F18 Super Hornet MACH/SHOCK Diamonds in flight (slow motion)

Video I filmed of an high speed F18 pass with afterburners on. Filmed at 12X zoom and at 600 FPS. Usually you can only see these in low light but the contrast of the sky in the background was just enough so we could see this interesting phenomenon.


Shock diamonds (also known as Mach diamonds, Mach disks or dancing diamonds) are a formation of stationary wave patterns that appears in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system, such as a supersonic jet engine, rocket, ramjet, or scramjet when it is operated in an atmosphere.

Shock diamonds are formed when the supersonic exhaust from a nozzle is slightly over or under-expanded, meaning that the pressure of the gases exiting the nozzle is different from the ambient air pressure. A complex flow field results as the shock wave is reflected back and forth between the free fluid jet boundary and a visible repeating diamond-shaped pattern is formed which gives the shock diamonds their name.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• jet
• shock
• wave
• mach
• diamonds
• disks
• dancing
• afterburners
• shockwave
• supersonic
• taofledermaus

[Gmod4ThaWin]

why is your name "bat crap" ??

[taofledermaus]

@Gmod4ThaWin Isn't that guano? lol

[jeffshootsstuff]

Beautiful.

[taofledermaus]

@jeffshootsstuff Thank you!

[Mistaprince64]

Enemy fast mover spotted over

[MyNameIsxRusTx]

@taofledermaus are you German?? in German is fledermaus, bat xD

[prometheustwin1970]

Mach diamonds and mach vapor are entirely different things. I never saw any mach/shock diamonds in the exhaust.

[mtogono]

hey i know him its starscream...

[F15pilots]

That isn't mach vapor. It's just pulling 4+ g's in the turn. At mach speed the vapor would begin to surround the aircraft.

[MrSchpankme]

excellent video - thank you. Antique technology - note if you've seen it, and film it -- it's already 20+ years old. //// Wild Weasel Driver \\\\

[mrbadx19]

@Gmod4ThaWin fledermaus is german for bat, where do you get crap from? maybe between your ears?

[taofledermaus]

@shiznit93274  I doubt I could get in if I was just there to film. I might take a trip in Sept up to Sacramento to the Capital air show. They are going to have some world class military aircraft there. B1, F22's, etc.

[shiznit93274]

@taofledermaus When I worked for Directv I use to get on base and do service calls for the housing and operations at NAS Lemoore. Nothing better than getting a free tour of hangers and planes and meeting pilots all while getting paid to be there. :)