The need for speed (and other wizardry)

[Junkball]

I would venture that the "next-war-itis" that they mention is a more appealing ailment than planning to fight the last war.

Technically, mentioning "facts" about how a Block 60 F-16 could outperform any potential adversary's aircraft is stretching the truth at best and an outright lie at worst. By the time they were fielded, they would be a generation behind threat aircraft.

 

[TurnandBurn55]

Technically, mentioning "facts" about how a Block 60 F-16 could outperform any potential adversary's aircraft is stretching the truth at best and an outright lie at worst. By the time they were fielded, they would be a generation behind threat aircraft.

WTF are you talking about dude? The UAE has been fielding Block 60 F-16s with phased-array radars for years. It's far easier to upgrade existing model aircraft than to design a new one from scratch... look at Super Hornets getting re-modded with AESA, aft JHMCS, and ludicrous software upgrades as we speak while the F(not A)-22 is still trying to figure out how to get on the ramp.

 

[Single Seat]

WTF are you talking about dude? The UAE has been fielding Block 60 F-16s with phased-array radars for years. It's far easier to upgrade existing model aircraft than to design a new one from scratch... look at Super Hornets getting re-modded with AESA, aft JHMCS, and ludicrous software upgrades as we speak while the F(not A)-22 is still trying to figure out how to get on the ramp.

Now if they could just give it some balls(big BIG motors) and an honest Mach 1.5 capability.

 

[a_m]

Now if they could just give it some balls(big BIG motors) and an honest Mach 1.5 capability.

They would be the fat kid who lost all his weight over summer break.

 

[HeyJoe]

Now if they could just give it some balls(big BIG motors) and an honest Mach 1.5 capability.

Not so much a motor issue...

as a drag issue...realigning the pylons would yield a boost in acceleration and top end speed

the outward cant of the pylons inflate the drag count so that brute thrust isn't enough

US Navy photos

 

[Birdog8585]

WTF are you talking about dude?

"Fight's on!" :icon_trou

 

[Single Seat]

Not so much a motor issue...

Yeah, even slick it's still a pig. Thick wing, hence the awesome bring back to the boat. Lots of lift also = lots of drag. The baby Hornet is only slightly better when it comes to speed (still slow). Even with straight pylons, it's still going to be slow.

 

[HeyJoe]

Yeah, even slick it's still a pig. Thick wing, hence the awesome bring back to the boat. Lots of lift also = lots of drag. The baby Hornet is only slightly better when it comes to speed (still slow). Even with straight pylons, it's still going to be slow.

Except when you unload the wing...still have frontal drag though. True that about bringback as well as useful give

US Navy

 

[fc2spyguy]

speaking of the outward cant of the pylons, what's the purpose of that?

 

[scoolbubba]

yea i was about to ask that as well... did the engineers just get lazy and not fix something?

 

[PropAddict]

speaking of the outward cant of the pylons, what's the purpose of that?

Worried about stores separation.

In test, they had a bomb hit the side of the fuselage; already behind sked and nearing end of budget they said " screw it. Cant them out. Once someone buys it, we'll fix it next block."

Well, changing the cant angle means all new wing jigs and tooling. So it's never been done.

Or such is the story I got from "Knockers".

 

[HeyJoe]

Worried about stores separation.

In test, they had a bomb hit the side of the fuselage; already behind sked and nearing end of budget they said " screw it. Cant them out. Once someone buys it, we'll fix it next block."

Well, changing the cant angle means all new wing jigs and tooling. So it's never been done.

Or such is the story I got from "Knockers".

Stores Separation indeed, but more from adjacent stores. Here's the overview of solution worked out between Boeing and NAVAIR. Look at frontal views and you can see issue, but with single stores release of GGWs today, might not have had to go there in first place. Now Growler has to live with it as well and suffer equally, if not more, in performance.

[/IMG]

 

[Single Seat]

Do we really have a Tomcat guy... telling a Hornet guy... that the Hornet ISN'T slow??? What strange dimension have I fallen into?

 

[Schnugg]

Do we really have a Tomcat guy... telling a Hornet guy... that the Hornet ISN'T slow??? What strange dimension have I fallen into?

You've been easily eclipsed.

 

[HeyJoe]

Do we really have a Tomcat guy... telling a Hornet guy... that the Hornet ISN'T slow???

Nope, didn't say that at all. Just commented on why it’s that way. Speed performance is relative anyway and you need to define whether you’re concerned about top end, acceleration or whatever. If most of your tasking is to hang on the blades and as a weapons platform on call, persistence is likely more important than speed. Regardless, unless some other country like Kuwait is willing to pay for enhanced performance (like they did for A-4 and F/A-18C), you’re stuck with the motors you’ve got.

IMO, overall top end speed is overrated in majority of missions. Air Force is enamored with super cruise, which has a narrow application (again, IMO), but suits their Air Superiority mindset.

As we rolled into the 60s, the leading manufacturers were all chasing Mach 2 performance with considerable penalty (or trade options) to achieve what wasn’t used operationally. Tomcat lugged around a complicated series of inlet ramps and a variable geometry wing for a design speed of Mach 2.4 that only made sense for a dash speed for a Deck Launched Interceptor (DLI) role (never used).

What strange dimension have I fallen into?

Check your signposts. We can’t help you there!