Aircraft Super Thread Mk.VII

[Retracting Head Ter Ter]

Pretty far back. It starts around where the vertical tail starts (the part where it angles up, not the extension).

[LOW_ALT]

[Knight26]

I love how the 1970 configuration looks like how an F-16 and F-35 had a baby.

[Vic Mancini]

It's the P-996 Lazer!

http://gta.wikia.com/P-996_Lazer

[Firefox]

So F-35 is nothing new, it's just the evolution of the dual inlet concept at the bottom... So much for the hype...

[Zentrandude]

boeing fishes out its 737 fuselages finaly from the clark fork river. Guess this could be a new test now on how good 737 will be. http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/train-carrying-737-fuselages-derails-in-montana/26803140

[Fatalist]

Ohhh just a couple of our fave WWII fighters beautifully shot for a watch commercial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVAEbMcQ-t8

[miles316]

boeing fishes out its 737 fuselages finaly from the clark fork river. Guess this could be a new test now on how good 737 will be. http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/train-carrying-737-fuselages-derails-in-montana/26803140

Thankfully it did not happen in Wichita.

[LOW_ALT]

VFX Competition - Grumman Model 303 variants

[F-ZeroOne]

Someone at BAE Systems has been watching a little too much Yukikaze recently, I think...

http://io9.com/the-british-military-is-designing-a-real-life-transform-1602416110

Its nice to see someone thinking a bit outside the box, though that whirring sound you hear is R.J. Mitchell spinning in his grave at the thought of BAE having been the company which "under other names, designed the famous Supermarine Spitfire".

Edited July 10, 2014 by F-ZeroOne

[electric indigo]

They re-invented the parasite fighters...

[Fatalist]

Japan releases clear shots of their experimental stealth fighter.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-first-clear-pictures-of-japans-stealth-fighter-emer-1604027972/1604030931/+ballaban

[Knight26]

very cool, but until I see it moving under its own power I am not convinced that it isn't just a full scale mockup

[F-ZeroOne]

Also, if it is flyable, its worth pointing out that this is a sub-scale technology demonstrator and not a full size fighter prototype (this has caused some confusion on some other aviation forums, even after it was pointed out its not full size!).

[Kyp Durron]

Japan releases clear shots of their experimental stealth fighter.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-first-clear-pictures-of-japans-stealth-fighter-emer-1604027972/1604030931/+ballaban

Not convinced till I see Gerwalk and Battroid modes.

[LOW_ALT]

Also, if it is flyable, its worth pointing out that this is a sub-scale technology demonstrator and not a full size fighter prototype (this has caused some confusion on some other aviation forums, even after it was pointed out its not full size!).

Indeed, similar to the Have Blue demonstrator being much smaller than the production F-117

[Kelsain]

VFX Competition - Grumman Model 303 variants

-

I've always thought an engine setup like this would look cool on a valkyrie.

[Ghost Train]

F-35 will be a no show at Farnborough:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28321023

[Chewie]

Speaking of Farnborough:

[Shadow]

All this news with the F-35s engine makes me almost wish the Block 60 F-16 could have been green-lighted for the Air Force.

[Shadow]

Wow.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28354856

A Malaysian airliner with 295 people on board has crashed in Ukraine on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, amid allegations it was shot down.

Dozens of bodies are scattered around what is believed to be the wreckage of the jet near the village of Grabovo, a Reuters correspondent reports.

Flight MH17 had been due to enter Russian airspace when contact was lost.

Both the Ukrainian government and rebels have denied shooting it down in the region close to the Russian border.

Russian separatists are believed to have shot down two Ukrainian military planes over the region in recent days.

[LOW_ALT]

Wow.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28354856

Google still shows the flight in route too

[mechaninac]

... and the story just keep getting worse and worse as more information comes to light: Shot down from 30000ft by an AA missile... a sickening act of barbarism that has cost the lives of all 295 people on board.

Edited July 17, 2014 by mechaninac

[electric indigo]

Interesting to learn that flight routes are scheduled as usual even over hot war zones.

Of course it's totally safe up th...

[Shadow]

Yeah, that got to me to along with the fact that a number of aircraft had been shot down already in that territory. It's being concluded it was shot down by a Buk-M (SA-11).

[Nekko Basara]

It seems like the conclusions being drawn about how it was shot down are based entirely upon what systems are in the area and what the flight profile was. That's not to say the conclusions are invalid, but it's not the same as direct evidence (e.g. recovered pieces of the weapon, satellite imagery of the launch profile, first-hand accounts or confessions, etc.) It seems like in the next few days, evidence of this nature may be revealed and settle the "how" question. "Why" is another matter.

[sketchley]

It seems like the conclusions being drawn about how it was shot down are based entirely upon what systems are in the area and what the flight profile was. That's not to say the conclusions are invalid, but it's not the same as direct evidence (e.g. recovered pieces of the weapon, satellite imagery of the launch profile, first-hand accounts or confessions, etc.) It seems like in the next few days, evidence of this nature may be revealed and settle the "how" question. "Why" is another matter.

Right now, the only thing that's clear is that it broke up in midair (debris field extends up to 15 km).

Generally, such a catastrophic failure doesn't happened in as new an aircraft as the one involved (but that can't be completely ruled out at this time) - it's where I'm in complete agreement with you.

So I'm left with one big thought: if it was a mechanical failure or terrorist bombing, it's one heck of a coincidence that it happened where the plane went down.

Edited July 18, 2014 by sketchley

[Shadow]

Well thus far, MH17s black boxes remain unaccounted for and the jobs of investigators on the ground are being made harder by rebels around the site. Still a number of scenarios that could have played out. I still feel that this was a case of poorly trained and disciplines rebels getting their hands on an SA-11 launcher (whether it was captured or given to them) and putting their toy to use. (They still would have needed some degree of training and who provided that is unknown) Since the platform wasn't connected to a larger defense network, they wouldn't have identified the aircraft they picked up as a civilian airliner and probably thought it was a Ukrainian transport. It's still puzzles me why any international traffic would be allowed to fly over a warzone, especially where there are active air defenses unless they truly felt safe cruising at 30k+ feet.

Unfortunately, alot of evidence has undoubtedly been tampered with by locals and rebels by this point.

[Gerli]

Since the platform wasn't connected to a larger defense network, they wouldn't have identified the aircraft they picked up as a civilian airliner and probably thought it was a Ukrainian transport.

This.

Because (Apparently) they have the incomplete set no one can know if the plane had civilian ID (transponder, etc)

(This is the complete Buk system, but they have only the one with the radar dome)

[David Hingtgen]

Bomb bay? Check.

Missiles? Check.

737? Check!

[electric indigo]

Here we have the first conspiracy theories about how the flight plan of MH17 was changed fatally on July 17th:

[Shadow]

Bomb bay? Check.

Missiles? Check.

737? Check!

I wonder how many AMRAAMs you could fit underneath one of those.

[Gakken85]

This hits a lot of interests. The Transformers exhibit at the Air and Space Museum.

http://imgur.com/a/PmlWq

http://coolandcollected.com/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen-exhibit-at-the-air-space-museum/

Transformers fans, Macross fans, and fans of real airplanes.

The Paramount/Dreamworks film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, now in theaters, was filmed in part at the Udvar-Hazy Center. It features the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird as Jetfire, a wise, elderly, former Decepticon (an evil Transformer) turned Autobot (a good Transformer). This exhibit case includes historic Transformers toys, aviation- and Jetfire-related characters, and props used in the film.

[Nekko Basara]

I visited there last summer and it was amazing, but my wife and I laughed our butts off at the prominent cases of transformers right in the center of the main display area. It was just so crass. Worst was the monitor playing a continuous loop of the Jetfire intro scene in RotF, complete with the part where he steps out of the hangar in the Udvar-Hazy center and is inexplicably in a Nevada boneyard.

Having said that, it was cool to see the design sketches and some prototypes of the RotF toy alongside the vintage and Classics versions. And the Center itself is incredible - a little product placement could take nothing away from that.

P.S. - I wonder if Hasbro will go add in the new Generations Leader version now?

P.P.S. - The info in the link is a bit dated. The shuttle on display there is Discovery (complete with burn marks on the tiles from re-entry; so awesome!). Enterprise was transferred to the Intrepid museum in NYC in 2012.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Nekko Basara

[Gakken85]

Idk, It's a good idea to keep the kids engaged in SCIENCE!