Read the forum code of contact
By: 9th December 2005 at 05:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-In Brief - F/A-22s demonstrate greater range
The unrefuelled combat radius of the US Air Force's F/A-22 Raptor stealth multirole fighter aircraft is greater than originally thought by 55 n miles, or about 15 per cent, according to the air force. The Raptor's performance requirement is to be capable of flying out 260 n miles subsonically, to transition to supersonic flight and maintain it for 100 n miles and to return following the same pattern, said Colonel Jimmy Clark, Chief of Air Combat Command's F/A-22 system management organisation, on 18 November. Based on the aircraft's performance in flight evaluations to date, the air force now believes that the aircraft can fly out to 315 n miles before transitioning to its 100 n mile supersonic dash, said Col Clark. The air force remains on track, he said, to declare its first Raptor squadron ready for combat by the end of 2005.
The F/a-22 is really exceeding the desired USAF requirements in almost all performance categories..Supercruise is good and 15% better , stealth and RCS are favourable when compared to the requirments..2% better acceleration then desired,5% greater radar detection range then desired,MTBM is also currently getting to the levels desired...ALL in ALL a very well engineered aircraft..Now only if the retards in washington can realize that the team has acheived what is extremely hard to acheve (be it at a cost) and its only gonna get higher on the economy curve so they might aswell buy about 100-150 more raptors as they have a fully developed fifth gen. aircraft rather then put all the eggs in the JSF basket.
By: 9th December 2005 at 16:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Lockheed in U.S. Airship Deal
Lockheed Martin Corp. won a $149-million contract Thursday to build a prototype unmanned airship about 17 times the size of a Goodyear blimp that would hover about 60,000 feet above the Earth.The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said the High-Altitude Airship would be untethered, be able to remain in place for one month over a designated place, and be able to carry as many as 500 pounds of sensors that could detect enemy ballistic missiles.
ADVERTISEMENTMissile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner said the program was aimed at exploring the possibility of using the airship to track and detect ballistic missile launches.
Under the contract, which runs through November 2010, Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed would build and fly the prototype, to "prove its military utility," Lockheed spokeswoman Kate Dunlap said.
The military has been exploring possible military uses of near-space vehicles partly because they are far less expensive to launch and operate than satellites.
Posts: 661
By: danrh - 9th December 2005 at 01:27
from JDW 30 Nov 2005