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catfish42 Bloody Fossil from world´s favourite country. Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Bloody Fossil
#301: Jun 5th 2010 at 3:00:34 AM

Very interesting. The ALTB is certainly one of the coolest things the US Air Force has done recently. I don't know how useful a huge laser in a large aircraft actually is in the defence against ballistic missiles, but the concept sure sounds good. "Hey, we stuffed a big laser into a 747 and we shoot missiles with it!"

A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the line
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#302: Jun 5th 2010 at 6:19:39 PM

Screw missiles. Imagine the possibilities of burning enemy aircraft out of the air. If it has the range and ability to track and focus on a missile it can hit a plane. The planes are far more easily knocked from the sky.

Who watches the watchmen?
catfish42 Bloody Fossil from world´s favourite country. Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Bloody Fossil
#303: Jun 6th 2010 at 10:24:44 AM

That reminds me of a Dale Brown book, Flight of the Old Dog namely, which opens with a Soviet laser in eastern Russia blasting an RC-135 out of the sky...

Airborne lasers against planes. The questions is though, what would you shoot down with it? Fighters? Strategic bombers would be easy targets, but, since the introduction of ICBMs, those are a thing of the past.

A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the line
Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#304: Jun 6th 2010 at 10:38:45 AM

Yeah... as well, unless the laser is incredibly quick firing it may have trouble dealing with more than one fighter (which would make it vulnerable).

Locking you up on radar since '09
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#305: Jun 7th 2010 at 12:55:08 AM

The Free Electron Laser ^_^ continuous pulse and has high potential. Itd make an interesting leak catcher interceptor system.

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Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#306: Jun 7th 2010 at 8:09:22 AM

Ah, okay. Sounds very good, actually.

Locking you up on radar since '09
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#307: Jun 9th 2010 at 5:23:37 PM

the x-38 test launch from a B-52

Who watches the watchmen?
EthZee Since: Oct, 2010
#308: Jun 9th 2010 at 5:44:51 PM

Re: The Boeing YAL laserplane: they've got a variant of this project, the Advanced Tactical Laser. This time, though, it's intended for use on ground targets.

May I be the first to say: bwuhahahahaha.

TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#309: Jun 9th 2010 at 10:04:45 PM

Mirror Relay Planes Wow this is some straight up made scientist crap;

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Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#310: Jun 10th 2010 at 8:15:50 AM

...It's just the tantalising prospect of goddamn lasers on planes! Come on, if you were a scientist that would be something you'd want to pursue, right?

Locking you up on radar since '09
catfish42 Bloody Fossil from world´s favourite country. Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Bloody Fossil
#311: Jun 10th 2010 at 10:27:34 AM

Oh yes.

"Hey, I worked on putting a 100 kilowatt laser into a plane and made it work."

I'd figure though that the main problem with lasers in planes is the high energy demand that any substantially powerful laser will have. For the time being, airborne laser weapons will probably be limited to larger airframes.

A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the line
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#312: Jun 10th 2010 at 11:57:09 AM

They use COIL lasers. Bizarre things.

Who watches the watchmen?
catfish42 Bloody Fossil from world´s favourite country. Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Bloody Fossil
#313: Jun 11th 2010 at 1:38:40 PM

Just read through the Wikipedia page.... okay. Pretty strange way of generating a laser beam. But probably the ideal thing for airborne weapons, it seems.

Ok, so here's my turn on coming up with an interesting link: I saw this thing on TV today and found it pretty interesting: A solar-powered plane designed to fly around the world.

A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the line
Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#314: Jun 11th 2010 at 1:48:28 PM

Ah yeah, I've heard of that. Remember HELIOS, anyone? It might be good for geographical work.

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TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#315: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:52:28 AM

Avro Vulcan

This is Tuefel's most recent odd find of the day. Its pretty cool looking actually.

The Helios Solar Craft

edited 16th Jun '10 1:54:24 AM by TuefelHundenIV

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Morven Nemesis from Seattle, WA, USA Since: Jan, 2001
Nemesis
#316: Jun 16th 2010 at 3:22:03 AM

The Vulcan is, in my opinion, one of the coolest and most futuristic looking aircraft built — very imposing, and the aerobatics RAF display pilots got out of the big bomber were impressive indeed. Only subsonic, though, despite the look. These were built as the UK's nuclear bombers, but stayed in service through the mid 1980s.

They saw combat use only once, in the "Black Buck" bombing raids on the Argentine-occupied Falkland Islands in 1982. These were 8,000 mile, 16-hour missions, and were the longest combat bombing missions ever at the time; that record was surpassed by USAF B-52s in the 1991 Gulf War.

Amazingly, the bombing radar used in these missions, H 2 S, was the same system used in World War 2 against Germany, though a later version.

A brighter future for a darker age.
Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#317: Jun 16th 2010 at 8:28:55 AM

^Yeah. Shame that they don't make 'em like that any more.

I've seen a Vulcan at a display; it's got a peculiarly graceful quality, and to me its jets sound slightly mournful (although that's humans for ya - putting personification where there is none).

Locking you up on radar since '09
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#318: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:22:12 PM

I just love the flying wing kinda look. Speaking of old bomb sites still in use. The Norden Bomb Site is still classified. Any public examples have been altered. They use a modern version on several of our bombers.

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Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#319: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:27:22 PM

^Colour me surprised! I would have thought that such a thing would be long since out-dated.

But then again, we Brits love to extend the service lives of our technology to breaking point, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that other nations do the same.

Locking you up on radar since '09
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#320: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:43:09 PM

That bit of Knowledge courtesy of my father a former B-52 pilot.

Another Plane I think is pretty cool. I just love the look of some of the European planes.

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Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#321: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:52:52 PM

At first I didn't like it, but now it's starting to grow on me. Those nutty Swedes! grin

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TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#322: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:54:28 PM

One last Tuefel found thing. The Sky Bolt Air Launched Ballistic Missile

HOLY CRAP. One of the largest missiles possibly carried under wing on a plane ever.

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Flanker66 Dreams of Revenge from 30,000 feet and climbing Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Dreams of Revenge
#323: Jun 16th 2010 at 1:57:56 PM

I'm guessing only a B-52 could carry it...

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frog753 Non-Action Guy from CT and/or MA Since: Jul, 2009
#324: Jun 16th 2010 at 4:16:24 PM

Ay, Tuefel, just a few months ago I posted saying the Vulcan and Draken were cool...

Great minds think alike, I guess!

Flora Segunda | World Made By Hand | Monster Blood Tattoo ^You should read these series.
catfish42 Bloody Fossil from world´s favourite country. Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Bloody Fossil
#325: Jun 17th 2010 at 9:35:08 AM

I'm just going to run through these with my comments:

  • Helios: That sort of thing probably has a future, but I can't quite figure where.

  • Saab Draken: Cool and unusual looking plane, like a lot of the Saabs. A plastic kit of one, with B-58 Hustler engines stuck onto it was used as a futuristic fighter jet on Thunderbirds once, if I remember that correctly.

  • Avro Vulcan: Cool as hell. Also, some impressive low-level flying was done with it in its late days. I can very much recommend the book Vulcan 607 by British author Rowland White, which deals with the first Black Buck strike and the run-up to it. If you also read Sea Harrier Over The Falklands by Lt. Com. Nigel "Sharkey" Ward, the Vulcan story loses some of its impact though...

  • Skybolt missile: Quite impressive. And Flanker, if you think only a B-52 could launch it, well, not quite: According to my hilariously outdated "Military Aircraft Of Today" (from the mid 80s), there were considerations to carry Skybolts on an enlarged Vulcan (six of 'em), on Handley Page Victors, or on VC-10 and Trident airliners. Test were actually conducted with two Skybolts on a standard Vulcan.

edited 17th Jun '10 9:35:49 AM by catfish42

A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the line

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