Another question, this time about Typhoon (was B-1B question)

[kitnut617]

On the Bone, there's two little wings near the cockpit, I've read that they help smooth the ride at low level but what are they called and what controls them ?

Robert

[Jeffry Fontaine]

The Wikipedia page on the B-One has the following description:

The length of the aircraft presented a serious flexing problem due to air turbulence at low altitude. To alleviate this, Rockwell included small canards near the nose on the B-1. An accelerometer would actuate the canards automatically to counteract turbulence and smooth out the ride.

USAF Fact Sheet for the B-One
Boeing Page on the B-One
NASA Page on the B-One
Global Security Page on the B-One

[kitnut617]

Thanks for that Jeffry, much appreciated 

[kitnut617]

On my Eagle GR.7a project I'm going to go with some modern ECM and passive warning stuff, on the Tornado (Tonka) it had the BOZ-107 and the ECM pod plus the passive warning detectors on the fin, but the Eurofighter Typhoon doesn't have these. So are they - 1. yet to be put onto the aircraft, or - 2, they have been miniaturized enough that they all fit in the slim wing tip pods now ?

[pyro-manic]

Yeah, all the ECM stuff is in the wingtip pods. The chaff and flare dispensers are built into fairings under the wings, and there's a towed decoy in one of the pods as well. There might well be other RWR receivers dotted around the airframe, but I'm not sure on that one. The TSR.2 would not have carried the BOZ-107 etc, as all it's ECM gear was internal.

[B777LR]

Interesting thing about those canardlings on the B-1. I wonder why the Tu-160 doesn't have them. It's a larger and longer plane, with roughly same layout.

[PR19_Kit]

Interesting thing about those canardlings on the B-1. I wonder why the Tu-160 doesn't have them. It's a larger and longer plane, with roughly same layout.

Because the Blackjack would be sent to Siberia if it didn't behave properly............ 

[kitnut617]

Interesting thing about those canardlings on the B-1. I wonder why the Tu-160 doesn't have them. It's a larger and longer plane, with roughly same layout.

Yes, that's an interesting observation Thomas,  here's a little story about a B-1B I saw at the Cold Lake Airshow a few years ago, it was doing a flying display, mostly at minimum height, slow passes with wings forward, fast passes with wings swept back etc, the usual gammit.  But on it's last pass which was very fast and had condensation clouds forming around the middle section, it pulled up slightly and proceded to do a barrel roll, very spectacular.  A couple of years later while at the Abbotsford Airshow there was a couple of other B-1B's, one static and one doing a flying display, when I noticed that the sides at the front end of the static aircraft was very crinkled and I asked the pilot who was there answering questions about it, he said it was all the 'hotshots' that were doing what he said were 'non-regulation' flight displays and it was causing a lot of stress on the airframes. 

So maybe the Tu-160 is built like the proverbial 'brick sh*thouse'

[kitnut617]

Yeah, all the ECM stuff is in the wingtip pods. The chaff and flare dispensers are built into fairings under the wings, and there's a towed decoy in one of the pods as well. There might well be other RWR receivers dotted around the airframe, but I'm not sure on that one. The TSR.2 would not have carried the BOZ-107 etc, as all it's ECM gear was internal.

Thanks pyro, I thought that the ECM stuff were in the pods but couldn't figure out where the rest of it is.

[pyro-manic]

No problem.

Re. the Blackjack, AFAIK it does not operate at low level, so it would not need the canards as it would not have to contend with the same degree of buffeting and turbulence as the B-1.

[Shasper]

Spot on Pyro, the 160 is designed for more of a high-er alt. penetration . . . not sure if it's got a TF radar like its American counterpart.

Shas