RQ-170 无人驾驶偵查機

Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel

The RQ-170 Sentinel is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Lockheed Martin and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It has been deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

RQ-170 哨兵是由洛克希德·马丁公司研制的一种主要用于对特定目标进行侦查和监视的隐形无人机，也被称作“坎大哈野兽”。它曾在持久自由行动中被部署在阿富汗境内，有消息称它也将被部署在韩国。

研发
2001年EP-3E侦察机在中美撞机事件之后在中国迫降，致使美国国防部下决心研发一种隐形无人机，以避免涉密装备和机组成员落入其他国家。RQ-170正是在这种背景下诞生的，它由洛克希德·马丁著名的臭鼬工厂设计，与之前的一些隐形无人机，如RQ-3暗星，在设计上有相似之处。采用无尾飞翼的气动设计，搭载一台涡扇发动机作为动力。据估计，RQ-170的翼展在20米左右。代号中的“RQ”意味着RQ-170是一种不携带武器的无人机，是第一种被证实承认的采用隐身设计的无人机。

部署2009年12月4日，美国空军首次证实了RQ-170的存在。持久自由行动中，RQ-170被部署在阿富汗境内。由于2007年年底在阿富汗南部坎大哈国际机场露面，它获得了“坎大哈野兽”的外号。值得注意的是，在阿富汗的塔利班武装目前既没有防空导弹，也没有雷达，所以RQ-170的隐性性能对于阿富汗战场并没有多大意义，RQ-170在阿富汗的部署很可能是针对中国。另有消息称RQ-170将被部署在韩国，以便对朝鲜进行监视。

01-10-11

01-10-11

01-10-11

NASA Prepares 'Global Hawk' for Takeoff

NASA is gearing up Global Hawk, a remote-controlled airplane, for its first scientific flights in coming weeks. With its capacity for long-distance, high-altitude flights that can last over a day, Global Hawk presents a new chapter in Earth science for NASA.

"It's a very exciting time," said Chris Naftel, project manager for Global Hawk. "This is the very first time that Global Hawk will be used for science.

"Northrop Grumman originally manufactured the two Global Hawks now being retrofitted by NASA several years ago. These remote-controlled airplanes can fly for about 30 hours at altitudes up to 65,000 feet and were designed initially as surveillance aircraft.

The maiden voyage over the Pacific Ocean will be followed by several other jaunts into the Arctic regions to learn more about Earth's atmosphere. One day, Global Hawks might provide real-time data from the heart of hurricanes and other major storms that are far too dangerous to risk sending in manned aircraft.

Loading the payload

Over the last couple of weeks, engineers, scientists, and aviation technicians at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Base in California have been mounting equipment-from high-definition cameras to ozone sensors-onto a Global Hawk.

The craft measures 44 feet (13 meters) in length with a wingspan of 116 feet (35 meters). NASA expects to operate the Global Hawk with payloads up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

The long wings carry the plane's fuel, and the bulbous nose is one of the craft's payload bays, which house the science instruments.

After a full test run with a dozen scientific instruments later this week or early next week, the first science flight will commence by mid-April, Naftel said.

The science run will be the first of four or five as part of the Global Hawk Pacific campaign, or GloPac for short. The robotic aircraft's instruments will sample the chemical composition of air in Earth's lower atmospheric layers as well as observe clouds and the sea below.

The primary purpose of the GloPac mission will be to check the accuracy of NASA's Aura satellite, which measures ozone, air quality, and climate data. The Global Hawk will fly underneath the orbiting satellite and collect data simultaneously to see if its data matches that of the satellite.

The sky is the limit

Another major goal of the early runs will be to figure out just what else is possible with the Global Hawk. "We want to know, 'how do you use this platform for research?'" Naftel said.

The ideas may come from beyond NASA: Dryden will soon have live feeds from the Global Hawk, including high-definition ocean snapshots that "should be really fascinating for the public to see," Naftel added.

17-12-2009 Boeing Dreamliner 787 takes its maiden flight

By Dan Reed, USA TODAY

The future of commercial aviation arrived Tuesday — albeit 28 months late — when Boeing's 787 Dreamliner took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., just before 10:30 a.m. on its maiden flight.

The Dreamliner, whose test flight was repeatedly postponed, won't enter commercial service until late next year at the earliest. And that's only if everything goes perfectly during what promises to be the most rigorous flight-testing and certification program in commercial aviation history.

The Dreamliner is the first commercial aircraft to be made mostly from composites rather than conventional aluminum and steel.

Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia, of The Teal Group, says certification should take at least 12 months. Then, he says, Boeing must get production volumes up and "improve the plane so that it comes close to being the plane that it was promised to be." That, he says, "may take them 200 or so planes to do."

Another analyst, Jon Ostrower, who has tracked the 787's star-crossed development, says the six delays that pushed back the Dreamliner's first flight more than two years did produce a benefit: more opportunity to work out bugs in advanced systems on the plane that flew Tuesday.

"Now this is when the hard part really begins," he says. "Boeing has the opportunity to take what was the symbol of their struggles — this plane sitting on the ground — and give it the chance to prove itself. It allows Boeing to start on the road back to restoring their credibility."
Befitting its nickname, the Dreamliner is arguably the most anticipated new commercial plane.
At one point, Boeing had nearly 940 orders for 787s. But the delays and tough economic conditions caused airlines to cancel at least 83 orders this year alone. At present, airlines have more than 840 firm orders in place for 787s.

Airlines desire the 787 because it promises to cut the cost of flying long-range routes by 15% to 20%. Reduced weight, advanced design and more efficient engines from General Electric and Rolls-Royce make those savings possible over long distances, where the fuel savings can add up.
Consumers also are expected to benefit from the 787's wider and taller fuselage and its advanced environmental control systems, which Boeing officials claim will make the 787 the world's most comfortable plane.

The 787 offers passengers the prospect of more overhead baggage space. And it will have larger windows than current jetliners because the structural integrity of its hull won't be compromised by larger windows, as would be the case on conventional metal planes. Boeing also has added a nifty creature comfort to the larger windows: electric shades that roll up or down at the touch of a button.

Su-35BM 飞行小意外

图片是2009年8月22日周六在航展上苏-35飞行资料图。

在俄第九届国际航空航天展览会上，俄最新歼击机苏-35BM差点因降落事故而报销。

俄媒8月26日报道说，MAKS-2009航展上发生的事故仅仅是之前“俄罗斯勇士”飞行表演队在彩排时发生的飞机相撞事故，还有一个事故也差点发生。

俄最新歼击机苏-35BM在降落时向右倾斜，其机翼离跑道仅几厘米之差几乎触地。俄航空专家表示，在这样的速度下如果飞机机翼触地，其后果是下一秒飞机就会嘴“啃”地、侧翻然后四分五裂。

有参观者还误以为是俄新式战机在进行特技表演。照片清楚显示，飞机降落时发生倾斜，靠右侧起落架落地。