Threat Axis

US Navy 167953

Originally uploaded by Drewski2112

While the British have been flying a jet powered maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) in the Nimrod’s for years now – the US Navy has finally started production of their own Jet MPA in the Boeing P-8 Poseidon.

Earlier this spring – the first test planes rolled out of Boeing’s Renton production facility, the same facility that the commercial/passenger carrying 737′s come out of (albeit a different building). The P-8 incorporates the body of the latest 737-800, w/ the wings from the 737-900 (the wings include ‘raked wingtips‘, instead more conventional winglets).

Once the testing of these new planes is completed – they will join an active duty squadron and the Navy’s current MPA – the Lockheed P-3 Orion – will head off to storage at the ‘Boneyard’ / Davis-Monthan AFB (outside of Tucson, AZ).

Where some Orion’s are already sealed up and waiting to be used in the future.

This is a YouTube video of James May (one of the Host/Presenter’s on BBC’s “Top Gear”) taking a flight in a U-2 Trainer up to 60,000 feet.

If you have never seen the BBC program “Top Gear” – I strongly suggest looking for it on your Cable or Satellite schedule (on either BBC or BBC/America).  It is a motoring (car junkie) program with an occasional humorous or off-beat take on things.

Empty bay

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

Let’s see what’s new with the current Air Force golden child – the F-22 Raptor;

• F-22 appearance at Paris Air Show cancelled at the last minute supposedly for availability
• Congress continues to ask the Air Force if they are willing to sell the Raptor to our closest Pacific (Japan & Australia) allies.

But probably the most interesting piece has been this press release out of Edwards AFB that announced that a team of their personnel had completed the Increment 3.1 upgrade two months early. The Increment 3.1 upgrade included;

• Installing a new Air to Ground mode on the radar
• Fit check for a smart bomb rack
• Fit check for the SDB (Small Diameter Bomb)

With this upgrade complete – does this mean we can really start calling it the F/A-22 now?

While the Pentagon takes its sweet time to determine what is going to be done with the US Air Force tanker program – the US Navy has gone out and contracted with a private firm to provide aerial refueling for Navy training activities.

Omega Air Refueling operates 3 aircraft (two Boeing 707′s and one DC-10) in support of their contract with the government. This contract is just the flying hours of the aircraft. The responsible party (i.e. squadron) for the receiving aircraft is responsible for the cost of the actual fuel (and can use their government credit card – just as if they were buying fuel during a cross-country or TDY).

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The President’s first 100 days are over – and still no word on what is going to happen with one of the most watched Pentagon acquisition programs in years.

The Air Force tanker program (to replace the aging KC-135′s).

SecDef Robert Gates has said he opposes a ‘dual buy’ (some from Airbus and some from Boeing) option.

There isn’t a even a concrete ‘dual buy’ proposal on the table, only suggestions from some Senate subcommittee chairmen as a way to break the impasse. And even then – the actual committee chairmen have not yet decided other than to wait to see what the Pentagon proposes.

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As the weather warms – it is time to get out of the house and take in the sights. For aviation photographers – that means it is Air Show season.

A couple of hints if you have never gone to a show before;

• Check to see how big a backpack you are allowed to bring in (small bags – good, large bags – usually prohibited)
• Check to see if you can bring folding chairs – if YES – then DO IT. You are going out onto an airport. So there aren’t benches to sit on. If you want to sit on something – you have to bring it with you.
• Water. If you don’t bring your own – bring $$$ to pay the vendors for it.

Below is a link to a slideshow of my pictures from the Luke Air Force Base (Glendale, AZ) “Thunder in the Desert” airshow held last month.

To see if there is an airshow close to you – take a look at this web page from the Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine.

Lockheed-Martin Joint Strike Fighter X-35B STOVL prototype

Originally uploaded by rob-the-org

Earlier this week – it came to light that design specifications (computer files) for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)/F-35 Lightning II stored on a Pentagon contractor computer system – had been accessed and downloaded by hackers.

One story says that the contractor’s computers were compromised as early as 2007 – and the hackers continued to access these systems.

The thing about this story – is that it isn’t new. The original allegations that the program’s computers had been compromised was first run almost a year ago in May 2008. The contractor disputed the initial IG’s report with enough vigor that the IG withdrew the report last October.

It seems that Lockheed-Martin and BAE are downplaying the incident by saying that no “classified” data was compromised But if the attackers encrypted the data streams that were being removed – how can anyone be sure what exactly was or was not accessed.

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Ok – I have kept everyone in suspense for long enough. Here is a side view of the same plane – and you can start answering some of the questions I posed.

This was a flight demonstrator for the Shaped Sonic Boom program. The thought was that a modified underside of the aircraft’s fuselage could potentially reduce the sonic boom that an aircraft made when going supersonic (Mach 1+) speeds.

[The newest jet engine's - i.e. the F119 on the F-22 Raptor - no longer has to go to afterburner to get to supersonic speeds. One of the reasons that the Concorde wasn't able to make money (and got retired) was because it was constantly on afterburner (and burned a huge amount of jet fuel). Beyond the fuel costs - the other reason that the Concorde wasn't successful - was because it was restricted to overwater flights. Because on an overwater flight - there was no homeowner's association or EPA to complain about the noise pollution].

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Marine One

Originally uploaded by Pradagirl

It was disclosed this morning that blueprints and specifications of the Presidential Helicopter ‘Marine One’ have been compromised via a File Sharing program on a contractor’s computer.

And that the same data was found on a computer system in Tehran Iran.

The article doesn’t mention if this is the current Marine One, or the new Marine One (which might never go into service due to continuing cost overruns).

Someone will probably lose their job over this (unless they are a VP).

But this is a prime example of why you keep work on one computer and play on another.

Raptor_Airshow-2

Originally uploaded by Lockheed Martin

The President has a decision to make by this weekend. Whether or not to start shutting down the production of the F-22 Raptor, or to buy some additional planes.

It is a decisive issue – not just for the military and the government, but also the economy;

• It is the most expensive fighter plane ($191 million apiece) ever
• It has no use in the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan
• Service Chiefs want more
• DOD needs to cut new acquisition programs to fund on-going combat operations
• Congress supports buying more
• Allies (Australia and Japan) want to buy it
• Suppliers or factories for the plane are in 44 of 50 states
• Estimates are 40,000 people would be affected by shutdown of program

Read the entire story – on USAToday.com.

This was the original reason that I was going to go down to Pima on the photo trip.  I hadn’t been to the museum since the new ‘Spirit of Freedom’ (Hanger 1 South) had opened up.  And it was the new home to the museum’s SR-71 Blackbird.

The pictures in this slideshow documents the progression of the Blackbird’s display at Pima.  From being tucked under a temporary sun shade/car port, to being out in the middle of the Arizona sun, to finally being inside and showcased in the new hanger.

This is the last set of pictures from the January photo-safari.  If you would like to explore more of my pictures from different trips to Pima – please click HERE.  If you are interested in learning more about the Pima Air & Space museum – click HERE.

If you would like to see all of my posts about Pima – click HERE.

This was the reason that most of us had come on the trip. A chance to photograph the Convair B-36 Peacemaker that the Museum staff had been working on reassembling for over three years now.

[This slideshow/picture set is of ALL of my B-36 pictures from Pima.  Not only my trip in January 2009, but from trips in 2006 and 2007.  So you can see the visible progress.  For a more current and up close status of the restoration of the Peacemaker, take a look at the project page on the Pima website]

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F-22 Raptor

Originally uploaded by Rob Shenk

In an attempt to position additional purchases of the F-22 Raptor as either an ‘economic recovery project‘ or for sales to performance details of the plane have been released by Lockheed-Martin.

• Radar Cross section – -40 dBsm., the equivalent radar reflection of a steel “marble.”
• Supercruise – Mach 1.78 rather than Mach 1.5
• Acceleration – 51 seconds rather than 54 seconds (did not disclose what speed/altitude this performance metric is for)
• Altitude – non-afterburning/full military – above 50,000 feet (even though reports have the Raptor’s ceiling at 65,000 feet)
• Radar range – 5% greater than expected (ranges on AESA radar‘s are classified, but is estimated to be above 100 miles)

  In support of potential foreign sales – the Raptor will make its Paris Air Show debut later this year. The Raptor was not sent to Paris in 2007, due to the way that French officials handled a previous visit by the F-117 Nighthawk (routing the F-117 over several French military establishments – so they could conduct electronic intelligence gathering).

  Cross your fingers – maybe we will still have enough Air Superiority fighters in 10 years to control the skies over a battlefield.
  
  

X-48B

Originally uploaded by cherbro1

When I first blogged about the X-48 a year and a half ago – the radio controlled scale model had just taken its first flight.

This program hasn’t died yet – but its focus has changed. In a AvWeek article published on-line earlier this week – NASA now believes that the Hybrid Wing Body (HWB, its generic term for BWB shapes) is key to reaching its agressive environment targets (for both fuel economy and radiated noise).

Boeing’s Phantom Works has supposedly even talked to two large shipping companies (believed to be FedEx and UPS) about the BWB, causing internal problems with Boeing Commercial Airplanes (who normally handles cargo aircraft).

The US Air Force is still in the mix – looking for tanker/cargo aircraft with the best fuel efficiencies possible, which leads to……

NASA’s lead investigator said they are looking to partner w/ the Air Force Research Lab on a large scale structural demonstrator in the next couple of years. That would then lead to a manned flight demonstrator approximately the size of a 737.

74-0787_IAB_19SEP07_1

Originally uploaded by Midwest Tail Chasers Aviation Photography

With the change of Administration last month, the National Geographic Channel ran a special on Air Force One, calling it America’s Airborne Command Post.

Unfortunately – that statement was just PR. As the documentary showed (in a recap of the flight during 9/11), Air Force One is not a ‘command post’ per se. It is a VIP transport, with a very secure communications system.

[For more commentary about the NatGeo documentary - check out "In From the Cold"]

The ‘real’ Airborne Command Post is currently a set of four Boeing 747-200 aircraft that were modified/enhanced, and are currently designated by the US Air Force as E-4B’s.

The history of this program;

• ordered – Feb 1973
• first delivered – Dec 1974
• fleet upgraded to E-4B standard – 1985
• Expected to continue in service to 2015

The E-4B modification consisted of EMP hardening of the aircraft electronics and systems, and replacing the original engine’s.

The four airplanes are based at Offut AFB in Nebraska, and will rotate through Andrews AFB (outside of Washington DC) and Wright Patterson AFB (Dayton, OH). Since the US no longer keeps the bomber force on alert – the E-4′s are one of the few aircraft that are maintained on a 24-hour alert status.

During the attacks on 9/11 – people had reported seeing a large, 4 engine plane overflying Washington, DC and this turned out to be an E-4B, even though the DOD never admitted it was theirs. According to later reports – there was an E-4B at Andrews AFB, participating in Exercise “Global Guardian” that was cancelled when the first plane hit the World Trade Center (and the E-4B was sent airborne).

Behind a sign that says ‘Museum Staff only’ rests the Restoration Hangar and storage yard.  This is where planes are prepped to go on display, and others sit either waiting for their turn, or waiting to used as parts for another exhibit.

Being allowed into the Restoration was the whipped cream on this photo trip (the cherry will be another post).  It was due to the diligence of the organizer of the photo trip.

The Restoration shop is where aircraft are taken apart, cleaned, holes patched, put back together again, and repainted.

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Boeing VC-25A – SAM 28000 Air Force One Climbs out of EFD

Originally uploaded by E-Mans av8pix.com

According to an Exclusive post over on Ares (AvWeek milblog) – an Airbus spokesman in Washington has said they do not plan on bidding on the replacement for the current Boeing 747-200 versions of Air Force One (VC-25).

Many had expected Airbus to propose their A380 superjumbo for the size and range requirements outlined in the Air Force RFI.

In the middle of the museum field of planes – there is a non-descript building which houses a special project.  This building is referred to as ‘Area 51′ – and is where the museum’s craftsmen are building their own P-51 Mustang.

Now – they don’t ever expect this plane to fly, so the strength of the wings and the fuselage are one of the areas that they are cutting back on.  But otherwise – they are working from original blueprints and where possible (budget & availability) using original parts.

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Back at the edge of the restoration area – was an Avro Shackleton AEW.Mk2 named ‘Mr McHenry’ – that was donated by Air Atlantique Classic Flight.

The Shackleton was a post World War 2 design for a RAF Maritime Patrol Aircraft.  This particular airframe, WL790, was converted to be a AEW (Airborne Early Warning) platform.

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