Which truck model (exactly) is that, towing the plane?

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If you want to refer to the max tow weight, you are probably in the 560 N/m of torque. I recentely had to quickly design a leight weight/high capacity trailer and I was amazed… (it could tow customer thing on mud with some slope!) 😉

New cruise missile raid by Fr AF in Syria

“Ce raid était composé de quatre Rafale, de quatre Mirage 2000 et d’un Atlantique 2”, indique le document ministériel. “Une dizaine de missiles de croisière SCALP ont touché et détruit ce centre situé au cœur du territoire contrôlé par le groupe terroriste.” […]

———– Translation————–

“This strike had 4 Rafale, 4 Mirage 2000 and one Atlantic 2” says a document released by the Minister. Around 10 Scalp Cruise missiles hit and destroyed a center in the heart of ground territory controled by the terrorist group

…

France24 details the objectif as being a depot for heavy weapons and maintenance.

Source:
BFM TV.com
France24.com

New drift model in study

Six replicas of the flaperon will be sent to Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization’s oceanography department in the island state of Tasmania where scientists will determine whether it is the wind or the currents that affect how they drift, Hood said. This will enable more accurate drift modeling than is currently available.
If more money becomes available, the Australian bureau plans to fit the flaperons with satellite beacons and set them adrift at different points in the southern Indian Ocean around March 8 next year — the third anniversary of the disaster — and track their movements.

Edit 090316:

The team made is making six replica flaperons which have been fitted with transmitters and will be set out to sea with buoys off the coast of Australia’s island state of Tasmania […]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3759317/MH370-replica-flaperons-built-CSIRO-ATSB-missing-plane.html

Source:
NBC News.com

At 4:16 for example, during the catapult launch, the damper doesn’t seem to prevent a rebound from the front leg. The pilot’s head giggle uncomfortably to me. Seems that most launches see the same front wheel jumps.

Some arrested landing are similar. Although the oscillations look like less severe.

US scrambled jets to protect its advisers in Syria: Pentagon

Early Friday, “two Syrian SU-24 aircraft attempted to transit the area and were met by coalition fighter aircraft,” which “encouraged” the Syrians to depart “without further incident,” said the official, who spoke on a Pentagon-imposed condition of anonymity

Edit:
On the 20th, CNN claims US fighters were a pair of F22.

Source:
The Washington Post

Everything smells high alpha in it*. I won’t be surprised that it can reach 40deg aoa.
What puzzles me is the front wheel (pushed frwd for later central load carriage – something that have been problematic on the 5/20). Is that a semi recessed config?

Small nose – massive vertical tail – rounded LE – outward canted gapping inlets – anhedral – elevator flap (minimal thrust vectoring by flap – cold airflow) – reduced frontal RCS – ultra minimal wing…

Wow. Two decades of aero innovation in a single low cost/quicly designed/ quickly tested airframe… Experience is a rewarding thing I guess.

Oh by the way, I offer some free length of rope to the guy who canceled the EADS Mako!

*and beta – see gapping outward facing intakes

either that, or the hook fix causes more wear on the runway than usual

Dynamic stress is known to indulge more damage than the single sum of static solicitations. Stress coeff can be as severe as 2.5 in simple applications (got it you at ATR?)
The increased damages from the repeated impacts of a several tons aircraft in a single zone is something that won’t surprise anyone with an engineering background. Does this comes as a surprise ? Yes given the landing precision.
Is this something annoying or difficult/costly to deal with? No: Introducing random variability in the parameters deal with it rather quickly (the point of impact for example is defined at x +- delta. Delta varying b/w a compliant minimum and extremum).