this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2024
798 points (98.3% liked)

Memes

45550 readers
1789 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 
all 29 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 178 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 42 points 8 months ago

Pretty much

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago

This sums it up so well.

[–] [email protected] 87 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Here's an article about it. The tl;dr is: test pilot shoots at ocean, kicks in afterburners, bullets start out faster, but slow quickly. They reunite in mid-air and sparks fly.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Never shoot at the ocean, kid. Mother nature takes it personally

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I mean Xerxes and Caligula also attacked Ocean and look what happened. And it wasn't even really Ocean.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

What I don’t get is… I mean, the relative speed difference between the bullets and the plane just doesn’t seem like it would be enough to cause them to rip through the plane as if the plane was shot on the ground from a dude with a gun or something.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The bullets lose momentum once fired, but the jet added momentum after firing, so it’s more like it caught up to the bullets.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Right but what was the speed difference at impact? Like if the jet was only going say, 60 MPH faster than the bullets, wouldn’t it just be like when some gravel on the road bounces off your car on the highway?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Indeed. I read a little more and it did indeed shoot itself down, so… 🤷‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yeah in the end it IS what happened, so I guess the speed difference must have been considerable. I just wonder how it could have been so much. Maybe the afterburners can create a LOT of acceleration/thrust, idk.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

There were angles involved - imagine throwing a Frisbee forward and running fast enough to bump into it. Now imagine you throw it up, and you run until it hits you in the back of the head

No matter how fast you're going forward, it's still coming at you from an angle you're not moving

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

He shot the bullets, then tilted down a little more and hit his afterburners. He had to pull up so not to continue on to a salty grave and his parabolic trajectory and the bullets surprised each other. So, a pinch of the bullets slowing significantly and a sprinkle of the plane speeding up.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

The Tiger gained the dubious distinction of being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. On 21 September 1956, during a test-firing of its 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts midway through a shallow dive. As the trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent, disabling the aircraft and forcing Attridge to crash-land the aircraft; he survived with a broken leg and multiple broken vertebrae.

From Wikipedia

I think just saying that it hit itself due to its high speed doesn‘t really tell the whole story.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago

thanks, I was looking for exactly this extra context

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

I think just saying that it hit itself due to its high speed doesn‘t really tell the whole story.

Well just like most descriptions of ADHD isn't it?

[–] [email protected] 46 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Imagine the fear and shock of test firing your guns into the water, speeding up and moving on, then suddenly your aircraft is shredded by a seemingly invisible force.

I'd shit out my heart.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago

Big acorn moment

[–] [email protected] 28 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Why yes, I am capable of shooting myself in the foot at record speed as soon as I open my mouth. In fact it’s mandatory!

Lovely of you to notice!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago

The problem with being faster than light is you're always in darkness.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

faster than its* own bullet

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I like to imagine that fighter jet was used for plane jousting. Fuck missiles and machine guns, MELEE PLANES!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Oh no, NCD has another leak

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

F-11 is confused…. It shot itself in its confusion.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

It's super effective!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

This is an excellent example though.