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KJ_Lesnick said:Abraham Gubler,
Why did they reduce the design's fuel fraction? Also, what is Link 16?
KJ Lesnick
sferrin said:Just a guess but the supercruise speed exceeds the requirement so maybe they traded range for performance (altitude, speed, manueverability, etc.)
Abraham Gubler said:sferrin said:Just a guess but the supercruise speed exceeds the requirement so maybe they traded range for performance (altitude, speed, manueverability, etc.)
Sort of but not to exceed but to just manage to make. The maximum supercruise is M1.7 which is sort of exceeding the specification (M1.6) but not that important as the operational supercruise speed remains M1.5. The reason 25% of the RFP requirement for fuel (and subsequently a lot of range) was dropped was to reduce aircraft weight so as to meet the RFP performance spec.
F-22 flight envelope sans AB.
lantinian said:F-22 flight envelope sans AB.
I am pretty convinced, this diagram is not accurate for neither aircraft. I have read in many placed of the F-22 being the fastest aircraft at sea level, capable of Mach 1,25. The diagram shows it barely doing Mach 1,1. Even the F-15E can do better.
As for the F-35.... Once they start testing of the lighter versions with the more powerful engines, I think we will up for a surprise.
lantinian said:F-22 flight envelope sans AB.
I am pretty convinced, this diagram is not accurate for neither aircraft. I have read in many placed of the F-22 being the fastest aircraft at sea level, capable of Mach 1,25. The diagram shows it barely doing Mach 1,1. Even the F-15E can do better.
Tailspin Turtle said:As for the F-35 getting lighter, I'm not at all sure about that.
AeroFranz said:Tailspin Turtle said:As for the F-35 getting lighter, I'm not at all sure about that.
Why not? you only have to ask the marketing people and the lobbyists. The people who promised the F-22 for the same weight as the F-15, and sold the F-35 for $35M. Don't ask those gloomy engineers. Those guys have no imagination and believe in the laws of physics.
Tailspin Turtle said:AeroFranz said:Tailspin Turtle said:As for the F-35 getting lighter, I'm not at all sure about that.
Why not? you only have to ask the marketing people and the lobbyists. The people who promised the F-22 for the same weight as the F-15, and sold the F-35 for $35M. Don't ask those gloomy engineers. Those guys have no imagination and believe in the laws of physics.
Let's see, be realistic, lose the competition, and get laid off? Or be optimistic, win it, keep your job, have a chance of meeting your numbers, and probably not be punished for not meeting them? Oh, and the competitions are only held once a decade or so, which means that the loser will probably go out of business or be bought by another company and their engineers will likely have to find a job at the winning company. Talk about gloomy. What to do, what to do? I think you can guess what we do. Even the engineers. Or at least enough of them to write the proposal and discuss it with the government's engineers.
sferrin said:Tailspin Turtle said:AeroFranz said:Tailspin Turtle said:As for the F-35 getting lighter, I'm not at all sure about that.
Why not? you only have to ask the marketing people and the lobbyists. The people who promised the F-22 for the same weight as the F-15, and sold the F-35 for $35M. Don't ask those gloomy engineers. Those guys have no imagination and believe in the laws of physics.
Let's see, be realistic, lose the competition, and get laid off? Or be optimistic, win it, keep your job, have a chance of meeting your numbers, and probably not be punished for not meeting them? Oh, and the competitions are only held once a decade or so, which means that the loser will probably go out of business or be bought by another company and their engineers will likely have to find a job at the winning company. Talk about gloomy. What to do, what to do? I think you can guess what we do. Even the engineers. Or at least enough of them to write the proposal and discuss it with the government's engineers.
Cowardice drove honesty out the window back in the late 80's. Since then the incapacitating terror of risk/failure has killed more progress than the most incompetent politician ever dreamed of.
Tailspin Turtle said:sferrin said:Tailspin Turtle said:AeroFranz said:Tailspin Turtle said:As for the F-35 getting lighter, I'm not at all sure about that.
Why not? you only have to ask the marketing people and the lobbyists. The people who promised the F-22 for the same weight as the F-15, and sold the F-35 for $35M. Don't ask those gloomy engineers. Those guys have no imagination and believe in the laws of physics.
Let's see, be realistic, lose the competition, and get laid off? Or be optimistic, win it, keep your job, have a chance of meeting your numbers, and probably not be punished for not meeting them? Oh, and the competitions are only held once a decade or so, which means that the loser will probably go out of business or be bought by another company and their engineers will likely have to find a job at the winning company. Talk about gloomy. What to do, what to do? I think you can guess what we do. Even the engineers. Or at least enough of them to write the proposal and discuss it with the government's engineers.
Cowardice drove honesty out the window back in the late 80's. Since then the incapacitating terror of risk/failure has killed more progress than the most incompetent politician ever dreamed of.
Hmmm... That makes the brilliant and high-risk solution to vertical performance successfully accomplished with the turbine shaft-driven, counter-rotating lift fan in the X-35 even more exceptional. Honest (since it turned out to be doable, and that wasn't a sure thing by a long shot) and brave. Your examples of cowardice and progress-killing incapacitating terror are?
AeroFranz said:I just don't think it has to be this way, this monstruous, deeply-flawed acquisition process that feeds on itself. I look to the future and it's pretty bleek. We go from thousands of B-52s to a few hundred B-1s to 21 (now 20) B-2s. Parallel that to fighters, with 750+ F-15s, 183 F-22, and then...? Are we seriously going to afford some 60 fighters total? ???
AeroFranz said:Tailspin, you have some good points and I guess I am venting the frustration shared by engineers (BTW, i am one, working in the aerospace industry and obviously passionate about it) and aviation anthusiasts who see the future of their profession and love going down the tubes - the fact remains that the current state of affairs is unsustainable.
I just don't think it has to be this way, this monstruous, deeply-flawed acquisition process that feeds on itself. I look to the future and it's pretty bleek. We go from thousands of B-52s to a few hundred B-1s to 21 (now 20) B-2s. Parallel that to fighters, with 750+ F-15s, 183 F-22, and then...? Are we seriously going to afford some 60 fighters total? ???
To go back somewhat to the original topic of this thread, the F-22 and its follow up are going to be the most stellar performers in the sky arena, but if there are only a few dozens around they will not be relevant. Why isn't affordability in numbers included as one of the system key performance parameters? There is only so much that quality can address over quantity.
ubiquitous08 said:Affordable numbers as a system parameter is a very interesting issue. The F 22 purchased in the originally envisaged numbers (750) probably didnt have to face todays quandry that like the Me 262 its may be the best but be outnumbered and in such weak numbers that as a system it may not be effective. What this really comes down to is am embedded (or just corrupt as GAO implies carefully) military procurement process by which I mean a failing new weapon system at the development / procurement stage can be kept alive through a combination of big money from the manufacturers at the lobbying level to keep a system alive and a healthy amount of weak technical oversite.
Not so long ago the A12 was cancelled for failing in development. Recently we had the Comanche. But alot of manufacturers have learned that if you provide no alternatives, bs the development cost, reporting and lets face it, throw alot of money around Congress, you can keep a system alive. Its a real shame GAO doesnt have more power for while innovation often comes at the price of setbacks, F 35s that were sold as 35 mil and F 15 weight F 22s should have been cancelled or the manufacturers penalised a long time ago. This is realy a problem America has at a deeper level and you see it not just in aerospace where many fine forumers here work but in the financial sector where similarily multinational interests have deliberately weakened / discouraged governmental oversight.
sferrin said:Just a guess but the supercruise speed exceeds the requirement so maybe they traded range for performance (altitude, speed, manueverability, etc.)
Woody said:sferrin said:Just a guess but the supercruise speed exceeds the requirement so maybe they traded range for performance (altitude, speed, manueverability, etc.)
Duh? What's the point in supercruise if your range is reduced? (this is retorical, not actually a question)
sferrin said:Sprey is fairly biased when it comes to large fighters of any sort. He and the "fighter Mafia" went to great lengths to discredit the F-15 and both him and Ricionni have contiued to carry the torch with the F-22.