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Pentagon wants ideas for flying aircraft carrier
Got an idea on how to make a flying aircraft carrier? The Defense Department wants to know about it. The Defense Advanced Research Products Agency has a request out for ideas on how to develop an airborne platform that could both launch and recover other aircraft. But before you start looking for schematics of the Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701) or Battlestar Galactica, or how you might levitate the USS Nimitz, think a little smaller, like B-1, B-52 or C-130. (www.cnn.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
The US Navy had them in the 1930s. See http://www.airships.net/us-navy-rigid-airships/uss-akron-macon
It would be too much to expect that the government would look to something in house. They instead will want to go trillions of $ that we don't have developing something brand new. I can be just as ascenine as they can, wanting something by the 26th of this month.
While working on a black project at McDonnell Douglas, (designing a small attack helicopter for the Army using new technology), 4 companies were co-located in Mesa and worked on the proposal for five years. Upon completion, it took 4 semi-tractor trailers to carry the proposal to St. Louis. DARPA has been smoking weed.
As a veteran of several 'black' projects I can assure you working with DARPA is a breath of 'fresh' air, no weed. I'd do a dozen DARPA RFPs with the time and money it takes to develop a single operational sub-system. And the seriously profitable ones were always successful. What you have is a typical case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing...
You did not follow the link, it specifically said they want min-cost built from existing hardware. Shoot your mouth before reading it seems to work for you.
He followed the link...he just has the age and wisdom to know that the government never takes the practical way of doing things...Also while good at dropping supplies the c-130 probably isn't big enough to fit a drone on the inside and safely unload it without the wings being folded; it would have to free fall out and hopefully be piloted back under control before smacking the ground..Alsoa C130 is quit slow compared to a jet...The B-52s and B-1s would have to carry the drone on the outside and would have to be totally redesigned and modified. Mind you a predator is 27ftx48ftx7ft
The predator also has a flight envelope significantly slower than the C-130, so the jets are worse not better...
The very mods that could transform a 130 airframe into something big enough for a 10k-lb 27x48x7 to land on, could also slow it enough to make the intercept useful, while adding enough interior space and lift to allow meaningful flight operations. It is a lot more practical than it first appears.
The very mods that could transform a 130 airframe into something big enough for a 10k-lb 27x48x7 to land on, could also slow it enough to make the intercept useful, while adding enough interior space and lift to allow meaningful flight operations. It is a lot more practical than it first appears.
So you want land it on top of the C130?....Have you gone mad?...lol....Why not just make the drone a solar/fuel hybrid?....it can use solar to plot its way along to the target and the rotax during take off and while leaving the target zone.