NASA Building A New Unmanned Aircraft: X-56A MUTT

NASA’s Research Center, Dryden Flight, will soon have an unmanned aircraft named X-56A MUTT – short for Multi-Use Technology Testbed – it is being developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to start on testing technologies needed for new kinds of lightweight and flexible aircraft.

The newly-built aircraft is under contract to Lockheed Martin Corp., it is being made in California and will conduct the  flight experiments for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). X-56A MUTT is one of the Air Force’s newest designed X-planes. The 7.5 foot-long aircraft has a 28-foot wingspan and will be powered by two 52-pound thrust has JetCat P200 SX turbine engines.

Gary Martin, the Deputy Project Manager for NASA’s Subsonic Fixed Wing Project at Dryden Flight said to the press, “flexible wings and fuselages can result in significant reductions in the structural weight of aircraft. To maintain the long-term health of the structure and ride quality in a more flexible airplane, we need to actively alleviate gust loads on the airplane and suppress flutter, so gust load alleviation and active flutter suppression are two of the key technologies that NASA is working to advance.”

The MUTT is designed to address this problem by enabling engineers to practice suppressing flutter by adjusting software programs in the aircraft’s flight control computer. Researchers also expect to learn how better to ease gust loads, which will make flexible airplanes safer when they experience in-flight turbulence. The knowledge gained about flutter and gust suppression will be used in designing the proposed supersonic X-54, an aircraft that will demonstrate sonic boom-quieting technologies that could someday alleviate the noise concerns currently preventing supersonic commercial flight over land in the United States.

Dryden Research Center will oversee the flights for AFRL during summer 2012, and then take ownership of the X-56A MUTT for follow-on research after the Air Force tests are finished in early autumn.

To see more of the model space shuttles, you might want to check Showcase Models and discover the many gun ship vessels and civilian model planes there is.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov

U-2 Spy Planes Keep Tabs on North Korea

As tension build-up as the world watches the North Korea’s transition of power, Washington is realizing the importance of U-2 spy planes more than ever before.

The legendary U-2 “Dragonlady” has been serving the US Armed Forces since the beginning of the Cold War. Its main use is to monitor the actions of secretive nations. And in the midst of a critical period at North Korea, U-2 is proving that it can keep up with unmaned spy drones like Global Hawk.

In a rare interview with the Associated Press, pilots of the U-2 spy plane shared some information about its missions. Three U-2 planes are based on the Osan Air Base in South Korea. It is just 50 miles away from the border. U-2 missions are flown every day. According to the squadron commander, they are the eyes and ears to the North Korea. Its extreme high altitude and intelligence capabilities make it very sought after.

In the missions on North Korea, the U-2 aircraft is affirming its relevance to today’s hi-tech aviation. Unlike satellites it can be redirected on short notice to other target areas. It high altitude capabilities make it nearly impossible to track or intercept. It also survey a broader target area than low-flying aircraft. These capabilities has prevented the US Armed Forces to retire the U-2 Spy Plane. It had postponed the plan of replacing it with Global Hawks until 2020.

source: http://www.cbsnews.com

Classic Airplanes and Modern Jets Share the Spotlight

Airplanes enthusiasts in New Zealand are in for a treat! The Royal New Zealand Air Force will celebrate its 75^th anniversary with an airshow at Ohakea on the 31^st of March. Airplane models from the “Classics in the Sky” Tauraga air show will mix with the world’s top military aircraft where “modern world will meet history” in an exciting extravaganza.

A number of vintage aircraft from Tauraga City are expected to be displayed at the event. Classic Flyers director Andrew shared that preparations for the classic airplanes to attend the event are under way, but everything is still very dependent on the weather. However, he is looking forward that Boeing Stearman, Hawk Hunter, CT4 and Dragonfly will be at the airshow.

The Royal New Zealan Air Force will display their past, present and future aircraft. They will show their vintage airplane models like the Spitfire and Mustang. The Air Force will also showcase their newest acquisition like the A109 and NH90 helicopters plus the upgraded C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orions among other military aircraft. The Red Checkers, the aerobatic/precision flying team of the RNZAF will also demonstrate their expertise.

RNZAF Air Commodore Steve Moore says, “It’s the perfect way to celebrate the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s birthday.”

Air Forces from different nations will also participate in the event. The Royal Australian Air Force will send their F-18 fighter jet, which are very rare in New Zealand, and their C-130J Hercules and a Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.

US Air Force will bring a C-17 Globemaster while the US Marines Corps will display the KC-130 Hercules air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The French Armed Forces of New Caledonia will have the CASA 235 twin-engine transport aircraft at the event while the Singapore Air Force will display one of their C-130.

Seeing the astounding display of modern and classic airplane models will be an incredible experience for every airplane afficionado.

source: http://www.sunlive.co.nz

Pentagon Grounds Lockheed F-35 Jets

The Pentagon announced on Monday that more than 15 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets are grounded. All the high-speed ground and flight operations of the fighter jet are temporarily suspended because of the parachutes under the pilot’s ejection seat. The parachutes were discovered to be improperly packed.

The grounding affects the flight testing of the six F-35 jets based in Edwards Air Force Base in California. It also halted the training program using nine units of the fighter jet in Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It also affected the three planes that are nearly finished in the Lockheed factory in Texas. However, the eight F-35 fighter jets stationed in Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland; are spared from being grounded because they have older version of the ejection seat with properly packed parachutes. Lockheed said that it will probably take 10 days for the first set of properly packed parachutes to be available.

The grounding comes after Pentagon announced that the $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is due for a thridreconstruction. They are slowing down orders for the F-35 to allow more time for development testing in order to avoid costly repairs or modifications. Some sources think that the Pentagon will put-off procurement of the fighter jets for the next five years and will only resume on 2017.

According to Richard Aboulafia, defense analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group, the improperly packed parachutes only adds to the negative news that F-35 has been getting lately.

“There’s a perception that they’re moving too fast on production before ironing out all of the problems, and this is going to reinforce that perception,” said Aboulafia.

The troublesome parachutes were packed by a UK-based Martin Baker Aircraft Corp, a private company, apparently due to confusing instructions.

source: http://www.reuters.com

RAAF Hornet successfully fired JASSM

A RAAF F/A-18 Hornet successfully fired a Joint Air to Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) at the Woomera test range last week.

The Joint Air to Surface Stand-off Missile has a range of more than 200 kilometres and was selected in 2006 by the former Howard government to equip the F/A-18 Hornet fleet pending the retirement of the F-111 fleet.

The JASSM has been listed on the federal government’s “projects of concern” watch list, but makers Lockheed Martin are optimistic the successful Woomera test will mean its removal.

“A second successful firing of the JASSM baseline missile off a RAAF F/A-18 Hornet was achieved at the Woomera test range in South Australia last week,” a Lockheed Martin spokesman told The Australian.

JASSM is in service with four other air forces including the US Air Force which has ordered more than 3000 of the semi-stealthy cruise missiles each worth about $700,000. Experts say JASSM will give RAAF a leading weapons capability edge within the Asian region.

Source: The Australian National Affairs

Wisconsin ANG F-16 crashed

The pilot of an F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Wisconsin Air National Guard 115th Fighter Wing is safe after ejecting from the aircraft over Adams County June 7 during a routine training flight.

The pilot has been recovered south of Chester, Wisconsin and is being medically evaluated. The F16 aircraft has been located in Chester. Emergency responders are on the scene to secure the aircraft.

An Air Force investigating team has been requested to determine the cause of the accident.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon the first of the US Air Force multi-role fighter aircraft, is the world’s most prolific fighter with more than 2,000 in service with the USAF and 2,000 operational with 25 other countries. The F-16 was the first operational US aircraft to receive a global positioning system (GPS). The aircraft has an inertial navigation system, either a Northrop Grumman (Litton) LN-39, LN-93 ring laser gyroscope or Honeywell H-423.

Source: airforce-technology.com, U.S. Air Force

US AC-130s, A-10s used against Gaddafi’s forces

Vice Admiral Bill Gortney confirmed that over the weekend, the US has used AC-130 gunships and A-10 Thunderbolt tankbusters against Moamar Gaddafi’s troops in Libya.

Though the use of ground attack helicopters was confirmed, the Pentagon however denied the US was directly supporting rebel fighters.

The US Air Force uses the AC-130 gunships for close air support, air interdiction, air missions, bombing raid, and force protection. Close air support roles include supporting ground troops, escorting convoys, and flying urban operations. Air interdiction missions are conducted against planned targets and targets of opportunity. Force protection missions include defending air bases and other facilities.

The A-10 Thunderbolt on the other hand, has excellent maneuverability at low air speeds and altitude, and is an highly accurate weapons-delivery platform. The aircraft can loiter near battle areas for extended periods of time and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings (303.3 meters) with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility. The wide combat radius and short takeoff and landing capability permit operations in and out of locations near front lines. Using night vision goggles, A-10 pilots can conduct their missions during darkness.

These actions are only in support of the UN-backed resolutions to protect Libyan civilians, Vice Admiral Gortney said.

“We’re not in direct support of the opposition, that’s not part of our mandate, and we’re not coordinating with the opposition.”

 

Source: ABC News, Aircraft information from wikipedia.org and USAF, photo from Google images

US Air Force to retire 250 aircraft and jets

The U.S. Air Force will retire more than 250 aircraft and fighter jets in the next several months, according to a report on Tuesday.

As part of the Combat Air Force Reduction in Forces plan, Hill Air Force Base will send out 12 aircrafts in the next two months and another 12 this fall — making their inventory smaller, but hopefully more lethal.
“As an Air Force, we are going to accelerate the retirement of 259 aircraft,” said Col. David Hathaway with the 388th Fighter Wing unit.

It’s all part of a master plan by the Air force, retiring several F-16s, F-15s and A-10s to save money.

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the first of the US Air Force multi-role fighter aircraft, is the world’s most prolific fighter with more than 2,000 in service with the USAF. The last of 2,231 F-16 fighters for the US Air Force was delivered in March 2005. The first two-seat F-16D version was accepted by the US Government in January 2009.

More than 1,500 F-15s are in service worldwide with the US Air Force, US Air National Guard and the air forces of Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia, including over 220 F-15E fighters.

Hathaway added by saying “It frees up $355 million this fiscal year and over the next five fiscal years will free up $3.5 billion, which will allow us to reshape our force into a smaller, leaner, more agile and capable force for the future.”

And though the retiring of these jets will mean the Air Force will have a smaller inventory right now, Hathaway says, “In the long term this makes us more lethal and combat capable, yet smaller force.”

- planenews

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