PS - this is NOT a vuvuzela.....
Posted on 07/09/2010 9:09:45 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots will soon get to relish delicious snacks like halwa and sip fruit juice inside the cockpits of their combat aircraft during long distance sorties. IAF has asked the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) to develop light food products in squeezable tubes that the pilots can consume even as they are strapped in their Sukhoi 30 MKIs, Mirage 2000s and the Jaguars.
Dr A S Bawa, director of the Mysorebased DFRL told Express that they have taken up new projects for the IAF and have been developing food products like halwa, pulav and fruit juices that can be consumed from squeezable tubes.
“We have in the past supplied a few food items to the IAF, but they had some issues as the pilots found them difficult to consume while flying at supersonic speeds. But now, during a recent interaction, they asked us to develop a few food items for their pilots,” he said.
Bawa added that DFRL is developing a few food items for the IAF which will be similar to ones consumed by astronauts on space missions.
However, there was a huge challenge before the scientists while preparing these food items for the air force.
“Though the food items are similar to the ones consumed by astronauts, here the challenge is greater. The pilots are strapped in the G-suits and hence cannot move their hands freely, hence we have to identify a place where the tubes can be kept. Besides, they travel at much higher speeds and we also have to keep the ‘G’ factor (gravitational factor) in mind,” said Bawa.
(Excerpt) Read more at expressbuzz.com ...
Ping
some halwa and a nice curry and they ought to be able to direct the by-products to the afterburners for a little extra boost
That astronaut ice cream is pretty good.
Sheesh! Most pilots haul along an apple or a bannana. As to not being able to move their hands..... They can reach the controls, they can reach their mouth.
Eating ain’t that difficult in the cockpit, but I guess it gives someone on the ground a job.
G-forces? Supersonic speeds?
Are they expected to eat lunch while engaged in combat?
>>> Are they expected to eat lunch while engaged in combat?
That’s not too great a challenge for trained pilots, but with Immelmann turns you do run the risk of spilling the wineglass.
There’s a nightmare... bring copilot to a guy chowing down on curry and fruit juices who goes gassy above 15,000 feet.
“Are they expected to eat lunch while engaged in combat?”
You’re being sarcastic, correct? Personally, I would not eat anything while I was engaged in combat. Remember, an encounter only lasts a few minutes at the most. Whether you have “normal” food, or food in a tube, it makes no difference. You do not mix one with the other.
The vast majority of the time you spend in the cockpit is blindingly boring. Plenty of time to “chow down” at that time, rather when there’s shootin’ goin’ on.
No kidding.
During a Southern Watch mission, had a WSO experience a “brown-out” while over Iraq. During that flight he found a great alternate use for his helmet bag.
Wow, I never knew that the Su-30MKI can fly faster than an astronaut in the ISS.
Anybody remember this Top Gun Diet Pepsi commercial?
PS - this is NOT a vuvuzela.....
I would imagine they would be at supersonic speed, when they are heading towards the Chinese border, from the bases far off.
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