What’s going on here?
Is that how fighter planes are born?
Sometimes when a defense contractor and military branch love each other very much, they do a special hug, called an engineering and manufacturing development contract.
I thought the military–industrial complex fucks the taxpayers and two trillion dollars later (and five years past contract deadline) a multirole fighter pops out?
A young F-35 being taught to fly for the first time
Nature is beautiful, isn't it?
Testing helicopter capabilities.
CH-53K carrying an inoperable F-35C airframe (CF-1) refueling from a KC-130T
Helicopter transporting a jet getting midair refuel.
Not sure the context of why it had to happen though. Pilot flight hours?
Common question… the aircraft is an F-35, which has strong stealth capabilities. Because we had trouble tracking one that crashed in the US last year, congress dictated that each F-35 operated in the US would have an emotional support helicopter attached so that the radar signature of the helicopter could be tracked in case of emergency.
They initially tried tying the helicopter to the jet and operating it this way, but after three helicopters they decided the other way around was the best configuration (while losing helicopters is okay, there was concern the surviving pilots might get used to moving over 500mph, and this attitude could contaminate the other slow-moving helicopter pilots).
It’s a heavy price for safety, but honestly the F-35 pilots are too busy taking pictures of themselves in an F-35 to notice the difference.
I never thought that you refuel helicopters this way. Isn't the risk of the rotor snacking on the fuel line to high?
Damn hungry helicopters. Always eating my fuel lines!
The line will cut cleanly if it happens.
With cleanly you mean without fringes? Can't Hape our helicopter showered in kerosine in a sloppy way
Our best engineers are workshoping a solution
Yes, there are videos of this exact thing happening
Those new Super Duper Stallions are badass
(In the PS1 game Army Men Air Attack you could fly an armed Stallion gunship. I would love to see concept art of a irl version because that sounds rad as hell)
yea sure if it wasn't for ukraine nato would have no chance at all against mighty mother russia
except in that case people from NATO countries would have to die, not to mention countries would have to spend their main military budget, also as all the countries' economy will be dedicated to prevail. Now they can just throw leftovers from now and then so that Ukraine can hold back Russia. Well, till there are any ukrainians left of course.
Or, just maybe, NATO members are mostly worried about the "Nuclear Armageddon" aspect.
