Located in Tianjin, China, the Kiev aircraft carrier has been transformed into a luxurious hotel. While "the headroom may be a little lacking and natural daylight in short supply in the Presidential Suites but the decor could certainly by described as luxurious and no doubt the service will be impeccable." Video after the break. Click here for more pictures.
[via Gizmag]
On August 11th, DARPA launched the hypersonic HTV-2 on a test flight, but unfortunately, it was traveling at mach 20 when its automated systems kicked in and put the vehicle into the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading for the video.
By the time that happened, three minutes into HTV-2's independent flight, it was somewhere well on its way to Hawaii. It started at Vandenberg AFB in California.[via PopSci]
Weighing 10-tons and measuring 20.4-feet long, this 1:1 scale Russian tank replica by Hao JinXi of China features "long guns, heavy machine guns, ammunition and the cockpit." It took him and a few friends 7-months as well as $125,000USD to complete. Videos after the break.
[via M.I.C. Gadget]
DARPA's Falcon HTV-2 is a next-generation hypersonic aircraft capable of traveling "at 20 times the speed of sound - or 13,000mph; it is part of research effort by DARPA to one day make long-duration hypersonic flight a reality." Click here for more pictures. Continue reading for a video.
The mission might lead to new records, super weapons and eventually, cross-country and global travel at colossal speeds. Flying between New York City and Los Angeles might one day be less than 12 minutes.[via DailyMail]
According to the US Air Force, as of 2009, the aerial warfare service branch "operates 5,573 manned aircraft in service (3,990 USAF; 1,213 Air National Guard; and 370 Air Force Reserve); approximately 180 unmanned combat air vehicles, 2,130 air-launched cruise missiles, and 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles." Click here for incredible examples of US Air Force photography. Continue reading to watch the KC-135 Air Refueling "The Indispensables" United States Air Force documentary.
[Sources 1 | 2]
It took Local Motors less than 14-weeks to build the "FLYPMODE" vehicle you see above for DARPA's X2CV competition. It went from " from concept to prototype some five times faster than it normally takes our ponderously bloated war machine to come up with something similar." Video after the break. Click here for more pictures.
[via Dvice]
Thanks to the high-speed Photron camera, this photographer was able to capture a "Russian T-90 -- a third-generation 46.5-tonne beast with a steel-composite-reactive blend armor -- shooting a 125mm shell." Continue reading to watch.
[via Gizmodo]
Say goodbye to spy cameras, and hello to this hovering, sphere-shaped spy drone. It was developed by researchers over a period of 18-months for the Japan Self-Defense Forces can fly at speeds of up to 40mph. Video after the break.
Well, this is unsettling! It's a Japanese spherical drone spyball, flying around and peeping on anyone and anything it pleases. No, thank you![via Dvice]
The Eurocopter X3 can now claim the title of world's fastest helicopter, thanks to its hybrid design. In other words, it's equipped "with two turboshaft engines powering a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers on short-span fixed wings [combining] the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and hover capabilities of a helicopter with the fast cruise speeds of a turboprop-powered aircraft." Videos after the break. Click here for the first picture in gallery.
It only takes one extra engine to drive the additional propellers, and no fancy autopilots or stabilizing systems are needed to keep the X3 flying just like a normal helicopter. You probably won't get the same gas mileage, but you will get "impressive climb and descent rates, as well as excellent maneuverability" along with "outstanding capabilities for acceleration and deceleration."[via Dvice]
Similar to the US Navy's railgun, this one by General Atomics can shoot through still at 1-mile a second. Tom Hurn of General Atomics reports that "the sabot round went seven kilometers downrange after punching through a 1/8-inch thick steel plate." Continue reading for a video.
General Atomics officials estimate that they could install the weapon on a DDG-51 class destroyer by the end of the decade, according to Hurn.[via DefenseTech - Gizmodo]
