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The U-2 spy plane needs high-performance cars to help land

Typically, aircraft deploy their landing gear from three main points. Most military aircraft, for example, deploy two gears at the back and one forward, like a tricycle. Some civilian aircraft flip the layout, with two in front and one in back - tail-draggers. The U-2 Dragon Lady is wildly different than any of these. With a 103-foot wingspan but a body that's just 63-feet long, the layout of the U-2 makes a traditional landing setup infeasible. Instead, the U-2 utilizes a pair of wheels, one up front and one in back. With such a bizarre layout, landings are so tough that since the U-2's earliest flights at Area 51, the US Air Force has used high-performance chase cars to guide the pilot down safely. The landing process isn't over there, though. As this video from Sploid shows, balancing out the aircraft to fit the detachable "pogos" – think training wheels for spy planes – is a comical procedure requiring a number of airman using their full body weight to even out the U-2. This video also recaps some of the great vehicles that have served as chase vehicles for this legendary spy plane. They include Chevrolet El Caminos, and the Fox-body Ford Mustangs so favored by the California Highway Patrol. For the last several years, the USAF has utilized products from General Motors, using fourth-generation Chevy Camaros, before switching over to the Pontiac GTO and most recently, the awesome Pontiac G8. It's fair to say that if you're a gearhead in the Air Force, this is the job you want. Check out the video, embedded up top. News Source: Sploid via YouTubeImage Credit: Sploid Chevrolet Ford GM Pontiac Military Performance Videos

Ford and BraunAbility team up for wheelchair-accessible Explorer

BraunAbility, a creator of wheelchair-accessible vehicles that are usually based on minivans, has teamed up with Ford to create the MXV, a vehicle the company hails as the first of its kind. In addition to the obvious exterior modifications that include sliding doors, this Explorer-based mobility vehicle has removable driver and passenger seats and a powered ramp that nestles into the vehicle's floor. Modifications to the regular Explorer platform will allow wheelchair users to operate the MXV from the driver's position with the normal seat removed, ride along as a front passenger, or enjoy 56 inches of cabin height in the middle row, which is large enough to accommodate most power wheelchairs. Best we can tell, there are no changes to the Explorer's powertrain, which means a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque will provide motivation, not to mention 5,000-pounds worth of towing capacity. Fuel economy from the MXV matches that of the Explorer, with 17 city, 24 highway, and 20 combined. The twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 isn't available. Unfortunately, all-wheel drive also isn't available from BraunAbility due to the lowered floor necessary to make the vehicle large enough to work as a proper mobility vehicle. Even so, the Explorer looks like a pretty nice platform with which to build such a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, with good looks, good driving manners, and the kind of rugged looks you can't find in a minivan. Expect to see the MXV at BraunAbility dealers this fall, but don't expect to be first in line. Vehicle No. 1 has been promised to wounded veteran Mike Delancey, a United States Marine paralyzed by a sniper's bullet while serving in Iraq in 2006. Take a look at the images above, and feel free to peruse the press release for all the details below. Related Video: BraunAbility – the World Leader in Mobility Vehicles – Selects Ford Explorer to Create First-Ever Wheelchair-Accessible SUV • BraunAbility introduces its first-ever wheelchair-accessible sport utility vehicle – the BraunAbility MXV™ • BraunAbility-customized Ford Explorer – the best-selling SUV in the U.S. for the last 25 years – will be the company's first mass-produced wheelchair-accessible SUV • BraunAbility revolutionized what independence means to wheelchair users, and has established itself as a world leader in the mobility business DEARBORN, Mich.

2014 Ford Fusion to get 1.5L EcoBoost three-cylinder?

Just one year after launching the all-new 2013 Fusion, Ford is reportedly set to alter the sedan's powertrain lineup with the addition of a new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. A member of Blue Oval Forums apparently got their hands on the ordering guide for the 2014 model year Fusion, and this 1.5-liter mill is set to be introduced with late availability.
This lines up with other news about the Chinese-market Mondeo being offered with a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost - a derivative of the 1.0-liter triple that will come to North America under the hood of the Fiesta (note: the 1.0 is also offered in the current Euro-spec Mondeo). In the Chinese application, the larger three-pot engine produces 177 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, which is very close to the current 1.6-liter inline-four's output numbers of 178 hp and 184 lb-ft.
What's interesting, however, is that the 1.6-liter engine will reportedly still be offered in the Fusion, but only with the six-speed manual transmission. The smaller 1.5-liter EcoBoost will only be mated to a six-speed SelectShift automatic, and will feature start/stop. This means that while the 1.5 is slightly down on power compared to the 1.6, it could easily improve fuel economy numbers, allowing the Fusion to regain the title of having the best mileage in the segment, likely besting the 38 miles per gallon of the Nissan Altima. Currently, the Fusion 1.6 is rated at 23 mpg city and 36 mpg highway.