Britains Stealth Bomber.......

I think most of the sightings might be UAV's they are easier to build and cheaper too. Lately all of the stealth UAV�s seem to be triangular or close too it. Good find on that concept stealth plane the picture looks nice.

A Brit pilot flew an F-117 operationally over Serbia, the Yanks liked hime so much they gave him some medals.
LINK
[edit on 12-8-2004 by Bravon03]

Was loonking in a few of my reference books and came accross a concepts the Brits had. The Manta and the marauder. The Manta was a wing in ground type plane and the Marauder was a stealthy wing shaped aircraft that looked like a mini B-2 with upswept wing tips. The book even had a artist picture of one with a radome like an E2-c Hawkeye

Originally posted by FredT

Originally posted by waynos
It would be nice to think that we really had built a genuine stealth strike aircraft here in the UK but I guess I'm just an old cynic.

I spent a while trying to find links between BAE and The Avenger II. The first pic on the link looks like a really short F-22. This type of plane makes perfect sence for the Brits to own assuming they can fit it in thier budget. The dates are off, but what if they continued on with the Avenger II project with a few mods? Alot of the development work was done. The concept worked. It was canceled because the contractor and the AF had lied an hidden massive cost overruns.

This also could explain the reports of Aircraft like the TR-3A Manta Flying in conjunction with the F-117 in the gulf?????



[edit on 9-8-2004 by FredT]

Let's start by setting the record straight! The A-12 Avenger II was a Navy Project, NOT Air Force! It was supposed to be a carrier-based stealth bomber. But the Idea of an RAF stealth bomber? Maybe, maybe not.

Also the RAF no longer maintains bombers for a deterrance fleet, like the US does. this means that any RAF Stealth Bomber would most likly be a smaller, shorter range tactical aircraft simular to the F-117A.

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

[edit on 16-8-2004 by ghost]

True, but the UK is considering obtaining a long range strike or bomber capability in view of how the most recent conflicts have panned out and the likelihood of future conflicts going the same way, one scheme even envisages using C-17's or A400's as cruise missile launchers (would that make the former the B-17?.) A stealth bomber is one of many ideas being evaluated.

Edit for far too many typos in one post

[edit on 16-8-2004 by waynos]

And have seen some very interesting stuff of late triangle's but more than likley to be the Typhoon out of leeming.

Hope it's HALO / FOAS!

but the UK is considering obtaining a long range strike or bomber capability in view of how the most recent conflicts have panned out and the likelihood of future conflicts going the same way, one scheme even envisages using C-17's or A400's as cruise missile launchers

C-17 OMG are you serious why not just build a new long-range bomber it doesn't have to have stealth. waynos you don't know that a stealth bombers is being evaluated because its still top secret But I wouldn't put it past the brats to have something like the F-117.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
C-17 OMG are you serious

- If they were, why not?

The USAF looked seriously at 747's as cruise missile carriers.....did that cause you to gasp a drama queen-like "OMG!" too?

why not just build a new long-range bomber it doesn't have to have stealth.

- How come cost never enters your head Wetsy?

How come you glibly start to spout about "why not just blah blah blah" without a moments thought to the costs involved or the likely comparison that (when the mission is taken into account) made a C 17 a possible candidate?

waynos you don't know that a stealth bombers is being evaluated because its still top secret

- Wow, Westy calls someone out for not being in a position to know the full ins and outs about a secret stealth project!

Irony or what? Oh yeah, so few Americans understand that concept (unless it's flagged up several months in advance and even then outlined in dayglo).

LMAO.

But I wouldn't put it past the brats to have something like the F-117.

- Back to Brats again, huh? (some typo that is what with the a key so far away from the i, right Wetsy?)

Been there (some time ago) done that (but 'our' euro F117 was supersonic.....forgotten the post already Westy?).

You miss the point Westy I'm not saying we are flying an actual stealth bomber (we may be but as you say, how would I know?). I am saying that we are looking into the possibility of getting back into the bomber business, a capability we lost with the retirement of the Vulcan, and we are studying the best, and most cost effective, way of doing that, ie the "B-17" Globemaster or A-400, stealth bomber or strike aircraft, UCAVS or a misture of all. The final choice will be made after a full evaluation of the options. This is not a secret it is easily obtainable information as the RAF looks to find the best way to replace the Tornado force from about 2015.

Incidentally, why would any transport based cruise missile launch platform be less effective than the B-52? It isn't so ridiculous even if it is less sexy than a new strike aircraft.

The favoured option among some RAF types I know is a new two seat strike variant of the Typhoon, each one of which would fly with up to four UCAV 'wingmen' giving real force multiplication and allowing the Typhoons to stay relatively clear, it would have the advantage over a UCAV only solution of having a Mk 1 Human on the spot for better tactical awareness and prioritising targets etc etc

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
The USAF looked seriously at 747's as cruise missile carriers.....did that cause you to gasp a drama queen-like "OMG!" too?

They also look at the C-5 as well. They actually launched a ICBM out of a C-5 too.

The British don't want to make bomber from C-17, they want to make cruise misilles that could be launched from the cargo planes, because they cannot afford to build and maintain specialized bombers.

About that stealth aircraft - it is not an aircraft, just an composite airframe! It is not difficult to build stealth airframe for ground testing (just see the price - only 20 mil.)

As I said, I believe it was a caoncept aircraft. I did notice the relatively low price.

Imagine a �20 mil Stealth aircraft!! that would be a miracle if we could do that, lol, but us Brits usually expect our Armed forces to run on less money!!

I live in Preston about 2 miles from Warton. I know people who work at the British Aerospace Military Weapons Division at Warton and they confirm that there are some strange things over there.
The first is HALO (High Agility, Low Observable) which is a highly manouvarable Stealthy UAV, strange that this has the same psudonym as as legitimate project called Hostile Artillery Location System (HALO) for the British Army.
They are also looking into zero gravity technology though this is purely a research project called Greenglow.
The other main thing at Warton is the Royal Air Force's OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) to train RAF staff on the Typhoon aircraft.
As for a bomber unless these new aircraft have amazingly quiet engines I will say there is nothing else at Warton.

The aircraft mentioned earlier flying at 0400 will be a BAe 146 passenger plane taking staff from Warton to Germany (daily shuttle for BAe staff).

[edit on 5-9-2004 by CTRDude]

Originally posted by CTRDude
The aircraft mentioned earlier flying at 0400 will be the BAe 146 passenger plane taking staff from Warton to Germany (daily shuttle for BAe staff).

Ah, that makes sense. it does sound like a passenger jet rather than a fighter... thank for clearing that one up for me!!

Save people craning their necks

The US and UK work close together on many projects like the JSF and even nuclear weapons when they were being developed, it wouldnt surprise me if stealth technology was worked on with some degree of co-operation too.

The UK actually parcelled up all of its stealth work and sent it to the US in the '60s when the British Govt order all work in this area to cease as it saw no possible future benefit from it (DOH!) Though I'm not at all sure to what extent, if at all, it influenced any of what we see today.

Originally posted by RAB
And have seen some very interesting stuff of late triangle's but more than likley to be the Typhoon out of leeming.

Hope it's HALO / FOAS!

I was at leeming base not so long ago, I thought that was only a Tornado and Hawk base?



I live 5mins away from Warton, and over the past 3 months or so there has been a lot more activity (At night too, which is unusual). Can't say i've ever seen anything strange, just the usual Tornados, Hawks and Eurofighters.

I forgot to mention, a while ago a friend of mine who is in the RAF told me that there is some strange goings on at Warton, not sure what though...

Hi,

Just a quick one as these posts made me smile. I work for an IPT at Warton and believe me, nothing interesting is going on here anymore. And has not for some time.

Radar cross section research and typhoon is about as fun as it gets!