Questions tagged [military]
For questions relating to military aviation or possible effects of a country's military on other forms of aviation.
533
questions
1
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0answers
89 views
Practical use of hoverboards [on hold]
Yesterday, a Flyboard Air took part in the military parade of Bastille Day in Paris and it has been prominently featured in media coverage of the event. Since it was a military parade, I assume that ...
1
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1answer
92 views
How practical is laser designation against helicopters?
Laser designation is a fairly common method for guiding missiles and precision bombs, but how does it perform against aerial targets?
Given the ranges and kinematics involved, this method could be ...
0
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1answer
83 views
Are there countermeasures for semi-active laser homing SAM?
I would imagine sensors that pick up the wavelength/PRF and a couple of emitters trying to flood the seeker. Or could chaff be sufficiently reflective?
2
votes
1answer
343 views
What is this strange structure, of a type often seen by pilots in hilly regions? [closed]
I spotted a strange structure near a few paragliding spots in italian Alps. It's a screen about 10 meters wide, 6 meters tall, mounted on concrete base on ridge top. Someone said it's a training ...
2
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1answer
108 views
What is the typical sink rate during a well-executed carrier landing at the moment the main wheels touch the deck?
What is the typical sink rate during a well-executed carrier landing at the moment the main wheels touch the deck? And how has this changed over the decades?
0
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1answer
161 views
Was the F4F-1 Wildcat ever built?
The original design for the F4F Wildcat was as a biplane, but with the -2 model, it was redesigned as a monoplane. I am wondering if the -1 model was ever actually built, or did it remain as a ...
2
votes
1answer
131 views
How many crew does a P-8 operate with?
According to Reuters, Iran says it refrained from shooting down U.S. plane with 35 on board. The article goes onto say the aircraft was a P-8 Poseidon with 35 on board:
Iran refrained from shooting ...
6
votes
1answer
345 views
Did the Douglas SBD Dauntless have a second set of controls?
In the book Never Call me a Hero, the author mentions that there were controls in the rear seat of the Douglas SBD Dauntless. However, I don't recall ever hearing this before, though I know the TBD ...
1
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1answer
109 views
What is this propeller on the A330 MRRT refueling pod? [duplicate]
Illustration taken from this youtube video
Earlier in the video, it can be seen moving:
Is it to provide mechanical power for the boom operation ?
0
votes
1answer
180 views
Can Python be used onboard systems on aircraft or military jets? [closed]
Was working on a python related to avionics, came across a serious doubt whether code written in python would compile or run on a real time OS used in on board systems.
15
votes
1answer
3k views
How do internally carried IR missiles acquire a lock?
On aircraft that carry their IR missiles on external stores, like the F/A-18, an IR-missile acquires a lock by having its seeker being directed to the target heat source by whatever means and the ...
2
votes
0answers
145 views
Do strike aircraft turn off their datalink?
As far as I know, it is normal procedure for aircraft on a strike mission to go into radio silence at a certain point of the mission, as to not give of any unnecessary emissions that could warn the ...
1
vote
1answer
144 views
How are military aircraft directed to targets?
How would a controller, say, AWACS or ground radar, direct via voice an aircraft to the location of an airborne target?
I've seen it in movies, but don't know if they where right, nor did I ...
6
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2answers
479 views
Is it true the F-16 has never lost a dogfight?
(Source)
I have heard the F-16 has never lost an air-to-air dogfight - is this true?
-6
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1answer
202 views
How willingly does US Military sell fuel? [closed]
Okay. I somehow (Either through a emergency or because I "miscalculated" fuel burn) landed on a US military airfield in a semi rural place in a state in US mainland without a airport pretty nearby
...
23
votes
4answers
6k views
What happens if you do emergency landing on a US base in middle of the ocean?
A theoretical situation.
I fly from Honolulu International to the Bejing but my private jet gets fuel starvation and then I land on the Wake Island airstrip.
What happens next? Would the military ...
29
votes
4answers
10k views
Can a helicopter mask itself from radar?
I have read somewhere that if a helicopter is traveling under 100 km/h and below 5 meters AGL then most radars will ignore it. From what I understand of this process, the radars can pick up things ...
0
votes
1answer
143 views
What licenses/endorsements or type ratings do you need to fly a fighter jet
As the title says, what endorsements and licenses do I need to achieve before I can legally fly a decommissioned single seater fighter jet or trainer jet (like a L-39 Albatros or even a F22 when the ...
2
votes
0answers
58 views
Are there any operational, combat capable multicopter drones (as of 2019)?
Are there any small operational military drones with any form of weapons system on board, as of 2019?
I'm basically referring to a more powerful, more sophisticated and refined version of something ...
0
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2answers
258 views
What is the relation between clouds and radar effectiveness?
Recently, India's prime minister Narendra Modi commented on how cloudy weather can help a fighter jet escape from radar. Is there any technical reasoning to back these comments?
Here is the quote ...
1
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1answer
257 views
Possible military aircraft ID, N. Carolina
I was recently in Oak Island, NC and saw the following plane flying above. It was low-flying and much louder and larger than the other small prop planes flying out of nearby Cape Fear Regional Jetport....
2
votes
1answer
173 views
How many planes did the Soviet Union lose to Stinger missiles during Afghanistan War? [closed]
I have read Wikipedia articles about the war in Afghanistan, and it is often said that the Stinger had a great impact on the air mobility of the Soviet military.
Beside the role of interdiction (A2AD)...
4
votes
2answers
654 views
What military aeroplane seen at Prestwick is this? [duplicate]
I saw this plane flying out from Prestwick airport yesterday but what is it?
4
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2answers
225 views
Do stratospheric business and military jets use the North Atlantic Tracks?
The North Atlantic Tracks (NATs) are the airways generally used by airliners taking approximate great-circle routes between North America and Europe; due to the wild swings in wind strength and ...
0
votes
2answers
245 views
How useful are the AOA Indexers and indicators for jet pilots and civillians?
I dont see them neccessary unless you are landing on a aircraft carrier.
I just don't know a lot about them. I understand what they do but they just dont seem neccessary unless you are landing a jet ...
11
votes
1answer
357 views
What is the bend in the tip of the blade of the new Black Hawk?
The newer Black Hawks have this angle added to the end of their rotor blades.
What is it for? How does it increase or decrease performance?
Could this be used on airplane propellers?
(...
1
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1answer
263 views
What is the meaning of Spirit ###?
This Popular Mechanics article writes (about the B-2 Spirit).
Only 543 people have ever flown in the cockpit of a B-2. Upon landing I'll become number 544, with the new Air Force handle "Spirit 544....
12
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1answer
2k views
What does the “remote control” for a QF-4 look like?
As I understand it a QF-4 is a Phantom which is converted to a remotely controlled plane for use in weapons testing.
(Apparently in non-destructive runs, a pilot is still on board for safety, ...
6
votes
1answer
863 views
Is it unprecedented for an F-16 to get hit by its own bullet(s)?
According to Dutch state broadcaster NOS, an F-16 was hit by its own bullet(s) in a training exercise:
De F-16 die in januari aanzienlijke schade opliep tijdens een oefening boven Vlieland blijkt ...
32
votes
8answers
10k views
Why do airplanes bank sharply to the right after air-to-air refueling?
Whenever I see videos on YouTube they bank really sharply to the right after disconnecting from the tanker. Why wouldn't they do a more shallow 30-degree bank?
See this video for reference:
1
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3answers
467 views
Can a civilian purchase a new (Not Retired) fighter jet? [duplicate]
Let's take a jet like the F22 for example. Strip all the classified systems/weaponry out of it (civilian wouldn't need that), and just leave the basic aircraft itself.
Could a civilian technically ...
0
votes
1answer
128 views
Does the US export the Mark 77 aerial bomb? [closed]
The Mark 77 bomb used by US fighter aircraft detonates with an impressive array of inferno when dropped in a cluster which is often done at airshows.
Questions
Is the Mark 77 bomb solely used by ...
29
votes
2answers
4k views
What features enable the Su-25 Frogfoot to operate with such a wide variety of fuels?
It is widely attested* that the Su-25 Frogfoot's engines (the Turmansky R-95Sh and later the R-195) were designed to function using a wide variety of fuels, including diesel, gasoline, petrol, ...
-1
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1answer
327 views
How do stealth aircraft operate from rough or contaminated fields without ruining their paint jobs?
While thinking about the MiG-29’s dedicated rough-field intakes, I started wondering about rough-field operations for other types of combat aircraft, and, naturally, since most new combat aircraft ...
2
votes
1answer
479 views
How fast do the F-35 weapons bay doors open/close during combat ops?
(YouTube)
I came across the following Norwegian F-35 video launching a live missile from its right bay door. Of course, opening the door and launching the missile drastically increases RCS, but it ...
3
votes
0answers
136 views
Is there a name for aircraft weapon load photos?
I remember as a kid I had a couple of books full of spec sheets and big glossy photos of military planes with every standard piece of weaponry laid out in front of them, something like this (c/o Tech ...
5
votes
3answers
551 views
Could a C-130 Hercules be built using WW2 technology?
I'm looking at this as a "time traveller carrying only designs in his head" scenario.
Obviously turboprop engines are out of the question, but how close in capability would it be possible to get a C-...
2
votes
2answers
361 views
How is the A-10 effective against tanks?
Perhaps this isn't on-topic, but is the A-10 effective against tanks (tank armour)?
For example, this page claims:
Using the cannon, the A-10 is capable of disabling a main battle tank from a ...
20
votes
4answers
8k views
Why are special aircraft used for the carriers in the United States Navy?
Why are aircraft such as the legacy F-14 and now the F/A-18 used by the US Navy carriers?
It seems to me that developing a new aircraft from the ground up is very expensive. Is it not possible to ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Which military aircraft does this seem to be? [F-16 vs MiG-21]
Can someone identify the aircraft based on the components, riveting style, or other technical details visible in these crash pictures?
a) Based on publicly available details, the chief suspects are ...
0
votes
2answers
268 views
AWACS - what do these antennas do?
In a press release for a new Boeing "wingman" (BATS) drone being built in Australia, a closeup of this Australian AWACS flying in formation was provided. What would be some of the specific uses for ...
2
votes
0answers
89 views
What is the difference between a weapons training aircraft and an actual combat aircraft?
From the Wikipedia page on the Northrop T-38 Talon:
Most T-38s built were of the T-38A variant, but the USAF also had a
small number of aircraft converted for weapons training (designated
AT-...
4
votes
1answer
215 views
Can Ospreys land without running engines?
I just have seen a video of a demonstration of an Osprey V-22. While this is an impressive aircraft I wonder whether this might land with failing engines (with the large "propellers" probably hinder ...
3
votes
1answer
319 views
Does a nuclear weapon (B-61) equipped F-35 have the same nuclear confirmation failsafes as other nuclear device delivery aircraft?
Several sources cite that the F-35 will be able to be modified or simply equipped to carry some variant of the B-61 nuclear bomb. However, I know that most strike aircraft such as the F-15 Strike ...
2
votes
0answers
503 views
What is this high-wing, single-propeller, possibly military plane?
I recently acquired a black & white photograph of a group of military people posed in front of an airplane. I am seeking information about the plane, and maybe the people.
The plane is mostly ...
2
votes
3answers
724 views
Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored?
Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored? One would not be wrong given part of their operations is being on the receiving end of enemy ammunition shooting at them.
2
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1answer
352 views
How do the military pilots of Air Force One train for exceptional circumstances in an airliner not designed for high performance?
This article discusses how on one occasion, the pilot of Air Force One, the personal air transport of the President of the United States, was required to perform evasive manoeuvres to avoid presumed ...
1
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1answer
201 views
What exactly was the American WW2 smokebomb used in naval warfare?
In WW2 the Americans used a kind of smoke/gas-bomb that they mounted under the SBD planes in naval warfare.
What was the purpose of that device and what is it called?
-2
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1answer
560 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 ?
-4
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2answers
197 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 ...
