"Another example of a defense company interpreting the RFP and building something the military didn't ask for and doesn't want."
"If previous aircraft this complex are considered, it will be completed in 2035 at $30M a pop."
"Oh, and they do everything they are saying with an airframe that looks to be, at most, 1/3 the weight of an F-35. I guess it runs on hot air, because there is certainly no room for fuel."
"Guess you are not an engineer. The most advanced aircraft in the world, the F-35B, can take off vertically, but it carries only a small load and can only fly a couple of hundred miles. That is why F-35B's always have a short runway take off so that they can carry fuel and weapons.
But these folks are so much smarter. They use exactly the same technology (engines, aerodynamics, etc) but can fly 5 time further with a useful load. It's absurd. Only someone with too much money and not enough brains would find that credible. "
"Let’s do the math, shall we? The Valkyrie weighs 5000lbs and has an engine that generates about 4000 lbs of thrust. It requires rocket boosters for TO. It carries about 3000 lbs of fuel and has a range of about 1500 miles. It is very aerodynamic and cruises at a speed of about 500 kts. That means it burns fuel at an extremely efficient rate of 1000 lbs/hr.
The vehicle in the article weighs about 30,000 lbs and uses an F100 engine which generates 33,000 lbs of thrust in full afterburner. It likely carries about 10,000 lbs of fuel with a full combat load. To push a vehicle of this size through the air a F100 will burn fuel at a rate of about 5000 lbs per hour. The vehicle is not shaped for high speed so let’s say it has an efficient cruising speed of 350 kts.
You will burn 2000 lbs of fuel just getting this beast airborne. If you don’t believe me just find out the fuel burn rate of an F100 in full afterburner. That leaves 8000 lbs of fuel for the mission. At 5000 lbs per hr burn rate you have just over 1.5 hrs of flying time at 350 kts.
So your mission range is about 275 nautical miles, assuming you want to get back home.
So, yes, they have suspended the laws of physics and they have sucked you in because you want to believe you can get something for nothing. But, please, if you think I am wrong invest all your money in them."
