Monday, February 14, 2011
F-22 Raptor (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)
The F-22 Raptor is the world's first true stealth fighter, able to evade radar and hit enemy aircraft before they're even aware of the Raptor's presence. Here it can be seen taxying during the military exercise Red Flag 07-2 atNellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The F-117 Nighthawk was referred to as the "stealth fighter" long before the Raptor arrived on the scene, but in fact it was a ground attack aircraft and not a fighter. The Nighthawk's "F-117" fighter designation was a deliberate attempt to mislead people about the aircraft, which was a top-secret black project until it was finally revealed to the public at the end of 1988, many years after it had entered service. The F-117 was theoretically capable of carrying air-to-air missiles but it was never operated this way and pilots never trained for this role.
As well as its stealth, the Raptor boasts several other formidable capabilities, including thrust-vectoring and the ability to supercruise or fly supersonically without the use of afterburners. It's often claimed that the Raptor was the first aircraft which can supercruise, but in fact the British-designed English Electric Lightning jet fighter developed in the late 1950s was the first aircraft with this ability, and the Concorde airliner spent most of its flight envelope in supercruise, using its afterburners only to achieve the desired altitude and initial speed. Although its precise performance is classified, a combat-ready Raptor can probably supercruise faster than any other comparable fighter, largely because its entire weapon load is usually carried internally.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
C-27 Spartan (Unusual Aircraft Collection)
It's not often that you see a large aircraft upside down, but it's a regular part of the airshow act of this Italian Air Force C-27J Spartan. This Spartan is the support ship for the Frecce Tricolori jet display team, accompanying them like the Blue Angel's C-130 support plane, Fat Albert. Both support planes perform a display, but Fat Albert never did anything like this!
In spite of what you might think, most large aircraft can do barrel rolls or even loops (most helicopters can't, though the Bo-105 is an exception). When the Boeing 707 was first flown in public, its pilot Alvin Johnston twice did barrel rolls at low altitude in front of amazed crowds. Even more impressively, the supersonic Concorde airliner was repeatedly barrel rolled when it was being tested.
The Spartan was derived from the Italian designed G222, which also flew some wild maneuvers at airshows. Not all of these were intentional, and certainly not the dramatic landing accident at the 2002 Royal International Air Tattoo in Great Britain which resulted in lots of sparks, flames and smoke, but no injuries.
F-14 Tomcat (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)
For many people the F-14 Tomcat will always be the quintessential US Navy jet fighter, made most famous by its starring role in the Tom Cruisemovie "Top Gun".
In this photo a Tomcat in a retro 1970s color scheme does a low-level pass immediately after takeoff with afterburners at full-power, during the F-14's farewell show at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, in 2005.
In addition to the Tomcat's own remarkable capabilities, the F-14's popularity owes almost as much to the reverence felt for its manufacturer, the same Grumman Corporation which made World War Two naval fighters like the F3F, F4F, F6F, F7F and F8F, as well as a line of post-war jet fighters including the Panther and Cougar.
Whether viewed from the side, the front or the rear, the Tomcat has some very strange looking bumps and curves, which earned it the affectionate nickname "The Turkey." All of those unusual shapes are there for a reason, and it's a surprise for many people to learn that the plane's wings provide only half of the total lift, the rest being generated by the fuselage itself and the "tunnel" between the engines, which not only creates 40% of the lift but also helps to reduce the plane's radar signature by shielding the ordnance hanging beneath the fuselage.
Be-200 Altair (Unusual Aircraft Collection)
The Be-200 Altair is a Russian jet-powered flying boat which is being marketed as an airliner, cargo plane and water bomber.
The Altair is intended for the civilian market, especially with maritime countries or other markets which lack regular airports, but have suitable aquatic landing areas.
At $US25 million, the Be-200 costs the same amount as its main competitor in the water bomber market, the turboprop powered Bombardier CL-415 Superscooper flying boat. Both the Altair and the Superscooper have an advantage over land-based water bombers because they can refill on any convenient lake while still moving, but the Be-200 can carry twice as much water as the CL-415, and its higher speed makes it capable of dropping water more often.
Beriev has sold several Be-200s to the Russian Interior Ministry and there have been leasing arrangements for firefighting in Italy and Portugal. While in Portugal the Be-200 you see here hit a tree on takeoff while fully loaded with fuel and water. Branches from the tree entered one engine and knocked it out, but the plane was still able to climb out on its remaining engine and make a safe landing. It's not the sort of advertising Beriev was looking for, but it does prove the plane's toughness, because it's unlikely that any other aircraft would have survived such an accident.
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