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The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed weapons system was a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It was primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy TBMs while in boost phase. The YAL-1 was assigned to the 417th Flight Test Squadron Airborne Laser Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB. However, the inherent non-viability of the whole concept led to the project's cancellation and the YAL-1 made it's last flight on 14th Feb. 2012 to Davis-Monthan AFB and AMARG for scrapping.
At the insistence of the Army, Boeing Chief Test Pilot Eddie Allen made the first flight of the Lockheed Model 49 Constellation prototype (civil registered NX25600) on 9 January 1942. Lockheed’s chief test pilot, Milo Burcham, was the copilot. The flight from the Lockheed facility in Burbank to Muroc Field, California, lasted about fifty-eight minutes. The aircraft, designated XC-69 by the US Army Air Corps and assigned serial number 43-10309, would spend most of its career as a testbed. It was sold and broken up for parts in 1958. The XC-69 is shown with the last Model 5 Vega built (company number 210), which had been impressed into Army service as the sole UC-101 in 1942. The UC-101 (serial number 42-94148) was assigned to the US Engineer’s office at March Field, California, until 1944. It was returned to civilian life after the war and was destroyed in an accident at El Paso, Texas, in 1945.
Rolls-Royce has announced further investment in the UK, including a testbed in Derby similar to the one pictured.
© M J Anahory. These images are protected by copyright. You cannot copy or republish this photo without written consent of the copyright holder. Any copyright infringements will be followed up with action legal or otherwise.
Rolls-Royce has announced further investment in the UK, including a testbed in Derby similar to the one pictured.
Rolls-Royce has announced further investment in the UK, including a testbed in Derby similar to the one pictured.
Rolls-Royce has announced further investment in the UK, including a testbed in Derby similar to the one pictured.
The US Navy had begun planning a replacement for the F-4 Phantom II in the fleet air defense role almost as soon as the latter entered service, but found itself ordered by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to join the TFX program. The subsequent F-111B was a failure in every fashion except for its AWG-9 fire control system, paired with the AIM-54 Phoenix very-long range missile. It was subsequently cancelled and the competition reopened for a new fighter, but Grumman had anticipated the cancellation and responded with a new design.
The subsequent F-14A Tomcat, last of the famous Grumman “Cat” series of US Navy fighters, first flew in December 1970 and was placed in production. It used the same variable-sweep wing concept of the F-111B and its AWG-9 system, but the Tomcat was much sleeker and lighter. The F-14 was provided with a plethora of weapons, including the Phoenix, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow, short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, and an internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. This was due to the Vietnam experience, in which Navy F-4s found themselves badly in need of internal armament. Despite its large size, it also proved itself an excellent dogfighter.
The only real drawback to the Tomcat proved to be its powerplant, which it also shared with the F-111B: the Pratt and Whitney TF30. The TF30 was found to be prone to compressor stalls and explosions; more F-14s would be lost to engine problems than any other cause during its career, including combat. The Tomcat was also fitted with the TARPS camera pod beginning in 1981, allowing the RA-5C Vigilante and RF-8G Crusader dedicated recon aircraft to be retired. In addition to the aircraft produced for the US Navy, 79 of an order of 100 aircraft were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The Tomcat entered service in September 1974 and first saw action covering the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, though it was not involved in combat. The Tomcat’s first combat is conjectural: it is known that Iranian F-14s saw extensive service in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and that Iranian Tomcats achieved a number of kills; the only F-14 ace was Iranian. The first American combat with the F-14 came in September 1981, when two F-14As shot down a pair of Libyan Su-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra. The Tomcat would add another two kills to its record in 1987, two Libyan MiG-23s once more over the Gulf of Sidra.
The high losses due to problems with the TF30 (fully 84 Tomcats would be lost to this problem over the course of its career) led to the Navy ordering the F-14A+ variant during the war. The A+, redesignated F-14B in 1991, incorporated all wartime refits and most importantly, General Electric F110 turbofans. Among the refits was the replacement of the early A’s simple undernose IR sensor with a TISEO long-range camera system, allowing the F-14’s pilot to identify targets visually beyond the range of unaided human eyesight.
The majority of F-14As were upgraded to B standard, along with 67 new-build aircraft. A mix of F-14As and Bs would see action during the First Gulf War, though only a single kill was scored by Tomcats.. Subsequent to this conflict, the Navy ordered the F-14D variant, with completely updated avionics and electronics, a combination IRST/TISEO sensor, replacement of the AWG-9 with the APG-71 radar, and a “glass” cockpit. Though the Navy had intended to upgrade the entire fleet to D standard, less than 50 F-14Ds ever entered service (including 37 new-builds), due to the increasing age of the design.
Ironically, the US Navy’s Tomcat swan song came not as a fighter, but a bomber. To cover the retirement of the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II from the fleet, the F-14’s latent bomb capability was finally used, allowing the “Bombcat” to carry precision guided weapons, and, after 2001, the GPS-guided JDAM series. By the time of the Afghanistan and Second Gulf Wars, the F-14 was already slated for replacement by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Tomcat would be used mainly in the strike role, though TARPS reconnaissance sorties were also flown. The much-loved F-14 Tomcat was finally retired from US Navy service in September 2006, ending 36 years of operations. The aircraft remains in service with the Iranian Revolutionary Air Force.
Bureau Number 157990 was the eleventh Tomcat ever built, one of 12 preproduction F-14As that never entered squadron service with the US Navy. Instead, it was used for carrier qualification trials aboard the USS Independence (CV-62), ground handling, and missile testing, during which time it operated from the Pacific Missile Test Center at NAS Point Mugu, California. It was retired in the late 1980s and eventually donated to the March Air Museum. 157990 used to be painted in VF-1 ("Wolfpack") colors, but was fairly recently repainted to more accurate Tomcat prototype colors, in the older Vietnam-era camouflage and tan radome carried by early Tomcats.
It was a surprise to find a F-14 at a USAF base, much less one of the very early Tomcats. Though part of me does love that VF-1 color scheme, this is the more accurate, and it's unique--I'm not sure of too many other F-14s who carry these markings. It's pictured on a warm California May 2021 afternoon.
Once the fastest production car in the world, the Jaguar XK120 was Jaguar's first new product following the end of the war, being designed in those dark final days of the conflict and being developed over the next three years, making its début in 1948.
The XK120 was launched in open two-seater form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. The display car was the first prototype, chassis number 670001. It looked almost identical to the production cars except that the straight outer pillars of its windscreen would be curved on the production version. The roadster caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production.
Beginning in 1948, the first 242 cars wore wood-framed open 2-seater bodies with aluminium panels. Production switched to the 112lb heavier all-steel in early 1950. The "120" in the name referred to the aluminium car's 120 mph top speed, which made it the world's fastest production car at the time of its launch. Engine models ranged from a 160bhp DOHC Straight-6 Double SU H6 low end model, to the fastest version which was powered by a 210bhp DOHC Straight-6 Double SU H8, giving the car a top speed of 124mph, which in 1949 was a spectacular feat when compared to the Austins and Morris' of the time.
On 30 May 1949, on the empty Ostend-Jabbeke motorway in Belgium, a prototype XK120 timed by the officials of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium achieved an average of runs in opposing directions of 132.6 mph with the windscreen replaced by just one small aeroscreen and a catalogued alternative top gear ratio, and 135 mph with a passenger-side tonneau cover in place. In 1950 and 1951, at a banked oval track in France, XK120 roadsters averaged over 100 mph for 24 hours and over 130 mph for an hour, and in 1952 a fixed-head coupé took numerous world records for speed and distance when it averaged 100 mph for a week.
The Motor magazine road-tested an XK120 roadster in November 1949. This pre-production car, chassis number 670001, road-registered as HKV 455, was the first prototype built. It was also the 1948 London Motor Show display model, and had been driven by Prince Bira in the 1949 Silverstone Production Car Race. The magazine reported a top speed of 124.6 mph, acceleration from 0–60 mph in 10.0 seconds and fuel consumption of 19.8 miles per imperial gallon. The car as tested cost £1263 including taxes.
In 1949 the first production roadster, chassis number 670003, was delivered to famous actor Clark Gable.
The XK120 was ultimately available in two open versions, first as an open 2-seater described in the US market as the roadster, then also as a drophead coupé from 1953; and also as a closed, or fixed head coupé from 1951.
Production of the car ended in 1954 after 12,055 examples were constructed, being replaced by the Jaguar XK140. Today you'd be hard pressed to find XK120's on a regular basis, but if you attend car shows like me you'd be likely to find at least one show up.
Most notably though, the car returned to the centre stage of modern motoring through a spectacularly organised and choreographed race between the presenters of Top Gear on their Race to the North, a competition set in a hypothetical 1949 between the primary modes of transport at the time, with James May in the Jaguar XK120, Richard Hammond on a Vincent Blackshadow motorbike, and Jeremy Clarkson on the rebuilt Peppercorn A1 Pacific number 60163 'Tornado'.
The Jaguar XK120 is a sports car which was manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. Jaguar's first post-war sports car, it succeeded the SS 100, which ceased production in 1940.
The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production.
The "120" in its name referred to its 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed), which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch.[3]
It was available in two 'open' versions – first as the roadster (designated OTS, for open two-seater, in America), then, also as a drophead coupé, DHC, from 1953 – and as a closed, or "fixed-head" coupé (FHC) from 1951. The DHC was a more deluxe open model, featuring the wood dashboard and wood accent veneers on the interior as found on the FHC.
The roadster version was successful in racing.
The first 242 cars, all roadsters hand-built between late 1948 and early 1950, had aluminium bodies on ash frames. To meet demand it was necessary for the mass-production versions, beginning with the 1950 model year, to have pressed-steel bodies. They retained aluminium doors, bonnet, and boot lid.
With alloy cylinder head and twin side-draft SU carburetors, the dual overhead-cam 3.4 L straight-6 XK engine was comparatively advanced for a mass-produced unit of the time. With standard 8:1 compression ratio it developed 160 bhp (119 kW).[2] A 7:1 low compression version was also available to cope with low quality fuel. This same basic design of the XK engine, later modified into 3.8L and 4.2L versions, survived into the late 1980s.
All XK120s had independent torsion bar front suspension, semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear, recirculating-ball steering, telescopically adjustable steering column, and all-round drum brakes that were prone to fade. Some cars were fitted with Alfin (ALuminum FINned) brake drums to help overcome this brake fade.
The roadster's lightweight canvas top and detachable sidescreens stowed out of sight behind the seats, and its barchetta-style doors had no external handles; instead there was an interior pull-cord which was accessible through a flap in the sidescreens when the weather equipment was in place. The windscreen could be removed for aeroscreens to be fitted.
The drophead coupé [DHC] offered a padded, lined canvas top, which folded onto the rear deck behind the seats when retracted, and roll-up windows with opening quarter-lites. The flat glass two-piece windscreen was integral as a body-colored steel frame. Dashboards and door-caps in both the closed steel top coupe' [fixed-head, FHC] and DHC were wood-veneered, whereas the spartan roadster's were leather-trimmed. All models had removable spats ("fender skirts" in America) covering the rear wheel arches, which enhanced the streamlined look. On cars fitted with optional centre-lock wire wheels (available from 1951), the spats were omitted as they gave insufficient clearance for the two-eared Rudge-Whitworth chromed knockoff hubs.
In addition to wire wheels, upgrades on the Special Equipment, or SE, version (called the M version in the United States) included increased power, stiffer suspension and dual exhaust system.
All models of these early Jaguars are highly sought by collectors around the globe.
The Motor magazine road-tested an XK120 roadster in 1949. With hood and sidescreens in place, it achieved a top speed of 124.6 mph (200.5 km/h), accelerated from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.0 seconds and consumed fuel at the rate of 19.8 miles per imperial gallon (14.3 L/100 km; 16.5 mpg-US). The car as tested cost £1263 including taxes.[2]
In May 1949, Jaguar demonstrated an XK120 roadster to the press on the high-speed autoroute between Jabbeke and Aeltre in Belgium. The road was closed for the occasion. The white left-hand drive car, chassis number 670002, was the second XK120 built. Jaguar's development engineer Walter Hassan was to have driven but fell ill, so Jaguar test-driver Ron "Soapy" Sutton substituted for him. With hood and sidescreens erected, and the airflow under the car improved by the addition of a full-length aluminium undertray, the Jaguar was timed through the flying mile by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium at 126.448 mph (203.498 km/h). With hood, sidescreens and windscreen removed, a metal airflow deflector fitted in front of the driver, and a tonneau cover fastened over the passenger side of the cockpit the speed improved to 136.596 mph (219.830 km/h). The XK120 showed itself to be the fastest production car in the world.
Wikipedia
F-70A is an autonomous¹ hypersonic VTOL 7GF operating in AD environment beyond the 2050 timeframe, equipped with NG EA, ISP, ADSs, PQR detection, Li-Fi, DEW and enhanced capabilities in areas such as reach, persistence, survivability, net-centricity, SA, cyberattack, HSI, WEs. Cfr. notes² over the above image.
Total operational aircraft quantity: 100
Total program cost (2020-2050): US$200 billion
Unit flyaway cost: US$700 million
NOTES
1. The F-70A is also an Optionally Piloted Aerial Vehicle (OPAV).
2. Scale ≅ 1:17.693; 1 m = 214√p; 1√p = 1/96" ≅ 4.68E-3 m;
OALₛ = 4,715√p ≅ 1.248 mₛ; WSₛ = 2,145√p ≅ 5.675E-1 mₛ.
Crew: 2 · OAL/WS/OAH 22.0726/16.0528/4.8514 m · WA 92.903 m² · E/L/MTO M 13,608/27,488/29,484 Kg · ELC 13,608 Kg · IFC 15,876 Kg · 2× 445 KN GE/PW F250 + 1× 80 KN RR LS1 STOVL · TVC ±15° @40°/s P/Y · NE/C S @SC M10.0/5.0 · SC 3E4 m · CR 2.5E6 m · WL 550 Kg/m² · 1× AN/APG90 QAESA + 1× AN/AAQ40 DAS-MWS/EOTS/SATP/SAIRST + 1× AN/ASQ239 EWS + 1× MADLCS + 2× HMDS · 1× 2,000-rds 20 mm GAU22A + 2×8 IRLAS + 2×2 IFS + 4× EWPS
Rockwell-Lockheed A/FX 1992 concept, initially non hypersonic, significantly influenced the forthcoming F-70's design and style.
REFERENCES
R. Avella 2025: Boeing F-47 6GF concept.
D.A. Vincenzi & al. 2024: Human factors in simulation & training.
M. Ghafarian & al. 2023: Dynamic Vehicular Motion Simulators.
X. Li & al. 2023: Flying-wing wing rock mode.
H.P. Williams & al. 2021: ETC Kraken GL6000 @ ±3g₀.
J. Van Welbergen 2020: Thales FCAS 2035 avionics.
R.L. Laurent Jr. 2020: ETC ATFS-400-31 @ ±20g₀.
P.G.A. Cizmas 2020: Aerothermodynamics & jet propulsion.
A.R. Jha 2017: UAV theory, design & apps.
J. Park & al. 2016: Tailless aircraft control surface design optimization.
E.H. Hirschel 2015: Aerothermodynamics.
Y. Gordon & S. Komissarov 2013: Unflown wings, p. 523.
E.H. Hirschel & C. Weiland 2009: HFV aerothermodynamics.
T.A. Heppenheimer 2002: History of the Space Shuttle.
J.J. Bertin 1994: Hypersonic aerothermodynamics.
W.T. Gunston 1992: Faster than sound, pp. 228-266.
A.J. Eggers Jr. 1957: LR hypervelocity vehicles.
A.J. Eggers Jr. & al. 1957: LR hypervelocity vehicles.
ÆHSA · B21 · X30 · FBWL · FS · ITE · NEAT · NESI · MSTC · AIM260 · CHAMP · LREW · MSDM · SCIFiRE · AS24 · R37M · HTK · ABL · ec
c/n 74A055. At the MAKS Airshow at Zhukovsky Airport, Moscow, Russia. Ex-SU-AXI of Egyptair. Was converted into a testbed, for use as an Optoelectronic Visibility Simulation Systems aircraft which incorporated a large optically flat circular window which can be seen on the starboard side. Scrapped around 1999.
C-FETB - Boeing B-720-023B - Pratt & Whitney Canada Inc.
at CFB Trenton Airbase (YTR) on display within the National Air Force Museum
c/n 18.024 - built in 1960 for American Airlines -
operated by MEA between 1971 and 1985 as OD-AFQ -
operated by Pratt & Whitney Canada as a flying engine testbed between 1986 and 2010.
C-FETB was the 720 flying test bed operated by Pratt & Whitney Canada until 2010.
It was equipped to test a variety of engines, for example:
A large turbofan could take the place of the inside / inner engine underneath the right/starboard wing.
A small turbofan could be mounted on the right/starboard side of the forward fuselage.
A turboprop could be mounted in the nose.
The following engine types were tested on C-FETB:
- the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 turbofan
- the Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D turbofan
- the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 turbofan
- the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW500 turbofan
- the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600 turbofan
- the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop
- the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 turboprop
One of 154 model 720s manufactured by Boeing between 1959 and 1967, C-FETB was the single remaining operational 720 in the world. On May 9, 2012, the aircraft made its final flight, travelling from Saint-Hubert to CFB Trenton – the last flight ever of a 720.
Eager to preserve this historically significant test bed, Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (CASM) came to an agreement that saw the 720 went on indefinite loan to the National Air Force Museum of Canada, in Trenton, Ontario.
Unfortunately the red colour is fading away quickly during the harsh Canadian conditions
Thursday, October 18th. Dual-Polarized
Phased Array Radar
National Weather Radar Testbed Advanced Technology
Demonstrator tour, ribbon cutting and reception.
Airbus A380-861
MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]
F-WWDD 'VNO'
Airbus S.A.S.
Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.
Last year we had a lot of trouble with weeds in the rows of cherry tomatoes forming the walls of the maze. This year we put down landscape fabric and planted the tomatoes through it. It was a lot more work, but the fabric is tough and we can mow right up to it and it doesn't let weeds through.
The maze is larger this year but we put fewer varieties of cherry tomatoes in. We used to use it as our testbed for new varieties but we came across a couple that left gaps in the walls so we are only putting the tried and true varieties in there this year.
Also this year we put dead ends in the maze to make it a real maze. One of the dead ends is large enough to hold a chair or two and maybe even a small table. It will be surrounded on 3 sides by flowers instead of cherry tomatoes. That spot will be for the parents of the children who like to run through the maze.
The tomatoes in the foreground are not part of the maze.
Pima Air and Space Museum
The Boeing 747 began as a concept for a U.S. Air Force contract competition to design a heavy lift cargo aircraft. That contest was eventually won by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing’s failure to win that contract led it to develop one of the most iconic aircraft ever. The first 747 made its maiden flight in February 1969 and the type made its first commercial flight less than a year later. Since then the humpbacked shape of the 747 has become familiar to millions of travelers around the world. The “Jumbo Jet” is the first twin isle airliner and in some configurations could carry more than 500 passengers. This immense size allowed a much lower operating cost per seat and helped bring long distance air travel into the price range of vastly more people. Boeing has built more than 1,560 since 1969. As of 2018, only about 20 remain to be delivered. The era of the 747 as a passenger plane is coming to an end as it is replaced by more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft, but it will continue to be in use as a cargo plane for many years to come.
It was built by Boeing Aircraft Company at Everett, Washington and delivered to Pan American World Airways on March 21, 1970. It is the twenty-fifth 747 built. Following Pan Am’s practice of naming its aircraft, this airplane flew with the name “Clipper Star of the Union” until 1982 when it was renamed “Clipper Ocean Spray.” It remained with Pan Am until the bankruptcy of the airline in 1991. In March 1992 it was purchased by General Electric for use as an engine test bed. Since then the plane has flown more than 3,000 hours carrying various test engines for GE as they develop the engines that power many of the planes that are replacing the 747 in airline service. General Electric donated the aircraft to the Pima Air & Space Museum in November 2018.
Wingspan: 195 ft 8 in.
Length: 231 ft 4 in.
Height: 63 ft 5 in.
Weight: 735,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed: 595 MPH
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft
Range: 6,000 miles
Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney JD9D-3 turbofans with 43,000 pounds of thrust each
Crew: 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants, 374 to 490 passengers
Manufacturer: Boeing
Markings: General Electric Aviation, 2018
Designation: 747-121
Registration: N747GE
Serial Number: 19651
Cloud Control –This is a picture of the Magellan management and network control racks at NERSC. To test cloud computing for scientific capability, NERSC and the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) installed purpose-built testbeds for running scientific applications on the IBM iDataPlex cluster.
credit: Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab - Roy Kaltschmidt, photographer
XBD200912-01023-08.TIF
Raytheon Flight Test Operations fly this modified Boeing 727, N289MT, as a test plarform for new avionics. It is sometimes called 'Pinocchio' , on account of it having an F-15 Eagle fighter nose fitted, but is better known as 'Voodoo 1' which is it's callsign. It is seen taxiing for another sortie from it's base at Los Angelesairport (LAX), Califoenia.
Arriva London Ltd.:
DW411 was retrofitted with a new driveline, as a testbed for what would become the Wrightbus StreetDeck. The original 6-cyl Cummins ISBe engine was replaced with the Mercedes-Benz (Daimler) OM934. The vehicle caught fire shortly after arrival to the London fleet in 2011, so instead of being written off, she was given a new lease of life, and a slightly different identity!
VDLbus DB300 (Daimler) /
Wrightbus Gemini 2DL (10.5m)
H41/24D - 2011
Rockwood Road, Stamford Hill
Saturday 1st August 2015
The C111 was a series of experimental automobiles produced by Mercedes-Benz in the 1960s and 1970s.
The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines, Diesel engines, and turbochargers, and used the basic C111 platform as a testbed. Other experimental features included gullwing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air conditioning.
The first version of the C111 was completed in 1969. It used a fiberglass body shell and had a three-rotor direct fuel injected Wankel engine mounted in the middle. The next C111 appeared in 1970. It used a four-rotor engine producing 370 hp (275 kW). The car could reportedly hit 290 km/h (180 mph).
The company decided not to adopt the Wankel engine and turned to Diesel experiments for the third C111. With its 230 horsepower (170 kW)@ 4,400-4,600 5-speed manual straight-5 turbo-Diesel, the C111 broke nine diesel and gas speed records. With more aerodynamic bodywork that gave it an air drag coefficient of an incredible .191, the C111 eventually hit 200 mph (322 km/h) at Nardò in 1978, and averaged 14.7mpg@ 316 km/h (195.4 mph) over a 12 hour cruise. A later 500 hp (372 kW) 4.8 L twin KKK-turbocharged V8 version set another record, with an average lap-speed of 403.78 km/h (250.958 mph). It was achieved by Dr. Hans Leibold in 1 minute, 56.67 seconds on May 5, 1979.
(The following is a fictional history of a fictional aircraft.)
Almost as soon as the FIRAF and FIRNAA began acquiring the A-4E Skyhawk in numbers, it was decided to begin upgrading the aircraft, due to the A-4E’s lack of all-weather combat capability and the increasing age and cost of the J52 powerplant. McDonnell Douglas and Intelani Aeronautics planned the upgrade as a joint project, as McDonnell Douglas saw the export potential in such an aircraft. The project was designated A-4ES (Enhanced Skyhawk); the six testbeds were a mix of “flatback” A-4Es and “humpback” A-4Fs.
The upgrade was extensive, with the entire nose section of the A-4 redesigned from the intakes forward, incorporating an entirely new structure. The cockpit was enlarged slightly (similar to the A-4M) and the canopy made largely frameless, with a new teardrop shape added. The interior was completely reworked, with an instrument panel incorporating two multifunction displays, the addition of a multimode HUD, HOTAS, and a radar scope just below the HUD. This was due to the addition of an entirely new, also multimode radar: the APG-66, the same radar used on the F-16A. Like early models of the F-16, the A-4ES was to lack the ability to carry radar-guided missiles, limiting it to only the AIM-9 Sidewinder, but this was deemed adequate.
Behind the nose, other modifications were made. Due to minaturization, the “humpback” of the A-4F was no longer necessary, and so was deleted, though a small hump just past the midway point was added to incorporate the Have Quick radio system. An ILS antenna was added just behind the cockpit, but the biggest change in the fuselage was the addition of a USAF-style boom refuelling plug, with fuel tanks suitably altered. This allowed the A-4ES to refuel from either boom/plug or probe/drogue tankers, making it a “hermaphrodite." ALR-66 radar warning recievers and ALR-39 chaff/flare dispensers were also added.
Finally, the engine was upgraded from the J52 turbojet to a more fuel-efficient and quieter General Electric F404 turbofan. This gave the A-4ES a higher combat speed, increased warload, and thirty percent reduction in takeoff time, giving the Skyhawk better short-field takeoff/landing capability. Because landing speed was also somewhat higher, a brake parachute housing was added beneath the engine, though this was not always necessary to use. The SA-77C’s rearward-facing camera system was also added at the base of the tail, but this retained the same tendency to go out during high-G manuevers, though it was retained throughout the A-4ES’ service.
The first modified A-4ES was rolled out in March 1984, and performed “almost flawlessly,” according to a test pilot; one of the prototypes was taken over Mach 1 in a shallow dive in May, proving that the Skyhawk was capable of this speed, though actual use of supersonic speed was rare in service. With the Third World War looming on the horizon, the FIRAF and FIRNAA cancelled additional upgrades such as the use of Israeli-style DEFA 552 30mm cannon, retaining the Colt Mk 12, though many A-4ES would be field-refitted with the newer and more reliable M39A2. The FIRAF immediately placed an order for 40 upgraded A-4ES (to be done by cycling the FIRAF’s A-4Es already in use), while the FIRNAA also opted for upgrading its remaining 30 A-4Es, along with 18 new conversions, both in June 1984. This was almost immediately followed by an “emergency” order for 36 more A-4ES for the FIRAF a month later, with war imminent. Even with this, conversion did not begin until after the war broke out, with the 1st Fighter Squadron being the first recipient in December 1984.
The reliability and especially low cost of the A-4ES made it a natural choice as both the FIRAF and FIRNAA began expanding expotentially during the Third World War; demand for new Skyhawks was such that McDonnell Douglas’ Long Beach plant simply couldn’t keep pace, and subsequently new conversion lines were opened at Intelani Aeronautics. Sagely, Minister of Defense Akela Canis ordered an expansion of the FIRAF and FIRNAA anticipating a three-year war in November 1984 and three carrier battlegroups for the FIRNAA. As a result, the FIRAF now placed an additional “emergency” order for 48 A-4ES in that same month, with a final order for 48 more aircraft placed in March 1985, both to form more squadrons and as attrition replacements. Likewise, the FIRNAA’s orders also expanded to 72 more aircraft for the same reason, with this order placed in January 1985.
Eventually, no less than 301 A-4s were ordered: 181 for the FIRAF, and 120 for the FIRNAA. These conversions came from initially ex-US Navy A-4Es (eventually, two-thirds of the available A-4E airframes would be converted), ex-US Navy and Marine Corps A-4Fs, and even 52 ex-US Navy A-4Ls, themselves conversions of early A-4Bs. The latter were converted to A-4ES standards by adding a nose plug and refurbishing the wing to carry five hardpoints.
Against the MiG-23 and later the MiG-29/Su-27 series, the A-4ES was at a distinct disadvantage, and as the F-15 and F-31 entered FIRAF service, the Skyhawk was increasingly taken off of fighter duties and relegated to close air support and strike missions. This did not mean that the Skyhawk couldn’t defend itself, and Soviet Frontal Aviation pilots were warned to use caution in engaging Skyhawks that had dropped their ordnance. Though the A-4ES was capable of carrying Paveway LGBs, it usually employed “dumb” GP bombs.
Following the end of the Third World War, and the increasing availability of modern fighters such as the F-16 and F-31, the need for the A-4ES had declined considerably, and units chosen for deactivation in the FIRAF were generally A-4ES operators. From the end of the war in June 1987 to June 1989, A-4ES strength fell from eleven squadrons to two. The FIRNAA divested itself of all of its A-4s, with all nine operational squadrons reequipping with F-14Cs, F/A-18Cs, and A-6Es by February 1990.
The FIRAF retained two squadrons of A-4ES: the 63rd Fighter Squadron, which used its Skyhawks in the fast FAC role, and the 1st Aggressor Squadron, which used its aircraft in dissimilar fighter training. The 63rd FS’ Skyhawks were upgraded to A-4ESA standard, though this designation was not used outside of Intelani Aeronautics; this involved upgrading the radio suite for the FAC role and some of the avionics. These aircraft would see action during the First Gulf War. The A-4ES would remain in service with the 63rd FS until December 1994, when they were replaced by F-16Cs. The Aggressors would keep their Skyhawks a little longer, though numbers were reduced by attrition and age to only six aircraft by its retirement in October 1996.
As a big fan of the A-4 series (one of my first toys was a diecast A-4F), I wanted to build a Skyhawk kit, but there were none available in my preferred 1/144 scale. I found an old Tamiya 1/100 scale A-4E, which was good enough. Conversion to the "A-4ES" wasn't difficult, adding a few bumps for ECM and inflight refuelling, and painting on the "extended" canopy to change the profile of the nose. I replaced the bent inflight refuelling probe with a "stowed" version from a Tornado IDS kit. The two AIM-9D Sidewinders came from a 1/100 A-7 kit, which along with drop tanks, are the aircraft's ordnance load. For my fictional color scheme, I picked Ferris Splinter, a camouflage experimented with by the US Navy in the mid-1980s to break up the profile of an aircraft (and named for its designer, aviation artist Keith Ferris). I added some nose art and a tail logo, and voila, my first A-4 kit.
Boeing 767-432ER
29705/773 [-400ER protoype/demonstrator]
N827MH 'Ship 1803'
DELTA Air Lines
DAL DL
[300 mm - NO CROP]
Copyright © 2014 A380spotter. All rights reserved.
50011 Centurion shorn of nameplates & consigned to a role as a engine testbed at Crewe Works, Crewe works open day July 1987, having been withdrawn the previous February.
Sandia computer scientist Ron Minnich is seen with a Sandia testbed cluster known as Talon, consisting of the same servers that comprise the 4,480-node Thunderbird cluster in Albuquerque. In running more than a million Linux kernels as virtual machines, Minnich and his colleagues ran one kernel in each of 250 virtual machines and coupled those with the 4,480 physical machines on Thunderbird. (More information) Photo courtesy Sandia National Laboratories.
This was one of Northern's projects, a modified National 4441 MCN 840L is seen at Worswick Street bus station, Newcastle.
Note the roof pod.
Northern had quite a hand in the development of the phase two National, partly due to modifications tried out on this vehicle.
It was known locally as Humphrey.
EAA Airventure, Oshkosh, WI July 22, 2015.
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The success of the AC-47 Spooky COIN aircraft in Vietnam led to consideration given to an upgraded version in a larger, newer aircraft—the AC-47s already approaching 30 years old during the war. The C-130 was the natural choice, and in 1967 a JC-130A testbed was modified as a gunship. It was initially given the callsign Super Spooky, but later changed to Spectre. After successful operational trials over both South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, several more C-130As and C-130Es were modified to Project Spectre standard, mounting four GAU-2/A 7.62mm Minigun gatling cannons and four M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannons. A few were in turn modified by removing two of the Vulcans in favor of two Bofors 40mm cannon for use against armored targets under Project Surprise Package.
Besides their heavy weaponry, the AC-130s also had a comphrensive electronics suite, consisting of night vision equipment, FLIR, improved avionics and navigation equipment, and a digital fire-control system. In addition, AC-130s also carried a modified MAD sensor called Black Crow, which allowed the gunships to detect spark plugs used by North Vietnamese trucks. Following the end of the Vietnam War, the USAF retired all other gunship designs but kept the AC-130 in service, standardizing them as the AC-130H with two Vulcans, a single Bofors, and a M102 105mm howitzer, as the gatlings and the 40mm cannon had proven inadequate against hardened targets (such as tanks) or area attacks.
This proved to be a prescient choice, as AC-130s have seen service in every war fought by the United States since Vietnam: Grenada, Panama, both Gulf Wars, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya. During the Panama operation, Spectre crews successfully decapitated Panamanian Defense Force leadership by destroying the PDF’s headquarters, while they were instrumental in stopping an Iraqi armored column during the Battle of Khafji. In Afghanistan in 2001, AC-130s were the first USAF aircraft to see action, and proved so devastating in their first combat, the Battle of Konduz, that the city fell the next day to Northern Alliance forces without a shot. The Spectre’s absence has contributed to battles: the lack of gunship support in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, was one of the contributing factors to the debacle the battle became.
The Spectre has been continually improved, and current USAF units use AC-130H/U variants. The AC-130U deletes the two Vulcans in favor of a single trainable GAU-12/A Equalizer 25mm gatling cannon, and has a much more advanced sensor suite over the H model. The “U-Boats” use an APQ-180 synthetic aperature radar and GPS-guided fire control, and can attack two targets simutaneously with twice the ammunition storage of the AC-130H. Increasing scarcity of Bofors parts has led to studies for a replacement weapon. It is also planned in the near future to retire the AC-130H for a new version, the AC-130J, based on the MC-130J Combat Shadow II, though the USAF has not publicized what the new armament fit, if any, will be.
The effect of the AC-130 in any form is devastating; no camp or unit defended by Spectres has ever been overrun by an enemy force. The guns of a Spectre can place a bullet on every square foot of a football field every second until the ammunition runs out. The only real weakness of the AC-130 is its vulnerability to ground fire, though most threats to the Spectre from light antiaircraft fire are usually eliminated quickly, while heavier flak can be defeated by escorts. Spectres carry a range of powerful ECM and countermeasures against SAMs, but aside from shoulder-fired SAMs, AC-130s rarely operate in such a high-threat environment and never in areas where enemy fighters could intercept them. Currently, the USAF has a single wing of AC-130s, with AC-130Hs being slated for retirement soon, while the AC-130U will serve for some years to come.
The Malmstrom Museum’s model AC-130 is a H variant, as it appeared soon after the end of the Vietnam War. This aircraft has the standard weapon loadout of the AC-130H, with two 20mm gatling cannon, a 40mm antitank gun, and 105mm howitzer. It also carries the electronics suite used by AC-130Hs in the later years of Vietnam and until the mid-1980s. This aircraft was assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, and is painted in overall gunship gray.
When Dad built this kit, originally in 1977, there was no AC-130 model available, so the guns were scratchbuilt--the gatling guns were made from sprue (barrel by barrel), the 40mm and 105mm modified from tank kits, and the radar just behind the cockpit was a button taken from a SAGE computer. All the sensors were scratchbuilt as well. I'm glad he got this one in a museum rather than in storage!
Staying Cool – By building the Magellan testbed at NERSC on IBM’s iDataPlex chassis, the facility can take advantage of the machine’s innovative half-depth design and liquid-cooled door, which reduces cooling costs by as much as half and floor space requirements by 30 percent. The orange tubes in the picture will carry coolant to chill the system.
credit: Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab - Roy Kaltschmidt, photographer
XBD200912-01023-12.TIF
Airbus A380-861
MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]
F-WWDD 'VNO'
Airbus S.A.S.
Copyright © 2012 A380spotter. All rights reserved.
5/2014 - Various units await shop space plus the NS 1000 testbed unit. NS 616 is an RP-M4C built on a new frame.
The Me 262 was one of the highlights of RIAT 2023 but unfortunately prevented from flying on the Saturday by high crosswinds so we only saw it in the static display. This is a modern build replica of the superior German jet fighter of WWII, with up-to-date engines. With the few surviving airframes firmly ensconced in national museums it provides the only opportunity to see the Me 262 fly in the 21st century. The Meteor was the only Allied jet fighter to see combat in WWII where it was rushed into service with 616 Squadron against the 1944 V1 campaign: but it never met the 262 during the course of the war and no jet v jet dogfights took place. This later model Meteor, used by Martin Baker as an ejector seat testbed, has a remodelled tail and other refinements from the WWII version but still the Me 262 looks the more advanced aeroplane with its swept wings, shark-like fuselage and underslung podded engines as we see on every airliner of modern times. This was reflected in performance with the 262 capable of 540mph against the contemporary Meteor's initial 420mph and 460 with the Mk III from December 1944. The Royal International Air Tattoo, RIAT 2023, was at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire: the world's greatest military airshow and a must every year for any UK aviation enthusiast at least.
Honeywell International, Boeing 757-225, msn 22194 L/n 5, reg N757HW. The 5th 757 ever built is used by Honeywell as a flying testbed for electronics, engines (hung on a pylon at the right nose fuselage, etc. Seen static and flying display at Egyptian Airshow held a El Alamein International airport (DBB / HEAL)
In the back of a commuter jet used as a testbed at Sandia National Laboratories, Dennis Roach and Ciji Nelson examine piezoelectric sensors placed on a printed circuit board for mounting to an aircraft structure (more information). Photo courtesy Sandia National Laboratories.
c/n 18384/237. At Phoenix. Used as an engine testbed. New to TWA as N795TW in 1961. To Northwest Orient as N733US in 1962 then to Maersk Air as OY-APZ in 1972. Leased to Trans European Airways as OO-TYA from 1979 to 1980 and returned as OY-APZ. To Conair of Scandinavia in 1981, then Allied-Signal as N720GT in 1987. To Honeywell as N720H in 2000. Scrapped at Phoenix in 2008.
Avro Sapphire Lancastrian testbed--Perman Collection Image--Please tag these photos so information can be recorded.---Note: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.)--Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum