Chinook: 50 not out and set for a 100?

[hertsman]

Follow the link to a Flightglobal item on Chinook's imminent 50th birthday.

I guess I have been conditioned to expect that military aircraft reach their 'best before date' in a relatively short time - 30 to 40 years or so. Yet, on reflection, that is increasingly inaccurate. There are designs around that are just so fit for purpose, strong and adaptable, that it does not pay to try and reinvent the wheel. Chinook and B52 are good examples. That's not to say that today's versions are the same as the originals of course, they will all have benefited from various updates to airframe, systems or both.

On the fast jet side of things F15/16/18 have been knocking about for a bit now, and F4's are not quite finished yet. F15/16/18 still seem to have some way to go, and may get revitalised to bridge the unplanned gap created when F35 got delayed.The Hawk is still going strong in it's original guise, as well as in its newer form; Various Mig's and Mil's of a certain vintage still soldier on with a number of airforces.

Which of today's designs will stand the test of time I wonder? Will stealth mean a shorter shelf life for F22/35, PAK 50 and J20/21? What about Typhoon and Rafale, will they stand the test or fade away as stealth becomes the must-have attribute? What percentage of frontline jets will be stealthy by 2030? 5%? 25%? 50%? Or will stealth have quietly faded away as a newer technology becomes fashionable? Or perhaps it might just have faded away and the golden oldies have another day in the sun.

What do you think?

hertsman

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... ry-375129/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[22A]

As you say, many types are now 50 years old. In two months time it's the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis. If someone wanted to arrange an anniversary airshow, which relevant types could still be flown and which in a static park?

Most of the USN & USAF types of the time could still be represented as could some of the MiGs. Any IL28 (Beagles) still available? They didn't fly but were on one of the ships stopped en route to Cuba.

[turbosix]

C130 has also done well, and also the various *C135 types.

[Wes_Howes]

The Huey and Huey Cobra too

[hertsman]

If You could design a propeller driven fighter/Bomber that could be Mach 1.5+,With great range and relatively low running costs the face of military aviation would be a very different place indeed. just a thought

And what a thought! Complaints from the West Midlands when a Cessana twin prop produces a sonic boom over the centre of Birmingham - forget Typhoons. Now, aeronautical engineering is definitely not my strong suit but I have a kill-joy's suspicion that the laws of physics would need to be mashed up and re-written before that can happen. Pity. A supersonic air-bridge by A400M Atlas MkII to the Falklands might come in handy some day.

hertsman

[quid21]

Not forgetting the venerable U-2!