I can't believe y'all have left out the most beautiful aircraft ever built, and, incidentally, the one that holds every speed record in the books for air-breathing machines.....

the SR-71 Blackbird!



Top speed at Mach 3+
Ceiling: 100,000+ ft
This plane actually grew more than a foot while in flight b/c of the expansion of the titanium skin due to high temperatures developed during flight. It leaked fuel like a sieve on the ground because it needed to skin to expand to seal all the gaps. The pilots had to wear essentially space suits b/c cockpit temps were high enough to bake a cake. The list of extraordinary facts/stories goes on and on...I am in awe of this plane.

 

No this is the business!

 

There is a problem with "taking out" Afghanistan's air defenses when those air defenses can be stored in a closet and used from the shoulder.

 

Actually, Tedow, the SR-71 is more a space craft than an aircraft, and in any case I don't know if you can call it beautiful. On second thought, beautiful works for me. Astounding comes to mind as well.

 

Skunk Works! You betcha ya. It would only expand above mach I. Each plane had it's own flying characteristics. The skin would actually temper and retemper after each flight. The Recon Camera could actually photograph a penny clearly at over 100,000 feet traveling in excess of Mach III. Originally, it was produced in two versions YF-12 fighter version capable of nuclear deployment and the SR (Strategic Reconnaissance)-1. Awesome plane and all the specification are still closely guarded. Even after being mothballed.

 

You just take out the closet the house and the surrounding country side and <POOF> all is well Ahhhhhh!. Remember don't give to much credit to the stinger. They can be evaded and counter measures are very effective. It is not a fire and forget missile. There are many such missiles that mirror and surpass it's performance. Don't think that we don't have the ability to evade it's capability.

No new developments in current actions all quiet on the Eastern Front!. Maybe they buried the SOB!

Cheers

Jeff

 

Well god bless our soldiers and pilots and navy! Hope this ends soon with a clear ending.

 

I consider it an aircraft b/c the engines are air-breathing, that is, all the oxidizer is obtained by scooping up air from the atmosphere (the little that there is at 100k feet!). In either case, it's still a frickin' amazing feat of engineering...made even more so by the fact that it was designed and built in the 60's! Would you believe the engine schematics are still classified? Purty cool .

Anyway, back on-topic (sort of): The good news is that we gave them all those missiles back in the 80's...they're 20 years old. Assuming the mujahadeen haven't bought more up-to-date and expensive hardware (which, granted, could be a questionable assumption), I would bet that countermeasures for these devices are pretty good by now. They could still be deadly fired en masse at helicopters or low-flying slow planes (A-10, C-130, C-17, etc), but shouldn't be much of a threat to the fast-movers. Let's hope, at any rate.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JRM
[B]Originally, it was produced in two versions YF-12 fighter version capable of nuclear deployment and the SR (Strategic Reconnaissance)-1.

 

Damn, Andy now this really does bring back memories. Yes the YF-12 was originally one of the first variants. It was produced as a high speed high altitude Interceptor and strategic fighter. It's nose design was considerably different. I believe that it had two scallops just forward of the cockpit access on the mid fuselage. Check out the picture with the X-15 being carried by the Buff. You can see the curvature of the earth!

Thanks for the Buffs and the X-15. Wow!! These aircraft can be seen at the Air Force Museum in Fairborn.

THANKS ANDY!!

Well, on the eastern front all is not quiet. We have resumed bombing strikes on the Kandahar area and all military installations. We are now claiming "Air Superiority" over the skies of Afghanistan. We have hit every major installation in every city. There has been sporadic resistance from anti-aircraft fire over Kandahar. There is talk of some lower level strike missions by helicopters.

There have been claims of forces deserting the Taliban army for the Northern Alliance. CIA has been involved in covert ground actions to convert Taliban command personnel to the Northern alliance. Taliban regime has claimed that this is false and civilian target were hit by targeted airstrikes from US planes.

Food drops are continuing on a regular basis in isolated areas. Speculation by some experts say that this could be hurting the situation than helping? Let's see this is a tough one. No food, no eat and die of starvation. Food available you eat and live life is good! Hmmmmmmm.... DUH no brainer. Let's see how long these experts would live without food. <Stupid> I couldn't believe this as I listened to it last night.

The anthrax cases have been narrowed down as told by CNN, MSNBC and others, it came from a batch that was produced in 1958. Nobody knows where it came from or they are not saying. More to come on this one.

US is considering commitment of possible ground assaults against know targets within Afghanistan. Special Ops have continued to target specific areas.