EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, F22 RAPTOR, F35, FIGHTER JETS, STEALTH FIGHTER JETS, UNCATEGORIZED

USAF JOINING F-22S WITH F-35S TO MAXIMIZE ITS 5TH GENERATION CAPABILITIES
FEBRUARY 8, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

Four F-22 Raptors which belong to the 94th Fighter Squadron recently began joint training with the
locally based F-35A Lightning IIs from the 58th Fighter Squadron.
The joint training was targeted at improving integration between the two most advanced radar-evading
planes in service with the U.S. Air Force. Flying mixed formations, the F-22s and the F-35s flew
offensive counter air, defensive counter air and deep air support missions. This maximized the
capabilities provided by operating two fifth-generation platforms together.
Fifth Gen capabilities had their combat debut with the Raptor in the air to ground role during the early
stages of Operation Inherent Resolve, against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. The successful baptism of
fire reaffirmed the pivotal role played by stealth technologies and sensor fusion capabilities, pulled
together by 5th generation warplanes in current scenarios.

A mixed formation with

the two mentioned aircraft.
Both fighters have had a rough turbulent development and the F-35 is still far from complete, but this
was the vision. The F-35 and F-22 teamed up to combat against first world air
force like China or Russia. Air Force officials didnt release many details from the training missions, but
the images sort of speak for themselves. Even the largest cynics of the program have to stop and
reconsider the history of the two controversial stealth fighters flying training missions together.

The F22 Raptor

The F-22 is the only fighter worldwide with a capability of simultaneously conducting air-to-air and airto-ground combat missions with near impunity. This is reached and accomplished with a never-beforeseen, state of the art standard of survivability even in the face of sophisticated airborne and groundbased threats.

Before its selection as the winner of what was previously known as the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF)
competition, the F-22 team conducted a lengthy 54 month long demonstration/validation program. The
effort consisted of the design, construction and flight testing of two YF-22 prototype aircraft. Two
prototype engines, the Pratt & Whitney YF119 and General Electric YF120, were also developed and
tested thoroughly during the program. The demonstration/validation program was completed in
December 1990.
A $9.55 billion contract for Engineering and Manufacturing Development of the F-22 was awarded to
the industry of Boeing and Lockheed Martin in August 1991. Contract changes since then have
elevated the overall contract value to a total estimate of around $11 billion. Under terms of the
contract, the F-22 team would have completed the design of the aircraft, produced production tooling
for the program, and would have built and tested nine flightworthy and two ground-test aircraft.
The F-22s avionics and software system is one of the most advanced software integrated into an
aircraft. It is the first aircraft to use integrated avionics, where the weapons management system,
electronic warfare system and the AN/APG-77 radar work together as one, giving the pilot
unprecedented situation awareness. The AN/APG-77 radar was designed for air superiority and strike
operations and features a low observable, active aperture, electronically-scanned array including multitarget, all-weather capability.

Vapor trails disperse in

the wake of a U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor aircraft at the 42nd Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Air
Show at Point Mugu, Calif., April 1, 2007.
The F-22 uses a newer and improved version of the ACES II (Advanced Concept Ejection Seat) ejection
seat that is used widely in nearly every other Air Force jet combat aircraft (ex. F-16, F-117, F-15, A-10,
B-1 and B-2). The seat has a centre mounted ejection control which is situated in between the pilots
legs. The F-22 version of the McDonnell Douglas-built ACES II includes various improvements over the
previous seat models. These improvements include:

The addition of an active arm restraint system to discard any arm flail injuries during high
speed ejections.

An improved fast-acting seat stabilization drogue parachute system to help provide increased
seat stability and safety for the pilot during high-speed ejections.
The previously mentioned drogue is located behind the pilots head, rather than in the back of
the seat and is mortar deployed.
A new electronic seat and aircraft sequencing system that improves the accuracy of the timing
of the various events that have to happen in order for the pilot to eject safely (Initiation, canopy
jettison, and seat catapult ignition).
A larger oxygen bottle gives the ejecting pilot more breathing air to support ejection at higher
altitudes, when required.
The F-22 ACES II ejection system utilizes the standard analogue three mode seat sequencer that
automatically detects the seat speed and altitude, and then selects the proper mode for optimum seat
performance and safe recovery of the pilot.

Mode 1 is low speed, low altitude;

Mode 2 is high speed, low altitude;
Mode 3 is high altitude.
Several operational problems have been experienced and some have caused costly fleet-wide
groundings. Critically, pilots have experienced a decreased mental status, including losing
consciousness, which is a big problem. There were a few reports of instances when pilots found to have
a decreased level of alertness or memory loss after landing. F-22 pilots have gone through lingering
respiratory problems and a chronic cough; other symptoms include irritability, emotional liability and
neurological changes. A number of possible causes were investigated, including possible exposure to
noxious chemical agents from the respiratory tubing, pressure suit malfunction, side effects from
oxygen delivery at greater-than-atmospheric concentrations, and oxygen supply disruptions. Other
problems include minor mechanical problems and navigational software failures. The fleet was
grounded for a staggering four months in 2011 before resuming flight, but reports of oxygen issues
persisted.

The F35 Lightning II

Additional Readings The Airbus A400M Atlas

Red Flag Exercise

Author - Jake Meilak

AVGEEKF22 RAPTORF35 LIGHTNING IIFIGHTER JETSGROUNDEDMIXED FORMATIONPROBLEMS

BOMBER AIRCRAFTS, FIGHTER FLIGHTS, FIGHTER JETS, STEALTH FIGHTER JETS

RED FLAG MILITARY EXCERCISE AT NELLIS AFB

FEBRUARY 5, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

What is Red Flag?

Red Flag is an aerial combat training exercise which is hosted at Nellis AFB and Eielson AFB. Red Flag
exercise is the successor of the Cope Thunder exercise. The Red flag training mission was established
in 1975 as one of the initiatives directed by General Robert Dixon, then commander of Tactical Air
Command, to better train and prepare our forces for combat. Part of the exercise is to plan and control
training, the 414th Combat Training Squadrons target is to maximize the combat readiness, capability
and survivability of participating units by providing realistic training in a combined air, ground, space
and electronic threat environment while providing for a free exchange of ideas between forces. Air
crew from the USAF, USN, USMC, USA and numerous NATO / allied nations air forces take part in one
of numerous Red Flag exercises held throughout the year, each of which has a lengthy two week
duration.

What it consists of
A typical Red Flag training exercise involves a large variety of attack, fighter and bomber aircraft (F/A18, A-10, B-1 etc.), reconnaissance aircraft (Predator, Global Hawk, RC-135, U-2), electronic warfare
aircraft (EC-130s, EA-6Bs and F-16CJs), air superiority aircraft (F-22, F-15C, etc), airlift support (C-130,
C-17), search and rescue aircraft (HH-60, HC-130, CH-47), Command and Control aircraft (E-3, E-8C
etc), A2A (Aerial) refueling aircraft (KC-135, KC-10 etc) as well as ground Command and Control, Space,
and Cyber Forces. As Red Flag expanded to include all views of warfare (i.e. command, control,
intelligence, electronic warfare) and included night missions to each and every exercise period, the

combination of NACTS, improved tactics, and increased aircraft and aircrew capabilities improved
flying safety. White forces in the exercise uses the Nellis Air Combat Training System to monitor this
mock combat between Red and Blue. NACTS is the worlds most state of the art, sophisticated,
tracking system for combat training exercises and allows commanders, safety observers and exercise
directors to monitor the mission in depth and keep live score of simulated kills while viewing the
simulated air battle as it occurs.

Nellis Map
In Red Flag, the good guys, as they are sometimes called by pilots and commanders, square off
against camouflaged-coloured, would-be enemy F-16s and F-15s from the 65th and 64th aggressor
squadrons at Nellis AFB. The jets lurk in the yonder of the almost 3 million-acre range north of Las
Vegas to make highly-realistically simulated attacks.
In previous Red Flag exercises, the Air Force typically spent around $20 million to $60 million to fly
friendly and aggressor aircraft, fire cannons, missiles and drop bombs.

Frequencies for the above are:-

Area

I.P
frequenc
y

Primary
Boom
Freq.

Seconda
ry
Boom
Freq.

Egress/Ex
it
Frequenc
y

Control
Authority

AARA
625L

319.800

291.90
0

319.500

319.800

Oakland
Center

AARA
625H

319.800

295.80
0

319.500

319.800

Oakland
Center

AARA
635

360.800

352.60
0

319.500

360.800

Salt Lake
Center

AARA
641A

AARA
641B

343.600

295.40
0

319.500

343.600

Los
Angeles
Center

385.800

295.40
0

319.500

385.800

Salt Lake
Center

Participants during the Red Flag exercise include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia,
Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands,
Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey,
United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Venezuela.
Since the start of the exercise in 1975, there has been a total of 2 crashes

In 1979 an F111A carrying a serial no. of 67-0105, crashed, resulting in the fatalities of Maj
Gary Mekash and Lt Col Eugene Soeder.
In 1980, a crash occurred when a Royal Air Force (RAF) Blackburn Buccaneer suffered failure of
the main spar, leading to deaths of the pilots.
Red Flag was depicted in 1981, movie, Red Flag: The Ultimate Game. Red Flag is also featured in a
2004 IMAX film, named Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag.

Nellis AFB
Nellis is a United States Air Force base in Nevada with the most military schools and squadrons than
any other USAF base. Nellis is the host of various air combat exercises such as Red Flag and Close air
support exercises such as Green Flag. Nellis AFB, Nevada, is one of the most interesting and busiest
airbases in the US. Even outside the Green/Red Flag periods.

Nellis AFB entrance.

The Air Force Base was named on 30 th April 1950, and the 20th May dedication was attended by Nellis
family. By 1st July the Air Force had directed ATC to accelerate the Korean War training for a new 95wing Air Force. The first academy opened at Nellis, and ATC redesignated the 3595th Pilot Training
Wing as the 3595th Training Wing. On 17 th July 1950, Nellis began a pilot exchange training program to
provide 115 F-51 Mustang pilots and 92 F-80 Shooting Star pilots. Nellis advanced single-engine crew
training transferred to Alabama on 1 st September 1950. Nellis assumed fighter-bomber training, and Air
Traffic Control established its USAF Air Crew School on 14 th November 1950, equipped with F-80s and
previous-model F-84C Thunderjets. On 1st October, Williams Air Force Base management functions were
moved to Nellis AFB. In the early 1950s, ATC assigned newly graduated aircraft and engine mechanics
to Nellis AFB to learn jet aircraft maintenance. The airfield was expanded between 1951 and 1955 with
longer runways capable of hosting more sophisticated jets, reconfigured taxiways and a larger aircraft
parking ramp and WWII wooden structures were replaced with concrete and steel structures (ex.
barracks and base housing for married personnel). The first Wherry houses were completed in 1954,
with updated Capehart houses being completed in February 1960.
Additional Readings

What its like to fly Close Air Combat against IS militants

Air Force One selects the 747-8
Author Jake Meilak

COMBATFIGHTER JETSGLOBALNELLIS AFBRED FLAGSIMULATIONTRAINING

EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, FIGHTER FLIGHTS, FIGHTER JETS

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE LOOKING TO TURN ON TO SUPERSONIC MERCENARIES

FEBRUARY 3, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

One of the largest Air Force is dealing with more missions than ever before. In fact, they are calling in
some military contractors to fly their jets. The US Air Force is being forced to consider recruiting air
contractors due to the fact that they simply dont have enough crew and jets.
Due to investments in highly expensive gear and budget cuts, the Air Force was forced to discard one
of three so called Aggressor squadrons that fly front line jets like the F-15C or the F-16 that are painted
in enemy colors and use enemy tactics.
More than a half-dozen senior Air Force Officials say that the reason for the new initiative is Pure
Desperation. One senior Air Force official said that the red air situation is one total mess. There air
Band Aid fixes being applied to areas around the community, but its not enough.
This is a sign of the system-wide stress that the Air Force is currently under. More than 10 years of war,
combined with unwise investments in unsatisfactory stealth jets, has put the service in a bind.
Demand for our services is way, way up. But we are meeting those demands today with the smallest
Air Force in our history, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters And when you couple
that smaller force against the backdrop of austere budgets, and with the huge demand, what we have
is we have a total force that is under significant strain. Most have said that the Air Force has little
choice, the short answer was Contractor-provided red air is overpriced and underwhelming, but at the
end of the day there isnt much choice in utilizing it, The Air Force is still gathering pricing information
regarding how much it would cost for contractors to fly approximately 180 training sorties over a twoweek period later this year.
The contractors would have to operate supersonic fourth generation fighters similar to the F-15, F-16
or the Navys F/A-18 Hornet. The negotiated jets would have to be capable of reaching over Mach 1.0
and have to be equipped with:

Radar
Radar Warning Receivers (RWR)
Electronic Attack
According to the posting.
The need for outsourced enemies is the result of the wars in the Middle East. Since the beginning of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force has recently been cutting its existing fighter force of
fourth generationF-15s and F-16 to pay for super pricey hardware similar to the fifth generation F-22
and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

F35 during a preflight.

After we brought the F-22 on line, and subsequently started cutting Aggressors, we met the
intersection of high ops tempo in Afghanistan and Iraq, explained briefly one senior Air Force official.
At this intersection we found several fifth-gen (specifically the F-22 Raptor) fighters doing nothing but
air shows and all the fourth gen fighters like the F-15E and F-16 were dropping bombs in Afghanistan
and Iraq. Even as the Air Forces previous aircraft flew overseas combat missions, the service started
to cut the fleet to pay for its higher priorities. Now, we have so few fourth gen fighters left and theyre
just crushed again Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, the senior official complained. Fifth-gen, and most
fourth-gen fighters need to train in the air-to-air role. And if you want to be realistic, we need to be
equally matched or preferably outnumbered. We dont have the inventory to do that.

Probable contractors
There are many Air Force officials who put into question if the private military companies have the
ability to realistically simulate the most realistic enemy fighters, like the Russian Sukhoi Su-30 or
Mikoyan MiG-29. Most of the existing private military companies are flying older jets that have long
been retired from active service. Its 1970s technology trying to replicate a fourth-gen red air fighter,
one Air Force official said. A company called Airborne Tactical Advantage Company flies the Israeli F-21
supersonic fighter, Hawker Hunter, and Czech-built L-39 Albatross. Another firm Tactical Air Support
flies the F-5B Freedom Fighter supersonic fighter and an Embraer EMB-314 light attack aircraft. In the
early 2000s, the company attempted to buy some top-of-the-line Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker air superiority
fighters from the Ukrainian air force. In fact the company sent pilots to train on the powerful Russianbuilt fighters. Yet another firm, Draken International, which boasts a fleet of more than 50 jets, actually
succeeded in importing some 27 Russian-built MiG-21 fighters to use for training purposes. In addition
to the MiGs, the company operates some 11 Douglas A-4K Skyhawk attack aircraftbut those aircraft
are upgraded with electronics including a radar from upgraded European-operated versions of the F-16
fighter jet. Drakens extensive fleet additionally includes nine Italian Aermacchi MB-339CB advanced
trainers, 28 Czech-built Aero Vodochody L-159E light combat jets, and five L-39s.

That sounds rather impressive, but unfortunately for them, private companies dont have the required
equipment to train the Air Forces squadrons neither does the service have the money to pay the
expensive contractors fees. They are really expensive though and you have to pay for them with
operations and maintenance money, which, is the first thing people lose in budget cuts, a senior Air
Force fighter pilot said. However, another senior official totally disagreed. The private military
companies can provide additional jets and trained pilots that jets like the F-22 and F-35 can beat up on
without wasting time taking turns to act as an enemy aircraft. Weve proven that fifth-generation red
air in the form of F-22s is not good, as its hard to dumb down a Raptor, another senior Air Force
official said. The problem is even worse with the F-35.
Ultimately, the official said, its highly unlikely that the Air Force will not be able to somehow afford the
contractors fees. I suspect well continue to limp along, use simulators and talk about how great they
are, and fight T-38s, the official added. I doubt we will use these guys. They expensive and we dont
have the cash.

Want to fly a MiG29 or an L39? Click here!

Additional reads

Air Force One fleet replacement

What its like to fly against IS militants
Author Jake Meilak

AVGEEKSF-18F-22FIGHTER JETSMERCENARIESSORTIESUSAFWARS

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, FIGHTER FLIGHTS, FIGHTER JETS

WHAT ITS LIKE TO FLY CLOSE AIR SUPPORT AGAINST IS MILITANTS.

JANUARY 29, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

Even though the Pentagon has been adamant with claims that none of the 4000 American troops in
Iraq are involved in combat, US jets have been flying several attack sorties against Islamic State (ISIS)
militants. But what exactly consists of a mission in getting the Bombs on the enemies?

This is what a day in the life of an aircraft carrier-based crew is

like:
The mission begins with CENTCOMs Joint Task Force sending the tasking order to the aircraft carriers
intelligence centre. From there, the air wing operations cell assign sorties to the appropriate squadron,
and those squadrons assign aircrews to fly the sorties. At that point aircrews get to work with intel
officers and start planning every detail of the sortie.
Pre flight planning of the mission.
After the long hours of mission planning are done, crews attempt a few hours of sleep. (The regulations
call for 8 hours of sleep before a hop, but that seldom happens.) After quick showers and putting on
the zoom bags, which are flight suits, aviators hit the chow line before the mission brief. All the crews
involved with the mission gather for the mass gaggle brief, usually two and a half hours before
launch time. After that, elements break off for detailed mission discussions.
Meanwhile, on the flight deck, the techies fix gripes and make sure jets are FMC FULLY MISSION
CAPABLE. At the same time the ordnance crew strap bombs onto the jets according to the load plan
published by the Strike Operations department.
Forty-five minutes before launch, crews head to the paraloft and start preparing and gearing up into

G-suits
Survival vests
Helmets
They also strap on a 9mm pistol as a safety measure in case they go down in enemy territory. Once
each group of crew are satisfied that the jet is ready to go and FMC, crews climb in and wait for the Air
Boss in the tower to give them the signal to start em up and get the place noisy!

The weight board.

While lining up with the catapult for launch, pilots verify that the weight board is accurate. A Green
shirt holds up a weight board showing a Super Hornet pilot that the catapult will be set for a 43,000
pound launch.
With the throttles shifted to full power position and the controls cycled as a check to make sure theyre
moving properly (This is the last check for the controls), the pilot salutes the cat officer and the cat
officer touches the deck, signalling the operator in the catwalk to fire the catapult. Zero to 160 MPH
in 2.2 seconds. Airborne! (Aircraft launching on Cats 1 and 2 turn right; those on Cats 3 and 4 turn
left.)
Way high, somewhere above the carrier, Super Hornets top off their gas from another Super Hornet
with a tanker configuration. Meaning it could shift its fuel to the aircraft heading on a mission.
Wingmen join flight leads them and the strike elements ingress feet dry over hostile territory. The
flight hits the tanker once again, but this time an Air Force KC-135. At that point the mission lead
checks in with Big Eye the AWACS to get an update on the current threat status and any other
late-breaking info that might be relevant, the information is obviously passed on to the commanding
centre.
Electronic warfare versions of the Super Hornet are part of the strike package in the event of any
unexpected pop-up surface-to-air missile threats. The AWACS then hands off the flight to the forward
air controller in company with Iraqi Forces The FAC gives the aircrew a nine-line brief that lays out
the target details and any threats surrounding it, and last but not least, the proximity of friendlies.
If all goes to plan, the jets head back feet wet, Mission Complete! And for the last time stops at the
mid-air gas station for some fuel along the way back.
Once the planes are shut down the aircrew head straight down to CVIC with their FLIR tapes for battle
damage assessment.

Mission successfully
completed!

Future of ISIS fighting.

Victory is when we complete the mission of degrading, destroying and defeating ISIL, The Pentagon
chief said, using another name for the group.
The Chief was joined by Army General Martin Dempsey the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who
told the senators that the US was ready to strike the IS militants in Syria. This will not look like shock
and awe because that is not how IS is organised, he said, but it will be persistent and sustainable.
British Foreign Secretary Mr Hammond was speaking after a summit in Paris where world leaders
agreed to provide military aid to fight the extremist network. The meeting of 30 countries agreed to
support the Iraqi government by any means necessary including military assistance. British Prime
Minister David Cameron had said Britain would seek United Nations support for any such plans.
He said the backing would be an important role in the blueprint for dealing with the extremists, who
have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has been urging allies especially Middle East and Gulf states to
show a united front and work as a team, and one American official said several Arab countries had
offered to join the airstrikes.
Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei revealed he had received a request from the US to join
the fight against IS, but said he had rejected it because of Washingtons unclean intentions.

Sources

http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-news/islamic-state/59846/islamic-state-raf-jets-carry-out-firstair-strikes-in-iraq
http://news.sky.com/story/1336513/us-takes-fight-to-islamic-state-militants

Additional reading

Fly a real MiG-29 to the Edge of Space

The fastest plane in the World
MiG-29 in the Luftwaffe its a rocket!
Author Jake Meilak

AIRCRAFT CARRIERSCLOSE AIR COMBATF/A-18 E SUPER HORNETSFIGHTER JETISIS

BOMBER AIRCRAFTS, EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, FIGHTER JETS,RECONNAISSANCE, STEALTH FIGHTER JETS, UNCATEGORIZED

THE LARGEST 25 DEFENSE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD

JANUARY 15, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

Construction of weapons is one of the worlds biggest industries, annually 1.735 trillion $US is spent on
weapons over the globe. The biggest weapon companies are non-surprisingly situated in the US and
Russia, two of the former Cold War enemies.
Now, in 2014, we can access the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) list of the
largest weapons companies in the world. However, China is excluded from the list due to the
difficulties resulting from the lacking transparency of Chinas developing of weapons and arms.

The biggest company on the list is Lockheed Martin, accompanied by Boeing and BAE Systems
claiming the second and third place on the list. That Lockheed Martin is the winner of the armsproducing contest is not exactly surprising as they have made some of the worlds largest military
projects such as (Lockheed) SR-71 Blackbird, F-22 Raptor and now the most expensive defense project
ever, F-35 Lightning II.

Here is a list of the 25 largest weapons companies in the world (2013, excluding china):

Additional reading:

Two of Lockheed Martins biggest projects, SR-71 and U-2 Dragonlady

The top 10 fastest aircraft in the world
Sources:

SIPRI.org
25 LARGESTBAE SYSTEMSBLACKBIRDF-22F-35 LIGHTNING IILOCKHEEDSR-71TOP 25 COMPANIES

BOMBER AIRCRAFTS, EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, FIGHTER JETS,RECONNAISSANCE, STEALTH FIGHTER

JETS, UNCATEGORIZED, WORLD RECORDS AVIATION

THE 10 FASTEST AIRCRAFT IN THE WORLD

NOVEMBER 26, 2014 3 COMMENTS

There are very many aircraft that has exceeded the speed of mach 2.0. Some of them are research
aircraft, some are military and some are simply flying for reconnaissance purposes. But there is always
something special with supersonic aircraft. Just imagine flying at an altitude of 5 kilometers, hearing a
go from the radio and pushing that throttle backwards while feeling the 100+kN engine accelerating
you to speeds higher than any other lifeform has ever been seen doing. But you are not the fast one,
you are just the passenger. The aircraft that you are flying in, the machine that gives you powers to
rise above the clouds in mere minutes is the true masterpiece. The masterpiece of military
engineering. In this article we will look into ten of the fastest military aircraft ever flown and see what
they have in the trunk.

Su-27SKM
Number 10: Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. Its top speed of 2.35 mach brings it to the very edge of USSR
craftmanship with a twin engine and the first fly-by-wire control system on a Russian jet ever. It was
built for air superiority to counter the new American 3.5 gen fighters such as the F-15 Eagle. It is
armed with a 30 mm gun and 10 external pylons that can hold both Air-to-Air, heat-seeking, short and
medium range missiles. Due to all its accomplishments and popularity it has very many different
variants. Some of which are top-modern even today, 35 years after the first flight of the Flanker
(1977). Some of them are:

Sukhoi
Sukhoi
Sukhoi
Sukhoi
Sukhoi

Su-30
Su-33
Su-34
Su-35
Su-37

And it was once available for fun flights with MiGFlug! Read morehere.

Picture of a F-111 showing its variable sweep wing.

Number 9: General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. Number nine on this list is not a fighter but a
tactical bomber capable of flying at mach 2.5. It had, before its retirement in 1998, 9 hardpoints and 2
weapon bays, together being able to deliver a payload of 14,300 kg of bombs, a nuclear bomb, air-toair missiles or a 2000 round machine gun could be fitted. However due to the Aardvarks role in air it
was rarely fitted with the gun. The Aardvark was the first aircraft in production with a variable sweep
with configuration which is why it was also tested for carrier-based operations, however this was never
completed (although there were some successful tries).

F-15C during operation Noble Eagle

Number 8: McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle The F-15 has been claimed to be one of the most
successful aircraft ever built and is still in service with the US Air Force. The Eagles twin-engine and
thrust-to-weight ratio of almost 1:1 can propel the 18,000 kg aircraft to more than 2.5 times the speed
of sound. It was introduced in 1976 and will continue to be a part of the air force beyond 2025. There
has almost 1200 F-15s built and it has been exported to among others Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The current plan is to keep producing them until 2019. It was first designed as an air-superiority
aircraft but later the F-15E Strike Eagle was built, a Air-to-Ground derivative. The F-15 can load a
variety of Sparrow, Sidewinder, 120-AMRAAM, drop bombs ( for instance Mark 84 or 82) or external fuel
tanks on its 11 hardpoints. Together with its 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan gun it is no surprise that this buster
has over 100 confirmed aerial combat victories.

MiG-31 flying over Russia

Number 7: Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxbat With a top speed of mach 2.83, the next aircraft on our list is
the Mikoyan Gurevich-31 Foxhound (once available for tourist flights). Due to its enormous twin-engine
with a thrust of 2*152kN it was able to fly at supersonic speeds at both high- and low altitudes. It is a
Soviet Interceptor built to take out enemy aircraft and has great capabilities to do so using a
combination of active and passive radars. Four Foxhounds can together control a front of 900
kilometers in length. The weapons that it has to its disposal are:

One 23 millimeter gun with 260 rounds.

Under fuselage:
4x R-33 Air-to-Air (heavy) or 6x R-37 Air-to-Air missiles.
On pylons:
Long or medium range missiles, short range IR missiles or a special medium-range Airto-Air missile for high speed targets.

The production ended in 1994 but is unknown exactly how many MiG-31 that were built but between
400-500 is said to be a qualified guess. The MiG-31 is still today in service with the Russian and
Kazakhstan Air Forces. The MiG-31 is a derivative of the MiG-25 which can be read about further down
(place 4) and in the link at the very end of the article.

XB-70 Valkyrie (taking off)

Number 6: XB-70 Valkyrie.The Valkyrie was a unique aircraft with six engines which together could
accelerate the 240,000 kilogram aircraft to a velocity of mach 3. This speed resulted in the frame of
the aircraft being heated up to as much as 330C on some areas. The extreme speed was needed for
two reasons: 1: To accelerate away from Soviet interceptors and 2: To be able to escape the blast of
the nuclear bombs that it was capable of dropping. The big size (weight) was needed to carry the fuel
needed for the 6,900 kilometer flight into the Soviet Union and escape without refueling and to house
the 14 nuclear bombs that it was capable of carrying. The aircraft had its first flight in 1964 and is now
retired, only two were built.

X-2 Starbuster together with its crew

Number 5: Bell X-2 Starbuster. The Starbuster was an American research aircraft which had its first
flight in 1955 and was retired in 1956. It was a continuation of the X-2 program and so Its area of
investigation was to see how aircrafts behaved when flying at speeds higher than mach 2.0. It did, as
can be understood, not carry any weapons and featured a back-swept wing which made it have little
air-resistance and was by that able to achieve the stunning speed of 3.196 mach in 1956. However
soon after this speed was attained the pilot, Milburn G. Apt, made a sharp turn and the aircraft
tumbled out of control. He could not regain control of the aircraft and bailed out. Unfortunately, only
the small parachute of the escape shuttle was opened and he hit the ground with too high speed. This
fatal crash ended the Starbuster program.

Mikoyan Gurevich 25PU

Number 4: Mikoyan MiG-25 Foxbat. This jet was a Soviet machine built to intercept American
aircraft during the cold war like the SR-71 and high- slow flying surveillance aircraft. Since it was built
to intercept the SR-71 it was required to have an extreme speed, hence its mach 3.2 top capability. The
Foxbat, unlike the Blackbird, featured 4 air-to-air missiles which made it an interceptor rather than a
reconnaissance aircraft. It has never shot down a Blackbird but it has had many other combat missions
which have been successful, for instance in the Iran-Iraq war. Over 1100 Foxbats were built between
1964 and 1984, however today the use is limited, with its only users being Russia, Syria, Algeria and
Turkmenistan. For more information about this astonishing bird see the link at the bottom of the article.
The MiG-25 was also the fastest plane ever offered for fun flights by MiGFlug it was mainly used
for Edge of Space flights.

YF-12A, the first YF-12

Number 3: Lockheed YF-12. This jet was an American interceptor prototype with a top speed of
mach 3.35. It looked almost like the SR-71 Blackbird and featured three Air-to-Air missiles. The reason
for it looking a lot like the SR-71 was because the SR-71 was based on the YF-12, and also because
both of them had the same designer, the extremely famous Clarence Kelly Johnson. Only 3 YF-12s
were built but the program still made it into the history books with its highest speed, highest
altitude (both of these were later surpassed by the Blackbird) and biggest interceptor records.

SR-71B (double cockpit)

Number 2: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird After its introduction in 1966 it has been used by both the
USAF and NASA. 32 Blackbirds were built, all used for reconnaissance and experimental research. It
featured stealth technology but if it was, against all odds, spotted by enemy forces, it could outrun the
interceptors or surface-to-air missiles that was fired at it, due to its fantastic speed. The Blackbird was
so fast that the air in front of it did not have time to escape, hence building up a huge pressure, and
raised temperature. The temperature of the aircraft, which could reach several hundred degrees high,
expanded the metal, hence it had to be built by too small pieces. Because of this, the SR-71 actually
leaked oil when standing still. The Blackbird holds the record for manned, air breathing aircraft,
see here.

The winner of our top 10 the X-15!

Number 1: North American X-15 This aircraft has the current world record for the fastest manned
aircraft. Its maximum speed was mach 6.70 (about 7,200 km/h) which it attained on the 3rd of October
1967 thanks to its pilot William J. Pete Knight. To be stable at these super high velocities, it had to
feature a big wedge tail, however the downside of this was at lower speeds the drag was extremely big
from such a tail. Therefore a B-52 Stratofortress had to carry it up to an altitude of about 14,000
meters before dropping it at which it ignited its own engines. Just imagine sitting in a rocket measuring
only 15 m in length and then being dropped, must have been a truly magnificent feeling! The X-15 was
used at such extreme speeds so that it did not use traditional ways to steer (using drag over a fin) but
instead it used rocket thrusters! This made it possible to reach altitudes higher than 100 kilometers,
which was one of its world records. These are the three records that brought the X-15 rocket jet into
the history books:

It was the first operational space plane.

It got to a height of more than 100 km.
It flew more than six times the speed of sound (mach 6.70).

Additional Reading:

Read about the SR-71 Blackbird mentioned in the article here.

Read about the XB-70 Valkyrie (also mentioned in the article)here.
Read about the worlds fastest aircraft, the X-15 here.
Sources:

Xb70.interceptor
AF.mil
Livescience
Aerospaceweb
Air-and-Space
CIA
Gizmodo
Wilson (2000)
Logan (1998)
Davies and Dildy (2007)
Nasa
Airwar.ru
BELL X-2 STARBUSTEREAGLEF-111 AARDVARKF-15JETLOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRDMIG 31MIG-25 FOXBATMIKOYAN GUREVICHSU 33SU27SU-30TOP 10WORLD'S FASTESTX-15 ROCKETXB-70 VALKYRIEYF-12

FIGHTER JETS, UNCATEGORIZED

F-15 LANDS AT 480KM/H ONE WING MISSING.

OCTOBER 3, 2014 LEAVE A COMMENT

Super sophisticated jets with state of the art technology worth millions of dollars might sound like
fragile things. That one little misshapen will lead to a fatal crash. Well even though that might be it in
some cases, it is not always. One example of this is when an Israeli fighter pilot landed his F-15 Eagle
with one wing missing.

What made that F-15 loose its wing?

The F-15D Eagle missing its right wing. Here during

different times after the accident.
The accident occured in 1983 during a training session in Israel with several A-4s and F-15s, when one
of the F-15Ds, nicknamed Markia Shcakim flew right into one of the A-4s in mid-air (The pilot of the A-4
ejected safely). The aircraft went into a tight spiral and there was a major fuel leak from the missing
wing. One might think that the pilot would bail out at such a situation, but this was not the case here.
Instead the pilot, who was ordered to bail out, (his name is Nedivi Zivi) regained control of the aircraft
and was aiming to land for the nearest airfield 16 kilometers away. This he might have reconsidered
if he knew that the right wing was missing, but he did not. He actually thought that the right wing just
had got some damage at the impact with the Skyhawk, but as the wing is kind of hard to see from the
cockpit, he did not find out about how serious the damage of his aircraft was until he had landed it.

At some point I collided with one of the Skyhawks, at first I didnt realize it. I felt a big
strike, and I thought we passed through the jet stream of one of the other aircraft.
Before I could react, I saw the big fire ball created by the explosion of the Skyhawk
Nedivi Zivi (F-15 Pilot)
Anyhow, his F-15 was running on fumes when he approached the airfield, and he began to lower the
speed. But, again, as he missed one of the wings, the aircraft went into a new spin. Zivi thought that
he could not do it anymore and prepared to eject. But then he thought that lighting the afterburners,
which might straighten up the aircraft out of the spin, was worth a shot. It was successful and the
Eagle once again was on the right course.

Landing a half airplane

He reached the base and touched down, with the tail hook lowered, at 480 kilometers per hour, which
is approximately double the speed which is recommended when performing a landing. Due to the high
speed at touchdown the tail hook was torn away but he was still able to get the aircraft to rest 10
meters before the arrester barrier.

The missing wing of the Eagle

When the aircraft had stopped and Zivi had got out, he shook his instructors hand, and first then he
noticed that the entire right wing of his fighter was missing. When inquired by the Israeli Air Force, the
manufacturer McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) said that it was possible to fly the F-15 Eagle with one
wing missing due to the lift from the fuselage and the force from the engine. But of course it is not an
easy task and heavily depends on the skill of the pilot.
The F-15D Eagle received a new wing two months after the incident, and was then back on the track.
Additional Reading:

Russian Airforce most modern in Europe soon

Read about one of the best reconnaissance aircraft ever here.
Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA A Copy of the US F-22?
Sources:

Uss-bennington.org
Theaviationist.com

A-4 COLLISIONF-15 LANDS WITHOUT RIGHT WINGF-15D EAGLE LANDINGLANDING WITHOUT WINGMID-AIR COLLISIONMISSING WING

FIGHTER JETS, STEALTH FIGHTER JETS, UNCATEGORIZED

ENERGY WEAPONS THE WEAPONRY OF TOMORROW IS ALREADY HERE

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 LEAVE A COMMENT

High energy lasers capable of taking out missiles and enemy aircraft from great distances. Thats what
the weapons are in Star Trek in the 23rd century. But thats not the only place where you will find
lasers because they can be found here, on earth, today.

Lockheed Once again at the very edge

Lockheed Martin Corporation has successfully built a laser weapon capable of firing lasers with an
energy of more than 30 kilowatt. This puts them in the lead of all energy weapon developing
corporations. They use a technique called Spectral Beam combining which uses a combination of many
small lasers at different wavelength to make one single high quality beam.

The potential of a laser weapon

The turret ball of a flight turret laser system

But Lockheed has taken it one step further mounting a laser on an aircraft. Even though it is a downscaled version it is still a very potential field of weaponry. Since the technique and hardware develop
all the time a full-fletched energy weapon could possible be only a couple of years ahead. Currently
their small scale laser is mounted on an old Dassault Falcon 10 business jet for testing. The cool thing
about it is that the weapon analyses the air turbulence between it and the target and then
compensates for any abnormalities in the air. This means that whatever turbulence the air might suffer
from, it can still fire a concentrated beam at its enemy. The laser can also be shot in any direction,
360. This quote is from one of Lockheeds press releases:
The ABC turret system (the system mounted on the Dassault Falcon 10) is designed to allow highenergy lasers to engage enemy aircraft and missiles above, below and behind the aircraft. Lockheed
Martins flow control and optical compensation technologies counteract the effects of turbulence
caused by the protrusion of a turret from an aircrafts fuselage.

F-35 The ideal platform?

The fan compartment of the F-35 that could be used as a laser turret
mount.
One of the potential future aircraft that this weapon could be mounted on is the F-35B. Its vertical fan
compartment behind the cockpit is an excellent storage for the laser. Also the energy from the engine
that would normally go to the fan could then be used to power the laser without very much
modification. Even though this small scale laser would not have a very big range, it still has a great
potential. This is because missiles homing in on the F-35 will eventually be at close range, and so the
laser with its 360 turret, guided by the F-35s own infrared cameras, can take them out. The F-35

would with this system be surrounded by a defence system that would never run out of ammunition
(as the ammunition is the fuel of the engine).

The enormous energy of a laser weapon

The laser can however not be directly be connected to the engine of the F-35. The energy burst
required to power the laser is much greater than what the engine can deliver at a single instant.
Therefore a capacitor bank has to be installed that saves the energy from the engine and builds up a
very high current which it can release extremely fast, making it ideal for a laser weapon.
This new era of weapons might make all other weapons obsolete as it has so many pros. It is effective,
long-range, cheap (compared to rockets), it has high precision which limits the number of casualties
and has unlimited ammunition. Energy weapons are the weapons of tomorrow and they are already
here.
Additional Reading:

Read about the legendary SR-71 Blackbird here!

Read about a giant Russian bomber project from the 30s here.
Read about what aircraft is better Raptor or Typhoon? here.
Sources:

Dailymail.co.uk
Foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com

ENERGY WEAPONS ALREADY HEREF-35LASERLOCKHEED MARTINMOST MODERN LASER WEAPON

FIGHTER FLIGHTS, FIGHTER JETS

THE HIDDEN AIR FORCE

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 2 COMMENTS

Switzerland is a weird country.

A few examples? In case of nuclear war the Swiss have bunkers capable of fitting 100% of countrys
population it is the only (paranoid enough) country to be capable of doing that.
Swiss highways can be converted into runways by quickly removing the grade separations in between
the lanes. Switzerland also has ad-hoc airbases with hangars carved out of the mountains.
And the Swiss Air Force has office hours yes, office hours. So despite all the heavy armour around
just invade at night time and Swiss Air Force pilots are in bed. And due to the noise level which could
hurt important Alpine tourist region Swiss pilots have to go abroad to fly supersonic.
Marshall Eubanks once said:

I was driving through Switzerland years ago, when I discovered a fighter jet taxiing out
of a mountainside and finally take off on a nearby landing strip.

The giant Swiss militia

Switzerland is neutral, but has one of the largest armies on a per capita basis and all militia soldiers
take their guns home one could say Switzerland has an almost national paranoia about defense.

Where does this come from? Historically, it stems from the fact that Switzerland is at the crossroads of
important routes through the Alps critical for any emperor. During the Cold War, the Swiss built a
giant militia-based national defense system that rivals that of any country in the world. If anyone were
to invade Switzerland, they would find a nation armed to the teeth. Switzerland has a national building
code that requires every home to either have a bunker or pay into a fund to maintain community
bunkers so every Swiss Citizen has quick access to a shelter.

Swiss mountain bunker system

The Swiss Army maintains a defense networks of huge fortified cannon placements some of them
well able to attack an approaching enemy well beyond the Swiss border. Switzerland has countless
mountain bunkers Swiss mountains are like cheese, countless holes are drilled inside one of them
being a big bunker with a small train, for the Swiss government. Cannon placements are
extremely well hidden, and you can imagine it would be a nasty surprise for an invader to be in the
firing range of one of those cannons.

Are you sure Im a rock?

The Swiss army also had countless fake rocks, houses or barns that could open a whole wall or split
into two, with cannons and/or nasty machine guns inside. Many of those were given up recently, and
even Swiss citizens where surprised how well guarded they were. Also, thousands of Swiss tunnels and
bridges, but also highways and railroads are built with tank traps and demolition charges.
A regular visitor to Switzerland wrote:

When we used to visit Switzerland we had a game as we drove along or walked the
mountain paths Spot the hidden bunker. The more you looked, the more you saw.
Switzerland is riddled with hidden and disguised military installations. What appeared to
be a rock face in a lay-by beside the road were actually steel and concrete doors
painted like rock. That 4 lane highway actually converts to a runway with the hangar
doors hidden in the cliffs beside it. The cute looking little chocolate box mountain chalet
you are hiking towards has machine gun slits on closer inspection.

The Swiss Air Force

The Swiss maintains a small air force. That wasnt always like that, it once had a huge Vampire and
Venom fleet, with only the married pilots having ejection seats. Nowadays, Switzerland has 32 Boeing
F/A-18 Hornets (initally 34) and 54 F-5E Tiger (to be replaced by 2016 but Switzerland voted against
the purchase of Saab JAS-39 Gripen in a popular vote in 2014). By the way even the Swiss Air Force
pilots where militiamen except the F/A-18 pilots who are professionals Most of the militia pilots are
Civilian pilots outside the Swiss Air Force, but some of them farmers or butchers. While small, the
Swiss Air Force is also very secretive. Along side their (countless) mountain air bases are hardened
tunnels drilled into the mountains where the fighter jets are being kept. If enemy pilots would be
flying overhead, all they would see is taxiways disappearing into the mountains. And there is the rumor
that even runways are vanishing in the mountains - with only a small part being visible.

Hawker Hunter on Highway in Switzerland

The Swiss Air Force also has highways parts that can be converted into landing/takeoff runways by
quickly removing the grade separations and from time to time exercises do take place on those parts.
Usually at nigh time, highways are closed down so the fighter jets could land.

How the hell do they find their way?

Another remarkable thing is how Swiss military pilots managed to fly within the Swiss Alps without
ILS and GPS, of course. And they didnt just fly at good weather!
During recent tourist Hawker Hunter flights - organized by MiGFlug the pilot explained the system to
an astonished British customer. The customer asked how they managed to not lose orientation in the
mountains, as everything looks similar and they are flying at low level through valleys so its hard to
have orientation points. The pilot which was the famous Jetman Yves Rossy, a former military and still
active Hunter pilot explained:

First of all, as a Swiss pilot, you know the geography extremely well. But when the
weather was bad, we were guided from ground stations who told us exactly where to
fly, how many degrees to the left, when to go up, when to go down. It was an extreme
level of trust as we sometimes didnt see anything while flying through a narrow valley
at low level. A simple system, but it worked.
The customer then asked: Well it works for Switzerland, but how do Swiss pilots manage the
orientation abroad?
Yves Jetman Rossy:

We do not invade, so why do pilots have to manage navigation abroad?

HAWKER HUNTERMOUNTAIN BUNKERSSWISS AIR FORCESWISS ARMED FORCESSWISS ARMY KNIFESWISS MOUNTAIN AIR BASE

FIGHTER JETS, UNCATEGORIZED

MIG-41 A NEW MACH 4+ FIGHTER?

JULY 30, 2014 1 COMMENT

The new Mikoyan interceptor

The Russian military aircraft design bureau Mikoyan Gurevich has since the 1940s been building many
famous military aircraft, some of the aircraft being real stallions in terms of speed. Two of these are the
MiG-25 and the MiG-31 which has both been capable of speeds of over mach 3.2 and 2.83 respectively.

MiGFlug offered both for flights in the past, read more here. Now there has been rumors that MiG are
trying to do it again building a superfast interceptor. The current name of the project is MiG-41 with
speeds projected to be of over mach 4.0. According to the famous Russian experimental pilot Anatoliy
Kvochur, the MiG-41 is to be capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 4.3 (about 5270km/h or
3270mph).

MiG-25 Foxbat The legend

Picture of a MiG-25 from behindshowing the engines

that got it to mach 3.2.
To start the history we have to go back to 1964, at the introduction of the MiG-25 Foxbat. Built to be
able to intercept missiles and high speed american aircraft (such as the SR-71) it had a speed which
was almost as high as the Blackbirds and a service ceiling of 20,700 meters. A big advantage it had
over the SR-71 was that it was not only a surveillance aircraft, it carried four air-to-air missiles aswell
which made it a deadly weapon. Unlike the Blackbird which was only built in a few copies, the success
of the MiG-25 made it having over 1,100 units built! To say the least this was a success, and only 17
years later the next step in the Mikoyan series had its introduction.

Foxhound the successor of the MiG-25

Mikoyan Gurevich-31 Foxhound.

The MiG-31, nato name Foxhound, was its name. It had a top speed of 2.83 mach and a service ceiling
almost as high as the MiG-25. It was built to intercept and take out targets at any altitude within its

service ceiling and it is effective at any weather condition, day or night. It is also built to be effective
against passive and active electronic countermeasures and against heat flares. The big improvement
over its predecessor is its weapons arsenal. The Mig-31 can be equipped with a very big arsenal of
weapons and guns, which are listed below:
Guns:

1x Gsh-6-23 cannon

4 R-33 (AA-9 Amos6 R-37 (AA-X-13 Arrow6 R-37

long-range missiles4 R-33 long-range missile4 R-60
(AA-8 Aphid)
4 R-73 (AA-11 Archer)
4 R-77 (AA-12 Adder
Missiles
:

(only some aircraft) Kh-31P (AS-17 Krypton)

As can be seen the weapons arsenal of the foxhound is a big step up from the foxbat who only featured
these weapons:
Guns:

none

Missiles (These four missiles

equipped at the same time):

2x R-40R (AA-6 Acrid)2x R40T missiles

The MiG-31 has many other advantages aswell; some smaller, some bigger, such as the second seat
which is dedicated to a weapon officer having control of the weapons. In the mig-25, the pilot was in
charge of the weapons aswell as the flying. The MiG-31 was capable of supersonic speed at low
altitudes, something that the MiG-25 was not, this the Foxhound has its upgraded and stronger
airframe to thank for. Some other improvements are the wing loading, ferry range, and the
thrust/weight area which is more than double the one of the MiG-25 (0.85 vs 0.41).

MiG-41 what will it be about?

So now to the point of this article, the MiG-41. There is not very much known because it is, just like all
top modern military projects, very secret. But we do know that there is a program going on as the
deputy Alexander Tarnaev at the Russian State Duma Defense Committee said this during an interview
at the Cultural Center of the Russian Armed Forces: The corresponding decision was taken by the
Chief of the General Staff; he has already signed the document to carry out research work on the MiG41 project. We also know that the new MiG will be based off of the Foxhound as Tarnaev also said this
about the project: Will embody all the advantages of the MiG-31 fighter-interceptor jet. To do this
they will need testing platforms, which might be why hundreds of MiG-31s will be overhauled and put
into service with the Russian Air Force.
What we will see when the MiG-41 will be introduced is still unknown as the project is rather new and
not very much has been leaked. However when looking at how the MiG-31 developed from the Foxbat
and thinking about the MiG-41s mach 4.0 (even 4.3) capability we can say that it will probably be a
heavily armed interceptor with high service ceiling and obviously a very high speed.