Sep 042014
 

Issues 09 and 10 of US Bomber Projects is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #09 includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-33-0: A turboprop B-52 predecessor
  • Consolidated Army Bombardment Flying Wing: A ground attacker with an extreme mode of attack
  • GE Supersonic System 6X: A Mach 3 nuclear-powered bomber
  • Convair B/J-58: A supercuising version of the Hustler
  • Boeing model 484-2-2: AB-58 competitor
  • Northrop 464L: A blended wing/body spaceplane
  • Martin Model 223-9: a 1944 step on the road to the XB-48
  • Boeing Model 800-15A: A Mach 3.5 hydrogen fueled design of incredible range

USBP#09 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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usbp09ad

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Issue #10 includes:

 

  • Boeing Model 464-34-3: A turboprop B-52 predecessor
  • Martin Model 192-5: A medium-sized flying wing
  • Republic Mach 7: a relatively small high-speed design
  • Convair WS-125A: A large nuclear powered supersonic design
  • Boeing model 484-415: A jet-powered supersonic flying boat
  • Boeing 464L: Boeings first Dyna Soar
  • Martin Model 223-10: a 1944 step on the road to the XB-48
  • Lockheed CL-1301-1: A very small VTOL ground attacker

USBP#10 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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usbp10ad

 

 Posted by at 1:11 am
Aug 282014
 

A 500-round backpack for the M240 machine gun:

[youtube laqGgPWyp4k]

A few ideas promptly suggest themselves. First, integrate this into the LockMart HULC exoskeleton:

[youtube KU95h6YCUuM]

And then replace the standard M240 with a Knight’s Armament Chain SAW:

[youtube W2H2peoX174]

Giggity!

 Posted by at 1:07 pm
Aug 192014
 

OK, I’m a few years late on this one, but here is a British 5 kilowatt laser used for cutting metal… in hand-held form. And it really, really does look like some craptacular ray gun from Moonraker or one of those Gerry Anderson shows:

[youtube E3YCACZQ72Q]

Note that the laser has both power and compressed air lines, and that the video doesn’t seem to show what they’re connected to. I get the feeling that the rest of the unit is probably the size of an Econoline van (probably with a wizard, barbarian and dragon airbrushed on the side).  Now, if they could compress it down to something that could be carried in a backpack, maybe even a two-man system, they’d have themselves something truly entertaining.

Also not given is what sort of range the system has. It *might* be a laser that comes to a sharp focus at a range of a few cm, and then quickly diverges again. But if it’s a truly parallel laser… watch out.

 Posted by at 9:22 pm
Aug 082014
 

I haven’t posted much on the “American Nuclear Explosive Devices” project lately. For those interested, don’t worry, work continues; just that since a lot of it is converting photos into CAD diagrams, then erasing a days work and starting over, then going at it again, and so on, it hasn’t been terribly interesting. But there is progress.

aned-02-011-Model

NOTE: I have in most cases high confidence in the accuracy of the external configurations of the nuclear weapons. The internal configuration, however, is rather less trustworthy. Most of the diagrams won’t go into the innards, as that would require pure guesswork on my part; but some do have internal arrangements available to some degree of reliability or another. None, with the possible exception of Fat Man, are detailed enough to build a functioning nuke off of, so no worries there.

 

 Posted by at 3:22 pm
Aug 042014
 

If you are in the market for a firearm and you have just a whole lot of money, perhaps you should consider the .950 JDJ:

As its name implies, rifles chambered for the cartridge have a bore diameter of 0.950 in (24.1 mm), which would normally classify them as Destructive Devices in the United States under the 1968 (1934) National Firearms Act. However, SSK sought and received a “Sporting Use Exception” to de-regulate the rifles, meaning they can be purchased like any other Title I rifle by a person over age 18 with no felonies on their criminal record.[citation needed] The rifles themselves, of which only a handful have been made, use McMillan stocks and extraordinarily thick Krieger barrels bearing an 18 lb (8.2 kg) muzzle brake. Overall, depending on options, the rifles weigh from 85 to 110 pounds (39 to 50 kg) and are therefore only useful for shooting from a bench rest or heavy bipod.[3] Despite the weight, recoil is significant, and shooters must be sure to choose components (i.e., scopes and bipods) that can handle the abuse. The sheer size and weight of these weapons makes them impractical for hunting use, as they cannot be carried afield. Thus, they are largely “range queens”—rifles that are brought to the range for a fun time, but not usually used for hunting or other “more practical” uses. Additionally, the cost of owning and operating such a firearm is beyond most shooters

The cartridge propels its 3,600 gr (230 g) bullet at approximately 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s). This yields a muzzle energy of 38,685 ft·lbf (52,450 J)[1] and a momentum of 154.1 Newton-seconds, about the same as a 20×102mm Vulcan round.[citation needed]

By comparison, the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, used in the M16 rifle, produces between 1,200–1,300 ft·lbf (1,600–1,800 J), while the .308 Winchester, a favorite for hunters and medium-range police/military sniping, produces between 2,000–3,000 ft·lbf (2,700–4,100 J) depending on the load used. The ballistics of the .950 JDJ are more similar to that of the 20mm autocannon round, which delivers approximately 39,500 ft·lbf (53,600 J). The muzzle energy of the .950 JDJ is comparable to the kinetic energy of a 2,800 lb (1,300 kg) automobile traveling at 20 mph (32 km/h).

yow

lMoQY

 Posted by at 5:28 pm
Jul 282014
 

Found this photo on Wikipedia, thought it might be of interest to some. Why? Because it’s cool. Note that at extreme left you can see a few blurs… presumably a penetrator round and sabot.

The full-rez version is HERE.

M1A1

 Posted by at 2:15 am
Jul 212014
 

So, the Israelis and “Palestinains” are at it again. The Gazans are launching the better part of a hundred rocket a day into Israel; the Israelis are doing their best to blow them out of the sky with the “Iron Dome” system, and then trying to smash the launch sites. With the exception of the Iron Dome system, it’s the same old, sad, boring story, once again.

But how about if the Israelis switched it up? Here’s my proposal:

1) Pump up Iron Dome. Add lasers and CIWS as necessary. Do whatever feasible to destroy every single Gazan rocket.

2) Do *not* otherwise respond. No blowing up the houses, no artillery, no sending in troops. Just close the border, cut off all supplies and utilities to Gaza.

3) Count the incoming Gazan rockets. Keep a running tab.

4) Let this go on for, oh, two  months or so. And then total up all the Gazan rockets… and return them. Not over the span of two months, but over the span of two minutes. If the Gazans launch 50 rockets a day for 60 days, you launch 3000 rockets in two minutes.

Use rockets as similar as possible to the Gazan rockets. Same basic weight, performance and warhead. Same lack of guidance and minimally precise aiming.

Who could *honestly* object to this, unless they have first objected to the Gazan rocketing of Israel?

BtDnDXeCYAAi2Tr

 Posted by at 1:56 pm
Jul 182014
 

A while back I took a stab at printing cyanotype blueprints on canvas (the kind used by artists for painting on). After a rough start, I managed to get the process to work pretty well. It’s more complex and substantially more expensive than cyanotype printing on vellum paper, so I don’t know if I’ll make canvas blueprints available for regular sale like the paper versions. Still, I’ve put the first three successes on ebay if anyone is interested:

“Little Boy” atom bomb blueprint on canvas

WP_20140718_004 WP_20140718_005 WP_20140718_006

“Fat Man” atom bomb blueprint on canvas

WP_20140718_007 WP_20140718_008 WP_20140718_009

Dual Saturn V blueprint on canvas

WP_20140718_001 WP_20140718_002 WP_20140718_003

 Posted by at 9:47 am