(US) AFSOC R&D Development Initiatives

[Archibald]

Boatcules ? Boatules ? Hercloat ? Floatules ? (sounds like botulism and flatulence, so pretty unfortunate sounding)

 

[yasotay]

Given the propensity of aviators, and military folk in general, to use unflattering terms for equipment, I doubt your terms warrant admonishment. I would propose the affectionate name "Triple F".

 

[TomS]

Boatcules ? Boatules ? Hercloat ? Floatules ? (sounds like botulism and flatulence, so pretty unfortunate sounding)

Theseus, for the ever-popular Ship of Theseus. If you've replaced the hull, the wing, and the landing gear, is is still the same C-130 that you started with?

 

[VTOLicious]

Now we are talking...
https://afwerxchallenge.com/page/188

 

[AeroFranz]

When I browsed their site yesterday, they had two DOD contracts (Army and USAF) looking at the acoustics in depth. One of the selling points was noise level and the type of noise. No "chop" associated with large rotors beating the air into submission.
Also had a small model successfully transitioning between vertical and horizontal flight.

So VTOL and quiet relative to rotary-wing flight. Explains why it's got some funding behind it and appears on that particular slide.

These things are always worth investigating. The turbine that is used to push air out of the ducts can be buried within the fuselage with plenty of sound deadening and the flow leaving the ducts will create very little noise.

Like I said yesterday, I have my doubts on how well this scales, but I am something of a cynic. I've seen SBIR and STTR money go to worse things.

My very rudimentary understanding:
Entrainment happens because of shear forces between the 'primary' flow that you're providing and the surrounding 'secondary' flow. This is not (surprise, surprise) a lossless phenomenon - two streams of air are rubbing on top of each other and the faster one ends up dragging along the second one.

 

[TomcatViP]

Now we are talking...
https://afwerxchallenge.com/page/188

Anyone noticed "antigravity" in the category of design listed for open submission?
I wonder how we should take this: a sign of openness toward the public or that now it is a category of lifting device fully asserted?

 

[yasotay]

Perhaps we are going to find out soon that UFO are real. Either that or Elon is going to make another great reveal. Honestly, unless someone here knows different, I have to agree that the intent is to signal that all ideas are initially welcome.

 

[coanda]

Its just them signalling that they're open to all ideas.

 

[aonestudio]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1460386163831754759

View: https://twitter.com/AFSpecOpsCmd/status/1460386163831754759

 

[yasotay]

I suspect that the review of the Japanese US-2 is to prepare for the "PBY"-130 effort. It is likely also a backup plan if the concept of just bolting floats onto a C-130 turns out to be problematic (which I think it will).