From: Bob Pike
Date: 4/6/2018 11:16:18 AM
To: Mark Stanyo
Subject: Russian Suhkoi 30?
Pretty
sure all those supposed Suhkoi 30 videos are RC airplanes.
Bob Pike
Editor: You know Bob, you might be right but on
YouTube there are a number of videos that show this aircraft and claim to be
from airshows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIfwuVHhAhM
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From: wmkerschner88@gmail.com
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Sent: 4/15/2018 10:28:17 AM Central Standard Time
Subject: Old Eagles News
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Sent: 4/15/2018 10:28:17 AM Central Standard Time
Subject: Old Eagles News
F-35 program office wraps up final developmental flight test
An F-35C flown by Peter Wilson, a BAE Systems test pilot, during the final System Development and Demonstration (SDD) test flight. The was flown from NAS Patuxent River, MD on 11 April 2018. (F-35 Joint Program Office)
WASHINGTON — The F-35 joint strike fighter on Wednesday flew its
final developmental flight test, effectively capping off the development phase
of the program 11 years after the aircraft took its first flight in 2006.
The F-35, built by Lockheed Martin, will now move into operational
test and evaluation conducted by the Pentagon’s independent testing office.
Once finished, the systems development and demonstration (SDD) portion of the
program will be officially complete and the F-35 will enter full rate
production.
Vice Adm. Mat Winter, F-35 joint program executive officer, said
Wednesday at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space conference that he expected to
finish the final SDD flight test this week “and potentially even today. … That
is a significant milestone for this program.”
That test point — during which the Navy test aircraft CF-2 collected
data while carrying 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and AIM-9X
Sidewinder missiles as an external load — occurred on April 11 at Naval Air
Station Patuxent River, Md.
Over the entire test program, the JPO was responsible for “conducting
more than 9,200 sorties, accumulating over 17,000 flight hours, and executing
more than 65,000 test points to verify the design, durability, software,
sensors, weapons capability and performance for all three F-35 variants,”
Winter said in a statement on Thursday.
During the SDD program, the program completed more than 1,500
vertical landing tests of the Marine Corps’ F-35B short takeoff and vertical
landing variant, and conducted six periods of at-sea testing with the F-35B and
F-35C carrier variant.
It also carried out 183 weapon separation tests and 46 weapons
delivery accuracy tests, as well as 22 mission effectiveness tests that weigh
the F-35’s abilitiy to stand up to advanced threats in multi-ship engagements
of up to eight joint strike fighters, the JPO said in a statement.
A F-35C test aircraft,
CF-02, lands at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., on 11 April 2018 after
making the final developmental test flight. (F-35 Joint Program Office)
Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager
of the F-35 program, called it the “most comprehensive, rigorous and the safest
developmental flight test program in aviation history.”
However, it has not been without its roadbumps. Cost overruns led
to a Nunn-McCurdy breach in 2010 that forced the Defense Department to assess
whether it should continue on with the program.
And although the JPO has gained better control overall on
development, production and sustainment costs, there were a couple high profile
technical problems including engine issues that started a fire and kept planes
from going to Farnborough Airshow 2014 and an insulation supply defect that
caused some jets to be grounded in 2016.
The latest problem, revolving around corrosion in fastener holes,
has been resolved technically, but the JPO and Lockheed still are disputing who
should pay for the fix. The Defense Department has stalled deliveries until
then.
Although SDD flight tests have ended, F-35 flight testing will
continue as part of follow-on modernization efforts called Continuous
Capability Development and Delivery, or C2D2, the JPO stated in a news release.
However, that strategy has also been somewhat controversial.
When Winter unveiled the strategy during the Defense News
conference in September, he said its use of agile software development would
help the program continuously adopt new software updates and improvements.
But critics say that C2D2 allows the JPO to claim they’ve
delivered fully combat capable jets with 3F software and push fixing minor
software deficiencies to later in the program.
This All-Electric Plane Could Change Everything About Regional Air Travel
Eviation’s Alice Commuter plane–the winner of the transportation category of Fast Company’s 2018 World Changing Ideas Awards–seats nine people and is entirely battery powered.
By Adele Peters
In five years, if
you want to take a trip from San Francisco to San Diego, it may be possible to
do it on a small electric plane–and with a ticket that costs less than driving
or taking the train. The Israel-based startup Eviation, which is building a new
all-electric, nine-seat airplane, called the Alice Commuter expects to begin
making its first commercial flights in 2021 and scale up to hundreds of routes
across the U.S. over the next few years.The timing is right, the founders say, because of the current state of technology. “There is a revolution happening in aviation, and it’s happening because of lightweight materials, energy density of batteries, the power of electric propulsion, and the computer power of managing this together,” says Omer Bar-Yohay, co-founder and CEO of Eviation, the winner of the transportation category of Fast Company‘s 2018 World Changing Ideas Awards.
While some other startups
in the space (including Zunum Aero, which has the backing of the VC arms of
JetBlue and Boeing) are focusing first on hybrid planes, Eviation chose
to go all-electric for its first plane because it thinks that’s what will make
flights as affordable as possible. “This will really be available to all, and
[it will] make sense to take our aircraft and not drive,” he says.
The technology,
he says, is cheaper than hybrid options both because electricity is cheaper
than jet fuel and electric planes cost less to maintain. “If you look at the
numbers, the overall cost of maintaining the cost of complexity of a hybrid
unit compared to just swapping batteries every two years or so–the batteries
win hands down.”Because electric batteries store less energy by weight than jet fuel, the tiny planes can only travel relatively short distances–650 nautical miles–and because they carry a small number of passengers, this won’t be replacing most large commercial flights. But many flights do only fly short distances, and because of the competitive cost of the technology, Eviation saw it as a good place to begin.
The plane is designed to feel as steady and comfortable as flying on a standard private jet so that the small size won’t intimidate passengers. At first, the company expects that regional operators will use the planes to fly people between smaller airports. But over time, it’s possible that big airlines could begin to use the planes for short flights, rather than using something like a 737. They might also begin to shift away from the current hub-and-spoke model, in which most journeys require a connecting flight, to more direct flights between smaller cities.
“What we’re really giving here is a potential for a kind of high-speed rail–A to B–but from any A to any B,” says Bar-Yohav.
The startup has been building a full-scale aircraft since mid-2017 and expects to take demonstration flights in 2019. By 2021, it hopes to be certified and flying on a first proof-of-service route.
After the first plane comes to market, the next step may be a larger plane that can carry 19 passengers. The company may also develop a smaller vertical takeoff plane for urban transportation, similar to those in development by Uber and others. “We’re trying to do this first with regional transportation, and then look to the edges of this huge market,” says Bar-Yohav.
Sun Flyer 2 Makes First Flight
by Amy Laboda
- April 12, 2018
The electrically powered
Sun Flyer 2 made its first flight on April 10 in Colorado. (Photo: Bye
Aerospace)
The prototype Sun Flyer 2 electrically powered fixed-wing trainer
made its first flight on April 10, Bye Aerospace announced this week at Sun ’n‘
Fun.
“We had a fantastic first flight,” said Charlie Johnson, Bye
Aerospace president.
Bye Aerospace intends for the Sun Flyer series, including the Sun
Flyer 2 and the four-seat Sun Flyer 4, to be the first FAA-certified,
U.S.-sponsored, all-electric airplanes to serve the flight training and general
aviation markets.
The prototype aircraft flew at Centennial Airport (KAPA), south of
Denver, Colorado.
George Bye, founder and CEO of Bye Aerospace, said, “Lower
operating costs are key to solving the student pilot dropout rate, which is
curtailing the successful attainment of badly needed airline pilots. The Sun Flyer
2’s $3 hourly operating costs are 10 times lower than [those of] traditional
piston-engine flight trainers, with no carbon emissions and significantly
reduced noise.”
EP Systems provided the energy storage system for the Sun Flyer 2
prototype flight tested, including battery modules (packs), battery management
unit, and power-distribution unit. The battery cells are LG Chem “MJ1”
lithium-ion battery cells with a 260 Wh/kg energy density. Bye Aerospace will
soon announce who its electric motor partner will be for the family of
FAA-certified Sun Flyers.
The company is also developing advanced, high-altitude,
long-endurance solar-electric unmanned aerial vehicles under the name
“StratoAirNet.”
American still eying NMA despite recent 787 order
- 12 April, 2018
- SOURCE: Flight Dashboard
- BY: Jon Hemmerdinger
- Orlando
An order for Boeing’s proposed New Mid-market airplane (NMA)
remains an option for American Airlines despite the carrier’s recent purchase
of 47 787s, says a top American executive.
The carrier’s senior vice-president of integrated operations David
Seymour says American’s 787 delivery timeline keeps an NMA order on the table,
though he stresses American knows little about the NMA’s ultimate production
timetable or final specification.
Still, Seymour says the NMA could perform well in the carrier’s
network and could replace the same aircraft types as the 787.
Those types include 767s, Airbus A330s and even, on some routes,
much larger 777-200s.
“We are spending, like others, time with Boeing as they continue
to develop the [NMA],” Seymour says during the MRO Americas maintenance trade
show in Orlando.
The NMA “certainly came into play with our decision on this recent
[787] order”, and that order “keeps [the NMA] as a viable option”, Seymour
adds.
American on 12 April announced it ordered 47 787s, part of a
massive fleet overhaul that will see those aircraft replace 767-300ERs,
777-200s and A330s.
The deal includes orders for 22 787-8s, which will arrive starting
in 2020, and 25 787-9s, which will be delivered starting in 2023. Deliveries
will wrap up around 2025, according to Flight Fleets Analyzer.
American chose the 787 after also evaluating the A350 and A330neo,
it said.
The order came as airlines worldwide await word on whether
Boeing’s board of directors will green light development of the NMA – a
widebody aircraft that would replace 767s in the aircraft segment between 737s
and 787s.
Boeing has described the NMA in broad strokes. The company’s
Commercial Airplanes chief executive Kevin McAllister on 1 March said
opportunity exists for an aircraft with 200 to 270 seats and range around
5,000nm (9,260km).
The company has talked about a mid-2020 entry-into-service – a
timeline that aligns nicely with the end of Boeing’s 787 deliveries to
American.
Seymour speculates the NMA could possibly perform well on
American’s routes to cities like Prague and Budapest – markets to which it
currently deploys 767s, but will presumably serve with 787s following 767
retirements.
The NMA could also possibly replace 777-200s on routes where the
larger widebody has too much capacity and range, he adds.
Russia Developing Plane-Mounted Lasers To Blast Satellites, US Confirms Deployment Of Vehicle-Mounted Anti-Drone Lasers
By Jof Enriquez
Art courtesy of Getty
Images
Russian military
engineers reportedly have completed an aircraft-based laser system capable of
destroying enemy satellites out of space.An anonymous source told Russian news agency Interfax that the Russian defense firm Almaz-Antey has “completed work on the anti-satellite complex” with laser, radar, and ground elements. The laser component is said to be mounted on an unspecified, yet brand-new aircraft. The claim has not been verified independently.
Defense One reports that Russia has an existing laser weapons program specifically targeting satellites, and that the program builds off similar Soviet-era efforts such as the Beriev-A-60 gas laser and Kontakt 30P6 programs, which used modified Soviet aircraft to disrupt satellites or bring them down using missiles.
The U.S. depends on a network of satellites to direct advanced weapons systems aboard land vehicles, aircraft, and ships to carry out precision attacks, and to detect the launch of nuclear warheads.
“Russia considers American satellites a significant threat when it comes to potential confrontation, and is actively working to counter U.S. technologies in space, such as possible electronic warfare technologies that can target hundreds of kilometers up. The developments in laser technologies are in step with U.S. and Chinese advancements in this area,” Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, told Defense One.
Pentagon's Joint Staff intelligence directorate reported in January that China and Russia are ramping up development of anti-satellite missiles and other weapons, including lasers and jammers that can blind or disrupt satellite electronics. Officials say the two countries could be capable of attacking low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites as soon as 2020, according to The
Washington Free Beacon.
Some of the U.S. military's newer satellites are designed to overcome enemy jamming and withstand other potential offensive actions, reported CNBC. Michael Krepon, a space security expert and co-founder of the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, D.C., told the news organization, "My guess is that our capabilities to carry out a war in space are a lot better than the Chinese and Russians."
Some observers believe the U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B plane is being tested as a space weapon designed to capture or damage enemy nations' satellites — a claim denied by military officials.
What they are more forthcoming about is the testing and deployment of directed-energy weapons systems not necessarily intended for space.
For fiscal year 2019, the U.S. Navy requested a $299 million budget for rapid prototyping, experimentation, and demonstration of new ship-mounted laser systems, according to USNI News.
Specifically, the Navy intends to buy four ship-mounted Surface Navy Laser Weapon Systems (SNLWS), which include a High Energy Laser with an integrated low-power laser dazzler to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and smaller craft. It also wants to install two Optical Dazzling Interdictor Navy systems (ODIN) on Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.
In addition, the Navy plans to test a 150-kilowatt solid-state laser weapon system aboard its San Antonio-class (LPD-17) amphibious warships. This is a significant upgrade from the 30-kilowatt AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System or XN-1 laser weapons system (LaWS), installed aboard USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) and field-tested in 2014. Achieving beam power to between 150 kilowatts and 300 kilowatts will make lasers capable of destroying some types of anti-cruise ship missiles, officials say.
The Missile Defense Agency also proposes to spend $66 million for developing laser-firing drones to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In addition to testing lasers with higher power, such as the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL-MD), smaller, and more feasible projects already have been fielded. For instance, a 5kW laser project, part of the Mobile Experimental High Energy Laser, already is being used by U.S. Army Stryker armored vehicle units in Europe to shoot down drones, according to Richard DeFatta, a civilian director of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command Future Warfare Center, reported Army Times.
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For your young interested friends:
From: FAPA Pilot Support
Date: 4/12/2018 4:03:47 PM
To: marksztanyo
Subject: FAPA Pilot Job Fairs | Are you prepared to
attend a Pilot Job Fair?
|
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