The Airplane Thread

[vreihen16]

Introducing the B-21 Raider:



https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...s/73817630007/



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[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Introducing the B-21 Raider:



https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...s/73817630007/

Introducing (at an absolute *minimum* of) $700M PER PLANE.

And honestly? There are *so* many ways to hide the actual cost (Government Furnished Equipment, seperate contracts under different non-reporting fund cites, etc) you're realistically looking at double that price.

Per plane.

Yikes.

R.

PS: Here's an example of how it works. You say that the jet costs $XXX Million per plane. Buuuut, you don't include what is called "Government Furnished Equipment"-- i.e. the Government goes out and buys a bunch of very spendy avionics and electronics (which can cost more than the airframe) under separate contract.

Then, they "furnish" it to the airframe manufacturer, and it doesn't cost into the "per unit price" of the airplane.

Or, you put the price of the aircrew, training, maintenance personnel, spare parts, training devices, facilities, etc. under separate contract-- you need all of that stuff for the jet to fly, but it doesn't count into the price of the airplane.

The Feds are good at all sorts of financial gimcrackery to make things appear cheaper than they are.

R.

[M-technik-3]

That is so true, that is why Congressional members get rich. INSIDER TRADING. Illegal to you and I but not for them.

[other_evolved]

No picture, but I did recently find my late fathers flight logs dating from the 60's to the 80's. He started on a little Cessna, and by the end was logging L-1011's with Eastern Airlines. It is pretty cool to see the tail numbers and trip details from something so long ago.

[Llarry]

A brief introduction to black Navy fighters.

The custom started in test squadron VX-4 at Point Mugu, California, during the era of the F-4 Phantom. A single F-4 was painted overall black with a Playboy bunny in white on the tail. In the 1980s, that F-4 was retired, and an F-14 was painted in the same scheme.

As far as I know, the custom died out when VX-4 merged with VX-5 to become the VX-9 Vampires.

But I just found an F-18D (I believe; it's hard to differentiate details on a black airplane) of Top Gun at the Naval Air Station, Fallon, Nevada, in all black scheme so apparently the tradition continued at least for a while. (Thanks to @BReif61 for the correction.)

[snowbimmer]

Dropped my car in next to a couple of cool murals.

Klamath Falls, OR - 173rd Fighter Wing


Mountain Home, ID - 366th Fighter Wing

[BReif61]

Originally Posted by Llarry

But I just found an F-18F (I believe; it's hard to differentiate details on a black airplane) of Top Gun at the Naval Air Station, Fallon, Nevada, in all black scheme so apparently the tradition continues.

Looks like a D model? No antenna in front of the windscreen, no sawtooth on the wing, and intakes appear oval. Nice find/picture regardless.

[Llarry]

Sweden traditionally prided itself on its neutrality. That neutrality extended to the development of a domestic aircraft industry that produced unique aircraft. The SAAB J35 Draken was a prime example of this: A distinctive high-performance jet aircraft that first flew in 1955 and entered service with the Swedish air force in 1960. The Draken was also exported to several Scandinavian countries and Austria. It was finally retired almost twenty years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_35_Draken

It will be interesting to see what impact, if any, Sweden's membership in NATO has on its defense industry.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by bimmerdrop

looks good

[Llarry]

The Grumman A-6 Intruder attack aircraft was in a category all its own during 35 years of service in the Navy and Marine Corps. That category was all-weather medium attack and the A-6 had outstanding capabilities including excellent range and load-carrying capability as well as the ability to conduct operations at night or in poor weather.

The A-6 first flew in 1960 (old designation A2F) and had lots of issues to sort out before entering service due to very complex systems. It had a crew of two -- a pilot in the left seat who sat slightly forward and higher for visibility and a bombardier/navigator in the right seat.

Fleet introduction of the A-6 came in 1963 and in short order it was flying missions over Vietnam with both Navy and Marine Corps attack squadrons. It had impressive weapons capacity with five external stations, each of which could carry up to 3,000 pounds.

488 A-6As were built from 1960 to 1969. Two specialized versions were converted from A-6As: One of these was the A-6B Iron Hand defense suppression aircraft with radar-homing missiles (analogous to the Air Force's Wild Weasel aircraft) and the other was the A-6C TRIM, which had a large sensor pod on the belly that contained low-light television and infrared detection systems to detect traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Only 19 A-6Bs and 12 A-6Cs were converted from A-6As; all were later updated to A-6Es.

With its large fuel capacity, the A-6 was also modified into the Navy's standard carrier-based aerial refueling tanker as the KA-6D, which had some attack equipment removed and had a refueling reel added. Four KA-6Ds were assigned to each carrier air wing for refueling duties.

The A-6E was an updated attack aircraft which first flew in 1970. New-production A-6Es were supplemented by A-6As that were updated to E standard. The A-6E primarily had updated electronic systems.

The A-6E was further updated with a small turret under the nose with laser designator and further updated electronics, including a new radar and computer, in 1974. By the end of production in 1992, 693 A-6s had been delivered to the services. The A-6 is one of few tactical aircraft that was never exported.

A final version of the Intruder, the A-6F, was tested starting in 1987. It had new engines and electronics but was cancelled due to cost. A medium attack successor the A-12, was developed but was cancelled before first flight due to cost. That left the A-6 as the one and only medium all-weather attack aircraft.

The final chapter in the A-6 story came in the early 1990s, when new composite/titanium wings began to be fitted to A-6Es to extend their service lives. In the midst of that program the A-6 attack aircraft was retired and many A-6Es with essentially new wings were dumped into the Atlantic to form an artificial reef. (Our tax dollars at work.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_A-6_Intruder

[vreihen16]

The USMC lost a brand-spanking new F-35B fighter in a crash yesterday, on a ferry flight from the manufacturer. The ferry pilot (unsure if it was military or civilian) was critically injured. Some reports say that it was a special one-off jet, so probably a bigger hit to us taxpayers than the garden-variety $160 million ones or whatever they cost.....

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

The USMC lost a brand-spanking new F-35B fighter in a crash yesterday, on a ferry flight from the manufacturer.

https://jalopnik.com/90-million-f-35...-th-1851506841


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[3798j]

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[3798j]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

The USMC lost a brand-spanking new F-35B fighter in a crash yesterday, ....

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[Lady Jane]

Japan unveils its AI controlled fighter.

[M-technik-3]

Sadly I remember the A=6 more for the Aviano Italy cable car incident than for it's mission.

On a side note Barnes ANG in Westfield Ma, my town are getting F35A's Booo vs the new F-15EX

[Llarry]

Bless me, forum members, for I have sinned. I have forgotten Tomcat Thursday yet again and here it is Saturday. I'll have to say ten "Hail, F-14"s in penance.

[Llarry]

Here's an interesting photo. The brand-new nuclear-powered futuristic-looking aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) in 1961 with anachronistic propellor-driven AD (new A-1) Skyraiders on deck loaded for bear. Which illustrates why the A-1 stayed around so long; it had two outstanding attributes: Load-carrying capability and endurance in the air that the jets of the time could not match.

But then Vietnam happened and the A-1 proved to be too vulnerable to air defenses and was removed from carrier air wings.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Bless me, forum members, for I have sinned. I have forgotten Tomcat Thursday yet again and here it is Saturday. I'll have to say ten "Hail, F-14"s in penance.

I absolve you because of your age.

[Llarry]

I'm all for patriotism and for unusual aircraft markings but have to admit this F-15C is a bit too over the top for me.

Based on the marking on the tail, I think this is an aircraft of the 144th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard out of California.

[Llarry]

In 1993, the Department of Defense opened up combat air missions to women aviators. It didn't take long before the first combat missions were flown by women: On November 15, 1994, Lieutenant Kimberly "Face" Dyson flew a combat mission in an F-18C Hornet. Apparently she was the first -- others of all the services followed.

Here's LT Dyson getting ready to board an F-18C back in the day.

Now it's almost 30 years later. It takes 20+ years to "grow" an aviation general or admiral and there are a number of women serving in those roles.

[Llarry]

This news item snuck up on me...

For the better part of the last year, no F-35 fighters have been delivered to U.S. or foreign military forces. Over 80 newly-produced F-35s are currently stored awaiting fixes to what is called "Tech Refresh 3" software. There is reportedly some hope that aircraft deliveries can resume next month -- with some functional limitations.