Posted on 03/16/2023 4:17:48 AM PDT by tkocur
U.S. officials have released video that shows a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with the propeller of a U.S. MQ-9 reaper drone.
The video was released by the U.S. military's European Command on Thursday, allowing the public to view the widely-reported aerial incident.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin summarized the incident Wednesday in a press conference, saying, "Two Russian jets dumped fuel on an unmanned U.S. MQ-9 aircraft conducting routine operations in international airspace. And one Russian jet intercepted and hit our MQ-9 aircraft, resulting in a crash."
Austin sharply criticized the Russian military for its actions, stating that the Black Sea incident was "a part of a pattern of aggressive and risky and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace."
Russia has previously denied that the aircraft touched one another, and accused the U.S. of unnecessarily escalating the issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
uh, no. I have experienced sudden engine failure in a turboprop (hot section failure). Prop shaft stopped instantly. Prop did not come apart. So, no.
This is hardly my area of expertise, but I have a hard time figuring out how a collision with a jet would damage a single propeller?
I'm guessing the jet weighs about 20,000 pounds and is flying 300-400 MPH. I would expect a lot more damage, even from a glancing blow. I don't even have a guess as to how one propeller on a moving drone could be damaged, but the propeller right next to it would be unscathed.
Low probability, but it can happen
I don’t know if it’s the lighting, but the props don’t seem to have the yellow stripes they did on the first part of the video. Maybe I’m just seeing things.
I think the latter part of the video is a slowed down version of the original pass. I wish they'd state such when the put the video out for consumption.
I promise I'll check my math next time. Still have a hard time with one prop being damaged.
The prop is sheared off at the tip. It definitely was hit by something.
I think more than one got damaged looking at the video. One is definitely bent but I think all or most were clipped.
Regarding the “bent propeller”, I find it hard to believe that the MIG came in contact with the propeller as that would have resulted in a catastrophic destruction of the propeller. I suspect that is actually an artifact of the cameras used on the drone. See this page for the rolling shutter effect on CCD cameras. People who fly quadcopters see this effect quite often. I have no idea what camera technology is used in the drone but this could be responsible for the “bent propeller”.
https://www.photometrics.com/learn/white-papers/rolling-vs-global-shutter
Turboprops are geared. It’s why they are used. They have lifting capacity that turbojets do not. Muscle vs speed sort of thing.
The compressors will be spinning at much faster rotation than 2000 RPM. Maybe 30,000 RPM. The prop will be at 2000 RPM because it is geared down from the compressors.
It’s pretty credible you can bend props by suddenly halting the 30K RPM compressors. The reduction gearing would amplify the effect.
Depends entirely on the material of the flight control surface that hit the prop. Most combat aircraft use lots of composites, which would shatter before a metal prop would. If the propeller had been composite, it would have shattered as well (looks like a cloud of confetti when it happens), but this one appears to be likely aluminum alloy.
It’s so gay how our military leaders always call actions of an adversary “unsafe” and “unprofessional”.
They were all raised by helicopter mommies and got their MBAs. Bunch of pussies.
Again, no. I fly and stay current in several turbo prop models after years of flying Navy jet/turbo jet aircraft when I was active duty. You are correct that the turbine section is spinning at 30000 rpm. The prop generally never exceeds 2000 rmp (going faster than this can result in the prop tips exceeding sound barrier, which creates other problems.) But a sudden stop from 2000 rpm to zero will not bend an aluminum prop. I know, I have had it happen in flight.
” flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.”
Pinch your nose shut and say it and it comes out about right. LOL
Hard to imagine Admiral Nimitz or General HM Smith saying saying that about an adversary. Pussies.
If you play at war, then expect to get shot.
Right there off the coast. Hell, you can see land.
Propellers are precision balanced. If it were bent, the balance would be affected and there would be extreme, severe vibrations. And if the MIG came in contact with it, the MIG would have a portion of the aircraft shredded by the prop.
You are not a pilot, or at least not beyond GA.
If you were you would know that turbo props do not have more 'lift capacity'. That is a function of wing and body design as well as power plant. Turbo props are used because below roughly 20 to 30 thousand feet, they are more efficient than a jet. They are very inefficient above that altitude. Its cheaper to get the same amount of hauling capacity, fuel wise, with a turboprop. They are also capable of flying in the STOL region better than most jets, making them more useful for short runways.
Correct, and it was. The engine stopped as a result. As to your second statement, how do you know the condition of the MIG? Did Vlad send you photos?
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