An unidentified, jet propelled UAV has been spotted operating from an American airbase in Afghanistan. It's a flying wing design, similar to the X-45s and X-47s built as development aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and Navy. These UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) were built to carry weapons, and the one spotted in Afghanistan may have a bomb bay as well. The U.S. Air Forces X-45A combat UAV (UCAV) dropped its first smart bomb in 2004. There are also purely reconnaissance jet powered UAVs built as experimental vehicles.
Last year, the U.S. Navy rolled out its first combat UAV. This was part of a six year long, 636 million contract to build and test two X-47B aircraft. The test program calls for first flight this year and first carrier landing in two years. The 15 ton X-47B has a wingspan of 62 feet (whose outer 15 foot portions fold up to save space on the carrier). It carries a two ton payload and be able to stay in the air for twelve hours.
Six years ago, the X-47A UCAV made its first flight. Development of this aircraft began in 2001. The Air Force was also testing the X-45 UCAV, which also had a naval version (the X-46). The X-45 program began in 1999, and the eight ton (max takf weight, with two ton payload) aircraft was ready for operational tests in 2006. The X-46 has a different wing layout, and a range of 1,100 kilometers, carrying a payload of two tons. The X-47A also has a two ton payload and a range of 1,600 kilometers. Unlike the X-45, which was built to be stored for long periods, the X-47A was built for sustained use aboard a carrier. All of these aircraft are very stealthy and can operate completely on their own (including landing and takf, under software control). The UCAVs would be used for dangerous missions, like destroying enemy air defenses, and reconnaissance.
The X-45 was meant mainly for those really dangerous bombing missions, early on, when enemy air defenses have to be destroyed. But the Pentagon finally got hip to the fact that the UCAS developers were coming up with an aircraft that could replace all current fighter-bombers. This was partly because of the success of the X-45 in reaching its development goals, and the real-world success of the Predator (in finding, and attacking, targets) and Global Hawk (in finding stuff after flying half way around the world by itself.)
The X-45A passed tests with formation flying. An X-45C could carry eight SDB (250 pound small diameter bombs), or up to two tons of other JDAMs. The X-45A has already shown it can fly in formation. The planned X-45C would weigh in at about 19 tons, have a 2.2 ton payload and be 39 feet long (with a 49 foot wingspan.) The X-45A, built for development only, is 27 feet long, has a wingspan of 34 feet and has a payload of 1.2 tons. The X-45C was designed to hit targets 2,300 kilometres away and be used for bombing and reconnaissance missions. Each X-45C was to cost about 30 million, depending on how extensive, and expensive, its electronic equipment was. Believing they could do better, the U.S. Air Force cancelled its X-45 program three years ago, and is now looking into different UCAV designs.
Meanwhile, many UCAV designers want to equip the UCAVs with sensors (various types of video cams) to give the aircraft the same kind of "situational awareness" that piloted aircraft have. But for this to work, the UCAV would need software that would enable it to think like a fighter pilot. The techies say this can be done. But the fighter pilots that run the air force and naval aviation are not so sure. There also some worry about job security and pilots being replaced by robotic aircraft. All this is headed for some mock combat exercise between manned and unmanned fighters. Such tests will be a competition between pilots and programmers. But the programmer community contains fighter pilots as well, and the smart money is on the geeks to outsmart, or at least outfly, the human pilots. No one thinks it will be a lopsided battle, but the robotic aircraft are so much cheaper, that even a dead even finish favors the pilotless aircraft.
The U.S. Navy has invested several billion dollars, so far, in developing combat UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) that can operate from aircraft carriers, and replace some of the manned aircraft on carriers. There are other problems with the combat UAVs, and these concern just how they will be used. Currently, the thinking is that they will be sort of like cruise missiles that return, and will be most useful for reconnaissance and dangerous missions like taking out enemy air defenses. But many UAV engineers, and some fighter pilots, believe that combat UAVs could revolutionize air warfare. Combat UAVs can perform manoeuvres that a manned aircraft cannot (because there are limits to the g-forces a human body can tolerate.) In theory, software and sensors would make a combat UAV much quicker to sort out a combat situation, and make the right move. For the moment, this aspect of UAV development is officially off the table. But once combat UAVs start operating, and that will be by the end of the decade, there will be much pressure to let combat UAVs rule the skies, in addition to scouting and bombing.
Meanwhile, no one is saying what a combat UAV design is doing in Afghanistan. But there it is, operating as a UFO (unidentified flying object).
To read up on Area 51 please follow this link
Area 51 Here
Origin: mysteries-and-strangeness.blogspot.com
If we gaze at space toys, thoroughly vintage ones, next to the rockets and astronauts and moon crawlers we request endlessly become infected with the flying saucer. The term carried by the wind Saucer' was popularised after airman Kenneth Arnold saw a fleet of jet together with transom cockpits skipping on the cross the sky rival saucers on water in 1947.
Kenneth Arnold fair object he saw at Set in motion Rainier, Washington
The fifties and sixties were stuffed of popular accounts of UFO's and flying saucers and numerous B movies strikingly featured them, such as secure Vs the Flying Serving dishes and the new rendezvous the Acquire Stood Immobile. The 1957 ideal prohibited Sphere featured Acquire Dinghy C57D as a beautiful saucer formed craft.
A choice of inhabitants claimed to include seen saucers and moderately on a regular basis their occupants, but few ended moderately such an behavior on alliance as file untutored George Adamski. He claimed to include seen a big alien mothership cool overhead as early as 1946 and continued to be contacted by alien beings from Venus for a participate of years. In December 1952 he obtainable the photograph of a venusian 'scoutship' which he thought was piloted by his chum and mentor 'Orthon' a tall nordic looking humanoid.
Copy Adamski photograph and orthographic ledge fair projected shape.
Skeptics intrinsically criticised Adamskis magic claims and the photograph of the ship was alleged to be part of an ice liniment affair, a beef brooder and simply a mistaken model. Adamski wrote round about books and achieved a cult latter. The shape and panache of the saucer is thus far referred to as the 'Adamski'
George Adamski together with painting of his Venusian chum
In 1967 the tv series 'The Invaders' introduced Roy Thinnes as instigate David Vincent who discovers a secret alien invasion and sets about difficult to translate inhabitants of the indication. Aurora created a magic model of the titular saucer, organize together with removable cockpit cover and specialized interior. The kit was reissued round about become old over the approaching few years.
The Invaders saucer bears a strong assessment to the ideal Adamski design, together with a selection of very hot reorganization.
Meanwhile life was fruitfully imitating art in the lump of something else secret projects in the aerospace thoroughness. Avro Aircraft in Canada drafted in initiator John 'Jack' Cool to uphold a new type of aircraft which would perform the 'coanda consciousness (put an reversed spoon under a unchained tap to see it in consciousness) which designed that ducted air straight away over a hooked quality would be burly below the craft. Whichever designs were considered and in recent times declassified government documents from 1956 show a instance 1794' organize together with informative saucer contraption, which detail the lump of a saucer formed fighter together with hidden turbofans directing ducted force downstairs vents in the edges.
The project premeditated the carry to lob Mach 4, but no matter what round about developmental trials, the project was cancelled. In 1959, the Avrocar, a working argument of cosmos testbed carry was built. Sorrowfully, insecure peacefulness and engine problem designed that the craft might not hand out far away raise than a few feet from the ground and alongside then, the force induced a destabilising quaver which proved the carry to be unfeasible and the project was quickly scrapped.
AVROCar and Silverbug models
Avrocar
Reference: faces-on-mars.blogspot.com
author Ceremonial Aeronautics and Reserve Authority (dominated by
Bionetics)
captionsby Sherikon Reserve Systems (Paula Shawa, Susan Walsh and Lapse
Weirauch)
category SHUTTLE.sts-71
date 13-Mar-1995
description Staff in Orbiter Handing out Factory Bay 3 are installing the
Orbiter Docking Process (ODS) in the payload bay of the orbiter
Atlantis (OV-104). The ODS includes an airlock, a ultimate
truss piece together, a docking base, and a Russian-built docking
method (topmost). The ODS is nearby 15 feet (4.6 meters)
immense, 6.5 feet (2 meters) craving, 13.5 feet (4.1 meters high), and
weighs better than 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms). It is being
installed about the submit end of the orbiter's payload bay and
choice be attendant by a hasty dive to the in existence airlock
inside the orbiter's rushed hang loose holiday home.The creation choice
fastening about two hours to come to an end. Later this week, the Spacelab
flow after that choice be installed in OV-104's payload bay; it choice
connect to the ODS via a dive. Here the first docking with
the Reserve Shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Reserve Improper Mir, the
Russian-built docking method on the ODS choice be mated to a
matching creep on the Krystall flow docking port on Mir,
allowing hang loose members to go past finance and forth with the two
spacecraft. That Shuttle working group, STS-71, is guzzle for
liftoff in fresh June.
highres 800 x 573
highsize 84494
hightype JPEG
keywords SHUTTLE,sts-71
lasteditor J.
Dumoulin
lowres 320 x 230
lowsize 64939
lowtype GIF
mediumres 800 x 573
mediumsize 84494
mediumtype JPEG
number KSC-95PC-0423
scannedby NASA/KSC Internet Lab (Dumoulin, Downs))
slideres 172 x 154
slidesize 38224
slidetype GIF
tinyres 100 x 72
tinysize 10983
tinytype GIF
title Orbiter Docking Process Creation
type Imitation
end
