Not every program DARPA undertakes can be another Big Dog—the agency has had its fair share of fizzled experiments over the years—but even those failures can yield exciting new insights. Just look at the Northrop Tacit Blue, a plane so unwieldy it incorporated more redundancy than the Space Shuttle but also demonstrated the potency of curved stealth design.
     |
The venerable U-2 ‘Dragon Lady’ is a spy plane born from Cold War necessity that soldiered on operationally for decades past anyone’s wildest dreams. She went from sleek design to a bulging beast of burden whose silhouette can change as fast as her mission requires it to. Here’s a guide to her many configurations.
| |
In the late 1950s, at the dawn of the Space Age, the idea that a wingless vehicle could somehow generate lift just from its body shape was seen as beyond preposterous. But less than a decade later, this early forerunner of the Space Shuttle proved the design far more science than fiction.
| |
From the U-2 Dragon Lady and A-12
| |
Performing a midair fuel transfer between aircraft is among the most technically challenging maneuvers in aviation, especially when flying a prop-driven, WWII-era C-97 Stratotanker. That’s why neophyte pilots spent hours at the controls of this life-size simulator before they ever set foot in the real thing.
| |
Even if they are primarily just cheap knockoffs, China’s rapidly growing fleet of next-gen aircraft are poised to seriously challenge American air superiority in the coming years. To prevent that, argues Chief of U.S. Air Force Air Command Command Gen. Michael Hostage, we’ll need plenty of fifth-generation fighters of our own—no matter the cost.
| |
Despite the US military’s robust budget, not every design makes it onto the battlefield. In fact, only a select number of the very best designs ever actually fly. So what the hell was the USAF thinking choosing the defect-ridden F-22 Raptor over this gorgeous jet?
| |
Ever wondered how the US Air Force cleans its planes? Here’s one way: They use a giant shower on a runway—or a planewash if you must. Here you can see it cleaning the salt accumulated on a Lockheed Martin WC-130 Hercules after flying through storms over the Gulf of Mexico.
| |
Delivering America’s military might to foreign shores is no small feat, especially when that might is the size of an M-1 Abrams tank. For more than half a century, we’ve relied on one of the largest military aircraft in existence to do so—a plane that ended up costing just a little more to build than we expected.
| |
A new request by the Air Force Research Lab reveals that the USAF is planning to have laser weapons built in the next generation of fighters by 2030, the US Naval Institute reports. The new jet fighters will be equipped with both defensive and offensive lasers. I’m glad we’re getting ready for the incoming alien invasion.
| |
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
