2 years, 1 month ago
How does the F22 use vector thrust to change angles suddenly? Will computers play an important role in the dog fight?
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M$1 Answer
Two blue streams show the up and down vertical angle of the F/A-22 vector trust.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/f-22-raptor-12.jpg
Vector trust maneuverability on the F/A-22 Raptor is attained thanks to its nozzles that direct the flow of hot exhaust gases. It is the first practical vectoring nozzle in the world fully integrated into an aircraft. The flow of gases expelled thru the vector nozzle is two-dimensional because the nozzle only moves 20 degrees up or down moving the airplane's nose in either direction.
This trust vectoring increases the roll rate of the aircraft 50%, which makes it much more maneuverable than most fighter jets. The vector nozzles are coupled to the rear of the Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines that gives the F/A-22 Raptor a high thrust-to-weight ratio enabling the airplane to handle its own weight many times and allowing to accelerate and maneuver much quickly.
In regard of the computers, we can say that modern combat aircraft fly today with electromechanical commands called fly-by-wire. The pilot stick sends electrical impulses to the flight control system computer which translate these signals into impulses, thousands of times per second, to small servo engines that move the three mechanical control surfaces of the aircraft: elevators, rudder and ailerons. In the case of the F/A-22, a fourth control surface, the thrust vectoring nozzles, are also built into the flight control system, which works automatically in response to commands from the pilot.
This technology has been able to push the flight envelope of today’s aircraft to new heights and is a vital component of the dog fight and BVO (Beyond Visual Range) doctrine of most modern air forces. It appeared at the beginning of the 70's, was first implemented in the F-16 Falcon combat aircraft and has been around ever since. Today almost all modern jet aircraft are coupled with this type of flight controls. Aircraft like the F/A-22 are aerodynamically unstable, that is, they are designed to be unstable in flight and are controlled by these electrical impulses, the fly-by-wire technology (which refers to fiber optics not metal wires), and thus, they are by all means and for lack of better world, electric aircraft.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/f-22-raptor-thrust.gif
Lockheed Martin/Boeing F/A-22 Raptor
http://ladyraine.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/f22-raptor2.jpg
Vector trust maneuverability on the F/A-22 Raptor is attained thanks to its nozzles that direct the flow of hot exhaust gases. It is the first practical vectoring nozzle in the world fully integrated into an aircraft. The flow of gases expelled thru the vector nozzle is two-dimensional because the nozzle only moves 20 degrees up or down moving the airplane's nose in either direction.
This trust vectoring increases the roll rate of the aircraft 50%, which makes it much more maneuverable than most fighter jets. The vector nozzles are coupled to the rear of the Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines that gives the F/A-22 Raptor a high thrust-to-weight ratio enabling the airplane to handle its own weight many times and allowing to accelerate and maneuver much quickly.
In regard of the computers, we can say that modern combat aircraft fly today with electromechanical commands called fly-by-wire. The pilot stick sends electrical impulses to the flight control system computer which translate these signals into impulses, thousands of times per second, to small servo engines that move the three mechanical control surfaces of the aircraft: elevators, rudder and ailerons. In the case of the F/A-22, a fourth control surface, the thrust vectoring nozzles, are also built into the flight control system, which works automatically in response to commands from the pilot.
This technology has been able to push the flight envelope of today’s aircraft to new heights and is a vital component of the dog fight and BVO (Beyond Visual Range) doctrine of most modern air forces. It appeared at the beginning of the 70's, was first implemented in the F-16 Falcon combat aircraft and has been around ever since. Today almost all modern jet aircraft are coupled with this type of flight controls. Aircraft like the F/A-22 are aerodynamically unstable, that is, they are designed to be unstable in flight and are controlled by these electrical impulses, the fly-by-wire technology (which refers to fiber optics not metal wires), and thus, they are by all means and for lack of better world, electric aircraft.
Lockheed Martin/Boeing F/A-22 Raptor
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M$
Cutaway of the Global Hawk intercontinental capable UAV.
Most pilot jockeys today relay to much on fly-by-wire. For them the technology seem great, but for old school combat pilots who used to fly in analog aircraft they prefer the old aircraft, because "you feel the power of the machine" that you "really fly" the aircraft, whilst an aircraft like the F-16 or F-22 are technological beast that takes away much of the real pleasure to fly.
In reality, those aircraft can not fly. They fly because the flight computer sends thousands of impulses to the control surfaces, so the aircraft could fly, the pilots did not sense anything. The subtle changes over the aerodynamic surfaces happen so fast that they could not feel anything.
Its kind of an aseptic flight. Much of the flare, the look and feel of a combat aircraft is taken away. The pilot doesn't need to check things like before, the digital aircraft controls everything and the real impulses put by pilot on the stick are not proportional to the movement of the aircraft. Instead, the natural movement of what the pilot wants to do is interpreted by the computer which sends the appropriate signals to the surfaces, which are in turn unable of fly without the computer's aide.
This is why there is an increasing trend today to build Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, called UAV's. The technology reached the point where the pilot could be taken away from the cockpit. Without him, much of the vital systems need to support a person are also taken away, thus saving money, investment, development, space, weight and at the same time increasing the flight envelope of the autonomous aircraft.
Now UAV's are in position to turn much aggressively into the upper G forces. Without a pilot, only the structural components of airframes will be the new limit. A pilot could only sustain 9G's for a short period. Without a pilot in the cockpit, the aircraft alone could turn up to 20G's. Only the materials could give us the last word.
In the mean time, there is a huge trend to build UAV's all over the world. Perhaps today we are just watching the last manned combat jet aircraft over the skies. The future will see a combat pilot seated in console, inside a closed room, flying (or just supervising) the flight of a not so distant UAV combat jet aircraft.
Are robots technology are being implemented as servos and actuators and wireless communication with the plane?
Is a plane really a flying robot?
The canons and missiles on a F22 would probably be superior to an UAV. The pilot is assisted by the computer during a dog fight to track enemy movement. Eventually, the computer will be relied on for escape sequences too fast for human movement. For example evasion of an incoming missile or detection of incoming bullets; the system will automatic detect income projectiles and types and plan an escape path by suddenly engaging the plane off course saving the plane and pilot. The computer could reorientate the pilot after the disruption. Likewise the computer could provide the counter measures to neutralize incoming projectiles with smart missile being launched, a few against many. Technology changes warfare because the creative flexibility enhances the number of possible responses given a series of uncertain scenarios.
Learning Machines will eventually gain the upper edge on air combat. Reasons: unsupervised classification systems will indentify correlations not previous understood, a computer can do more than one thing simultaneously, and more sensor systems can be incorporated into the machine. The Urban Challenge will go the sky and the test will be the dog fight.