Message posted by Magoo on March 11, 2000 at 01:07:47 EST:
Dear all FYI - Sir Jim is partially correct when he says the F-117NX was a scaled up F-117 that was intended for the US Navy. Where he has missed the boat (Boat, Navy..., get it?) however, is that the -NX was never proceeded with because it was found to be impossible to maintain the stealth for carrier ops. The reason? Glad you asked. It was two-fold. The first was because the aircraft could not theoretically produce enough thrust with non AB engines through the slit like exhausts to be able to take off from, or perform a go-around on a carrier deck. The wings would have needed more area and less sweep too. The second reason was because the F-117 technology was old before the thing first flew, let alone 23 years down the track. The faceting used to deflet radar waves away from the emitter is very first generation pure stealth. Although it is still a very capable tactical aircraft under controlled conditions, the F-117 is very fragile, has no radar, has no range, and has a very small load capability. If you scaled a F-117 up 25% for carrier ops, then the same would apply, because the thing would need to be 100% tougher, have double the range, and would need alot more power to do what it does from a carrier. The A-12 Avenger II was cancelled for just this reason - i.e. because it was going to be too big and heavy to be able to do what it needed to do from a carrier deck. Any stealth design the US Navy would be considering would be one hell of a lot more advanced than an F-117. It will be in the F-22 class of capability, and may even be a gestational version of the A-12, which would have been a marvellous aircraft had it been able to keep to the design specs. Magoo
In Reply to: New stealth plane tested at Area 51 ?" posted by Sir Jim on March 10, 2000 at 03:20:57 EST:
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