Pictures Of Mystery Plane Over Wichita

originally posted by: ionwind

originally posted by: Stealthbomber
a reply to: ionwind

Now if only there was a way to make a quiet boom then they could fly over going supersonic and no one would ever know.

Interesting. It looks like NASA has been working on just that: Waveforms and Sonic boom Perception and Response, or WSPR. I'll believe it when I see it and don't hear it.

NASA Quiet Sonic Boom Research

If true we could have supersonic commercial jets flying into major cities.

It will eventually trickle down into consumer use though.

a reply to: Dutchowl

Clairvoyance/esp probably not so much, but if you have a look at concept aircraft that are coming out in the future most of them have gone with the triangle shape because it works aerodynamically(with the help of a computer) and it's stealthy.

originally posted by: weavty1

originally posted by: TXRabbit
a reply to: boomer135

So it's unmanned? Hard to make out a cockpit in that rendering

They're talking about a different program, altogether.

That rendering is a screenshot from a Boeing PowerPoint, outlining simulated unmanned refueling systems.

These two airframes that were seen over Amarillo and Kansas are both manned... One of them, will eventually have an 'optionally-manned' variant, further into its program. But these are both definitely manned at the moment.

It's not just a rendering. The kc-135 boptt boom sim and the new kc-46 boom sim have uavs programmed into them, most notably the X-45, X-47, and what looks like the manned bird of prey as well. I'll see if I can find a pic of the others.


Edit: here's another

a reply to: boomer135

Nice one boomer! The manned bird of pray sounds interesting.

originally posted by: boomer135

It's not just a rendering. The kc-135 boptt boom sim and the new kc-46 boom sim have uavs programmed into them, most notably the X-45, X-47, and what looks like the manned bird of prey as well. I'll see if I can find a pic of the others.


Edit: here's another

I know it's not just a rendering Re-read that paragraph I wrote, lol. Thilly goose!

Yes, that's definitely very interesting news about the boom sim! Onward and upward!

Oh and didn't you mean an UNmanned variant of the Bird of Prey?

a reply to: weavty1
Links blank mate

Thanks Boomer.
That's what I was referring to in my previous post. If I read the context correctly, you were drawing attention to the craft that was part of the simulator/trainer program with an inference of "why would they have it in a sim if it wasn't an actual craft".
From that line of thought I extended my thought towards "could that pseudo-craft in the sim be one that was photographed either in the Amarillo sighting or the Wichita sighting? "

edit...

re-upload of img:

originally posted by: weavty1

originally posted by: boomer135

It's not just a rendering. The kc-135 boptt boom sim and the new kc-46 boom sim have uavs programmed into them, most notably the X-45, X-47, and what looks like the manned bird of prey as well. I'll see if I can find a pic of the others.


Edit: here's another

I know it's not just a rendering

Re-read that paragraph I wrote, lol. Thilly goose!

Yes, that's definitely very interesting news about the boom sim! Onward and upward!

Oh and didn't you mean an UN-manned variant of the Bird of Prey?

Weird, image links aren't working too well for me today...



Try that lol

a reply to: weavty1

Is that even a real concept? If so, that thing looks awesome!

a reply to: MystikMushroom

It's the Bird of Prey. It was a concept.

gizmodo.com...

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Scary thing is that someone actually flew it.

originally posted by: TXRabbit
Thanks Boomer.
That's what I was referring to in my previous post. If I read the context correctly, you were drawing attention to the craft that was part of the simulator/trainer program with an inference of "why would they have it in a sim if it wasn't an actual craft".
From that line of thought I extended my thought towards "could that pseudo-craft in the sim be one that was photographed either in the Amarillo sighting or the Wichita sighting? "

It's an actual craft that was in that image from the boomer-sim... It looks to be a near identical variant of the LM P-175 Polecat. They purportedly canceled the privately-funded program, after one took a nice dive into the desert floor, right before Christmas in 2006.

Then again, keep in mind, that image from the boomer-sim, is from a PDF of a PowerPoint, from roughly Q1 2007... So it very well could have been put in the presentation, with wishful thinking that the program or the air frame would still stay afloat in the long-haul scope of things..... Or, maybe the Polecat program wasn't cancelled afterall? dun dun dunnnnnn!

originally posted by: Sammamishman
a reply to: MystikMushroom

Scary thing is that someone actually flew it.

Wanna hear something scarier? it looks alot like the aircraft in STEALTH. the UCAV fighter.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: TritonTaranis

No. The only platforms capable of doing it are either slow and non-stealthy, or don't have enough range to do it if they are stealthy.

But this airframe isn't a very good candidate for supersonic, which is why I'm a bit puzzled

a reply to: TritonTaranis

It will perform its mission better than anything else in the inventory.

originally posted by: weavty1

originally posted by: boomer135

It's not just a rendering. The kc-135 boptt boom sim and the new kc-46 boom sim have uavs programmed into them, most notably the X-45, X-47, and what looks like the manned bird of prey as well. I'll see if I can find a pic of the others.


Edit: here's another

I know it's not just a rendering

Re-read that paragraph I wrote, lol. Thilly goose!

Yes, that's definitely very interesting news about the boom sim! Onward and upward!

Oh and didn't you mean an UNmanned variant of the Bird of Prey?

Actually no I wrote it a little weird. I was talking about uavs and then through in the manned bird of prey just to separate the two. I haven't heard of an unmanned version of it. Although from what the pilots have said it was a pain to fly aerodynamically so they could have used the design of the bop and made an unmanned version.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: weavty1

Is that even a real concept? If so, that thing looks awesome!

Yes the Bird of Prey flew out of Area 51 in the 90s with the designator of YF-118G, confirmed by shadowhawk.

a reply to: TritonTaranis
I hope we will see the begining of new generation plane mixing the stealth and the speed , a new generation in subsonic regime ,will say we will stay forever with slow aircraft and never jump to supersonic/hypersonic regime

a reply to: darksidius

We'll get there eventually. Right now hypersonic is really really hard, and expensive. Give it some time and you'll eventually see it happen.