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Aircraft

Why America Wasted $44 Billion On The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber

Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber was a costly venture, and one that many felt wasn’t needed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is one of the most advanced bombers ever created. Known of course as the stealth bomber, the B-2 has provided the backbone of US strategic bombing since the late 1990s. The idea behind the B-2 was to create a military stealth aircraft that could strike deep into the heart of the Soviet Union. However, even before it entered service, the aircraft proved controversial within US Congress. Many felt the B-2 was simply not needed as the Cold War began to wind down.

The cost of the program and its lack of combat service since its introduction is controversial. It means that the program is sometimes seen as a waste of money. As capable as the B-2 Spirit really is, it’s not been able to create the same legacy as its stealth sibling, the F-117 Nighthawk.

The B-2 Spirit Was Designed To Penetrate Deep Into The Soviet Union

The US Air Force needed an aircraft by the mid-1970s that could slip through Soviet territory, nearly undetected. And pretty much immune to an attack by radar guided weapons. Plans for such an aircraft advanced quickly. Lockheed Martin would earn the contract to create the F-117 attack aircraft thanks to its experience with the SR-71 Blackbird. Northrop meanwhile had developed Tacit Blue. This was a demonstration aircraft, and would soon win the contract to produce the B-2. The B-2 project had even more appeal. This following the cancelation of the original B-1 bomber project.

The B-2 was first publicly unveiled in November 1988, but by then there were doubts about the program. It was increasingly clear that the Soviet Union was failing. And it would collapse entirely in 1991. Before the aircraft had even entered service, the sole reason for the B-2s existence was gone. Thus, the initial order for 132 B-2s was dramatically reduced to just 21. As of 2023 20 are in service with one having crashed in 2008. But not only did the dissolution of the Soviet Union hurt the B-2, so did its spiraling costs.

The B-2 Was A Complex And Multi-Billion Dollar Wasted Project

Developing the B-2 Spirit was one of the costliest projects in the United States military history. By 1997, the estimated average cost of one of the 21 B2s was $2.13 billion. With each aircraft costing a staggering $737 million to build. That number rose to $929 million per aircraft after including spare parts, retrofitting and procurement among other things. Once all the development was factored in, the price of the B-2 inflated to that $2.13 billion figure Overall, the B-2 Spirit program cost an eye watering $44 billion, around $71 billion in today’s money. It was easy to see why there were many doubters in congress who thought the B-2 was just a giant waste of money.

The winding down of the Soviet Union simply made things worse. With a stealthy strategic bomber no longer as urgently needed as it had been. The cost of the B-2 to the American taxpayer was hugely controversial. The B-2 was now estimated to cost three times as much annually as the B-1B would when that entered US service. It was also four times more expensive to operate annually than the B-52H. Had the B-2 proven itself in combat however, things might have been different. But the B-2, unlike the F-117, hasn’t had the most interesting of operational careers.

The B-2 Has Only Seen Limited Combat Service

In terms of its stealth capabilities, the B-2 is an exceptional aircraft. It is just as stealthy as the US Air Force had hoped it would be. Which also means less support aircraft are then needed to provide air cover for the bomber. No missiles have ever launched at a B-2 in service, whereas one F-117 was of course shot down in Yugoslavia. Operationally tough, there haven’t been many chances for the B-2 to get locked onto. The B-2 saw limited usage during the 1999 Kosovo War, while it saw service in Afghanistan in 2003 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Since then the B-2 has seen some service in Libya, and against ISIS in Libya. But for an aircraft that costs around $2 billion each, this isn’t what you might call value for money. It’s not had quite the same career as the B-52.

What Next For The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber?

In terms of what the future holds for the B-2, it is now expected to remain in service until 2032. At this point, Northrop Grumman’s new B-21 Raider will replace the bomber. Clearly there is still a need for a stealth bomber within the US Air Force. The B-21 should in theory also replace the B-1B Lancer and potentially the B-52 Stratofortress as well. With it estimated that the cost of one B-21 will be around $700 billion they will certainly be cheaper than the B-2. But the B-2 has at least paved the way more stealth aircraft for the US military in the future.

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Aircraft

X-44 MANTA: Why This F-22 Derivative Never Saw the Light of Day

Here’s What You Need to Know: Like the iconic B-2 stealth bomber, the X-44 design lacked a tail.

The X-44 MANTA, which stands for Multi-Axis No Tail Aircraft, was a futuristic-looking derivative of Lockheed Martin’s iconic F-22 design. According to Air Force Magazine, Lockheed Martin may have designed up to six different airframes similar to the F-22 Raptor that were offered to the Air Force. Though none of them were picked up, this particular design is said to have drawn the interest of NASA as a research platform with which to test controlling tailless designs using thrust vectoring. Meet the X-44 MANTA.

Stealthy by Design

Like the F-22 on which the X-44 was based on, it would have been highly stealthy and may have even been stealthier than its F-22 parent. Renderings of the X-44 concept indicate that it would have carried over the F-22’s air intake inlets that are designed to diffuse enemy radar inside of them rather than reflecting radar outwards.

Like the iconic B-2 stealth bomber, the X-44 design was tailless. Sans tail, these tailless designs are inherently stealthier than other tailed airframes—the X-44 would have had a very low radar signature. Instead of using standard control surfaces to maneuver while in flight, the MANTA maneuvered using thrust vectoring, in which the dual engine’s exhaust nozzles could direct exhaust in various directions.

Though innovative, thrust vectoring designs are nothing new. One successful Russian design in service with the Indian Air Force, a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, benefits from very high maneuverability thanks to its thrust vectoring engine nozzles.

The modified delta wing design also had a couple of benefits over its predecessor. By design, delta wings have more surface area internally and externally than traditional swept wings and can, therefore, hold more fuel. Using so-called wet wings, also known as integral fuel tanks, a greater volume of fuel could be stored internal in the plane’s wings.

This kind of fuel storage is relatively common and allows for a large amount of fuel to be carried. In addition to higher fuel capacity, the X-44 would have benefited from a more aerodynamic airframe, resulting in lower drag while in flight.

Postscript

The X-44 was one of a number of designs that Lockheed Martin designed and pitched to the U.S. Air Force as a way to augment the branch’s stealthily airframes, though this particular design may be the only one that was tailless. With F-22 production lines long since shuttered, it is unlikely we’ll ever get to see the X-44 MANTA in flight.

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Aircraft

Bad Idea: Why Russia and China are Betting Against the F-35 Stealth Fighter

Who benefits from the United States making a decision to abandon the F-35 program?

Here’s What You Need to Remember: America’s adversaries would like nothing better than for the United States to curtail its buy of the F-35, just like Washington did for the F-22, because there is not an allied or adversary platform in production that can come close to competing with the F-35.

In the last few months, a torrent of scorn has been heaped upon the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, seemingly just in time for the fiscal year 2022 defense budget cycle.

The timing, volume, and the sameness of the talking points from the F-35 jet’s opponents is enough to make you wonder where it’s all coming. Not from F-35 pilots certainly, who overwhelmingly favor the aircraft over their previous jets.

Cui bono is Latin for “who benefits?” And that’s the question we probably should be asking. Who benefits from the United States making a decision to abandon the F-35 program?

Russia and China immediately come to mind. Each in their own way has tried to copy the F-35 but thus far have come up short in manufacturing a comparable plane. They’d love the United States to stop buying the F-35 fighter.

After all would Russia, which has seen fit to meddle with U.S. elections and mount sophisticated disinformation campaigns which undermine confidence in U.S. coronavirus vaccines, and even target U.S. armed forces, pass up an opportunity to sway U.S. public opinion against the F-35 jet? Why wouldn’t they target the world’s most advanced fighter weapons systems to minimize its fielding, while they figure out how to make their own stealth work?

What about China? They also created their own false narratives about the origins of the coronavirus, and western countries responses. They also tried to influence elections in Taiwan. While their J-20 stealth jet fighter looks a lot like the F-35 fighter, beneath the surface, it cannot compare. They’d love to see the U.S. stop buying F-35 jets, which would likely defeat J-20s by the vast margins in combat.

Not that it has to be one of America’s adversaries. Even a rival company could orchestrate a campaign to malign the F-35 jet fighter. But it could never be effective. People would see right through it. Wouldn’t they?

Maybe. Or maybe not. Americans generally trust what they read. A recent survey reveals false headlines fool adults 75 percent of the time.

So just how could the Russians, Chinese, or even a competitor company accomplish such dastardly work?

Proxies perhaps? Sounds like the movie Conspiracy Theory, right? But walk with me down this path for a moment.

You might be surprised to learn there is a thriving Washington, D.C. cottage industry of public relations firms hiring authors with seemingly bonafide credentials to write opinion articles on a variety of topics. They are aided in this effort because many legitimate media outlets don’t disclose the role of a PR firm in placing an Op-Ed. Even the author may not know who is ultimately paying him for his “work.”

Once such an article is written, paid or automated agents of industry or adversarial nations can immediately amplify the story by reposting and retweeting it.

But false narratives need false “facts,” and to support their case, critics of the F-35 have latched onto a few to make their case. Most recently, they have cited the cost and the decision to delay the full-rate production decision as cause to give the F-35 a second look.

So, let’s look at cost. Critics cite the F-35s projected lifetime costs of $1.7 trillion as unaffordable.

No matter who you are, $1.7 trillion is a lot of money. But at what point in the history of fighter aircraft has anyone ever added up all of the costs for development, acquisition, maintenance, fuel and support for the projected lifetime of that weapons system?

You can’t name one because this is a new whim, a tactic if you will, of the sound-bite world.

But for the sake of argument, let’s pick one. Add up the lifetime costs of the F-16 jet fighter from its design in early 1970s through the fielding of all ten variants, its service life extension program, the development and fielding of its new electronically scanned array radar, four different engines, the navigation and multiple targeting pods, maintenance, fuel and support costs for the last forty-six years—and let’s not forget the remaining twenty-six years of its projected life.

Or pick the lifetime costs of the A-10, the AV-8B, or the FA-18A/B/C/D warplanes, their major modifications and service life extension programs—and, because the acquisition of the F-22 stealth fighter jet was curtailed, you have to include at least some portion of the F-15A/B/C/D model fleet. All five weapons systems began development in the late 1960s or 1970s and their support costs will still be racking up years beyond the here and now.

And then remember that the F-35 is going to replace them all.

That’s right—you would have to add up totals for all of them to support a claim that the F-35 is a “rathole” for dollars.

Program critics have recently latched onto the Pentagon’s decision to halt the F-35 full rate production declaration for the foreseeable future.

Not because of the jet’s performance—but because the Joint Simulation Environment isn’t working. That’s right, a simulation is unable to test and validate the performance of a simulated F-35 against simulated threats to prove that it can meet performance expectations in that simulated world.

No other fighter has ever been held back from full-rate production because of a simulation. Not any fourth-generation fighter. Not even America’s other stealth fighter, the F-22 jet.

And yet the maligning efforts of the F-35’s competitors and America’s adversaries alike have taken hold, in spite of the facts.

Pilots who have flown fourth-generation aircraft and are now flying the F-35A jet love it. It costs 30 percent less to acquire than a combat-capable F-15EX jet and the cost per flying hour of those two jets are now a wash. And unlike that dated fighter, the F-35 jet can successfully employ in and around missile systems that will be lethal for aircrews who face them in an F-15EX fighter.

America’s adversaries would like nothing better than for the United States to curtail its buy of the F-35, just like Washington did for the F-22, because there is not an allied or adversary platform in production that can come close to competing with the F-35.

And if policymakers really had doubts about how the F-35 will perform in a simulated high-threat environment, why don’t we just ask the Israelis how it does in a real one?

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Aircraft

5,000 Warplanes Built: Why The ‘Old’ F-4 Phantom II Fighter Is Still Flying High

Taking flight in 1958, the F-4 Phantom was an envelope-pusher, setting 16 different performance records, including for speed and altitude.

Meet the Timeless F-4 Phantom: One of the most adaptable airframes ever used in the U.S. Armed Forces, undoubtedly, was the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.

During a four-decade service run, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps all operated the Phantom – an all-weather, supersonic fighter, bomber, and interceptor.

The Phantom’s adaptability, paired with its commendable, and consistent performance attributed to the fighter earning a ceremonious distinction: the F-4, with 5,195 units built, is the most produced American supersonic military aircraft ever.

Flying Strong and Setting Records

Taking flight in 1958, the Phantom was an envelope-pusher, setting 16 different performance records, including for speed and altitude. The Phantom was well ahead of its time – its speed record remained unbeaten until 1975, when the still-serving F-15 Eagle, with its 50,000 pounds of thrust, set a new mark.

With a top speed of Mach 2.2, the Phantom is quite fast – “Speed is life” was the motto of Phantom pilots – which is remarkable given the Phantom’s brawny dimensions and hulking weight. Measuring 63 feet long, with a max takeoff weight of over 61,000 pounds, one might expect the Phantom to lumber in the air. That is not the case, of course. The Phantom’s two General Electric J79 engines enable 1,400 miles per hour speeds, a service ceiling of 60,000 feet, and a climbing rate of 41,300 feet per minute.

The Phantom was regarded for its acceleration, allowing for smooth engagement and disengagement. However, the Phantom was not particularly maneuverable. Enemy MiGs could typically outturn the F-4, which wasn’t designed for dogfighting and suffered from adverse yaw in tight turns. Instead, the F-4 was intended to fire radar-guided missiles from beyond visual range, not engage in air combat maneuvering, using internal cannons. Actually, the original Phantom variants didn’t even have a cannon, just nine external hardpoints capable of carrying more than nine tons of weaponry. The omission of a cannon was a mistake.

“That was the biggest mistake on the F-4,” John Chesire, who flew 197 combat missions in the F-4 during Vietnam, once said. “Bullets are cheap and tend to go where you aim them. I needed a gun, and I really wished I had one.”

“Everyone in RF-4s wished they had a gun on the aircraft,” Jack Dailey, Director of the National Air and Space Museum, said.

Without guns, special emphasis was placed on the F-4’s heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles, which at the time featured new (unreliable) technology. Often, pilots had to fire multiple missiles at one target. The problem was compounded in Vietnam where rules of engagement required visual identification of the enemy, in effect precluding long-range missile attacks. Regardless, the F-4 is credited with shooting down 107 MiGs in Vietnam.

By the time Saddam Hussein rolled into Kuwait, the F-4 had been in service for three decades. Still, the F-4 proved valuable, operating as “Wild Weasels,” rousting out enemy SAMs. Equipped for a Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role, the F-4 was vital in protecting coalition aircraft against Saddam’s sophisticated air defense system.

In 1996, the Phantom’s U.S. active-duty service run ended – after nearly fifty years. The jet lives on, however. Greece operates 18 F-4s out of Andravida Air Base. South Korea still has 27 F-4Es. Turkey has 54. And Iran, our former ally, operates 62 F-4s, alongside their still-running F-14 Tomcats.

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Aircraft

Why Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Is The World’s Worst Stealth Aircraft

Russia’s Su-57 Felon is a troubled aircraft, and a poor stealth fighter, with an abnormally high radar cross-section and just 10 in active service.

Fifth generation stealth aircraft are appearing in every major military air arm at the moment. Russia is one air arm that has its own, in the form of the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon. The Su-57 first flew in January 2010, but remarkably the aircraft would not enter service until December 2020. A protracted development program meant that the aircraft suffered from various delays and cost overruns. Even now, a very limited number of the Su-57 are actually in Russian Air Force service.

Furthermore, for an aircraft that should have stealth capabilities, the Su-57 falls remarkably short in this area. Aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II have it beaten in this department. As such, it’s arguable the Su-57 is the world’s worst stealth aircraft currently in service. Here’s why.

The Su-57’s Development Was Full Of Problems

The Su-57 has had one of the most troubled development programs of any modern fighter. What was first dubbed the Tu-50 in its prototype form was initially meant to have three flying prototypes by 2009. However, by 2010, just one had taken flight. The testing program of the ten prototypes build would reveal structural issues within the airframe. This necessitated a total redesign from the sixth prototype onwards. This to resolve the fatigue life problems befalling the earlier aircraft. These issues meant the initial order of 70 aircraft would become hard for Sukhoi to meet.

Western sanctions of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 saw the first order cut down to 52 aircraft. Although that number has since risen back to 76 after further investment. Two Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofans are in the Su-57, which does give it an impressive top speed of Mach 2 or 1,327 mph. So there is no denying that the Su-57 is a fast and punchy aircraft, one that also has shown great agility at airshows. However, thanks to its long and troubled development, the amount of Su-57s in active service barely crosses into double digits even in 2023.

Only A Small Number Are In Service In 2023

According to sources such as United Aircraft Corporation, just 10 Su-57s are in service as of December 2022. The Su-57 has seen some use in the current conflict in Ukraine. However, it’s been strictly limited to use within Russian airspace. Russia would not want to risk any of its Su-57s getting shot down, nor risk the technology it possesses becoming common knowledge among the West. Regarding when an operational regiment of Su-57s is actually expected, this is unlikely to happen until 2025. Showing how delayed the project has become.

It is unlikely that the Su-57 will have any major impact on the outcome of the war in Ukraine. Even with 10 in service, it is unlikely all of them are in operation right now. It’s also highly unlikely that Russia will risk using the aircraft beyond their current long-range roles. This thanks to this small service number. The Su-57 then is at the moment one of the most ineffective aircraft in Russian military service. And outnumbered by practically everything else the Air Force is using.

The Su-57 Has A Poor Radar Cross-Section

The idea of a stealth aircraft is to have as low a radar cross-section as possible. The lower the cross-section, the harder it is for the aircraft to get picked up on radar. However, if various reports are to believed then the Su-57 has quite a poor radar cross-section. It is also estimated it has a cross-section between 0.1 and one square meters, considered broadly to be around 0.5. That is on a par with non-stealth fourth-generation aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet. Compare this to the cross-section of the F-35 which is between 0.0015 and 0.005 square meters. The Raptor is even better at between 0.0001 to 0.0005 square meters.

While this is a bit of a problem for the Su-57, the aircraft does fall within the parameters for a stealth aircraft. And it is still much less detectable than other military aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle. It’s just in comparison to its main rivals, it has a poor cross-section.

The Su-57 Is A Troubled Stealth Aircraft

So it is fair to say that the Su-57 is quite the troubled aircraft. It has not had the easiest development, and is still suffering from that to this day. So few are in service right now, and Russia is unable to use them effectively. It’s unlikely they will provide any meaningful service to Russia for some time. Currently, it is unclear if the full order of 76 will actually enter service.

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Aircraft

The World War II F4U Corsair Was The Allies’ Best Weapon In The Pacific

In the European Theater of World War II, the P-51 Mustang was the top aircraft when it came to shooting down or otherwise nullifying Axis airpower. In the Pacific, planes like the P-38 Lightning scored major hits against the Imperial Japanese, including killing Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. But the real king of the skies over the Pacific Ocean was the Vought F4U Corsair.

It was a veritable hotrod of a fighter plane, and with a top speed of 446 miles per hour, it was briefly the fastest plane in the U.S. arsenal. it was powered by a 45.9-liter 18-cylinder radial Pratt and Whitney R-2800 “Double Wasp” engine that churned out an astonishing 2,000 hp. For comparison, the 27-litre V12 “Merlin” engine used by the famed Mustang was rated at 1,490 hp. The Corsair engine’s distinctive howl gave earned it the nickname of “the Whistling Death.” Its cockpit was pushed pack to accommodate its huge engine. But the most distinctive feature of the Corsair was its pair of folding gull-wings that allowed it to be more compact on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The P-38 Lightning gets the credit for the most air-to-air kills in the Pacific Theater, primarily because it was in combat longer than the Corsair. Right after it showed up on the scene in 1943, the Corsair proved to be incredible at air-to-air combat against the quickly dwindling power of the Japanese Empire.

The bane of Imperial Japanese fighters


The folding design of the Corsair lent itself to carrier-based operations by the Navy, but that was only a small part of the its story. Problems with the airframe when it was first introduced delayed its Naval ship debut until 1944. It was used to great effect as a land-based fighter by the U.S. Marines during the Allied Force’s island-hopping campaign. The primary air-to-air armament of the Corsair were six .50 caliber machine guns. But it was also capable of carrying bombs, rockets, and whatever else the Marine Corps needed to make life difficult for the Imperial Navy and Army. The Corsair’s versatility and carrier-centric design made the plane infinitely valuable when taking off and attacking from short hastily prepared runways on Pacific Islands.

As the war came to a close, desperate Japanese forces deployed Kamikaze pilots who would intentionally ram their aircraft into Allied targets. When the Corsair saw combat from the deck of an aircraft carrier, it excelled at repelling these attacks and other last ditch efforts by the Imperial Navy.

Into Korea and beyond


The numbers illustrate the Corsair’s story of dominance over the Imperial Japanese Navy’s aircraft. Over the course of the war, the Corsair down a total of 2,140 aircraft for an absolutely mind-boggling 11-to-1 kill ratio. Specifically, the “Jolly Rogers” of Fighter Squadron 17 were responsible for downing 152 planes. The Corsair was also exported to use by British Royal Navy. Flying for the U.S. military, the Corsair stayed in service until after the Korean War. During that conflict, a Corsair flown by Marine Captain Jesse Folmar managed to down a Soviet MiG-15 fighter plane.

Export versions of the plane remained flying until the 1970s, proving the Corsair’s fighting mettle. Much like the P-38 Lightning, the Corsair likely wasn’t going to win any contests in the looks department, but few other aircraft that have ever flown can measure up to the Corsair in terms of sheer combat effectiveness when it was needed most.

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Aircraft

The Saab 37 Viggen Fighter – A Plane With a Reverse Gear

Of all the planes produced during the Cold War, one of the most interesting to look at remains the Swedish Air Force’s Saab 37 Viggen (“Bolt”). The plane is easily recognizable for its enormous canards and its delta wing configuration; although both innovations preceded it and were used later on other jets, notably China’s Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon”, it was one of the first modern fighter jets to use either.

Of all the planes produced during the Cold War, one of the most interesting to look at remains the Swedish Air Force’s Saab 37 Viggen (“Bolt”). The plane is easily recognizable for its enormous canards and its delta wing configuration; although both innovations preceded it and were used later on other jets, notably China’s Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon”, it was one of the first modern fighter jets to use either.

The Saab 37 could fly at speeds of above Mach 2 at high altitudes; unusually, it could also operate from runways of 500 meters. By comparison, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, an American jet from the same period, required more than 750 meters to land.

The Saab 37’s efficiency in this regard is a function of its unusual engine design. To keep its landing distance minimal, Saab integrated a thrust-reverser into the Volvo engine, making the Saab the first and only single-engine fighter jet with such a measure included. Flight instructor Thomas Kolb explains the engine on Quora:

“With the Viggen, three triangular metal “petals” in the engine exhaust could be folded down by the pilot pulling out a T-shaped lever on the left side of the dashboard in the cockpit. This would then direct the entire air stream from the engine forward through slits around the back of the fuselage.”

A jet is normally powered by the propulsion of air backward, pushing the plane forward. By covering the exhaust and redirecting the air pressure through forward-facing slits, the plane would be pushed backward, slowing it down on a runway.

Kolb continues: “If the reversor was activated in flight, the system would become armed so that the reversor plates would automatically close as soon as the main and the nose undercarriages became compressed when touching the ground. By pushing the throttle forward and adding power, the pilot could then get the aircraft to a surprisingly short stop.” According to Kolb, this innovation came about because of Swedish defense policy, which dictated that the jets should be able to land within short stretches of flat space, such as on sections of road, in the case of emergencies.

Fortunately, this innovation was never necessary in a time of war. A positive side effect, noted Kolb, was that the planes were able to perform a creative stunt at air shows: land on a short runway, use the engine in alternating directions to turn the plane fully around with a Y-turn, and take off again in the opposite direction. One wonders if parallel parking will be next.

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Strange Mysteries

Revealing what is hidden in a golden vase dating back 5,000 years

We finally arrived at the moment we were eagerly waiting for, as we carefully cracked open the ancient golden vase. With bated breath and pounding hearts, we felt excitement and anticipation.

As the lid was ɩifted, a dazzling array of precious jewels, gleaming gold coins, and exquisite artifacts spilled forth, revealing the hidden treasure that lay dormant for centuries.

The sight left us in awe, marveling at the richness of history and the stories these artifacts must hoɩd. The discovery was nothing short of miraculous, and our expedition had truly struck gold!

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Strange Mysteries

Mysterious gold mine in California, archaeologists discovered treasure dating back 40 million years

In a gold mine in California, archeologists exposed historic relics that date lower back forty million years n the center of the 19th century, miners determined masses of artifacts crafted from stone and human stays of their tunnels at Table Mountain and in different regions of the gold mining area.

Experts consider that those bones and artifacts had been located in Eocene-eга strata (38 to fifty five million years). These information had been гeⱱeаɩed with the aid of using Dr. J. D. Whitney of California, the top-rating authorities geologist. The book, The Auriferous Gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California became posted with the aid of using Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Comparative Zoology, in 1880. It became eliminated from medical discourse as it сһаɩɩeпɡed Darwinist perspectives of human origins. In 1849, gold became located withinside the gravels of the Sierra Nevada Mountains’ riverbeds.


This discovery attracted a variety of adventurers to cities along with Brandy City, Last Chance and ɩoѕt саmр. Initially, one miner panned the gravels which had made their manner into streambeds to make nuggets and flakes. Gold-mining businesses speedy introduced greater resources. They bored shafts into mountainsides and observed the gravel deposits anywhere they lead, even as others used excessive ргeѕѕᴜгe water jets to easy the auriferous (gold Ьeагіпɡ) gravels from slopes.

A lot of stone artifacts and human bones have been located via way of means of the miners. Scientists heard from J. D. Whitney approximately the maximum critical matters. Surface deposits and artifacts from hydraulic mining have been tough to date, however matters located in deer mine shafts or tunnels can be dated better. J. D. Whitney said that the geological records indicated that the auriferous rocks have been at maximum Pliocene age. Geologists these days assume that a few gravel deposits date returned to the Eocene. Many shafts have been pushed in Tuolumne County, thru Table Mountain’s deeр strata, after which reached the gold-Ьeагіпɡ rocks. In a few cases, there have been shafts that went beneathneath the latite for masses of yards. Gravels proper on pinnacle of the bedrock may be everywhere from 33.2 million to fifty six million years old, at the same time as different gravels may be everywhere from nine million to fifty five million years old. William B. Holmes, a bodily anthropologist on the Smithsonian Institution, said, “If Professor Whitney had completely understood the tale of human evolution as it’s miles regarded these days, he could have hesitated to announce the conclusions reached, despite the fact that he turned into given a massive quantity of proof to returned up his claims.”


Or, to place it any other way, information should be thrown out in the event that they don’t lower back up an idea. This is what arreped did. Whitney nevertheless suggests a number of the matters on the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the University of California, Berkeley. Darwinism and different isms additionally affected how the archaeological web website online of Hueyatlaco in Mexico become treated. In the 1970s, archaeologists led through Cynthia Irwin Williams located stone equipment close to animal bones that were killed at some point of exsaatop at Hueyatlaco.

Geologists, like Virginia Steen McIntyre, labored collectively to determine out how vintage the webweb page changed into. Geologists used 4 strategies to determine out how vintage the webweb page changed into: zircon fission tracks courting on volcanic layers above artifact layers, uranium collection courting on butchered bones, zircon tgask courting on volcanic layers above artifact layers, and tephra-hydration courting on volcanic crystals in volcanic layers above artifact layers. Archaeologists commenced spotting how vintage the webweb page changed into due to the fact they thought: (1) No one ought to have made such artifacts everywhere on Earth 250,000 years ago; and (2) North America wasn’t inhabited till approximately 15,000 to 20,000 years ago.

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Strange Mysteries

Indians Unearthed the Largest Yamashita Gold Treasure Ever Found

In a historic and unprecedented turn of events, an Indian citizen achieved a momentous discovery that reverberated across the globe—a find that could rewrite the pages of history—the unearthing of the largest known Yamashita Gold Treasure ever found. The announcement of this astounding discovery, coupled with video footage capturing the momentous occasion, sent shockwaves through the world of archaeology, treasure һᴜпtіпɡ, and һіѕtoгісаɩ investigation.


The uncovering of this remarkable treasure trove brings forth a tale steeped in mystery and ɩeɡeпd. The ɩeɡeпdагу Yamashita treasure, believed to be an enormous cache of looted gold amassed by Japanese forces during World wаг II, has long been a subject of fascination and ѕрeсᴜɩаtіoп. Yet, despite the many tales and treasure-һᴜпtіпɡ expeditions surrounding the Yamashita hoard, the unearthing of the largest ever found by an Indian citizen stands as an unprecedented Ьгeаktһгoᴜɡһ.

The video footage capturing this monumental discovery paints a riveting tale of determination, perseverance, and a ѕtгoke of extгаoгdіпагу luck. The images reveal the unfolding dгаmа as the discoverer, аɡаіпѕt all oddѕ, exсаⱱаted this awe-inspiring treasure, showcasing the magnitude and sheer volume of gold stacked and concealed for decades.

The significance of unearthing the largest known Yamashita Gold Treasure by an Indian citizen is not merely a һіѕtoгісаɩ Ьгeаktһгoᴜɡһ; it symbolizes the рoweг of human curiosity and the гeɩeпtɩeѕѕ рᴜгѕᴜіt of uncovering hidden truths. The discovery reignites debates about the stories and controversies surrounding the Yamashita treasure, its origins, and the рoteпtіаɩ implications it might have in revisiting һіѕtoгісаɩ narratives.

The implications of this discovery extend beyond the sheer value of the treasure trove. It rekindles іпtгіɡᴜe about the intricate and tumultuous times of World wаг II, delving into the complexities of looted gold, clandestine operations, and the unrevealed tales of a tumultuous eга. The find triggers fresh waves of ѕрeсᴜɩаtіoп and curiosity, inspiring researchers, historians, and treasure һᴜпteгѕ to reexamine the shadowy history surrounding the Yamashita treasure and its гoɩe in the wаг.