Typed frantically between evening cocktail receptions:
Best contractor quote #1:
George Muellner, Boeing’s loquacious president of advanced systems, was speaking about the dual role air dominance missile (DRADM), which the air force wants to develop to replace the AMRAAM and the HARM. I mentioned that the navy seems to think this idea is a little dumb, and asked for his response.
Muellner replied: “The navy is always smart enough to not join these programs until it’s very mature, so the can buy off the production lots.”
Best contractor quote #2:
Harry Heimple, one of Northrop Grumman’s B-2 guys, was talking about why commercial operators have bumped the bomber off the slice of the spectrum it uses for radar signals. My question: at the end of the day, the B-2 is a nuclear bomber, so why can’t it use any part of the spectrum that it wants to use? Heimple answered that there were a lot of air force generals who asked the same question.
He added: “It took a roomful of lawyers to explain to them who was going to jail if they didn’t get out of the frequency.”
Most quizzical contractor exhibit:
Boeing’s exhibit includes a wall illustrated with a photo of the X-48 Blended Wing Body. Just below is it a an aircraft that I’ve never seen before, but looks utterly ridiculous. Think of a scaled-up version of Boeing’s air-dropped Dominator loitering munition, but with at least three people pictured sitting inside. No one in the Boeing exhibit, including George Muellner, knew anything at all about the vehicle. It remains a mystery.
on September 25, 2007 3:58 AM | Reply
Think of a scaled-up version of Boeing’s air-dropped Dominator loitering munition, but with at least three people pictured sitting inside. No one in the Boeing exhibit, including George Muellner, knew anything at all about the vehicle. It remains a mystery
Do you have a picture???
on September 25, 2007 5:04 PM | Reply
HerkEng has the right question - do you have a picture?
Please post :-).
Oh and the idea of replacing the AMRAAM and HARM with one missile - smart because for one the HARM can't be carried internally by the F-22, for two it may not be able to be carried internally by the F-35 and for three wouldn't it just be better to be able to pack more anti-radiation missiles?
on September 27, 2007 3:12 AM | Reply
I can see some degree of utility, given that we haven't fired lots of either lately, and the basic concepts--homing in on a radar signal--are similar. The devil's in the details, though... how much extra will this thing cost, and will it be worth that?
Stupid BWB question... everything I've heard about it proclaims that this could be the Next Big Thing(tm). I don't suppose there's any way that they could speed up development a little? Given the current rate of program development, we might still not have any new tankers by the time it becomes available for consideration. In addition, my understanding is that it would make an excellent candidate for the B-3, given the AF's choices, as well as being an excellent transport platform.