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TenTW_elec's avatar

I believe the Breguet aircraft cruise-range equation is another important example of this, and why it is crucial that in-flight refueling, or re-charging, or co-thrusting by supply module craft, be introduced. We waste colossal (exponential) amounts of fuel by trying to carry it all with the aircraft. The technology for safe reliable automatic in-flight refueling or recharging his well proven for both manned operation (NASA Dryden, USAF) and UAVs to manned( eg DARPA).

It would be a telling calculation to estimate how much Geoff fuel and pollution could be saved if aircraft just carried or reasonable amount of fuel and refueled in-flight, saving both of fuel they were carrying in the airframe weight and complexity that that required which then meant smaller jet engines which means less weight which means less fuel which means less airframe…

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Chasing Oliver's avatar

It seems unlikely that classical and medieval generals (or anyone at that time) had the mathematical knowledge to optimize this with the harmonic, though it's possible that it could have been worked out by combining many different generals' trial and error.

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