The aircraft, designed for unusual purposes Bashny.Net

When you think about the aircraft, then come to mind passenger airliners, private jets and military aircraft. And what about the aircraft, where there are no people at all? The aircraft, designed for special purposes, such as saving lives, building, intelligence and espionage, as well as those that in the future to revolutionize our understanding of the travel.

Here is a selection of 8 innovative aircrafts, from old models to the most advanced. Each of them was designed to address any problems or perform certain functions, and to every principle were applied new ideas and solutions

See a selection of unusual aircraft that serve important purposes.




1. Airbus A300-600ST



Beluga - Super transport aircraft
Beluga Airbus - it is the world's largest cargo plane, designed to carry integers
planes.
Belugas length is 56, 15 meters, and carrying capacity - 47 tons, with a flight range of 900 nautical
miles. Now the lines are 5 Beluga aircraft, including the first one, which was introduced in
granted in 1995. The unique design is designed so that its front end opened, giving
the ability to upload to the world's largest cargo hold great detail.
Beluga was developed in response to the production needs by Airbus. Multinational
produces some of its planes in four European countries - France, Germany, Great Britain and
Spain. Then part of the aircraft, such as wings and fuselage, Belukha transported to a central plant
for final assembly.
Beluga transported part of the space station from Italy to the Centre for Space Studies. Kennedy
Florida by a commercial flight carrying military helicopters, tanks and even chemicals
the big picture.
Photo: Adam Berry | Bloomberg | Getty Images

2. Bombardier 415



Bombardier is a Canadian fire 415 amphibious aircraft - the only aircraft specifically
designed to fight the fire in the air.
In the USA, this aircraft is also known as «Superscooper». Production of Bombardier 415 began in 1994, and
Currently, there are 76 units in 10 countries. The aircraft can scoop up 1621 gallons of water for 12
seconds, gliding through the water at breakneck speed and make 9 discharges per hour, pouring it on burning forest 14600
gallons of water. Bombardier 415 can also be remodeled as an aircraft for humanitarian aid,
search operations, exploration and transportation of people.
In December of this type of aircraft crossed the line of 200,000 flight hours and 1, 3 billion gallons of water dumped
Since its introduction on the market nearly two decades ago. While the unit price is not disclosed in
March 2011, the company said it sold 4 aircraft of this model to an unknown buyer for the overall
amounting to $ 162 million.
Photo: AP Images

3. Erickson S-64 Aircrane



Air valve
Erickson S-64 Aircrane is equipped with two twin engines and has a high load carrying capacity, can carry external load weighing up to 9000 kg. It is also the first helicopter in which the pilot has a line of sight to the goods which it transports.
The S-64 was originally produced Aircrane company Sikorsky Aircraft since 1962, but 30 years later the company Erickson Air-Crane bought the rights to produce it. Since 1992 the company has made to Erickson helicopter over 1,350 changes. S-64 was originally became famous during the Vietnam War as a CH-54A "Tarhe" the US Army and was used to evacuate the damaged aircraft and helicopters. In total 380 units were evacuated damaged equipment that will save the Army about $ 280 million.
Once the helicopter began to be used in civil aviation, he participated in the construction of many famous places. In 1975, it was used to raise the top of the CN Ta? Ware in Toronto, the tallest tower in the world from 1976 to 2007. In 1993 Aircrane used for the removal and replacement of the Statue of Liberty, which is located on the roof of the Capitol in Washington. Also, a helicopter involved in electrification, since 1971, with the help of built about 8,000 miles of power lines across North America.
Photo: ericksonaircrane.com

4. WP-3D Orion



Hunter hurricanes
Aircraft Lockheed WP-3D Orion, also known as hurricane hunter for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, flies into hurricanes at an altitude of 25,000 feet to gather information about weather, directions, etc. Hurricane
For the first time such a vehicle has appeared in 1976, now there are only 2 of these aircraft P-3 Orion. These turboprop aircraft equipped with modern scientific means, such as radars, sensors and recording devices for the study of the atmosphere, climate dynamics and environmental factors, such as, for example, the state of the ocean and the fish populations there. In addition to hurricane research, P-3 is also involved in international research programs. For example, when the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Then hurricane hunter had to study air quality and the degree of contamination of the bay.
During Hurricane Irene, two P-3 aircraft made constant sorties to gather information that allowed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to predict its impact on North Carolina and all the destructive path on the east coast. But budget cuts American meteorologist, which includes nearly 40% cuts in funding for the program for the hurricane hunters, puts into question the future of the aircraft.
Photo: Jim Edds | Jim Reed Photography | Getty Images

5. Antonov AN-225 Mriya



The carrier spacecraft
Antonov AN-225 Mriya is the heaviest and the biggest ever built aircraft. With six engines and a lifting capacity of 250 tons, the aircraft can carry on board 50 vehicles at once.
AN-225 was originally designed as a transport for spacecraft "Buran" the Soviet space program. The first aircraft was put into operation in 1988, and the second has not been completed because of the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Currently, the AN-225 uses the Ukrainian Company "Antonov Airlines" for the transportation of goods that were previously impossible to transport by air. As for the price of the aircraft, last year CEO OKB. Antonova said that the construction of a second aircraft AN-225 will cost $ 300 million and take three years.
The aircraft was used in a number of international rescue operations after natural disasters. After the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, he delivered the humanitarian cargo, generators and general equipment weights 140 tons. The plane was also used for the delivery of construction equipment in the quake-hit Haiti in 2010.
Photo: Erik Simonsen | Getty Images

6. Terrafugia Transition



Flying car.
Terrafugia Transition is a light aircraft, which is also a car. Unfolding the wings, the device can turn the vehicle on a plane for 1 minute, and the driver does not even have to leave the vehicle.
Double device developed by engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is made of carbon fiber, and the engine 100 hp produced in the US since 2006. Its first flight unit made in the same year. Like a car, it can move at a speed of 65 miles per hour, but as the plane - 115 miles per hour with a cruising range of 500 miles on unleaded fuel. Although the unit cost of 270,000 dollars and can not fly in the midst of traffic jams, it is perfect for people who want to travel and fly in the same vehicle.
The creators of the machine breathed easier in July 2011, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on US freeways allowed their creations to drive on the roads. In Time magazine unit has been named one of the 50 best inventions of 2010. The company plans to start the first sales in 2012.
Photo: Terrafugia.com

7. RQ-170 Sentinel



Unmanned aircraft invisible

RQ-170 Sentinel is used by the US Army for reconnaissance missions.
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was developed by Lockheed Martin and, according to available data, the US Air Force used for the CIA since 2007. First, the Air Force did not confirm the existence of such a device, however, surfaced in 2009 photography apparatus. Since the UAV is the most advanced and complex system of tracking the CIA about it very little is known. RQ designation means that the machine does not carry weapons.
RQ-170 Sentinel was used for reconnaissance during the operation of special forces of the US Navy to detect Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
In December, the UAV hit the headlines when the Iranian authorities on television showed them allegedly downed RQ-170, which flew in the airspace of Iran. US authorities have confirmed that the week before in Iran because of the problems one drone crashed. Iranian television reported that their government is going to decrypt data with the US UAV and has achieved considerable success.
Photo: AP Images

8. Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo



Space plane.
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo is triggered in the air space plane designed for suborbital tourist space flights. The aircraft is based on SpaceShipOne, a suborbital hypersonic aircraft Burt Rutan created.
The company plans this summer to send the first flight of tourists wanting to become the world's first space tourism company. At the height of the launch SpaceShipTwo will carry the media called WhiteKnightTwo. Then a smaller aircraft with rocket engine solid-liquid fuel separates and rises to a height of 100 km. Journey to the edge of space and Earth's atmosphere will last for three and a half hours and cost 200 thousand dollars for a passenger seat. Space plane accommodates six passengers and two pilots.
According to the website Virgin Galactic, the tickets already bought 430 people. For comparison, all the history, in space visited by 525 people. In October, the company announced a deal worth 4, 5 million dollars to NASA, who ordered one flight with the possibility of two more. Company Virgin Galactic plans to begin commercial flights from its spaceport in New Mexico in 2013.
Photo: David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Source: bigpicture.ru