billion, with $300 million programmed in the current year.

The Fiscal Year 2013 defense authorization bill Congress passed last month directs the Air Force to ensure that the LRS-B is capable of carrying strategic nuclear weapons from the date on which it achieves initial operating capability.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by NRao »

Just saw a video of an Apache (in a conflict region) where 1/2 persons could be strapped, per side, outside on the ledge, to extricate them in a dead emergency.

Was told that this procedure was developed because of situations encountered in Iraq some years ago.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Singha »

thats the photo that drove Shiv into a fit of rage :) post it here quick! a small one
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... DG-RIkf-pg

it was used for extracting SF or downed airmen in a dicey situation maybe when blackhawk with proper CSAR extraction team not available.

people were asking if apache can do it why not LCH :D
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

Some interesting developments from Eyeran

Iran Shows New Attack Helicopter and Missiles
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by shiv »

Singha wrote:thats the photo that drove Shiv into a fit of rage :) post it here quick! a small one
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... DG-RIkf-pg

it was used for extracting SF or downed airmen in a dicey situation maybe when blackhawk with proper CSAR extraction team not available.

people were asking if apache can do it why not LCH :D
LOL! :D It was a story about that and some silly comment that set me off.

There is no "perfect design". The Mi 35 has a cabin so this silly sled dog like strapping of men outside is unnecessary, but the cabin makes the Mi 35 less of a "killer machine" like the Apache. But when it comes to rescuing downed comrades the Apache must be used in this ridiculous fashion.

What set me off was piskology. For us it is funny to see people sitting on top of a bus, but someone portrayed the Apache strapping on as some heroic jugaad. Both are silly and unsafe.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by shiv »

Austin wrote:Some interesting developments from Eyeran

Iran Shows New Attack Helicopter and Missiles
I was disappointed with that news. They have just cloned a Cobra gunship. I wonder if there has been Paki help?
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by NRao »

Singha wrote:thats the photo that drove Shiv into a fit of rage :) post it here quick! a small one
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... DG-RIkf-pg

it was used for extracting SF or downed airmen in a dicey situation maybe when blackhawk with proper CSAR extraction team not available.

people were asking if apache can do it why not LCH :D
The vid I saw was taken by someone I know. For all I know it is already on youTube.

This extraction method is to extract US Army people caught off guard during firefights. Not so much for SF/pilots. These Apaches are from the US Army Aviation and work in support of ground troops (Aussies in this case). Used only in dead emergencies.

BTW, am told that virtually all basic infra, in the land of Strategic Depth, is handled by Deshies. To the extent he gets biryani and dosa on a daily basis.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Philip »

Oh dear! More bad news for the Lightning-2,the JSF.

Lightning will ground F35 fighter jet known as the Lightning II
Britain’s £150 million new combat jet has been banned from flying in bad weather amid fears that it could explode.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... ng-II.html

Xcpts:
By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
20 Jan 2013

The production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – the world’s most sophisticated and expensive combat aircraft – has been derailed after engineers discovered that the jet’s fuel tank could explode if struck by lightning.

The disclosure is a major setback for the aircraft, also known as the Lightning II, which is due to enter service with both the RAF and the Royal Navy by 2018.

Attempts to increase fuel efficiency by reducing the jet’s weight have also made it more vulnerable to enemy attack than the generation of aircraft it was supposed to replace.

The damaging findings were disclosed in a Pentagon document which revealed that a fault within the JSF’s fuel tank could potentially lead to catastrophic explosion if the aircraft was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm.

The report from the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation Office states that all test flying within 25 miles of thunderstorms is “not permitted” until a device in the fuel tank which maintains correct oxygen levels is redesigned.
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The fear of an exploding fuel tank is just one of a series of problem to befall the F-35 programme. A design fault in the fuel tank has also prevented the JSF being able to rapidly descend to low altitude.

The Pentagon report describes both failings as “unacceptable for combat or combat training”.

Examinations by the United States Air Force and the Lockheed Martin, the aircraft’s manufacturer, also discovered a handful of cracks in the tested aircraft, including on the right wing and right engine of the F-35A variant, and on another part of the F-35B variant.

“All of these discoveries will require mitigation plans and may include redesigning parts and additional weight,” the report added.

Britain is buying the F-35B – the short take-off and vertical landing version – as a replacement for the Harrier. The “multirole” plane will be used for air defence, ground attack and reconnaissance missions.

The F-35 has a top speed of 1,300mph and a range of 1,450 miles, while the Harrier could reach a speed of 700mph and had a range of 350 miles. The older aircraft also had no radar transparency or stealth capabilities, while the F-35 has both.

However the version being ordered by Britain is the is the heaviest, least capable and most expensive of the three versions of the plane, as it carries a lift fan propulsion system for its “jump jet” capability, which it needs to land on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers.

The F-35 is also designed to be practically invisible to radar. Its shape has no right angles, which reflect radar waves, and a special “fibre” coating make it difficult to detect on any enemy radar.

Low heat emissions and an ability to carry armaments in an internal weapons bay instead of mounted on wings and underneath the fuselage further enhances its stealth capabilities.

The aircraft will carry a range of weapons including air-to-air rockets and satellite guided bombs.

Pilots are fitted with helmets which allow them to see 360 degrees, and displays all the data they need inside the visor.

The cockpit also features an all-glass digital instrument panel and a speech recognition system. Each aircraft has more than 24 million lines of “software code”.

Interactive graphic: explore the F-35 fighter jet in more detail

In theory the F-35 should be able to fly into the enemy’s air space, attack it’s target and return safely to friendly territory without ever being detected.

But the F-35 has been dogged by criticism since its inception in the 1990s, particularly in the United States where it has gained unwelcome notoriety as the most expensive equipment project ever undertaken by the Pentagon.

Estimates suggest that the total cost of buying, operating and maintaining the planes over the next 30 years will be £625 billion – or $1 trillion.

Winslow Wheeler, at the US Center for Defense Information described the F-35 programme as a “gigantic performance disappointment”, which was not even as stealthy as the F-22 Raptor.

He added: “It’s the counterintuitive problem of paying a huge amount of money thinking you’re getting a Lamborghini or Ferrari: You’re not, you’re getting a Yugo (the cheap, mass-produced cars made in the former Yugoslavia).”

Though British pilots have already been involved in the test flying programme, they will not be flying the plane off UK bases or the two new aircraft carriers until 2018.

The US is spending around £254 billion to buy 2,500 F-35s for its navy, air force and marine corps. The previous government said the UK would buy 138 planes but Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, has so far committed to purchasing only 48.

The fuel tank problems are the second major blow to hit the programme in recent weeks. Last month Canada pulled out of a deal to buy 65 F-35s over fears that the aircraft could be too expensive to run.

Canada is not the only country to get cold feet. Italy reduced its purchase to 90 F-35s instead of the initial 131, while the US has delayed some of its purchases and may still trim the programme given its difficult fiscal situation.

An audit of the programme by KPMG revealed aircraft running costs could reach £28.4 billion over the next 42-years.

The final decision on the number Britain buys will be dependent on the future role of the Royal Navy’s two carriers and whether, as is expected, the unit price of each aircraft falls.

The future of the aircraft is also key to Britain’s defence industry and will help to sustain over 20,000 jobs.

Although the plane is being manufactured by Lockheed Martin, Britain is a major partner in the programme, with both BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce playing key roles in the production and design of the jet.

A spokesman for Lockheed Martin said: "“The F-35 is a stealth aircraft and by definition it is less vulnerable than any fourth generation fighter flying today. We don’t consider this a major issue. We have demonstrated very good vulnerability performance and we continue to work this with the Joint Programme Office.”
vivek_ahuja
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by vivek_ahuja »

shiv wrote:
Austin wrote:Some interesting developments from Eyeran

Iran Shows New Attack Helicopter and Missiles
I was disappointed with that news. They have just cloned a Cobra gunship. I wonder if there has been Paki help?
So the AH-1 design is actually quite potent and useful even today. If the Iranians have been able to put together a new-build airframe learning from the AH-1s in their arsenal and updated it with helmet-slaved cannons and better optics, it does represent a good deal of leap for them, IMO. To be honest, the ALH design was also a very clear "clone" of some German models but it has become what it has today because (a) it was a good design to start with and (b) we updated it continually with better electronics, glass cockpits and incremental improvements in aerodynamics and design. In this aspect I see the Eye-ranians doing the same.

On a separate note, what makes you think the Pakistanis might have had any say in it? I thought the Iranians and the Pakis don't really see eye to eye when it comes to military cooperation? I may be wrong though! :shock:
shiv
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by shiv »

vivek_ahuja wrote:So the AH-1 design is actually quite potent and useful even today. If the Iranians have been able to put together a new-build airframe learning from the AH-1s in their arsenal and updated it with helmet-slaved cannons and better optics, it does represent a good deal of leap for them,
By making a straight clone they are revealing that their ability to modify and improve is stunted as they are not willing to risk a new design (unlike the Chinese). The problem with this clone will not be this business of upgraded avionics, but more in terms of serviceability and availability for action when needed. A moderately potent helo that is available 99% of the time is better than an Apache that is available only 20% of the time it is needed.

vivek_ahuja wrote: On a separate note, what makes you think the Pakistanis might have had any say in it? I thought the Iranians and the Pakis don't really see eye to eye when it comes to military cooperation? I may be wrong though! :shock:
I think it makes sense for Pakis and Iranians to cooperate when it comes to issues where they want to remain opposed to the US. So I believe it is possible that Pakistan might be legitimately sourcing Cobra spares from all sorts of sources and shipping off a few of them to Iran. Nuclear spares is another area of cooperation, and here China may be involved as well. China, Pakistan and Iran all stand do to gain by cooperating to oppose the US
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

See no harm in Eyeranins cloning AH-1 design if they did a good job at it and made it better by using more modern EO and other sensors to start with AH-1 is a robust design pretty much light and agile compared to its other heavier peers.

I am not sure what kind of engine ,transmission and other parts does Toufan-2 uses but production is a far bigger challenge than building prototypes.

Reverse Engineering S-300 could be possible via Chinese or Belarus route and reverse engineering something built in early 80's should be possible for Iranians as they have shown some good sophistication with BM techlonogy going as ahead as developing MaRV for IRBM.
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by NRao »

Austin
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Austin »

Khalsa
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by Khalsa »

shiv wrote:
vivek_ahuja wrote:So the AH-1 design is actually quite potent and useful even today. If the Iranians have been able to put together a new-build airframe learning from the AH-1s in their arsenal and updated it with helmet-slaved cannons and better optics, it does represent a good deal of leap for them,
By making a straight clone they are revealing that their ability to modify and improve is stunted as they are not willing to risk a new design (unlike the Chinese). The problem with this clone will not be this business of upgraded avionics, but more in terms of serviceability and availability for action when needed. A moderately potent helo that is available 99% of the time is better than an Apache that is available only 20% of the time it is needed.

vivek_ahuja wrote: On a separate note, what makes you think the Pakistanis might have had any say in it? I thought the Iranians and the Pakis don't really see eye to eye when it comes to military cooperation? I may be wrong though! :shock:
I think it makes sense for Pakis and Iranians to cooperate when it comes to issues where they want to remain opposed to the US. So I believe it is possible that Pakistan might be legitimately sourcing Cobra spares from all sorts of sources and shipping off a few of them to Iran. Nuclear spares is another area of cooperation, and here China may be involved as well. China, Pakistan and Iran all stand do to gain by cooperating to oppose the US

Dear Sirs if I may add to the conversation.

I agree with Vivek for the view that Pakis and Iranis do not see eye to eye.

I will go with the following reasons.
Iran is Shia and Pakistani is mainly Sunni. A big deal apparently.
Pakistanis wag their tails in front of Arabs and gravitate more towards them. Iranians are not arabs and also sidelined by the arabs themselves.
Tehran, Delhi and Moscow poured as much was required to keep Northern Alliance alive, for years bu supporting them with A/C spares, hospital supplies, everything under the sun short of men.
Pakistanis are pro taliban.
I remember before 2001 12 mullas visiting a Shia shrine in west Afghanistan were kidnapped. Taliban govt denied any involvement and did not help. Iranis massed two corps of regular army on the border. The mullahs were returned in a month.

I believe They do not see eye to eye with each other.

The symptoms
They have never had any serious military exchanges
Our much promised and eagerly awaited gas pipeline from Iran is still a distant dream even though it can bypass Afghanistan via the Baloch route.
and many more that I cannot remember.
:-)


By the way here is a few of their other reverse engineered weapon systems

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HESA_Saeqeh based on the F5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toophan based on the TOW missile

To me it seems they are exactly where China was 50 years ago. Reverse Engineering everything Soviet they could lay their hands on.
:-)
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

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Austin
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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

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Re: International Aerospace Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

Iran's New Qaher 313 Stealth Fighter Is Perfect For Attacking The US Navy
http://www.businessinsider.com/irans-ne ... tti-2013-2
Iran yesterday revealed its most recent indigenous fighter jet — the “Qaher 313″. The prototype Q-313 was presented to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a ceremonial gift during the country's Ten-Day Dawn celebration. The festivities commemorate the 1979 revolution when the U.S. embassy in Tehran taken by force.
In the previous days, the Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi had said, “The aircraft will be different from the other fighter jets Iran has already made.”
Indeed, based on the first photographs released by the FARS News Agency, the new stealthy jet has a peculiar design. It features hard edges and those distinctive edges and angle of the U.S. F-22 and the twin tail shape much similar to that of the F-35 Lightning II.
The Q-313 has large, seemingly fixed canards, and little wings whose external section is canted downward, while the canopy material is at least odd (based on its transparency, it looks like Plexiglas or something like that).
The cockpit seems basic (a bit too much for a modern plane – note the lack of wiring behind the front panel).
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