F-117 Stealth Fighter enters retirement

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AuthorTopic: F-117 Stealth Fighter enters retirement
Lifecrafter
Member # 7557
Profile #0
Were did those 27 years go?
Posts: 942 | Registered: Sunday, October 8 2006 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 4248
Profile #1
My father has said on multiple occasions (he's an enthusiastic about the subject) that any military technology we civilians know about is already obsolete. Seeing that the fighter has served for this long, well, lets just say they have way, way better technology to replace it with.

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Life is a neverending carneval where everyone has multiple costumes. I just hope mine are pleasing to the eye.
Posts: 617 | Registered: Tuesday, April 13 2004 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5576
Profile Homepage #2
Given the bumbling tendencies of the US Airforce? I'm not so sure of it. They're still struggling to replace the F-15 with the F-22 (which never really seemed as good as the YF-23 anyway) and the F-16 and F-18 with the JSF.

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Überraschung des Dosenöffners!
"On guard, you musty sofa!"
"Verbs for the weak!"
Posts: 627 | Registered: Monday, March 7 2005 08:00
Shaper
Member # 32
Profile #3
I'm convinced these things cost way too much money...

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Lt. Sullust
Quaere verum
Posts: 2462 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Agent
Member # 8030
Profile Homepage #4
It's nice to know they still dump everything in southern Nevada. I also thought it was interesting that Tonopah has an airbase. Concerning the planes though, I always dislike weapons being retired, because then they introduce more destructive ones.

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Decca Records - "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."
Posts: 1384 | Registered: Tuesday, February 6 2007 08:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #5
I have a buddy that designs weapon systems for the AF. He is constantly building to beat the last one, both in terms of weapons and weapons jamming. It is a never-ending cycle, given the nature of the funding. Apparently they are now done with ram-jet technologies and have moved to something else. I hope to never be on the receiving end.

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Synergy, et al - "I don't get it."

Argon - "I'm at a loss for words..."
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 6785
Profile #6
I know what you mean. My dorm at the University of Arizona was under the flight path for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Freshman year, they missed my room by that much as an A-10 pilot tried to aim for the only open field in his route before crashing. His seat landed about 60 feet (20 meters) from my room and the plane turned as he ejected so it crashed into a car in the street next to the field killing 2 people.

Who cares about the weapons, the whole plane is a tank of fuel waiting for a target.
Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00
Shaper
Member # 7420
Profile Homepage #7
Between this and Salmon's new thread (which I will not dignify with a post) I am terribly disappointed in this community.

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You lose.
Posts: 2156 | Registered: Thursday, August 24 2006 07:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #8
Me too.

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Synergy, et al - "I don't get it."

Argon - "I'm at a loss for words..."
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 2123
Profile #9
quote:
Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar:

Between this and Salmon's new thread (which I will not dignify with a post) I am terribly disappointed in this community.
I'm glad that we are able to serve you so well. :P

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"The President finally had what he wanted. The President had a planet. All to himself." -A Planet For The President
Posts: 228 | Registered: Monday, October 21 2002 07:00
Shaper
Member # 7420
Profile Homepage #10
quote:
Originally written by Jumpin' Salmon:

Me too.
How dare you agree with me?

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You lose.
Posts: 2156 | Registered: Thursday, August 24 2006 07:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #11
quote:
Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar:

quote:
Originally written by Jumpin' Salmon:

Me too.
How dare you agree with me?

Awww. You're so cute when you play pretend angry.

Rrawr!

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Synergy, et al - "I don't get it."

Argon - "I'm at a loss for words..."
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Shaper
Member # 7420
Profile Homepage #12
IMAGE(http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4978/crestfallenbz2.gif)

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You lose.
Posts: 2156 | Registered: Thursday, August 24 2006 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 13427
Profile #13
Evil spammers! Away! Away! Take your imagin
ary visions of useless god-hood and degrading retorts elsewere! Like the next universe!

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Alternate account.
Posts: 21 | Registered: Monday, January 21 2008 08:00
Shaper
Member # 7420
Profile Homepage #14
It's been so long since I've had a good spam, and you really are presenting us with the perfect opportunity.

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You lose.
Posts: 2156 | Registered: Thursday, August 24 2006 07:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #15
I just think it shows America still has its heart in the right place, that it cares for its elderly warplanes, and lets them retire with dignity to someplace warm and sunny. I picture them happily playing shuffleboard and canasta, and enjoying visits from their little unmanned stealth drone grandchildren. Maybe they'll go on occasional mass outings to Vegas. Next time one of those old casinos gets demolished, look up.

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Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 13427
Profile #16
quote:
Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar:

It's been so long since I've had a good spam, and you really are presenting us with the perfect opportunity.
Yes, every topic I start instantly degrads into one of your disgusting, purile ego-feeding idiocy votes. Thank you very much oh lord god sir.

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Alternate account.
Posts: 21 | Registered: Monday, January 21 2008 08:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #17
Ah, don't take it to heart. Every topic anyone starts tends to degrade pretty quickly around here.

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Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 7557
Profile #18
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Ah, don't take it to heart. Every topic anyone starts tends to degrade pretty quickly around here.
Well, at least you didn't try to add to it. Thank you. When you have had a bad day, come onto your forums and discover your perfectly serious topic has been degraded into an off-topic flame-fest is just something that makes me seriously angry.

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*Eyes potential targets*
Posts: 942 | Registered: Sunday, October 8 2006 07:00
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #19
quote:
Originally written by Jeran Korak:

Well, at least you didn't try to add to it. Thank you. When you have had a bad day, come onto your forums and discover your perfectly serious topic has been degraded into an off-topic flame-fest is just something that makes me seriously angry.
(1) You don't "own" a topic.

(2) It's not our fault you had a miserable day.

(3) Your own track record for posting meaningful replies in other topics is poor.

(4) Cool out - it's a frakkin' web forum. The only thing responding like this will do is bait more trolls.

I love that the main principle behind this plane was essentially "if we make it a weird shape, it'll confuse radar, and if we put enough thrust behind something that's a weird shape, it'll fly." :)

[ Friday, March 14, 2008 07:33: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #20
Someone once claimed to me that the sharp angles and flat surfaces of the F-117 were due to limited computing power. Working out a shape that would minimize radar signature was very hard, and the only way the problem could be solved with late '70s computers was to consider something polyhedral. Today, even better stealth shapes can be made, without any sharp corners.

I don't know if that's true, or even makes sense. But the B2 is noticeably less pointy than the F-117.

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Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 7557
Profile #21
Actually, how is it that the shape minimizes radar detection? Or is it the elements made into the body?

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*Eyes potential targets*
Posts: 942 | Registered: Sunday, October 8 2006 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5576
Profile Homepage #22
One of the newer models (I think it was the YF-22) that I got to see actually had oddly zigzag edged doors on it that were supposed to help decrease the radar return off of the joins between the doors and fuselage. You can just see said jagged edges in this image . So it seems a combination of sharp angles and smooth curves may be useful for different stealth applications.

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Überraschung des Dosenöffners!
"On guard, you musty sofa!"
"Verbs for the weak!"
Posts: 627 | Registered: Monday, March 7 2005 08:00
Infiltrator
Member # 4248
Profile #23
quote:
Originally written by Jumpin' Salmon:

Apparently they are now done with ram-jet technologies and have moved to something else.
My father claims they're now researching electromagnetic gravitation. I once found a really interesting article concerning the subject, but I long forgot how and where I found it. The science seemed plausible to me, though, but then again, I'm not very good at evaluating such things.

quote:
Originally written by Excalibur:
Concerning the planes though, I always dislike weapons being retired, because then they introduce more destructive ones.
There are enough nukes in the world to flatten the whole surface of Earth. I don't think they need more destructive potential; actually, I'm quite confident the new weapons will focus on precision instead of damage, to destroy the enemy as effectively as possible while leaving most of their resources to be captured.

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Life is a neverending carneval where everyone has multiple costumes. I just hope mine are pleasing to the eye.
Posts: 617 | Registered: Tuesday, April 13 2004 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 335
Profile Homepage #24
Electromagnetic gravitation would go a long way towards grand unified theory, a holy grail of physics. That's more theoretical and too controversial for the military to be working on it, though. We need planes that work. Or do you just mean using electromagnetism to generate propulsion and keep a plane in the air?

—Alorael, who finds the entire idea of war somewhat odd now. The psychological dynamics of America or other nuclear powers waging warfare when both sides know that if push comes to shove the entire region can be turned into glass are, well, bizarre.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00

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