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LUCIEN GYIEL

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Everything posted by LUCIEN GYIEL

  1. you're sick, very sick, get a life, and some help
  2. kiss me between the back pockets. please don't make me cry grow up Grow up kid. And learn how to use copy/paste properly while you're at it. Decepticon Freedom Fighter( pc zombie)DecepticonusPrime Mr. Clever (Draven79) just repeat yourself get a grip and mind your own business the audacity of some people, the computer wars if you take to heart what someone on a computer says, then you need some major help, why respond to that, does it make you feel like a big man, does it make you feel like you are contributing to a cause of being a authority figure i'll tell you what, if you keep up with what i say in this forum, then you are sadder than what i thought please just use the bridge, and don't respond to what i say
  3. Christ dude, that was way out of line. Even I dont kick someone when they're down. Maybe when they arent looking but telling that to someone who's unhappy is anathema to me, even if we HAVE butted heads. Distasteful Go away and come back when youve learned some humanity, jerkweed. As for Zartan and Firefly being ninjas, I dont veiw them as such. I see it as them just having a history with the clan. Firefly doesnt see himself as a ninja, he just joined long enough to upgrade his infiltration skills. You never see him do any real ninja junk. And Zartan was never a member of the clan, he just apprenticed for the swordmaker. Zarty has mad archery skills and maybe some swordsman skill, but you can learn that elsewhere. So you really dont need to worry on that issue. Christ dude, that was way out of line. Even I dont kick someone when they're down. Maybe when they arent looking but telling that to someone who's unhappy is anathema to me, even if we HAVE butted heads. Distasteful Go away and come back when youve learned some humanity, jerkweed. you're sooooo cool, take your own advice. oh yeah, there's a bridge near you somewhere, use it, you sound like a little kid who needs a nap. g.i.joe is g.i.joe, collect or don't, quit whining
  4. that's what your imagination is for, who cares about the comic's universe, it's all about yours, and for the most part, it's been quite a bit of this i need to quit collecting talk lately, all you people who wanna quit, give your i don't need this anymore, the new sculps suck, this comic is killing me, i can't live like this anymore toys, just give them away, obviously people want a reaction, or something, just sell your toys, and stop making a big deal out of it, all of you
  5. how do you use them, army builders or individuals i think heavy water could make a great wraith and also the electric eel, so how do you use or see them
  6. the crimson sabotage was here in dayton, ohio, at the kaybee in the dayton mall, but i got the last one today, and they are getting more, cool set, very coooooooool.
  7. whats wrong with facial hair, absolutely nothing, i love it, that's why i didn't join the military, you can't have long hair or a beard, and that ain't me
  8. i like cpt kost idea, and maybe even grifter or backlash, with lynch, that was a cool comic. it also had the venom vs. valor concept, it was called the "kindred". backlash and the grifter were just awesome looking characters and also interesting persona's. underworld was pretty cool, at least the idea of it was, the movie was kinda drab and bland, the action was just a little weak, but maybe a that would be cool also. jeepers creepers would be awesome, send in a select few and see what happens, i think that demon would kill them, but it would be nice to see. what else, i wouldn't mind seeing g.i.joe in an independence day type of crossover, that would be sweet. maybe something like dune, or tron, sounds kinda farfetched but possible. the joes and aliens, now that would rock. truthfully, i would like to see the joes in a lethal weapon type of scenario, and maybe g.i.joe and the muppets, sweet
  9. if they make a night viper, it'd better be a brand new mold
  10. 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pretty, Pretty pictures! Sorry, no picture! L L X-33 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newsflash! The X-33 project has been discontinued as of March 2, 2001. Click here or here for the full story. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. QUICK POLL ERROR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Data file not supported The file, qpdat/qpoll.000005.dat, is not in the Quick Poll version 3.1 format. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Poll ver. 3.1 © 2000 Taro Sato, All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11. basically what would you do, or what other toylines would you collect? what other toylines do you think could have taken the place of g.i.joe, or would have, and finally, what would you be doing now with your time. i know if g.i.joe never existed or was shut down in 90', i'd be rich. oh yeah, if g.i.joe was shut down, would it still be popular like it is today, at least on an "underground" level. just wondering
  12. remember iceberg, but anyways, forget this thread, shut it down, and doc evil, i agree with you on one subject
  13. pretty sweet, where'd you get that b.a.t. cycle from, never seen it
  14. i'm game, no dumb replies either, lady jaye, that means you sweet NUFF SAID, QUOTING THE GREAT STAN LEE, NUFF SAID.:>;'"/?,!@#$%^&*()_+}{:"?><
  15. EXACTLY, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD SHE MAKE A WHOLE THREAD ABOUT IT, THAT IS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS, and the heard of menstrating buffalo must be far away from her, lady jaye, keep it private and let it go, they are toys sweet cheeks and you're still a man-hating talk-show host, lesbians are different.
  16. pissant lady jaye, you know nothing about g.i.joe, enuff said.
  17. stay tuned for the finale of, (AS THE PERIOD LINGERS), LADY JAYE get a grip sweet cheeks
  18. i like g.i.joe, and thats it, what is the problem with people and their need to get attention, if you want a contest in who can spread the most litter and who can win a game in the dozens then, hell who cares, what in the hell is wrong with you people, it's toys, what are you so freaked out about, they are toys, they are toys, lady jaye, get a grip, and the rest who contest, they are toys, you really do need some help, jesus or a priest or something, what is wrong with you all, just chill, and lady jaye i'll say what i feel in a private message, you have attacked me in other posts, so i felt i needed to retaliate, just cut it off here and start new, and man 3 faces, an intellect challenge with you would be to easy, so just sleep it off, and enjoy your (TOYS), good grief, there are some sick individuals on the internet, am i that important that i need a whole thread about my combatting you lady jaye, you must not have much to do, and the whole thing is just ridiculous, (look what lucien just pm'ed me), that is just dumb, you are really showing what you're about, attention, you must be a problem child, not enough layers on your birthday cake, lady jaye, chill sweetie, chill, edit this thread, it's just dumb, and as far as snake eyes being the glue that is holding g.i.joe together, can't anyone take sarcasm. hey everyone who sees this and thinks something of it, get a life, they are (toys), get over it, no reason to get upset, getting funny is cool, but upset, not worth it.
  19. good grief lady jaye, do the farts you blow or the air coming from your head not blow you away, anyhoo, snake eyes is the glue holding g.i.joe together, what would g.ijoe be like if snake eyes was never invented, snake eyes is what g.i.joe is about, lady jaye looks like road pig in connie chung drag
  20. if i bought everything hasbro made, then i'd be a fool, and you lady jaye are just that, and if i said how i really felt, they'd probably kick me off the board, you must be the kiddie audience they are going for, you need about a comatose dosage of chill pills, get a grip and buy what you want, and imagine what you want, read my first post again and really soak it in, i think the crack pipe isn't letting you get any oxygen to your brain, how old are you anyways 10 or 11, who answers to posts like you do, someone beat her with a rubberhose and put her down like an old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be, ha ha ha.
  21. this is a toy-line, period, things change throughout history, and it slowy begins to repeat itself, so just sit back and chill, if you are lucky enough to have all the figures throughout g.i.joes history, then just relax and make up your own stories, stop complaining about things, there are so many good things about this line, and if you say what should be different in a modest and sincere way people will listen, don't always be so angry. I know that i have damn near every figure that has been released since the beginning and i am happy with the way things are going, for g.i.joe to be an elite group of tacticians, we have a number of figures to choose from in an aspect of (playing) with our (toys), this line is geared towared kids, and for adults as well, be thankful the line is still alive after all these years, it's thriving quite nicely IMHO, and i am happy, snake eyes is a popular character, nuff said. NINJAS, does anyone know what a ninja is, a ninjutsu is the art of invisiblity, anyone can be a ninja, hasbro just goes toward the movie effect of masked individuals, it sells, what else can you say, and if your imagination is strong enough then you can do what you please with your (toys), just be happy, they have a new design team, and some of the figures they have produced since 2000 are some of the greatest, and i for one will keep on standing by g.i.joe, ninjas are more than you think, use your head, peace.
  22. it's all g.i.joe, there is no seperation, and these are some of my favs it's just a topic, it's not that difficult
  23. OK, i don't know how much this has been done to death, so i'm just gonna go ahead and ask people's opinions on this, it's fun, so just have fun with it, these are the choices. 1.headhunter stormtrooper 2.snake eyes v2 3.desert scorpion 4.dr. mindbender lab coat 5.night viper 6.muskrat v1 7.interrogator v1 8.alley viper v1 9.a.v.a.c. 10.tunnel rat v1 11.bullhorn 12.shockwave v1 13.crosshair 14.dart 15.firefly btr (no pegs) 16.destro v2 17.shipwreck with boat 18.storm shadow in dress gear 19.falcon 20.chief torpedo 21.crimson guard v1 22.serpentor v1 23.venomous maximous 24.recondo v1 25.sand viper 26.destro drug cartel outfit 27.crimson guard immortal v1 28.hit&run 29.strato viper 30.nullifier v1 31.heavy water 32.night creeper v1 33.outback v1 34.road pig v1 35.croc master 36. alpine v1 37.wild weasel v1&3 ok if i'm missing some just post it, but that's all i could think of i know it's alot, but so what, these are awesome molds.
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