GE developing engine upgrade for F-18E/F

[HeyJoe]

A re-engined Super Hornet (like the F-14D) w/ more thrust & lower fuel burn could likely launch in basic engine w/out a/b and thereby gain about 15 minutes more combat radius - which would be huge. I assume the airframe design pretty much limits it to the 1.6 mach it already has.

All the AF's F-15's could all greatly benefit from the AESA radar already going into all the Super Hornets. A big question, to me, is how the AF justifies the 336 F-15C's it already has. They are single-mission a/c without a mission in Iraq & Afghanistan. If I were managing the AF, I'd shit-can them & load-up on all the F-15E's I could afford or buy all the Block 60 F-16's Congress would allow. The Israeli F-16I's are great examples of what you can do w/ the Falcon if you apply brains to the mission.

JMHO, of course.

Don't look now, but USAF introduced AESA first as a retrofit to the F-15C squadrons at Elmendorf along with AIM-9X/JHMCS and Link 16 (Nov 03 IOC).

 

[Fog]

Don't look now, but USAF introduced AESA first as a retrofit to the F-15C squadrons at Elmendorf along with AIM-9X/JHMCS and Link 16 (Nov 03 IOC).

Am sure you're correct, but I'm not aware that the USAF, as a matter of policy, will retrofit all F-15C's & E's w/ AESA radars. Maybe they will, but someone else might inform us on this issue. Hell, I don't think all their F-22's yet have AESA radars.

 

[HackerF15E]

AESA is on it's way to the F-15E in the future.

 

[hendogg311]

The use of afterburner on a trap is disengaged for the Rhino based on the stopping force of the cable. (i.e. if you land a max trap weight and had blower engaged the cable can't stop you in time.) F-14's had a similar feature. I've seen Rhino's launch in blower on the CAT, over to the pilot if he wants to use it.

 

[Junkball]

Am sure you're correct, but I'm not aware that the USAF, as a matter of policy, will retrofit all F-15C's & E's w/ AESA radars. Maybe they will, but someone else might inform us on this issue. Hell, I don't think all their F-22's yet have AESA radars.

I think there is a select group (like, youngest airframe-wise) of F-15C's designated to get the AESA (the AF was calling them 'Golden Eagles'??).

I'm pretty sure all F-22's have the AN/APG-77, of which no PESA variant exists.

 

[Fog]

I think there is a select group (like, youngest airframe-wise) of F-15C's designated to get the AESA (the AF was calling them 'Golden Eagles'??).

I'm pretty sure all F-22's have the AN/APG-77, of which no PESA variant exists.

All F-22's will eventually have the APG-77, but many were delivered prior to 2006 w/out it. Northrup-Grumman is churning out the APG-77 radar as fast as possible, but I don't believe it is yet in all F-22 airframes. We're both splitting words here, as the APG-77 is the radar always intended for the a/c. It just seems that Lockheed-Martin was delivering airframes before N-G got the radar system fully developed.

 

[JustAGuy]

The use of afterburner on a trap is disengaged for the Rhino based on the stopping force of the cable. (i.e. if you land a max trap weight and had blower engaged the cable can't stop you in time.) F-14's had a similar feature. I've seen Rhino's launch in blower on the CAT, over to the pilot if he wants to use it.

Sorry, but you are wrong on both accounts. If you select full afterburner after catching a wire it should stop you, but you run the risk of two blocking the gear. People accidentally bump it into afterburner, especially after a less then normal night landing. Min blower is fine, you just want to avoid full afterburner.

The use of blower on the CAT has to do with loadout/gross weight/temperature and a few other things like that as mentioned earlier. Above a certain point it's mandatory.

 

[Junkball]

All F-22's will eventually have the APG-77, but many were delivered prior to 2006 w/out it. Northrup-Grumman is churning out the APG-77 radar as fast as possible, but I don't believe it is yet in all F-22 airframes. We're both splitting words here, as the APG-77 is the radar always intended for the a/c. It just seems that Lockheed-Martin was delivering airframes before N-G got the radar system fully developed.

Gotcha, so were >2006 F-22's being delivered with concrete ballast in the nose, a la Tornado F.2?

 

[Fog]

Gotcha, so were >2006 F-22's being delivered with concrete ballast in the nose, a la Tornado F.2?

I remember reading in AW&ST or elsewhere that all F-22's are not up-to-date technology-wise with the latest a/c delivered, particularly the earlier a/c delivered. The article gave the impression that the AF was trying hard to get the airframes in inventory first and then standardize them all later w/ the latest technology. In light of O'bama's decisions, I don't blame them.