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'Warthog' is a nickname that has stuck with the A-10, largely as a result of its awkward looks. The design, however, is central to the ability of the A-10 to operate effectively in a lethal battlefield environment. The A-10A also has outstanding agility, enabling it to jink and weave at very low level. Survivability factors were the keys to the design of the A-10's configuration, the widely spaced engines being mounted high on the rear fuselage where they are shrouded from ground fire from the most angles by either the wing or the tailplane. A strong structure and system redundancy ensure that the A-10 is able to stay aloft with large amounts of battle damage, including an engine or fin shot away. A titanium armor 'bathtub' protects both the pilot and the ammunition tank.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Modern Aircraft: From Civilian to Military Superfighters
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Metro Life Flight
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A Marine Corps AV-8B "Harrier II" from Marine Corp Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point demonstrates its ability to hover in midair at the 2009 Cleveland Air Show.
The AV-8 entered service in 1985 and features seven weapon stations plus two belly packs, one of which carries a 25mm cannon while the other houses the ammunition. Over 13,000lbs of ordance can be carried, including bombs, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and rockets, as well as drop tanks.
Improvements to the USMC AV-8s have resulted in remanufacture of the airframes to produce sub-variants optimized for specific roles. The Marines now fly verisons: the AV-8B Day Attack (DA) with Hughes ASB-19 Angle-Rate Bombing Set (ARBS), which was first delieverd in 1983; the AV-8B Night Attack (NA) with night-vision goggle compatible cockpit controls, Navigation Forward Looking Infra-Red (NAVFLIR), plus the ARBS with laser spot tracker, delievered November 1989; the AV-8B Night Attack/Radar (NA/R), also known as the Harrier II-Plus with additional air-ground and air-to-air defenese capabilites; and finally the TAV-8B trainer.
Source: Airpower by Jeremy Flack
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Above the Planet on a Wing and a Prayer
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Kyle Franklin (Captain Kyro) preforms in his Waco Mystery Ship during the 2009 Cleveland Air Show. The Waco Mystery Ship is a heavily modified Waco JMF-7 biplane, known as the PT-14 by the military when used as a trainer during World War II.
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A Terror to Behold
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The advanced model, the AH-64D Apache Longbow, is equipped with an improved sensor suite, glass cockpit, and weapon systems. The key improvement over the A-variant is the AN/APG-78 Longbow dome installed over the main rotor which houses a millimeter-wave Fire Control Radar (FCR) target acquisition system as well as the Radar Frequency Interferometer (RFI). The elevated position of the radome allows detection and (arcing) missile engagement of targets even when the helicopter itself is concealed by an obstacle (e.g. terrain, trees or buildings). Further, a radio modem integrated with the sensor suite allows a D-variant Apache to share targeting data with other AH-64Ds that do not have a line-of-sight to the target. In this manner a group of Apaches can engage multiple targets but only reveal the radome of one D-variant Apache. Apaches that include all of the improvements of the Longbow Apache, with the exception of the Fire Control Radar are still designated as "AH-64D Apache Longbows", as the radome is removable and interchangeable between aircraft.
The aircraft is powered by a pair of uprated T700-GE-701C engines, and has a fully-integrated cockpit. The forward fuselage of the aircraft was expanded to accommodate new systems. In addition, the aircraft receives improved survivability, communications, and navigation capabilities. Most existing capabilities of the AH-64A Apache are retained.
The first of the upgraded Block II Apaches was delivered to the US Army in February 2003. Block II includes upgrades to the digital communications systems to improve communications within the 'tactical internet'.
Block III improvements, slated for 2008 onwards, include increasing digitization, the joint tactical radio system, enhanced engines and drive systems, capability to control UAVs, new composite rotor blade and landing gear upgrades. The new blades, which successfully completed flight testing in May 2004, increase the Apache's cruise speed, climb rate and payload capability. The Block III System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract was awarded to Boeing in July 2006.
Source: Wikipedia
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