Aircraft

[satanboy]

The P-791 is a 120 foot (36.6 meter) long, tri-lobe, semi-buoyant hybrid airship that serves as a sub-scale technology demonstrator for future Lockheed Martin hybrid airships.
The P-791 is heavier-than-air and flies under the combined influence of the buoyant lift from helium (about 80% of total lift), vectored thrust from propellers, and aerodynamic lift from the hull and fins when in forward flight. The flexible composite fabric hull (the gas envelope) is slightly pressurised (pressure stabilised) to maintain its aerodynamic shape. The P-791 is not designed for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) or hover, since flight depends on about 20% of total lift being generated by aerodynamic lift from the hull and/or vectored thrust from the propulsion system.
The P-791 is designed for short takeoff and landing (STOL) and ground operations at unimproved sites using its air cushion landing system (ACLS). During takeoff and landing and when the P-791 is moving on the ground, the ACLS operates in “lift” mode. The four air cushion pads on the bottom of the airship allow it to float on cushions of air while using the vectored thrust propulsion system to move the airship over almost any type of surface (pavement, unimproved natural surface like dirt, sand, snow or ice or water).
The first flight of the P-791 took place on 31 January 2006 at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Palmdale, CA.
Airship magazine reported that the P-791 flew six times. Lockheed Martin claimed that all flight test objectives were successfully met.

 

[satanboy]

The Stipa-Caproni, also known as the Caproni Stipa, was an experimental Italian aircraft designed in 1932 by Luigi Stipa and built by Caproni. It featured a hollow, barrel-shaped fuselage with the engine and propeller completely enclosed by the fuselage—in essence, the whole fuselage was a single ducted fan. Although the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) was not interested in pursuing development of the Stipa-Caproni, its design influenced the development of jet propulsion.
Stipa’s basic idea, which he called the “intubed propeller”, was to mount the engine and propeller inside a fuselage that itself formed a tapered duct, or venturi tube, and compressed the propeller’s airflow and the engine exhaust before it exited the duct at the trailing edge of the aircraft, essentially applying Bernoulli’s principle of fluid movements to make the aircraft’s propeller more efficient.

 

[satanboy]

6 August 1969: The largest helicopter ever built, the four-engine, transverse tandem rotor Mil V-12, registration CCCP-21142, lifted a payload of 88,636 pounds (44,205 kilograms) to an altitude of 7,400 feet (2,255 meters). This weight record has never been broken by any helicopter.
FAI Record File Num #9916 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – current record
Region: World
Class: E (Rotorcraft)
Sub-Class: E-1 (Helicopters)
Category: General
Group: 2 : turbine
Type of record: Altitude with 35 000 kg payload
Performance: 2 255 m
Date: 1969-08-06
Course/Location: Podmoskovnoe (USSR)
Claimant Vasily Kolochenko (URS)
Crew L.V. VLASSOV, V.V. JURAVLEV, V.P. BARTCHENKOV, S.G. RIBALKO, A.I. KRUTCHKOV
Rotorcraft: MIL M-12 (V-12)
Engines: 4 Soloviev D-25 VF
FAI Record File Num #9917 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – current record
Region: World
Class: E (Rotorcraft)
Sub-Class: E-1 (Helicopters)
Category: General
Group: 2 : turbine
Type of record: Altitude with 40 000 kg payload
Performance: 2 255 m
Date: 1969-08-06
Course/Location: Podmoskovnoe (USSR)
Claimant Vasily Kolochenko (URS)
Crew L.V. VLASSOV, V.V. JURAVLEV, V.P. BARTCHENKOV, S.G. RIBALKO, A.I. KRUTCHKOV
Rotorcraft: MIL M-12 (V-12)
Engines: 4 Soloviev D-25 VF
FAI Record File Num #9937 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – superseded since approved
Region: World
Class: E (Rotorcraft)
Sub-Class: E-1e (Helicopters: take off weight 3000 to 4500 kg)
Category: General
Group: 2 : turbine
Type of record: Greatest mass carried to height of 2 000 m
Performance: 40 204.5 kg
Date: 1969-08-06
Course/Location: Podmoskovnoe (USSR)
Claimant Vasily Kolochenko (URS)
Crew L.V. VLASSOV, V.V. JURAVLEV,V.P. BARTCHENKO,S.G. RIBALKO,A.I. KRUTCHKOV
Rotorcraft: MIL M-12 (V-12)
Engines: 4 Soloviev D-25 VF
This was the first of two prototypes built by the Mil Design Bureau. (Both had the same registration number: 21142.) It was intended to transport intercontinental ballistic missiles and load them directly into underground silos where there were no existing roads. The V-12 used two main rotor, transmission and twin engine systems from the single rotor Mil-6 helicopter. With counter-rotating main rotors, the torque created by each rotor system is cancelled out, eliminating the need for a tail, or anti-torque, rotor. This makes the total power produced available for lift. Each rotor had a diameter of 114 feet, 10 inches (35 meters). The four Soloviev D-25VF turboshaft engines combined to produce 26,000 horsepower. The aircraft was operated by a six-man crew. It’s maximum takeoff weight was 231,500 pounds (105,000 kilograms). It had a range of 310 miles (500 kilometers). Maximum speed of the V-12 was 140 knots (260 kilometers per hour) and the service ceiling was 11,500 feet (3,500 meters).
The helicopter was not put into series production. The record-setting first prototype is at the Mikhail Leontyevich Mil helicopter factory at Panki-Tomilino, near Moscow.

 

[satanboy]

In the 1950s the US Army command thought they needed a flying machine that would sort of fill the gap between an automobile and the helicopter. This gave way to several design projects collectively known as ‘flying jeeps.’ The first of them to rise in the air was Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 VTOL aircraft created by the company’s Santa Barbara Division (formerly the Aerophysics Development Corporation).
The design presented by Curtiss-Wright was straightforward. The VZ-7 was built around a rectangular central truss about 17 ft long. Four vertically-mounted propellers attached on its sides in a square pattern were powered by a single 425 shp Turbomeca Artouste IIB shaft turbine engine. These were originally ducted, but later modified into unshrouded propellers. The fuel and lubricant tanks, as well as the pilot’s seat and flight controls also sat on top of that simple fuselage. The pilot controlled the direction of vehicle’s movement by changing thrust of individual propellers. He also exercised additional yaw control using moveable vanes over the engine exhaust as a rudder.
Curtiss-Wright built two prototypes of this vehicle. The aircraft was capable of flying at a maximum speed of about 30 mph and reaching an altitude of almost 200 ft. With a maximum take-off weight of 2098 lb, including 550 lb of payload, it could carry one passenger behind the pilot. The VZ-7 also transported weapons, like a recoilless gun, during the tests, although it was primarily conceived as a utility vehicle. Using it as a real combat platform would be problematic due to complete lack of armour and low speed.
Curtiss-Wright delivered both prototypes to the Army in mid-1958 following successful initial flight tests by the manufacturer. Although the aircraft was quite manoeuvrable and easy to control, the Army found the VZ-7’s speed and altitude capabilities insufficient and returned both vehicles to Curtiss-Wright in 1960. Soon after that, all other projects of ‘flying jeeps’ were dumped for similar reasons.

 

[satanboy]

The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions, the bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernisation program.

Its low-observable, or "stealth," characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defences and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets. Its capability to penetrate air defences and threaten effective retaliation provides a strong, effective deterrent and combat force well into the 21st century.

The B-2 has a crew of two pilots, a pilot in the left seat and mission commander in the right, compared to the B-1B's crew of four and the B-52's crew of five. Its unrefueled range is approximately 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometres).

The first B-2 was publicly displayed on Nov. 22, 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California. Its first flight was July 17, 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft on the B-2.

The prime contractor, responsible for overall system design and integration, is Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector. Boeing Military Airplanes Co., Hughes Radar Systems Group, General Electric Aircraft Engine Group and Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc., are key members of the aircraft contractor team.

 

[satanboy]

The Horten H.IX, RLM designation Ho 229 (or Gotha Go 229 for extensive re-design work done by Gotha to prepare the aircraft for mass production) was a German prototype fighter/bomber initially designed by Reimar and Walter Horten to be built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik. Developed at a late stage of the Second World War, it was the first flying wing to be powered by jet engines.

The Ho 229 had been designed in response to a call by Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe, in 1943 for light bomber designs capable of meeting the "3×1000" requirement; namely, to carry 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of bombs a distance of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) with a speed of 1,000 kilometres per hour (620 mph). Only jet propulsion was capable of achieving the required speed, but such engines were relatively primitive and extremely fuel-hungry, necessitating considerable effort across the rest of the design in order to satisfy the range requirement as well. The flying wing configuration was favoured by the Horten brothers due to its high aerodynamic efficiency, as had been demonstrated by the Horten H.IV glider. In order to minimise drag, the Ho 229 was not fitted with any extraneous flight control surfaces. Its ceiling was 15,000 metres (49,000 ft).[2] The Ho 229 was the only design that even came close to the requirements set out, and the Horten brothers quickly received an initial order for three prototypes after the project garnered Göring's approval.

Due to the Horten brothers lacking appropriate production facilities, the Ho 229's manufacturing was contracted out to Gothaer Waggonfabrik; however, the company allegedly undermined the project and sought to have Air Ministry officials favour its own flying wing designs instead. On 1 March 1944, the first prototype H.IX V1, an unpowered glider, performed its maiden flight; it was followed by the H.IX V2, powered by Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engines, in December 1944. However, on 18 February 1945 the V2 was destroyed in a fatal crash, killing its test pilot. Despite as many as 100 production aircraft being ordered, none were ever completed; the near-complete H.IX V3 prototype was amongst the items captured by the American military and transferred back to the United States under Operation Paperclip. It was evaluated by both British and American researchers before entering long term storage; it is presently on static display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Horten Ho 229 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[satanboy]

The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation.[N 1] The SR-71 has several nicknames, including "Blackbird" and "Habu".

The SR-71 was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft during the 1960s by Lockheed's Skunk Works division. American aerospace engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the aircraft's innovative concepts. The shape of the SR-71 was based on that of the Lockheed A-12, which was one of the first aircraft to be designed with a reduced radar cross-section. Initially, a bomber variant of the A-12 was requested by Curtis LeMay, before the program was focused solely on reconnaissance. The SR-71 was longer and heavier than the A-12, allowing it to hold more fuel as well as a two-seat cockpit. The SR-71's existence was revealed to the public in July 1964; it entered service in the United States Air Force (USAF) in January 1966.[3] In 1989, the USAF retired the SR-71, largely for political reasons; several were briefly reactivated during the 1990s before their second retirement in 1998. NASA was the final operator of the Blackbird, using it as a research platform; it was retired again in 1999.

Mission equipment for the plane's aerial reconnaissance role included signals intelligence sensors, side looking airborne radar, and a camera. During missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes (Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet, 25,900 meters), allowing it to outrace or entirely avoid threats. If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outpace the missile. On average, each SR-71 could fly once per week due to the extended turnaround required after mission recovery. A total of 32 aircraft were built; 12 were lost in accidents with none lost to enemy action.

Since its retirement, the SR-71's role has been taken up by a combination of reconnaissance satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); a proposed UAV successor, the SR-72, is under development by Lockheed Martin, and scheduled to fly in 2025.[9] As of 2023 the SR-71 holds the world record, which it set in 1976, as the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, previously held by the related Lockheed YF-12.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Düber]

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The Largest Wooden Airplane Ever Built

The Spruce Goose was first conceived during World War II, when German submarines were sinking hundreds of Allied ships, and there was a growing need to move troops and materials across the Atlantic Ocean. Henry Kaiser conceived the idea of a massive flying transport and turned to Howard Hughes to design and build it. Hughes took on the task, made even more challenging by the government’s restrictions on materials critical to the war effort, such as steel and aluminum. Six times larger than any aircraft of its time, the Spruce Goose, also known as the Hughes Flying Boat, is made entirely of wood and flew just one time on November 2, 1947, in Long Beach, California.

There was also a movie about this plane if I am not wrong.

 

[biometrics]

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View attachment 37174​

The Largest Wooden Airplane Ever Built

The Spruce Goose was first conceived during World War II, when German submarines were sinking hundreds of Allied ships, and there was a growing need to move troops and materials across the Atlantic Ocean. Henry Kaiser conceived the idea of a massive flying transport and turned to Howard Hughes to design and build it. Hughes took on the task, made even more challenging by the government’s restrictions on materials critical to the war effort, such as steel and aluminum. Six times larger than any aircraft of its time, the Spruce Goose, also known as the Hughes Flying Boat, is made entirely of wood and flew just one time on November 2, 1947, in Long Beach, California.

There was also a movie about this plane if I am not wrong.

 

[scudsucker]

Early French VTOL aircraft, the SNECMA C.450 Coléoptère.

 

[satanboy]

 

[satanboy]

Simpleflying.com

 

[satanboy]

Bell X-22​

The Bell X-22 is an American V/STOL X-plane with four tilting ducted fans. Takeoff was to selectively occur either with the propellers tilted vertically upwards, or on a short runway with the nacelles tilted forward at approximately 45°. Additionally, the X-22 was to provide more insight into the tactical application of vertical takeoff troop transporters such as the preceding Hiller X-18 and the X-22's successor, the Bell XV-15. Another program requirement was a true airspeed in level flight of at least 525 km/h (326 mph; 283 knots).

 

[satanboy]

The largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built, the Convair Peacemaker, B-36. A wing span of 230 ft. and a pusher configuration of six Pratt & Whitney R4360 radial engines along with four General Electric J47 turbojets.

 

[satanboy]

B-52

 

[satanboy]

X-47B stealth drone targets new frontiers

The US Navy's cutting-edge robot fighter plane aims to be the first unmanned aerial vehicle to take-off and land at sea.

www.bbc.com