Screensaver worthy Lightning shots

[spazsinbad]

Those scenarios have been tested - outcome I presume was OK - aircraft designed to do this at MAX STO Take off weight.

Even the F-35B on the QE class can Ski Jump at MTOW. Always there may be restrictions due heat/WOD or whatever.

[sferrin]

[sferrin]

[mixelflick]

Bottom pic, gorgeous.

One match up I'm particularly interested in is F-35 vs. Typhoon. “No way an F-35 will ever match a Typhoon fighter jet in aerial combat” were the exact words of a Tiffy pilot, uttered way back in 2013.

Ever since, I have relished the opportunity to see who's right. Pretty broad statement. I would have picked my words far more carefully were I that Typhoon pilot.

We shall see...

[spazsinbad]

From Combat Aircraft Magazine August 2019

“Under an uncharacteristically gloomy Arizona sky, Col Matt Renbarger, 56th Operations Group commander, opens up with the F-35A’s GAU-22 25mm cannon during a low-angle strafing run” Combat Aircraft Magazine August 2019

[outlaw162]

"68 hits.....and a foul lead."

[steve2267]

"68 hits.....and a foul lead."

Please elaborate...

[outlaw162]

Strafe Foul Line: (close)

[steve2267]

"68 hits.....and a foul lead."

Am a little slow today.

So I presume a "foul lead" means someone was still firing as they passed that line in the sand? How bad is that? Take a week off, then you can fly again bad? Call me in a month, and I'll think about your request bad? Or just have to buy the first round in the o-club tonight bad?

But I'm also trying to understand if 68 hits is good or bad? 68 hits out of 100 would seem pretty good. 68 hits out of an F-35's magazine (182 rounds) still seems pretty good given the dispersive nature of aircraft cannon. But 68 hits from a full drum on a Viper doesn't seem like anything to right home about?

Also, from where is the quote taken?

Thx.

[outlaw162]

68 hits on one pass is excellent, even with 100 loaded.

I got 106 hits with a SUU-23 on one pass at Smokey Hill, Salina, KS.....and a foul. Foul zeroes the pass, and in this case cost me $50.00. It was a one pass duel. (SUU-23 had about a 5 round bypass to spin up, so they loaded 125 for the usual 5 passes.)

I made it up for grins, just looks real close due to camera work....I'm surprised the guy didn't make it a 'selfie'.

[steve2267]

< light bulb goes off >

Ahh... copy all. Thx.

[doge]

Photo of strange phenomenon.
The line when transitioned from sub-sonic to supersonic is visible.
https://twitter.com/MyNAWCAD/status/1147212298127380480

NAWCAD@MyNAWCAD
Look closely! This @navy F-35C conducts #supersonic testing where you can see #schlieren shockwaves that flight test photographers captured when flight went transonic — the exact moment when the pilot transitioned from sub-sonic to supersonic.

[sprstdlyscottsmn]

Not to take anything away from capturing the actual shock lines, but this happens whenever there is supersonic flow, not only during the transition. Just an FYI.

[zhangmdev]

Not sure what I saw in that image. Doesn't look like much. Visualizing air density gradient is really hard without special equipment and/or computer algorithm.

For reference, this is how supersonic shock waves are captured via schlieren imaging

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/image ... hock-waves
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/ ... esome.html

[sferrin]

Not sure what I saw in that image.

Click on the picture to see the larger version. There is a shock at the nose, one aft of the inlet, and one at the tail.