as an extra note, or epilogue of sorts...

So, one thing I did not address in my poorly written posts about the hornet was some of the developments being made on the so called Advanced Super Hornet, that recently flew for the first time this month.

Now, despite not being a fan of the Super Hornet, this Advanced version (if delivered with the features promised) will certainly add enough capability and range to at least make it live up to the requirements initially given to the aircraft.

New Enhanced Performance Engines will offer 20% more thrust while supposedly being more efficient, which can allow for better performance, especially coupled with the redesigned pylons which are no longer canted, so they no longer cause a massive amount of drag.  With these two things alone, I estimate a sizable jump in speed so that it at least meets if not exceeds the top speed of the original Hornet (though still not coming close to the Tomcat's), so thankfully it won't be such a slouch in the speed department.  maneuverability should also make an improvement, as the carriage of external fuel, along with the airbrake-like pylons are what really restricted the hornets agility as well.

Also, the most exciting thing to happen with this new variant may be the addition of a IRST/electro optical tracking system.  I believe (and correct me if i'm wrong), it's the same as the model that is being integrated on the F-35, which when combined with it's further reduced radar cross-section, will help give the Super Hornet a massive tactical advantage to make up for it's still lacking range, altitude, and speed by no longer relying on it's radar as the sole means of scanning for targets, while also providing enhanced missile warning, and increased overall surviveability.

I did briefly mention the conformal fuel tanks, that add a sizable amount of fuel so that it can at least meet the ranges initially promised several years ago.  Though, what I find funny was this hilariously laughable title to the article about them on Alert 5 Military Aviation News:

They lie!

Uh, yeah.  That's totally not true, unless those new CFTs are pumping a unicorn fart/pixie dust mixture into the engines, while simultaneously being made of unobtanium.  Either they forgot to add the word "external" before the word fuel, or people over there have gone full retard.  It's misinformation like this that screws everyone over.  That, and the new CFTs add lift, which usually means it also increases drag, which (when coupled with the weight of these tanks) could also mean that it's bringback weight is significantly less than the baseline super hornet.

So, I guess in short, I'm happy these developments have come along, and they make the Super hornet an overall more suitable option, but these improvements still simply raise it's capabilities to simply meet performance of 50 year old jets, and only exceeds them in matters of sensors that could be installed on better airframes. I still feel the Super Hornet airframe was a massive waste of time to begin with.  As evidenced by another little thing I whipped up in my spare time.

I have one thing to say to our government:

Regarding the latest bull crap from the White House that does absolutely nothing to curb gun violence.  I first heard the news via Jay-G, and hoped it wasn't true, but it certainly is.  I try to keep this place as politics-free as possible, but I must say: POTUS, you suck dick.

Regular Rob roundup

It's been pretty uneventful around my neck of the woods for a while, but there have been a couple things of note I probably get away with posting.  back on Saturday I made a fellow movie buff watch David Lynch version of Dune for the first time, which was fun as always.  Every time I watch that movie, I desperately wish I could riff that one alongside the MST3K guys, as that movie is rich with excellently laughable moments.

He who controls the spice....ah, whatever.

Today I also got one of my friends a flask, because he got a new mini-personal-a/c unit that he has to constantly keep hydrated.  Every time I look over and see him, he's pulling out this little purell bottle to refill his little a/c unit, and I told him he should just upgrade to a full flask.  So now he can bust it out in the middle of a long meeting and shout "Eigh nheed uh drink!"

Last but not least, I got into a fun discussion with my new roommate about the whole debacle in Syria, and we both agreed it was a dumb move, and after years of armchair quarterbacking the US foreign policy in the middle east, I've finally hopped on board with the "nuke 'em all" crowd, as I'm just too fed up with this crap.

Feel free to read The Boresight's assessment of this mess.

It's that day again

Yet another reason I like Weezer:

Keep Fishin - Weezer

Celluloid carelessness

How in the world did I manage to go my whole life without ever watching the movie La Femme Nikita until last night?  Seriously, this is right up my alley, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie, as the tension never stops.  Dang good stuff.

I also didn't realize that this movie served as the sole inspiration to another one of my favorite movies, Leon: The Professional.

It's like spammers don't even try anymore

So, I get a suspicious email today at work, from a name that is far too humorous.

I don't even like Lord of the Rings, or most of the fantasy genre for the most part, but when I hear 'Elvin Gates', I immediately think of this:

What can I say?

This week has been a real dud for content.  The neurons needed for even mediocre writing have ceased to fire and may have finally extinguished.  Nah, just kidding.  But this week has been rather uneventful, and my mind seems to have no creativity to conjure up recently.  Hopefully, I'll actually have things going on to actually write about in the near future.

In the absence of real stuff, I have been getting back into playing War Thunder (still a really gay name for any game), and have been tearing it up while flying the British aircraft.  I dunno what it is, but those stupid British planes seem to be far more effective in my hands than the American ones, which to me seems a bit silly.  I would think a plane armed with six .50 cals would be far more effective than one with eight .30 cal MGs, but whatever.

Not much in the looks department, but man is she potent!

The real joy was when I finally unlocked the Beaufighter Mk.X.  This plane is the most heavily armed monster of the skies, sporting four 20mm cannons along with six .50 cal machine guns.  What's funny is that the plane is in the unlock tree for bombers, and is widely regarded as a torpedo bomber, but I exclusively use it as a heavy fighter.

The most famous secret

So, it appears that the whole of the internet is abuzz with the recent news about how area 51 was referenced in official documents, thus officially confirming it's existence/status.  I find it kind of funny that everyone is freaking out about it, because didn't Bill Clinton do that around 16 years ago?

Hey, here's another one of a million pics you can get of the joint.

More Sunday tunes

I was gonna post some more Dvorak, but I recently got a promo in the mail from the Utah Symphony with a deal on concerts that I can't afford, so hearing more of that would have depressed me.  So, I'll settle for this little ditty.

The Seatbelts - Diggin My Potato

The end of the trilogy

So for my last bit about the Hornet saga, I'd like to address the issue of appropriate application of assets and the selection of the wrong fighter to super-size.

Now despite my ranting, I still believe the original Hornet is a useful aircraft that fills a very important role. Especially when in the hands of Foreign operators.  Other than having the ongoing complaint of sub-par range and fuel efficiency, the Hornet has served very well with the Navy and Marines, along with the air arms of Canada, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Kuwait, and Malaysia.  This amount of success clearly shows the value of the platform.

Marine Air.  Ooh Rah!

My primary complaints are directed towards its use as a replacement for aircraft and roles that it was never conceptualized to fulfill in the first place.  That, and the development of the E/F Hornet does nothing but negate the advantages that the Hornet offered without granting much more other than fractional increase in range and payload.  Basically giving us a very lackluster heavy fighter that has no advantages of the light fighter either.

So, I have come up with some very basic and boring tables that directly compare some of the most important attributes of the Hornet with the aircraft it replaced.  Now, keep in mind that these tables do not list other more harder to define attributes such as mission survivability, and maintenance and it's relationship to mission availability.  Taken in the form of a picture to accommodate my blog format.