neat! i could have sworn that i saw one of these things in my childhood parked on the side of the road in the northeastern pennsylvania area like 25 years ago

  neat

Back around 1988 or so, I bought a 1974 Cadillac ambulance for $500. I got it for an RV to go on hunting and camping trips. And it worked out! I removed the paramedic's chair, put a bed in and it was all set. That gigantic car had a 472 CID V-8 engine and a 27 gallon fuel tank. The 1975 Cadillac had a 600 lb 500 cubic inch (8.2 liter) engine.
The 1974 model year was impacted by the oil embargo of late 1973 and early 1974, which hit large cars especially hard, as fears of rationing drove people to buy smaller cars with better fuel economy.

That ambulance probably weighed around 6000 pounds and probably got around 7 miles per gallon. Not a very economical car to take to the wilderness, but you could stand up in it.

I know that the EPA had only a single (not separate city/highway) MPG rating list in 1974 and I think that was the first year for it. In Thos. E. Bonsalls "Cadillac The American Standard" there is a reprint of an advertisement Cadillac sent to dealers in 1974 to run in local media, this one from Valley Cadillac. It states that the Environmental Protection Agency made a study recently of gas mileage delivered by 376 new automobiles and that the Cadillac Eldorado was found to deliver 10.4 MPG, the de Ville 8.9 MPG (I dont understand why thered be a difference), and also listed some other cars including Lincoln 7.9, Chrysler 8.4 and smaller cars like the Pontiac Le Mans at 8.4 and Oldsmobile Cutlass at 7.3. 1973 and 1974 were probably the two worst years for fuel mileage on GM cars with very restrictive emission controls which gave both poor economy and poor drivability. In 1975, all GM cars got catalytic converters which allowed the engines to perform better and give better economy. By 1976, the EPA was listing both city and highway mileage and I still have the EPA window sticker from my 76 350 4BBL (Olds engine)Cutlass which shows 15 city and 21 highway. http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=85736.0

My GF and I went on a couple road trips last year in her Prius. Didn't have a shower but with the back seat folded down it had more than enough room for her and I to sleep. Prius sucks balls in town for lack of acceleration but it's quite adequite on the interstate. Got about 65 MPG in the Florida Keys and about 55 out in Arizona and Nevada.
I also have a 94 Chevy Astro LT AWD that was formerly registered as an RV. It could fit a large futon in the back. Didn't get the best fuel economy and the 28 gallon tank was a real pain in the wallet to fill but it could cruise along at 100mph all day and no cop ever gave it a second glance. Took it to Florida a couple of times back when the AC worked. Climbed the embankment closing off the lost highway at Centralia at drove around there one time. Once drove it around for more than a month with a broken torsion bar.

  >>21231
>>21232

But the A-6 has been retired. Along with the F-117. And the Air Force has been in an ongoing controversy in retiring the A-10. The Air Force’s latest retirement schedule, unveiled in its latest budget request for FY17, begins divesting the A-10s in FY18. The last A-10 would be sent to the boneyard in FY22. http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2016/04/25/house-legislation-restricts--10-retirement/83508968/

  >>21294
Aside of heavy payload that's kind of why it makes for a great example. This was before stealth, so you can think of it as a pre-stealth stealth bomber.

The most modern example of a bomber using speed, storms and terrain for "stealth" would be F-15E, or that new Sukhoi bomber.

>>21296
>>21257
If we're on the old stealth vs. terrain cover debate...why not both? Apparently a low-altitude penetrator version of the B-2 was under consideration at one point in its development.

>>21175
>rocket engine
Is that a translation error? I would expect a hybrid turbo-ramjet like the SR-71 had.

Imagine modern air combat as playing flashlight tag in a field at night. You can turn on your flashlight (radar) to try and find other players, but they in turn see your light (EM emissions). Low-observability technology is represented by some players wearing ninja suits while others wear reflective vests.

>>21298
Erm I think the point is to cut costs so more platforms can be produced with a lower tech base. Any total war scenario is going to involve nukes, and nukes will crash your tech base pretty fast.

Although I don't think the A-6 guy is talking about that, he's just being pedantic about the comparison.

>>21299
Modern stealth is only effective in a narrow band, called the X band. It's not effective in other bands of radar, such as those used by ground, shipborne or AWACS search, tracking and interrogation radars. Or in infrared, which is becoming distressingly common and depressingly sophisticated. Or passive radar... once that comes in it's pretty much over for stealth forever.

>>21051
>>21053

Lots of talk about this at work. The AI mostly improved on the existing AI opponent, it's not really OMG TERMINATOR AI thing.


The U Cincinnati article is a little less hype-y. The linked white paper comes across as an infomercial for the guys' fuzzy logic algorithm.


http://magazine.uc.edu/editors_picks/recent_features/alpha.html

http://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/genetic-fuzzy-based-artificial-intelligence-for-unmanned-combat-aerialvehicle-control-in-simulated-air-combat-missions-2167-0374-1000144.pdf

>>21051
Yeah no shit it doesn't require a lot of processing power to calculate vectors in a completely controlled environment, I've been getting my ass kicked by AI since ace combat two.

It's when it gets into uncontrolled environments that things get a lot more complicated.

Instead of having every grid point mapped in a computer and every moving object accounted for, in a real world the AI would have to collect data and build a HIGHLY IMPERFECT picture of the world around it. For example there would be no way to predict and react to simple things like enemy flak blowing up near or a sensor going out.

Also a lot more important is the ability to decide where the pilot fits in the overall tactical, strategic and even political landscape. If he shoots down that Israeli jet will the pilot be starting a thermonuclear war? Is that passenger jet out of Iran a simple airliner or a converted chemical weapons delivery system, and how to make a value judgement?

>>21056
The AI would build an imperfect picture of the world around it, like how human pilots do, but people can make sound judgments based on common sense and experience (difficult to quantify and translate into a computer program), but an AI could just ignore things that are not threats or concerning to the mission. Such as being mindful of areas it is not supposed to enter, the ground or navigational hazards, or threats such as enemy radar, anti-aircraft artillery or missiles. When fighting an aerial dogfight, the AI could be programmed to concentrate on the most pressing concerns in order of importance, such as enemy aircraft, flak and SAMs.
And as for predicting the trajectory of enemy flak, that would be the AI's forte as long as its sensors are effective (and the sensors it is sharing with its network). If the AI indeed thinks and reacts with logical decisions hundreds of times faster than a human can, it could weave through flak and obstructions like an ace in the prosecution of its mission.
And determining who to attack, the AI would be governed by the rules of engagement, just like human pilots are, but the AI might make unfortunate judgment calls.

Now imagine if such sophistication could be imparted to missiles. If the missile's sensors are precise enough to correctly identify the enemy aircraft it was locked on to, the missile's AI might be effective in ignoring counter-measures and predicting the aircraft's movements to plot the best course to destroy the aircraft.
- US Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.

"You're not fooling anyone, flyboy."

Urgh.

>Swapping Japanese or American lel simplicity for overengineered euroshit
Pic related.

>Wanting to pay the euroshit tax on top of the diesel parts tax
Pic related.

If you absolutely WANT to pay a premium on parts and have a bad time working on your own vehicle, why not go for a Mercedes OM617 or OM601? Hell, in >>20685 it looks like there might even be room for an OM617 (the straight-5) in there.

The ALH in that Xterra is somewhat better than earlier engines. For one, they run the oil pump on a chain from the crankshaft, and the vacuum pump off the end of the camshaft, as opposed to running an extra jackshaft like on the 1.6IDI and the first gen TDI. But, it does run the water pump off the (already stressed) timing belt. Since it's a diesel, it's an interference engine.
The Mercedes engines are chain timed, and they run the water pump from an accessory drive belt.


So, you've got your swap. That costs $7000+. And you get 30+MPG. Great. A 1.6L automatic Sidekick gets about 30 MPG, and they can be found for $2000-4000.

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>>20723

He used to be married to OM617's but moved to TDI's. He explained why once but I don't remember enough details not to butcher the reasoning. It doesn't cost him $7000 to do the swap, that's what he sells them for.

Pic is a TDI Jetta towing a Pathfinder. That turned some heads.

>>20723
Probably just going to stick to my 4Runner plan, put another 200K on whatever I find, and when it finally wears the fuck out maybe I'll have enough banked to get something interesting. Maybe we'll see some interesting diesels in the market by then that aren't a total pain in the dick.

This thread inspired me to finally do a bit of searching regarding something that's been lurking in the far back recesses of my mind for years now, and ohhh shit, there's someone who actually does this commercially!

http://www.landroverimport.com/index.html

>>20439
I've been looking around for the same. I like my expedition, but I'd prefer a diesel.

Jeep made a Liberty with a diesel for a while, rare but you can find them.

>>20459
>>20460
No Amarok yet, but the Touareg and mid size VW have been available for a while, both in diesel with 4wd.

>>20474
The EPA is horribly out of control. When the nation was being crippled by near $4/gal gas. The EPA was fining the crap out fuel companies for failure to meet impossible standards, which was adding something like another 20 cents per gallon, that's border line economic treason.

>>20479
While economy doesn't directly equal lower emissions. It can greatly reduce the footprint. Every unit of gas from the crude coming out of the ground to evaporation at the pump increases polution. Not to mention meeting the standards often leads to poor mpg, which is self defeating.

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FIN.

>>21024

Shiny... I need to go there one of these days. Today started the Sentimental Journey Fly-in in Lock Haven, The C-54 Spirit of Freedom is there again this year. I will of course be abusing my free access to take all the pictures.

Hey! You're in my neck of the woods. I still havn't been to see the 4th hanger, I really need to do that.

>>20725
A little late, but cool shit man.

>>20710
It doesn't matter if they're pro or anti-ISIS, if they are destabilizing the country though terror, they are islamic terrorists. From Syrian government point of view, every armed group in the country killing civilians is a bad one. It doesn't matter if the group is Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS or FSA, all are islamic terrorists bent on subverting the legitimate rule of law.

This is why Russia doesn't make a distinction when bombing any group that isn't the Syrian government in Syria, there's no fucking point. All of these groups are organized criminals at the very least.

>Even the Kurdish communists have started getting called "terrorists" by non-Turkish pro-Syrian media after they pushed ISIS out of northern Iraq and blitzkried into Syria.
Certain Kurdish factions have decided that if they cannot make a state in Turkey, they will make a state in weakened Syria. To this end they have resorted to terrorism and allying with other forces destabilizing Syria.

Calling certain Kurdish factions terrorists is calling a spade a spade, it is not politicized language, it is a fact. However not all Kurds have decided on this course of action and Syrian media is so far being careful about distinguishing between the groups.

>>20714
(this is what fascist enablers actually believe.)

>>20715
>>20712
What the fuck are you doing? This isn't the designated shitposting board, get the fuck out.

>>20716
It is when Sergei drinks more than his vodka ration and posts his "Obama is literally ISIS hitler, thank putin that putin is protecting the world" in /v/ rather than /n/

Cease shitting up /v/ please.

>>20574
The J-31 is a clone of the F-35. Lockheed admits to having had design data copied from internal project design servers early on in the F-35 development process after contract awarding. The design of the J-31 is almost completely copy-pasted from the early F-35 work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II#Program_cost_overruns_and_delays

>On 21 April 2009, media reports, citing Pentagon sources, said that during 2007 and 2008, spies downloaded several terabytes of data related to the F-35's design and electronics systems, potentially compromising the aircraft and aiding the development of defense systems against it.

Funny how that coincides with the rough timeline needed for development on a prototype plane, such that by 2012, we have the unveiling of the Shenyang J-31.

>>20580
Shinshin is likelier the clone of the pre-JSF, pre X-35 design that LockMart had. When LockMart got to the drawing board their stealth submission didn't have internal bays and was twin engined. Basically a simplified micro F-22 with similar performance. So that seems to fit.

J-31... possibly. J-22 is clearly a MiG-1.44 airframe with the F-35 stealth skin and composite control surfaces, so it seems the Chinese did have some F-35 data. It's not out of the question that they would apply this data to the J-31.

>>20568
>includes all four Kuril Islands
>includes Senkaku islands
Somebody's really asking to get his ass whooped.

>>20568
So stealthy they fly directly above Russian AA.

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