LIGHT SABRE
Have you ever watched how carbon composite products are made? Not only is it fascinating to o observe, but truth be told it is quite ttherapeutic, too. As the filament iis steadily wound or spun into sshape – like cotton thread criss-c crossed onto a spool – you could b be blissfully lost in watching the motion for ages, relaxed by the vvisual repetition and time-piece a accuracy of it all.
Little wonder then that carbon c composite fibres are now essential tto the modern aerospace and a aviation industries, where such materials’ superior strength, ttolerance to heat and twisting fforces – and most notably lighter w weight – is key to performance a and longevity of many advanced a aircraft these days.
Imagine, then, that tranquillity o of production shattered and tthe material itself needing to b be of such fortitude to justify its c crucial role in the very make-up of something like the next-gen F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The cornerstone of future air-superiority defence programmes for countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and even Australia, you don’t have to be an ’80s Top Gun movie tragic to realise when that jet is pushing Mach 1.6 with its 28,000–43000lbf Pratt
