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fox100 wrote:

The program is facing some very serious technical issues that are not being spoken of.

Based upon what info and what source?

fox100 wrote:

Lockmart

A good nickname for America's top fighter shop right now.

fox100 wrote:

wants to reduce the number flights and the number of prototype aircraft: what a recipe for success!

You should thank Lockmart for not wasting the tax payer's money on two redundant test aircraft. The Cooperative Avionics Test Bed will be more flexible in its capabilities than originally thought.

fox100 wrote:

Not to mention jucavs and the new gen of a3g munitions coming online that are going to make the already successful legacy fighters even more deadly.

...and 5th gen fighters unstoppable.

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Salute!

Some good points here, for the most part.

1) Who cares about the volts that go to the servoactuators? Sure, the 270 volts tend to "arc", so we gotta have real good electrical cables. Otherwise, we're back to the original Viper.

The 270 volt doofers reduce weight significantly. The Army and Marines liked that source of volts due to weight savings on their helos. You must remember that the power is a multiplication of volts times amps. So more volts equals less amps. Less amps means smaller wires, less weight, and the beat goes on.

2) There are many ("there must be 50 ways to leave your ....") ways to provide a reasonable time to provide volts for an emergency landing. DD-to-DC convertors can take basic 28 V battery sources and step it up enuf for the flight control actuators, and still have enuf juice for other vital functions. We did that for the Viper after a fatal flaw was found in the power supplies for the quad-redundant FLCS computers. Don't make no difference how good the power is to the servoactuators if the damned computers shut down, heh heh.

3) Redundant electrical cables and a FLCS that can use control surfaces individually without mechanical connections can do much for your ability to keep the pointy end forward. We proved that in the Viper, and I am here to tell about it after my LEF failure episode.

4) I am more worried about the motor's nozzle mechanical aspects and that "fan" transmission than I am about the electrons.

later,

Gums sends...

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2862

The latest word is "by Thanksgiving".

Elite 1K Joined: Apr 26, 2004 Posts: 1215 Status: Offline

elp wrote:

The latest word is "by Thanksgiving".

Of which year?

Elite 1K Joined: Aug 01, 2006 Posts: 1003 Status: Offline

Purplehaze wrote:

elp wrote:

The latest word is "by Thanksgiving".

Of which year?

The AA-1 is expected to resume flying by Thanks Giving of 2007.

dwight is on target

Senior member Joined: Jul 01, 2007 Posts: 368

LM, any chance you can pass on a preliminary hack at what ground ops are gonna entail as well as some video?

Thanks.

Thanksgiving?

Birds of a feather....

Mr. Green

SnakeHandler wrote:

LM, any chance you can pass on a preliminary hack at what ground ops are gonna entail as well as some video?

Thanks.

I'm not sure what you're asking, but no I probably can't.

Senior member Joined: Jul 01, 2007 Posts: 368

Just a little curiosity, no bother.

Ya, time will tell on that one. I'm not really around any kind of information like that. And a good rule of thumb is if you can't find it on the web, you're not supposed to find it Wink

.

Elite 1K Joined: Aug 01, 2006 Posts: 1003 Status: Offline

Latest word is that they are awaiting a proof test of the F135 engine because the powerplant experienced a third stage low pressure turbine blade cracking on the test stand in October. They will proof test the FTE-3 engine and if it passes -- which they expect it to -- flight testing will resume before thanks giving using this engine. The F135 engine runs the highest turbine inlet temperature of any jet engine in the history of aviation -- a whopping 3600 degrees where most fighter engines operate in the 2600 to 2800 degrees range.

The flight control issues have long since been addressed in September; thats not what's holding things up. The AA-1 has out and about been doing ground runs using FTE-1 since October.

Enthusiast Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 52 Status: Offline

This little tidbit was posted on Fence Check by a buddy of mine....

Today at NASFTW...headed from the Navy side back to the LockMart side

Thanks Keith! Thumb

I saw this bad boy and its little brother (lift fan) on Friday in the plant and I could not pick up my jaw from off the floor. Its getting real exciting in Fort Worth.

Man how fast can that thing go with that big jet engine in back? Will it fly without wings? Laughing

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