Questions tagged [military]
For questions relating to military aviation or possible effects of a country's military on other forms of aviation.
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1answer
205 views
Is it legal to shoot down hijacked passenger aircraft in some countries? [closed]
Are there countries which post-9/11 have adopted legislation allowing the shoot-down of passenger aircraft under any circumstances ?
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2answers
113 views
Why shoot down a passenger plane without knowing it will crash? [closed]
Flights threatened by a passenger and flights with lost coms and even flights in technical difficulty without criminal intent and not posing a security threat are sometimes intercepted and escorted by ...
5
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3answers
318 views
Can a bird strike destroy the stealth capability of F-35?
There is a video according to which a F-35 aircraft has been struck by a bird in Israel. This, allegedly, disabled its stealth capability.
More than a year earlier, two storks allegedly damaged ...
4
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1answer
187 views
Identify an USAF transport aircraft in Greenland around 1960
Could anybody help me identify this aircraft?
It was photographed in Greenland around 1960.
Thanks in advance.
2
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1answer
123 views
Who was the US military pilot who crashed his plane and was accused of selling it to the Russians?
There was recently news regarding a story of a former US military pilot who crash landed his plane somewhere in the southwest. He was accused of flying the airplane to Mexico to deliver it to the ...
2
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3answers
122 views
What are the areas of an aircraft that suffers most from G forces?
i want to ask this time as to "what are the areas of an aircraft that feels or suffers the most from G forces?". i am asking this in terms of structural design and physical limits of the pilot(the ...
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0answers
42 views
How many variations are there of the Avro Lancaster?
How many different variations of the Avro Lancaster are there?
3
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2answers
199 views
What problems would the early F-16 have if they were to fight during night?
From Wikipedia:
Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft.
There is no citation for this, so I suppose first asking if this is even ...
2
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2answers
227 views
How did the two F35 planes get from Fort Worth to Williamtown?
I am curious how the the F35 that recently arrived in Williamtown Australia arrived there.
Were they transported at any point, or were they flown the entire way?
How many stops did they make?
Did ...
21
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3answers
7k views
Why do modern fighter jets use 20mm guns?
Why do modern fighter jets use 20mm guns? Is the armor of a modern jet that thick? Does, for example, .50 ammunition lack velocity to be effective?
I'm just curious on why is that 20mm is so widely ...
0
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4answers
202 views
Aviation theory for fighter pilots
Background:
I'm an 18-year-old Finn and so I'll be starting my military service next summer. I'm currently applying to the Air Force to become a fighter pilot, but I don't have any previous training ...
10
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1answer
506 views
What are these accelerating flare countermeasures called?
There seems to be a type of flare countermeasure, that not only gets ejected from the flare dispenser, but also gets accelerated in the direction of the plane. So fare I´ve only noticed it on super ...
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1answer
279 views
Black aircraft at night no lights with helicopter following - is this a stealth aircraft? [closed]
I have just seen a dark long aircraft fly over my car followed by a long helicopter. I am not an expert at this but it is 8pm, i am on a hill with a few houses, there is a little street light on the ...
0
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2answers
219 views
Is is possible to have an aircraft launched from a submarine or directly from under the water?
Aircraft carriers can be seen all over the world. They are quite visible and need to be well protected among a battle group to operate. At the other end of the spectrum, a modern submarine is nearly ...
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2answers
108 views
Why does the military not use Engine Condition Trend Monitoring? [closed]
What are the advantages of ECTM and why is it not used in military aviation even though it will help in many ways?
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2answers
1k views
What are these windows/portholes on the English Electric Canberra bomber?
This may be an obvious question, but I don't know, which is why I'm asking here. I've searched "Canberra canopy porthole" and "window", but didn't get any information. There is a porthole of sorts on ...
1
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2answers
244 views
What procedures are used for midair refueling without air supremacy?
One of the major themes of the answers to (and comments on) my earlier question about tankers not having ejection seats is that tankers are used only in environments where the threat from enemy ...
5
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1answer
304 views
How close is this Su-27 to the aircraft recording the pass?
There is footage of an intercept of a US Nay recon aircraft being intercepted by a Russian Su-27:
(still from the BBC video article, who look like they got it from the US Navy directly)
which was ...
13
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1answer
1k views
What is the non-projected cross-hair for on the F-18 HUD?
Top right, there's a little cross-hair - it looks like it's for lining something up, since on the second pane there's a little dot.
I haven't seen this on any other HUDs. Appears to be present on all ...
5
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1answer
246 views
What are the correct procedures for military aircraft interception over international waters?
I recently read this list of errors in the film Top Gun. The list is long and fairly well done, but there is one I realized when thinking about that movie and that is Maverick may have actually ...
0
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1answer
157 views
What were DJI drones spying on? What data did they capture? [closed]
In late 2017, it was claimed that DJI (a very popular Chinese drone company) was working with the Chinese government to spy on the United States via their drones, or their drone controllers, which are ...
0
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3answers
392 views
Why do stealth aircraft generally lose in maneuverability?
Whilst stealthy built aircraft have (or claim to have) many anti-detection systems, they seem to have to compromise on less maneuverability features, and even have to keep their missiles inside, not ...
0
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1answer
248 views
What are these small propellers in the A330 MRTT's wings?
In actual flight there are small propellers rotating at the front of these "pillars". What are they? They are visible in this video.
4
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5answers
437 views
What measures prevent a military aircraft's weapons from being fired on the ground?
Recently the 20mm cannon of an F-16 was accidentally fired on the ground by maintenance personnel at Florennes Air Base in Belgium, resulting the the destruction of another F-16 and damage to a third.
...
4
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2answers
503 views
With similar weapons why does an AH64 Apache require a pilot and gunner when the A10 Warthog only needs a pilot?
The Apache has a 30mm chain gun. It carries Hellfire (anti armor), Stinger/Sidewinder (air to air) and Hydra (air to ground, APKWS guidance package available) missiles.
source
The Warthog has a ...
2
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1answer
225 views
What does M mean in A400M Atlas?
Atlas was the guy in Greek mythology that was literally carrying the world/planet in his shoulders. But was does "M" mean? Military? That's a guess, though...
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2answers
80 views
Is an A&P certificate ever required to work on military aircraft?
Are military aviation mechanics - including civilian contractors - ever required to obtain an A&P certificate to work on active military aircraft?
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2answers
272 views
Was any MiG-29 modernized to incorporate digital systems?
Did any air force using the MiG-29 ever modernize their aircraft so that they can fly on fully digital equipment such as the following?
Digital HUD
Digital fly-by-wire
Digital navigation system
...
1
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2answers
331 views
Why did the RAF buy the F-35B model and not the A model
If the only issue is the in-flight refueling system (probe/drogue), wouldn't it make more sense to buy the A model and modify the tankers. The refueling issue doesn't compare to the performance ...
5
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3answers
335 views
What is the vocabulary used by fighter pilots used to communicate?
As far as I understand, fighter pilots or more general military aircrews will use a dedicated phraseology to communicate with each other, which is different to communicating to ATC.
Is this ...
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2answers
154 views
What measures are taken to ensure military pilots aren't going mad? [closed]
I'm asking specifically about single pilot fighter jets. How do air forces ensure pilots won't go mad and start a war with another country? For example, a pair of B2 pilots could start World War 3 by ...
1
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2answers
305 views
What is this plane shown on the 'Blended wing body' Wikipedia page?
(wikimedia.org via wikipedia.org)
What is the second plane from left, between the 757 and the B-2?
2
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1answer
185 views
F-16 “training rounds”? [duplicate]
From this Wikipedia article
A fighter pilot based at Andrews Air Force Base, Billy Hutchison, claims that while in the air he spotted Flight 93 on his scope and planned to first fire his training ...
56
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2answers
11k views
What are these engineers doing sitting on a large format drawing of B-47s aircraft?
This answer about solid-jet-assisted takeoff links to the page B-47 Jet-Assisted Take Off (JATO). An image there took me to a collection of historical aviation images, apparently from a LIFE Magazine ...
2
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1answer
355 views
Can you identify this unusual plane by its description? [closed]
I saw this plane many years ago:
Same shape and size as an commercial airliner.
No windows along the fuselage
Painted flat gray (like a naval ship)
Had a blue circle on its "nose" (Blue painted ...
0
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2answers
373 views
Could a civilian aircraft in distress land in Area 51? [duplicate]
Just curiosity, but in case of a real life-threatening emergency (where you can't fly to closest airport or strip), would they (Air Force, military or whoever) allow the plane to land on the Area 51 ...
5
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3answers
345 views
How does airspace work with the navy?
Let's say some ships from the US Navy are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Is there anything to stop another country, say the Chinese or the Russians flying around them in circles, either to watch ...
2
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1answer
164 views
Do vapor clouds increase the radar scross section of an aircraft?
The F-22 is known for its stealth capabilities, which is mostly achieved with an extremely low RCS. Due to its high maneuverability we also see this plane often creating extreme vapor clouds while ...
1
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1answer
216 views
Do military tactical transport flights provide seatbelts for all occupants?
In several movies I have watched recently, the temporary bench style seats of tactical transport aircraft such as the C-130 do not show seat-belts. I would not be surprised that some instances of seat ...
4
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3answers
253 views
Do flares affect IR tracking devices?
If an IR device, such as a tracking FLIR system (not a heat-seeking missile), tracks an aircraft and that said aircraft would launch flares. Is the IR tracking device likely to be confused by the ...
2
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1answer
195 views
How likely are flares to be fire hazards once touching the ground?
According to the Wikipedia page of flares, flares create intense heat.
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an ...
13
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1answer
1k views
What does the letter E signify for the E-3 AWACS?
I came across the E-3 AWACS aircraft with the designation E-3, I could not find what the letter E means in E-3.
0
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2answers
127 views
Is MIL-PRF-5606 H flammable at 350 deg C?
Is MIL-PRF-5606 H flammable at 350 deg C?
Is it a flammable or combustible hyd oil?
4
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3answers
570 views
Did WW2-era aircraft have constant-speed or variable-pitch props?
This is slightly related to my other question on variable-pitch controls.
I want to know if WW2-era aircraft typically had variable-pitch or constant-speed propellers. Variable-pitch lets the pilot ...
82
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5answers
41k views
If a pilot ejects, what is the autopilot programmed to do?
If a pilot uses his ejector seat during flight, what is the autopilot programmed to do?
As a developer myself, I would want to build in a way for the plane to try and save itself if possible (to save ...
5
votes
1answer
302 views
How big was the F-14 fleet compared to other US carrier-based aircraft in 1981?
Back in the 80's I was away jesting about the F-14 are here to protect the carriers and the carriers to deploy F-14.
I know there are a number of other aircraft here for other purposes but I really ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
Were there any folding wing biplanes?
Given that several nations had operational carriers by 1920 and biplanes were still in military service, were there any folding wing biplanes?
Wikipedia: United States first purpose built aircraft ...
0
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2answers
342 views
Does Airforce one carry missiles to protect itself and its passengers?
Do the VC-25 aircraft used for Air Force One carry missiles to protect itself and its passengers?
If so, can these missiles be fired at potential threats?
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1answer
293 views
When escorting Air Force 1, at what safe distance must fighter jets fly?
Air Force 1 is sometimes escorted by fighter jets, either for security reasons or for show. Given that Air Force 1 is a very large aircraft that produces an extremely large amount of jet blast and ...
9
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1answer
3k views
What plane is shown here in the movie Rampage?
I'm not sure if its a real life airplane, but I feel like I have seen it somewhere:
It looks similiar to the F-117 Nighthawk, pictured below, but it is definitely not this:
