New tech is really old tech....

[Monster Dave]

So after hearing about the F22 that crashed the other day I did some searching online and was very suprised to learn that the worlds most advanced strike/stealth fighter is really a product of the cold war and was originally designed in the mid 80's and being flight tested by 1986!!!

So seriously, what is the current standard for a real time example of modern technology being current technology, not something from 20 something years ago.

Ironically, think about where computers were in the 80's



And I just saw an F22 demonstration, which mind you was amazing, but still I am left wondering what's our real capability???

Boggles the mind....even the F23 was put out to pasture already.....

[herm]

i think i remember hearing that the issue with the f22 was that its capabilities surpassed those of the pilots, it could pull so many g's that the pilot would pass out.....and they have been trying to perfect the computer system all this time to compensate for that.

maybe thinking of something else though??

[Triple J]

I'd be curious to see the sources saying the F22 was flying in 1986. Stealth technology was still in it's infancy in 1986...the F117 was still state of the art (and very very secret) with all of its angular features.

edit: Looks like the F22/23 competition ended in 1990, so it well could have been flying in 1986. Wow...time flies...I remember when the competition was on-going.

Also, the F23 wasn't "put out to pasture"...it was the competitor to the F22, and was never produced.

[Triple J]

i think i remember hearing that the issue with the f22 was that its capabilities surpassed those of the pilots, it could pull so many g's that the pilot would pass out

Most modern fighters are capable of this...and have been for some time.

[herm]

Most modern fighters are capable of this...and have been for some time.

since the mid 80's maybe?

[Monster Dave]

It seems as though in order to try and save money, Boeing has gone back to the drawing board and attempted to reinvigorate some old tech by redesigning the F-15 to share some of the features of the F-22. That being said, the F-15 is certainly no stealth fighter jet, but the changes they made are supposed to make significant improvements.

Meet the F-15SE (Silent Eagle):






Here's what was posted about it:

Boeing has significantly re-worked the aeronautic design of the jet, though the overall profile remains familiar. Most noticeable are the new canted vertical V-tails that not only improve aerodynamic efficiency, but provide additional lift and critically reduce airframe weight. Also attributing to the improved aerodynamic profile is the Digital Flight Control System, which allows for much greater pilot control and feedback.

[Monster Dave]

I'd be curious to see the sources saying the F22 was flying in 1986. Stealth technology was still in it's infancy in 1986...the F117 was still state of the art (and very very secret) with all of its angular features.

edit: Looks like the F22/23 competition ended in 1990, so it well could have been flying in 1986. Wow...time flies...I remember when the competition was on-going.

Also, the F23 wasn't "put out to pasture"...it was the competitor to the F22, and was never produced.

From what I found, by 1975 scientists at Skunk Works had learned how to effectivly reduce the radar cross section of an aircraft and began developing Have Blue.

[Triple J]

From what I found, by 1975 scientists at Skunk Works had learned how to effectivly reduce the radar cross section of an aircraft and began developing Have Blue.

Correct. Have Blue was the F-117 model and eventually prototype, which as of 1986 was an operational aircraft, but still very secret. The F-117 was introduced to the public around 1991 (IIRC) at the Nellis AFB airshow. Ironically, the mathematics behind stealth was discovered by a Skunk Works engineer...in a Russian paper. 

I can see how F-22 & F-23 prototypes were probably in the early stages of flying in 1986, like I said above with my edit. I was originally thinking the F-22/23 competition was later than 1990. Operational stealth technology was in it's infancy in 1986, not the research...I was a bit off in my earlier post. My mistake.

I too am curious what we have now. I'm especially curious if there's a replacement for the SR-71 that's operational. I would think so, but it may just be a fancy (and boring) satellite. 

If you like this sort of stuff read the book Skunk Works, by Ben Rich. He was an engineer there during the U-2 and SR-71 development, and ran the place during the F-117 development. It is a really interesting read!
http://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238103190&sr=8-1

[aaronb]

gawd, that f23 is a wicked looking machine.  too bad it didn't perform better (or whatever reason it was axed)

[Monster Dave]

I may have to look into that.

What a gorgeous aircraft the SR71 is/was. Both ugly and beautiful at the same time.



At top speed it actually turns blue.

[needtorque]

Lets be honest.  The sr71 was flying in the 60s and was pretty much retired in the 80s.  Info was not released to the public until 90 or 91 if the government could pay to build something like that in the 60s what they have now is ridiculous in comparison.  Of course we wont know until 20 years from now what they are currently flying and then we will all be wondering what they have then.

Not a big "alien" believer my personal opinion is that all the unusual sightings are very advanced aircraft that we have no knowledge of and wont for a very long time. 

[Monster Dave]

Would have been cool to know if the aerodynamics of this plane from the movie Stealth would have been enough to achieve flight:

[Monster Dave]

Not a big "alien" believer my personal opinion is that all the unusual sightings are very advanced aircraft that we have no knowledge of and wont for a very long time. 

I recall hearing somewhere that there was a technology being developed that used bursting thrust versus full time thrust.

[Triple J]

gawd, that f23 is a wicked looking machine.  too bad it didn't perform better (or whatever reason it was axed)

+1 The F-23 is really bad ass looking.

There was a Discovery or History Channel on the competition years ago. IIRC, the F-23 was better at stealth but the F-22 was still very good, and both could cruise at supersonic speeds without afterburners (the only planes capable of this, and a competition requirement). The decider was the F-22 also had thrust vectoring...making it more maneuverable. I'd imagine politics played a role as well.  

Not a big "alien" believer my personal opinion is that all the unusual sightings are very advanced aircraft that we have no knowledge of and wont for a very long time. 

+1

[needtorque]

Would have been cool to know if the aerodynamics of this plane from the movie Stealth would have been enough to achieve flight:

Probably modeled after this

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread60763/pg1

was watching a show about this the other day.  Probably real but who knows.  Even if it is real it would have been in the works since the 80s making it still old technology.