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Craig Alpert wrote:^^any details on how the "ejection seats work" in particular with respect to the rotor blades??
IIRC there are explosive bolts in the rotor blades main mast that fire when ejection is initiated and the fire off the rotors away from the chopper after which the canopy gets ejected similar to a fighter plane the seats fire away from the chopper...
Austin thanks for the cockpit picture saw it in mil photos site some time back...interesting to see such a TFTA cockpit on the 52 sure has come a long long way from the old days of the fully analogue mi 24 cockpits...
Also doesnt the 52 have a combination of radar in addition to your standard optronice (flir, tv, laser) stuff?
andy B wrote:Also doesnt the 52 have a combination of radar in addition to your standard optronice (flir, tv, laser) stuff?
Yes they are suppose to be armed with Arbalet radar ( check page 25 of this thread ) but they are inducting Ka-52 as chopper for Special Operation and the mission suite/weapons/electronics could just vary for the exact purpose they are being procured.
They would procure a good number of Ka-52 for the 4 Mistral LPD as recently declared so the mission/armament suite of assult/cas chopper would vary.
Ka-52 is not the main anti-tank/assult chopper of the Russian Army that is taken over by Mi-28N.
As 2011 begins, the French DGA made France the 4th customer nation to place production orders for MBDA’s ramjet-powered Meteor missile, after Britain, Spain, and Sweden. The 200 missile order was placed through the multinational program lead, Britain’s MoD Defence Equipment & Services (DE&S), to MBDA-UK. Price was not mentioned. The first French Meteor missile deliveries are expected in 2018.
MBDA’s Meteor missile was conceived as a longer-range competitor to popular weapons like the Russian R77/AA-12, and American AIM-120 AMRAAM. Its ramjet propulsion is intended to offer the missile a head-on closing range of 120 km, with a 2-way datalink and full powered performance at Mach 4+ throughout its flight, instead of the standard “burn and glide” approach of rocket-powered missiles. The intent is to give the missile both longer reach, and a wider “no escape” profile.
These characteristics will make the missile a strong export contender in both the new fighter and legacy fleet upgrade markets. There have been reports that the Meteor may have a version designed for internal carriage in the F-35, but no confirmation. At present, the focus appears to be on initial partner orders, and entry into service. Britain and Spain ordered Meteor missiles for their Eurofighter Typhoon fleets, and Sweden for its JAS-39 Gripen, which is serving as the Meteor’s main test platform. France is ordering them for its Rafale and Rafale-M fighters. Partner nations Germany and Italy have yet to place their initial production orders, and MBDA refuses to release Meteor production totals so far.
Dear All,
I had opportunity to attend Waddington Airshow, UK & visit Swiss Airforce Museum, Dubendorf. According to me following were the highlights:
Eurofighter Typhoon
Gripen
Harrier
B-2 Vulcan
F-16
Turkish Stars (F-5 Display Team)
Merlin
Chinook
Could India be interested in any of these cast offs I wonder.
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The Defense Department said Thursday that it would suspend purchases of the Marine Corps’ F-35 jet fighter, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., and instead buy more Boeing Co.-made F/A-18 aircraft.
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If Lockheed can’t get costs under control within two years, the program will be terminated, Gates added.
The U.S. Defense Department is adding $4.6 billion for development of the F-35 fighter jet and slowing down the purchase of the new aircraft. The information was contained in a letter to the U.S. House and Senate.
The development phase of the program will extend into 2016, about a one-year delay. At the same time, the Pentagon is reducing the number of aircraft it will purchase through 2016 to 325, a decrease of 124 jets, according to the three-page document.
The Pentagon plans to request 32 aircraft next year, down from a planned 45; 42 in fiscal 2013 from a planned 71; and 62 in fiscal 2014 from a planned 90, according to the document.
The delays are needed because “the final assembly process” at Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility is “still maturing,” the document said. Second, slowing production reduces the overlap between development and assembly while testing is extended into 2016 from mid-2015, it said.
Earlier this year, 122 of the aircraft were delayed when the Pentagon announced a 13-month slip in the development schedule.
The version “is experiencing significant testing problems” that “could lead to a redesign of the aircraft’s structure and propulsion
Asked if he was close to canceling the version this year, Gates said, “I think that the Marine Corps made a compelling case that they need some time to try and get things right with the STOVL, and we will give them that opportunity.”
The U.K. in October said it decided in a budget-cutting move against buying the more expensive short-takeoff version of the jet.
The co-chairmen of President Barack Obama’s debt commission in November proposed ending the Marine Corps version of the F- 35, a move they said would save $17.6 billion from 2012 to 2015.
The resumption of discussions with the UAE also may have been facilitated by a French decision, announced Jan. 3, to clear the acquisition of 200 Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles. The UAE wish list also is said to include upgraded M88 engines better suited to Middle East conditions, active electronically scanned radar, the Damocles targeting pod and Reco NG reconnaissance pod. However, significant hurdles remain, including UAE demands that France find a buyer for 60 Mirage 2000 fighters currently in its inventory.
I wanted to chime in before anyone comments IAF should buy it - I do not agree - we are well down the MRCA and Tejas track and these should get funding. moreover refurbishing and upgrading these to the M2k upg std we are doing might cost another bomb.
made sense 10 yrs ago though...back when MRCA was supposed to be a one-vendor deal for 125 M2k-9
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The F-35 fighter jet, set to replace a large part of the US warplane fleet, has become the most expensive weapons program ever, drawing increased scrutiny at a time of tight public finances.
Following a series of cost overruns and delays, the program is now expected to cost a whopping 382 billion dollars, for 2,443 aircraft.
Something to think about for all those who criticize the LCA overrun. This is a country building its 4th stealth aircraft.
ramjet for astra is a long way off. the version under active development is solid rocket motor only. please let us learn to walk before "f22 type demands"
The new estimate for the price of a JSF is 59,7 million euro, this is what the Dutch defense minister said to the parliament last Friday. He also said that the estimated maintanance cost per JSF per year is 3,9 million Euro.
I hope the IAF commander's are watching these kinds of developments closely because the Chinese sure will be! (As will the Russians!)
I wonder if, the Russian's will ever get their AESA radar's as good as the American's (at least before the Chinese do!) so they can set them in IAF's Sukhoi's and play the same bait-and-switch ? Taking down those J-20's should be a priority for the IAF and with all Sukhoi's India's already invested in, it would be a shame to put all our eggs in the FGFA basket!
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Both the U.S. Air Force F-35A variant and U.S. Marine Corps' F-35B model experienced "transonic wing roll-off, [and] greater than expected sideslip during medium angle-of-attack testing," the report said.
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Additionally, the Pratt and Whitney F-135 engine has encountered an afterburner "screech," in which airflow disruptions cause severe vibrations, preventing the engine from reaching maximum power. That problem has delayed some required testing.
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Further, the report indicates problems with the aircraft's helmet-mounted display (HMD). Unlike many previous aircraft, the F-35 does not have a cockpit-mounted head-up display; the pilot instead views critical data projected on the helmet visor.
The report does not elaborate on the nature of the problems, but says they must be solved before the Block 2 mission systems software can be tested. Currently, the program is testing preliminary Block 0.5 and Block 1 mission systems software. Block 2 would incrementally increase the aircraft's capabilities and would be followed by the fully mission-capable Block 3 software.
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WASHINGTON (AFP) – The F-35 fighter jet, set to replace a large part of the US warplane fleet, has become the most expensive weapons program ever, drawing increased scrutiny at a time of tight public finances.
Following a series of cost overruns and delays, the program is now expected to cost a whopping 382 billion dollars, for 2,443 aircraft.
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Defense officials say the original cost estimates have now doubled to make each plane's price tag reach some 92 million dollars.
At the same time, the contract awarded in 2001 had been planned to last 10 years, but has been extended to 2016 because of testing and design issues.
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I hope our LCA bashers read these articles. It is not easy to develop a new aircraft, even if you have prior experience with developing aircrafts and engines. Cost and time overruns are not limited to Indian R&D alone.
I like the Boeing concept of blended body and wing , essentially a flying wing which is very efficient for payload/range and fuel efficiency which the commercial aviation industry tries to better every time with new design.
Over nearly 50 years or so of aviation we have seen cylindrical fuselage type design with little to no innovation in that area , Boeing design is a cut above the rest and true 21st century innovation in civil aviation.
I think the use of some conventional control surfaces will make this aircraft easier to control , lets hope we see this fly some day
most passengers will get no windows assuming this thing could have 15-20 across seating. some clever LED screens to show the outside world will need to be rigged up and/or sunroof windows.
^^ Yeah window seat are good but mostly during take off and landing , well they can certainly replace that by giving a 360* camera view on a LCD , LED would be widely used on new generation type the new Dreamliner seems to made good use of it and kind of ambience and effect besides saving that LED can give is simply fantastic.
even in current a/c they could install one camera above and one below to pipe in HD quality footage on two channels of the passenger entertainment system behind each seat.
during takeoff and landing it would be really impressive as also catching a glimpse of famous places.
Chinese?
X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV-1). Weighing 11,000 pounds, measuring 29 feet long, and sporting a wingspan of less than 15 feet, the X-37B resembles a smaller version of the space shuttle.
