International Aerospace Discussion

UBanerjee · Post by **UBanerjee** » 16 Jun 2011 13:47

Singha wrote:the PRC has apparently pulled a old Kuomintang(KMT) map out of its posterior and claimed the entire resources of the south china sea belongs to it....a huge area adjacent to vietnam, okinawa and the philippine islands. I had heard the KMT had more maximalist maps on the land frontier, but they seem to have claimed the seas too!

They have been claiming this for a while. It's been a recurring topic of contention at ASEAN summits.

SE Asia wary of China as sea claim disputes intensify

South China Sea Disputes Threaten ASEAN-China Ties

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 16 Jun 2011 17:21

Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile integrated on EA-18G Growler and FA-18E/F Super Hornet

prithvi · Post by **prithvi** » 19 Jun 2011 09:03

Eurocopter debuts experimental X3 copter...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13776355

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 20 Jun 2011 16:25

I hear orion space capsule ready for testing.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 20 Jun 2011 17:58

Interesting article in the NYT on drones

Drones are playing an increasingly important role in the American military. Only 10 years ago, the Pentagon had about 50 drones; now there are 7,000 drones in its inventory, ranging in size from large blimps to tiny Hummingbirds. Here are 10 drones currently on the battlefield or on the drawing board.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011 ... aphic.html

Note the Shadow was sold to Pakistan

chiragAS · Post by **chiragAS** » 20 Jun 2011 17:59

Austin wrote:Doomsday Plane' Would Save President and Joint Chiefs in Apocalypse Scenario

from the above link

The plane can stay in-flight for days without refueling, a necessity if circumstances demanded the plane's use by the nation's top officials.

American DDMs or they have come up with new fuel

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 20 Jun 2011 22:03

NEW-CLEAR Reactor!!

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 25 Jun 2011 09:28

Thales unveils high-performance TopOwl Helmet Mounted Sight Display at Paris Air Show 2011

manish.rastogi · Post by **manish.rastogi** » 25 Jun 2011 15:16

X post from Newbie dhaga

RahulM saar as suggested by you I downloaded that Daniel P raymer's Aircraft design book, but its quite old in my opinion like 1989's edition. Also I am low on time and can afford to read one book only.
So can you or anyone else please suggest a good aircraft designing book(latest preferably

) asap! Please!!!!

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Jun 2011 08:22

Just out of curiosity what has drastically changed since 1989 that you would need a latest book say 2011 edition , they would be the same with glossy pictures and more garbage on stealth.

Unless you are planning to design and build an aircraft starting next week , any book should be good as long as it covers the fundamental topic quite well.

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 28 Jun 2011 16:31

Mi-28N in hi-res pics

Serial Ka-52 helos pics

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Jun 2011 23:10

Iran says it showed Russia downed US drones

Iran has shown Russia US drones it shot down over the Gulf, Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hadjizadeh was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

"Russian experts requested to see these drones and they looked at both the downed drones and the models made by the Guards through reverse engineering," the official IRNA news agency quoted Hadjizadeh as saying.

Hajizadeh did not elaborate on the number or type of unmanned US aircraft it had shot down, or when or where it had done so.

Iran announced on January 2 that its forces had downed two US drones after they "violated" Iranian-controlled territory. It later said it would put the aircraft on public display.

"The planes that were shot down are among the most modern US navy drones and have a long-range capability," the Fars news agency quoted the commander of the Guards' naval forces, Ali Fadavi, as saying at the time.

The US navy's Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, just across the Gulf from Iran. Washington never confirmed Tehran had shot down any of its drones.

The US military and Central Intelligence Agency routinely use drones to monitor military activity in the region. They have also used them to launch missile strikes in Yemen as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan's lawless tribal belt.

On several occasions, the Iranian military has shown off drones which it says it manufactured itself using the latest technology. Washington has expressed concern about Tehran's possession of the aircraft. .

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 30 Jun 2011 20:44

Photos of a Mirage 2000 of the Hellenic Air Force being salvaged from the Aegean Sea after it crash landed into the sea on 09 June 2011. The aircraft is in near perfect condition...amazing!

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20 ... of-the-sea

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... l?ITO=1490

andy B · Post by **andy B** » 04 Jul 2011 17:29

article on P8I
http://ifile.it/anqo8pt/8i.zip

Heli Russia chopper show
http://ifile.it/xmj9e67/hr.zip

Mi28
http://ifile.it/l1piz3x/2.zip

Storm Shadow missile
http://ifile.it/lg9a53c/shadow.zip

Rafale M
http://ifile.it/ax3ce0r/rf.zip

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 05 Jul 2011 04:13

http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/06/24 ... =216441098

A Tokyo-Paris flight in under three hours on the horizon (1:07)

June 23 - Imagine flying from Tokyo to Paris in less than two and a half hours, without having to burn tons of fossil fuel. One day it might be possible. The concept of zero-emissions, supersonic flight is being explored by European aircraft maker, EADS. Stuart McDill reports

( Look like mix /souped up MCA and Brahmos Engine)

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 05 Jul 2011 04:18

http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/06/13 ... hannel=300
Airbus' view of flying in the future (2:03)

June 13 - Engineers at European aircraft maker Airbus have unveiled the virtual aeroplane cabin of the future - including a transparent fuselage, and moveable seats - which they say will transform the passenger experience. Joanna Partridge reports.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 05 Jul 2011 12:20

New book, " Area 51-An uncensored history" out by Annie Jacobsen,Orion press.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 06942.html

Xcpt:

The (very) secret history of Area 51

Just how covert is the infamous US air base? New files show that even Presidents don't always 'need to know' its activities

By Mark Piesing
Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Recent declassified documents have helped to shed light on the facts behind the myths of Area 51

No one on the ground or in Pakistan's air defence spotted Area 51's latest toy as it kept watch on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on the night of the US raid that killed the Taliban leader.

Rather than one of the UFOs that the wilder fringes of the internet believe the military has stashed away at America's top-secret military site in Nevada, this "toy" was actually the latest Star Wars-type drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed at the base whose existence Uncle Sam only barely admits.

Named the "Beast of Kandahar" after it was snapped at Kandahar air base in Afghanistan back in 2009, this stealthy grey batwing-shaped long-distance reconnaissance drone, officially known as the RQ-170 Sentinel, was a throwback to Area 51's golden age before the advent of the spy satellite put the spy plane out of business. ....

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 07 Jul 2011 05:08

Here is the picture of the same Su-30 AC on the ground!! From 2008!!!!!!!

I am going to suggest that the:

File change date and time: 2006:07:06 19:10:35

is of the bridge.

That plane could not have the same scrub marks over two years.

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 07 Jul 2011 05:45

NRao wrote:Here is the picture of the same Su-30 AC on the ground!! From 2008!!!!!!!

I am going to suggest that the:

File change date and time: 2006:07:06 19:10:35
is of the bridge.

That plane could not have the same scrub marks over two years.

Please post in the "Camera and Photography Thread -III" under "General Discussion" Board.

manish.rastogi · Post by **manish.rastogi** » 07 Jul 2011 23:51

I recently noticed that Mig 21(the original one) and many other Russian planes of that era were almost like having tube shaped fuselage.
Could anyone shed light on the thinking process behind it?

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 08 Jul 2011 06:05

Rafale too costly for UAE

The UAE has been seen as a potential first export buyer of the Dassault Rafale in a deal estimated at $ 10 billion. Meetings on the Rafale sale were held at the Paris Air Show, which ended June 26. But price resistance has led UAE officials to open discussions with Lockheed Martin to buy more F-16s with the latest 'weaponry and targeting sensors,' the source said. Last year, UAE officials asked for technical information on the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, following a political chill at the highest levels between Abu Dhabi and Paris.

In negotiations with the French, the elements said to be stretching the UAE's planned budget are the co-development costs for a more powerful 'special' Rafale version, plus maintenance and spare parts. The UAE wants its Rafales powered by uprated Snecma M88 engines, whose 9 tons of thrust provide 1.5 tons more than the version flown by the French Air Force. Other improvements requested include a longer range active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and a more capable Spectra electronic warfare suite. The upgrades previously have been estimated at 2 billion euros ($ 2.9 billion) by then-French Defense Minister Herve Morin.

A UAE sale might help Lockheed keep its F-16 assembly line open, after India rejected the U.S. fighter from its short list for the Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft competition. France badly needs export success on the Rafale, a showcase of military technological competence, as the national defense budget assumes foreign contracts to help pay for a steady rate of production. Dassault has said it must build 11 Rafale units a year to keep the line working at an economic rate. Large companies depending on the Rafale include Safran subsidiaries Sagem, for the forward looking infrared gear, Snecma for the twin engines, Thales for the electronics and RBE2 AESA radar, and MBDA, which hopes to sell the Meteor long-range missile.

The Mirage 2000-9 fleet still has a long life ahead of it, but the UAE could start taking delivery of the new F-16s in under five years while keeping the existing Mirage aircraft, the source said. France has previously offered to buy back the Mirage fleet and resell the fighters in export markets to encourage the sale of the Rafale to the UAE.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Jul 2011 08:15

manish.rastogi wrote:I recently noticed that Mig 21(the original one) and many other Russian planes of that era were almost like having tube shaped fuselage.
Could anyone shed light on the thinking process behind it?

Manish all jet engines are tubes. If you build a jet aircraft you have to accommodate a tube somewhere. The Germans and the British put those tubes (jet engines) on the wings in their first jets - Ms 262 and Gloster Meteor (respectively).

The Russians just decided to sling wings on either side of the tube and put a cockpit on top to build the MiG 15. The US did that too with the F-86 Sabre. But the Russian MiG 15 was so successful as a combat aircraft that they stuck with the design and went on to produce an entire series of tubes with wings. The success of that policy can be seen by the fact that MiG 19 derivatives and MiG 21s are still flying more than 50 years after the original design was made.

manish.rastogi · Post by **manish.rastogi** » 09 Jul 2011 16:07

shiv wrote:
manish.rastogi wrote:I recently noticed that Mig 21(the original one) and many other Russian planes of that era were almost like having tube shaped fuselage.
Could anyone shed light on the thinking process behind it?
Manish all jet engines are tubes. If you build a jet aircraft you have to accommodate a tube somewhere. The Germans and the British put those tubes (jet engines) on the wings in their first jets - Ms 262 and Gloster Meteor (respectively).

The Russians just decided to sling wings on either side of the tube and put a cockpit on top to build the MiG 15. The US did that too with the F-86 Sabre. But the Russian MiG 15 was so successful as a combat aircraft that they stuck with the design and went on to produce an entire series of tubes with wings. The success of that policy can be seen by the fact that MiG 19 derivatives and MiG 21s are still flying more than 50 years after the original design was made.

I think I didn't make it clear, I am not talking about jet engines, I know the intakes are cylindrical shaped but I was talking about the whole fuselage. Like when I saw the recent posts of yours in Aircraft Recognition Thread like the original Mig 21, Fishbed B, Fishpot! I saw that the whole structure of the plane is pretty much cylinder and symmetrical.

I wanted to know why they made quite some planes like that, their ideology and thinking about this design. And if there are any design specifics?

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 10 Jul 2011 05:05

Dayton Air Show :: July 23-24, 2011, Dayton, OH

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 10 Jul 2011 10:13

NRao wrote:Dayton Air Show :: July 23-24, 2011, Dayton, OH

Rao, Are you going? I am planning to drive up there from STL. We can meet if possible.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 11 Jul 2011 04:36

http://defensetech.org/2011/07/08/new-l ... more-13603

New Laser Countermeasures Could Defeat RPGs

So, the U.S. Army has begun the process of choosing a new generation of laser countermeasures to protect low-flying military aircraft from 21st Century shoulder fired missiles. Current IR countermeasures found on Army helos aren’t effective against all types of heat-seeking missiles. Meanwhile, at about 200-pounds, the more effective, directional laser-based countermeasures like the AN/AAQ-24 are too heavy to install on smaller choppers like Black Hawk.

ITT gave DT a little heads up on the product their pitching in the contest. ITT’s system is lightweight, modular and built with open architecture software; features shared by most of the CIRCM competitors. This means it can be carried aboard smaller choppers like Black Hawks and easily upgraded and maintained. But the coolest thing about ITT’s product from DT’s standpoint is the fact that the company is pitching its potential (key word being potential) ability to counter what’s been the biggest threat to helos since Vietnam; low-tech RPGs and gunfire.

“We’ve built in a number of capabilities that are adjunct capabilities that come along and give us the possibility of defeating other threats and fulfilling other missions and one of those is hostile fire deterrent,” explained John Janis ITT’s chief engineer for CIRCM during an interview with DT. “In essence, what you do there is make it impossible for a human to observe your aircraft and aim his weapon at your aircraft by creating a distracting light source. That has been done in the past and is a proven technology and one that we can do out of the same apertures and out of the same system that we can do out of our infrared heat seeking missile countermeasures.”

Still, for this to work, the aircraft will need an automatic threat warning system similar to the ones that rapidly que DIRCM-style lasers toward incoming heat-seeking missiles.

“Those systems are in development,” added Janis.

To make such a system work, you’d have to accurately slave a laser to a system that can quickly detect the firing point of gunfire or man with an RPG.

Yet another potential feature of the system is the secure comms feature. Basically, the CIRCM could transmit gigabytes of data over lasers shot towards other aircraft of ground stations. Since laser beams are incredibly narrow compared to radio beams, they are far more difficult to intercept.

With “a radio signal you have a fairly wide spread for your beam and an interceptor only has to be somewhere in the vicinity to pick up and read that signal while with laser communications, for reasonable ranges, you really only paint the aircraft you’re” talking to with the laser beam, making the likelihood of intercept “nearly impossible,” said Janis.

“We’ve actually built a system that from a laser communications standpoint is exponentially faster than any [radio] link,” said Bob Ferrante, VP of ITT Electronic Systems during the same interview. “However, with lasers you do have environmental issues that impede it so this is a nascent technology.

The company is already working with the Naval Research Lab on a covert ship-to-shore datalink using this type of laser tech.

“Essentially by using the laser on the system and our back-end on the system, we can supplant or enhance any RF communications in a very secure manner; we’re talking gigabytes as opposed to megabytes per second,” added Ferrante. “Typically, you’re going to use that technology for high-resolution data streaming or if you want to insure that you’re not going to be intercepted.”

S_Prasad · Post by **S_Prasad** » 11 Jul 2011 04:43

AFAIK the laser should be pointed at the incoming projectile for at least a few seconds.
two scenarios I see can lead to failure.

Case 1: what if two of them were fired at the same time against the chopper.
Case 2 : what if the time of travel of the projectile is lesser than the time needed for the laser to inflict damage.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Jul 2011 03:38

Battle of Britain Photos

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jul 2011 05:52

Case 3: What if the incoming missile has laser sensors, and keep varying the path randomly [dodge and jump] but in the direction of the target?

one word:-

PERIOD

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 12 Jul 2011 10:21

Gerard wrote:Battle of Britain Photos

Couple of things stand out from these pictures (as well as ones I have seen before) of the Battle of Britain...
1) Britain had deployed layer after layers of radar, Ack-Ack gun around London and along the British coast.
2) Britain had deployed a multi tier barrage of balloons (not the Aerostat types but smaller ones)
3) British people maintained phenomenal calm and Girt. Churchill was able to exhort Londoners as well as rural folks to prevail over these ruthless German attack...

how well prepared is Desh for such an onslaught. How did we perform in 1962/65/71 wars...
Disclaimer: My family comes from deep south so even my grand parents have no recollection of these wars even thought they remeber EMDEN's attack on Chennai in WWII!!!!

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 15 Jul 2011 11:22

Eglin AFB receives First F-35 Production Jet For Training

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 15 Jul 2011 19:34

chackojoseph wrote:Eglin AFB receives First F-35 Production Jet For Training

If the First LIPR version F-35 is being received by USAF only now, what the F was the significance of the Lockheed Martin's offer of F-35 to Desh for MMRCA (after the F-16 was booted out) or the collective convulsion which happened after Shook-Laaw came up with his Magnum-Opus of the JSF.
Katrina it is for IAF!!!

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 18 Jul 2011 11:13

Rafale News has updated the Libyan campaign web album, there are plenty of interesting pictures.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1099153712 ... rectlink++
Dassault Rafale looks cool!!!

Pratik_S · Post by **Pratik_S** » 18 Jul 2011 17:41

Tajikistan repeats call for Russia to pay for military base
Its for Ayni airbase which India has been linked to in past.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 24 Jul 2011 20:05

Dayton Air Show:

I went to see the B1B and the A-10 in flight. Got more than I bargained for.

1. Saw the B2 (in fight) while the B1B was 24R, ready to take off. Supposedly this was the first time that both were at the same air show. Real neat.

2. B1B - Bad-to-the-Bone - is a s noisy as the B2 is quite. After the B2 made two passes, the B1B took off. Did three passes (slow, medium and then just below sound barrier), each time the wings swept back just that much. After the final fly-by the plane climbed and did a knife edge (

est stuff I have seen). Man, this plane is noisy.

3. A-10. Have seen it many a times (outside air shows), but never seen one perform the complete set of moves. This AC can dance.

Got pictures of ACs that would be of interest to BRiets (C-130, C-17 mostly), other than the Guppy and the B1B (my fav). Will post some time.

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 24 Jul 2011 21:02

Boeing EA-18G Growlers Complete 1st Combat Deployment

2 additional EA-18G squadrons now deployed
Growlers operating from both aircraft carrier, land base

VishalJ · Post by **VishalJ** » 24 Jul 2011 21:56

koti wrote:What worries me is that the Dassault PR has been so far mum on these so called emergency landings.

SaiK wrote:So, did they say why those emergency landings happened?

Going by the photos i'm seeing, i've made a list:

- April 20th 2011, Mirafe F1's Emergency Landing - Low Fuel
- April 23rd 2011, Mirafe F1's Emergency Landing - Hydraulic Failure
- May 02nd 2011, Mirafe F1's Emergency Landing - Low Fuel
- May 28nd 2011, Mirafe F1's Emergency Landing - Low Fuel Photos of all the above in Chronological Order

- May 22nd 2011, Super Étendard Emergency Landing - difficulty in landing on the Charles De Gaulle & then Low Fuel PHOTOS

- May 31st 2011, M2K Emergency Landing - Broken Refuelling Probe

- May 31st 2011, Rafale Emergency Landing - Fire in the cockpit PHOTOS

- 5th July 2011, Dassault-Breguet Atlantique Emergency landing - Left Engine Failure PHOTOS

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 24 Jul 2011 21:59

Shrinivasan wrote:
chackojoseph wrote:Eglin AFB receives First F-35 Production Jet For Training
If the First LIPR version F-35 is being received by USAF only now, what the F was the significance of the Lockheed Martin's offer of F-35 to Desh for MMRCA (after the F-16 was booted out) or the collective convulsion which happened after Shook-Laaw came up with his Magnum-Opus of the JSF.
Katrina it is for IAF!!!

Poor LM, offer the F-16 and they complain that its too old, offer the F-35 and they complain that its too new.

Shrinivasan · Post by **Shrinivasan** » 25 Jul 2011 01:47

abhik wrote:Poor LM, offer the F-16 and they complain that its too old, offer the F-35 and they complain that its too new.

By the time many countries finally get the JSF, it would be an Old Bird (20 years...)

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 26 Jul 2011 08:33

Helicopter crashes in Thailand

Maj Gen Pittaya said the Huey helicopter was one of the 30 second-hand helicopters which the US decommissioned and handed over to the Thai army. The helicopters underwent factory maintenance in 2004 and the army had to pay a million US dollars worth of maintenance for each of the helicopters.

As for the Black Hawk helicopter crash on July 19, Maj Gen Pittaya said the bad weather conditions were also to blame. Again, the poor visibility due to thick clouds caused the pilot on board to lose sight of the surroundings and could not see the ground and smashed into the ground. Nine people on board were killed. The Black Hawk helicopter that went down on July 19 was bought from the US in 2002. The army has also bought three more Black Hawk helicopters of the same L-type, which are due for delivery next year. The three new Black Hawk helicopters will also be fitted with weather radars whereas the existing seven Black Hawk helicopters have none of the radars.

The Bell 212 transport helicopter crashed on Sunday morning while on its way to pick up the bodies of the nine victims in the Black Hawk helicopter crash on July 19. The Bell helicopter was bought in 1992. It was part of the fleet of 20 Bell 212 helicopters, he said. Maj Gen Pittaya said the army had ordered the Bell 212 helicopter fleet to be grounded after the accident. But he said the fleet is expected to resume operation in the next few days because an army inquiry committee had already discovered that the accident involving the Bell 212 helicopter was caused by a tail rotor failure.