Flight/Planes

[TonyM]

I came across this pic decades ago but only recently got the background story;

The Story Behind an Unbelievable Photograph

 

[Paintman]

Thanks for including the article about how the photograph was taken.

 

[Debi]

B-21 bomber night flights might have started at Area 51

 

[Duke]

B-21 bomber night flights might have started at Area 51

This isn't true. The final step before a manufacturer starts actually building a plane after contract award is what is called a critical design review or CDR. No manufacturer will start building, or in most cases even buying components to be used in building, until CDR is completed and approved by the government customer.

In the case of the B-21, CDR was completely in mid-Dec of 2018. There is no way an a/c as complex as the B-21 was built and flown in a year, not even a prototype. It is possible there are some flying test bed a/c testing systems intended for use in the B-21, but those are legacy aircraft with those system integrated strictly for airborne testing.

Btw, there were lots of people who believed there was a B-2 prototype of some sort flying around Nevada prior to the aircraft's first flight back in the summer of 89. Some fairly well respected sources even reported it, but it wasn't true. There were a lot of interesting things in the air in Nevada prior to the summer of 1989, but none of the were a B-2.

 

[Debi]

Navy arms amphibs with 13 F-35s, changes future attack tactics

 

[Duke]

Navy arms amphibs with 13 F-35s, changes future attack tactics

A few nations are also considering basing F-35s on their helicopter carriers. South Korea, Japan, and Australia have all expressed interest, and maybe another couple I can't recall. With its advanced avionics and sensor fusion, an F-35 could function as a mini-AWACS, a serious force multiplier for small navies operating amphibs.

 

[Debi]

F-117 Nighthawk being sold for scrap, website reports

 

[Debi]

F-117 Nighthawk being sold for scrap, website reports

Anybody need plane parts?

 

[Duke]

F-117 Nighthawk being sold for scrap, website reports

I'm surprised they are selling this due to potential environmental and health effects of the composite material that makes up a significant portion of the aircraft body. The first F-117 we lost was at an airshow in Maryland in 97, the local firefighters who responded to the mishap suffered respiratory issues after breathing the fumes and particulate matter generated by the burning aircraft.

 

[Debi]

Wreckage of lost American WWII planes finally found, in a Pacific lagoon | Live Science