Hasbro And Bbi Rumor

[coreystinson]

I wouldn't mind losing BBI products *IF* Hasbro could fill the void. Weapons/equipment packs, better vehicles, etc.

 

I seriously doubt that is what would happen though. ;(

[coreystinson]

I agree with both of you wholeheartedly.  But one thought lingers in the back of my mind...was the jungle strike an effort to see what BBI products would do for them?  I know its a long shot but the other stuff hasbro was releasing was nowhere near this accuracy, Im just gonna lay that out there.

 

I do think that the Humvee and the Ice Sabre represent a bit of a thinking shift in GI JOE vehicle design by Hasbro (i.e. no more Tonka Truck design philosphy). One that will appeal more to collectors and probably to kids too - emphasing more realism (or at least pseudo-realism) aspect to the vehicles which I always felt was critical to the success of vehicles in the original line.

 

In any case, Hasbro has certainly done a horrible job of distribution on these new vehicles. It is kind of hard to test market a new design concept when you've clogged retail shelves so full with Night Adders and Pirahna boats that you don't want to even make available your subsequent offerings.

 

Off topic, are you stinson of smalljoes?

 

That's me.

[8speed]

yeah, i think it'd ultimately mean the end of bbi's great product and not the improvement of g.i. joe.

So true. If this rumor is true, then it's really sad. I'm not really into the 12" figures (of any brand), but BBI is top-notch in my opinion. I often stop by their website and check out their 1:6 line, just to see what new kick-ass stuff they have. It's usually very cool.

 

http://www.blueboxtoys.com/bbi/index-page/...e/ef_index.html

 

Hasbro's 12 Joe line is laughable in comparision.

[Bluestreak]

yeah, i think it'd ultimately mean the end of bbi's great product and not the improvement of g.i. joe.

So true. If this rumor is true, then it's really sad. I'm not really into the 12" figures (of any brand), but BBI is top-notch in my opinion. I often stop by their website and check out their 1:6 line, just to see what new kick-ass stuff they have. It's usually very cool.

 

http://www.blueboxtoys.com/bbi/index-page/...e/ef_index.html

 

Hasbro's 12 Joe line is laughable in comparision.

 

oh my god... The level of detail on those things are just sick...

[Doom Saber]

I didn't know that Marie and another fig uses the pb bodies. Seems that Hasbro is usin bbi's molds on their figures.

[Dragonrider1227]

yeah, i think it'd ultimately mean the end of bbi's great product and not the improvement of g.i. joe.

So true. If this rumor is true, then it's really sad. I'm not really into the 12" figures (of any brand), but BBI is top-notch in my opinion. I often stop by their website and check out their 1:6 line, just to see what new kick-ass stuff they have. It's usually very cool.

 

http://www.blueboxtoys.com/bbi/index-page/...e/ef_index.html

 

Hasbro's 12 Joe line is laughable in comparision.

Yeah. sure. If you want high realistic figures. But i'm the type of guy that likes to play with my toys and too much realism kinda kills the play value for me. Hasbhro's 12" figures appeal to me.

[Three Storms]

The Cy Girls line as well as their "Villians" line aren't 100% realistic, so they do toss in some other stuff in the 12" line.

[Doom Saber]

Too bad Cy girls have been replaced by a Goth line. Maybe Takara will release Cy girls.

[Dragonrider1227]

The Cy Girls line as well as their "Villians" line aren't 100% realistic, so they do toss in some other stuff in the 12" line.

They have a villians line? Are there pictures? I could always use more villians.

[mr. han]

The Cy Girls line as well as their "Villians" line aren't 100% realistic, so they do toss in some other stuff in the 12" line.

They have a villians line? Are there pictures? I could always use more villians.

villians

[LUCIEN GYIEL]

Black Manta

 

 

 

What the Black Manta's statistics are thought to be:

 

 

Contractor:

Some people believe that it is the Skunk Works, but most believe that it is Northrop, since Northrop has great experience with flying wings and stealth

 

Mission:

Reconnaissance

 

Length:

About 30 feet

 

Width:

About 60 feet

 

Height:

About 10 feet

 

Engines:

GE F-404

 

Range:

About 3100 miles

 

Operating Height:

Can operate at high and low altitudes

 

Armament:

Possibly carries 1 Paveway II LGB in an internal bay.

 

 

 

 

 

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Little is known about the Black Manta, and there have been fewer sightings than of it than the Aurora. There is also dispute as to what the contractor is, although everyone knows that it is Northrop (If the Black Manta actually exists).

 

The TR-3A Black Manta was designed for stealth. It is a flying wing, and a cross between the F-117A and B-2. Observers say that it has rounded tips, but there are also reports of a craft with more sawteeth across the trailing edge, called the "Artichoke". The TR-3A is said to be much quieter than the stealth fighter F-117A. It is supposed to be a follow-up on the F-117A. Although some people say that it could be used in the Gulf War, in operation "Team Stealth", that would mean that the F-117A and the TR-3A were developed at roughly the same time (+/-10 years), and that would be almost impossible. The TR-3A is much more advanced than the F-117A, and it takes many years to produce such a big improvement. Still, the TR-3A is reported to be flying with KC-135 tankers, F-117s and T-38s, and is thought to have a capability to collect and transmit information back to F-117s, which was supposedly it's role in the Gulf War.

 

Although I believe that the Aurora is a myth (there might be an aircraft just slightly faster than a SR-71), because the government is in the process of researching Mach 3.5+ flight as we speak, I think that the Black Manta exists. It is really not that hard to produce a really stealthy aircraft, much harder than producing an aircraft that goes Mach 6-20.

 

DO YOU THINK THE BLACK MANTA EXISTS?

 

Yes.

 

No.

 

Maybe so.

 

What's the Black Manta?

 

Other

View Results

 

 

 

 

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Pretty, Pretty pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aurora

 

 

 

What the Aurora's statistics are thought to be:

 

 

Mission:

Reconnaissance

 

Length:

About 110 feet

 

Width:

About 60 feet

 

Take-off Weight:

Completely unknown

 

Fuel:

LH2/LO2

 

Fuel Weight:

Completely unknown

 

Main Propulsion:

At subsonic speeds:

Conventional jet engines.

 

At supersonic speeds, there are 4 possible propulsion systems:

Pulse Detonation Wave Engine

Ramjet

Scramjet

Regular Pulsejet

 

Get more information on these propulsion systems with the book, Advanced Airbreathing Propulsion.

 

Take-off Thrust:

Probably very high

 

Maximum Speed:

Mach 6-20 (Most people believe that its speed is Mach 6-8, but some think that it could go up to Mach 20.)

 

Armament:

Unlikely to be capable of armament but may be capable of launching Phoenix Air to Air missiles.

 

 

 

U-2 Spyplane

 

 

 

 

 

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History

 

On May 1, 1960, a lot of people were on Red Square. It was a holiday demonstration. Suddenly the fine spring mood of Mr. Khrushchev was spoiled by the message of a colonel of the KGB. The anti-aircraft defense subdivisions informed that unidentified aircraft had violated the USSR border. The height of the aircraft fly was inaccessible for Russian fighters. Mr. Khrushchev was upset. The day was spoiled.

 

American politicians and the military were satisfied. At last a spyplane excelling all modern analogies had been created. It had already flown over the territories of different countries for several years with great success. Up to now it had flown in perfect security anywhere. Neither fighter nor missile could reach this invulnerable aircraft. It was the time to use the spyplane over Russian territory.

 

Dwight D.Eisenhower was delighted with his new possibility to tease his political adversary Nikita S. Khruchshev. "Krushchev could bang two shoes on the table at the same time, but he couldn't prove anything." For the Russians the U-2 spyplane would only be a dot on the radar screen. It would be indiscernible to the eyes of fighter pilot. It was able to take photo of all secret objects without difficulties and returned to base.

 

On may 1st, 1960, Francis Gary Powers was the pilot of the U-2. The route was elaborated beforehand. It included all of secret factories and objects in the western part of the USSR. The reconnaissance flight promised much. For Powers it was everyday work. It the evening he had to have supper with his fiancée.

 

The aircraft U-2 had been followed by soviet MIGs at an inaccessible height. It looked as if "imperialist" provocation was to go unpunished. But Politics is a game you must win at any price. Therefore the KGB and the VAD (air defense) decided to use the most up-to-date "ground-to-air" missile. This meant removing the security, but Russians got their way. The first missile was launched. In five minutes the report had been received: "A soviet MIG has been shot down, the remained clearing off". The second missile went a little sideways and slowly disappeared slowly in clouds. In ten minutes a message had been received: "The target has been hit. The pilot has bailed out".

 

From then the fate of F.G Powers and the spyplane U-2 "Black Lady" parted. F.G. Powers was jailed as a political prisoner in "Matrosskaya Tishina". He was sentenced to solitary confinement for 10 years. I two years he had been changed for Russian spy Rudolf Abel who had been exposed by the CIA. Supper with his fiancée had been failed. The fiancée had since become a wife and mother.

 

The fate of the plane is also extremely interesting, although know to very few. The plane crashed near Sverdlovsk. Its remains were collected and sent for examination at factory N 16. Following a careful examination the plane was destroyed on the orders of the KGB. This ended the existence of the most scandalous known U-2 spy-plane. All that remain of it are the memories of F.G. Powers and a single engine part, saved from destruction by an engineer who worked at the factory. This part of the U-2 engine is the last fragment of history.

 

 

 

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U-2 Spyplane

 

The success of the U-2 might have made the difference between the United States' survival or not. The Soviet Union was developing an intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM). Tensions between us(US(get it? J )) and the Soviet Union were growing. The Soviet Union had ten times as many troops, eight times as many tanks, and four times as many airplanes as the US.

 

So, since our military sucked, we developed the U-2. It was designed to fly at least fifteen thousand feet higher than any airplane had ever flown, and had the best(highest-resolution cameras) in the world.

 

See, we were developing our own long-range bomber, the B-52, to counter the Soviet bomber Bison. But the B-52 would be almost useless because our intelligence didn't know where the _______ Soviet bases and key industrial areas were. There was a massive amount of snooping to be done. Thus, since the U-2 was used for intelligence purposes, the U-2 began not as an Air Force plane, but for the CIA. The U-2 was code named Rainbow, and it cost only $1 million per plane(believe me, when you have planes costing $300 million, it's nice to have one that costs 300 times lessJ ).

 

The U-2 began spying on July 4, 1956. For five years the U-2's cameras took photos of ICBM testing sites and air bases at over 70,000 feet above the most secretive society on earth. The U-2 first proved that there was no bomber gap between the United States and the Soviet Union, as was previously suspected. Finally, we ended snooping on May 1, 1960, when Francis Gary Powers was shot down, arrested, and sent to prison.

 

 

 

Pretty, Pretty pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty long, huh?

 

 

 

Suntan

 

 

Developed in the 1950's by Lockheed Martin, the Suntan, officially designated as CL-400, was designed to replace the U-2. The huge, but light aircraft was intended to fly at Mach 2.5, powered by 2 Pratt & Whitney hydrogen burning Air-Turbo-Ramjet (ATR) engines. A facility in Florida was built just to test these engines. However, these engines proved to be the cause of its failure. The project was cancelled, because of the immense cost of the fuel, with only four prototypes made.

 

After cancellation in 1958, it was renamed to "Gusto" and moved to the CIA. In September 1959, Lockheed was again given the chance to build it. The project was then renamed to "Oxcart" and the Suntan became the SR-71 Blackbird.

 

It is rumored that the information gained during the development of the Suntan (mainly the engines) has been incorporated into the Aurora.

 

By the way, nothing was heard about the Suntan for over 20 years.

 

Characteristics

 

TOGW: 69,955 lbs

Zero FW: 48,515 lbs

Fuel load: 21,440 lbs

Payload: 1,500 lbs

Crew: 2

Wing area: 2,4000 Sq. ft

Aspect ratio: 2.5

304-2 engines: 2

If anyone has any more information on this aircraft, I would greatly appreciate if you send me it.

 

Images

 

 

 

 

 

SR-71 Blackbird

 

 

 

 

Length:

107.4 ft.

 

Width:

55.6 ft.

 

Height:

l8.5 feet

 

Take-off Weight:

140,000 lbs.

 

Fuel Weight:

210,000 lbs.

 

Main Propulsion:

2 Pratt and Whitney J-58 axial-flow turbojets with afterburners

 

Take-off Thrust:

32,500 lbs. each engine (65000 lbs. total)

 

Maximum Speed:

Mach 3.5 (2,500 mph)

 

Maximum Altitude:

100,000+ ft.

 

Range:

2,500 miles+ without refueling; intercontinental with refueling

 

 

 

 

 

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The SR-71 Blackbird, originally named the RS-71, but renamed when Lyndon Johnson accidentally rearranged the letters during his 1964 announcement of the existence of the SR-71 (or RS-71?). Anyway, it was designed by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, at that time vice president of the Skunk Works. The project began in February 1963. The SR-71/RS-71 was built to be a strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Its first flight was on Dec. 22, 1964.

 

The SR-71/RS-71 is the "true" successor to the U-2 in every way. The SR-71 took a huge leap over the U-2 instead of just a normal small step.

 

As Kelly Johnson says, "It makes no sense to just take this one or two steps ahead, because we'd be buying only couple of years before the Russians would be able to nail us again. No, I want us to come up with an airplane that can rule the skies for a decade or more."

 

Basically, he wanted a plane that wouldn't be obsolete in a couple of seconds (sort of like computers nowdays:). So, they made the SR-71. And they succeeded in their goal. Maybe even oversucceeded. The SR-71 has a top speed of Mach 3.5 (more than 3 times the speed of sound!), can fly higher than 100,000 feet, and has a range of 4,000 miles! Unlike experimental rocket engines, the SR-71 can cruise at Mach 3, and fly from New York to Las Angles in less than an hour, on one tank of gas. It can also survey more than 100,000 square miles of the Earth's surface in one hour.

 

 

 

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Why the SR-71 Retired and then Re-Entered Service

 

Why people thought it retired

 

To make a long story short,

the three most commonly known reasons are:

 

The SR-71 is getting too old to maintain and/or it was too expensive

Satellites could do it all

Never stated officially, but was widely believed, was that the Blackbird was being retired because a superior replacement was entering service (Aurora?).

At least two of those reasons don't hold up:

 

Maintaining: The Blackbird was in good shape. There were more than enough of many components (including engines) in storage to last as far out as you wanted to project. In fact, there are still hundreds of millions of dollars of parts, already paid for, in stock.

Cost: Regarding cost, the SR-71 was not cheap. The cost of running the SR-71 fleet in the 1980s was $260 million annually. ABC News has stated that the cost of a single reconnaissance satellite is about $1 billion. It isn't cheap, but it isn't too expensive. It costs $50,000 an hour to fly the SR on a routine basis.

 

It wasn't a lack of work that sent the Blackbirds into retirement, there were far more requests for SR-71 time than there were aircraft to fly the missions.

The Aurora? Maybe…

 

 

Why it really retired

 

The SR-71 was assigned to SAC. SAC, though, didn't really see the plane as contributing to SAC's mission (dropping bombs) or image, and it had always been somewhat of an awkward fit. Further, unlike its various C-135 modes and the U-2, the SR-71 couldn't loiter, nor did anyone ever promise that it could (although with some of its planned upgrades it could perform more functions than it was then doing). SAC really didn't want the airplane.

One legitimate complaint against the aircraft: The biggest users of the SR-71 were the CIA, for obvious reasons, State and the Navy. The Navy had for years operated what was essentially a Mach 2, shorter legged SR-71, the RA-5C. When it retired, the Navy suffered a severe loss of reconnaissance capability. Although the F-14 provides reconnaissance capability with its TARPS system, that system has been held back while there are repeated attempts to give the Navy's Designated Wonderplane, the F/A-18, to take over the reconnaissance mission. As a result, the Navy has been an enthusiastic proponent of the SR-71 for reconnaissance as well as defense exercises. It is quite familiar with what a rapidly responding asset like the SR-71 could do, even when you had to go very high up to get the aircraft. USAF didn't choose to use most of the kind of intelligence the SR-71 could gather. However, funding for the SR-71 came out of USAF's budget, where it competed with other programs USAF wanted more. There had been proposals to treat the SR -71as a national asset and fund it accordingly, but these moves were blocked at various levels. There was also limited talk of the USN funding the program, but this also went nowhere. If you're the Navy are you going to fund an aircraft that isn't yours? If you're USAF, you may not want the plane, but there's no way you're going to let anyone paint "Navy" on the side of the fastest airplane in the world.

The SR-71 also was not liked by many of the "overhead" or satellite people at the NRO and elsewhere who thought satellites were the best for everything. They considered the SR-71 to be a competitive, rather than complementary system. By their very nature, satellite successes (and failures) tended to be very hush-hush and here was the SR-71 getting the "glory". Further there was the oft stated opinion by many that satellites could do anything needed better than anything else. While they are marvelous devices, this has never been true. The SR-71 flying around tended to gainsay the omnipotent image of satellites.

In the 1980s, opposition to the SR operations got stronger in a number of areas. Already planned sensor and maintainability upgrades were cancelled, and then because the SR couldn't perform the function an upgrade was supposed to do, this was given as a reason why the SR wasn't capable enough. Personnel rotation policies also were used against the SR. Because of its unique nature, the SR required service personnel that had a higher level of experience than other aircraft. USAF recognized this for many years and didn't rotate support personnel as often. In the 1980s, this policy changed and maintenance personnel went on the normal USAF rotation, lowering the experience level and increasing the mmh/fh ratio, which was then trumpeted as "proof" that the SR was becoming less maintainable. There were also options explored to further reduce the annual cost of the SR fleet, down to around $150 million annually. These would have involved greater use of contractor personnel, feasible on such a specialized, limited quantity aircraft, but were turned down as was the plan to permanently base (instead of operating as a Detachment) two SR-71s in England.

Then a T-39 crashed in April, 1985. General Jerry O' Malley was aboard, on his way to an official speaking engagement. He understood the nature of the SR-71 and its unique requirements and benefits. He was likely to become the Air Force Chief of Staff in 1986, and possibly even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs after that. When he was killed, General Welch went on to become chairman, and he was known as being hostile to the SR-71. This was when the SR-71's fate was sealed, although it took three more years to die.

The actual retirement of the SR-71 demonstrated its unpopularity with some at the top. Usually, when a major aircraft goes out of service, there are very high ranking officials present and numerous tributes are offered to the aircraft. At the retirement of the SR-71, many observers noted the absence of the usual highest rank of military and government officials at the ceremony. It's well known that the SR-71 delivered to the Smithsonian established new speed records, as the Smithsonian requested. What isn't well known is that the Air Force initially refused the request for a record flight, and in fact kept trying to block it up until the last minute. It took the personal intervention of Sen. John Glenn to permit the record flight to take place. Even then, the crew was instructed to fly a conservative by-the-book profile, which was unnecessary considering that this was to be the aircraft's last flight ever. After the arrival of 17972 at Dulles, USAF made no effort to help the Smithsonian in its preservation and it was left to deteriorate in the D.C. weather. The bird is now in a climate-controlled hangar, but that hangar was donated by the hangar manufacturer. One would expect that USAF would have pushed the PR value of this flight for all it was worth, but if you review the publicity of the time, you'll find it didn't come from there.

Why it was re-activated

 

Blackbird supporters said this all was a big mistake, but really no one listened to them

Less than a year after the record flight it became apparent that it was a big mistake. When Desert Shield began, Gen. Schwarzkopf was reported to have asked for the SR-71 very early on. It is known that very soon after Saddam moved into Kuwait, USAF approached Lockheed and asked how long it would take to restore SR-71 operations. Lockheed's response was that depending on the priority and if USAF could supply the sensor packages (USAF had them and even Lockheed didn't know where they were), the first one could be operational in 14 days and the next one around thirty days after that (remember, they hadn't been out of service that long at this point). There was no response for a number of weeks and then Lockheed was directed to forget the whole thing.

The SR would have had a major impact in the war. Basically, it could have done a lot better at tracking the ever-moving Scuds than sattelites would have. As it is, the best locating of Scuds was not done by airborne intel, but by special ops forces placed in Iraq. Stupid!

The people on top have left, and the ones that are there wouldn't be embarrased by the return of the SR-71.

The congress is funding it separately, so it doesn't compete with other projects.

Plus, the SR-71 fleet (what's left of it) is cheap. The planes are bought and paid for. There are lots of spare parts.

There are still people who know how to fly it.

The contractor is not getting filthy rich reactivating them. Only $72.5 million would cover it, and Lockheed ended up giving a good portion of that back.

So, there it is, a basic view of why the SR-71 retired and then was re-activated.

 

 

 

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Pretty, Pretty pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This row:

NASA SR-71s

 

 

 

 

 

This row:

NASA SR-71s

 

 

Sorry, no picture!

 

L

 

 

NASA

 

F-117A Nighthawk

 

 

 

The complete list of statistics:

 

 

Primary Function:

Fighter/attack

 

Length:

65 feet, 11 inches

 

Width:

65 feet, 11 inches

 

Height:

12 feet, 5 inches

 

Take-off Weight:

52,500 pounds

 

Radar Cross Section:

About the size of a 1/8-inch ball bearing

 

Fuel:

LH2/LO2

 

Main Propulsion:

(2) GE F404-F1D1 Unaugmented Turbofans

 

Thrust:

10,800lb

 

Maximum Speed:

Mach 0.9

 

Unrefueled Range:

900 miles

 

Endurance (with in-flight refueling)

12 hours

 

Armament:

(2) 2,000lb BLU-109, GBU-24, GBU-27 LGBs

 

(2) AGM-65 Maverick Carried Internally

 

Unit Cost:

$45 million

 

Crew:

One

 

First Deployed:

1982

 

Inventory:

Active force: 54

ANG: 0

Reserve: 0

 

 

 

 

 

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History

 

The F-117 was designed, built and entered service in fair numbers and operated for several years, all in almost complete secrecy. There were rumors about an F-19 and many artists' impressions (which were highly inaccurate), but that disinformation only aided the secrecy. The NightHawk, as it was unofficially named, started in 1973 as a design study codenamed Have Blue, which was supposed to determine how much an aircraft could be made invisible to radar and IR detection systems. The result: two Experimental Stealth Tactical (XST) prototypes which first flew in mid-1977. Results being satisfactory, the decision to develop a production aircraft was taken about one year later, and this first flew from Groom Lake (Area 51) in June of 1981.

 

 

 

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About the F-117A

 

If you want to know completely everything about the F-117A, then go here. This is just a summary.

 

The F-117 project began in July of 1975, six months after Kelly Johnson retired and Ben Rich took over the Skunk Works. Rich discovered that, while the US had 2 fully developed defensive ground-to-air missile systems, the USSR had 16! Plus, studies show that if a war broke out between the US and Russia, the US Air Force would be completely wiped out in 17 days! And, since we had to be the best, we developed the F-117A.

 

So, that April, Denys Overholser, the Skunk Works mathematician and radar specialist gave Rich the information for a stealth fighter, and airplane that would be so difficult to detect, it would be virtually invisible to enemy defenses. Guess where Overholser got the idea-a Russian scientist, Pyotr Ufimstev. He had published a long, dense, technical paper on theoretical optics, we got hold of it (which was pretty easy, since Senior Soviet designers were absolutely uninterested in his theories) and we got the formulas to accurately calculate the radar cross-section of a given configuration. The calculation created a design called faceting -- creating a three-dimensional airplane out of a collection of flat sheets or panels. That is why the F-117A looks so weird, because it is the first plane composed entirely of flat, angular surfaces.

 

Well, as you know, the project was a big success, although it is open to debate as to what was bigger: the success or the secrecy surrounding the project. Yes, it was a big success, because the radar cross section was as large as a 1/8 inch ball, but it was also the most highly guarded secrets of the United States. What do you think? Vote Below!

 

WHAT WAS BIGGER: THE SUCCESS OF THE F-117A OR THE SECRECY SURROUNDING THE PROJECT?

 

The success was bigger.

 

The secrecy was bigger.

 

They were both the same.

 

Who cares?/This is a stupid question!

 

Other

View Results

 

 

Anyway, the F-117A was revealed to the public as the F-117A in the Gulf War. Operation Desert Storm was a big success, thanks to the F-117A. Lockheed Martin's money was also a success, thanks to the F-117A, raking in over six billion dollars from contracts signed with the U.S. Air Force. The future, however, lies in the Navy with carrier versions of the plane, but the Navy, due to budget constraints, has showed not much interest.

 

The F-117A is very advanced, in computer programs, too. It requires only something which pilots call "babysitting", just making sure the computer program doesn't screw up. The F-117A's computer program can fly it to its destination, drop the bombs, and return. That is why only one pilot is required, and actually, it would fly pilotless, too. This computer program was so successful that the US Air Force bought it for use in all their planes.

 

 

 

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Pretty, Pretty pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, no picture!F-117A Nighthawk

 

 

 

The complete list of statistics:

 

 

Primary Function:

Fighter/attack

 

Length:

65 feet, 11 inches

 

Width:

65 feet, 11 inches

 

Height:

12 feet, 5 inches

 

Take-off Weight:

52,500 pounds

 

Radar Cross Section:

About the size of a 1/8-inch ball bearing

 

Fuel:

LH2/LO2

 

Main Propulsion:

(2) GE F404-F1D1 Unaugmented Turbofans

 

Thrust:

10,800lb

 

Maximum Speed:

Mach 0.9

 

Unrefueled Range:

900 miles

 

Endurance (with in-flight refueling)

12 hours

 

Armament:

(2) 2,000lb BLU-109, GBU-24, GBU-27 LGBs

 

(2) AGM-65 Maverick Carried Internally

 

Unit Cost:

$45 million

 

Crew:

One

 

First Deployed:

1982

 

Inventory:

Active force: 54

ANG: 0

Reserve: 0

 

 

 

 

 

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History

 

The F-117 was designed, built and entered service in fair numbers and operated for several years, all in almost complete secrecy. There were rumors about an F-19 and many artists' impressions (which were highly inaccurate), but that disinformation only aided the secrecy. The NightHawk, as it was unofficially named, started in 1973 as a design study codenamed Have Blue, which was supposed to determine how much an aircraft could be made invisible to radar and IR detection systems. The result: two Experimental Stealth Tactical (XST) prototypes which first flew in mid-1977. Results being satisfactory, the decision to develop a production aircraft was taken about one year later, and this first flew from Groom Lake (Area 51) in June of 1981.

 

 

 

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About the F-117A

 

If you want to know completely everything about the F-117A, then go here. This is just a summary.

 

The F-117 project began in July of 1975, six months after Kelly Johnson retired and Ben Rich took over the Skunk Works. Rich discovered that, while the US had 2 fully developed defensive ground-to-air missile systems, the USSR had 16! Plus, studies show that if a war broke out between the US and Russia, the US Air Force would be completely wiped out in 17 days! And, since we had to be the best, we developed the F-117A.

 

So, that April, Denys Overholser, the Skunk Works mathematician and radar specialist gave Rich the information for a stealth fighter, and airplane that would be so difficult to detect, it would be virtually invisible to enemy defenses. Guess where Overholser got the idea-a Russian scientist, Pyotr Ufimstev. He had published a long, dense, technical paper on theoretical optics, we got hold of it (which was pretty easy, since Senior Soviet designers were absolutely uninterested in his theories) and we got the formulas to accurately calculate the radar cross-section of a given configuration. The calculation created a design called faceting -- creating a three-dimensional airplane out of a collection of flat sheets or panels. That is why the F-117A looks so weird, because it is the first plane composed entirely of flat, angular surfaces.

 

Well, as you know, the project was a big success, although it is open to debate as to what was bigger: the success or the secrecy surrounding the project. Yes, it was a big success, because the radar cross section was as large as a 1/8 inch ball, but it was also the most highly guarded secrets of the United States. What do you think? Vote Below!

 

WHAT WAS BIGGER: THE SUCCESS OF THE F-117A OR THE SECRECY SURROUNDING THE PROJECT?

 

The success was bigger.

 

The secrecy was bigger.

 

They were both the same.

 

Who cares?/This is a stupid question!

 

Other

View Results

 

 

Anyway, the F-117A was revealed to the public as the F-117A in the Gulf War. Operation Desert Storm was a big success, thanks to the F-117A. Lockheed Martin's money was also a success, thanks to the F-117A, raking in over six billion dollars from contracts signed with the U.S. Air Force. The future, however, lies in the Navy with carrier versions of the plane, but the Navy, due to budget constraints, has showed not much interest.

 

The F-117A is very advanced, in computer programs, too. It requires only something which pilots call "babysitting", just making sure the computer program doesn't screw up. The F-117A's computer program can fly it to its destination, drop the bombs, and return. That is why only one pilot is required, and actually, it would fly pilotless, too. This computer program was so successful that the US Air Force bought it for use in all their planes.

 

 

 

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Pretty, Pretty pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, no picture!

 

L

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L

 

 

 

X-33

 

 

 

 

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Newsflash! The X-33 project has been discontinued as of March 2, 2001.

Click here or here for the full story.

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When I went to the official X-33 site, I found out that the X-33 could go mach 13+, and now I think that the Aurora is actually the X-33. The X-33 is triangle shaped, and made by the Skunk Works, so it's probably mistaken for the Aurora. The "Aurora Sitings" could actually be actually X-33 sitings. Even though the X-33 has never officially flown, it's probably only the "white" version of the aircraft. We have the technology (and money) to make something like the X-33, but it would be stupid to declassify it while still testing it. Perhaps they thought that it would fail, so they declassified it, and when it suceeded, they removed the white version and began working on the black version. However, this is beginning to sound a lot like various conspiracy theories, and this is probably not what happened. If you don't believe it could go Mach 13+, here is the page where I got the information from, and here is the complete specifications chart:

 

 

Length:

69 ft.

 

Width:

77 ft.

 

Take-off Weight:

285,000 lbs

 

Fuel:

LH2/LO2

 

Fuel Weight:

210,000 lbs

 

Main Propulsion:

2 J-2S Linear Aerospikes

 

Take-off Thrust:

410,000 lbs

 

Maximum Speed

Mach 13+

 

 

 

 

 

However, the Aurora is a reconaisiance plane, while the X-33 is a rocket that goes into outer space/plane which descends down. The X-33's goal is to reduce the cost of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000. Thus, this project may actually help save your taxpayer money, instead of waste it.

 

The Program's Logo:

 

 

 

Pretty, isn't it?

 

 

 

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About the X-33

 

Well, basically, if you want to know all about the X-33, which you probably do, since it's so cool, go to the official X-33 site. This is just very brief.

 

The wedge shaped X-33, being developed under an agreement between NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works of Palmdale, California, is a prototype of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) which Lockheed Martin has named "Venture Star," and which the company hopes to develop early in the next century. This program will help industry representatives decide by the year 2000 whether to proceed with the development of a full-scale, commercial RLV program. A full-scale, single-stage-to-orbit RLV will dramatically increase reliability and lower costs of putting a pound of payload into space. By reducing the cost associated with transporting payloads into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a commercial RLV would create new opportunities for space access and significantly improve U.S. economic competitiveness in the worldwide launch marketplace. NASA will be a customer, not the operator, of the commercial RLV.

 

The X-33 design is based on a lifting body shape with two revolutionary "linear aerospike" rocket engines and a rugged metallic thermal protection system. The X-33 also features lightweight components and fuel tanks built to conform to the vehicle's outer shape. The X-33 will be a UAV(unmanned aerial vehicle), taking off vertically like a rocket, reaching an altitude of up to 60 miles and speeds faster than Mach 13 (13 times the speed of sound), and landing horizontally like an airplane. Time between the X-33 test flights will normally be seven days.

 

 

 

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© 2000 Taro Sato, All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pretty, Pretty pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, no picture!

L

 

 

 

Making the X-33

 

 

X-33 Logo

 

 

Flight Profile

 

 

Fins

 

 

 

F-22 Raptor

 

Also known as F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter, F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, and just plain 'ol F-22.

 

 

 

Pretty, ain't it? Click on the image to see an enlargement.

 

 

 

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The F-22 was designed so the Russians and other countries wouldn't kick our butt. Really. Before, the Russians had the Su-27, MIG-29, and other planes that are available to them and any country with enough money to make/buy them. The F-15 was basically still better than anything the other countries had to throw. Then the Russians created the Su-37. The Su-37, which is seen as the F-22's "big rivalry," can flip left, right, or backwards, while standing on its tail at a speed of almost zero. That scared us, and because we have to remain on top of all the other countries whether they like it or not, we made the F-22. The F-22 can't maneuver as well as the Su-37, but it is stealthier, since you can't have both stealth and maneuverability. Our commanders and generals think that stealth is infinitely more important than maneuverability.

 

 

 

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How the YF-22 beat the YF-23

 

The YF-23 from Northrop vs. the YF-22 from Lockheed Martin. The YF-23 should have won, and it is a better plane, in stealth and in speed. The only thing it was worse at was low-speed handling. That wasn't why it lost, though. It lost because, while Northrop's B-2 bomber was late and suffering cost overruns, Lockheed had developed the F-117 Stealth Fighter on time and under budget, which made the jugdes favor Lockheed. Northrop felt the loss greatly, because it didn't have enough experience with fighters.

 

Do you think it was fair to favor the YF-22 just because Northrop wasn't doing so good with the B-2, while Lockheed Martin was doing well with the F-117? Vote Below!

 

DO YOU THINK IT WAS FAIR TO FAVOR THE YF-22 JUST BECAUSE NORTHROP WASN'T DOING SO GOOD WITH THE B-2, WHILE LOCKHEED MARTIN WAS DOING WELL WITH THE F-117?

 

Yes, it was perfectly fair, even though the YF-23 was a better plane.

 

No, it wasn't fair, since the YF-23 was a better plane.

 

Other

View Results

 

 

 

 

 

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About the F-22

 

Even though the F-23 was better, the F-22 represents the greatest advance in fighter capability in 50 years. The F-22 can supersonically cruise without use of afterburner, has extreme maneuverability thanks in part to an advanced thrust vectoring system, stealthiness from all directions, including from infrared systems; a "first-look/first-kill" capability; and avionics that are a generation ahead of anything else in the world, equal in power to seven Cray supercomputers. The F-22 is about the same size as the F-15, but it is way better. Every single part of the F-22 has technology far greater than that of the 25-year-old F-15, which it will replace in November 2004.

 

Even though the Su-37 has better manuverability, it doesn't have stealth. The F-15 has neither stealth nor maneuverability. The F-22 takes the best of both worlds. It could attaining the same stealth invisibility of the F-117A Stealth Fighter, and by using thrust-vectoring, is able to fly at extreme angles of attack while changing directions at high speeds. The thrust-vectoring system deflects the engines' full thrust by up to 20 degrees a second.(For those of you who didn't get the explanation, it's like the thrust(air) coming out of the engines can be moved by 20 degrees. If you didn't get that explanation, you're hopeless!) This combination makes the F-22 not only extremely hard to detect, but also able to out- maneuver most missiles and planes most of the time. As an example, Lockheed pilots pulled the nose up to 60 degrees, while going slowly, and could still perform a 360-degree roll. Doing the same thing in an F-15 or F-16 would cause the plane to fly out of control, which is why onboard computers impose certain limits that hinder the maneuverability of these aircraft.

 

 

As shown in the picture on the left, using the thrust-vectoring system the F-22 can fly at about a 110 degree angle. The F-22 can have good control at very high angles of attack.

 

Now look at the right. You can see a YF-22 successfully fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile during testing.

 

And, at the bottom, you can see(from left to right) an F-22 successfully fire AIM-120 AMRAAM missile during flight testing and a F-22 just flying around doing nothing in particular.

 

 

 

that's what they should make.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[GPM in ICT]

Too bad Cy girls have been replaced by a Goth line. Maybe Takara will release Cy girls.

I think that's what got the whole rumor started. Takara is still doing the Cy Girls/Cool Girls line, while BBI started this new Goth line.

[Metatron1050]

That could have been the single most gigantic ADC post i've ever seen from LUCIEN GYIEL.

[Three Storms]

Too bad Cy girls have been replaced by a Goth line.  Maybe Takara will release Cy girls.

I think that's what got the whole rumor started. Takara is still doing the Cy Girls/Cool Girls line, while BBI started this new Goth line.

What new goth line?