Same, this isn't a Vertical Takeoff, this is a MiG that goes vertical shortly after takeoff.

I was disappointed. I was expecting a modified mig-29 with VTOL capabilities. Still impressive, but not as impressive as I expected.

Russian MIG shoots down a Georgian UAV has been added as a related post - related requested by kulpims.

*related=http://military.videosift.com/video/Russian-MIG-shoots-down-a-Georgian-UAV

Your video, Ukrainian MiG fighter jet in extremely low In Kramatorsk, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Ukrainian MiG fighter jet in extremely low In Kramatorsk has been added as a related post - related requested by mintbbb on that post.

It seems that this is simply a robotic MIG welder set at low power/high wire speed and grounded to the floor plate. It would likely not be good for anything structural, but great for art and the like.
Neat!
Side note, that guy should be wearing a face mask, and the window should be UV tinted to avoid blinding people watching, welding is dangerous if you ignore the safety equipment (my eyes were damaged by it, and I always used proper safety equipment).

It was a similar story on July 24th 1993 at Fairford, when two MiG-29s of the Russian Air Force Russian Swifts aerobatic team collided in mid-air and crashed, but safely away from the public. Incredibly no one was injured on the ground and both MiG-29 pilots (Alexander Beschastonov and Sergey Tresvyatsk) ejected from their aircraft. Aircraft investigators highlighted that pilot error was to blame where it was shown on video that one pilot had carried out a reverse loop and flew into clouds, whereas the other pilot lost visual contact with his wingman and aborted the display performance.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'jet, fire, water' to 'jet, turbines, mig 21, tank, fire fighters' - edited by kulpims

The mission generally dictates the engineering and design of a mechanical system. The Buran and the Shuttle are prime examples. The new X-37 resembles both in general shape because a reusable "space plane" needs certain specific physical characteristics.

The Mig-25 looks like the F-15 because both were originally designed as high altitude, high mach interceptors. The demand placed on the system by the overly large engines dictates the shape.

The basic principles of radar "stealth" dictate certain shapes to be effective. The Have-Blue shape was effective against high frequency radar through deflection. As materials technology advanced, e.g. radio absorbing materials, more aerodynamic shapes could be implemented and still retain "stealthy" characteristics, if not improve upon them.

All the F-22 vs Pak50, M1a1 Abrams vs T80 videos are funny. The 1 versus 1 advantages are fun to debate, but its the entire system that wins or loses the fight. In the same vein, its common knowledge that German armor in WW2 was vastly superior to American armor in every technical way. Similarly, German fighter aircraft were more maneuverable than the P-47s and P-51s that they fought. Unfortunately for the Luftwaffe, this superiority was not enough to defeat the allied system as it rolled east across Europe.

The term 5th generation does not define the aircraft themselves, but the system they belong to. If you read wikipedia, this does not mesh, but the wiki values maneuverability (which is inherently limited by the pilot), stealth features (limited by current materials and design), advanced avionics (what does this mean?) and multi-role capabilities (we have had this since the 1980's). The key to 5th generation fighters and its defining characteristic is the ability to integrate the new fighters with every other piece of war equipment in the theatre, not just in tactical use, but the total meshing of sensors and 2-way data links. Its the difference between a war of attrition and a war of "look first, shoot first".

The Russians appear to be building an excellent stealth fighter that looks sexy as hell. The Chinese are doing the same. What they both lack at the current time is the "backend" systems to make these new 5th generation-esque vehicles fully capable. The Pak50 and the J20 won't be sharing targeting data with their Navy or other ground forces anytime soon.

>> ^messenger:

Anybody know why he makes three passes, and what kind of force he suffers while he's stopping?


Can't explain the three passes. It does look like some kind of test flight though, so presumably it's to do with giving the pilot a feel for it, or possibly data collection.

I was interested in the forces as well, and it's typically about 4 to 5 Gs for a carrier landing. Incidentally, that's about the same as a grand prix racing car experiences under braking.

I'm not going to dive down the rabbit hole of researching this right now, but the wiki page for Helium seems to agree with me (extraction from natural gas is done,
and entertainment balloons aren't noted as a major user.

It does however note that entertainment balloons are a waste made possible by artificially low prices. These artificial low prices for helium grades probably mean many natural gas producers simply vent it away, which will change as the commodity rises in price.

>> ^deathcow:

>> ^bamdrew:
I'm very, very skeptical that party balloon use is the major user of helium gas. Sure, its "wasted" on entertainment, but there are industrial uses for large amounts of helium (MIG welding and such).

ALSO, I was under the assumption that Helium can be pulled down from natural gas production (if there is money in it).

Dunno, think about the MASSES of people with balloons. Sure someone is welding in every city, but balloons are just everywhere.

>> ^bamdrew:

I'm very, very skeptical that party balloon use is the major user of helium gas. Sure, its "wasted" on entertainment, but there are industrial uses for large amounts of helium (MIG welding and such).

ALSO, I was under the assumption that Helium can be pulled down from natural gas production (if there is money in it).


Dunno, think about the MASSES of people with balloons. Sure someone is welding in every city, but balloons are just everywhere.

I'm very, very skeptical that party balloon use is the major user of helium gas. Sure, its "wasted" on entertainment, but there are industrial uses for large amounts of helium (MIG welding and such).


ALSO, I was under the assumption that Helium can be pulled down from natural gas production (if there is money in it).

Is it me, or towards the end isn't there an F18 that's painted up to look like a russian fighter, namely the mig or flanker?