piwright42 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Thank you, even the Brits are going to the US for UCAV tech.

VersionCookie2000 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

ahh. that makes more sense. touche

piwright42 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I think the similarities are because the machines are designed to do similar things, you know form follows function. Side mounted intakes are common from the British Vampire, to the Foxbat to the F-35. All Forward Swept Wing, (FSW), aircraft feature canards. This is because FSW's are intended to prevent high alpha stall. At high angles of attack FSW's do not lose air flow over the outer wing controls. Canards help the plane to rotate from high alpha back to level flight faster than a tail does.

piwright42 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The Eurofighter is an incredible plane, and a 2D thrust vectoring system would enhance it's agility considerably. But when RAF exchange pilot Lt. Dan Robinson begrudgingly says that the F-22 is the most capable fighter in the world there is a reason. The F-22 is not the fastest, nor is it the most maneuverable, but it has the best mix of these and other, (as yet unquantified), traits. As for you Vietnam analogy the F-4's loss ratio dropped off quick once a gun pod was added.

piwright42 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

But that UAV will benefit from having thrust vectored technology developed on this manned X-plane. Besides within months of the selection of the F-35 the press had already said that it and the F-22 could be the last of the manned US fighters.

jjs4you2 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

When this video was produced in 2000/01 they had shifted the X-31 project from super maneuverability at Dryden to short take off and landing at Patuxent River.

jjs4you2 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The X-31 was first tested out at Edwards AFB, about 20 years ago, it was stationed at NASA's Dryden Research Center across the runway from Edwards Air Force base around 1990 to 1998. This video was probably from 2000/01 when the program shifted to the other side of the U.S. to Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. The pioneering was done at Dryden by NASA with the X-31 in the early 90's, not when this video was taken, and well before the Russians or Chinese, by about 10 years.

VersionCookie2000 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Vectored thrust wont matter when you've been shot down BVR by a stealthed UAV.

toofanii (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

"Radical new system"... ? The chinese did this design 8 years ago. So did the russians.

MegaBrits (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

When they eventually fit TV to the later Eurofighter it will be utterly superb and pretty much an X-31D. German + British tech eh... Superb. As in Vietnam, the biggest fear of any fighter pilot was when you didn't fight their fight they were trained for (Oh why have I no machine guns, there is a MIG-15) So the guy who saw you regardless of your stealth will now stuff you in your F-22 which is built like a battleship. Q) How did TV start? A) Harriers TV nozzles + the idea of VIFF.