AirSkyBuster : Aircraft and Airplane

Aircraft Airplane | AirSkyBuster. An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. Although rockets and missiles also travel through the atmosphere, most are not considered aircraft because they do not have wings and rely on rocket thrust as the primary means of lift. The human activity that surrounds aircraft is called aviation. Manned aircraft are flown by an onboard pilot. Unmanned aerial vehicles may be remotely controlled or self-controlled by onboard computers. Aircraft may be classified by different criteria, such as lift type, propulsion, usage, and others. Propeller aircraft use one or more propellers (airscrews) to create thrust in a forward direction. The propeller is usually mounted in front of the power source in tractor configuration but can be mounted behind in pusher configuration. Variations of propeller layout include contra-rotating propellers and ducted fans. Many kinds of power plant have been used to drive propellers. Early airships used man power or steam engines. The more practical internal combustion piston engine was used for virtually all fixed-wing aircraft until World War II and is still used in many smaller aircraft. Some types use turbine engines to drive a propeller in the form of a turboprop or propfan. Human-powered flight has been achieved, but has not become a practical means of transport. Unmanned aircraft and models have also used power sources such as electric motors and rubber bands. Jet aircraft use airbreathing jet engines which take in air, burn fuel with it in a combustion chamber, and accelerate the exhaust rearwards to provide thrust. Turbojet and turbofan engines use a spinning turbine to drive one or more fans, which provide additional thrust. An afterburner may be used to inject extra fuel into the hot exhaust, especially on military "fast jets". Use of a turbine is not absolutely necessary: other designs include the pulse jet and ramjet. These mechanically simple designs cannot work when stationary, so the aircraft must be launched to flying speed by some other method. Other variants have also been used, including the motorjet and hybrids such as the Pratt & Whitney J58, which can convert between turbojet and ramjet operation. Compared to propellers, jet engines can provide much higher thrust, higher speeds and, above about 40,000 ft (12,000 m), greater efficiency. They are also much more fuel-efficient than rockets. As a consequence nearly all large, high-speed or high-altitude aircraft use jet engines.

A-10 Thunderbolt
A-29 Super Tucano
A-4 Skyhawk
A-5 Vigilante
A129 Mangusta
AC-130 Spectre
Aero L-39 Albatros
AH-1W Super Cobra
AH-1Z Viper
AH-6 Little Bird
AH-64 Apache
Airbus A340
Airbus A380
Airbus A400M
Alpha Jet
Antonov An-225
AS332 Super Puma
Atlas Cheetah
ATR 72-500
AV-8B Harrier II
Avro Vulcan
B-1 Lancer
B-2 Spirit
B-52 Stratofortress
B-70 Valkyrie
BAC 167 Strikemaster
Boeing 737-900ER
Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental
Boeing 787 Dreamliner

C-130J Super Hercules
C-17 Globemaster III
C295
CH-47 Chinook
CH-53E Super Stallion
Chengdu J-20 Black Eagle
CN-235
Concorde
Dassault Rafale
E-2 Hawkeye
Eurocopter Tiger
Eurocopter X3
Eurofighter Typhoon
F-117 Nighthawk
F-14 Tomcat
F-15 Eagle
F-15SE Silent Eagle
F-16 Fighting Falcon
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
F-20 Tigershark
F-22 Raptor
F-35 Lightning II
F-4 Phantom II
F-5E Tiger II
Gulfstream III
HAL Tejas
HESA Saeqeh
HH-65 Dolphin
HU-16 Albatross

IA 63 Pampa
JF-17 Thunder
Kamov Ka-27 Helix
Kamov Ka-50
Kamov Ka-52 Alligator
Kawasaki OH-1 Ninja
KC-10 Extender
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
M-346 Master
Mi-28 Havoc
MiG-23 Flogger
MiG-25 Foxbat
MiG-29 Fulcrum
Mikoyan MiG-35
MiG-31 Foxhound
Mil Mi-17 Hip
Mil Mi-24 Hind
Mil Mi-35 Hind
Mirage 2000
Mirage IV
Mitsubishi F-2
OV-10 Bronco
Phenom 300
Q-5 Fantan
RAH-66 Comanche
RQ-4 Global Hawk
SAAB JA 37 Viggen
SAAB JAS 39 Gripen
Sea Harrier

SEPECAT Jaguar
SH-2G Super Seasprite
Shenyang J-8 Finback
Sikorsky X2
Soko G-4 Super Galeb
SR-71 Blackbird
Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer
Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot
Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker
Sukhoi Su-30
Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback
Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E
Sukhoi Su-37 Flanker-F
Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut
Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA
Super Étendard
T-38 Talon
T-45 Goshawk
T-50 Golden Eagle
Tornado IDS
Tupolev Tu-160
Tupolev Tu-22M
Twin Otter Series 400
V-22 Osprey
WZ-10
X-47B
Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten
Yakovlev Yak-141 Freestyle
YF-23 Black Widow II

RQ-4 Global Hawk Wallpaper 4 | AirSkyBuster.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (Four) RQ-4 Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman, Surveillance UAV, United States Air Force, United States Navy, NASA, Luftwaffe, unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft, airplane, military, defense, attack, widescreen, wallpaper, photo, picture, image.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (Four) UAV system comprises an air vehicle segment consisting of air vehicles with sensor payloads, avionics, and data links; a ground segment consisting of a Launch and Recovery Element (LRE), and a Mission Control Element (MCE) with embedded ground communications equipment; a support element; and trained personnel. The Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) is provided by Raytheon and consists of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), electro-optical (EO), and infrared (IR) sensors. Either the EO or the IR sensors can operate simultaneously with the SAR. Each of the sensors provides wide area search imagery and a high-resolution spot mode. The SAR has a ground moving target indicator (GMTI) mode, which can provide a text message providing the moving target's position and velocity. Both SAR and EO/IR imagery are processed onboard the aircraft and transmitted to the MCE as individual frames. The MCE can mosaic these frames into images prior to further dissemination. Navigation is via inertial navigation with integrated Global Positioning System updates. RQ-4 Global Hawk (Four) is intended to operate autonomously and "untethered" using a satellite data link (either Ku or UHF) for sending sensor data from the aircraft to the MCE. The common data link can also be used for direct down link of imagery when the UAV is operating within line-of-sight of users with compatible ground stations. The ground segment consists of a Mission Control Element (MCE) and Launch and Recovery Element (LRE), provided by Raytheon. The MCE is used for mission planning, command and control, and image processing and dissemination; an LRE for controlling launch and recovery; and associated ground support equipment. (The LRE provides precision differential global positioning system corrections for navigational accuracy during takeoff and landings, while precision coded GPS supplemented with an inertial navigation system is used during mission execution.) By having separable elements in the ground segment, the MCE and the LRE can operate in geographically separate locations, and the MCE can be deployed with the supported command's primary exploitation site. Both ground segments are contained in military shelters with external antennas for line-of-sight and satellite communications with the air vehicles. The Global Hawk carries the Hughes Integrated Surveillance & Reconnaissance (HISAR) sensor system. HISAR is a lower-cost derivative of the ASARS-2 package that Hughes developed for the Lockheed U-2. HISAR is also fitted in the US Army's RC-7B Airborne Reconnaissance Low Multifunction (ARLM) manned surveillance aircraft, and is being sold on the international market. HISAR integrates a SAR-MTI system, along with an optical and an infrared imager. All three sensors are controlled and their outputs filtered by a common processor. The digital sensor data can be transmitted at up to 50 Mbit/s to a ground station in real time, either directly or through a communications satellite link. RQ-4 Global Hawk (Four)

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RQ-4 Global Hawk Wallpaper 3 | AirSkyBuster.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (Three) RQ-4 Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman, Surveillance UAV, United States Air Force, United States Navy, NASA, Luftwaffe, unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft, airplane, military, defense, attack, widescreen, wallpaper, photo, picture, image.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (Three) is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system which provides military field commanders with high resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas. The programme is funded by the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) and managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Air Force. Northrop Grumman Corporation, Ryan Aeronautical Centre is the prime contractor and the principal suppliers include Raytheon Systems (sensors), Rolls-Royce North America (turbofan engine), Boeing North American (carbon fibre wing) and L3 Communications (communications system). The Global Hawk air vehicles are built at the Northrop Grumman (formerly Teledyne Ryan) aeronautical facility in San Diego. In March 2001, the US Department of Defense awarded Northrop Grumman a contract for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the programme which concluded in February 2003 with the final delivery of the seventh pre-production (block 0) vehicle. In June 2001 a contract was placed to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) for two production air vehicles and the mission control element of the system's ground station, to be completed by December 2003. RQ-4 Global Hawk (Three). The first production vehicle (block 10) rolled out in August 2003. A further LRIP contract for four vehicles was placed in February 2003 and a third in October 2004 for two vehicles. Block 10 deliveries were completed in June 2006. The US Navy had two RQ-4A air vehicles delivered in 2005. In April 2008, the USN selected the RQ-4N marinised variant of the Global Hawk RQ-4B Block 20 for the broad-area maritime surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) requirement. The system design and development (SDD) contract awarded to Northrop Grumman requires the delivery of two UAVs with mission payloads and communication suites, one forward operating base mission control system, one systems integration laboratory and one main operating base mission control system. The RQ-4N will have a Northrop Grumman active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, Raytheon electro-optic / infrared sensors, L-3 communications suite and Sierra Nevada Corp. Merlin electronic support measures (ESM). The RQ-4N is planned for maiden flight in 2011 and service entry in 2014. RQ-4 Global Hawk (Three)

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RQ-4 Global Hawk Wallpaper 2 | AirSkyBuster.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (Two) RQ-4 Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman, Surveillance UAV, United States Air Force, United States Navy, NASA, Luftwaffe, unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft, airplane, military, defense, attack, widescreen, wallpaper, photo, picture, image.
On 26 January 2012, the Department of Defense announced that the Global Hawk Block 30 program would be terminated. It had been determined that though the RQ-4 Global Hawk (Two) 30 program had been initiated to provide essentially the same capability as the U-2 manned aircraft, but at a much reduced cost to both purchase and operate, these savings had not materialized. Although this was said to be "a significant disappointment," the experience with Global Hawk Block 30 was expected to help other Global Hawk programs like the US Air Force Global Hawk Block 40, NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), and the US Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS). The Global Hawk (Tier II+) High-Altitude, Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HAE UAV) program was an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) designed to satisfy the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office's (DARO) goal of providing extended reconnaissance capability to the Joint Force commander. Extended reconnaissance was defined by the Director, DARO, Major General Kenneth Israel, as "the ability to supply responsive and sustained data from anywhere within enemy territory, day or night, regardless of weather, as the needs of the warfighter dictate." Two complementary HAE UAV systems were being developed under this program, a conventional design (Tier II Plus) and an Low Observable configuration (Tier III Minus). RQ-4 Global Hawk (Two) UAV was designed to be optimized for high altitude, long range and endurance. It is to be capable of providing 28 hours of endurance while carrying 3,000 pounds of payload and operating at 65,000 feet mean sea level. The integrated sensor suite consists of SAR, EO, and IR sensors. Each of the sensors provides wide area search imagery and a high-resolution spot mode. The radar also has a ground moving target indicator mode. The HAE UAV was expected to be capable of long dwell, broad area coverage, and continuous spot coverage of areas of interest with high resolution sensors. Global Hawk's 24-hour operationally persistent dwell would support persistently viewing and tracking targets like critical mobile targets. The Global Hawk was focused on the radar integrated into the system for all-weather, wide-area and spot capability that could provide high quality imagery with targeting accuracy. The Global Hawk radar and EO/IR payload are carried simultaneously. Radar is capable of multiple modes, SAR strip at one meter, SAR spot at a foot, GMTI mode down to four knots operating all at 20 to 200 kilometers range. The EO/IR payload provided NIIRS 6 or 5.5 depending on whether it's EO or IR. Global Hawk was designed to integrate with the existing tactical airborne reconnaissance architectures for mission planning, data processing, exploitation, and dissemination. It would provide both wide area search radar and EO/IR imagery (40,000 sq nm per mission) at 1m resolution and up to 1900 spot images per mission at 0.3m resolution, and would support targeting accuracy of at least 20m CEP. The Global Hawk UAV system comprises an air vehicle component (with air vehicles, sensor payloads, avionics, and data links), a ground segment (with a launch and recovery element or LRE), a mission control element (MCE) (with embedded ground communications equipment), a support element, and trained personnel. RQ-4 Global Hawk (Two)

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RQ-4 Global Hawk Wallpaper 1 | AirSkyBuster.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (One) RQ-4 Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman, Surveillance UAV, United States Air Force, United States Navy, NASA, Luftwaffe, unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft, airplane, military, defense, attack, widescreen, wallpaper, photo, picture, image.
The Northrop Grumman (formerly Ryan Aeronautical) RQ-4 Global Hawk (One) (known as Tier II+ during development) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the United States Air Force and Navy as a surveillance aircraft. In role and operational design, the Global Hawk is similar to the Lockheed U-2, the venerable 1950s spy plane. It is a theater commander's asset to provide a broad overview and systematic target surveillance. For this purpose, the Global Hawk is able to provide high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)—that can penetrate cloud-cover and sandstorms—and Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) imagery at long range with long loiter times over target areas. It can survey as much as 40,000 square miles (103,600 square kilometers) of terrain a day. It is used as a high-altitude platform for surveillance and security. Missions for the Global Hawk cover the spectrum of intelligence collection capability to support forces in worldwide military operations. According to the Air Force, the capabilities of the aircraft allow more precise targeting of weapons and better protection of forces through superior surveillance capabilities. The Global Hawk costs about US$35 million to procure each aircraft. With development costs included, the unit cost rises to US$218 million. Initial operational capability was declared for the RQ-4 Block 30 in August 2011. In January 2012, the Air Force announced that no further RQ-4 Block 30 aircraft would be procured, and that the existing fleet would be mothballed to reduce costs. The first seven aircraft were built under the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program, sponsored by DARPA, in order to evaluate the design and its capabilities. Due to world circumstances, the capabilities of the aircraft were in high demand, so the prototype aircraft were operated by the U.S. Air Force in the War in Afghanistan. In an unusual move, the aircraft entered initial low-rate production while still in engineering and manufacturing development. Nine production Block 10 aircraft (sometimes referred to as RQ-4 Global Hawk (One) configuration) were produced, two of which were sold to the US Navy. Two more were sent to Iraq to support operations there. The final Block 10 aircraft was delivered on June 26, 2006. In order to increase the aircraft's capabilities, the airframe was redesigned, with the nose section and wings being stretched. The changes, with the designation RQ-4B Block 20, allow the aircraft to carry up to 3,000 pounds of internal payload. These changes were introduced with the first Block 20 aircraft, the 17th Global Hawk produced, which was rolled out in a ceremony on August 25, 2006. First flight of the Block 20 from the USAF Plant 42 in Palmdale, California to Edwards Air Force Base took place on March 1, 2007. Developmental testing of Block 20 took place in 2008. Future Block 30 and 40 aircraft, similar in size to the Block 20, are scheduled for development from 2008 to 2010. When the Global Hawk was produced it was in a sale plan for more than 5 countries including USA and Germany. The United States Navy took delivery of two of the Block 10 aircraft to be used to evaluate maritime surveillance capabilities, designated N-1 (BuNo 166509) and N-2 (BuNo 166510). The initial example was tested in a naval configuration at Edwards Air Force Base for several months, later ferrying to NAS Patuxent River on March 28, 2006 to begin the Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration (GHMD) program. Navy squadron VX-20 was tasked with operating the GHMD system. The GHMD aircraft flew in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise for the first time in July 2006. Although RIMPAC operations were in the vicinity of Hawaii, the aircraft was operated from Edwards, requiring flights of approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 km) each way to the operations area. Four flights were performed, resulting in over 24 hours of persistent maritime surveillance coordinated with USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Bonhomme Richard. As a part of the demonstration program, Global Hawk was tasked with maintenance of maritime situational awareness, contact tracking, and imagery support of various exercise operations. The imagery obtained by Global Hawk was transmitted to NAS Patuxent River for processing before being forwarded on to the fleet operations off Hawaii, thus exercising the global nature of this aircraft's operations. Northrop Grumman entered a version of the RQ-4B in the US Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV contract competition. On 22 April 2008 the announcement was made that the Northrop Grumman RQ-4N had won the bid, with the Navy awarding a contract worth US$1.16 billion. In September 2010, the RQ-4N was officially designated the MQ-4C. RQ-4 Global Hawk (One)

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Labels: RQ-4 Global Hawk, Special Purpose