Belgian AF F-16 damaged
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And now back to those idiots who will claim that this was down to some UFO event....
Thanks F16 guy for the information.
Aircraft retains the cartridge cases on board
It seems that the aircraft retains the cartridge cases on board.
"the empty case is transported back to the drum "[1]
"M103 case 1,855 grains.
Total cartridge weight ranges between 3,865 and 3,965 grains depending on exact type."[2]
So at least 1855 / 3965 * 100 = 47% of the mass remains in the aircraft after firing.
Fuel use/state may also be a factor that is considered.
[1] F-16 Armament - M61 A1 Vulcan
[2] http://navybmr.com/study%20material/...14313A_ch7.pdf - page 5 table 7-1
"the empty case is transported back to the drum "[1]
"M103 case 1,855 grains.
Total cartridge weight ranges between 3,865 and 3,965 grains depending on exact type."[2]
So at least 1855 / 3965 * 100 = 47% of the mass remains in the aircraft after firing.
Fuel use/state may also be a factor that is considered.
[1] F-16 Armament - M61 A1 Vulcan
[2] http://navybmr.com/study%20material/...14313A_ch7.pdf - page 5 table 7-1
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Why all these stupid conspiracy theories?
I understand that European F-16s are often loaded with ball rounds to ensure that the CG is always in limits. So the jet in the hangar might have been carrying a routine ballast load?
Either shoddy maintenance procedures or an electrical fault caused this accident - but doesn't the F-16 gun system have fuses which can be removed when the aircraft is under rectification??
And now back to those idiots who will claim that this was down to some UFO event....
I understand that European F-16s are often loaded with ball rounds to ensure that the CG is always in limits. So the jet in the hangar might have been carrying a routine ballast load?
Either shoddy maintenance procedures or an electrical fault caused this accident - but doesn't the F-16 gun system have fuses which can be removed when the aircraft is under rectification??
And now back to those idiots who will claim that this was down to some UFO event....
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As stated, the cases remain onboard to reduce the CG shift towards the aft. The aft CG movement is normally transparent to the pilot, however the margin for successful recovery of the jet, should it go out of control, is reduced. Furthermore, moving the CG aft a bit (within limits), will result in higher G onset rates during aggressiv manouvering, possibly resulting in an AOA overshoots and worst case a departure from controlled flight. This can be an issue with our old analog FLCS on the Blk. 10 and 15. Blk. 10 are most prone as they only have the small horizontal stabs. Digital FLCS F-16’s might not be prone to this issue but I don’t know since I haven’t flown one).
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I'd paint a kill on the mechanic's toolbox.
Sorry guys I had to say it, no difference what job we do,
I witnessed a Canberra BI8 let off a few 20mm Ball across Wildenrath airfield. Apart from a small dent in a SNCO's career there was no damage - the ac was on a safe heading.
Happy days!
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Sorry for what may seem like a stupid question (I've never walked around a live armed fast-jet), but what did you do for missiles and/or bombs? Missiles seem like they'd be a lot harder to avoid if the worst happened (and obviously bombs too, but that goes without saying...)
With safety pins fitted missiles and bombs are reasonably inert. Taking a typical bomb as an example, it takes signals from a device (with various safety systems) to get the cartridges to fire to release the locks and push the weapon from the jet - as long as the safety pins have been left out. From there it is just a crush hazard to anything underneath. For a weapon to go bang the fuse needs to be told what to do, often just after release but before the electrical cable is pulled free and then (typically) it needs a further mechanical line to be pulled free after release. Even then the bomb is not fully armed, needing a time delay or a given airspeed over an arming vane etc before getting to the point where the fuze is live enough to do impact/void sensing/distance ranging before going bang.
A loaded and cocked gun may just need an electrical impulse to fire and may be self-sustaining once firing (depending on type - some guns require AC electrical or hydraulic power to cycle).
A loaded and cocked gun may just need an electrical impulse to fire and may be self-sustaining once firing (depending on type - some guns require AC electrical or hydraulic power to cycle).
