Arjen said:This one?
http://theaviationist.com/2014/02/25/mysterious-bae-replica/
Arjen said:'coz sometimes you need a larf.
Jokes suffer if they need explaining.sferrin said:Typically one would say something funny in those instances. This was more confusing than funny.
Oh well.Grey Havoc said:Arjen said:This one?
http://theaviationist.com/2014/02/25/mysterious-bae-replica/
Nope, different joke.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is looking for the next leap in airborne infrared search-and-track technology after posting a broad agency announcement on March 12 for innovative ideas that might lead to the development of an "advanced, staring" IRST capability for air superiority.
The new program is separate to the Air Force's pursuit of an IRST pod for the F-15C Eagle, and instead focuses on future designs.
AFRL is particularly interested in new technologies to create a smaller and more capable aircraft-mounted device with a wide field of view to detect and track airborne threats in a highly contested, anti-access, area-denied environment.
"By leveraging advancements in the development of large-format, two-dimensional focal plane arrays, much benefit can be realized from successful implementation of Wide Field-of-View concepts for an offensive staring IRST system," the statement of work attached to the BAA states. "It is anticipated that this type of sensor will yield higher performance in a more compact, lighter-weight design with greater aircraft installation flexibility and beneficially augment existing fire control capabilities."
Today's systems spot infrared radiation emitting from enemy aircraft and missiles, but have difficulty in some operating environments and poor weather conditions, according to the BAA.
Tomorrow's system, though, could be capable of detecting and tracking along "clear atmospheric paths and in cluttered environments," the BAA states. The "staring" sensor would be a fixed unit like the Active Electronically Scanned Array radars mounted on modern fighter jets -- doing away with existing gimbaled optics.
AFRL expects program tasks to include trade studies, preliminary designs, prototyping, algorithm development and validation of the long-range infrared sensing capability, according to the BAA.
SpudmanWP said:"Speaking of ...DEW"
I was wondering the same thing myself.
bobbymike said:SpudmanWP said:"Speaking of ...DEW"
I was wondering the same thing myself.
Also, I've noticed AW&ST Ares Blog hasn't update since February 27th. Low Observable?
LowObservable said:Trying to leap-frog over Selex-ES. GLWT.
Pentagon to build new variable-cycle engine for F-35 and other aircraft
Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
17 March 2015
Key Points
The Pentagon's new sixth-generation engine will be built for the F-35 and several other aircraft
The new engine would be 35% more fuel efficient than existing engines, extending the range of US aircraft significantly
The Pentagon's developmental sixth-generation jet engine featuring greater fuel efficiency and thrust than existing military engines is initially being built for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), a senior agency official said on 17 March.
"There are a number of threshold platforms," Alan Shaffer, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense, research, and engineering, told IHS Jane's at the Precision Strike Association's annual conference in Springfield, Virginia.
marauder2048 said:Pentagon to build new variable-cycle engine for F-35 and other aircraft
Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
17 March 2015
Key Points
The Pentagon's new sixth-generation engine will be built for the F-35 and several other aircraft
The new engine would be 35% more fuel efficient than existing engines, extending the range of US aircraft significantly
The Pentagon's developmental sixth-generation jet engine featuring greater fuel efficiency and thrust than existing military engines is initially being built for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), a senior agency official said on 17 March.
"There are a number of threshold platforms," Alan Shaffer, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense, research, and engineering, told IHS Jane's at the Precision Strike Association's annual conference in Springfield, Virginia.
http://www.janes.com/article/50010/pentagon-to-build-new-variable-cycle-engine-for-f-35-and-other-aircraft
Should be a conference presentation available soon.
Grey Havoc said:They're trying to hide a new engine for the F-35 in plain sight. This does not bode well.
sferrin said:Grey Havoc said:They're trying to hide a new engine for the F-35 in plain sight. This does not bode well.
Drama much? No different than the F-14/15/16 being offered new engines later in life. Or do you think this engine will be rolling off the line tomorrow because the F135 is such a horrible engine? :
Colonial-Marine said:It's because work on ADVENT has been so promising. Such a leap foward wasn't within reach back when the F-14, F-15, and F-16 were developed.
The F-14 isn't the best example to use anyway, considering it never even got the engine it was supposed to have.
bobbymike said:Colonial-Marine said:It's because work on ADVENT has been so promising. Such a leap foward wasn't within reach back when the F-14, F-15, and F-16 were developed.
The F-14 isn't the best example to use anyway, considering it never even got the engine it was supposed to have.
Yes I thought I read somewhere that the next generation engine had so many promising technological advances that it was always meant to be the engine of the future as soon as it was ready and has nothing to do, per se, with the current F-35 engine?
Dragon029 said:bobbymike said:Colonial-Marine said:It's because work on ADVENT has been so promising. Such a leap foward wasn't within reach back when the F-14, F-15, and F-16 were developed.
The F-14 isn't the best example to use anyway, considering it never even got the engine it was supposed to have.
Yes I thought I read somewhere that the next generation engine had so many promising technological advances that it was always meant to be the engine of the future as soon as it was ready and has nothing to do, per se, with the current F-35 engine?
Yes? ???
But really, this new engine supposedly will burn fuel up to 35% slower; if this was the commercial world and there was a new turbine that allowed 35% less fuel burn, you'd have airlines selling their brand new GE90s at half price to take advantage of this tech.
Sundog said:sferrin said:Grey Havoc said:They're trying to hide a new engine for the F-35 in plain sight. This does not bode well.
Drama much? No different than the F-14/15/16 being offered new engines later in life. Or do you think this engine will be rolling off the line tomorrow because the F135 is such a horrible engine? :
Actually, no. I don't remember a new engine being developed to be put in those aircraft ASAP after they were developed. Sure, there are upgrades as they age, but that isn't what they're saying here. They're talking about an all new engine being developed for the F-35 immediately. The F-135 engine was developed specifically for the F-35 and now they are designing an all new engine for the F-35 to replace the F-135. That wasn't done with any of the previous program you mentioned.
Sundog said:sferrin said:Grey Havoc said:They're trying to hide a new engine for the F-35 in plain sight. This does not bode well.
Drama much? No different than the F-14/15/16 being offered new engines later in life. Or do you think this engine will be rolling off the line tomorrow because the F135 is such a horrible engine? :
Actually, no. I don't remember a new engine being developed to be put in those aircraft ASAP after they were developed. Sure, there are upgrades as they age, but that isn't what they're saying here. They're talking about an all new engine being developed for the F-35 immediately. The F-135 engine was developed specifically for the F-35 and now they are designing an all new engine for the F-35 to replace the F-135. That wasn't done with any of the previous program you mentioned.
sferrin said:Sundog said:sferrin said:Grey Havoc said:They're trying to hide a new engine for the F-35 in plain sight. This does not bode well.
Drama much? No different than the F-14/15/16 being offered new engines later in life. Or do you think this engine will be rolling off the line tomorrow because the F135 is such a horrible engine? :
Actually, no. I don't remember a new engine being developed to be put in those aircraft ASAP after they were developed. Sure, there are upgrades as they age, but that isn't what they're saying here. They're talking about an all new engine being developed for the F-35 immediately. The F-135 engine was developed specifically for the F-35 and now they are designing an all new engine for the F-35 to replace the F-135. That wasn't done with any of the previous program you mentioned.
And that's not what they're doing here. : BTW I take it you don't recall the YF-16 flying with the DFE? The next generation engine is the next generation engine. They'd be working on it even if there was no such thing as the F-35. In this case they're just saying, "we'll be able to install this in the F-35 too in the future".
Grey Havoc said:The problem with that theory is not six months ago the Air Force among others were swearing up and down in Congress that the F-35 didn't need a new engine,
Grey Havoc said:especially with one with ADVENT technology.
Grey Havoc said:The comparison with the YF-16/DFE program also breaks down in other areas, such as the fact that the F-16 actually entered operational service just after that program commenced,
Grey Havoc said:and the F-16's second engine wasn't arbitrarily cancelled.
sferrin said:It doesn't.
Big difference between "needs" and "would be even better with".
Not really. ADVENT wasn't started for the express purpose of providing an adequate engine for the F-35. ADVENT would still be here even if the F-35 didn't exist. The DFE program WAS for the express purpose of providing the F-16 with an alternative to the troubled F100. (As well as giving the Tomcat something other than it's "interim" TF30, given its F100 derivative had failed completely.)
Until DFE there was no second engine for the F-16 (or any other fighter for that matter). Also, the F136 wasn't "arbitrarily" cancelled. There was no money to keep it going and GE didn't feel like their design was good enough to garner sales if they funded it on their own dime.
Grey Havoc said:At this point there are quite a few people that would disagree with you, including the US Congress.
Grey Havoc said:Assuming that they are still in the mood to keep propping up the F-35 program, that is.
Grey Havoc said:Perhaps not in this case.
Grey Havoc said:Strange then, that the proponents of the F-35 program, and in particular it's P&W F135 engine, have spent so much time and effort over the years to try and kill anything ADVENT related.
Grey Havoc said:Or perhaps GE along with their partner RR were just sick and tired of pouring money & resources into the all devouring black hole that the F-35 program had become.
LowObservable said:Until DFE there was no second engine for the F-16 (or any other fighter for that matter)
I can think of one fighter family that flew with seven different types of engine.
LowObservable said:ADVENT could bring many improvements to the F-35, including range and transonic acceleration. Moreover, the AF's plans show a lot of deliveries after 2025. It would not be smart to ignore its potential.
LowObservable said:"Trying to kill" is overstated. However, recall that the Advent concept basically dates to the mid-1990s and was mostly constrained by funding (I am not aware of any critical enabling technologies that have been made possible in the meantime). Once the F-35 was planned as the only fighter until the 2020s, with an ATF-derived engine, the VCE had no sponsor.
The fact that many aircraft have gone through their lives with one engine type may reflect shorter production and service lives in the past. The 737 is on its third engine.
LowObservable said:The fact that many aircraft have gone through their lives with one engine type may reflect shorter production and service lives in the past. The 737 is on its third engine.