Specialist Shipping!

 Leading the way with electric powered.

Up-Lifters and other vessels of the same types are now leading the way with electric power, but with the end of the COP, it would imply that there is no rush to move from fossil fuels to green, as the host of the conference claimed that he had not yet seen any scientific documentation to prove that global warming had anything to do with the warming up of the Earth?

The race is on now between shipping and aviation and at every turn there is something new in technology from carbon wings to new metals improving solar energy and other and some nations seem to be committed, many remain confused as to what is really going on?

The developing world wants to burn fossil fuels to be on a par with the first world, they want to make their way to our level and perhaps when we are all equal then the serious work of saving our planet will begin and perhaps by then we will have no choice?

Electric power flight!

 Still early days?

There are many designs and concepts out there and the few that are operating are still classed as very unstable and dangerous, but as time moves on better engines will be developed and some aircraft will make it to the civil market on the air taxi scale two-four passengers?

Embraer is leading the way with the possibility of commercial aircraft within the next ten years, while several others are moving into combination powered aircraft, just like hybrid automobiles, but the development of new lighter carbon materials is opening the door for some serious models to come to the fore?

Meanwhile the drone is now at its current height of being militeriesed, as seen in the Ukraine on both sides, but they have limited range still and one is only seeing old NATO models being used on the battlefield, rather than anything that is really new.

The future may see drones being used as AI driverless cars in the future and that will be something of a change?

Helicopters 75 Years! Part-Two.

U.S. Catching up to the Russian Kamov KA-52 Alligator?

It is only now that the U.S. is finding a place for the Russian Alligator helicopter concept, which is the fastest in the world!

The idea of the helicopter gunship has been around from the 1960's and there early deployment in the Vietnam war, machines such as the Cobra are well established, while Europe developed the Tiger and the U.S. upgraded to the Sikorsky AH-64 Apache. 

Many other countries have just put rocket pods and machine guns on helicopters with a crew of two and use them in a similar role, but these are not dedicated machines for ground support combat and anti-tank or MBT-Killers?

Meanwhile the Soviets lead the way initially in the development of the Mil Mi-24/35 combination special forces and gunship, nothing like it has yet been attempted and sales of it continue to flourish world-wide.

But the Kamov design team cam up with the first jet powered helicopter in the late 1990's and the west did everything to knock it down boasting that the faulty British Lynx was far superior, now demised while down on the south pole the Kamov KA-32/34 transport helicopters are an essential tool to cope with the coldest weather conditions on the planet.

Various new concepts are coming to the fore in the U.S. and many drone versions too, since this is now being seen as another invaluable tool in warfare and many civil adaptions in the years to come?

Electric Power!

Already Operational?

The electric engine is now well into progression to begin the replacement of the Diesel which has been very faithful both in locomotion and shipping and this is were some of the first replacements are being built, designed and are operational!

The world of Aviation is also seeing many new aircraft concepts and a great desire to have something up and running in the near future? Many experimental aircraft are on the cards, but this remains a limited to civil aviation while the military are still burning fossil fuels in both aircraft and helicopter fleets!

The automobile has also taken off from hybrid vehicles to battery and full electric and because bus and delivery fleets are coming into service, many ordinary folk want their own! It is not known yet how much all of this is reducing carbon emissions in towns and cities, since many young people and children are still dying from chronic respiratory failures from breathing in carbon monoxide?

Happy New Year to one and All!!

No long term Replacements?

Diesel to Remain!

It is great to hear that many nations are trying or they claim to be trying to cut down on their carbon emissions, with the introduction of electric and battery powered or hybrid vehicles?

But they still have to make that power from the burning of fossil fuels, if they have no nuclear power it is a catch 22 situation or political hypocrisy!

For the foreseeable future the Diesel engine will remain the mainstay of all types of heavy transport, but the developments are progressing amid costs being too high for the man in the street and the farmer to purchase these limited use machines.

Happy New Year 2019!

Britain takes a lead in Electric Aircraft?

It would seem that the world is in a rush now to develop the electric engine in aviation and we here in the U.K. are making some leaps and bounds of our own? Norway, Poland, Israel and the U.S. have several of their own projects that we are hearing mush about, but so far they are limited in their viability!

Battery power has been around since the 19th Century, despite advances in Solar power cells and their adaption, the battery still remains the same in power outage and range! Space will perhaps help us replace the diesel engine, which has turned out to be more polluting than was once thought?

Yet about 85% of the worlds power is based on this engine alone, trains, trucks, farm machinery, construction and shipping! The task may look daunting but once electric engines are built on an industrial scale perhaps the world will be a cleaner place? 

Alternative Energy.

Diesel and bio-Fuel.

Most of the machines that are working today around the world are operated by Diesel engines, until recently this was thought to be the best performance fuel over that of petrol?

Many nations want to use alternative energy over that of the fossil fuels of coal, gas and oil, but two factors come to the fore?

One cost and two much of what we have in alternative energy will not power the plethora of machines in existence around the world?

When Diesel invented his first engine it was powered by peanut oil and this has lead to much research into various forms of bio-fuel mixtures, lead by the aviation industry! Cost is the main factor in the production of hybrids other than motor cars and it may be some time before we will get over our new pollution problems?

Electric engines are and can be made across the board in relation to the railways, the main problems is again cost as in the GWR Padding to Swansea plan being cancelled in the U.K. The other is that third rail is susceptible to the weather from slipping leaf fall to frost, ice and snow fall?

Army Transportation. Part-Two.

Modern Commercial Transportation.

Over the last twenty years or so many nations are now opting for civilian commercial transporters over that of their own military equivalents. This is because of two key factors cost and civil disguise in the upsurge of International terrorism.

Many other areas such as training demand the continuation of the usage as these dedicated vehicles, while many age quickly and are sold off from various arms dumps around the world. Some vehicles go overseas to continue in this role, while others are painted in commercial colours and schemes and continue in that disguise.

Heavy lifting of the Main Battle Tank was the initial role for the military transport, while also other vehicles have been designed for recovery or heavy vehicles themselves. The United States, Canada, Russia, China, India and Brazil, Australia still maintain a dedicated military fleets, because of the expanse of their less populated land mass.

There are many other types of Amphibious landing tracked vehicles such as the U.S. LVTP's, large Armoured Personnel  carriers and Surface to Air missile platforms that need to be moved over shorter distances that either their own power or that of the use of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, C-130J Hercules, Airbus A400M, Russian Antonov An-22, 124 Ruslan and Ilyushin Il-76TDM. Embraer KC-90 transport aircraft.

The Automobile. Part-Three.

What is a Motor car and how will it progress?

Despite energy problems around the globe, I do not think the car/automobile has seen its day just yet. The car is basically a metal carriage with a mechanical powered engine and all that is required to maintain power and wastes, fuel and fumes.

Since the conception of the car in the 19th century, it is still built on the same mechanical engineering principles. Engines may be more powerful, new fuels developed and new deigned body shells with fancy comfortable interiors. But they are all the same in that everything is similar to what was.

The future of the car will depend on the public response to those people who drive like idiots, kill innocent people, break the speed limits and are reckless. Otherwise the car still has so much going for it, operations in remote areas. The ability to be adapted for invalid use, emergency vehicles and delivery usage.