Forum: Off-topic

It can destroy MiGs, but hurricanes? Popular Science has something to say about this:

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-03/hurricane-busters

Sounds like shooting a pellet rifle at a freight train to me, but maybe it's worth a try.

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This hurricane buster task should be left to the Raptor, owing to its supercruise capability.

The next time another hurricane tears trough the southeast, a flight of four F-22 Raptors with wing tanks (what's the stealth for if you're flying against a weapon of nature?) will generate sonic booms and maintain supercruise speeds of five minutes total (the Raptor's maximum supercruise duration time) until the next pair relieves them. The process is repeated until the hurricane dies out due to the sonic booms.

Let's see, the QF-4s are only drones, so that's out, and the DoD isn't going to waste money using Raptors to fly through hurricanes, look at how expensive one of them is, and do you honestly think you'd be able to find a pilot brave (or crazy) enough to risk his life flying through a hurricane at supersonic speeds?

No matter how much NOAA or whoever (in the US government) wishes for this to happen, chances are slim to bupkis that this will EVER happen, and it'll NEVER happen with Raptors. I could see stripped down Eagles doing something like this, but something tells me that won't happen either.

It might get looked at, but costs in terms of pilots and materiel to support the effort will probably nix it.

I mean only four Raptors would be useful against a hurricane, and they would operate in pairs, flying around them and generating sonic booms.

Why would you want to fly through the eye of the storm?

Quote:

four Raptors

And I'm saying the United States Air Force is not going to risk their top-of-the-line stealth fighter that costs a pretty d@mn penny to go try and screw around with stuff like that. If Mach 1 is needed, the friggin Eagle can do it. The Hurricane doesn't have friggin SAMs or an air force of its own

Yeah, sure the Raptor can supercruise, good, but there's no freaking need to deploy nearly a half-billion dollars worth of airplane, and four highly valuable aircrew to stop a force of nature.

You said it yourself in your last post, what's stealth good for when it comes to nature? Nothing, that's why if--and that's a d@mn big IF--the US ever does do something like this, it's not going to be with Raptors.

Just because the USAF has a new freaking technology, doesn't mean it has to be used for every hair-brained idea that some schmuck comes up with.

If ANY supersonic jet aircraft enters a hurricane and encounters large hail, it is finished. (Period, end of discussion...)
Jet engines don't like ice being hurled down the inlets at MACH1+ speeds... Doh

It has been a problem with the composite props on the WC-130Js

Quote:

From official AF news releases, we know that the two biggest problems were, 1) damage occuring to the leading edge of the new high tech composite propellers, caused by heavy rain, and occasional hail, found in tropical storms, and 2) a lack of sensitivity with the new color radar. The propeller problem was solved by adding a metal "taco" to the leading edge of each blade. Changes in the radar software fixed that problem, allowing the aircraft to be declared fully operational.

While the F119 is much less suceptiable to FOD, NOBODY would fly a $137M Raptor into a hurricane. You may get NASA/NOAA/DoD to try a modified QF-4, but if you run into large hail, the mighty J79s will meet their match... Two Cents

A "hail-resistant" aircraft has been built; a T-28 that was "armored" to protect it from hail-stones. I don't know how successful you'd be trying to armor plate a Phantom. Shrug

Cool reading here about the T-28: http://www.ias.sdsmt.edu/institute/t28/plane.htm

Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

TEG

Keep 'em flyin'
TEG

That_Engine_Guy wrote:

I don't know how successful you'd be trying to armor plate a Phantom.

Funny you mention this. About 6 E model Rhinos from Pops' squadron at Bitburg (including his jet) were temporarily farmed out to the IDF/AF, to fly in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. They returned with armor plating attached to critical areas of the jet.

Concerning the jets used for hurricanes, this idea is completely asinine. There's really nothing that we can do to prevent a hurricane from striking us. All you can do is safely store what you don't want damaged, and then find safe cover for yourself.

Well there is always the nuke idea...... Shrug

I doubt that would work either

TEG

Quote:

nuke idea

Then you run into the problem of radioactive rain....and that's not good for the precious bodily fluids!

When I was about 10 (1950), there was a comic book series called Blackhawk. They were an international squadron of jet fighters who went around doing all kinds of good deeds. Their airplanes were modeled after the Lockheed F-90, which never made it into production.

One of their adventures was to fly their four jets through a tornado funnel, thus breaking it up and saving the town directly in its path. Sounded like a good idea to me at the time.

There already is a solution to Hurricanes. It's a biodegradable powered that absorbs water (vapor) like there is no tomorrow. It then turns into a jell several times the powder's own mass amd eventually dissolves once falling into the ocean. Dump tons (from C-5's/C-17's) of it over a hurricane or in its path and results would have to be produced.

Link

Notice the date of the article. As usual, the US government has its head up the rear side, much like it did during Katrina.

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

That_Engine_Guy wrote:

Well there is always the nuke idea...... Shrug

I doubt that would work either

TEG

The power in a hurricane is mind boggling. A 100MT nuke would be like farting at a strong breeze.

Guysmiley wrote:

That_Engine_Guy wrote:

Well there is always the nuke idea...... Shrug

I doubt that would work either

TEG

The power in a hurricane is mind boggling. A 100MT nuke would be like farting at a strong breeze.

Ok we have hurricane's, nukes and we need one more thing, pull NASA 816 out of the barn and tell Gums to saddle up. Who wants the back seat?

http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Concept2R ... tning.html

"SHOTGUN!" Very Happy

Now that J75 should be able to cope with some hail...

Cheers

TEG

Are you sure you want to fly in that -106. looks pretty beat up to me, maybe I should go, you're too valuable to lose, TEG. Who else would educate the board on engines?

I'm not saying Gums is a bad pilot--I'm sure he's an excellent pilot, just the plane looks like it's about had it.

This happens every time, my wi-fi crashes and I miss out on something great....

Forum: Off-topic

F-4 Phantom II: Hurricane Buster?