Weird planes

[Idris2002]

A Stuka with what is apparently a wing-mounted compartment for dropping agents behind enemy lines, or transporting wounded:

 

[T & P]

I was reading earlier today on Wiki about the Su-47 technology demonstrator. It seems its design has more advantages than drawbacks. I'm surprised no country has ever brought a forward-swept fighter into production

 

[Crispy]

BAD
ASS

Seriously. Reagan doesn't stand a chance.

 

[T & P]

It does look quite impressive doesn't it. One feels it could hold its own in a battle between x-wing and TIE fighters- within the atmosphere of a planet at least.

 

[Crispy]

It looks like something out of an 80s cartoon. I should be able to go to toys r us and get a big plastic toy of it, full of missiles and badly-articulated pilots.

Also, what's going on with those white things behind the tail fins? One is longer than the other?

 

[Spymaster]

Also, what's going on with those white things behind the tail fins? One is longer than the other?

Interestingly, the Su-47 has two tailbooms of unequal length outboard of the exhaust nozzles. The shorter boom, on the left-hand side, houses rear-facing radar, while the longer boom houses a brake parachute.

 

[T & P]

One of them is a backward-facing radar casing, the other houses the parachute.
ETA- beaten to it

It has recently been upgraded to an internal weapons bay to make it stealthier, and thrust-vectoring engines for even more ludicrous agility. Apparently the PAK-FA programme owes a great deal to this little bird.

 

[2hats]

NASA/Grumman X-29 program(me) from the 80's:

But long before that - the Junkers Ju 287:

 

[pogofish]

Not exactly a weird plane but:

 

[A380]

Not exactly a weird plane but:

A bit like:

 

[Sweet FA]

Liars

 

[existentialist]

Liars

View attachment 80705

I suspect a little Photoshoppery may have taken place...

 

[Sweet FA]

I think they wanted me to watch that video so much, they lied about what was in it

(It worked )

 

[DotCommunist]

this is odd:

convair pogo

lands on its arse!

 

[High Voltage]

OK - so it's not that weird - but it is pretty neat

 

[Fez909]

 

[T & P]

"Your mum's new dildo has arrived".

 

[A380]

I want one of these:

 

[HAL9000]

I want one of these:

interesting, but

• that undercarriage looks weedy
• what about regulating the speed on approach .

or

• Is it x plane style ,wait for the fuel to run out and hope you can glide to a runway?

 

[A380]

interesting, but

• that undercarriage looks weedy
• what about regulating the speed on approach .

or

• Is it x plane style ,wait for the fuel to run out and hope you can glide to a runway?

The mains look OK but you probably wouldn't want to lower the nose early.

I thinks it's a hybrid motor, rubber with an throttle controlled oxidiser.

 

[Idris2002]

Once again, British engineering leads the way.

Spoiler

Westland WG.33, 1977, 2 seat light reconnaissance helicopter

 

[A380]

Once again, British engineering leads the way.

Spoiler

Westland WG.33, 1977, 2 seat light reconnaissance helicopter

Shut up and take my money.

 

[Enviro]

A bit like:

I've been there!

 

[dylanredefined]

I was reading earlier today on Wiki about the Su-47 technology demonstrator. It seems its design has more advantages than drawbacks. I'm surprised no country has ever brought a forward-swept fighter into production

Better missles say no need for it

 

[NoXion]

External liquid fuel tank for the Buran?

 

[A380]

External liquid fuel tank for the Buran?

Think so, but its the top of an Enegia rocket. The Buran orbiter didn't have the main engines built in like the shuttle, they were in the main stack that I think this picture was part of.

 

[DownwardDog]

I was reading earlier today on Wiki about the Su-47 technology demonstrator. It seems its design has more advantages than drawbacks. I'm surprised no country has ever brought a forward-swept fighter into production

Horribly unstable in yaw and the wing stalls from the aft of the quarter chord first so it's almost impossible to recover. It might be possible to engineer these deficiencies out with modern FBW systems, although Russia is about as well placed as Burkina Faso to achieve this. The putative advantages just aren't worth discarding 70 years worth of progress and knowledge on normally swept wings.

 

[Idris2002]

 

[mauvais]

I saw a Beluga taking off from Toulouse today - probably empty as it did a pretty mean climb out. I have a properly terrible picture somewhere.

 

[mauvais]

Obvs I took that with a calculator after a pint of absinthe.