Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: XEHRpa
What I don't like about all these new stealth fighters and the unstealth ones as well is they are not incorporating the speed or flexibility that we already have on the shelf.

IN the 1950's we were flying a strategic bomber that flew 3 times the speed of sound. A bomber!
With research and development studies beginning in 1955, the XB-70 was a large, long-range strategic bomber The Air Force requirement was for a Mach 3, high-altitude, long-range bomber capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons.

Although there was a technology breakthrough in 1957 that made Mach 3 possible:
The XB-70 had a length of 196 feet, a height at the tail of 31 feet, and an estimated maximum gross weight of 521,000 pounds. It had a crew of four: pilot, copilot, bombardier, and defensive systems operator. The delta wing had a span of 105 feet with six turbojet engines side by side in a large pod underneath the fuselage. The wing was swept at about 65 1/2o, and the wing tips were folded down hydraulically 25o to 65o to improve stability at the aircraft's supersonic speeds of up to Mach 3. At this speed the Valkyrie was designed to ride its own shock wave.The aircraft was fabricated using titanium and brazed stainless steel “honeycomb” materials to withstand the heating during the sustained high Mach number portions of the flights. The propulsion system consisted of six General Electric turbojet engines (J93-GE 3) with two large rectangular inlet ducts providing two-dimensional airflow.
The entire mission (including return) was to be flown at Mach 3. First flown in 1964.

AND:

"Harrier GR (Ground Attack / Reconnaissance) Mark 1", the first operational VTOL combat aircraft. A contract for six pre-series machines was issued on 17 February 1965,

So a bomber that flys mach 3 the entire time and a vtol fighter. Both flying 40 years ago. Before we put 12 men on the moon. And today we still don't have a fighter that flys mach3 and the the new ones won't be vtol. What is the problem. By now I would expect our aircraft to be vtol and mach 3 at least.... WITH STEALTH.
190 posted on 07/09/2004 12:56:10 AM PDT by TomasUSMC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies ]


To: TomasUSMC

"By now I would expect our aircraft to be vtol and mach 3 at least.... WITH STEALTH"

You don't expect much, do ya? There is nothing magic, per se, about flying Mach 3......enough thrust + enough fuel to sustain the thrust and you are there. But, if you fly sustained Mach 3 you will melt those special composite wing leading edges that are key to signature reduction...but if you can do Mach 3, you aren't really in need of stealth. Even if they can see you coming, there is little they can do to touch you.

So really all you need to do is make a B-70-class aircraft take off and land vertically (lol)......it would be impressive, that's for sure. Feasible? nah. stealth.....mach 3.....vtol....these are seperate aircraft, seperate missions and it's unlikely that you'll ever see combinations of all three. 'course, that's just my opinion!


221 posted on 07/09/2004 2:00:11 PM PDT by RFEngineer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 190 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson