Just came through these sad pictures of TU 144s rotting away.
[…]
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/03/robots-making-cars.html

Well, it still works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIFjvMjzBNg :eek::)

Second Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL Fighter BF-02 flies for the first time

FORT WORTH, Texas, February 25th, 2009 — Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] second short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II accomplished its first flight on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The aircraft, known as BF-2, joins a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A and another STOVL F-35B that already have logged a combined total of 84 flights.

During its flight on Wednesday, BF-2 went through a series of maneuvers to assess its subsystems and basic handling qualities, and to check on-board instrumentation. Subsequent missions will take the aircraft higher and faster, in a structured series of flights. All F-35 test aircraft to date have been powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan, the most powerful engine ever to fly in a jet fighter.

“The F-35 program is now entering a period of greatly accelerated flight testing, as aircraft are delivered to the flight line at an ever-increasing rate,” said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager. “Each aircraft that rolls off the assembly line fulfills a unique verification objective and moves us closer to our customers’ initial operational capability dates.”

BF-2 is on schedule to deploy to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., later this year. It will remain in Fort Worth for the next several months to conduct a series of ground-test events, instrumentation calibrations, powered hover-pit testing (simulating flight) and airworthiness flights, including STOVL-mode operation. Initial flights will be in conventional mode.

BF-2 is essentially identical to the first STOVL jet, BF-1. The major difference lies with the instrumentation – the two aircraft have different roles during flight testing. BF-2 will conduct flutter envelope expansion, air-refueling testing, high angle-of-attack testing, performance and propulsion testing, weapons testing and radar-signature testing. BF-1 will concentrate on initial STOVL flight operations such as short takeoffs, hovers and vertical landings, and will conduct ship-suitability and gun-integration testing. BF-1’s first vertical landing is planned for the middle of 2009. […]

Source: Lockheed Martin – Second Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL Fighter
AF-01 is also flying again!
More pictures at Fencecheck! 😎 🙂

EL/L-8222

Nope. That’s the AN/ALQ-188(V)4 Electronic Attack Training Pod. It is carried by USAF F 15 and F16 Aggressor units.

No, I still think that pod of the F-15’s posted above is the Israeli built EL/L-8222 – Comprehensive Self Protection Pod. I looked at A.net that the F-15’s (like 80-0018 / WA, cn 658/C167 and 80-0024 / WA, cn 668/C173) use the EL/L-8222 to simulate a Su-27/30 jamming silhouette. The InAF uses that pod on their Su-30MKI’s.

The F-16’s (like 87-0321 / WA, cn 5C-582) of the 64th AGRS use instead the AN/ALQ-188 Electronic Attack Training Pod.

I haven’t really follwed the issue much…….Except the fact that the price is out of this world. What’s the difference between the VH-71A and VH-71B???:confused:

“Keep the [five] VH-71A, but cancel the [23] VH-71B” was my personal opinon yesterday.

VH-71A
The initial production VH-71 aircraft or Increment one of the presidential helicopter replacement program, designed to meet an urgent need for new helicopters.

VH-71B
Increment two will provide 23 operational helicopters with increased range and upgraded navigation and communications systems that fulfill White House requirements to maintain continuity of government and allow the president to carry out the duties of the office. The current presidential helicopters are scheduled to begin phasing out of operational service at a rate of three per year beginning in 2017.

The Increment 2 version includes so new powerfull engines, rotor blades, gear box, drive train, a new nose cone for sensors and upgraded navigation and communications systems.

During the last 24 hours my opinion has changed.
Looks like that the VH-71 will be totally cancelled and the VH-3D will be modernized.

[…]
Meanwhile, Sikorsky by May plans to have certificated new S-61 composite main rotor blades developed by Carson Helicopters and approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2004. A five-blade upgrade, which also involves strengthening the helicopter’s tail pylon and transmission mounts, will cost just $1.25 million per aircraft and boost lift capacity by 910kg (2,000lb), speed by 15kt (28km/h) for the same power level and double service life to 20,000h.

Other upgrades being packaged by Sikorsky as the S-61 Triton include a Carson composite tail rotor that the company says will increase payload by 180kg by reducing by 50shp (35kW) the amount of power needed by the tail. A new glass cockpit featuring Sagem displays has just been certificated and engine manufacturer GE is investigating an upgrade to the VH-3D’s CT-58 engines that will boost total power by 370shp to 1,870shp.

Sources:

Jamming pod, who designation eludes me for now…

EL/L-8222 – Comprehansive Self Protection Pod

Yak-130 is MITTEN. No name for J-10 or Ka-52.

According to Andreas Parsch’s superb site, Ka-52 would be “Hokum-B”.
Source:
Designation-Systems.Net – Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles

Here the video of the conversation between President Barack Obama and Sen. (John) McCain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfCpYyafxTM

Keep the VH-71A, but cancel the VH-71B.