Heard of it?

I have heard from a friend of an aircraft they saw, they aren't big into planes so i was only able to get the general description, she saw this at a base in New Mexico (Alemegordo, not sure how to spell it, sounds like that)

Fighter sized, dual tails, thrust vectoring, stealthy, canards, swing wing, coloration - Light Gray with Black Canards

the person that showed it to her said she wasn't supposed to see it and shouldn't tell anybody (oops )

Any ideas, because i'm stumped on what it could be

Sounds like a steaming pile of crap, how could a general description include stealth profiles and black canards, i dont even know what a canard is and i own a dozen or so of books in this field.

Oh well, might as well entertain it, it could be a Mig-29 or 31, or maybe even an F/A-18.

Originally posted by Nerdling
i dont even know what a canard is and i own a dozen or so of books in this field.

haha. maybe you should read them then.

if you dont know what a canard is then you dont know as much as you think you do about aircraft and should study more of your books

I get them mixed up with the ailerons

Sounds like the Rockwell XFV-12A - a dismal failure:
www.vstol.org...

canards and swing wings dont mix.

That aircraft is nonexistent.

Thats my best guess.

Otherwise it sound like the 'SwitchBlade' or S-37 'Berkut'.


Supposed Switchblade.


Actual Sukhoi S-37 Berkut (But this has no 'swing wings).



Btw, Jagd.. nice find.. that yours..

:UP:

Originally posted by Nerdling
I get them mixed up with the ailerons

WTF? How can you get them mixed up? One is essential and at the other end of the A/C to the other!

Or,

It could be this:

www.lowobservable.com...

The F-26 Stalma is a single place multi-role fighter being developed by Stavatti Corporation, Tactical Air Warfare Systems Division in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Stalma is a single place, single engine air superiority aircraft offering variable geometry, supercruise, enhanced agility and low observability characteristics. The Short Takeoff Advanced Light Multi-role Aircraft (STALMA) program began in 1989 as a conceptual light weight fighter suitable for the replacement of F-16C and F/A-18C multi-mission aircraft in the late 1990s.

The Stalma evolved as a possible candidate for the USAF Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) program under the Bush Administration. The introduction of the ARPA ASTOVL program in 1993 and the 1995 initiation of the Tri-Service Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) project, resulting in the current Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, quelled the necessity for DoD MRF development. Shifting emphasis toward the production of a dedicated international export fighter, Stalma development continues as a commercial venture.

F-26 "Stalma".

Originally posted by KKing123
I have heard from a friend of an aircraft they saw, they aren't big into planes so i was only able to get the general description, she saw this at a base in New Mexico (Alemegordo, not sure how to spell it, sounds like that)

Fighter sized, dual tails, thrust vectoring, stealthy, canards, swing wing, coloration - Light Gray with Black Canards

the person that showed it to her said she wasn't supposed to see it and shouldn't tell anybody (oops

)

Any ideas, because i'm stumped on what it could be

I have two possibilities. I can't say which one is right because the description is so vague.

1. A-17:if the wings swing back in the same fashion as the wings of an F-14, or F-111, then it's probably an A-17

2. AX-29: If the wings swin farward to an angle simular ti the X-29, then it's probably an AX-29

These are my two best guesses. But the canards don't make any sense unless they are something like the glove veins on the F-14. These were retractable canards that could be extened to increase agility with the wings swept back.

Tim

[Edited on 6-10-2003 by ghost]

canards and swing wings dont mix

I'm with Fulcrum on this... Minus the canards, the Raptor of course...

The canards might have not been part of the aircraft, but stuck on for collecting test data, etc. Often, such test planes are simply primed (gray).... Currently, a lot of variations are being tested on Raptors, so who knows, maybe that's it... Seems to be an odd location for it...but that's not unheard of....especially if a forced landing, etc.

she said they just swung back, not forwards, i asked that

i doubt it's a raptor variation, simply because she knows enough about what they look like to tell, you never know tho

I"m going to show her some posted pictures to see if she recognizes any of them

we'll get to the bottom of this