F-117 slipping quietly into history

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

Aye, it "crashed".

Russians were happy.

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by Oberon

I've been feeling old ever since people stopped using West Germany and East Germany I still have an old toy knocking about somewhere that had "Made in West Germany" on it.

I had a chunk of "The Wall" but the slime-ball thieving movers stole it on my last tour over there.

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by Oberon

I've been feeling old ever since people stopped using West Germany and East Germany I still have an old toy knocking about somewhere that had "Made in West Germany" on it.

All my Deutsche Grammophon cd's have the label "Made in West Germany". :p

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by elanaiba

What was it like for you older guys in the US to hear of the F-117 the first time (in the 80s IIRC) ?

Were you impressed/proud? Did you care?

Well, let's see...the 117 designation doesn't fit in with any known category; the 'F' is bogus because it in no way could every be called a fighter; it's ugly as sin (sorry guys, but that's the way I feel); and it can't even fly without the onboard computer stabilizing it every second of the way (just watch it in flight - that's why they call it the 'Wobbly Goblin').

So, to sum up: what's not to love?

[seafarer]

Originally Posted by elanaiba

What was it like for you older guys in the US to hear of the F-117 the first time (in the 80s IIRC) ?

Were you impressed/proud? Did you care?

If you had been reading the right magazines (including the Weekly World News starting in about 1981/82 or so ), the Area-51 watchers had been foretelling it's existance for a few years before it went operational in 1983 and long before the Pentagon officially owned up to its existance. I suppose technically the night-watchers out around Groom lake were really seeing YF-117 and Have-Blue "proof of concept" models before that, but still, they had it right all along (does that mean they're also right about the alien bodies in frozen storage too...:hmm.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

...and it can't even fly without the onboard computer stabilizing it every second of the way (just watch it in flight - that's why they call it the 'Wobbly Goblin')....

Nor can you fly an F-16 without an onboard computer stabalizing it every second of the way, which is exactly the length of time it was estimated a real pilot would maintain control of an F-16 without its onboard computers - 1 to 3 seconds. Welcome to the most ever unstable platforms ever to grace the sky - F-22 and F-35 also fall in this catagory.

I think the F-15 and MiG-29 were the last of the 'stable' platforms. Stable platforms don't jink as well due to their stability.

-S

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

Nor can you fly an F-16 without an onboard computer stabalizing it every second of the way, which is exactly the length of time it was estimated a real pilot would maintain control of an F-16 without its onboard computers - 1 to 3 seconds. Welcome to the most ever unstable platforms ever to grace the sky - F-22 and F-35 also fall in this catagory.

I think the F-15 and MiG-29 were the last of the 'stable' platforms. Stable platforms don't jink as well due to their stability.

-S

Yes but what happens if the computer goes caput on unstable aircrafts ?
Can the pilot still bring the plane down safely ? :hmm:

[AntEater]

The Su 27 is inherently stable as well, but later versions for export do have a fly by wire system.
Unstable are AFAIK F-16, F-117, F/A-18, F-22, B-2, Eurofighter, Rafale, Gripen and maybe the Chinese J-10 and the indian LCA.

But I remember too well the first speculations about the shape of the Stealth and I even bought a Revell "F-19 Stealth" kit. I didnt buy the "MiG-35 Ferret", though

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Yes but what happens if the computer goes caput on unstable aircrafts ?
Can the pilot still bring the plane down safely ? :hmm:

No. You are going down. If this happened anyway, the plane is probably full of bullet holes and can't fly worth a damn anyway.

That is also why there are 3 computers. Its a majority rules situation too, so if two agree and one doesn't, majority rules and the plane flies with the data from the two only. If all 3 disagree, then the lead computer is chosen, and you better damn well hope its right! You can fly with only one computer by the way in case 2 get shot out.

-S

[PeriscopeDepth]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Yes but what happens if the computer goes caput on unstable aircrafts ?
Can the pilot still bring the plane down safely ? :hmm:

The flight control computers are designed with redundant back up systems of course. But if that fails...something like this: .

[Sailor Steve]

Back in the early days of the '16, we had several crashes at the Stansbury Range here in Utah. If I remember correctly, three of them were fatal. Everybody involved denied it, but the commonly accepted version was that there were problems with the early onboard computers.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by elanaiba

What was it like for you older guys in the US to hear of the F-117 the first time (in the 80s IIRC) ?

Were you impressed/proud? Did you care?

Ha, impressed? I thought it was BS, propoganda. An airplane that could not be detected on radar? Shuh, yeah, right

Heh, I saw sneak peaks on Popular Science magazine and still couldn't believe it.

Yeah, I was impressed after I finally was able to accept it

Originally Posted by Linton

It makes me think what are have they got that is replacing it and hasn't yet been publicised!

Yeah, true, that's usually how it works, they have stuff that easily replaces the old stuff but we just don't know what it is yet.

Per the article...

The F-117 is being replaced by the F-22 Raptor, which also has stealth technology.

Yeah, per the article....but I think the unmanned drone fits the role of the first strike platform much better than the F-22 and the JSF. Predators are small, cheap, and can be as lethal. Imagine 2000 Predators being launched againt the enemy at night to take out the radar and ESW units...

[PeriscopeDepth]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Yeah, per the article....but I think the unmanned drone fits the role of the first strike platform much better than the F-22 and the JSF. Predators are small, cheap, and can be as lethal. Imagine 2000 Predators being launched againt the enemy at night to take out the radar and ESW units...

The unmanned drone fits the role fighters are currently being used for across the board. Fighters are now simply being used to drive to point X, loiter, and dump PGMs. And that role simply isn't what fighters were made for.

Pfffft, Predator will not replace fighters Neil. Something like these will one day replace fighters in the bomb truck role:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-45
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-47

That is if the USAF/USN ever lets them... Both programs have been cancelled. Military institutions run by former pilots are hostile to UCAVs for obvious reasons.

PD

[Wolfehunter]

Neal when you have a chance check you PM its urgent.

[I-25]

Originally Posted by Oberon

I've been feeling old ever since people stopped using West Germany and East Germany I still have an old toy knocking about somewhere that had "Made in West Germany" on it.

my car has it a 1970 '1600' VW bug. i call it the U-70 hahaha