TACIT BLUE the Super Secret Stealth Plane

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[@b.griffin317]

When I was a kid I wrote to most of the then aircraft manufacturers and from Lockheed got back one of a mint, glossy versions of that SkunkWorks books signed by Ben Rich. It is one of my most treasured books on my bookshelf.

[@stevepirie8130]

I love American companies for stuff like that. One of my buddies broke a blade on his leather man on tour. We got chatting to a 82d Airborne guy who said send it to the company with a letter explaining how and say you love their product. So he did and they not only replaced the blade but refurbished the entire tool, sent a new pouch and little goodies with a letter saying they were happy to hear he was putting it to good use. All for free. You’d never get that in the UK 😎

[@seymourpro6097]

The only reason why the F117 looks like a pyramid on a boomerang is that that was the maximum number of flat surfaces that the computers could calculate for stealth at the time. Once the proof of stealth was shown in war then better and faster computers could be made and used to develop a few flat surfaces into a continuous curve shape which would would always send incoming radar energy off in another direction or absorb it.

[@stevepirie8130]

They were hard to engage optically side on I found but if they rolled they were far easier looking like an arrowhead. Our radar had no trouble detecting and tracking on exercises vs them so they’d fly above our coverage. They didn’t believe us but we had on the back of our optical tracker the ability to put a video camera to observe what the operator saw. We found side on our training of aim at the centre of mass wasn’t right as it was so thin there so I aimed just behind the pilot for best chance. Educated a few to its vulnerabilities to certain radar bands.

[@B.D.E.]

Why do you see so many flat surfaces on some modern stealth designs then? Especially modern destroyers.

[@Nothing_._Here]

@@B.D.E. Deflection

[@otm646]

This is inaccurate. The facets of the F-117 were modeled individually for radar reflectivity. The entire structure was not analyzed as a whole. So your comment about " the maximum number of flat surfaces is incorrect"

[@FloridaManMatty]

Dennis Oberholzer and a few others wrote the code for ECHO-1, the program used to model radar deflection. The computers available at the time were very limited in their ability to model curved surfaces. Each facet on the two Have Blue demonstrators was modeled independently then tested as a whole on the pole.

[@bengardiner3867]

The systems used in the "Whale" were so good that they used them in the J-STARS aircraft. Long range (SLAR) Side Looking Airborne Radar goes back to the 1986 era and was used in Desert Storm. The route of Saddam's army from Kuwait and subsequent inhalation on the Highway of Death was directed by the J-STARS. J-STARS also were the eyes when the US army was killing Scuds in 2003. A new tactic was Sensor-to-Shooter using the Army's ATACMS block 1a (300 km range [unclassified]) The biggest reason the A/C was not developed further was the systems worked so well the aircraft didn't need to be in unfriendly airspace. If they were, ground systems could not range the target and would be covering the same area that recon satellites were covering anyway. Looking forward to seeing this vid!

[@hvymtal8566]

Fun fact: LEGION was derived from the AN/AAS-42 IRST originally fitted to the F-14D, the upgraded 4.5th-gen model of the Tomcat. It was a quantum leap ahead of any infrared anybody else had at the time and put the original IRST fitted to the F-14A and later removed to shame!!! Ditto for the OEPS system on Soviet MiG and Sukhoi fighters. Definitely a handy upgrade to have, especially for detecting stealth aircraft at offensively useful ranges; AESA is awesome but all radio-wave-based sensors have their limits when it comes to the sneeki breeki; Detecting a bogey at 15 miles is no good when they can shoot you from 30

[@corsair6]

I wouldn't necessarily refer to the F-14D as a 4.5-gen fighter, while the upgrades were a leap in capablity over the earlier generation, the avionics and overall weapons assortment was limited compared to its contemporaries. Organic IRST capacity for US aircraft has been around for quite awhile, the century fighters, Phantom's and Crusaders in their various versions had them. The big change was the evolution of Electronic Warfare into the modern battle space and the primacy of electronic signatures, emission detection and masking.

[@oldfrend]

@@corsair6 yeah 14D was not 4.5. the .5 is used traditionally to denote some stealth integration, of which the super tomcat had none. 14A was more a gen 3.5 fighter than gen 4. -D just brought it up to the standards of a strike eagle.

[@mostevil1082]

Radar tech and tactics are catching up to stealth, AESA radar detection of even the stealthiest of stealthy bois is becoming possible out to near 50nm, with IRST's doing similar (more like 90 from the back or vs toasty supersonic bogies). Additionally that shot from 30 will give you away to modern sensors and the stealth guy still needs to dectect to shoot without making noise, so it's comes down to datalinks and networking, which themselves can be attacked and distrupted. It's not as cut and dry as people think, there's more going on than stealthiest jet wins before you know it's there.

[@davidmurphy8190]

Sadly, IRSTs have been on US fighters since the F-102. The F-4 had them until they decided not to.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

This is an improper usage of the term "Quantum Leap". This Public Service Announcement was brought to you by Pedantic Nerds In Science. You have been slapped by PeNIS. Please make a note of it.

[@donkoltz1]

Love the Naval News segments here on youtube. I don't have time to look for this on my own, and often wouldn't know what I'm looking at if I did find it myself. Thank you!

[@James-gj2lo]

Soviet Scientists were the 1st to theorize stealth technologies but Politburo thought he was crazy and didn't pursue it.

[@typxxilps]

just another myth cause the germans started the race for stealth subs back then when they had built a rubber surface at least on 1 sub in 1943 which that boat had lost party during first operation. The results were mixed and were also depending on the technology available back then. And regarding planes check the Horton brothers and their planes that laid the foundation for US plane developlment like those mentioned in skunk works.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@typxxilps radar stealth. A Soviet physicist wrote a paper with the formulas to describe how electromagnetic waves bounced off of any given shape in the 1960s or early 1970s. It was released to the general public. Lockheed looked at it and said "hell, we can make this work!" and wrote a program to predict the radar cross section of an aircraft before building it. The F117 was so angular because the computers at the time couldn't handle a large number of polygons. Today, though, we can do that in just about real time.

[@Deltarious]

Regarding the Legion pod with the AIM-120Ds, the 120 is still an active radar homing missile, so my understanding is that the second you shoot that missile and it gets close enough to the target it still needs to go active for terminal guidance since that's it's method of seeking, and so the target will absolutely still be alerted. This is similar to the warning you get in DCS when a jet locks you up in TWS and launches an AMRAAM at you- in the generations of jets we have in game you will only see them on RWR without knowing they're actively locking you up, but once the missile is pitbull all hell breaks loose and it lights up like a christmas tree telling you you've been shot. The main difference here is that you don't even have to radiate at all to get that initial shot off so you won't show up on conventional RWRs along with all the other benefits the article states. So assuming you have no other method to detect the initial launch and incoming missile, you do get a warning, but far less of one.

[@JainZar1]

The AIM-120D can receive mid-course correction via Datalink I think. So having the 120 go Pitbull in the optimal spot is the great advantage. Not even the F-22 can do something against a 120 with that much Energy in the Endgame.

[@bonose12]

Amraam radar is very small, so low rwr detect. Also endgame prob from above due to lofting...up and over intercept. Probability of seeing a 7 inch mach 2 pipe bomb coming at you= zero.

[@snigie1]

When he talks about weapons we're not allowed to talk about he's talking about weaponised piranhas.

[@physetermacrocephalus2209]

And the assault silt. Its like pocket sand but strategic instead of just tactical.

[@CDSAfghan]

@@physetermacrocephalus2209 i still have some pocket sand MkIII from Afghanistan, dangerous stuff

[@1slotmech]

If those piranhas get a lock, you are so screwed...

[@ScottKenny1978]

Tom Clancy was talking about the F117 in Red Storm Rising. I remember that there were a lot of predictions about what the "F19" looked like back in the 1980s, most of them involved compound curves (a curve in two directions like the lip of an airliners intake). Clancy's description sounds a lot like what Monogram made their F19 model look like.

[@stevepirie8130]

I actually had a stealth Mig model I built in the 80s which was curved. Was a surprise to see the F117 and it’s angles.

[@Toddvarskanal]

I had the modell back in the day. It was very different from the F117 i would say. I had both made as models

[@LilSebastian_]

The movie Top Gun mentioned the F117 in the beginning of the movie and no one noticed.... "This is GhostRider 117"

[@jonathantarrant2449]

The 84ft lengthened section only causes them to lose roughly 1 knot. The reason for the new sub class is the Russians newest Yasen submarines are on par with the Virginia's.

[@virginccyy7645]

Yeah, in what way? Even with USSR research and development, how did Russia leap 2 generations to be able to match a Virginia Class sub which is probably the most advanced attack nuclear sub in the world but not as capable as a Sea Wolf, the QUIETEST sub even battery diesel is louder! Now Russian subs were never as sophisticated as US subs so they built them bigger to show strength in size vs technology! I would like to see evidence of such comparisons between Yasen and Virginia,. I know the new Russian subs are comparable to LA improved class sub in quietness but that's a sub from 1970s and early 80s! This was due to Japan selling tech prop. to Russia. So the Russian subs built in 80s are comparable in noise but not having the high level of computer hardware and weapon systems!!

[@stephenkneller6435]

They have had TACIT BLUE on display at the USAF National Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB for years.

[@bigbadbull1976]

I was just going to say this, Ive seen it in person.

[@oldfrend]

looks like a flying egg carton XD

[@wacojones8062]

Active radar can detect IRST units when the seeker is not shielded. Russian ones light up like a echo balloon this new one of ours may have counters to detection while scanning and stowed.

[@rickjames18]

Yeah, not sure why people think the Russians have anything this advanced.

[@iffn]

Skunk Works by Ben Rich certainly is an amazing book! But it's about Lockheed Skunkworks, which built Have Blue, the prototype for the F-117. Tacit Blue was built by the competitor Northrop and is barely mentioned in the book.

[@chraffis]

20 points to you too!!

[@BRINKOFWAR2024]

Yep, SkunkWorks had nothing to do with the Tacit Blue. HaveBlue was from Lockheed and they occupied the hangar to the south of the Whale. Absolutely two different company projects. The Whale was a Beauty to greet every morning. Fly days, non fly days and every time she returned to base 🥰 Not sure about this guy telling the story. Doesn’t look old enough to know what he’s talking about 🤥

[@idedontknow]

Tacit Blue is on display at the USAF museum in Dayton, OH

[@benjaminrush722]

True

[@homiewitagun]

One revolutionary aspect you passed over was that it was using its radar over the battlefield while remaining undetected. That is like being in a pitch black room and shining a flashlight on something while remaining undetected by everyone else in the room looking for you.

[@flyer6931]

Skunk Works written by Ben Rich and Leo Janis. FANTASTIC read! The HAVE BLUE project was the precursor to the F-117. FYI, Ben Rich developed the moving cone inside the engines of the SR-71 to keep the Mach shock wave outside the engine nacelles. One of the aircraft is at the USAF Museum in Dayton, OH, per NG Wikipedia article.

[@ScottKenny1978]

It's funny, it was a Soviet physicist who developed the formulas to describe how electromagnetic waves reflect off of any given shape. The Soviets didn't classify it for some reason. When Lockheed got ahold of it, they realized that they could use those formulas to predict the radar cross section of any given shape without having to build it first.

[@ScottKenny1978]

I should add that those formulas are still used in video games and illustration programs today for reflections and whatnot.

[@LIamaLlama554]

@@ScottKenny1978 would this be ray tracing?

[@larsporsena7115]

Tacit Blue looks like something the Jetsons would fly.

[@nitehawk86]

There was a quote from an engineer that worked on Have Blue, the F117's experimental prototype "Without the fly-by-wire computer, the aircraft wouldn't know which pointy end to face forward."

[@HandFromCoffin]

One of the Tacid Blue aircraft is on display at National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio. I've seen it.

[@SubBrief]

That's good to hear. Glad they saved one.

[@downtheroad7119]

National Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio has a Tatic Blue on display. It flew 135 times in the 1980"s.

[@csamere2281]

Pro tip: to zoom in hold “Control” and click the “+” symbol. To zoom out click “Control” and the “-“ symbol. To reset zoom click “Control” and the “0” button. Hope that helps :D

[@captivatethem]

I love your channel because it makes my brain oscillate between Thoughts About Arms Control & Non Proliferation and Thoughts About How Submarines Are Very Very Cool. You always have great analysis and it always makes me think, even if I'm in a Very Committed to Not Thinking mood. I will also be getting the skunk book on your recommendation as it's a topic I want accessible to me without having to think about wikipedia once.

[@almirria6753]

Maybe the "new" hypersonic anti-ship system, in the vert. launch tube/s. This was the testbed for the stealth program

[@sharg0]

Back in the 80's unstable planes was all the rage for military aviation due to their ability to initiate manoeuvrers much faster. One early example of this is the SAAB 39 Griffin that first flew in 1988. This was also the time when electronics had became powerful enough to allow fly by wire that could handle the balance act needed. (Griffin had two major accidents during its development due to the man/computer interface - both happened during public displays with the same pilot. They are well documented on public TV but no casualties!). I assume all fighters today are more or less unstable. I do have some vague memories of having seen pictures of the "Tacit Blue" many years ago but don't remember were (remember that things classified in one country doesn't make it classified in another).

[@phillipbartowsky2979]

F35 has 360 degree infrared search and track. You pretty much have to have an infrared system to engage stealth systems more reliably.

[@THEdanrugaming]

I was under the impression that the IRST is only forward looking, while IR missile threat detection is 360 degrees

[@tyvernoverlord5363]

@@THEdanrugaming there’s the optical inbuilt system on the F-35’s nose on the bottom, but there’s 360 degree cameras and ir systems. It’s what allows the the F-35 pilot to “see-through” the aircraft

[@TheTurbinator]

You guys should look at the Lockheed Senior Prom project.

[@xSupra]

Looks like the planes I drew in 5th grade lol.

[@messmeister92]

Rhode Island has a long and understated relationship with the Navy that gets overshadowed by some of the larger East Coast installations. Submarines have been a large part of it; a lot of classified research still happens there.

[@davidmurphy8190]

Rhode Island was also the major problem behind the lack of increased production and more testing of the Mk 14 and 13.

[@CruizinEasy]

There is one on display at the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton OH.

[@micahrogers4928]

Tacit Blue is currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force outside Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton Oh.

[@waynecoulter6761]

There is a Tacit Blue "Whale" at the Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton Ohio.

[@deepscuba7384]

Saw it at the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson AFB right next to their SR-71. That was about 18 or 19 years ago. BTW... The F-117 is what's called a "faceted" design. Like facets on a diamond.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

Can confirm. Skunk Works the book is a fantastic read. The ball bearing story is a great laugh.

[@iexcaliber2]

I’m pretty sure one of the Tacit Blue is in the USAF Nat’l museum in Ohio. It’s not on display, it’s in for refurbishment/idk what else. EDIT: it is on display in the Research and Development Gallery

[@stevepirie8130]

Doppler shift was what my radar used on my first unit doing SHORAD. Think there were like five actual different ways but back then it was simpler. After a big exercise we got to chat to pilots and I’d wondered how amongst all the many kills we had the best at getting close before the radar worked effectively was Dutch F-16s. The pilot said you can fool Doppler shift if you know how it works. We’d eventually get him as he could dodge some missiles but once he’d lost energy they were always easy meat. Some clever people out there.

[@captivatethem]

The Tacit Blue looks like if Homer Simpson built the Ultimate Plane For The Average Man

[@poiu477]

Just a note, I believe the LPI tactics are referring to RF management of the datalink and surveillance radar to ensure an adversary couldn't intercept the signal

[@GaryBleck]

Water launched flying drones are a publicly facing tech if memory serves? Not sure if they are vertical or tube launched though.

[@jman2903]

I like how they don't seem to run out of cool names for their secret projects 😎

[@potbelliedslim7645]

This Tacit Blue "Whale" has been on display at the Air Force Museum/Wright Pat for years.... looks like the Enterprise's shuttle craft when you stand in front...

[@jingizu149]

Yep, one of my favorite displays for the effect on all modern aircraft design.

[@potbelliedslim7645]

@@jingizu149 Hard to beat the "Bird of Prey" hanging above... and the YF-23.

[@stupidburp]

I think we should put visual and IR sensors on some modified conformal side tanks for the F-15EX. Use sensor fusion similar to that on the F-35 for better situational awareness. The F-35 uses six or seven camera locations I think. Fore and aft on each side tank plus optional legion pod would give four or five camera locations for an F-15EX and it probably already has enough computer processing power to make it work.

[@waynecoulter6761]

If I'm not mistaken I believe that Clancy utilized the Testors F-19 Stealth Fighter Model for his description of the Frisbee. Google the kit and you'll see the likeness of his description in the kit.

[@raptor6851]

Fun fact we did have a Shipyard capable of building and operating Nuclear Subs in California, Mare Island Naval Yard but it closed in spring 1996 the city of Vallejo is my hometown.

[@corsair6]

One of the worst decisions the Navy made. Plunged Vallejo into an economic depression and removed a irreplaceable resource for national defense.

[@621Tomcat]

Tacit blue is stealthy by virtue of being too ugly to look at

[@621Tomcat]

I got hearted by Aaron. This is a good day

[@oskareriksson267]

That plane looks like a caravan with wings

[@DaleJenney]

I think one at the WPAFB museum or its a mockup hanging from wires.

[@spacedmanspiff1543]

The air force museum in Dayton has a Tacit Blue airframe.

[@Halinspark]

Many modern military aircraft use computer aided flight assist(Fly-by-Wire). The B-2 uses it because Northrop's early flying wing designs had a tendency to backflip uncontrollably, the F-117 uses it because her wonky shape. With fighters, too, as some of them use an inherently unstable design to improve turn time, since the aircraft wont want to fight to stay level. I believe the Eurofighter Typhoon employs that.

[@Momomaster25]

The F-16, and the majority of fighters that came afterward are aerodynamically unstable, to an extent. Unstable fighters are more agile in general, not counting how many of them retain control after they have completely stalled. That being said, these fighters are unflyable or barely flyable without the computer. The F-16 will depart controlled flight suddenly without the computer, the MiG-29 and Su-27 will exceed their recommended angle of attack very easily without their computers, and most western fighters will wander off course without the computer keeping them flying straight and level. That being said, there is a point at which instability becomes a detriment. See the X-29. It was so unstable, that it would face one direction but be flying in another direction part of the time.

[@MotoMarios]

"coming to a Navy near you..." lol.

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

The "Frisbee" was the F-117.

[@LegionOfEclaires]

I've heard of "Tacit Blue" but I didn't know what it was, let alone what it looked like. Definitely a bizarre plane.

[@Bellthorian]

I think we need to change our policy on a nuclear only sub fleet and acquire licensed built versions of those advanced German or Swedish Air Independent Propulsion subs specifically for operations in the South China Sea. They are smaller and quieter than nukes and you can buy 4 of them for every nuclear powered sub. We need numbers to fight the Chinese.

[@KutWrite]

The planview of the wings reminds me of a stuggy version of the U-2. Interesting project.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

Master Air to Air Weapons Chief: Who is that Jive Turkey with his sensor pod on backwards? his assistant: Yep... That's a submariner alright. Obsessed with his "baffles" and devoting all early warning assets to spotting tail gunners.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Just a heads up Tacit Blue was Northrup design not Lockheed which is home of skunk works. What was learned from Tacit Blue went in the design of the B2 Spirit.

[@SubBrief]

oh, thank you.

[@lilletrille8998]

Radar is doppler and pulse, doppler detects motion, pulse does not, so you will see terrain on your radar in pulse, and an aircraft flying with terrain behind it will be masked by that very terrain. Dobbler solves that by only showing relative motion to the radar so the terrain becomes "invisible" as it is not moving, however an aircraft flying at 90 degrees to a doppler radar becomes invisible as there is no closure detected (so the airplane becomes like the terrain), most modern radars are pulse/doppler which solves most of the problems, however an airplane flying at 90 degrees to the radar with terrain behind it will still not be picked up by a pulse/doppler radar.

[@Youlie2142]

Hey, you can see tacit blue at the USAF museum in Dayton Ohio.

[@truckerallikatuk]

I truly bet Tom Clancy knew the real shape, and deliberately put an incorrect description in the book to avoid unpleasantness.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Apparently, he learned to listen to what the drunk sailors *weren't* saying.

[@michaeldixon8817]

CJT, wanted to clarify, Ben Rich was the predecessor to Clarence Kelly Johnson heading Lockheed Aircraft ADP known as “Skunk Works” retiring in 1991. Lockheed Aircraft developed the Have Blue scaled flight demonstrator (nicknamed Hopeless Diamond) which later developed into the F-117 stealth aircraft. Northrop Aviation developed the Tacit Blue scaled flight demonstrator. Have Blue was designed around diamond shaped deflection where Tacit Blue, aiding in B2 development, was designed around curves, both to achieve stealth. Both companies were competing for government contracts. I read somewhere that the Tacit Blue buried at Area 51 had been unearthed and cosmetically reconstructed. Not sure if that is the same airframe on display at Wright-Patterson AF Museum in Ohio or not.

[@jwenting]

They probably smoothed out the details to make the exact shape less visible, as it's likely still classified.

[@scottstielow9500]

I’ve seen this at the Air Force museum, I’ve touched it, it’s real

[@AdmiralBob]

They have one of the prototypes of that plane at the USAF Museum.

[@atway70]

No West Coast nuclear shipyards? Sounds like a perfect time to set up a research facility somewhere in the Fox Archipelago up in the Alaskan Aleutians. Maybe under cover of a Warhead Disposal Facility? IDK, just spitballing. I heard a story about something like that once.

[@corsair6]

Puget Sound and Pearl Harbor can do work but, new builds USED to happen at Mare Island in Vallejo as it was the West Coast’s dedicated sub facility. Dry docks and cranes are still used but, not the same yard.

[@churblefurbles]

Ah the flying school bus, wish they released more archive footage of that one, very scarce.

[@fishua5564]

The stealth jet looks like it's from the production of Stripes 2: stealth Boogaloo. I think the real name of the stealth jet is the EM-5000!

[@boofer875]

As regards building the Virginia class on 2 coasts, we are sitting here on the third coast in Mississippi, and we know how to build anything you want...even high tech. I believe there is a fast attack sub named "Mississippi" in the Virginia class. We have long been stewards of our renewable resources and will not march and protest to preserve our beautiful state so China can enjoy it.

[@ScottKenny1978]

You guys are pretty busy making big surface ships. Though it would be good to have another nuclear-qualified shipyard. We *really* need one on the west coast.

[@tyvernoverlord5363]

I think we need at least 7 nuclear capable shipyards spread between the gulf, east, and west coasts.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@tyvernoverlord5363 well, I think we have that *for repairs.* Pearl Harbor, Mare Island, Bremerton on the west coast. Newport News, Groton, Bath Iron Works on the east coast. And Pascagoula(sp?) on the Gulf. But we only have two nuclear capable build yards, Newport News and Groton. We really, *really* need a building capable yard on the west coast!

[@tyvernoverlord5363]

@@ScottKenny1978 I was saying build yards, not repair.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@tyvernoverlord5363 ah, gotcha! I could see going with 5 nuclear capable build yards, and two or three nuclear capable repair yards. Bremerton, Mare Island, Pascagoula, Newport News, and Groton for the build yards, Pearl Harbor and Bath Iron Works for the extra repair yards (and another repair yard on the Gulf Coast). Ideally they'd all be build yards, of course, but I would start with those 5 build yards.

[@jrow84]

I picked up Skunk Works at the airport on my way to Great Lakes to see my brother graduate from boot!

[@BENKYism]

Using an IR pod to guide AMRAAM's is something most people didn't even know was possible. Really neat idea.

[@poiu477]

Those boats are built up Route 1 in RI from me, if I remember correct they float em to groton for final assembly or vice versa

[@poiu477]

oh you already knew that, duh

[@poiu477]

I've got the chance to watch, super cool

[@NikovK]

That Tacit Blue plane looks a heck of a lot like a Predator drone.

[@secret5070]

Thought tacit blue was Northrop Grumman as a precursor to the b2? Blended body apposed to Lockheed martins “skunk works” hopeless diamond aka have blue? The air intake on the top is due to the spinning compressor disc of the jet engine is highly reflective to radar, good solution to the problem . It’s real I have pictures of it in multiple books from the late 90’s early 00’s The inferred sensor on the f15 is similar to what the Russians and British use, it’s the little round thing just in front of the cockpit on the su27 family and eurofighter typhoon in RAF use. America your late to the party on that tech

[@chraffis]

You. Are. TRUE!!! 20 points. Not many others pegged that one.

[@iivin4233]

Any advice for affording all of the books youtubers make me want to buy?

[@chraffis]

Actually it wasn't skunkworks. It was a Northrop Grumman project precursor to the B-2. Toodles! Skunkworks made the "Have Blue" which was the precursor F-117. Toodles times two!!

[@soonerfrac4611]

We had IRST for years. The Tomcat was the last I believe. They’ve even mounted a couple on some F16 test beds in similar locations as to the Sovie…….errr….Russians up on nose.

[@soonerfrac4611]

Oh, and the -35’s do have a electro-optical sensors that allow IRST. One big drawback to the system that the Russians use is that on their stealth aircraft they continue to use the legacy large spherical bulge sensor. The problem being that IF the sensor is facing forward it can see damn near everything, but it also makes the RSC dramatically higher. This is evidenced by the fact that on craft like the SU57 they mounted it with a RAM coated shield for whenever it’s not in use and is facing rewards. Which also means that for full stealth it has to not be using its most powerful passive sensor suite.

[@1winlock]

I was on that program in building 360 in Hawthorn, CA. Tacit Blue evolved into the Tssam program.

[@duggi4]

that plane must have a really high landing speed as the turbulance at the intake if the nose gets raised would be lethal

[@Cartoonman154]

Check out Boeing's Brid of Prey.

[@edwardgreene6248]

Looks like the ship from Fox's "Space: Above and Beyond".

[@Vampir3xfr]

Love those videos.

[@SubBrief]

Glad you like them!

[@willyjimmy8881]

My guess is one of these IR targetting pods could be mounted on a forward deployed stealth aircraft, and networked with other aircraft the missles could be launched by missle trucks without exposing themselves to return fire.

[@randybentley2633]

With the new Columbia SSBNs eventually joining the Fleet to replace the Ohios it would probably be prudent to convert them all into SSGNs to both keep the Fleet numbers high and provide a nearly 3000 salvo arsenal fleet to make America's enemies think twice before crossing the line.

[@loganmpe7559]

Are the "Virginia's" a replacement for the 688's? Are they better than a Los Angeles?

[@theralfinator]

Yes

[@IMAN7THRYLOS]

Why SSN(X)? The Virginia is a great and tested design. Why not build more and improved Virginia subs? What capabilities are needed that ask for a new class that an improved Virginia can't deliver? I guess an answer can be "classified". I can accept even wild guesses.

[@jsullivan05]

Link articles in the video description pls, if not there then at least link it in a pinned comment :-) Love your vids!

[@blake9908]

What we really need is a Zumwalt-class submarine!

[@youtert]

I'll take anything as long as it's not a Littoral Combat Submarine.

[@davidmurphy8190]

I have Tacit Blue as my call sign for years.

[@homefrontforge]

That's been hanging in the Airforce Museum near Dayton, Ohio for years.

[@detonator077]

Never would've thought the heavy paratrooper plane from Empire Earth is based on a real plane

[@DRP3ck3r]

Good work editing down your streams dude. The newest channel format is much goodly.

[@billthomas7644]

Is the SSN(X) part of the Australian deal?

[@workingguy-OU812]

I've seen it in Ohio at the museum. It was striking as, back then, most knew nothing about its existence. Looked like an upside-down flying bathtub to me.

[@jonathanbair523]

I could see a west coast shipyard in the Sea-Tac area being upgraded to handle building the nuke ships. I think San Fran/Oakland might be a good spot too. I think they got a big shipyard there that could be upgraded. Also there is few government islands in the bay of the 2 cities in Cail.

[@michaeldixon8817]

Good luck with that one. All of the SF Bay Area shipyards were closed back in the 70’s/80’s/90’s and given to the local cities.

[@truckerallikatuk]

Nuclear Wessels at Alameda? Sadly unlikely to happen, as I think they sold it off.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Unlikely, the anti-nukes are rampant on the west coast.

[@corsair6]

Mare Island’s still does yard work, they recently completed some maintenance on auxiliaries but, sub builds are specialized, layer in nuclear and you have a whole other level of complexity and compliance. It would take a massive amount of investment from private and motivation & interest from gov. Solano county is military friendly but, it would require State-level gov to be involved.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@corsair6 thing is, Mare Island used to build subs. 637s at least, not sure about 688s. So 1970s, maybe early 1980s. As it is now, if you need serious repair work done to a sub, gotta go to Bremerton Washington or back East.

[@navyreviewer]

Tom Clancy did NOT write Red Storm Rising. He even admits so in the forward. It was mostly written by Larry Bond and follows the same formula as all his other books. Clancy's name was on it almost solely for marketing. Another thing he got right about the "f-19" (f-117) was its mission. Over on the fighter pilot podcast (not a sponsor) a former F-117 pilot admitted that in the event of WW3 their mission was to bomb Moscow (nuclear or conventional) with a secondary mission of using "special" versions of the Sparrows (home-on-radar?) To shoot down Soviet AWACS. Just like in the book. This explains the F-117s "fighter" designation. I expect if there is a war with China it will look like an upscaled Falklands. Hopefully for their government itll end the same. Couldnt happen to a nicer bunch.

[@shaider1982]

Yup, F19 Ghostrider, the frisbee from dreamland

[@420BulletSponge]

Ever see an odd color flashing light just above the horizon at night that maintains its position in relation to the boat when maneuvering on the surface?

[@robbudden]

Skunk works is an amazing book

[@littlewol2620]

that type of intake duct, is basically a "NACA duct" ? called a naca duct, because it was invented by naca, the predecessor to nasa...aviation roots

[@AIM54A]

How does a IR pod see over the horizon?

[@sisyphus2k237]

I first read that book when I was in high school, blow my mind