International Aerospace Discussion

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 18 Mar 2009 08:23

At Red Flag, The Flying's Real, But The Enemy's Not

Click for Picture: Boeing unveils it's stealth plane

Video of F-15SE model showing opening of missile storage doors

Silent Eagle Sneaks into the Market

Boeing plans new fighter to vie with Lockheed's

Designated the F-15 Silent Eagle, or F-15SE, it incorporates what Boeing calls cost-effective "stealth" technologies as well as redesigned "conformal" fuel tanks that allow for carrying weapons internally to cut the aircraft's radar cross section.

Improvements in stealth, or radar avoidance, include coatings and treatments on the aircraft. The F-15SE would be able to internally carry air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9 and AIM-120 and air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition and Small Diameter Bomb.

Depending on the specific mission, the new F-15 could carry the special fuel tanks designed to create internal weapons bays or swap them out to optimize fuel capacity and external weapons loads, Boeing said.

Overseas competitors include Saab AB's (SAABb.ST) Gripen, the Dassault Aviation SA (DAST.PA) Rafale, Russia's MiG-35 and Sukhoi Su-35, and the Eurofighter Typhoon made by a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies.At Red Flag, The Flying's Real, But The Enemy's Not

Boeing plans new fighter to vie with Lockheed's

Designated the F-15 Silent Eagle, or F-15SE, it incorporates what Boeing calls cost-effective "stealth" technologies as well as redesigned "conformal" fuel tanks that allow for carrying weapons internally to cut the aircraft's radar cross section.

Improvements in stealth, or radar avoidance, include coatings and treatments on the aircraft. The F-15SE would be able to internally carry air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9 and AIM-120 and air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition and Small Diameter Bomb.

Depending on the specific mission, the new F-15 could carry the special fuel tanks designed to create internal weapons bays or swap them out to optimize fuel capacity and external weapons loads, Boeing said.

Overseas competitors include Saab AB's (SAABb.ST) Gripen, the Dassault Aviation SA (DAST.PA) Rafale, Russia's MiG-35 and Sukhoi Su-35, and the Eurofighter Typhoon made by a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies.

Some more details on the Silent Eagle below.

Boeing Unveils New International F-15 Configuration - the F-15SE

"The F-15 Silent Eagle is designed to meet our international customers' anticipated need for cost-effective stealth technologies, as well as for large and diverse weapons payloads," said Mark Bass, F-15 Program vice president for Boeing. "The innovative Silent Eagle is a balanced, affordable approach designed to meet future survivability needs."

The aircraft's canted vertical tails improve aerodynamic efficiency, provide lift, and reduce airframe weight. Another aerodynamic improvement is the Digital Flight Control System, which improves the aircraft's reliability and reduces airframe weight.

Survivability improvements include a BAES Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS) working in concert with the Raytheon Advanced Electronic Scanning Array (AESA) radar.

Boeing has completed a conceptual prototype of the CFT internal-carriage concept, and plans to flight-test a prototype by the first quarter of 2010, including a live missile launch.

And finally,

Boeing unveils the "stealthy" F-15 Silent Eagle

Boeing says the F-15SE can match the frontal-aspect stealth performance of the export version of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The precise level stealth allowed to be exported to foreign countries is still to be determined by the US authorities who govern technology transfer rules. Will international F-35 customers be disappointed if they find out a fourth-generation fighter can match their fight-generation fighter's head-on performance?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Mar 2009 08:46

interesting...and the F15E has a higher top speed, heavier payload and longer combat radius than F-35. its a good value proposition for the MLU of current usaf F15E fleet, but I think other operators of F15 like saudis, israel, soko, japan (when will they ever upg?), singapore do not have huge numbers and will rather hand over their cash for F-35.

ajay_ijn · Post by **ajay_ijn** » 18 Mar 2009 12:49

Singha wrote:new fleet of 28 Marine1 EH101_MKI helis to cost $400 mil each

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/us/po ... ml?_r=1&hp

But IAF selected same helicopter, 600 million for 12 of them.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 19 Mar 2009 05:25

USAF prepares upgrade strategy for F-15E fleet

Boeing confirms that its single-largest customer for the F-15E, the US Air Force, is finalising a new, long-term upgrade "roadmap" for the multirole fighter.

However, Boeing offered the (F-15 SE) briefing only as a courtesy, as the aircraft is focused primarily on the international market. The USAF "thinks it's a very good fit for the international market", says Bass.

Boeing has also presented additional details about BAE's DEWS equipment to the USAF, Bass says, with the design - which includes an integrated radar jammer and radar warning receiver (RWR) - is among the F-15E upgrades under review by the service.

BAE confirms that the DEWS package is derived from the EW suite designed for the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, using a modular software architecture system called Barracuda. A key feature of the system is an interleaving mode that allows the pilot to continue jamming while simultaneously operating the radar and RWR.

Lockheed Martin touts job preservation in ads for F-22 Raptor fighter jets

Britain to buy its first 3 Lockheed F-35 fighters

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 20 Mar 2009 02:47

Council on Foreign Relations
National Missile Defense: A Status Report

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 20 Mar 2009 04:40

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Events & Contracts 2009-2010

F-35 Progress in Pictures

Photo Release -- Turkish F-35 Supplier to Northrop Grumman Delivers First Structural Assemblies

First U.S. Marine Pilots Lockheed Martin F-35

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Mar 2009 14:05

Check this stunning pic!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5007735 ... ondon.html

UFOs photographed over London
Strange shapes have been photographed hovering over London leading to speculation they could be UFOs.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Mar 2009 23:09

Philip wrote:Check this stunning pic!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5007735 ... ondon.html

UFOs photographed over London
Strange shapes have been photographed hovering over London leading to speculation they could be UFOs.

Cloaked UFO

Seriously though I do think there are strange flying objects seen , documented , witnessed , recorded over period of many decades , the trajectory and shape of these objects certainly even my todays scientific achievement and all that skunk work can show is not deliverable.

sohamn · Post by **sohamn** » 20 Mar 2009 23:29

I wonder why UFOs are all disc shaped. This shows the limit of human imagination. Since everyone has the disc shape in mind hence they will doctor all their photos with the disc shape. i have always found out that the ufo pictures always have very low resolution. I am sure there is other life forms in the universe, however if they had chosen to visit us in 21st century, we would have known and probably nuked them too.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 21 Mar 2009 03:18

There have been triangular UFOs too! Cigar shaped.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 21 Mar 2009 03:20

In the line of fire

Why America’s defence industry is in for some lean years

rajsunder · Post by **rajsunder** » 21 Mar 2009 04:51

ajay_ijn wrote:
Singha wrote:new fleet of 28 Marine1 EH101_MKI helis to cost $400 mil each

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/us/po ... ml?_r=1&hp
But IAF selected same helicopter, 600 million for 12 of them.

cos of all the EW stuff it caries.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Mar 2009 13:18

Sohamm,more recent UFO pics from the UK.

latest pic :http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... shire.html

Schoolgirl 'spots UFO in Shropshire'
A schoolgirl claims to have spotted a UFO after filming a pulsing ball of blue light close to an RAF base.

UFOs spotted by Navy engineer above the M5 motorway
A Royal Navy aircraft engineer claims to have seen a "glowing" UFO hover over the M5 motorway.

By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 7:29AM BST 02 Jul 2008

Michael Madden, 25, said he watched in disbelief as the disc-shaped object floated above his head before it "zoomed off at incredible speed".

He said the unidentified flying object flew for up to three minutes above junction 21 of the M5, near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Russian scientists in bid to solve Tunguska Event
Soldier spots 13 UFOs above barracks
Pilots call for new UFO investigation
Huge rise in British UFO sightings

Mr Madden was on his way back from Manchester with colleague Michael Casson, 22, at 9.50pm on Sunday June 29 when he saw the suspected 'extra-terrestrial' craft.

He said: "I work with aircraft and grew up next to Manchester Airport so I know exactly what a plane looks and sounds like. This was definitely not a plane.

"It was a circular disc which was glowing bright, hovering hundreds of metres up.

"Other people must have spotted it. It was unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. It really did look like the alien aircraft in films. It had an antenna fixed to the back."

Mr Madden's claim follows a string of recent UFO "sightings".

On June 7 three soldiers said they saw 13 UFOs, which looked like "rotating cubes", while on night patrol at Tern Hill military barracks near Market Drayton, Shropshire. One, Corporal Mark Proctor, 38, of the 1st Battalion of the Irish Regiment, recorded the sighting on his mobile phone and reported it to Army officers.

That sighting came just two hours before helicopter police officers reported an encounter with a huge craft 80 miles away near Cardiff. They claimed to have given chase to the "flying saucer-shaped" object after it almost collided with their aircraft near the Ministry of Defence base of St Athan.

Then Father-of-two David Osborne, 47, videoed 12 orange objects in the night sky above Basingstoke, Hampshire, at 10.40pm on June 28.

The alleged UFOs moved across the sky, switching from a D formation, to a random pattern, to a line then a triangle before disappearing.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Mar 2009 16:27

I wonder wheather these UFO could be detected by Radar , because if you have something unidentified flying the Air Force will send in few aircraft to probe it , no radar blips only visual contacts for few individuals.

The key technologies for such shape aircraft is Propulsion , ability to manipulate/control inertia due to its sudden manouvering capability in any direction , ability to have positive control in flight due to strange shape of object ( wonder what FBW tech they use to control such unstable platform ) special materials , invisibility to radio waves seems to be a lesser challenge here

Once there was this documentray shown in Discovery Channel , in one of the US Top Secret airbase in early 90's , there was this security camera fliming an unidentified object which was randomly manouvering in any direction and changing shapes while doing so.

The DOD released this footage after nearly a decade , but the puzzle still remains unresolved.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 21 Mar 2009 17:05

Russia orders major S-400 deployment

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 22 Mar 2009 00:11

Boeing video showing how AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles would be deployed from the internal weapons bays in the conformal fuel tanks on its Silent Eagle stealth version of the F-15E. This is mockup hardware - on the real aircraft, the missiles would deploy much more quickly

SAAF Hawk down

Northrop Grumman's NGB X-Posed

Stealthy F-15 Could Breathe Life into St. Louis Facility

Silent Eagle joins the Stealth Squad

The new fighter would be aimed at the South Korean contract, but also at other opportunities in Asia and the Middle East forecast over the next three years. Candidates for the F-15SE include Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore, says Boeing, with all being current F-15 operators.

Adding radar absorbent materials to leading edges can soften the F-15SE's head-on radar signature enough to be competitive against the frontal aspect radar signature of the export version of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Jones claims. "We know we can get to the US government release level for international customers," he adds.

Boeing acknowledges that the F-15SE's stealth improvements do not help against ground-based radar systems, which are critical for waging offensive strikes against opponents armed with surface-to-air missile systems. Lowering the F-15SE's thermal signature - a critical stealthy feature for the Lockheed F-22 Raptor - is also not part of Boeing plans.

The first F-15SE could be available for delivery to a foreign customer three years after a deal is signed, says Boeing.

PratikDas · Post by **PratikDas** » 22 Mar 2009 02:57

Sikorsky S-92 A grounded worldwide after Canada crash

Even Sikorsky can screw up! DDM take note.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Mar 2009 00:04

2 U.S. destroyers remaining nearby for rocket launch

“The primary mission of the U.S. Navy’s destroyers is detecting and tracking the Taepodong?2 missile that the North is expected to fire sometime between April 4 and 8,” the source said. “Depending on the circumstances, the U.S. warships may intercept the missile in cooperation with the Aegis-class ships of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces.”

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Mar 2009 00:07

Raytheon unveils missile decoyRaytheon unveils missile decoy

The Miniature Air Launched Decoy, MALD for short, is a 10-foot-long, 250-pound missile-like craft that can fly into enemy territory and trigger radar installations, making them visible so they can be destroyed.

PratikDas · Post by **PratikDas** » 23 Mar 2009 00:45

Gerard wrote:Raytheon unveils missile decoy

And it took 10 years to develop too!

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Mar 2009 12:36

More on UK UFO reports.Some were thought to be secret US or Russian "triangular hyperplanes".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... F-jet.html

Brando · Post by **Brando** » 23 Mar 2009 19:38

Gerard wrote:Russia to approve new Moon rocket

Compared to NASA's Ares-V, this Russian rocket is pathetic competition.

Maybe India can buy this tech from the Russians and leap frog their GSLV program from a mere 1-3 tonne capability now to at least a modest 20-30 tonne capability.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 24 Mar 2009 09:50

German A310MRTTs Near Fielding

B-2 Bomber Radar Spectrum Accidentally Sold, Adds to Military Bandwidth Woes

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 25 Mar 2009 08:43

Northrop patents canard B-2(ish) design

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 26 Mar 2009 02:22

F-22 crashes in California desert near air base

An F-22 Raptor jet fighter crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California, Air Force officials said. Rescue crews were en route to the crash site and the status of the pilot was not immediately known, said Air Force Maj. David Small at the Pentagon.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 26 Mar 2009 07:39

Pilot killed in Raptor crash

The pilot was David Cooley, 49, a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003, the company said in a statement. It did not release any details of the accident or say whether Cooley attempted to eject.

The jet, assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron of Edwards' 412th Test Wing, was on a test mission, said Air Force Maj. David Small at the Pentagon. Small did not know the nature of the mission.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 26 Mar 2009 10:13

I like the professional manner in which the F-22A crash was covered. I don't the US media winning about the cost overruns for F-22 etc.

10 F-16 crash every year, yet they are never called flying coffins. Pakis never report crashes unless it happens in apublic area>>>

DDM seriously needs to improve

chiragAS · Post by **chiragAS** » 26 Mar 2009 15:40

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7964196.stm

Love this Russian rocket / spacecraft.
the best in its class..

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 29 Mar 2009 04:31

The Space shuttle Discovery returns to earth at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, March 28, 2009. The landing ends mission STS-119 to the International Space Station. REUTERS/Scott Audette (UNITED STATES SCI TECH SOCIETY

Awesome picture!..

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 29 Mar 2009 04:34

The $140 million supersonic F-22 !!

They have gotten cost way down!!!

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 30 Mar 2009 21:09

Gates: U.S. Not Prepared to Respond to North Korea Missile Launch

Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: "And there's nothing we can do about it?"

"No," Gates answered, adding, "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 04 Apr 2009 17:03

Space Race Increasing Risk of Nuclear War

By 2025, the space capabilities of the leading space powers---the U.S., Russia, India and China---will be roughly equal “due to information sharing in a globalized economy,” says noted space researcher Matt Hoey in an exclusive interview.

Through their military and commercial research facilities, the world’s military powers are pursuing development of a reusable, unmanned, hypersonic, space-strike delivery platform that “would permit rapid precision strikes worldwide in 120 minutes or less,” Hoey said.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Apr 2009 18:07

North Korea launches rocket, defying world pressure

Liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean and U.S. governments said. The multistage rocket hurtled toward the Pacific, reaching Japanese airspace within seven minutes, but no debris appeared to hit its territory, officials in Tokyo said.

Four hours after the launch, North Korea declared it a success. An experimental communications satellite reached outer space in just over nine minutes and is orbiting Earth, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said from Pyongyang.

"The satellite is transmitting the melodies of the immortal revolutionary paeans 'Song of Gen. Kim Il Sung' and 'Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il' as well as measurement data back to Earth,"

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Apr 2009 18:31

North Korea space launch 'fails'

Two stages of the rocket and its payload landed in the Pacific Ocean, a US military statement said.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Apr 2009 18:48

http://www.northcom.mil/News/2009/040509.html

North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command officials acknowledged today that North Korea launched a Taepo Dong 2 missile at 10:30 p.m. EDT Saturday which passed over the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the nation of Japan.

Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean.

No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan.

NORAD and USNORTHCOM assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch.

This is all of the information that will be provided by NORAD and USNORTHCOM pertaining to the launch.

adityaS · Post by **adityaS** » 05 Apr 2009 22:10

The ballistic-missile-test-or-not debate is quite amusing.

Guardian

[...]the foreign secretary, David Miliband, described this morning's North Korean move as a "satellite launch".

SCMP

“Even if a satellite was launched, we see this as a ballistic missile test and we think this matter should be taken to the United Nations Security Council,” Mr Kawamura said. “We are highly concerned by this matter.”

Japan times

North Korea fired a long-range rocket over the Tohoku region Sunday, but Japan did not try to shoot it down because its debris posed no threat to Japanese territory.

On more serious matters, was the launch successful, or not?

SpaceDaily

North Korea's rocket launch is a partial technological success on the way to building a long-range missile, even if Pyongyang failed to put a satellite in orbit, the former director of the US missile defense agency said Sunday.

One of the earlier articles posted said that their official news agency said that the satellite was in orbit.

DPRK acceeded to the UN Treaty on objects launched into outer space on March 10th, so I'd assume that they are supposed to notify the space object registry about what they have launched. No details on the website about this, so I assume it's not in orbit.

k prasad · Post by **k prasad** » 06 Apr 2009 12:28

Gerard wrote:North Korea launches rocket, defying world pressure
"The satellite is transmitting the melodies of the immortal revolutionary paeans 'Song of Gen. Kim Il Sung' and 'Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il' as well as measurement data back to Earth,"

Them NoKos have GOT to have the greatest sense of ironic humor - all that money, hullabulloo, and potential sanctions, and the so called satellite is transmitting songs - thats like something straight out of a National Lampoon movie, or like those joker popup box toys:

NORAD: Sir, we are recieving information that NoKo is launching a missile
GWB: Okay, i'm in tayxes naaw, speak to condi abaut it....
NORAD: Affirmative sir.

NORAD (To condi): Maam, we have detected a rocket launch from NoKo.
Condi: OMG, the russians are coming... to the bunkers everyone.
NORAD: I'm sorry maam, its North Korea.
Condi: Oh oh, Osama has nukes!! Get me Mush on the line Stat..
NORAD: Dr. Rice, its North Korea, the other part of the axis of evil... the country next to china.
Condi: Oh, them! Ok... get the Patriots ready.

NORAD: Dr. Rice, we are detecting potential warheads being deployed.
Condi: OMG, to the bunkers everyone.
NORAD: Maam, the warhead appears to be attempting to transmit some data; they may be trying to hack into our system. Please advice
Condi: Help, get the choppers, I need to get out of here now....
NORAD: Dr. Rice??
Condi: HELP!!!
NORAD: They have begun transmitting, they have taken over our radios.. We are shutting down all systems, commence countermeasures...
(Radio): (Korean Song playing).

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 07 Apr 2009 01:37

BAe Systems shows Hawk Upgrade to current users

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Apr 2009 01:01

North Korea Missile Test Caught On Camera!

Taken by the DigitalGlobe Worldview-1 satellite about 102 minutes before the satellite ended up in sea-synchronous orbit, this image demonstrates the power of being in the right place at the right time. One has to wonder if the launch was timed to coincide with the DigitalGlobe satellite which travels at 4 miles per second. This image released by DigitalGlobe shows the contrail and rocket plume of the North Korean U'nha 2 / Taepo Dong 2 launch vehicle carrying the Kwangmyongsong 2 (Bright Lodestar 2 ) satellite.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Apr 2009 01:03

Vidcaps from North Korean TV showing the launch vehicle
http://newsru.com/world/07apr2009/raketatv.html