Pssst, can someone enlighten BAe, it goes the other way up
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Pssst, can someone enlighten BAe, it goes the other way up
Pssst, can someone enlighten BAe, it goes the other way up
It struck me that the video is a very parochial and British scene. An incredibly expensive (assuming its a real fuselage and not just a mock up) piece of equipment being pulled upside down on an old trailer with some bloke walking next to it. I can't help thinking that a similar scene at a Lockheed Martin plant in the US would see the same fuselage being transported on a high tech monorail and guarded by robots. With frickin laser beams!
BV
BV
This event is either a major whoops / SNFU in forgetting the tarp cover, or a stealth system test. The latter is more likely as a radar assessment tower is seen in the background, and aircraft are often mounted on this upside down.
Of course it could be a big spoof; or will be presented as a spoof if it was the real thing when it shouldn't have been on view.
Or is it one of theirs – you know who.
Of course it could be a big spoof; or will be presented as a spoof if it was the real thing when it shouldn't have been on view.
Or is it one of theirs – you know who.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Loose article check?
Interesting that it has strong points on the top; may be it is for the Swiss Air Force for suspension in the hangar galleries?
Interesting that it has strong points on the top; may be it is for the Swiss Air Force for suspension in the hangar galleries?
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The health&safety hiviz jackets worked- nobody ran into them! Liked the fellow following the trailer in case pieces fell off. Also the lack of staff at 2:07 on- must have been a tea break! 
my 2 cents it looks like an RCS model of the original McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace/Northup Grumman bid for the JAST program, which was soon renamed JSF and resulted in the F-35 program we know today. There were three main bidders for the JAST/JSF. Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and the MD/BAE/NG team. Two made the down select in 1996, with Boeing making the X-32 and LM making the X-35, which eventually was selected for the F-35 JSF. The MD/BEA/NG bid was not selected for further study. IIRC it had a lift jet for the V/STOL version and was deemed too complicated and had the penalty of carrying around a lift jet while not in V/STOL mode. All three concepts chose different V/STOL methods.
The similarities between this model rolled into the sunshine recently and the non-selected MD/BAE/NG bid are especially close in overall shape, intake design, canted tails, and canopy. The cut out on the belly looks very much like where the main engine could be diverted down for V/STOL flight. So perhaps this is just a 18 year old RCS model from that program.
Some examples of the non-selected bid here:
http://www.jsf.mil/gallery/gal_photo_cddr_mda-ngc-bae.htm
The similarities between this model rolled into the sunshine recently and the non-selected MD/BAE/NG bid are especially close in overall shape, intake design, canted tails, and canopy. The cut out on the belly looks very much like where the main engine could be diverted down for V/STOL flight. So perhaps this is just a 18 year old RCS model from that program.
Some examples of the non-selected bid here:
http://www.jsf.mil/gallery/gal_photo_cddr_mda-ngc-bae.htm
Thing, Sandiego89.
It is the BAE Replica. Rumour has it that it is being prepared for museum display? Just a rumour. Don't shoot the messenger!
Old image of it on test pole. You can see the test pole in the video at 02:45.
From 2003
Secret UK stealth plane project revealed - 04 April 2003 - New Scientist
It is the BAE Replica. Rumour has it that it is being prepared for museum display? Just a rumour. Don't shoot the messenger!
Old image of it on test pole. You can see the test pole in the video at 02:45.
From 2003
Secret UK stealth plane project revealed - 04 April 2003 - New Scientist
It's BAe REPLICA. I saw this about 5 years ago and it was at least 5-10 years then! It was cancelled when we bought into the JSF program.
The cancellation was described to me as 'another TSR2 moment'
Try doing a search for BAe REPLICA on google or similar.
LJ
PS. Must type faster like Teeej!
The cancellation was described to me as 'another TSR2 moment'
Try doing a search for BAe REPLICA on google or similar.
LJ
PS. Must type faster like Teeej!
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I saw it in a hangar, still upside down but painted black, in 2004. Having been sworn to secrecy over a few other sexy items that were kept at arm's length, the BAe staff weren't particularly worried about us having a good nose at this particular bit of hardware.
According to a mate that's had a poke around it, it's set out as a two seater. And it's resemblance to the MDD/BAE JSF contender is not co-incidental/ I've long harboured a suspicion that was one of the reasons it was ditched.
Another possible motive for this design is that it was developed to prove that the UK could match anyone else on low observability in next gen fighter aircraft so that the UK would be let in to the good stuff in JSF.
I do wonder if it's a little undersize given the two seater configuration and the size of the canopy for that, but others suggest not.
It's a radar signature tool. It has representative skins and surface treatments and the internals are just a skeleton to support those skins.
Would very much like to see what else was in that hangar!
I do wonder if it's a little undersize given the two seater configuration and the size of the canopy for that, but others suggest not.
It's a radar signature tool. It has representative skins and surface treatments and the internals are just a skeleton to support those skins.
Would very much like to see what else was in that hangar!
Some of the other stuff in the hangar that I saw from open source:
Kestrel
Corax
Raven
Oh yes, an MRA4 (now probably razor blades!) and Taranis...
LJ
Kestrel
Corax
Raven
Oh yes, an MRA4 (now probably razor blades!) and Taranis...
LJ
Last edited by Lima Juliet; 26th Feb 2014 at 21:34.
Oh, and lots of other bright ideas from the past 50 years like this...
...what a shame that the senior staff can never follow through with these visions for the Customer!!!
LJ
...what a shame that the senior staff can never follow through with these visions for the Customer!!!
LJ
Thanks LJ.
I had forgotten about most of those - Warton should make more of them. The Corax fills in a blank or two. I sit across from one of the guys that did the stressing for that.
Was HERTI in there too?
I had forgotten about most of those - Warton should make more of them. The Corax fills in a blank or two. I sit across from one of the guys that did the stressing for that.
Was HERTI in there too?
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Can't fool me- the first craft in post 15 has 2 of Jetex-50 engines mounted. I had one of those (engines).
Last edited by N2erk; 26th Feb 2014 at 23:09. Reason: I'm old and forgetful