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Foj
Citizen
Username: Foger
Post Number: 998
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - 4:43 pm: | 
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MOST ADVANCED LOCKHEED MARTIN F-16 FIGHTERS FEATURED AT DUBAI AIR SHOW
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates and FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 22, 2005)
Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] is featuring the most advanced F-16 fighters this week at the Dubai International Air Show – the Block 60 F-16 E/F and the Block 50/52 F-16 C/D.
The new Block 60 aircraft made its aerial debut at the show on Monday November 21 – in the home country of the first and only nation flying this aircraft today. Troy Pennington, Lockheed Martin test pilot, is flying the aircraft in the demonstrations this week.
“The Block 60 is a great plane to fly and is an outstanding addition to our air force,” said Brigadier General Ali Khadem Salem Al Mansoori, [UAE] Assistant Air Force commander for air defense during the F-16 briefing today. “The aircraft meets our requirements and we look forward to the continued support of Lockheed Martin as we work together to build a great air force structure for our nation. We are proud to see our new aircraft perform aerial demonstrations during the show this week.”
“This is a proud moment for the UAE and for Lockheed Martin. The Block 60 possesses breakthrough technological features and advanced systems. It exemplifies the evolution of Lockheed Martin aircraft, matching capability with customer needs,” said John Larson, vice president and deputy, Lockheed Martin F-16 programs. “We are honored to provide the UAE with the Block 60 and are committed to sustaining and maintaining their F-16s to the highest levels of capability and readiness into the future.”
Both new F-16 versions have the latest technology in avionics, weapons, sensors and systems integration that provide pilots with increased situational awareness. Recent F-16 milestones include the arrival in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of the first group of 10 Block 60 UAE aircraft, rollout of the first Block 50 aircraft for Chile, delivery of the first two Block 50 aircraft to Oman and Turkey’s announcement of a major capabilities upgrade for its fleet of F-16s.
“The F-16 is still the world standard when it comes to versatile multirole fighters. We have two new products in production today with the Block 60 for the UAE and the Block 50 which we’re producing for Oman, Chile and Poland. Each has a range of upgrade options available to fit the needs of any potential customer seeking a combat proven, technologically advanced aircraft,” said Larson.
Oman is now flying new aircraft with the delivery in October of their first two F-16 Advanced Block 50 aircraft. “This makes Oman the fifth Arab nation and the third member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to acquire the F-16,” said Larson. “Oman’s selection of the F-16 provides further opportunities for interoperability and closer ties among airmen throughout the region,” said Larson.
“Couple these new aircraft deliveries in the region with the Government of Turkey’s decision in July to begin a major capabilities upgrade for the Turkish Air Force fleet of F-16s – the $1.1B Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) – and you have the most advanced aircraft systems available being flown by countries in this region,” said Larson. “The Turkish CCIP upgrade shows how F-16 technology continues to evolve, even for customers who are no longer ordering new aircraft.”
Dubai 2005, a biennial air show, features more than 700 exhibitors from 46 countries. The show site has more than 376,000 feet of exhibit space as well as purpose-built facilities. Other Lockheed Martin products featured at the show include the C-130J and the T-50 Golden Eagle trainer.
“Lockheed Martin is committed to continuous production, modification, and sustainment of the F-16 fleet worldwide. We take great pride in providing a reliable product and services that allow our customers to do their jobs,” Larson said.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2004 sales of $35.5 billion.
# # #
Media Contacts: Peter Simmons, 770-494-6208/Cell 678-662-4747 peter.e.simmons@lmco.com Dexter Henson, 817-655-7063/Cell 817-437-0426 dexter.q.henson@lmco.com
For additional information, visit our website:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com
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notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3118
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 9:23 pm: |
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I wonder: who specifically is the UAE buying these planes to protect themselves from? |
Brokeback Straw
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 6922
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 9:30 pm: |
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Hillsider
Supporter
Username: Hillsider
Post Number: 54
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 1:56 pm: |
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toys for boys...
richer the boys, bigger the toys...
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tjohn
Supporter
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 4121
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 8:07 pm: |
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Fighter planes are the nation-state equivalent of penis enlargement.
They'll all be scrap metal on the first hour of engagement with a military actually capable of using them effectively. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10891
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 4:24 am: |
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I remember during the initial air campaign in Desert Storm, we used to take Saudi F15s out and give them a chance to shoot down an Iraqi plane. One guy finally succeeded. |
joel dranove
Citizen
Username: Jdranove
Post Number: 154
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 7:08 pm: |
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I'll take one of these, and ask you to find out what it was up to recently.
jd
B-70 Valkyrie
With research and development studies beginning in 1955, the XB-70 was a large, long-range strategic bomber was planned to be the replacement for the B-52. As in the B-58 program, the Air Force wanted new technology advances. To this end, the Air Force gave the prime contractor total weapon system responsibility. Competition between Boeing and North American for the contract occurred during the design phase. In 1958, the North American design was chosen and a development contract awarded. The Air Force requirement was for a Mach 3, high-altitude, long-range bomber capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons.
Although there was a technology breakthrough in 1957 that made Mach 3 possible, the XB-70 never went into production. The continuing emergence of new SAMs was the key factor in the demise of the XB-70, just as it affected the B-47 and B-58.
The XB-70 had a length of 196 feet, a height at the tail of 31 feet, and an estimated maximum gross weight of 521,000 pounds. It had a crew of four: pilot, copilot, bombardier, and defensive systems operator. The delta wing had a span of 105 feet with six turbojet engines side by side in a large pod underneath the fuselage. The wing was swept at about 65 1/2o, and the wing tips were folded down hydraulically 25o to 65o to improve stability at the aircraft's supersonic speeds of up to Mach 3. At this speed the Valkyrie was designed to ride its own shock wave. A large canard foreplane near the front of the fuselage with a span of 28 feet, 10 inches was used for stability. In addition to its sharply swept delta wings, the XB-70s had two large vertical tails.
The aircraft was fabricated using titanium and brazed stainless steel “honeycomb” materials to withstand the heating during the sustained high Mach number portions of the flights. The propulsion system consisted of six General Electric turbojet engines (J93-GE 3) with two large rectangular inlet ducts providing two-dimensional airflow.
The entire mission (including return) was to be flown at Mach 3, but even then the aircraft was vulnerable to SAMs of the 1960's vintage. A high altitude, Mach 3 penetrator cannot maneuver well; its straight and level trajectory would have been an easy course to plot and intercept. Further, the technology that made Mach 3 possible yielded an airframe with a large RCS that added to the effectiveness of SAMs against the XB-70. The airframe was not adaptable to low level penetration to avoid SAMs because the delta wings were very thin and did not lend themselves to the structural modifications necessary for sustained, low level flight.
The XB-70 design had payload flexibility but not mission flexibility. In 1959, the XB-70 concept was changed to a recon/strike RS-70, making it a reconnaissance aircraft with a bomber strike capability. However, its reconnaissance capability would not have been as good as the super high altitude aircraft designed to fill the reconnaissance role. The XB-70 was an aircraft which fulfilled the criteria it was designed to meet, but whose mission had been eliminated by defensive threat technology.
The high drag of the Mach 3 airframe required a fuel load comparable to the B-52 but limited the range to about 5,000 nm. It was capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons internally, but due to its design and Mach 3 mission profile, it could not carry external ordnance.
In 1961, President Kennedy announced that the XB-70 program was to be reduced to research only, citing high cost (over $700 million per prototype) and vulnerability. The Kennedy administration felt ICBMs were more cost effective because they were less vulnerable and were cheaper operationally. Although two XB-70 prototypes were built, with the first flight in 1964, the program terminated in 1969. The XB-70 had speed, range, and adequate payload, but it was expensive, not suited to low level penetration, and thus did not compete with ICBMs for strategic funds.
During the early 1960s, the NASA Flight Research Center was involved in support of the national Supersonic Transport Program (SST). Two prototype Mach 3+ high altitude bombers, built by North American Aviation for the Air Force, became available for SST research with the cancellation of their intended military program. Aircraft No. 2 (serial # 62-0207) with its improved wing design, was capable of sustained Mach 3 flight at altitudes around 70,000 ft. This highly instrumented vehicle was destroyed in a mid-air collision with NASA F-104N (N813NA) on 8 June 1966. An attempt to substitute the slower No. 1 aircraft (serial # 62-0001) into the research program met with limited success. Ship #1 was flown by the NASA Flight Research Center (now NASA Dryden), Edwards, Calif. from March 1967 through early 1969. The XB-70A program produced a significant quantity of information about supersonic flight up to Mach 3 speeds. In many areas, such as noise (including sonic boom runs), clear air turbulence, flight controls, aerodynamics and propulsion system performance and operation problems, it related to SSTs.
Specifications
Span: 105 ft.
Length: 185 ft. 10 in. without boom; 192 ft. 2 in. with boom
Height: 30 ft. 9 in.
Weight: 534,700 lbs. loaded
Engines: Six General Electric YJ-93s of 30,000 lbs. thrust each with afterburner.
Maximum speed: 2,056 mph. (Mach 3.1) at 73,000 ft.
Cruising speed: 2,000 mph. (Mach 3.0) at 72,000 ft.
Range: 4,288 miles
Service Ceiling: 77,350 ft.
Sources and Resources
* 001 Flight of the Valkyrie
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