Showing posts with label AIRPLANES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AIRPLANES. Show all posts
Friday, September 4, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
This Is How the CIA Kills Terrorists Using Predators
via Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz
This redhead is an angel. An angel of death, working for the CIA. And in this chilling video you will see how she flies a Predator, and delivers its lethal payload along with another agent in the next computer rig.
Both are "pilot" and "sensor" in the same mission. What you see in the video is a simulation, but that's how it works: Two agents in Langley, Virginia, on a basement, pulling levers and clicking buttons on a multi-display rig connected in real time with Predators flying anywhere around the world.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Top Gear's James May rides in a U2 Spy Plane
via Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz on 8/6/09
I love Top Gear, but when James May gets the opportunity to fly to the edge of space on board a U2 spy plane, my love turns to plain, absolute, complete, overwhelming hate. Bloody good video indeed.
The Lockheed U2 is an amazing plane, developed to spy enemy countries by the CIA and the United States Air Force. Flying at 70,000 feet, the U2 can fly day or night, rain or sun, photographing ground facilities on very short notice, something that satellites can't do. It was created in the 50s, flying for the first time in 1955, and despite some being shot down over the Soviet Union, Cuba, and China, the fleet is still in use today. In fact, the successful design outlasted the SR-71 and the secret A-12 CIA spy plane, and will keep flying till 2014 or even later.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Airplane Lifting a 3-Tonne Cannon
via Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz on 7/23/09
At least, you don't see it unless you are in the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Logistics Battalion 46, where they use MV-22 Ospreys�dual-rotor aircrafts that can switch between airplane and helicopter mode on the fly�to lift artillery pieces.
In this case, that is an M777 howitzer, a 7000-pound 35-foot beast that requires five people to operate. That guy overlooking the airlift operation is U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christopher Malloy, at the Landing Zone Sandhill, in Twentynine Palms, California, July 10, 2009.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Nazi Stealth Planes
via Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz on 7/1/09
Nazis or aliens or Nazi aliens are back and they have invaded Northrop Grumman's top secret grounds in California, where engineers have been testing the surprising anti-radar capabilities of the Horten 2-29 fighter. The results: It could have changed everything.
Germany lost the Battle of Britain partly thanks to the British radar. The fat baton-bearing lunatic and chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann G�ring turned to the Horten brothers to develop something that would give the German air force superiority. They came up with the most advanced plane of the war, one that surpassed everything else out there by three decades but fortunately never had the time to be produced in any kind of significant numbers: The Horten 2-29, an airplane unlike anything else out there, which�as this reconstruction shows�looks alien in its design.
Northrop Grumman's black-op engineers�who usually work in top secret USAF projects like the B-2 Stealth Bomber, Ho 2-29's design heir�analyzed (again?) the remains of the only surviving plane, reconstructed it, and tested its stealth capabilities. It's probably not the first time they have done that, but this time they did it for a National Geographic TV documentary.
As it turns out, Hitler had an stealth fighter in the Ho 2-29. Thanks to the use of wood and carbon�which increased its radar absortion�jet engines integrated into the fuselage, and its blended surfaces, the plane could have been in London eight minutes after the British radar system detected it. In comparison, other planes took 19 minutes since detection to target, which gave the RAF fighter enough time to scramble and hunt down the bastards. The Ho 2-29 would have made the interception almost impossible, if at all.
The bad news is that this plane could have completely changed the course of the war if Germany only had one or two extra years of lead time. Not only in the fight against Britain, but also against the US and the Soviet Union. The Horten brothers had another design based on the Ho 2-29. A design for a intercontinental strategic bomber, the Ho 18.
The 142-foot wingspan bomber was submitted for approval in 1944, and it would have been able to fly from Berlin to NYC and back without refueling, thanks to the same blended wing design and six BMW 003A or eight Junker Jumo 004B turbojets. As the documentary shows, had the Nazis extended the war in 1946 and developed the atomic bomb as planned, the Ho 18 could have been their Enola Gay.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Inside the $485-Million Airbus A380 Flying Palace
via�Gizmodo�by Jesus Diaz on 6/4/09
What's 239 feet long, flies at 647mph, and has three floors that include a grand staircase, four giant full suites, boardroom with hologram projector, a full spa, concert hall, car garage, and a space-age lift that drops onto the runway?
Apparently, it may be Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud's new specially retro-fitted A380. As you may remember, the arabian Prince shone his genie lamp and�bought an Airbus A380�the biggest passenger plane in the world�for his personal use.
British company Design Q is now making the plans for its interior, three floors with every luxurious detail you can imagine, including a lift that goes all the way down to the runway's tarmac and extends a red carpet so guests can get into the�flying palace. I can already imagine a stunning hostess saying "Welcome, Mr Bond."
In addition to all of the above, the full marble Turkish bath in the spa, and twenty first class seats/beds for the�extra guests, the plane will be full of high tech gadgets. The boardroom, for example, will have a hologram projector and a giant touchscreen perspex table, while each suite will include a virtual prayer mat proyector, always pointing in Mecca's direction.
Whoever bought it, I hope he invites us for a trip. And with "us" I mean "me." I can sleep on the couch, Mr Prince Sir you. [Daily Mail]
US Air Force X-1 Mustang and Vapor Challenger
via�Car Body Design - News�on 6/4/09
Galpin Auto Sports in partnership with the United States Air Force have created two customized vehicles for the 2009 Super Car Tour � a new U.S. Air Force recruiting initiative.
The white Ford Mustang �X-1� and black Dodge Challenger �VAPOR� are Air Force-inspired designs that will travel across the country this year as part of a mobile marketing campaign to inform young people on the career opportunities available within the Air Force.
The Air Force looked to Galpin Auto Sports to create two unique hyper-styled vehicles with the most technologically advanced features available.
The vehicles are a combination of form, function and futuristic entertainment all fueled together.
The 2009 Super Car Tour will primarily visit high schools and a variety of Air Force sponsored events including the DUB magazine auto show, Hot Import Nights, Battle of the Imports, Formula Drift, International Hot Rod Association and local community events.
For more informtion - including several "making-of" videos, visit�www.airforce.com.
X-1 Mustang Concept
Representing the muscle of the Air Force, the �X-1� Mustang is a heavenly matte-pearlescent painted supercar with a jet cockpit that includes a single-driver ejection seat in center of vehicle, short shifter, flight stick, and advanced instrumentation panel.
The �X-1� also has a concealed motorized steering wheel, custom foot pedals, GPS transponder and the innovative dash is equipped with a touch screen monitor and sensor pack that displays night and thermal vision.
The 4.6 liter engine includes 3-valve Ford Racing heads, cold air intake, hot rod cams, and long tube headers creating 500hp and is maintained by a custom Ford Racing Tuning Program.
The�Vertical doors�feature interior panel fabrication to complete the �jet-like� feel of the �X-1�, which will appear on the East Coast portion of the Air Force recruiting tour.
Challenger 'Vapor' Concept
The�stealth-black�Air Force Challenger �Vapor� features a biometric access to open the�Vertical doors, a custom Stealth body kit with Jet enhancements and a�carbon fiber exterior trim.
Other exterior components include one-off�carbon fiber wheels, a custom stealth exhaust mode that allows the vehicle to run in complete silence or you can open up the headers to facilitate the aggressive sound of the engine, shaker hood, radar-absorbing paint, proximity sensors, and a 360-degree camera with � mile range.
The interior of the �Vapor� is complete with�aircraft style�controls, a passenger side steering wheel, GPS tracking, night and thermal vision via a film on the front windshield, and the most technologically-advanced computer system with remote control UAV-type access from anywhere in the world utilizing the internet.
The �Vapor� also comes with two custom flight helmets in line with the Air Force theme of the vehicle.
About Galpin Auto Sports
Galpin Auto Sports, located in Van Nuys, Southern California, is widely known for its corporate and one-off vehicle designs, through its involvement with various movies and TV projects, including the 2008 �Knight Rider� series� KITT car, the upcoming movie car in the thriller �The Red Mist� and the acting-home base of MTV�s �Pimp My Ride�.
For more information visit�www.galpinautosports.com.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
UFO Sighted Over Afghanistan Is US Secret Airplane
via�Gizmodo�by Jesus Diaz on 5/13/09
Looks like the US military has a new secret aircraft. Either that or the Nazis are taking over the world again, because according to other photos this looks like the Luftwaffe's Go229 Flying Wing:
This an artist rendering based on (not so) classified and unpublished photos obtained by UVonline.com reporter Darren Lake. The photo of the unidentified flying object�which apparently is a mystery�unmanned aircraft�nobody has ever heard off�was taken in Kandahar in 2007, but has been published now by a french magazine. [Air-Cosmos�and�UVonline�via�Flight Global]
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Interior of the Boeing 747 Intercontinental
via�Gizmodo�by Jesus Diaz on 4/27/09
Unlike the�delayed�Dreamliner, the new 747 Intercontinental�based on the 747-8 Freighter�is right on schedule at 25% of its design phase. Its interior is inspired by the Dreamliner�orgy room included, I can only hope.
Like the Dreamliner�pictured here�its interior is designed to reduce jetlag in long range flights. It will be a lot quieter than the current 747, and it will have the same "new curved, upswept architecture" to make it airier and give passengers more room for personal belongings. Also like the 787, the Intercontinental will use special lighting to provide "smooth transitions for a more restful flight."
The other big difference is the size. While it won't be nearly as big as the Airbus A380 or�allow to have full beds, it will be 18.3 feet longer and have a larger upper deck.
According to the company, the�Boeing 747-8�Intercontinental�will arrive in late 2011.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
New Airplane Interior Design Allows for Romantic Dinner for Two
via�Gizmodo�by Jesus Diaz on 3/28/09
While you and I try to eat our plastic-wrapped dinner in cattle class,�first classpassengers in Swiss International's flights would be able to chat up passengers and invite them to their table for two.
The new design�which will debut in their new A330 airplanes�is quite a change from traditional my-cabin-is-my-oyster first class designs. According to the airline, it's more "architectural" which goes with the "design language of the brand." According to Paul Estoppey, senior manager and head of cabin interior development for Swiss International:
Our product drive is primarily intended to [lots of corpospeak here] I think that in the context of the current economic climate there may be opportunities for [blah blah blah. blah] while at the same time maintaining very high levels of comfort.
Quick translation: "New seat for rich people. The rest of you please keep eating your cardboard chicken." [Flight Global]
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