Foxtrotalpha's report on new hanger construction at groom lake

a reply to: gariac

not CG. real.

www.dvice.com...
www.dvice.com...

Lockheed Speed Agile.

Not saying it will actually be built however.

originally posted by: BlackDog10
a reply to: gariac

not CG. real.

www.dvice.com...
www.dvice.com...

Lockheed Speed Agile.

Not saying it will actually be built however.

Lockheed's stealthy 'Speed Agile' transport revealed

You are not stealthy with the blades exposed like that.

Not stealthy, but stealthier perhaps than the big barn door return of the c-130. Maybe it'll look like an F-15 on radar or something.

a reply to: boomer135

Spinning blades are really easy to detect. They have a Dopper signature that screams jet. Just think of a household fan. As the fan blades spin, the distance from you to the blade is changing since the blade is not flat. Now do that as a jet turbine speed, and this back and forth motion is added to that of the jet airframes radar signature.

Worse yet, the sharp blades are very broadband reflectors, meaning they are visible to a wide range of radars.

All that duct work on a stealth type aircraft really kills the efficiency of the engine, but I don't believe there are any alternatives. If plasma stealth worked, they wouldn't be ducting and shielding.

Looking at the design, the other obvious issue regarding stealth is the engines are on the bottom of the plane. If possible, having the engines above the airframe shields them from ground based radar, and also masks the heat signature.

If you watch the Red Flag games (which in theory reflects real life), they don't even fly the heavies until air supremacy (or maybe superiority) has been achieved. [I'm thinking the lower level of superiority since in training they do shoot the heavies with Smokey Sams, so some ground units are still alive druing the exercise.] That isn't to say a stealthy cargo plane wouldn't be handy, but I don't think this is it.

Interesting to see that this made the mainstream news over here. Wonder if the LRS-B going grey/White is closer than previously thought?

a reply to: AussieNutter

Yes and no. Less than two years, more than one from what I hear.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Interesting, Cheers zaph!

funny thing, but the side cg shots of the boeing speed agile concept look strikingly similar to an old school plymouth superbird

theres one aircraft I find really interesting in that link. It's a depiction of a lockheed bomber concept ( i think, not sure) It is a delta shape, has the engines on top of the plane and a long chime like fuselage. Looks unmanned too. To me that screams super fast, like that would be a better design for a sr72 then the orient express looking thing they keep depicting. I always wondered what was up with that one drawing. Pretty looking design.

Great thread there boomer,
the Foxtrotalpha blog never fails to amaze aswell.

We will find out sooner rather than later, the "mystery" is well on its way of being revealed.

Btw, you got a pm.

a reply to: gariac

I agree with you Gariac. I don't think the plasma is being used so much for stealth as for air boundry layer control or for controlling airflow in general.

I've read a few interesting patents coming from Lockheed and Boeing regarding using plasma actuators of some sort to create stable and consistent pressure gradients along the air inlet for the engines of jets. A way to control the air flow so that the curves of the intake to the buried engine don't suffer from air pressure loss. Works on the exhaust too from what I can tell.

Also there are patents from the same gang that discuss using plasma actuators of some sort actually inside the engine to smooth out airflow on the tips of the compressor blades for improved performance.

Stealth ?
How ?
Worst design ever !

www.nasa.gov...-o6jmO5KnI

This looks very cool indeed.

Speed Agile Team Wins Laureate

Almost since the dawn of powered flight, military aircraft have benefitted from NASA aeronautics research. Back then - in 1917 – it wasn't called NASA. It was the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which changed its name to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958.

That legacy continues today and is getting recognition. A government/industry team, led by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and including NASA, won Aviation Week magazine's 2013 prestigious Laureate Award in Aeronautics and Propulsion for the Speed Agile Powered Lift System Concept Demonstrator. The idea behind the program is to design a next-generation tactical mobility aircraft that could give the U.S. Air Force more flexibility to deliver supplies and troops to remote regions of the world that might not have traditional infrastructure such as long, paved runways. Included on the award winning research team were not only NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate's Fixed Wing Project, but also Boeing Research & Technology; Lockheed Martin; Advanced Technologies, Inc.; and Williams International.

Since the research efforts started in 2002, AFRL and its partners have designed, tested and validated technology for cruise-efficient short takeoff and landing aircraft. NASA's primary interest is in the dual use technology and its potential application to future airliners. NASA contributed computational tool, wind tunnel, simulator and aerodynamic expertise at its Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. and Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Researchers tested several concepts in NASA Langley's National Transonic Facility and 14 by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. They also used NASA Ames' Vertical Motion Simulator to evaluate flying qualities and control schemes for an advanced transport.

Wait a tic.

SSTOL?

www.flightglobal.com...