|
|
От
|
Е. Мясников
|
|
|
К
|
Андрей К.
|
|
|
Дата
|
22.03.2002 10:13:19
|
|
|
Рубрики
|
ВВС;
|
|
Похоже, так оно и есть
>А вот трещины пресловутые скорее всего в районе сопел образовались. Ну сами подумайте, тепловые нагрузки, а спирит очень сильно композитный. Вот тепло плюс силовые результат и выдали.
Вот, что об этом пишут:
The cracks, which ranged in length from less than an inch to nine inches, were all on titanium plates behind the jets' engine exhausts
А весь текст статьи в NYT см. ниже:
С наилучшими пожеланиями,
Е. Мясников
http://www.armscontrol.ru/start/rus/
New York Times
March 20, 2002
16 Of 21 B-2's Have Cracks Near Exhaust, Officials Say
By James Dao
WASHINGTON, March 19 — The Air Force has discovered cracks on the rear sections of 16 of its 21 B-2 stealth bombers, Pentagon officials said today.
The development raises questions about the long-term future of the problem-prone aircraft, the most expensive in the world.
The cracks, which ranged in length from less than an inch to nine inches, were all on titanium plates behind the jets' engine exhausts.
The disclosure is a setback for a group of lawmakers and military officials pushing the Pentagon to buy more of the planes, which have been effective in attacking distant targets with highly precise bombs. The manufacturer, the Northrop Grumman Corporation, has offered to build 40 more of the aircraft at a cost of $735 million each, a significant reduction from the $2.2-billion-a-plane price of the existing fleet.
The Air Force has determined that the cracks do not pose an immediate danger to the B-2's, and, though none of them have been used over Afghanistan in recent months, the service has continued flying them on scheduled training missions, an Air Force spokeswoman said.
But maintenance crews are now required to measure each of the cracks after every flight, to see if they are growing.
A new report by the Pentagon's Office of Operational Test and Evaluation found that the average B-2 was available for combat duty just 31 percent of the time last year, down from 37 percent the year before; the Air Force sets a goal of having aircraft available for combat 60 percent of the time. Much of the B-2's down time is spent removing blemishes from its delicate, radar-absorbing skin.
The Air Force said that it was unclear what was causing the cracks, and that a solution to the problem had not been developed.
James Hart, a spokesman for Northrop Grumman, said the company was studying the matter.