acp@tcom.stc.co.uk (Andy Pomski) (08/11/90)
From: Andy Pomski <acp@tcom.stc.co.uk> I read recently about the upgrades to the F15E Engine bay allowing it to accomodate the new F110 engine, giving it an improvement in engine thrust. Can anyone supply me with some general information on how this upgrade might improve the F15 performance in terms of speed,ceiling,range,time-to-height etc? I understand that this upgrade also forms part of the 'Super Tomcat' and would be interested in details on this aircraft also. Also, I recently saw a picture of an 'F15 testbed' aircraft on the cover of an aircraft magazine (can't remember which one offhand) This aircraft was brightly painted, and had a number of obvious design changes including a Canard foreplane arrangement, and a redesign of the variable outlets on the engines. Does anyone know if these changes might make an appearance in forthcoming F15 development? Cheers Andy
shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) (08/15/90)
From: Mary Shafer <shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov>
Andy Pomski <acp@tcom.stc.co.uk> writes:
Also, I recently saw a picture of an 'F15 testbed' aircraft
on the cover of an aircraft magazine (can't remember which one offhand)
This aircraft was brightly painted, and had a number of obvious
design changes including a Canard foreplane arrangement, and a
redesign of the variable outlets on the engines. Does anyone know
if these changes might make an appearance in forthcoming F15
development?
It isn't really a testbed, in the usual sense. It's the SMTD
(STOL/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator--an acronym within an acronym,
since STOL stands for Short TakeOff and Landing). It's one of the old
(early 70s) pre-production F-15Bs, modified with a new control system
and, most obviously, those canards. The canards, BTW, are F-18
horizontal stabilizers. Other mods include the thrust vectoring.
The motivation for examining STOL fighters is battle damage to the
runways. No point to have 'em if you can't get 'em off the ground.
I would not, however, expect to see this on next year's fighters.
Maybe the next decade's fighters, though.
Pretty, isn't it? I saw it flying into Edwards for the first time,
since they did a couple of low passes over the Dryden parking lot. I
like to think they knew I was walking out to the credit union and
wanted to give me a thrill, but suspect that they had some other
reason....
--
Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer
NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA
Of course I don't speak for NASA
"A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilotjordan@Morgan.COM (Jordan Hayes) (08/21/90)
From: jordan@Morgan.COM (Jordan Hayes)
Mary Shafer <shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov> writes:
The motivation for examining STOL fighters is battle damage to
the runways.
When I was a kid, I had a paper route and there was this cool guy who
was on my route who had a hobby (that's what I remember, though who
knows if it was his full-time occupation) of building model aircraft.
One day, we were talking, and he asked me if I wanted to see "something
cool" -- what a stupid question to ask a 12 year-old who was *consumed*
by reading Janes -- and he took me into his basement and showed me a
1/4 scale F-4 that he was building. He explained that he was working
under contract (to who, I don't remember, but I think it involved Bell
Aerospace) to help build a model that could be used to test out various
things for this type of situation (runway damage).
There was some talk at the time (this would have been roughly 1978) of
using hovercraft attached to the gear that would allow (for instance) a
fighter to take off at about 4-6" off the ground, thus missing the
holes in the runway after being bombed. He said that the model was
going to be used out at Niagara Falls to test this. He said they would
be jettisoned right after takeoff, perhaps recoverable.
Did anything ever come from this program, or does anyone know anything
about it?
It sure was a *cool* model! Very realistic, and it had some of those
football-sized jeet engines that are common today on 1/4 scale models
with Gas Clothes Dryer Ducting in the back ...
/jordan