B2 Spirit Block 30 Upgrades

Northrop Grumman has completed the final stage of avionics for the B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber. Named Block 10, Block20 and Block 30 versions, It has carried out numerous avionics and flight software upgrades ever since the first B-2 was delivered to the USAF in 1994-95.The aircraft is aerodynamically unstable, kept in the air with a quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire (FBW) system, under the control of a General Electric Flight Control Computer (FCC). The block 10 couldn't fly at full flight loads, lacked precision weapons guidance and terrain following capability, and had a limited DMS ( Digital Mapping system) .In DMS, a collection of data is compiled and formatted into a virtual image.  The primary function of this technology is to produce maps that give accurate...

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Naval Eurofighter Typhoon vs F/A-18 for the Indian Navy

Eurofighter GmBh has announced  in Aero India 2011 that it is in talks with India to jointly develop a naval version of the Eurofighter Typhoon, especially for the Indian Navy.    In its flyer issued on 11 Feb, Eurofighter GmBh has outlined the potential advantages of the Naval variant, as compared to the American F/A-18 Hornet , which it describes as " heavy,slow and not capable of facing advanced threats "     ( talk about offensive advertising :-P ). See it here: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0WnP87gUQszuw65nWB-fJPmEaiqO3xf21-jE4Uus2s6CNGmMXFyD_bT36Ya2-afmcPJVhu86OPZ0jbWCDqEWVx_E2qoX6r4UuEk-M6s-xnsu5uC0YvOA5_hcIFfrObE5Iw77KBhXpRU/s1600/Typhoon+IN.JPG The...

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The Next Revolution - Anti Stealth Technology

Anyone who has an idea about stealth technology would marvel at its capabilities, and most of the world considers them to be a "game changer" in an actual battlefield scenario.        This is true, if , and only if , detection methods don`t evolve.. and it is already evolving, but maybe not gaining media glare `cos of the undulating hype surrounding stealth. Anti -Stealth technology is fast becoming a reality , thanks to some ingenious thinkers who refuse to accept the "Stealth is God" school of thought.  In fact, most of the current anti-stealth detection theories are not based on hi-fi sci-tech concepts but on crude, and dangerously practical ,scientific common sense. Yes, stealth vehicles can be detected. , if present estimates are to go by. How it is...

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How does a Stealth Aircraft Work?

" Stealth " has been probably the most repeated word in military aviation for the past few years. Now comes the basic question that many have - what is it and how does such an aircraft work? Stealth is just the ability of an object to prevent itself from being detected by a radar. A radar basically sends out radio waves into the sky ,which then bounces off the bodies of aircraft and returns , to be detected by the radar computer.           Now, the amount of radar rays "reflected" by an aircraft is called its "Radar Signature ", which is used to calculate its size,speed and the location. To be undetected,...

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The Advent of the Flying Wing

As I mentioned in my previous post, the BWB design had been there for decades, before it came to reality. It was ( and still is) more commonly known as the "Flying Wing". Though some German aviators had toyed with the idea, the actual pioneer behind this was none other than Jack Northrop, the founder of the Northrop Grumman Aircraft company.          Despite the positives, the "flying wing" has many challenges to overcome before it becomes a public reality.The main reason being that it is aerodynamically unstable - due to the presence of only a single wing, there are no fins, rudders, tails etc. These are...

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Blended Wing Body Aircraft- Carriers of the future

As the battle between the aviation giants for global markets rages on, Boeing and the NASA are quietly working on the next generation of civil transport- the Blended Wing Body ( BWB )design. This radical aerodynamic concept had been in the offing for many decades, since the time of Jack Northrop   ( Northrop Grumman`s founder and inventor of the flying wing design) but has gathered serious interest due to its massive technical and economic gains compared to conventional aircraft design. The most significant feature in the BWB is  that all the components- fuselage,wings , engines and other control surfaces are integrated into a single...

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Aircraft flying for 5 years without refuelling - The DARPA way

Some time back I had watched a documentary by National Geographic " America`s Secret Weapons", which essentially featured DARPA in seemingly insane , but credible pursuits...robots attached to soldiers, diving speed enhancing equipment, and RPG ( Rocket Propelled Grenades) avoidance system for Humvees etc.  But of the many futuristic projects DARPA is engaged in, the one which caught my eye was that of designing and flying aircraft that could stay aloft in the sky for  5 Years !!! Now, the project has come to fruit, if Boeing`s latest contract with DARPA for $89 million is anything to go by. Named as "Project Vulture" the aircraft will be a solar powered , flying in the stratosphere.The electricity stored by the fuel cells will power the electric motors for the propellers and the...

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Why is Airbus Military is yet to make a mark?

Looks like Airbus Military is facing trouble again........... After UK and South Africa,its Germany`s latest  decision to cut its orders for Airbus A400M tactical transport aircraft by reselling 13 of its 50 aircraft on order to " save costs".The present cuts, as a part of Germany`s reduced defence spending strategy, have further cast doubts on the commercial  success of the highly publicized, over-budget program , which attempts to eclipse Lockheed Martin`s highly reliable and  C-130 and C-17 as the market leader in this area. However, the larger point to note is Airbus Military`s virtual "struggle" to compete in the highly...

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