Tag Archives: Aircraft

F-16 Destroyed in Explosion. On Purpose.

According to an Air Force press release, an F-16 was intentionally blown up as part of an ongoing program to convert the F-16s to QF-16 target/drones.  The explosion was apparently a part of the test of the “flight termination system,” or the kill switch that allows a controller to destroy a wayward unmanned vehicle.  (Perhaps one flying into DC’s airspace?)

The first QF-16 is scheduled to be delivered in 2014. The QF-16 will replace the QF-4, the third generation full-scale aerial target drone.

Steve Saint Builds Flying Missionary Car

Steve Saint, son of martyred missionary Nate Saint, and the organization he founded called i-Tec (The Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Ministry Center) have created a flying car inspired by humanitarian and missionary needs:

Saint, the founder of Dunnellon-based i-Tec…said the idea for a short takeoff and landing all-terrain car, plane and airboat grew out of his family’s missionary work in remote areas of Ecuador.

Saint’s Maverick is a dune-buggy type car that can be mounted on pontoons or underneath a wing parachute, after which it is propelled by a six foot propeller at the rear of the vehicle.

The Maverick Sport flies at a fixed 40 mph using a 36-foot-wide ram wing, or wing-shaped parachute, deployed on a 27-foot mast and stored on top of the car during road use.

The Maverick was at the experimental aircraft fly-in at OshKosh this past week (the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2010 AirVenture), though it couldn’t fly in due to paperwork issues with the FAA.  They documented their drive from Florida to Wisconsin.  More information is available at their Maverick LSA website.

US to Sell F-15s to Saudi Arabia, Israel Expresses Concerns

In an interesting revelation of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the US has said it will sell Saudi Arabia “very capable” F-15s, though they will reportedly be ‘less capable’ than some purchased by South Korea and Singapore.  Reportedly, this would appease the concerns of Israel about its military advantage in the region.

Of note, Saudi Arabia already has F-15s; this weapons buy would simply be a purchase of newer, more advanced versions of those aircraft.

The Next UCAV: The A-10 Warthog

According to a report at the Air Force Times, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a project that will enable ground forces to control the weapons systems on an A-10 — or even control the A-10 itself as an “unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).”

The A-10 could be manned or unmanned; an unmanned plane would loiter autonomously but would be under the control of an A-10 pilot at a ground control station when responding to an attack and for all takeoffs and landings.

The pilot would give “coordinated consent” for the launch of weapons; the JTAC would fire the weapons using a portable computer. With the computer, the JTAC would access the A-10’s sensors, punch in coordinates for its targeting pods and determine the predicted blast radius and effectiveness of the weapons.

While the concept is intriguing, it masks the true improvement to air support Read more

C-17 Crash Claims Four Air Force Lives

Updated with names of crew.

The Air Force announced that a C-17 Globemaster III crashed shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, on Wednesday, killing the four crewmembers.  There are indications the crew was practicing for the upcoming Arctic Thunder airshow this weekend.  While large aircraft occasionally have incidents on landing or on the ground, the catastrophic loss of a military cargo aircraft from a flight mishap is a relatively rare event.

Elmendorf leaders have announced the 2010 Arctic Thunder airshow will proceed as planned.

As is the common practice, the Air Force did not speculate and will conduct a month-long investigation to determine the cause.

UPDATE: The Air Force released the names of those killed on the C-17:

Maj. Michael Freyholtz
Maj. Aaron Malone
Capt. Jeffrey Hill
Master Sgt. Thomas Cicardo

Marines, Boeing Sued over 2008 Hornet Crash

Dong Yun Yoon, whose family was killed when a crippled F/A-18 Hornet crashed into their home, has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the federal government and Boeing for negligence.  The Navy has reportedly settled 24 claims totaling more than $800,000 over the crash, with 10 claims totaling $14.4 million outstanding.

Yoon’s lawyers received a letter Monday from the Navy Office of the Judge Advocate General, which had been negotiating with the crash victims, rejecting the last of the Yoon family’s administrative claims for wrongful death and personal injury…

Yoon’s reaction to the crash was notable, as he called on people to pray for the pilot rather than blame him.

There is no indication the pilot is individually liable or party to the lawsuit.

Pilot Ejects from CF-18 Moments Before Crash

Canadian Capt. Brian Bews ejected from his CF-18 just moments before it impacted the ground at the Lethbridge County Airport in Alberta, Canada. CNN.com carries a professional video of the crash captured from the reviewing stand.  In an interesting irony, the music playing from the flight line speakers is “Stayin’ Alive.”

High resolution photos of the incident taken by Ian Martens of the Lethbridge Herald show the ejection sequence in amazingly precise detail.

The first picture shows the seat leaving the aircraft:  Read more

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