Supersonic and Tailless - the Next Step in Stealth?

Supersonic and Tailless - the Next Step in Stealth?: "

The US Air Force may have decided to stay subsonic for its ultra-stealthy Next Generation Bomber, but it has not lost interest in high speed for long-range strike. Air Force Research Laboratory officials speaking at the AIAA aerosciences meeting in Orlando (Jan. 5-8)'say they are windtunnel-testing stealthy tailless supersonic designs with embedded engines. The combination has never been done before, they say, and the technology needs to be matured before it will be seriously considered by the Air Force.

Photo: Arnold Engineering Development Center

The key technology is active flow control, which is used to improve the efficiency of'the serpentine inlet and exhaust ducts for the embedded engines and for'stability and'control of the tailless aircraft. The above model of a Lockheed Martin design has been tested in the 4ft transonic tunnel at AEDC to compare the effectiveness of a jet-effects spoiler (lower wing) and a conventional solid spoiler (upper wing) for yaw and roll control.

Supersonic designs, manned and unmanned,'were evaluated in the analysis of long-range strike alternatives that led up to the selection of a manned subsonic platform for the Next Generation Bomber, A key factor was technology maturity, as the NGB is intended for service-entry in 2018 and has to be low-risk. Broadband all-aspect stealth requires a tailless configuration, and the risk with a supersonic design was too high, says AFRL.


Artwork: Northrop Grumman

With a subsonic platform selected, the Air Force is looking at high-speed weapons that could be carried by the NGB. AFRL, Air Combat Command and Pacific Command are evaluating long-range strike weapon alternatives under a project called Trespass/Trespals - an acronym no-one seems able to explain. Options include a missile derivative of the scramjet-powered X-51 hypersonic demonstrator.

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(Via Ares.)

Bio-Inspired Robots

Bio-Inspired Robots: "

Dave Fulghum had an article in this week's AW&ST entitled 'Bugging the Bugs'. It appeared here on the Aviation Week website yesterday as Unmanned Vehicles Mimic Insects.

It turns out that BAE has a resource page for the project you might be interested in. A couple images:

I call this one 'Cylon Dragonfly MAV'.

Bumper sticker for your Porsche: My other spider's a UGV.

BAE also has a video animation of how robots like these might work with combat troops.

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(Via Ares.)

Stealthy Rider

Stealthy Rider: "

Northrop Grumman is'kick-starting peparations for'the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the B-2 bomber's first flight, next July 17. The first step:' working with Orange County Choppers and The Learning Channel on a custom bike patterned after the B-2. Its construction will be the season premiere of the show American Chopper.

The bike features a gas tank shaped like the B-2's nose. Its manufacture was the cause of some of the show's characteristic' father-son moments - and while the Teutel family's dysfunctional behavior might seem out of place in this context, if you've ever spent a lot of time talking to B-2 design leaders John Cashen and Irv Waaland, that's not the case at all.

The bike also has a tailpiece made from spare titanium and patterned after the B-2's aft deck structure, and wheels carrying five B-2 shapes on each side, reminiscent of the star pattern painted on the ramp for the B-2's rollout in November 1989.

B-2 program vice-president Dave Mazur says that Paul Teutel Sr was given a tour of Whiteman AFB, the USAF's B-2 base, as well as a Planform Alignment 101 briefing. And before you ask, Mazur confirms that one of the wisenheimers at Tejon Pass has already proposed putting the bike 'on the pole' for radar cross-section tests.

Mazur neither'confirms nor denies that the bike was, in fact, the subject of the notorious $2 billion'secret contract that Northrop Grumman pulled in earlier this year. But a company spokesman does say that the B-2 20th'anniversary celebrations reflect the fact that 'Northrop Grumman is a bomber company.'

Now, why would they consider that an important'message?

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(Via Ares.)

Military intercepts of aircraft decrease

Military intercepts of aircraft decrease: "WASHINGTON — The number of times military fighters have been ordered to intercept planes straying into restricted airspace has declined by about 50 percent during the past two years."

(Via Air Force Times - News.)

The Whoosh!

I shot these this morning while I was out trying to capture some sunrise photos from the balcony of my apartment complex in Amarillo. It was moving very fast and high. No sound or booms were heard and no radio traffic concerning what i called "the whoosh" were recorded.

Whatever it was it was a high fast mover. Enlargement shows a small dark non-cruciform object leaving the contrail.

Camera: Canon Pro-1 8 MP



Traveled from SE to NW across the horizon in about five minutes.

I'll post more images later.

-Steve Douglass


Images (C) Steve Douglass and require permission for reproduction.

UPDATE:

Another frame:



Enlargement - no enhancement:



Enhanced contrast:



Another photo I took with my Nikon D-70s 6.2MP and a wider lens showing relative scale and position in the sky.



Enhanced and enlarged frame:



Enhanced & enlarged color removed/contrast enhancement:



Comparison photo of jet contrail taken hours later from same viewpoint.
Note: According to my aircraft radio, this aircraft was identified as Southwest Airlines carrier flying at 33K.



(C) Steve Douglass