[MMike]

...wow it's awesome...

 

[splat]

That is one Big Honky Mo Fo airplane!

 

[MMike]

it has a forehead.

 

[splat]

it has a forehead.

Like me , Mine is getting bigger by the day!

 

[narlus]

five head?

 

[syadasti]

Whats Boeing going to do?

 

[narlus]

Whats Boeing going to do?

put their planes inside of it.

 

[MMike]

Whats Boeing going to do?

Ignore it basically. They don't think it's the way of the future.

Plastics. they really are the future. More precisely, the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics known as composites are reshaping the rivalry between Airbus and Boeing Co. (BA ), and the European planemaker has a lot of catching up to do.

With oil prices soaring, airlines are flocking to Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, which promises to burn 20% less fuel than conventional planes. The 787 is made mostly of composites, which weigh half as much as aluminum, but are stronger so that wings and other parts can be made slimmer and more aerodynamic. Airbus is countering with the A350, a planned aircraft with one-third less composite content than the 787. But most carriers are snubbing it. Small wonder, then, that Airbus Chief Executive Gustav Humbert confirmed at the Berlin Air Show on May 17 that the company will unveil a revamped design for the A350 by July. "The game is not over," he said.

Seems like it should be a cinch for Airbus to up its composite content in a new A350. The company has been building composite parts since the 1980s. The expected $10 billion price shouldn't be a problem, either. Airbus has already overtaken Boeing as the world's top jetmaker. Its parent, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), on May 16 reported first-quarter profits up 26%, to $665 million, on sales up 30%, to $11.7 billion.

But Boeing has a big head start. True, Airbus had been a pacesetter when it introduced composites on tail stabilizers. But Boeing has since leaped ahead with its work on military contracts such as the B-2 bomber and its use of composites on civilian jets such as the 777. Airbus' much smaller composites program lags Boeing's on almost every front, from design to manufacturing to multiyear supply deals for carbon fiber. "All Airbus' engineers and all their factories are working in aluminum," says Andrew Walker, a former top Airbus engineer who now teaches in the materials program at the University of Manchester.

To close the gap with Boeing, Airbus will pour $580 million into research over the next few years. "Their lead will not be for long," says Airbus' Humbert. But Airbus can't get an all-composite plane into service before 2012, four years after the 787. Even then, most industry experts say it's unlikely the Airbus plane would be significantly better than the 787. "It's four years too late with a me-too airplane," crows Randy Baseler, Boeing's vice-president for marketing.

Airbus has plenty of talented engineers, but they're stretched thin. They're wrapping up work on the A380 megaplane, set to enter service at the end of this year, while also developing a new military-transport plane and an air- refueling tanker aircraft. Overall, Airbus spent $2.1 billion on research and development last year, only slightly below 2003, when A380 spending peaked.

STUMBLING BLOCKS
The upshot: while Airbus gets up to speed on composites, Boeing will take an early lead, with 6 or 7 of its 787 Dreamliners rolling out of the factory each month at a list price of $120 million a pop. That gives Boeing plenty of time and money to launch its next plane, most likely an all-composite makeover of the 737. Such a plane would take direct aim at Airbus' best-seller, the A320, throwing the European company on the defensive once again.

Boeing could still stumble. Some 70% of production work on the 787 has been farmed out to contractors worldwide. Even minor glitches could delay the launch. Airbus also knows airlines will keep steering orders its way to prevent Boeing from gaining market dominance. "They don't want to be subject to higher prices," says George Hamlin, the head of Hamlin Transportation Consulting in Fairfax, Va.

The Europeans say they're up to the challenge. "Airbus has a history of successfully managing a steep ramp-up," Humbert says. Indeed, for most of Airbus' 36-year history, its newer aircraft designs and more modern factories gave it an edge over its older U.S. rival. But now, Boeing looks set to invade that comfort zone.

 

[ghostrider]

Man, the terrorists must really be salivating over what they could knock down with that thing.

 

[binary visions]

Man, the terrorists must really be salivating over what they could knock down with that thing.

 

[syadasti]

Man, the terrorists must really be salivating over what they could knock down with that thing.

Eh, they could just buy/steal a larger An-225 from the cold war wrecked Russian military instead

First Flight: 21 December 1988
Max Takeoff: 1,322,750 lb (600,000 kg)

 

[MMike]

Well there is the new 747-8

 

[ghostrider]

Eh, they could just buy/steal a larger An-225 from the cold war wrecked Russian military instead

First Flight: 21 December 1988
Max Takeoff: 1,322,750 lb (600,000 kg)

Well, they could get a nukular warhead from Iran, bring it to Cancun in a submarine, drive it to the Texas border in a VW bug taxi, then send the whole thing to downtown Dallas with a water balloon launcher, but that doesn't change my original point. Topper.

 

[splat]

How about the spruce goose! , it has low miles on it

 

[Toshi]

Well, they could get a nukular warhead from Iran, bring it to Cancun in a submarine, drive it to the Texas border in a VW bug taxi, then send the whole thing to downtown Dallas with a water balloon launcher, but that doesn't change my original point. Topper.

and given that there are only a handful (2?) flying An-225s out there...

 

[syadasti]

How about the spruce goose! , it has low miles on it

Maximum cruising altitude: 70 ft

 

[splat]

Well, they could get a nukular warhead from Iran, bring it to Cancun in a submarine, drive it to the Texas border in a VW bug taxi, then send the whole thing to downtown Dallas with a water balloon launcher, but that doesn't change my original point. Topper.

Only one flaw in your plan. Where are they getting a Submarine from ? Iran doesn't have a Submarine

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Wait....max takeoff weight is 1.3 MILLION pounds??!!!??

Wow....go russkies..

 

[splat]

Maximum cruising altitude: 70 ft

prefect stradgy , flying under the radar!

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Only one flaw in your plan. Where are they getting a Submarine from ? Iran doesn't have a Submarine

Russia does....they hold less than an An225 though...

 

[ghostrider]

Only one flaw in your plan. Where are they getting a Submarine from ? Iran doesn't have a Submarine

Dude, all you need is a giant milk tank, a window fan, and a chainsaw engine.

 

[splat]

Russia does....they hold less than an An225 though...

why not just putthe Sub in the An225 ? looks like you fit about 4 of them in there .

 

[syadasti]

Wait....max takeoff weight is 1.3 MILLION pounds??!!!??

Wow....go russkies..

It was made to carry their Space Shuttle rip-off, so it had to be big and they didn't need too many. Its used mostly for US military freight now:

On 26 May 2001, the An-225 received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR).[4] The type’s first flight in commercial service departed from Stuttgart, Germany on January 3, 2002, flying to Thumrait, Oman with 216,000 prepared meals for American military personnel based in the region. This vast quantity of ready meals was transported on some 375 pallets and weighed a total of 187.5 tons.[5] Since then the An-225 has become the major workhorse of the Antonov Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as locomotives, and 150 ton generators, and well as becoming a valuable asset to international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations.[6] By 2000 it had become apparent that the demand for the An-225 had exceeded the airline’s capacity to book, and in 2004 the decision was made to complete the second An-225. This should be accomplished by mid-2006, with certification expected later in 2006.[3]

Beginning June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tonnes of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq.[7] The An-225 has also been contracted by the U.S. government to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of Coalition forces.[6] American use of a Soviet-designed aircraft can be seen as a testament to the success of Soviet heavy lift design, as no comparable U.S. aircraft has ever been developed. The U.S. government is currently considering a long term contract with Antonov Airlines for the additional production and use of ten An-124s and one An-225, which could be operated considerably cheaper than the six smaller C-17s originally purposed for the same duties.

Design work is currently under way to use the aircraft as a flying launch system for future aerospace systems. One of the most interesting and promising projects is the MAKS joint Russian/Ukrainian multipurpose aerospace system.[8] When used as a space vehicle air launcher, the aircraft will be fitted with the equipment required for prelaunch preparation of aerospace systems. Implementation of these projects will considerably reduce the cost of injecting payloads into space.[3]

With a maximum gross weight of 640 tonnes, the An-225 is the world’s heaviest aircraft. Although its wingspan is less than that of the Hughes H-4 Hercules (“Spruce Goose&#8221, Howard Hughes’ flying boat, the latter never went beyond a single short low-altitude test flight, making the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to take off more than once.[8] Both the An-124 and An-225 are larger than the C-5 Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the U.S. inventory. The An-225 is also larger than the Airbus A380.

In November of 2004, FAI placed the An-225 in the Guinness Book of Records for its 240 records and overall outstanding aerial performance.

 

[urbaindk]

How about the spruce goose! , it has low miles on it

I heard that if it rains on it, it will catch on fire. Oh no that was the Plywood Pelican.

"I flew it at an altitude of six feet for a distance of four and a half feet. We later learned that rain makes it catch fire" --C.M. Burns

 

[H8R]

five head?

:nonono: