Author Topic: Stealth aircraft (Read 959 times)

AKIron · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2008, 06:37:31 PM »

Are you counting simulated missions? Add a few hundred for me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-19_Stealth_Fighter

trax1 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 20, 2008, 06:37:48 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by myelo
My need to know is I'm arguing with someone who says stealth AC are useless and a waste of money because they can be easily shot down despite the technology. When I pointed out that only 1 stealth AC had ever been shot down in combat, he said that's because they have rarely been used.

Airscrew thnks for the link.

Yeah your friend is wrong, as I stated in my other post in the 91 Gulf war alone the F-117 Nighthawk flew 1300 combat sorties and not a single one was lost, no other aircraft that have been used in combat have the survivability record that stealth A/C do.

Tell your friend this, why would the U.S spend billions & billions of dollars to develop and build stealth A/C if they could be easily shot down, I think that Congress would be a little mad at the military for spending the money they did to develop stealth technology if it was easy to defeat.

Treize69 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 20, 2008, 07:05:09 PM »

And would they keep building newer and more advanced Stealth aircraft if the concept didn't work?

trax1 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 20, 2008, 07:30:14 PM »

Yeah I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say the guy who said stealth didn't work is just a high school age or younger kid.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #19 on:** February 20, 2008, 07:32:47 PM »

First flight! FTW! (I know, old, but hey...so am I)

trax1 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 20, 2008, 11:22:36 PM »

Has anyone heard of the "Aurora"? It's supposed to be the militaries next gen in spy planes, and it's supposed to have a Pulse Detonation Wave Engine that allows it to reach hypersonic speeds of mach 6 or more. Since the Air Force retired the SR-71 Blackbird it has no spy planes, so you have to assume that if their going to retire their spy plane that they have something that replaced it. Heres a pic of what it's thought to look like.

Treize69 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 20, 2008, 11:26:35 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by trax1
Since the Air Force retired the SR-71 Blackbird it has no spy planes, so you have to assume that if their going to retire their spy plane that they have something that replaced it. Heres a pic of what it's thought to look like.

They did have a replacemant- they're called "spy satellites".

trax1 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 20, 2008, 11:34:13 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Treize69
They did have a replacemant- they're called "spy satellites".

Yeah but with spy satellites you have to wait until they pass over the area you want to look at, and some governments and terrorist groups can know when those satellites are passing over head and can hide what there doing, with a spy plane you can send it to photograph anywhere you need at anytime and you can't predict when a spy plane is gonna fly overhead.

If spy satellites where the answer we would have gotten rid of spy planes a long time ago because we've had spy satellites for decades.

Spikes · « **Reply #23 on:** February 20, 2008, 11:43:41 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by ChickenHawk
What I want to know is why the Nighthawk has an 'F' designation. Should be B-117.

The USAF tried to trick the Soviets (at the time) into thinking they had something they really didn't. According to treaties signed by both sides, they weren't allowed to develop any new bomber aircraft. So, they decided to give it the prefix of "F" so that it wouldn't look like a heavy bomber.

trax1 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 20, 2008, 11:56:03 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SpikesX
The USAF tried to trick the Soviets (at the time) into thinking they had something they really didn't. According to treaties signed by both sides, they weren't allowed to develop any new bomber aircraft. So, they decided to give it the prefix of "F" so that it wouldn't look like a heavy bomber.

Actually thats not true, the designation "F" has nothing to do with any treaties we had with the USSR. The Air Force has never officially explained, but there are several theories on it, heres from a website:

"The "F-" designation has never been officially explained. However, military organizations have never been quick to embrace new technologies, and the USAF in particular has always been most proud of its fighters ("F-" aircraft), slightly less so of its strategic bombers ("B-" designations), and has never been enthusiastic about providing direct support of ground troops ("A-" type attack planes). It is possible that an aircraft of radically new design would win support more easily if it was a "sexy" fighter rather than "just" an attack plane.

One of the more common explanations for the "F-" designation of the Nighthawk was that it was for security reasons. The aircraft does not exhibit the characteristics of an attack ("A-" designation) aircraft in that it does not have a gun, nor rockets to engage enemy ground targets and provide close-in air support (CAS) for friendly personnel on the ground. Also, the typical role of an attack jet is to operate during daylight hours and/or at low altitudes, which is contradictory to the concept of this platform. The Nighthawk is by default and definition, a strategic aircraft and deserving of the "B-" designation for bombers. The given reasoning behind the misleading title Stealth "Fighter" was to disuade and misdirect possible foreign espionage attempts to gather accurate intelligence on the project. "

bcadoo · « **Reply #25 on:** February 22, 2008, 11:57:41 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by ChickenHawk
What I want to know is why the Nighthawk has an 'F' designation. Should be B-117.

I've heard it was to deceive the 'evil empire' into believing it was a fighter.

CMC Airboss · « **Reply #26 on:** February 22, 2008, 02:20:09 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by ChickenHawk
What I want to know is why the Nighthawk has an 'F' designation. Should be B-117.

Noted military aviation expert Andreas Parsch has a really good writeup on cover designations that the US Air Force used for once secret (and some still secret) programs. For instance:

YF-110B = MiG-21 Fishbed B
YF-113A = MiG-17 Fresco C
YF-113B = MiG-23 Flogger F
YF-113E = MiG-23 Flogger E
YF-117A = Lockheed Senior Trend (which become the F-117A)
YF-117D = Northrop Tacit Blue

Check out Andreas' writeup and designation matrix http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/coverdesignations.html

ChickenHawk · « **Reply #27 on:** February 22, 2008, 03:18:55 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by CMC Airboss
Noted military aviation expert Andreas Parsch has a really good writeup on cover designations that the US Air Force used for once secret (and some still secret) programs. For instance:

YF-110B = MiG-21 Fishbed B
YF-113A = MiG-17 Fresco C
YF-113B = MiG-23 Flogger F
YF-113E = MiG-23 Flogger E
YF-117A = Lockheed Senior Trend (which become the F-117A)
YF-117D = Northrop Tacit Blue

Check out Andreas' writeup and designation matrix http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/coverdesignations.html

Excellent link. Thanks Airboss.

I guess my indignation arose from the early days when there was still a lot of hype surrounding the F-117 and the hopes that it was some new super fighter that would kick some serious arse. It was quite a let down when I found it didn't even have a gun on it.

I saw my first one flying at an airshow last summer and I have to say that it kinda grows on you after you see it in person.

trax1 · « **Reply #28 on:** February 23, 2008, 02:12:33 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by ChickenHawk
Excellent link. Thanks Airboss.

I guess my indignation arose from the early days when there was still a lot of hype surrounding the F-117 and the hopes that it was some new super fighter that would kick some serious arse. It was quite a let down when I found it didn't even have a gun on it.

I saw my first one flying at an airshow last summer and I have to say that it kinda grows on you after you see it in person.

Well then you should really be excited about the F-22 Raptor as it is a "super fighter", it's not only one of the most manuvarable fighters ever developed, it's also a stealth airplane. It's everything that the F-117 was not in the fighter roll. No other fighter in the world compares to it, it can take on around 5-6 F-18 and have no problem taking them all out before they even get any kind of shot on it. I was watching a interview with a Raptor pilot and he said that if he's not going up against atleast 5-6 other fighters it's not a fair fight.