And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
F-35B. The AV-8B Harrier had its own design and performance issues, but . . . Instead of routing the jet thrust through a tailpipe, it used four rotatable nozzles for vertical lift (or even flying backward!) - two on each side of the fuselage. (It also has smaller controllable nozzles in the nose, tail, and wingtips for attitude and steering control while hovering.) The lift nozzles, at least, were useful in all flight regimes. The F-35B has a swiveling tailpipe which can direct the thrust aft, downward, and - I presume - various positions in between. For VTOL there is a big fan aft of the cockpit, driven by a driveshaft from the engine (only when needed for VTOL). Whatever advantages this arrangement provides, it also adds complexity and weight that is only useful for VTOL operations. It also consumes space that might otherwise be used for fuel, ordnance, or electronics.
VX-9 is the Navy test squadron, so a Marine or Navy pilot putting an early F-35B through its paces. A Lightning II with impressive lightning in the background.
I’d close the hatches, but what do I know. American badasses none the less
ReplyDeleteHe's about to lose lift and quietly say "Oh Shiite!"
ReplyDeleteAs I understand the design of the thunderpig that "hatch" is the air vent for the short take off thruster currently lifting that bird.
ReplyDeleteAn over designed aircraft by committee and it shows.
The acid test us going to be combat time.
ReplyDeleteF-35B.
ReplyDeleteThe AV-8B Harrier had its own design and performance issues, but . . . Instead of routing the jet thrust through a tailpipe, it used four rotatable nozzles for vertical lift (or even flying backward!) - two on each side of the fuselage. (It also has smaller controllable nozzles in the nose, tail, and wingtips for attitude and steering control while hovering.) The lift nozzles, at least, were useful in all flight regimes.
The F-35B has a swiveling tailpipe which can direct the thrust aft, downward, and - I presume - various positions in between. For VTOL there is a big fan aft of the cockpit, driven by a driveshaft from the engine (only when needed for VTOL). Whatever advantages this arrangement provides, it also adds complexity and weight that is only useful for VTOL operations. It also consumes space that might otherwise be used for fuel, ordnance, or electronics.
VX-9 is the Navy test squadron, so a Marine or Navy pilot putting an early F-35B through its paces.
ReplyDeleteA Lightning II with impressive lightning in the background.