aviation developments

[gf0012-aust]

this one is important from the issue of future flying bearer and flying array capabilities

Jet fuel-powered UAV completes record 56-hour flight, with plenty left in the tank

 

[ASSAIL]

In its current iteration it would be fantastic for a loiter ops but seems a bit slow for BAMS work, at 75kts coverage is limited.
I'm sure that these early developments will mature into very useful military application.
Excuse the pun but...the sky's the limit.

 

[ngatimozart]

Something else to see the light of day. Swarming Perdix UAVs; swarming micro UAVs, has a hive mind, deployable from fighter decoy dispensers and able to get in close.

 

[gf0012-aust]

one of the advantages if this tech is that due to persistence they could form the basis of a flying comms bearer - your own theatre portable bearer grid

 

[colay1]

Looks like a quick and affordable way to set up and sustain a battlefield internet on the fly. A similar benefit for disaster relief scenarios as well.

 

[gf0012-aust]

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/19/swiss-cops-anti-drone-guns-world-economic-forum/

I like the dutch solution.. the RAAF could use real wedgetails

 

[John Fedup]

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/19/swiss-cops-anti-drone-guns-world-economic-forum/

I like the dutch solution.. the RAAF could use real wedgetails

Works for me but the animal rights lobby here would likely kill this great idea.

 

[colay1]

That anti-drone gun wouldn't appear to be effective against the kind of autonomous swarms eg. PERDIX, LOCUST recently demonstrated by he US Navy. So what kind of bug spray would be best at dealing with such a threat? Perhaps some sort of EMP weapon that would somehow spare one's own equupment?

 

[gf0012-aust]

That anti-drone gun wouldn't appear to be effective against the kind of autonomous swarms eg. PERDIX, LOCUST recently demonstrated by he US Navy.

that's the punchline and the unknown

ages ago I worked on some tech for narrow beam and directional EMP weapons to disable a targeted vehicle, ultimately that becomes a viable weapon for any air threat - but look at the way this handheld weapon works - it opens up some interesting other opportunities

the variant is also in rough terms a variation of "kill or capture" against the UAS. The intent here is to capture or control - killing a UAS starts to bring in tech such as what the Israelis have.

 

[PhysicsMan]

I have a question on fast jet canopies. How hot do they get during high speed flights? I'm interested for the following reason. Aircraft like F-22 have their canopies coated with a cake of transparent thin films some of which are electrical conductors, serving multiple purposes such as charge build up dissipation and radiation reflection. I have some ideas on such coating technologies that may be of use for this purpose (cheaper, high throughput, high quality in comparison to the traditional methods that are likely utilized in production of these). The one requirement for this to work that may be difficult to overcome is the temperature that the surface needs to be exposed to during the coating process.
Most polymers (which is what the canopies are mostly made of) do not like excessive temperatures. So what temperatures are we looking at, during high speed flight?
Thank you.

 

[gf0012-aust]

I have a question on fast jet canopies. How hot do they get during high speed flights? I'm interested for the following reason. Aircraft like F-22 have their canopies coated with a cake of transparent thin films some of which are electrical conductors, serving multiple purposes such as charge build up dissipation and radiation reflection. I have some ideas on such coating technologies that may be of use for this purpose (cheaper, high throughput, high quality in comparison to the traditional methods that are likely utilized in production of these). The one requirement for this to work that may be difficult to overcome is the temperature that the surface needs to be exposed to during the coating process.
Most polymers (which is what the canopies are mostly made of) do not like excessive temperatures. So what temperatures are we looking at, during high speed flight?
Thank you.

coatings on F-22 and JSF are more about sig management and emission. the gold and iridium also doubles up as a heat soaker for friction

 

[PhysicsMan]

coatings on F-22 and JSF are more about sig management and emission. the gold and iridium also doubles up as a heat soaker for friction

Radiation reflection is the signal management, isn't it?

 

[gf0012-aust]

Radiation reflection is the signal management, isn't it?

its more than signal/e emission, its also about back scattering physical reflections that could come back from inside the c0ckpit.

 

[PhysicsMan]

its more than signal/e emission, its also about back scattering physical reflections that could come back from inside the c0ckpit.

Yes, and there are ways to tune the reflectivity on the inner surface to reduce that backscatter.
But my question is about how much heat the canopy can handle safely before it starts to degrade.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Yes, and there are ways to tune the reflectivity on the inner surface to reduce that backscatter.
But my question is about how much heat the canopy can handle safely before it starts to degrade.

well, its a FRU and replacement is probably found somewhere within the maint manuals

I wouldn't have thought that its actually a regular event - they're designed to survive nearfield explosions - they're designed to survive g forces 4 levels above frame stress alerts - so there's a message in there already

 

[PhysicsMan]

well, its a FRU and replacement is probably found somewhere within the maint manuals

I wouldn't have thought that its actually a regular event - they're designed to survive nearfield explosions - they're designed to survive g forces 4 levels above frame stress alerts - so there's a message in there already

What is FRU?

 

[PhysicsMan]

What is FRU?

Field replaceable unit, right? So you mean the entire canopy is FRU?
I bet it's an expensive FRU... But I'm sure they designed it to withstand the stresses as well as temperature effects (those two, by the way, are not necessarily related). That is why I am wondering what those temperature exposures are (would give me a pretty good indication of what how hot the canopy can be heated in production).

 

[gf0012-aust]

Field replaceable unit, right? So you mean the entire canopy is FRU?
I bet it's an expensive FRU... But I'm sure they designed it to withstand the stresses as well as temperature effects (those two, by the way, are not necessarily related). That is why I am wondering what those temperature exposures are (would give me a pretty good indication of what how hot the canopy can be heated in production).

they're made in an autoclave - which is way above the heat generated in any stressed flight regime

 

[PhysicsMan]

they're made in an autoclave - which is way above the heat generated in any stressed flight regime

The question is whether the temperatures that they are rated for in use are the same as those they're exposed to when they're made in an autoclave. Probably not.

 

[PhysicsMan]

The question is whether the temperatures that they are rated for in use are the same as those they're exposed to when they're made in an autoclave. Probably not.

There were reports that the Soviet Mig-31s had their speed ceiling reduced because the canopy could not handle the temperatures at very high speeds. I don't know what those canopies are made of, but it indicates that there is a significant thermal load on these things.