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Insomniac
03-18-17, 12:08 PM
I remember reading something about the Israelis sending unmanned aircraft equipped with radar reflectors (to make them look bigger than they really were) toward Syria just to be shot down. The Israeli aircraft cost about $2,500 each, the rocket the Syrians used to shoot it down cost $250,000 a pop.

That's like the opposite of shooting down $million jets with $thousand missiles like the Mujahadeen did in Afghanistan. I really like the idea of being smarter and doing/accomplishing more for less.

dando
03-22-17, 01:26 PM
Poof.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3148522/kim-jong-un-north-korea-missile-test-explodes/

:gomer: :thumbup:

SteveH
03-23-17, 08:16 AM
US military tests new 'game-changer' electromagnetic railgun that can fire projectiles from ships at 4,500mph (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/military-tests-new-game-changer-10073014?service=responsive)

Gnam
03-23-17, 12:41 PM
The gun's theoretical range would be 268 miles with the projectile reaching a height of 67 miles.
Flight time would be 5 minutes.

Dang :cool:

dando
03-23-17, 01:10 PM
C'mon, throw me a bone here...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INFavIUmhcE

:gomer:

SteveH
04-11-17, 10:40 PM
F-16 As A Drone? US Air Force Testing Autonomous Aerial Strikes Using Fighter Jets
(http://www.ibtimes.com/f-16-drone-us-air-force-testing-autonomous-aerial-strikes-using-fighter-jets-2523641)


The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) recently tested autonomously flying F-16 fighter jets in collaboration with Lockheed Martin. The tests could mark a big leap for military drone technology as these jets could be used in the future for large scale air-to-ground strikes.

Insomniac
04-12-17, 09:37 AM
F-16 As A Drone? US Air Force Testing Autonomous Aerial Strikes Using Fighter Jets
(http://www.ibtimes.com/f-16-drone-us-air-force-testing-autonomous-aerial-strikes-using-fighter-jets-2523641)

Well, to maybe give the government the benefit of the doubt, it's probably cheaper than building one from the ground up. But I still don't see the need. We have drones with weapons. We have air superiority with technology. When the plane is most at risk is when you need the most skilled aviators. How much human error are our pilots having? They are the best of the best.

SteveH
04-13-17, 02:15 PM
Fighting Falcon puts off retirement: F-16 to fly for USAF through 2048 (https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/04/fighting-falcon-puts-off-retirement-f-16-to-fly-for-usaf-through-2048/)


The Obama administration had already made plans for the A-10 Thunderbolt to stay in service until 2022 to fill the close air support role and had plotted an upgrade to the F-16 as well since 2012. But the task of pulling the trigger on the F-16 upgrade was left to the Trump administration. "Following F-16 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) structural modifications, the US Air Force could safely operate [F-16C and D] Block 40-52 aircraft to 2048 and beyond," Air Force officials said in a release.

wonder how many will be converted to drones?
http://www.ibtimes.com/f-16-drone-us-air-force-testing-autonomous-aerial-strikes-using-fighter-jets-2523641

SteveH
04-13-17, 10:05 PM
i9H50tHiHjs

SteveH
05-04-17, 05:41 PM
Video: US Military is Testing Nuclear Capable Minuteman Missiles (https://conflictdaily.com/2017/05/04/video-us-military-is-testing-nuclear-capable-minuteman-missiles/)


Two nuclear capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles have been tested by the United States military in a week. This is extremely notable because the range on this missile system is approximately 8,100 miles.

Yes, that puts this missile withing range of the capitol of North Korea, Pyongyang. This is no coincidence with the inflammatory rhetoric that is coming from the North Korean regime.


:eek:

Gnam
05-04-17, 06:04 PM
I keep waiting for the news that all nuclear ballistic missiles have been outsourced to SpaceX. :gomer:

indyfan31
05-04-17, 07:37 PM
Video: US Military is Testing Nuclear Capable Minuteman Missiles (https://conflictdaily.com/2017/05/04/video-us-military-is-testing-nuclear-capable-minuteman-missiles/)
:eek:

I have no doubt these two very public "tests" were meant to show North Korea "See, ours actually work". :)
Besides, the Minuteman III has been around since the 70s, how much more testing does it need?

stroker
05-04-17, 10:37 PM
Dunno about you, but if I were seriously going to fry the Norks I wouldn't be using silos in North America. I'd have an Ohio class boat parked off the east coast of NK and give them about five minutes of warning... But that's a whole issue we really need to avoid.

cameraman
05-07-17, 03:15 PM
I have no doubt these two very public "tests" were meant to show North Korea "See, ours actually work". :)
Besides, the Minuteman III has been around since the 70s, how much more testing does it need?

Mostly wanting to know what happens to missiles after sitting around for ~30+ years.

Insomniac
05-07-17, 06:47 PM
Fifty thousand people have been evacuated from their homes in the northwestern German city of Hanover while experts defused three British bombs dropped during World War II.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/07/527283490/50-thousand-german-residents-evacuated-after-world-war-ii-bombs-found

70+ years later, still finding bombs. Sadly, sometimes they do explode.

SteveH
05-07-17, 09:36 PM
Mostly wanting Kim Jong-Il to know what happens to missiles after sitting around for ~30+ years.

:gomer:

SteveH
05-26-17, 08:04 AM
Air Force gives new life to the A-10 Warthog (http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/politics/a-10-warthog-retirement-air-force-budget/)

G.
05-29-17, 12:21 AM
Air Force gives new life to the A-10 Warthog (http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/politics/a-10-warthog-retirement-air-force-budget/)

Cool. A few more years of Brrrrrtttt.




941

942

SteveH
06-27-17, 08:58 AM
This is what happens when the Army puts a laser on an Apache attack helicopter (http://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-is-what-happens-when-the-army-puts-a-laser-on-an-apache-attack-helicopter)



According to a press release from defense company Raytheon, the test was a complete success, “providing solid experimental evidence for the feasibility of high resolution, multi-band targeting sensor performance and beam propagation supportive of High Energy Laser capability for the rotary-wing attack mission.”

what? :gomer:

indyfan31
06-27-17, 10:32 AM
This is what happens when the Army puts a laser on an Apache attack helicopter (http://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-is-what-happens-when-the-army-puts-a-laser-on-an-apache-attack-helicopter)


HELs can even be set for non-lethal effects on people.
So, they can literally "set lasers to Stun". Awesome. :D

SteveH
07-17-17, 07:47 PM
Exclusive: CNN witnesses US Navy's drone killing laser (http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/17/politics/us-navy-drone-laser-weapon/index.html)


"It is throwing massive amounts of photons at an incoming object," said Lt. Cale Hughes, laser weapons system officer. "We don't worry about wind, we don't worry about range, we don't worry about anything else. We're able to engage the targets at the speed of light."

dirtyboy
07-18-17, 09:29 AM
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/07/527283490/50-thousand-german-residents-evacuated-after-world-war-ii-bombs-found

70+ years later, still finding bombs. Sadly, sometimes they do explode.

When I moved to Cologne a few years back I was in my apartment for 1 day before I got a knock on the door. I was painting the walls and my little kid was sleeping (she was 2 years old) on a makeshift bed on the floor, as our furniture hadn't arrived yet. My German language skills were non-existent when some official kept telling me I had to leave immediately. I thought about just closing the door, but they wouldn't let me and waited until they physically watched me wake up the kid and leave. I still had paint on my hands and was a sweaty mess. Sure enough they were demolishing a building nearby and they found a 500lb American bomb. It took about seven hours before they opened up the streets again and let me back in the house. It was quite the welcome to the neighborhood.

Looking at photos of Cologne after the war it was pure rubble. I assume they just bulldozed it flat and started building new. Hence the finding of bombs when buildings are replaced.

nrc
07-18-17, 04:39 PM
Quoted link lead me to this interesting story about how common unexploded bombs still are in German. One target, Oranienburg, was bombed with a very high concentration of delayed fuse bombs. Many of them ended up upside-down in the ground which caused the delayed action fuse not to trigger. Oranienburg accounts one third of total statewide expenses for unexploded ordnance.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/seventy-years-world-war-two-thousands-tons-unexploded-bombs-germany-180957680/

SteveH
09-18-17, 06:27 PM
The United States Air Force turned 70 today (https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/09/the-united-states-air-force-turned-70-today/)


The United States' position as the sole remaining superpower on Earth is in large part thanks to its air force. That organization—the United States Air Force, or USAF—turns 70 years old today, and since we know there are plenty of plane spotters and aviation geeks here at Ars, we thought we'd assemble a gallery of some of our favorite USAF planes to celebrate.

SteveH
11-06-17, 10:57 PM
Fighter jets with laser weapons set to take to the skies in 2021 as Lockheed Martin wins $26 million 'Lance' high-energy laser contract
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5055865/Lockheed-Martin-developing-high-energy-laser-jets.html)

I hope the targeting system is extremely accurate.

G.
11-09-17, 02:36 AM
Fighter jets with laser weapons set to take to the skies in 2021 as Lockheed Martin wins $26 million 'Lance' high-energy laser contract
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5055865/Lockheed-Martin-developing-high-energy-laser-jets.html)

I hope the targeting system is extremely accurate.
$26 million?
What are they going to get for $26 million? A couple of guys with laser-pointers jumping around in front of a greenscreen?

:tony: <-- use safety glasses please

SteveH
11-12-17, 02:30 PM
A top secret desert assembly plant starts ramping up to build Northrop's B-21 bomber
(http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-fi-northrop-bomber-20171110-htmlstory.html)

nrc
11-14-17, 12:46 AM
A top secret desert assembly plant starts ramping up to build Northrop's B-21 bomber
(http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-fi-northrop-bomber-20171110-htmlstory.html)

I guess "top secret" ain't what it used to be.

indyfan31
11-14-17, 12:18 PM
I guess "top secret" ain't what it used to be.

I was going to suggest the same thing, considering we've all known where it is for years. :)

SteveH
01-01-18, 12:06 PM
Air Force Could Test "Flying Aircraft Carriers" as Early as Next Year
(http://www.nasdaq.com/article/air-force-could-test-flying-aircraft-carriers-as-early-as-next-year-cm898778)


We've been watching this particular hush-hush DARPA project for more than two years now . In a nutshell, it calls for the creation of a new class of small, reusable drones that can be launched midair from a C-130 air transport, disperse to surveil (or, depending on the payload, attack) targets as much as 300 miles away, then return to their flying airbase to dock for refueling and rearming.

Basically, Gremlins will be flying, warlike Roombas, but supersized -- big enough to carry 60 pounds of payload each.

Like a swarm of locusts....

SteveH
09-18-18, 07:03 PM
An Extraordinarily Expensive Way to Fight ISIS
(https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/william-langewiesche-b-2-stealth-bomber/561719/)


The tale of a bombing raid in the Libyan desert, pitting stealth bombers and 500-pound bombs against 70 ragtag fighters

An excellent article

nrc
09-19-18, 01:15 AM
Interesting. I wonder if they were concerned that someone with radar capability - either Russia or just some guy at the Tripoli airport - would warn them that a strike was incoming.

Or maybe they just wanted to stretch the bat plane's wings.

SteveH
09-25-18, 07:49 PM
US F-35 fighter jet poised for combat debut
(https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/25/politics/us-f-35-combat-missions/index.html)


The US Marine Corps' stealth F-35B Lightning fighter jet could fly its first combat mission within days, according to several US defense officials, who told CNN that the fifth-generation aircraft are currently aboard the USS Essex amphibious assault ship and should soon be in a position to conduct airstrikes over Afghanistan.

nrc
09-27-18, 10:03 PM
Combat debut for the US, but Israel actually beat us to it.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-f35-stealth-fighter-us-syria-iran-a8363676.html

It is cool that the Marines are able to use their B variant and strike from an assault ship. Range and payload were a problem for the Harrier in that role. I'm guessing that this is a test run to see how effective an assault ship can be in this role with the F35B on board.

SteveH
09-28-18, 03:57 PM
F-35B crashes near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina (https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/09/28/an-f-35b-has-crashed-near-marine-corps-air-station-beaufort/)


The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and is currently being looked at by medical personnel, Capt. Christopher Harrison, a Marine spokesman, said in a command release.

SteveH
10-11-18, 02:21 PM
Pentagon grounds F-35 fighter jets in wake of crash (https://apnews.com/546bf43d6fe74bce93d62d2363a7a51c)

SteveH
05-23-20, 06:24 PM
The Amphibious Warship USS Portland Has Shot Down A Drone With Its New High-Power Laser
(https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33634/the-amphibious-warship-uss-portland-has-shot-down-a-drone-with-its-new-high-power-laser)

nrc
05-25-20, 02:04 AM
The Amphibious Warship USS Portland Has Shot Down A Drone With Its New High-Power Laser
(https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33634/the-amphibious-warship-uss-portland-has-shot-down-a-drone-with-its-new-high-power-laser)

Now if the enemy will just remain straight and level and only attack on clear days we'll be impervious to attack.

I suppose you have to start somewhere. I wonder if the power required by these things will lead to more nuclear powered ships.

SteveH
06-25-20, 04:58 PM
U.S. Used Missile With Long Blades to Kill Qaeda Leader in Syria (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/u-s-used-missile-with-long-blades-to-kill-qaeda-leader-in-syria/ar-BB15WcHZ)

nrc
06-26-20, 03:40 AM
U.S. Used Missile With Long Blades to Kill Qaeda Leader in Syria (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/u-s-used-missile-with-long-blades-to-kill-qaeda-leader-in-syria/ar-BB15WcHZ)

Wow. Ninja missile. Gotta love the NYT account of "medieval brutality" because a missile cleaves the terrorist into six segments instead of just blowing him and everyone with 20 meters into a million pieces.

SteveH
06-29-20, 03:24 PM
ZAP! US Marines’ new weapon can electrocute enemies from 300 feet away – and is so dangerous they had to make it LESS deadly (https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/tech/1053673/us-marines-specter-taser-weapon-electrocute-deadly/)

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/KH-GRAPHIC-GIANT-TASER.jpg?strip=all&w=960

SteveH
09-24-21, 08:45 PM
Rolls Royce Will Provide Long-Awaited New Jet Engines For The B-52 Bomber Fleet
(https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42517/rolls-royce-will-provide-long-awaited-new-jet-engines-for-the-b-52-bomber-fleet)

TravelGal
09-25-21, 12:50 PM
From your post June 29. The Non Lethal taser weapon that can electrocute someone from 100 ft. electrocute: ?-l?k?tr?-kyoo?t? transitive verb. To kill with electricity. To execute or put to death by electricity. I'm missing the non-lethal part. :confused:

nrc
09-26-21, 09:42 PM
From your post June 29. The Non Lethal taser weapon that can electrocute someone from 100 ft. electrocute: ?-l?k?tr?-kyoo?t? transitive verb. To kill with electricity. To execute or put to death by electricity. I'm missing the non-lethal part. :confused:

What I've found about it says that it is non-lethal. You can't really expect the media to use words correctly.

TravelGal
09-27-21, 10:59 AM
What I've found about it says that it is non-lethal. You can't really expect the media to use words correctly.

:thumbup: Just joking at the Terminator language.

stroker
09-29-21, 07:04 AM
Is it possible they meant "electrify" or "electrically shock"...?

SteveH
08-21-23, 02:50 PM
US Navy destroyer to be fitted with hypersonic missiles (https://www.jpost.com/international/article-755443)


The USS Zumwalt is the lead ship of the Zumwalt class of naval vessels. She has been described as the largest destroyer in the world.

SteveH
01-08-24, 11:24 AM
U-2 Dragon Lady Spy Planes Execute A Bittersweet Elephant Walk (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/u-2-dragon-ladies-execute-bittersweet-elephant-walk-as-they-head-toward-retirement)


U-2s, T-38s, and KC-135s lined Beale AFB’s runway in an impressive display, but the U-2’s time in the service looks to be coming to an end.

pfc_m_drake
01-11-24, 08:46 AM
I bet the U-2 sticks around. Like the article said, it has capabilities that can't otherwise be replaced.

Elmo T
01-16-24, 07:50 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEVU7AXGQW0

stroker
01-16-24, 08:15 AM
Has anyone else heard about this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5FtBp7sNP0

nrc
01-16-24, 10:26 PM
In Ukraine two US supplied M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles were able to disable a T90 - Russia's latest tank technology.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/2-us-bradley-fighting-vehicles-take-out-russias-top-t-90-battle-tank-on-ukraine-battlefield-video-shows/ar-AA1mV9AJ

The quality of Russian manpower and equipment continues to decline as the they throw themselves into the Ukrainian meat grinder. Demographically they can't sustain the loss of manpower and things are going to get really dicey back in mother Russia going forward.

nrc
02-05-24, 11:22 PM
1980's 'Mercah! **** yeah!

1225

More great photos and video and the story behind them here.

https://www.twz.com/air/the-most-stunning-f-117-photos-weve-seen-since-its-retirement

SteveH
02-06-24, 12:53 AM
It’s not 100% retired shhhhh
https://www.wane.com/dont-miss/f-117-nighthawks-photographed-heading-toward-area-51/amp/

A handful are still operational

pfc_m_drake
02-07-24, 02:18 PM
My understanding is that they're all in climate controlled storage and some (all?) are maintained airworthy.

SteveH
02-07-24, 04:59 PM
My understanding is that they're all in climate controlled storage and some (all?) are maintained airworthy.

Evidently the anti-reflective coating disintegrates over time and is expensive to maintain. Those in museums have that replaced with something inert. The ones that still are operational possibly are used to test radar systems.

Ahhh, just found this...
What is the USAF really doing with its secretive F-117A Nighthawk fleet? (https://www.key.aero/article/what-usaf-really-doing-its-secretive-f-117a-nighthawk-fleet)

pfc_m_drake
02-08-24, 08:32 AM
Evidently the anti-reflective coating disintegrates over time and is expensive to maintain. Those in museums have that replaced with something inert. The ones that still are operational possibly are used to test radar systems.

Ahhh, just found this...
What is the USAF really doing with its secretive F-117A Nighthawk fleet? (https://www.key.aero/article/what-usaf-really-doing-its-secretive-f-117a-nighthawk-fleet)I couldn't access your link (subscription needed) but I did find this (https://www.airandspaceforces.com/a-real-retirement-for-the-nighthawk/)instead. That link dates from 2016. Guessing that since we haven't seen any Nighthawks show up in Tucson yet my guess is that they're all still being maintained in the air conditioning.

SteveH
02-08-24, 09:00 AM
That's odd. I just clicked on the link and it works for me.

Interesting excerpts...

its recent 12th September 2023


The F-117 training unit (FTU) was closed in 2006 and the first six aircraft to be retired made their last flights on March 12, 2007 after a ceremony at Holloman AFB to commemorate the aircraft's career. The withdrawal from Holloman occurred in eight phases, with the operational aircraft retired to Tonopah in seven waves or groups of 4-12 aircraft, on March 13, 2007, October 12, 2007, January 25, 29 and 31, 2008, until the last two waves’ arrival at Tonopah on April 11 and April 22, 2008. Four aircraft were withdrawn from Palmdale over the same period.

Four further aircraft (‘811’, ‘828’, ‘831’ and ‘841’) were briefly retained by the 410th Flight Test Squadron at Palmdale for flight test duties, the last of them (‘831’) being retired to Tonopah on August 11, 2008. And that should have been that.

Most of the F-117s were then placed in inviolate ‘Type 1000’ storage, maintained “in a condition that would allow recall of that aircraft to future service”. They were stored in their original climate-controlled hangars at the Tonopah Test Range Airport, with their wings removed to allow multiple aircraft to be cocooned five to a hangar at Tonopah. These hangars had been built as single-aircraft shelters.


here was speculation that the F-117As were retained because they were the only stealth aircraft capable of delivering large laser-guided bombs (LGB) against moving targets. In March 2019, there were unconfirmed reports that four F-117As had been secretly deployed to the Middle East in 2016 where one had been forced to make an emergency landing at Ali Al Salem (OKAS), Kuwait, but the USAF has said that “there is currently no requirement to preserve any of these aircraft in any state for potential combat use”.

It is clear that the aircraft’s main role has been one of testing new sensors or systems – primarily by serving as Low Observable targets. The F-117A’s signature, both RF and IR, was very well understood, allowing them to act as what The War Zone’s Tyler Rogoway described as a “flying measuring stick” against which new systems could be assessed.


It is probable that one major task has been calibrating and improving the sensitive equipment arrays at Groom Lake, which are used for measuring the radar cross sections of aircraft under real world conditions. These are possibly (and if so confusingly) known as DYCOMS; another unrelated system known as DYCOMS is used for meteorological research!


After 14 years of ‘post retirement’ activity with the F-117A, the Air Force may now be seeking to keep the type flying until at least 2034. In September 2022, the Air Force Test Center (AFTC), at Edwards Air Force Base in California, issued a request for information (RFI) to support a planned future ten-year contract for F-117A maintenance and logistics support services at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR).

pfc_m_drake
02-08-24, 03:58 PM
That's odd. I just clicked on the link and it works for me.

Interesting excerpts...

its recent 12th September 2023Good info - thanks.

Re: link not working
You may get a certain number of articles 'for free' then have to subscribe after that. Since I actually work in aviation, I've used up all my free articles many moons ago. Let me try it in private browsing mode...nope "Become a Premium Member to Read More" :(

stroker
02-09-24, 08:12 AM
Doesn't work for me, either, fwiw.

SteveH
02-09-24, 08:39 AM
:\ still works for me :confused:

SteveH
02-13-24, 08:42 PM
The new B-52: How the Air Force is prepping to fly century-old bombers
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/02/12/the-new-b-52-how-the-air-force-is-prepping-to-fly-century-old-bombers/


This $48.6 billion overhaul is intended to keep the (eventually redubbed) B-52J operational until about 2060 — meaning the Air Force could be flying nearly century-old bombers. When the last B-52 was delivered in 1962, it was expected to last 20 years, the Defense Department’s inspector general said in a November 2023 report.

These planes will outlive us all.

pfc_m_drake
02-15-24, 06:28 AM
B-52 is effectively a 'pickup truck' in the bomber world. Hard to replace that.
In light of our F-117 discussion I sort of chuckled at the line in the article that said "...retire the B-2..."

SteveH
03-02-24, 09:33 AM
B-52 Armed With Hypersonic Missile Makes Appearance In Guam (https://www.twz.com/air/b-52-armed-with-hypersonic-missile-makes-appearance-in-guam)

grandpa has learned some new tricks

SteveH
03-21-24, 08:40 PM
Spy agency ready to launch new vehicle-tracking satellites
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/03/spy-agency-ready-launch-new-vehicle-tracking-satellites/395106/



The National Reconnaissance Office is gearing up to launch new satellites that will enable the U.S. military and intelligence community to track moving vehicles and people from space.

Hi there, big brother.

SteveH
04-19-24, 09:35 AM
WHOA!

https://i.redd.it/b7ftqlh3gdvc1.jpeg

Each can hold up to 16 nuclear bombs :eek:


Majority Of The B-2 Spirit Fleet Took To The Skies In A Mass Launch (https://www.twz.com/air/majority-of-the-b-2-spirit-fleet-took-to-the-skies-in-a-mass-launch)

SteveH
04-20-24, 08:29 AM
This AI-controlled jet fighter has now flown against human pilots (https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/04/darpas-ai-test-pilot-successfully-flew-a-dogfight-against-a-human/)


By September 2023, the program had completed 21 test flights, including the first-ever AI versus human aerial engagement within visual range, flying against a human-piloted F-16. During that time, DARPA says the team made over 100,000 lines of flight-critical software changes, which it called "an unprecedented rate of development."

stroker
04-20-24, 09:21 AM
WHOA!

https://i.redd.it/b7ftqlh3gdvc1.jpeg

Each can hold up to 16 nuclear bombs :eek:


Majority Of The B-2 Spirit Fleet Took To The Skies In A Mass Launch (https://www.twz.com/air/majority-of-the-b-2-spirit-fleet-took-to-the-skies-in-a-mass-launch)

If the support tankers had been in the shot, too, that would have been really impressive.

SteveH
04-27-24, 02:17 PM
https://x.com/habubrats71/status/1784025565625815204?s=46&t=FtBbY0VGTU6tkFPNjgS-pg

SteveH
05-13-24, 08:37 PM
https://i.redd.it/x30vbvnis60d1.jpeg

SteveH
05-13-24, 08:49 PM
Lockheed Martin’s secretive division released the rendering of a notional stealth tanker for the Next-Generation Air Refueling System program which aims to replace KC-46 and KC-135 tankers.
https://theaviationist.com/2024/05/13/skunk-works-release-new-kc-z-stealth-tanker-rendering/


Lockheed Martin’s highly secretive Skunk Works division released a rendering of a notional stealth tanker meant for the Next-Generation Air Refueling System program, also known as KC-Z, which aims to replace KC-46 and KC-135 tankers in the 2030s. The tanker, which appears smaller than the types it will replace, is shown refueling an F-35A with the flying boom system.

nrc
05-14-24, 03:05 AM
https://i.redd.it/x30vbvnis60d1.jpeg

"In service" has a little different meaning for the Ruskie carrier. :gomer:

SteveH
05-14-24, 08:55 AM
Ghost Shark and Manta Ray: Australia and US unveil undersea drones
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/tech/australia-us-undersea-drones-ml-hnk-intl/index.html

Elmo T
05-24-24, 07:28 AM
US Air Force releases first official pics of B-21 bomber in flight.

https://x.com/EdwardsAFB/status/1793345250108527054

1243

1244

pfc_m_drake
05-29-24, 09:31 AM
Very cool.
I'm surprised that the B-21 is as on track as it is - good to see.