MOST Insane Military Aircraft In The World
From fifth-generation fighter jets to experimental space planes, today we look at the MOST Insane
Military Aircraft In The World.
#9 Boeing EA-18G Growler The most advanced modern method of airborne
electronic attack, the EA-18G Growler is a source of military support in the field.
This plane safeguards strike aircrafts thanks to its ability to tactically jam and protect
electronics during hazardous missions.
Thanks in part to powerful afterburners, the maximum speed of the Growler is a whopping
1,190 miles per hour or Mach 1.8.
The EA-18G typically isn’t weighed down by heavy machinery as its normal payloads
consist of external fuel tanks, jamming pods, and some missiles.
A larger jet, the Growler has room for a single pilot and a weapons system officer, despite
being equipped with minimal projectile weapons.
Regardless of equipped self-defense capabilities, though, pilots of this plane tend to be more
concerned with matters of disruption and radar-tampering.
#8 Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST One of the latest projects of the United States
X-planes, a category assigned to experimental planes under development for the U.S. government,
the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport, or QueSST for short, was devised to test the potential
for supersonic transport.
Lockheed Martin won the design contract to build this aircraft in 2016 with an extensive
time table for building, testing and reporting the results of scale models beforehand.
Earlier this year, NASA awarded them with a $247.5 million contract to continue with
the project and go on to fully design, construct and deliver the plane by 2021.
The sharp-looking, needle-nosed aircraft is meant to work as a low-boom flight demonstrator
as its expected to have a ground noise of about 60 decibels.
That’s only one one-thousandth the volume of a current supersonic plane.
The QueSST’s long, narrow frame plays a large part in this process as it keeps the
shock waves generated by the supersonic speeds from coalescing.
Though still in its early stages of development, the quest to create a speedy yet silent aircraft
looks optimistic with the X-59! #7 ESAero/Tecnam X-57 Maxwell
Revealed by a NASA administrator in June of 2016, the X-57 Maxwell was the first X-plane
project announced in nearly a decade.
Part of an initiative to decrease reliance on fossil fuels, improve performance and reduce
aircraft noise, the X-57 is a fully electric aircraft with 14 electric motors along its
wings.
Seating two, this relatively small aircraft maximizes out at approximately 100 miles and
1 hour of flight time.
However, thanks to its electric powered fuel source, engineers believe they will be able
to cut down on energy use five times over.
As with all X-planes, the development of the X-57 Maxwell is not funded in hopes of mass
production but more simply for the ability to experiment with specific technologies.
Upon successful testing, the aerospace developments made here could go on to be applied across
the United States military and used in ways we haven’t even conceived yet.
#6 Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin At the turn of the twenty first century, the
Japanese government turned to the United States military in hopes of upgrading an aging air
force.
They sought to purchase F-22 Raptors, the top of the line stealth fighter jet at the
time, but were rejected due to a restriction on exporting the jet by the U.S. military.
As a result, the Japanese were left to devise their own stealth fighter.
In 2006, researchers began by building a test models of a fighter jet at about one fifth
the size of the final product and by 2007 Japan had decided charge head-first into the
40-billion-yen project with full steam ahead.
Construction of the first prototype began in 2009 and was finally unveiled 7 years late
in 2016.
Later that year, the X-2 Shinshin would take its first test flight after a 10-year journey
to completion.
One of the features of this new aircraft includes a three-dimensional thrust vectoring option,
allowing the pilot to manipulate the direction of the vehicles thrust with excellent precision.
Another interesting design highlight is the inclusion of a fly-by-optics flight control
system.
This would let data transfer quicker and unhindered by replacing wires with optical wires within
the X-2.
Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the X-2, though, the jet also features what its
engineers refer to as a “Self Repairing Flight Control Capability.”
This is a process by which the jet will automatically calibrate corrections to compensate for minor
damages or failures and keep the plane airborne.
Despite all these features and the time put into the project, Japan decided in 2018 to
reach out to other countries to assist with completing the project as development of Japan’s
own fighter jet continues.
#5 Eurofighter Typhoon Originally entering development in 1983, the
Eurofighter Typhoon was the project of conjoined efforts in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy,
and Spain.
France was originally involved in the project as well, but left amidst disagreements and
ended up developing the famed Dassault Rafale independently.
Spanning two decades in development, the Future European Fighter Aircraft programme endured
a slow, deliberate process to craft the agile dogfighter that would be the Typhoon.
In 1998, the first production contracts for the fighter plane were signed and by 2003
the jet would enter operational service.
As of 2016, the total number of Eurofighter Typhoons procured by European and other nations
totaled 599, bolstering a large percentage of air-defence duties for the customer countries.
#4 The Piasecki X-49 Speedhawk With its large, vectored thrust propeller
and lifting wings, this experimental helicopter looks anything but standard.
Another entry into the X-plane program, the X-49 Speedhawk is a modified twin-engine,
four-blade compound helicopter.
In hopes of creating a much faster helicopter, the United States Navy invested $26.1 million
into this project by teaming with the Piasecki Aircraft Corporation.
Not necessarily meant to go into mass production itself, the X-49 Speedhawk was developed to
test the ability to integrate higher speed technology into pre-existing helicopters.
With hopes of reaching 200 knots or more, the X-49 project was underway but transferred
to the United States Army by 2004.
Three years later, the Speedhawk would make its first flight for only 15 minutes, but
this would be the first of many.
Since its first flight in 2007, the X-49 has launched 80 flights with a total of 80 flight
hours logged and it is currently considered to be still in development.
#3 Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor A quintessential fifth-generation fighter
jet, the F-22 is a twin-engine tactical stealth aircraft design for a single pilot.
This plane combines elements such as improved aerodynamic performance, stealth capabilities,
and a streamlined design to assist with critical decision-making.
These features culminated in one of the best multirole air superiority fighters ever due
to its groundbreaking combat capabilities.
It even has a radar cross section less than one ten-thousandth of a square meter, meaning
the F-22 appears smaller than a hummingbird against radar detection.
With a maximum speed of 1,500 miles per hour and a climb rate of 62,000 feet per minute,
the quick and quiet Raptor is as versatile as it is stealthy thanks to its electronic
warfare, ground attack, and signal intelligence options.
Because of this the F-22 is partially responsible for retiring a number of specialized planes.
But top-of-the-line always comes at a price.
One of the pillars of the modern U.S. Air Force, 187 total operational F-22 Raptors
file the ranks.
Though excellent in completion, the Air Force ran into many hurdles during production.
One major problem, among the various reasons for the hold up, was the price.
At $150 million per unit, the F-22 program is estimated to have cost the U.S. Air Force
a total of $66.7 billion by the end of production in 2011.
The development of a successor, in addition to the high price per unit, was also to blame
for phasing out of the F-22.
#2 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Moving in to replace the F-22, the F-35 Lightning
II provides a lot of the same, if not more, versatility as its predecessor.
This single-engined plane resembles the Raptor, but not quite as large and costly.
Upgraded avionics, stealth, sensor, and flight control technology make the Lightning II an
upgrade in almost every way.
In addition, the F-35 features advanced touchscreen and voice-recognition cockpit tools, as well
as a helmet-mounted display, making for a more efficient and simplified time piloting.
These complex flight systems contain more than eight million lines of code, allowing
the jet to utilize network attack abilities, data streaming, advanced communications and
radar jamming.
Despite these advancements, the cost per unit of the F-35 is $91 million dollars, less than
two-thirds the price per unit for the F-22!
That being said, there are still some areas in which the F-22 still beats out the F-35.
Though smaller in stature, the F-35 is not as swift as the F-22 with a maximum speed
of Mach 1.6 versus the F-22’s Mach 2.
The top takeoff weight for both vehicles is also not in the Lightning II’s favor as
the F-22 can lift an additional thirteen and a half thousand pounds.
And lastly, though equipped for aerial refueling, the F-35 loses out to the F-22 Raptor in terms
of long distance travel capabilities, hitting its limit 400 to 500 miles short of its big
brother.
Despite these factors, however, the U.S. has made the switch to the Lightning II.
Delays and high costs have held up the F-35 program for more than a decade, but the jet
saw its first use in combat earlier this year to much success.
#1 Boeing X-37 More often referred to as the Orbital Test
Vehicle, or OTV for short, the Boeing X-37 is a large aircraft designed to be launched
into space...and then reused after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere and landing.
The OTV has been used by the United States Air Force since the project was transferred
from NASA to the Department of Defense in 2004 with a total of five launches.
Sporting a design more reminiscent of a shuttle than a plane, the X-37 is currently in orbit
around the Earth with a most recent launch date in September of 2017!
Each launch, the aircraft has remained in orbit for longer and longer periods of time
with its last trip lasting a total of 717 days and 20 hours!
The OTV is an uncrewed vehicle and the majority of its operations are kept under wraps by
the U.S. government.
The official word from the U.S. Air Force is that the experimental plane is meant to
test and demonstrate “technologies for a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform,”
but specifics lack any further detail than that.
As a result, public speculation regarding this $192 million project has run rampant
regarding the X-37 in recent years.