Official Cool Picture Thread.

[kbaxter60]

Glad I hadn't gotten to the "cosmetic" part of the build.

Glad you weren't IN it.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Yes, indeed. In the 70s I got to fire a Shrike anti-radiation missile at NWC China Lake. The protocol was to contact the range, they would start tracking our aircraft, and once we got a lock and fired the missile, they were supposed to shut down the radar so the missile would lose lock. Altho, they waited too long and the missile went right through the antenna and destroyed it, even tho it was inert. And fortunately, that facility was unmanned.

There was a small antenna hanging on the wall of the ARM Lab I hoped I could find a picture of that had a missile/fins hole in it, but no joy.
Found this youtube video you might enjoy, though. I got to China Lake in 1984. Lot of the guys in the video were legends at that time (and some were my bosses, too).

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Glad you weren't IN it.

Thanks... me too.

 

[pbratton]

Yes, indeed. In the 70s I got to fire a Shrike anti-radiation missile at NWC China Lake. The protocol was to contact the range, they would start tracking our aircraft, and once we got a lock and fired the missile, they were supposed to shut down the radar so the missile would lose lock. Altho, they waited too long and the missile went right through the antenna and destroyed it, even tho it was inert. And fortunately, that facility was unmanned.

The Human Factor will get you everytime...

 

[Jakashh]

US Navy F-35C Lightning II firing an AIM-9X during inverted flight. Patuxent River Naval Base, MD. 2017

Got to visit NAS JRB and walk through a sliver of the assembly line years back when I had an interview for Lockheed for an position related to the F35. Saw a few of them parked in the hangers alongside F16’s on the way to the parking lot, and saw a fuselage in the build process hanging. They had some other parts covered with a black curtain lol. Pretty neat.

 

[oohrah]

cool vido, thanks for sharing.

 

[Texasgordo]

 

[orbitup]

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[roadrunner]

 

[roadrunner]