Thoughts about life with limits
Yes, I know this is woefully out-of-date. I'm pondering my next move...
It's So Cool!
This recent bit of news -- NPR Acknowledges Pentagon Propaganda Controversy -- reminded me of a segment I heard on last weekend's All Things Considered (which I've transcribed below).
You can almost hear Seabrook's imperial orgasm. Clearly she wants to sample some afterburner-thrust-vectoring (as mentioned in the interview).
This brings back disturbing memories of high school pep rallies.
This may seem off-topic but the empire (speaking of Darth Vader, as mentioned in the interview) must try to retain access to far-flung resources to maintain phantom carrying capacity.
It's nice to see National Pentagon Radio doing its part.
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Stealth Fighter Flies to Final Resting Place (NPR audio link)
Transcript of audio interview:
Andrea Seabrook (AS): From NPR News, this is all things considered. I'm Andrea Seabrook.
Now to some news that may have passed under your radar. The Night Hawk just flew its final mission. It's an American Jet officially called the F117A. It was the first stealth fighter, built with technology that makes it invisible to radar detection. The Night Hawk has always been, and still is, super classified. The government didn't even acknowledge the jet existed until a decade after it was flying. It's last mission this week: fly to a secure hanger in Nevada for safe keeping in secret. The man who flew the lead plane in that mission is Colonel John Forsythe, call sign "Ripper". Hi there!
Colonel John Forsythe (CJF): Hi Andrea, how you doing?
AS: Good! Now you're in your office there in Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.
CJF: That's Correct.
AS: Do you have a model of the Night Hawk there on your desk?
CJF: I sure do! How did you know that?
AS: I just, something in me, I, just a guess!
CJF: (Laughter)
AS: What does this plane look like?
CJF: Well, you know, it's got a very distinctive arrowhead shape, that's kind of a top and bottom view. And a side view it's very flat. It's very pointy in the front and very flat in the back.
AS: It's the plane that I always call the Batman symbol.
CJF: It does look like the Batman symbol!
AS: Am I correct in thinking the wings are flat because that scatters radar?
CJF: Well, you know, the wings are flat just like any other type of aircraft. What's really unique about the aircraft is the fuselage itself. It's very angular, very faceted, and that is to reflect radar energy off in different directions.
AS: This plane, the Night Hawk, has had a big role in many U.S. conflicts over the past 30 years: both Iraq wars, Serbia, the Panama invasion, just to name a few. How is it used in combat?
CJF: Well, it's specifically designed for what we call strategic attack or air interdiction. And that allows us to get into targets that other aluminum aircraft, as we call them, have much more difficulty (sic). Because those aircraft have a high reflectivity, the surface-to-air missile operators can see them much more easily than we, than they can see us (sic). So it allows us to go right down to downtown Baghdad, downtown Belgrade, any target set within a country, we can get to.
AS: So, why is the military retiring the Night Hawk.
CJF: It really comes down to capability. And the technology is such today that we've got the benefit of 20 years of advancements of avionics. And the F22...
AS: The F22 is replacing the Night Hawk.
CJF: It is, it is, more or less. And it has afterburner-thrust-vectoring, it can carry missiles, it can carry a gun to shoot back, it knows when it's being shot at, and it's got defensive systems. And, so, you know, and you have about the same, roughly the same signature as the F117.
AS: Do you think there's anything you'll miss, though, about the Night Hawk?
CJF: Oh, oh, certainly, you know, I mean, it is, I think, one thing about the Night Hawk, particularly because of its physical appearance, it's really etched in the national psyche.
AS: Yeah, it's so cool!
CJF: It is! And it is still a big draw at air shows. You can park it next to the F22 and people will come and watch your jet, you know, because it has that Darth Vader appearance. And I think that, combined with the very small family of pilots that flew this, really make it a unique environment here at home. There's been (sic) more astronauts than there have been guys that have, guys and gals, that have flown the F117.
AS: Air Force Colonel John Forsythe is commander of the 49th Operation Group. He flew the final mission of the Night Hawk stealth fighter jet last week. Thanks so much for speaking with us.
CJF: Thank you Andrea.■
