USN Super Hornets and External Tanks.

[ChuckMK23]

Read today that you Navy grey pointy nose jet types are losing external/CL tanks as the norm and flying clean and that the net net performance is a wash.

The aero nerd in me is curious. Is this the norm or becoming the norm? And can someone explain to me why it’s more or less equal? The drag I get but wondering about endurance.

Thank you from a GA CFI and Helo dude who never flew a pointy nose jet!

 

[Potatomasher]

I am not a hornet guy nor do I claim to know the exact details however I would imagine it has to do with "energy-maneuverability theory".

specific excess energy is proportional to the ratio of net motive forces compared to the weight of the plane and proportional to speed.

Less fuel to carry aloft means less fuel needed to carry it.

 

[rymo96]

Read today that you Navy grey pointy nose jet types are losing external/CL tanks as the norm and flying clean and that the net net performance is a wash.

The aero nerd in me is curious. Is this the norm or becoming the norm? And can someone explain to me why it’s more or less equal? The drag I get but wondering about endurance.

Thank you from a GA CFI and Helo dude who never flew a pointy nose jet!

Where did you read it?

 

[A Day In The Life]

Read today that you Navy grey pointy nose jet types are losing external/CL tanks as the norm and flying clean and that the net net performance is a wash.

The aero nerd in me is curious. Is this the norm or becoming the norm? And can someone explain to me why it’s more or less equal? The drag I get but wondering about endurance.

Thank you from a GA CFI and Helo dude who never flew a pointy nose jet!

Not true

 

[BigJeffray]

Read today that you Navy grey pointy nose jet types are losing external/CL tanks as the norm and flying clean and that the net net performance is a wash.

The aero nerd in me is curious. Is this the norm or becoming the norm? And can someone explain to me why it’s more or less equal? The drag I get but wondering about endurance.

Thank you from a GA CFI and Helo dude who never flew a pointy nose jet!

Completely slick is awesome for BFM training with the reduced drag, but the norm is and will continue to be a single centerline tank. Whoever published that and said it is currently becoming the norm is wrong.

 

[Python]

@ChuckMK23 where did you read that?

 

[ChuckMK23]

@ChuckMK23 where did you read that?

Standby - article is at office will post pic next week.

 

[ChuckMK23]

@ChuckMK23 where did you read that?

But it was an interview with the Skipper of VFA-136... I’ll take some pics of the interview text next week and post

 

[Python]

But it was an interview with the Skipper of VFA-136... I’ll take some pics of the interview text next week and post

I see. Flying with tanks is not going away. A centerline tank vs. the drag it produces is not a wash. That gas buys you a good amount in terms of range and endurance.

 

[SynixMan]

What are we calling them? Block IIIs? Advanced Super Hornet? Super Duper Hornet?

Serious question though, Depot level mod? And how's that gonna square against an already in demand/overworked fleet?

 

[nittany03]

I have a sneaking feeling "clean" is being confused with "with CFTs" here.

 

[Pags]

I have a sneaking feeling "clean" is being confused with "with CFTs" here.

That's what I was going to ask...if someone said "soon when CFT hits the fleet we won't need tanks anymore. And the performance Delta between a hornet with tanks and a hornet with CFT is negligible" and then it became "no tanks in the future and there's no performance Delta."

Plus it does seem like Chuck reads a lot of BD articles that masquerade as accurate news.

 

[BigBadBoJenkins]

136 flies around without centerline tanks. They're the only squadron I know of that does it that way.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Those CFTs look really strange....

 

[xj220]

I’m curious what effects those CFTs will have on perf.