3-tonne robot flying saucer offered to world's militaries A struggling British firm, restored to life by an anonymous private backer, is exhibiting a concept "flying saucer" aircraft able to lift a payload of one tonne, as well as smaller surveillance models down to pocket size. Company reps say that the firm is in contention for a significant European naval contract. The Hoder …
I have no doubt whatever that nobody in the States will buy it because of their proclivity for avoidance of anything which was NIH (not invented here). We saw that same problem when our aircraft industry proclaimed their unwillingness to produce a mach 2 version of the Harrier. We had one flying in the 60s but Flash Harry decided that it might be against his communistic theories and training if he permitted it to go ahead, so he chopped it. The twodefinitiuons were the P1127 (Harrier) and P1154 whose name escapes me currently but students of history, and treasonable activity, will recall and perhaps add to this discussion. And, that is not to mention the back stabbing over the Hovercraft, crushed out by the Yankee avaition industry, It would have been a notable success in Afghanistan and Iraq for completing rescues of gallant service personnel.
OK, the Aesir are the Norse gods, so maybe it's just your run-of-the-mill insane neo-Nazi warlord longing to subjugate the untermenschen with his army of flying saucers.
On the other hand -- Aesir was also the name of the drug-dealing, evil military megacorp in "Max Payne". So it could just be your run-of-the-mill insane neo-Nazi warlord longing to use his army of flying saucers to bring forth Ragnarok and annihilate the world.
@ Oliver Mayes et al
about: Wankel Rotary Engine
A perfectly working combustion engine with many advantages against piston engines like smaller form factor, better energy efficiency and less vibration.
Would we have put as much research into Wankels design as in the piston engine we would laugh at this riduculous "up'n down, up'n down nonsense" today.
Looking at the Otto and Diesel engine closely we have never left the age of steam engines, really, just took them way further. Until the end of the line actually- this technology has reached soon it's absolute limits.
While Wankels priciple has just been taken a step further. How would You like an engine with a ball shaped "piston"?
http://kugelmotor.peraves.ch/index_en.htm
Still laughing?
P.S: For those who still don't believe Wankels engines work:
Look at the Mazda RX5 and RX8:
http://blogs.motortrend.com/6214902/auto-review/2008-mazda-rx-8-happy-40th-anniversary-wankel-twin/index.html
Nice quote:"The rotors turn at 1/3 the speed of the crankshaft, so the stresses on it are far less than those on pistons moving at similar crankshaft speeds, which boosts reliability -- as demonstrated by Mazda's overall win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 (which led to banning Wankels from the race)"
There are also dozens of Wankel aircraft engine manufacturers and the APUs in big aircrafts are Wankels.
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