We’re not sure what the first reaction of the engineers who worked on this project was when they found out about it but we’re thinking smiles and fist pumps were part of the program. It is not every day that you get to set up an experiment to test out the integrity of concrete walls by basically shooting an F-4 Phantom aircraft into one at 480mph!
This test was designed to see if nuclear reactors and storage buildings would withstand a kamikaze style attack by a plane like an F-4 Phantom. It is amazing to watch the plane essentially turn into dust as it piles into the wall at slow motion. While there is no video of the aftermath when the dust clears, the footage seems to indicate that the wall won.
Here’s the detailed description of what you are about to see below –
On April 19, 1988, a F-4 jet, complete with engines, riding on a rocket sled, was crashed into a reinforced concrete wall 3.66 meters thick at approximately 480 miles per hour. The crash test was made to help assess the risks involved if aircraft were deliberately crashed into nuclear reactor buildings by terrorists.
“The purpose of the test was to determine the impact force, versus time, due to the impact, of a complete F-4 Phantom — including both engines — onto a massive, essentially rigid reinforced concrete target (3.66 meters thick). Previous tests used F-4 engines at similar speeds. The test was not intended to demonstrate the performance (survivability) of any particular type of concrete structure to aircraft impact. The impact occurred at the nominal velocity of 215 meters per second (about 480 mph). The mass of the jet fuel was simulated by water; the effects of fire following such a collision was not a part of the test. The test established that the major impact force was from the engines. The test was performed by Sandia National Laboratories under terms of a contract with the Muto Institute of Structural Mechanics, Inc., of Tokyo.”
Attention Bill Doner!
64 Promods–Fox Hunt–F4 shot into an 8 foot thick concrete block. Now THAT is entertainment.
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!