EwenS Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 The USAF aircraft could fly until c2050. The next item to be looked at is the engines with the JT8D-219 being the current favourite due to low acquisition costs rather than the CFM-56 as on the RAF and French aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 10 minutes ago, EwenS said: The USAF aircraft could fly until c2050. The next item to be looked at is the engines with the JT8D-219 being the current favourite due to low acquisition costs rather than the CFM-56 as on the RAF and French aircraft. Slightly left field but couldn’t the USAF buy second hand CFM56’s? After all the E-8’s were second hand and surely zero houred 56’s would be cheaper than JT8’s which are let’s face it are many years out of production. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EwenS Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 34 minutes ago, Max Headroom said: Slightly left field but couldn’t the USAF buy second hand CFM56’s? After all the E-8’s were second hand and surely zero houred 56’s would be cheaper than JT8’s which are let’s face it are many years out of production. Trevor Well the JT8s are being quoted as 50% of a CFM56 so there is quite a gap to bridge. CFMs are also a very popular engine as the power both A320s and B737s so obtaining second hand engines in the market place could be problematic in terms of the numbers being required to re-engine the whole fleet. The JT8 200 series were the main power plant for the MD-80 series which are being retired from airline service. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV107 Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 On 19/10/2018 at 06:39, Slater said: The RAF appears to be taking some heat for looking to Wedgetail as the preferred solution, and not giving consideration to the Airbus/SAAB A330 option (although this is just on paper at present). It appears that the cunning plan is to fit the Eyrie kit to our fleet of Voyagers. Yes. Those Voyagers. The ones that do AAR. Which the RAF doesn't own. You might just as well give Airtanker the PIN number for the government's bank account and say 'if you wouldn't mind leaving £2.50 in there so we can pay the milkman, please', cross your fingers and hope you do have enough for a pint of semi-skimmed when it's all over. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/saab-voices-opposition-to-uk-wedgetail-buy-452945/ The Defence Select Committee are lucky it was Rich Knighton answering the questions. I can just imagine if it had been Phil Osborn: "So why aren't you considering the SAAB offer, Air Marshal Osborn?" Swearing removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 ^^ Can’t see that happening. As a PFI project the terms and conditions would be so tightly stitched up in Air Tanker’s favour that any change would incur a whopping penalty so as to make any savings in utilising an existing airframe minimal. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawk Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 (edited) You couldn't make it up. Same thing with the Merlin. There has obviously been some massive technical advance in the world of AEW that enables one aircraft to be in 2 places doing 2 different jobs at the same time. what a pity for the future defence of the realm that AM Osborne was not answering questions that day. Edited October 25, 2018 by Seahawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Agreed. By the time AirTanker want their cut there would be no cost saving advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Don’t forget that there would have to a trial installation to shake out any bugs, then the crews need training up, whereas in that same timescale you could order Wedgetail and crew it on delivery with pre trained crew. I’m guessing their Airships have also taken into account how much longer the E-3’s can be kept flying, so that an A330 option ready ‘sometime’ (mid 2020’s?) is a non starter? Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britman Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Although competitive selection should be the way to go, in this case it would not serve the tax payers pocket. However, this is not a situation that has suddenly presented itself. The MOD and industry should have been talking about this for some time now. Airbus and SAAB etc should have been making advances to the MOD some time ago. Wagtail is the way to go I think, but I don't recall a situation such as this before. No doubt someone will rattle my memory with something similar from history. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundowner14 Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 On 25/10/2018 at 10:41, XV107 said: "So why aren't you considering the SAAB offer, Air Marshal swearing removed Yup, that’s the Osbo I know! 😂😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Pulfrew Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 On 10/20/2018 at 11:19 AM, Truro Model Builder said: I hope we stick with the Wedgetail name. Atlas is a superb name for an airlifter, but I'm not so sure about Voyager, and as for Airseeker... If I could just divert this away from the E-7 for a moment, may I just point out that Airseeker is not the name of the aircraft. The programme to procure the RC-135W Rivet Joint for the RAF was the Air Seeker programme, one of a triumvirate of programmes along with Sea Seeker and Land Seeker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 First cut of RAF Wedgetail colours. Almost as majestic as its namesake. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 First multi-role electronically scanned array - or MESA - is lifted onto the RAF’s first Wedgetail. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, GMK said: First multi-role electronically scanned array - or MESA - is lifted onto the RAF’s first Wedgetail. In 2016 I took a trip to Montana and just outside of Billings I passed a train. The coolest part of that train was it was coming from North Carolina. Of all things it was carrying 737 Fuselages. @GMK seeing your photo reminded me of these photo’s because of the green protective coating. Dennis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 39 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: In 2016 I took a trip to Montana and just outside of Billings I passed a train. The coolest part of that train was it was coming from North Carolina. Of all things it was carrying 737 Fuselages. @GMK seeing your photo reminded me of these photo’s because of the green protective coating. Dennis The worrying thing is that some of those airframes arrive at the factory with bullet holes in them... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 17 minutes ago, Greg B said: The worrying thing is that some of those airframes arrive at the factory with bullet holes in them... Yes I know and some never make it, a couple of years ago a train de-railed in Montana or Idaho. Several of them rolled down a mountain into a river and had to be destroyed fir scrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 4 hours ago, Greg B said: The worrying thing is that some of those airframes arrive at the factory with bullet holes in them... Assuming it is not stray bullets continuously ...Seem to be a threat to some... stand your ground? 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard E Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 6 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Yes I know and some never make it, a couple of years ago a train de-railed in Montana or Idaho. Several of them rolled down a mountain into a river and had to be destroyed fir scrap. It was the Clark River in Montana in July 2014 although the picture does a bit like a still from a fifties' Ray Harryhausen monster movie And the fuselages also seem to be a popular cargo within the model railway community 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 4 hours ago, Richard E said: a bit like a still from a fifties' Ray Harryhausen monster movie They're coming ashore to breed! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 Wonder if the USAF will retain the "Wedgetail" name when/if the E-7 enters US service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 More progress on the UK Wedgetail fleet. https://twitter.com/raf_istar/status/1598718926896111616?s=46&t=p2Omq1LNqeDxh6GYpP8zBg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Any chance of the original order number being reinstated? Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted December 5, 2022 Author Share Posted December 5, 2022 If these were already in series production for the USAF you'd think that the price would be a little lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 5 hours ago, Max Headroom said: Any chance of the original order number being reinstated? Of course.... in the last year many previously thought impossible things turned into hard reality... But generally, as specific capability goes up, price does as well but numbers go down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 https://breakingdefense.com/2022/12/uk-industry-officials-raise-eyebrows-over-royal-air-force-f-35-e-7-and-a400m-programs/ Seems some of the issues in getting Wedgetails and F-35s may be policy decisions, rather than supply chain issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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