Aviation Pictures Part Trois

[I am Belch II]

Damn, just when I thought I'd completely blocked that piece of shit of a movie from my memory you had to go and bring it back.   >:(

Thats a great combo....it fits perfectly.

Just dont bring up Speed 2

[Fat Guy]

Just dont bring up Speed 2

Never subjected myself to it. I don't like to repeat my mistakes.

[DoctorMonkey]

That's about the first time I've seen an F-35 actually look good!

[ColBosch]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/15/air-force-pilot-performs-miracle-landing-with-no-wheels-canopy.html

[DoctorMonkey]

I wonder how the canopy coming off damaged the underside unless that was actually the gun misfiring that did that


Anyway, it's more impressive than might be thought from *just* belly landing an A-10 but I guess that is why pilots wear helmet/facemask/visor all the time in the air rather than removing them like they do in films (so that you can see the expensive actor's face)

[Feenix74]

They really need to reconsider re-opening the A-10 production line and produce an updated A-10 Super Thunderbolt IIC.

Yes I know it will not happen because the flyboys in Air Force are afraid that doing that would mean reducing the number of precious F-22s or F-35s. However the A-10s combat record and record of making it home after sustaining massive amounts of damage speaks for itself.

[JadeHellbringer]

Any other aircraft: Airframe total loss, salvage any reasonable parts/equipment.

Warthog: Flight status green for Monday morning, another day at the ****** office.  ;D

[DoctorMonkey]

They really need to reconsider re-opening the A-10 production line and produce an updated A-10 Super Thunderbolt IIC.

Yes I know it will not happen because the flyboys in Air Force are afraid that doing that would mean reducing the number of precious F-22s or F-35s. However the A-10s combat record and record of making it home after sustaining massive amounts of damage speaks for itself.

The A-10 and the F-35 are going to do different missions
The A-10 is really more a competitor to the AH-64 or drones


I'd like to keep the A-10 in the NATO armoury (I'd be happy for the RAF or British Army Air Corps to take them over!) but not necessarily at the expense of the F-35s, more the huge numbers of attack helicopters being used which have shorter legs, can't take the altitudes of Afghanistan etc as well and are probably even more vulnerable to MANPADS


(images taken from random Google Images search)

[I am Belch II]

Always loved that comparison between the A-10 and the F-35

[worktroll]

Yes I know it will not happen because the flyboys in Air Force are afraid that doing that would mean reducing the number of precious F-22s or F-35s.

Guaranteed, re-opening the A-10 lines won't impact at all on F-22 numbers. F-22 line is already closed down. F-35 is the only game in town for USAF.

It's enough to make you want to give the nice people at Sukhoi a call ...

[JadeHellbringer]

Guaranteed, re-opening the A-10 lines won't impact at all on F-22 numbers. F-22 line is already closed down. F-35 is the only game in town for USAF.

It's enough to make you want to give the nice people at Sukhoi a call ...

Without going anywhere closer to Rule 4, I suspect that avenue is not viable at the moment.  ::)

Side note, my dad called a while ago from his home on Martha's Vineyard to tell me he had a pair of extremely loud visitors around lunchtime today- two engines and two tails, but he didn't know exactly what they were- he's sending photos to me tonight, I guess. My bet is F-18s, though -15s or even -22s aren't out of the question. It used to be that the island directly to the south (Noman's Land) was a naval bombing range- I used to love going with my granddad on his boat down there to watch A-6s and A-7s make bombing runs when I was a boy. Today the range is closed and has been made into a wildlife refuge (and isn't open to visitors, due to a century of unexploded ordnance!), so while the bet is naval aircraft were Dad's visitors, the closing of the range means it's no slam-dunk guess anymore. Either way, I'll try to get his photos posted here if he remembers to send them.

[hoosierhick]

Guaranteed, re-opening the A-10 lines won't impact at all on F-22 numbers. F-22 line is already closed down. F-35 is the only game in town for USAF.

It's enough to make you want to give the nice people at Sukhoi a call ...

The A-10 line being shut down since 1984 and the tooling long being gone won't help much, either.  Plus the F-15 and F-16 are still being built, even if the U.S. Air Force isn't buying any more.

[Bren]

The A-10 and the F-35 are going to do different missions

A-10 will fight low-end insurgents.
F-35 will fight everything else.

[Feenix74]

Guaranteed, re-opening the A-10 lines won't impact at all on F-22 numbers. F-22 line is already closed down. F-35 is the only game in town for USAF.

The fear for the flyboy Generals will be that they may be forced by the politicians and/or bean-counters to sacrifice an F-22 squadron to be mothballed or reduce the number of F-35s to be procured to keep the A-10s flying. So much easier to play the game of brinkmanship of mothballing the A-10s and wait for the grunt Generals to lobby the politicians and/or bean-counters to give the flyboys more money to keep the A-10s flying without having to sacrifice F-22s or F-35s. Got to love Defence tribal politics at its best/worst . . .

[Bedwyr]

It's not quite to "my grandpappy flew 'er" status like the B-52 yet, but I'm sure it'll get there.

[JadeHellbringer]

It's not quite to "my grandpappy flew 'er" status like the B-52 yet, but I'm sure it'll get there.

I remain convinced that when the last F-22, to say nothing of the A-10, head off to the boneyard for retirement, a B-52 will perform a salute flyover.

[Siden Pryde]

I remain convinced that when the last F-22, to say nothing of the A-10, head off to the boneyard for retirement, a B-52 will perform a salute flyover.

If it aint broke, don't fix it.  If it's old but not broke, upgrade it.

[Feenix74]

That is because they were "built to last" engineering masterpieces as opposed to the current fad of "engineered to fail" disposable toys.

[Siden Pryde]

That is because they were "built to last" engineering masterpieces as opposed to the current fad of "engineered to fail" disposable toys.

Design started: 1946.  First Flight: 1952.  Introduction to Service: 1955.  Retirement: Sometime after Ragnarok.  :) 

[Kidd]

Well, lets see what the LRSB project comes up with. So far almost everything we know is Cold War legacy, yes even the Bones...

[glitterboy2098]

it is "like the B-2 but smaller"


and they named it the B-21.
Northrop Grumman won the contract, which to be honest, i find annoying because no one had even built a single practical test model yet.
about the only thing we do know is it will be using the same P&W F135 engines off the F-35.

the USAF is also looking to develop a new "penetrating counter Air" fighter with long range and stealth to escort the B-21's around as well (alongside the "sixth generation fighter" they want to replace the F-22 and F-35 by the late 2020's.. F-35 isn't even operable yet and they already are looking to replace it)

If Northrop is smart, they'll dust off the YF-23 blueprints, update the avionics and engines, and and be ready to submit that as the 'penetrating counter air" because the YF-23 was definitely long ranged and stealthy.

[Kidd]

The F-35 has roots in early 90s fighter programs and is just now entering mass production with an expected service life of 40 more years at the minimum. If it takes another 30-odd years to get to prototype stage of the next fighter, its not unrealistic to start thinking now... and the way the world is settling down nowadays, the development stages of major military kit aren't getting shorter.

[DoctorMonkey]

You'd sort of hope that the future of aircraft (and other) manufacturing lines will be to 3d scan and analyse the material of an extant model of [thing to be copied be it A-10 or F-22] and then print it out/get a computer to cut a piece to the right shape

[ANS Kamas P81]

Design started: 1946.  First Flight: 1952.  Introduction to Service: 1955.  Retirement: Sometime after Ragnarok.  :)

Retirement: Upon execution of its original mission.

[HobbesHurlbut]

That is because they were "built to last" engineering masterpieces as opposed to the current fad of "engineered to fail" disposable toys.

"Overengineered". Once the aviation technology got much more understood, they started to engineer stuff specifically to do just the job and not one bit more.

I really like the over-engineered basic stuff though, because that's how you get robustness.

[ANS Kamas P81]

Build it as light as possible, accept your known maintenance requirements, and enjoy the extra performance.  Lighter and sleeker generally equates to faster, after all.  (Amongst other things that will rule4 me right the hell off this board.)

[JadeHellbringer]

Build it as light as possible, accept your known maintenance requirements, and enjoy the extra performance.  Lighter and sleeker generally equates to faster, after all.  (Amongst other things that will rule4 me right the hell off this board.)

You don't have much wiggle room anyway. Every time I see that avatar of yours my hand hovers over the 'BAN' button.  :P

(kidding, there's no 'ban' button. No one listens to my ideas!)

[Ruger]

If Northrop is smart, they'll dust off the YF-23 blueprints, update the avionics and engines, and and be ready to submit that as the 'penetrating counter air" because the YF-23 was definitely long ranged and stealthy.

I always thought we should have gone with the YF-23 instead of the (Y)F-22...

Ruger

[marauder648]

Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow

[ANS Kamas P81]

You don't have much wiggle room anyway. Every time I see that avatar of yours my hand hovers over the 'BAN' button.  :P

(kidding, there's no 'ban' button. No one listens to my ideas!)

Amusingly, I just fixed that.  Alas, the legend of Star Commander Zed of Clan Scarlet Nappy is no more.