militaryaircraft

The LM-100J is the 17th different mission capability developed for the C-130J Super Hercules and it is an updated version of the L-100 cargo aircraft, which Lockheed Martin produced from 1964-1992

LM-100J commercial freighter program recently marked yet another successful achievement with the first flight of the second production LM-100J cargo plane on Oct. 11, 2017.

“The flight was outstanding and the aircraft’s performance was flawless,” said Wayne Roberts, chief test pilot for the type, in the Lockheed Martin news release. “After this completely successful first airworthiness flight, this aircraft will join the first LM-100J in conducting the FAA type design update test program already underway. This will accelerate our progress to deliver this unique aircraft’s capabilities to civilian operators around the world.”

The LM-100J is the 17th different mission capability developed for the C-130J Super Hercules and it is an updated version of the L-100 cargo aircraft, which Lockheed Martin produced from 1964-1992. Noteworthy Lockheed Martin officials submitted a Program Notification Letter to the FAA on Jan. 21, 2014, for a type design update to this aircraft, a civil-certified variant of the C-130J Super Hercules to be marketed as the LM-100J.

Through select design innovations, the aircraft will perform as a commercial multi-purpose air freighter capable of rapid and efficient cargo transport. The aircraft is an ideal airlift solution for delivering bulk and oversize cargo, particularly to austere locations worldwide. Like its military counterpart, the LM-100J will be able to support multiple missions, ranging from firefighting to medevac to VIP transport.

Furthermore, this cargo plane can operate from short, unprepared airfields without ground support equipment. In fact, it requires minimal material handling equipment and enables rapid onload and offload at truck-bed height.

The LM-100J incorporates technological developments and improvements over the existing L‑100s that result from years of C-130J operational experience, including more than 1.6 million fleetwide flight hours. The result of this experience and advancement translates to an aircraft that will deliver reliable service in a multi-role platform for decades to come.

Photo by Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works team, in partnership with NASA, is developing QueSST X-plane to solve one of the persistent challenges of supersonic flight – the sonic boom

In partnership with NASA, the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works team is trying to find a solution to a difficult problem. In fact, although supersonic flight has been achieved before, NASA and Lockheed Martin will make it greener and quieter by means of the Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) X-plane.

According to a company press release, the mission of QueSST is to deliver high-speed flights with revolutionary low-impact sound.

NASA selected a team led by Lockheed Martin to complete a preliminary design for the QueSST X-plane. This endeavor supports NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology Project, which aims to better understand acceptable commercial supersonic aircraft sound levels across the country and develop a way for piloted aircraft to fly fast with a low boom.

Noteworthy Lockheed Martin has worked with NASA for more than a decade to develop the tools and technology needed to make environmentally responsible commercial supersonic flight a reality.

Michael Buonanno, the chief engineer for NASA’s QueSST X-plane program, said the foundation was laid from 2010 to 2013 with the N+2 Supersonic Validations Program. “We worked with NASA to develop the necessary design tools and experimental techniques to accurately shape the vehicle so that its sonic-boom signature will be perceived as a sonic heartbeat sound rather than the typical loud double-bang that today’s supersonic aircraft produce,” he said.

The X-plane’s futuristic look includes a long, slender fuselage, a highly swept delta wing, and multiple control surfaces to tailor the distribution of pressure and lift around the vehicle.

“In order to have a low sonic boom, you need to specifically design to have it,” Buonanno said. “It’s a nuanced and detail-oriented task to set up the shape of the vehicle so that the shock waves that result from supersonic flight don’t coalesce and result in that loud double-bang.”

In the airline industry’s current tube-and-wings model, shock waves largely roll off and then meld into a sonic boom. The aerodynamic X-plane, however, is designed to scatter multiple shock waves and minimize their cumulative effect, producing only a rumble or soft thump.

“The idea is that there is no way to avoid a shock wave supersonically,” said Thomas Corke, professor of engineering at the University of Notre Dame. “The [X-plane] design doesn’t eliminate shock, it just minimizes it, so what’s perceived on the ground is almost imperceptible.”

QueSST is designed to fly at Mach 1.4, 55,000 feet above the ground. The aircraft is shaped to separate the shocks and expansions associated with a supersonic flight to reduce the volume of the shaped signature. QueSST’s “heartbeat” will be dramatically quieter than the traditional “N-wave” sonic boom associated with the current supersonic aircraft in flight today. The Skunk Works team has been advancing this technology for the last 20 years as part of multiple efforts.

Photo by Lockheed Martin

The videos seem showing the Antonov An-2 pilot attempting a hard left turn to avoid the public before losing control and hitting the ground

Taken on Sep. 2, 2017, the impressive video in this post shows an Antonov An-2 crashing at an airshow in Balashikha near Moscow.

As reported by RT, a police spokesman said ‘We confirm the crash and that according to our preliminary information two people on board were killed.’ He also added that no spectators were hurt.

The airshow organizers told that the victims were the pilot, Dmitry Sukharev, and an amateur photojournalist, Boris Tylevich.

The demonstration flights were stopped after the crash, they added.

Noteworthy a source in the emergency services told RT that the crash was most probably caused by pilot error.

However, the scene, that was filmed from different angles, seems to show the pilot attempting a hard left turn to avoid the public before losing control and hitting the ground.

The Antonov An-2 (NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet-era mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau. The aircraft performed its maiden flight on Aug. 31, 1947.

Its remarkable durability, high lifting power, and ability to take off and land from poor runways have ensured the aircraft’s long service life. Noteworthy 18,000 An-2s were produced until 2001. The Colt, which is dubbed ‘kukuruznik’ (corn crop duster) in Russia, is still in service with military and civilian operators around the world.

Photo by Julian Herzog (Website) via Wikipedia

Periodically, aviation industry companies are provided the opportunity to conduct flight tests at Edwards given the base’s unique test assets such as multiple runways, a controlled airspace, large dry lakebeds and flying weather

Taken on Aug. 14, 2017, the interesting picture in this post features a Boeing 787 Dreamliner taking off after a touch-and-go landing at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).

As explained in a U.S. Air Force news release, Boeing has been conducting flight tests with its newest airliner at Edwards recently. Periodically, aviation industry companies are provided the opportunity to conduct flight tests at Edwards given the base’s unique test assets such as multiple runways, controlled airspace, large dry lakebeds, and flying weather.

The Boeing 787 is a mid-size, twin-engine jet. The aircraft is 20% more fuel-efficient than similar-sized commercial jets it is designed to replace, and to date, is Boeing’s most fuel-efficient aircraft. Composite materials make up 50 percent of the primary structure, including the fuselage and wing.

The aircraft also features raked wingtips to further improve fuel efficiency.

Thanks to its unparalleled fuel efficiency and range flexibility the 787 enable carriers to profitably open new routes as well as optimize fleet and network performance.

The engine nacelles are made of serrated edges that reduce the noise levels both outside and inside the cabin, by up to 60%.

Currently, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the only suitable replacement for more than 1,200 similar-sized Airbus A300, A310, A330-200, and Boeing 767 aircraft.

Photo by Paul Weatherman / Boeing