From: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V2 #21 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Saturday, 5 December 1992 Volume 02 : Number 021 In this issue: B-1B autostart, was:F117 / B-1B airshow security Re: B-1 Re: B-1 B-1B autostart, was:F117 / B-1B airshow security Aurora Article Alert Re: WSJ Aurora Article Re: on TV AURORA DISCLOSED Aurora Article Alert (fwd) Re: B1-B Security Re: WSJ Aurora Article Re: WSJ Aurora Article (fwd) Aurora - does it op from Machrihanish ?? Temps at Mach 5 Re: B-1B security Re: Aurora Article Alert (fwd) Shameless swipe of news articel (yep, Aurora) See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the skunk-works or skunk-works-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: beede@SCTC.COM (Mike Beede) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 08:09:02 CST Subject: B-1B autostart, was:F117 / B-1B airshow security >You wouldn't want to start an engine remotely like that; they require >monitoring during the start sequence in case of overtemp, lack of oil >pressure, and other such potentially expensive occurrences. On the >other hand, APUs are so simple and foolproof that the only instrument >most of them have is a tachometer, if that. Well, I read about the B-1 before it was deployed (back when it was supposed to be supersonic . . . . way long ago). They specifically mentioned the alert switch starting the engines. As for monitoring during startup, I imagine the electronics to check things and abort a bad start would be trivial compared to the rest of the stuff cut from the B-1 program. The goal was to have the plane ready to roll when the crew were strapped in. I suppose this would explain why there weren't any wheel chocks in the legend mentioned earlier -- you'd remove them on the way to the plane, so you could leave. Probably just carried out the checklist and stopped at an unfortunate point . . . . like they said - -- it's just a story . . . . As for the battery question, if APUs are so darned reliable and simple, why can't the magic button start the APU and then bring up the electronics in sequence? Sounds like a washing-machine timer could handle that :-). Mike ------------------------------ From: dnadams@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dean Adams) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 07:17:37 MST Subject: Re: B-1 tom@gordian.com (Tom Ambrose) writes: >It was the same way at Edwards AFB Open House this year. Actually, >I can't even remember any _armed_ guards around them. Yea, they were there (M16s and all :). It seems like they spent a lot of time hanging out in one corner of the roped off area though... >The test pilots from the 117 program were there to answer questions though. The best part was watching TWO of them taxi in together. >> the F117 was parked well back into an otherwise empty hanger. There >> was a rope across the doorway and (my memory may be failing me here) 3 >> or 4 guards _with_ M16's and looking anxious to use them :-) >The B-2 was set up that way. One of these years they really should FLY that thing for the airshow. >The B-1B I saw at Edwards also had no armed guards, but crew members were >around. I don't know about when its powered up, but a lot of the exterior >panels were open. You could see some the radar electronics in the nose. >Other various things were exposed all they way down the plane. All of the >electronic test and repair equipement was out also. Yea, that was pretty interesting! They really had that thing opened up. Another time I was out at Edwards I was with a group checking out various birds on the flightline, and we got to spend some time poking around a B-1 without any "guards" or rope lines to worry about. It's always interesting to walk around underneath those things, taking pictures, looking in the bomb bays, and up into the cockpit and stuff... - -dean ------------------------------ From: dnadams@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dean Adams) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 07:18:06 MST Subject: Re: B-1 "Philip R. Moyer" writes: >See AW&ST, July 27, 1992. Our trusty friend, Bill Scott, flew just >such a mission, as Defensive Systems Officer, from Grand Forks on >April 28th. The article starts on page 40, though there are several >other relevant articles. Yes! That was all some *very* interesting stuff. I also remember he previously did a story about flying in an F-18 out at China Lake. Sounds like tough work... :-) ------------------------------ From: shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 07:45:28 PST Subject: B-1B autostart, was:F117 / B-1B airshow security Maybe the B-1B's were on ground power? Not a cart, of course, but there's power at the hard stand. Then the same ground crew person that pulls chocks pulls the power. Surely nobody here thinks that the flight crew runs out to an unattended airplane and sorties without any ground crew at all? Mary Shafer DoD #0362 KotFR NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all." Unknown US fighter pilot ------------------------------ From: larry@ichips.intel.com Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992 10:05:41 -0800 Subject: Aurora Article Alert Hello, I haven't had time to read it yet but the 12/4/92 Wall Street Journal has an Aurora article entitled: "Evidence Points to Secret U.S. Spy Plane" Magazinr Suggests Aircraft Has Flown Mach 8 for Years by Roy J. Harris Jr. nice illustration by the way, at least an A+ on neatness factor, IMHO. Larry ------------------------------ From: larry@ichips.intel.com Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992 10:50:45 -0800 Subject: Re: WSJ Aurora Article A little more information and then I have to get back to work. By the way, the Wall Street Journal article is on page B-6. The WSJ article is a preview of a Janes Defense Weekly article to appear in next week's edition of the magazine. The article is on this sighting. The article describes a sighting in August of 1989 from a North Sea oil rig, of a perfect 75 degree swept triangle planform, seen with a KC-135 and 2 F-111s, as it flew over the oil rig. The sighting lasted for 90 seconds and the sky was hazy. The sighting was by 30 year old Chris Gibson, formerly a member of the now-disbanded Royal Observer Corps of volunteer aircraft spotters. Mr. Gibson said that he couldn't make out much detail of the mystery aircraft's underside, but he knew it was unusual. It wasn't until he recently saw a drawing of a putative hypersonic aircraft design that matched the perfect triangle shape, that he nearly "spat his coffee out all over the floor". Larry ------------------------------ From: kuryakin@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Rick Pavek) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 10:53:59 PST Subject: Re: on TV X-20? YeeeHaw! (Sure, I work for Boeing, but they don't tell _US_ anything... :-) I wanted to mention two things. First, thanks for the warning. Really. Second, The discovery channel doesn't play any games with the time like the regular networks do. For the PST time zone simply subtract three hours from the times, so for us it's only showing on the 19th. Thanks again. Rick ------------------------------ From: TOM PETRISKO <0004343121@mcimail.com> Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 19:18 GMT Subject: AURORA DISCLOSED I heard a radio news report in the Washington D.C. area today about the existence of Aurora. He reported that Jane's Defence News is reporting the supposed existence of a supersecret U.S. reconnaissance aircraft. The aircaft is reported to be capable of hypersonic speed to mach 8. It supposedly has been flight tested since 1985 and is the main reason for the deactivation of the SR-71. The report stated that Lockheed was the developer of the aircraft, and that it is of a wedge shape. This is based on a supposed actual sighting over a North Sea oil platform in 1988. They stated that a wedge shape aircraft was being escorted by two U.S. fighters. That is all I have heard on this so far today. Tom ------------------------------ From: JohnnyB Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 14:13:26 EST Subject: Aurora Article Alert (fwd) Larry writes: I haven't had time to read it yet but the 12/4/92 Wall Street Journal has an Aurora article entitled: "Evidence Points to Secret U.S. Spy Plane" Magazinr Suggests Aircraft Has Flown Mach 8 for Years It's true, look at WSJ 12/4/92 pg. B6! Evidentially there was a sighting of "wedge shaped aircraft, flying over the North sea in a formation with two F-111's and two KC-135's" This sighting is being touted as "the missing link" that may explain a series of military misteries. The "Aurora" is being speculated to be built by Lockheed and Rockwell. The observer is a fellow by the name of Gibson who spotted the A/C from a North Shore drilling platform in Aug of 89! Mr Gibson said "I nearly spat my coffee out all over the floor," in reaction to seeing a design that was similar to what he had seen in '89. He used to belong to a now defunct group call the "Royal Observer Corps of volunteer aircraft spotters. I've got to finish the rest of the article myself and not spoil everything for those of you who may want some suspense. Adios, jb@geae ------------------------------ From: kevinf@cognos.ecn.purdue.edu (Kevin Ferguson) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992 13:10:29 -0500 Subject: Re: B1-B Security Greetings, fellow skunkers! The 1992 National Capital Air Show (here in Ottawa) featured both B1-B and F-117 on static display. I apologize for my inability to recall the numbers, but the B1-B (nick-named "Phoenix") was from Ellesworth AFB and the F-117 was flown from Las Vegas by Greg Siembower (sp?). Both were accompanied by KC-135 tankers. The F-117 arrived on Friday, June 26. Before approval for the F-117 to land here was granted, Transport Canada and CFB Uplands were required to install a restraint system 200' from the upwind end of the active runway, and test it by flying a CF-18 into it on Thursday. Of course, NCASA had to foot the bill :( Upon arrival, the F-117 was sequestered in the Transport Canada hangar and guarded by USAF and RCAF military police, as well as RCMP. On show days, it was wheeled out onto the apron, then surrounded by crowd barriers and the odd USAF MP (no M16s, though). At night, it went back into the hangar, when some lucky individuals (my wife included) were blessed with personalized tours of the bird. NCAS Vice-Chairman of Administration John Bennett even sat in the cockpit! In contrast, the Phoenix arrived on Thursday, and was happy to land anywhere. It was parked on static line with a nylon rope around it. The B1-B and KC-135 crew rotated through guard duty while the Air Show gates were open, deferring to the RCAF MP and RCMP overnight. Some lucky individuals (myself included) were given a personalized tour of the aircraft cockpit and DSO/OSO stations. As an aside, B1-B Capt Chuck Petty, MSgt Forrest Futtere, MSgt Gary Warner and KC-135 MSgt Jim Boyd and MSgt Mike Johnson were grounded in Ottawa for two and one-half weeks as a result of a safety stand-down following a major engine failure in one of the sister B1-B bombers in Texas. During this time (June 26 through July 15), the crew graciously granted many requests for tours of the aircraft. Terry Martin, editor AirLines (the NCASA newletter), climbed into left seat with Capt Petty to ride the brakes while the aircraft was towed into one of the DND hangers at CFB Uplands. Back to lurking ... Kevin Ferguson |SMail: PO 9707, 3755 Riverside Drive, |VOICE: (613) 738-1440 COGNOS Inc. | Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA K1G 3Z4 | FAX: (613) 738-0002 | UUCP: kevinf@cognos.com | ICBM: 45 21N 75 42W Disclaimer: Even after 10.8 years, COGNOS still denies responsibility for me ------------------------------ From: larry@ichips.intel.com Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992 11:52:37 -0800 Subject: Re: WSJ Aurora Article Hello Again, OK now for some back of the envelope checking here. I wish I had my copy of Anderson handy, so I could remember if I can use the half-angle or if I'm computing a full angle. Anyway, I'm sure you guys will correct me here. (I'm sure this is what Lloyd said about posting something half-cocked but if I don't do it now, I probably won't do it over the weekend). A 75 degree swept wing gives a wedge with a half-angle of 15 degrees. If it is indeed legal to use a half-angle with the simple mach-wave equation then we can do a rough check of the speed regime corresponding to a mach-wave angle equal to the sweep of the leading edge of the aircraft. Mach Wave Angle = arcsin (1/M) ; where M is Mach Number; if I recall correctly So: 15 degrees = arcsin (1/M) sin(15 degrees) = 1/M ... M = 3.85; So if the half-angle of the Mach Wave is equal to 15 degrees, that corresponds to a speed of Mach 3.85. For Mach 5, the half-angle is roughly 11 degrees For Mach 6, the half angle is roughly 9.6 degrees For Mach 7, the half-angle is roughly 8.2 degrees For Mach 8, the half-angle is roungly 7.2 degrees So you can see that if the estimate of the half-angle is off by 5 (mach wave half-angle) then we could be talking Mach 5-6. If the mach wave angle is off by 7 degrees, we could indeed be talking Mach 8. Now the mach wave actually stands off the compression surface more than the shock wave if I recall, so the actual sweep of the leading edge of the planform would have to be even more. But we used the mach wave equation because it was simple and it gives a rough estimate of the speed regime we're talking about. Correct me if I'm wrong, any of you AE types out there. Larry ------------------------------ From: JohnnyB Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 15:00:38 EST Subject: Re: WSJ Aurora Article (fwd) > Duane writes: > And F111's. Let me see.....RAF Lakenheath, for one. Now WHY would you > bring it in with a pair of 111's? Radar masking, perhaps. Sound masking, > perhaps. > If you would want a chase plane for something like this I think an F-111 sounds like a pretty good idea. It has a combination of high speed and better range than anything else I can think of off the top of my head. As far as radar or sound masking goes....... what kind of radar would you run into in the North Sea or other places this thing is alleged (sp?) to have been flying? The same question goes for sound masking. Hope this isn't a stupid question. jb@geae ------------------------------ From: Ian Woodrow Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 20:43:25 GMT Subject: Aurora - does it op from Machrihanish ?? There has been a lot of speculation on this project Aurora aircraft being flown frequently from RAF Machrihanish in Scotland. Well I live near Glasgow and MAC is easy enough to get to for me. Can anyone confirm sightings around MAC and tell me how it can take off and land at the base without being seen by eye witnesses there ? Does it only fly after the witching hour or what ? Surely someone must have seen it closer than miles high - MAC doesn't have a restricted area around the perimeter - anything moving on the runway can not be missed. I wouldn't mind sipping a few beers near MAC and seeing Aurora some time! @@ WOODY____________________________________________________________________ @@@ Ian Woodrow, Computing Service, Uni of Glasgow, GLASGOW G12 8QQ, Scotland\ @@ > @ _________ FAX:__041-330-4808_____________________________________________/ ------------------------------ From: JohnnyB Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 15:43:49 EST Subject: Temps at Mach 5 Here's some more back of the envelope calcs. At 60,000ft sporting along at Mach 5 your stagnation temperature is about 2400 Rankine. Looking through some materials data a speed of Mach 5 seems feasable with some low level of cooling (cryogenic fuel?) or a leading edge made out of something a bit more exotic than what you can easilly get your hands on today. This is not my field (materials) at all. Any comments would help. jb ------------------------------ From: mangan@Kodak.COM (Paul Mangan) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 10:30:40 EST Subject: Re: B-1B security > From skunk-works-owner@ecn.purdue.edu Thu Dec 3 18:56:28 1992 > Reply-To: lafford@clpd.Kodak.COM > To: skunk-works@orchestra.ecn.purdue.edu > Subject: Re: B-1B security > Sender: skunk-works-owner@ecn.purdue.edu > Content-Length: 479 > X-Lines: 17 > > Even to an informed observer, determining the capabilities of a > particular piece of equipment is difficult when all the evidence > you have is a quick look at the panel. Most of the onboard avionics > in the B-1 have been hashed over by the press (AW&ST, etc.). I have a book called WINGS ( or close to that) that I purchased from the Smithsonian A&S Museum. It has a fantastic cockpit picture in it that makes you feel like you are actually there. Unfortunately I don't know what type of plane it is. It is near an f111 picture but it is not an f111. Does anyone else have this book and know which plane it is? Sorry to inject this into the B1 conversation but you rang my memory bell and I am curious about this 2 full page photograph. What makes this additionally interesting is the amount of crt's and electronics displayed. This is my favorite book because of the photographs and the thorough descriptions in the back of the book. Some great B1, f111, SR71 photos. If anyone is interested I would be willing to give additional info. > > Now riding along on a low altitude penetration mission would be > something else ;-). > > Regards, > Rick > > ---------------------- > Rick Lafford > Eastman Kodak Co. > lafford@serum.kodak.com > ===================================== > > ------------------------------ From: dnadams@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dean Adams) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 19:18:15 MST Subject: Re: Aurora Article Alert (fwd) JohnnyB writes: >I've got to finish the rest of the article myself and not spoil >everything for those of you who may want some suspense. Hey, the whole purpose of this group is to "spoil" exactly that sort of "suspense"... :-) - -d ------------------------------ From: Pat Hayes Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 21:09:55 CST Subject: Shameless swipe of news articel (yep, Aurora) Howdy! I caught this tonite. - ---- LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Lockheed Corp. has built a secret spy plane capable of cruising as fast as eight times the speed of sound, a representative of a British defense trade publication said Friday. The wedged-shaped plane, dubbed Aurora and carrying a price tag of $1 billion, may have been flying since 1985 and may be the source of a series of earthquake-like rumbles that have been occuring for more than a year in California, according to an article due to be released next week in Jane's Defence Weekly. The article, authored by Bill Sweetman, calls its findings a ``tentative analysis.'' Richard Stadler, a spokesman at Lockheed's Aeronautical Systems unit in Southern California, declined comment on the article and said he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of the plane. Mark Lambert, editor of Jane's, said that the article is based in part on an interview with an oil worker who, while a member of the British volunteer aircraft spotter organization Royal Observer Corps, claimed he saw a strange triangular shape fly over a remote part of the North Sea three years ago, escorted by a U.S. KC-135 tanker and two U.S. F-111 bombers. Lambert said the worker, Chris Gibson, later saw a rendering of the Aurora in a magazine and recognized it as the one he saw three years ago. ``There is a whole lot of contributary evidence to suggest its existence,'' Lambert said. Lambert said Lockheed's Advanced Development Co., nicknamed the Skunkworks and located in Palmdale adjacent to Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, is the most likely prime contractor of the Aurora. ...I had to cut something out right here.... Aerospace experts quoted in the article also said that such a plane could be powered by liquid methane. The article said Rockwell International Corp.'s Rocketdyne division, headquartered in the Santa Susana Mountains north of Los Angeles, is the likely builder of the Aurora's engines. Lockheed and Rockwell worked together on a losing bid to build the plane that eventually became Northrop Corp.'s bat-shaped B-2 stealth bomber. Rockwell has admitted it performs work on classified aerospace programs, but has declined further comment. The article noted that the name ``Aurora'' first appeared in 1984 as a defense budget line item next to the SR-71. On several occasions over the past year, California residents have reported feeling what seemed to be small earthquakes, but representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey have said in response no earthquake was responsible and that a supersonic aircraft was the likely source. - --- We're not allowed to repost entire articles from our Clarinet news service. I plagiarized this from the clari.military newsgroup. Thanks, Clari. - -- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pat Hayes, Meteorology, Texas A&M University......phayes@tamu.edu O&M 1008, TAMU, CS, TX 77843-3150....days:(409)845-1680 fax:(409)845-6331 ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V2 #21 ******************************** To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "listserv@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-skunk-works": subscribe skunk-works-digest local-skunk-works@your.domain.net A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "skunk-works-digest" in the commands above with "skunk-works". Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from harbor.ecn.purdue.edu, in /pub/skunk-works/digest/vNN.nMMM (where "NN" is the volume number, and "MMM" is the issue number).