Message posted by Peter Merlin on July 20, 2007 at 20:22:52 PST:
George wanted to talk about the hangar, first of all. I noted its size and commented that it is no larger than hangars at many other air bases. I compared it to the largest hangar at Edwards, which is used for general maintenance and instrumentation. I said it seemed unusaully large for a single program, and that any guess as to its purpose would be pure speculation. I noted that another hangar had been built on the Southend in the spring of 2005 (see Joerg's panorama). that is the area historically used by Lockheed (now lockheed Martin) for such aircraft as the A-12, HAVE BLUE, and F-117A. That "new" hangar could accommodate an airplane up to the size of the SR-71, but again we can't really guees its purpose without more data. I raised the point that the Groom Lake base already had nearly two dozen hangars? Why build more? Are all the others full? I can't believe the Air Force would spend money for new hangar construction unless there was a pressing need. Next, we talked about the "SR-72." I said that Skunk Works sources confirmed the existence of a study, informally called SR-72, that was eventually cancelled. Someone who worked on it seemed to regard it as a joke. I discussed previous known Skunk Works interest in hypersonic aircraft design and the challenges involved. The Skunk Works has been studying hypersonic aircraft concepts since at least the early 1980s. In 1983, most Skunk Works efforts centered around a vehicle that would have a similar mission and range to that of the SR-71 but with higher speed and altitude capabilities. Design challenges included materials and propulsion. Do we need a hypersonic replacement for the SR-71? The Blackbird needed high-speed capability not just for survivability and getting to the target area quickly, but also to get the film back as fast as possible for processing. Today, with real-time data transmission, that's no longer a factor. The modern trend in reconnaissance platforms has been toward high-altitude, long endurance. Stealthy UAVs could be designed to fly at extremely high altitudes for long periods, fueled by hydrazine or solar-electric power. Such an aircarft might be less expensive to design, build, and operate than a hypersonic vehicle. Aerospace enthusiasts, like myself, would love to see a new high-speed airplane, preferably a manned vehicle. I worry that wishful thinking might be at the heart of many of the rumors of hypersonic "black" aircraft.
In Reply to: Re: Peter (new hanger) in the News ! posted by Joe on July 20, 2007 at 15:01:56 PST:
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