USAF E-8C Joint STARS re-engined
AERONAUTICS
RAFALE or EUROFIGHTER to become next Indian Air Force fighter jet according to Indian media – Russian and US media deny
Amazing rumours have spread for a couple of days regarding the MMRCA (Indian Air Force Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) or the MRCA Tender which is an ongoing competition to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft maybe up to 189 fighter jets.
The Indians have considered 6 bidders so far:
Typhoon (European Eurofighter Consortium)
Rafale (French Dassault)
MiG-35 Fulcrum-F (Russian UAC subsidiary RSK-MiG)
Gripen NG/IN or JAS 39 (Swedish Saab)
Super Hornet F/A-18 E/F (US Boeing)
F-16IN Fighting Falcon (US Lockheed Martin)
As you can watch the video below, two fighter aircraft have been quoted as finalists for the last stage: The EUROFIGHTER-Typhoon and the RAFALE.
However, American and Russian media deem that such statement cannot be true. Official results should be announced soon. Well, wait and see…
Photo above: RAFALE La Ferté Alais 2010 – © Xavier Cotton PASSION pour l’AVIATION
US Navy Blue Angels Jet-Assisted Take-Off (JATO) ride
Airspeed – VIDEO – JATO Ride in Fat Albert from Steve Tupper on Vimeo.
Here is a video from the US Navy Blue Angels’ C-130 during a JATO ride, Fat Albert, from Indianapolis Airshow, 6 June 2009. Thanks to a film shot by Steve Tupper – www.airspeedonline.com.
Sikorsky X2 helicopter milestone – 417 km/h!
The Sikorsky X2 Technology demonstrator reportedly broke the speed record for rotorcraft on Monday at a maximum speed of 225 knots (417 km/h).
The previous record had been set by Trevor Egginton on a Westland G-Lynx at a speed of 216 kts (400 km/h) on August 11, 1986. The fly-by-wire X2 helicopter was flown by Kevin Bredenbeck. Unfortunately, the test flight performance was not officially.
With a counter-rotating coaxial rotor, and its brand new tail configuration, the X2 is more maneuverable as the helicopter gains in speed. Moreover, the X2 would be excellent at low-speed handling as well as hovering.
The X2 Technology demonstrator combines an integrated suite of technologies intended to advance the state-of-the-art, counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopter. It is designed to demonstrate that a helicopter can cruise comfortably at 250 knots while retaining such desirable attributes as excellent
Thanks to its integrated auxiliary propulsion system – coaxial pusher prop concept, and to other assets among which its reduced hub drag, the Sikorsky X2 prototype should exceed the 250-knot benchmark (463 km/h)!
SIKORSKY X2 VIDEO BELOW :
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