US military test concept of launching cruise missiles out of the back of C130's
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US military test concept of launching cruise missiles out of the back of C130's
More or less dropping palatised sets of weapons off the ramp and launching them,
https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-w...138598.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-w...138598.article
Similar to the idea of dropping ICBMs out the back of C5s for an air launch!
I suspect this will become a capability. The C130 is a good base for this kind of thing - Harvest Hawk seemed to be a success? It'd be like a tactical arsenal airplane.
I suspect this will become a capability. The C130 is a good base for this kind of thing - Harvest Hawk seemed to be a success? It'd be like a tactical arsenal airplane.
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A former OC No. 5 Stn had a similar concept [albeit in the AD role) with a supported 'FC-130' over the North Sea launching numerous AAMs at the advancing hordes. Undoubtedly his view was coloured by his 2 x Mx, no guns, experience on the F.6 
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A former OC No. 5 Stn had a similar concept [albeit in the AD role) with a supported 'FC-130' over the North Sea launching numerous AAMs at the advancing hordes. Undoubtedly his view was coloured by his 2 x Mx, no guns, experience on the F.6
Salute!
With the new nav stuff for the missiles and the possibility of active and useful GPS at launch, I like the idea. Hell! Get those 747's outta storage and have them fly about during times of international tension.
I have always dreamed of a buff using a missile to take care of a pesky interceptor. Sucker would be HOJ or a HARM variant with terminal IR guidance. Pop outta the launch tube, slow enuf using the drogue chute, fire the motor and go for it! Unlike old days, no need to lock on before lurch, but that might could work with a good carraige system and missile control scheme.
Problem back in the early 70's for the big missiles was loading a decent launch position in their nav system for the INS to work with, and then having a good mid-course correction to get to the tgt. I had access to the USN Trident missile tech data from the early 80's after the stuff was declassified for "others" to see how good the damned thing was. Imagine hitting a football stadium ( American or the world's type) from a few thousand miles away!?
Having a transport drop a cruise missile on a drougue chute is no big technical challenge.
Gums sends...
With the new nav stuff for the missiles and the possibility of active and useful GPS at launch, I like the idea. Hell! Get those 747's outta storage and have them fly about during times of international tension.
I have always dreamed of a buff using a missile to take care of a pesky interceptor. Sucker would be HOJ or a HARM variant with terminal IR guidance. Pop outta the launch tube, slow enuf using the drogue chute, fire the motor and go for it! Unlike old days, no need to lock on before lurch, but that might could work with a good carraige system and missile control scheme.
Problem back in the early 70's for the big missiles was loading a decent launch position in their nav system for the INS to work with, and then having a good mid-course correction to get to the tgt. I had access to the USN Trident missile tech data from the early 80's after the stuff was declassified for "others" to see how good the damned thing was. Imagine hitting a football stadium ( American or the world's type) from a few thousand miles away!?
Having a transport drop a cruise missile on a drougue chute is no big technical challenge.
Gums sends...
I'm glad the US have made extensive use of the project, as they provided unwavering informal support in the early days of the UK design - even when a few UK VSOs just wanted to kill the programme from the outset to avoid 'challenging other air platforms'.
Salute!
Sorry, Bob, I should have given credit to Dale. I actually thot of it before he published "Flight of the Old Dog" and many following techno-thrillers. And I bought the book just after it came out when a fellow pilot/engineer had a son flying Buffs and recommended it.
The technical problems of launching missiles from the big boys are not as challenging today as they were when Dale wrote his first book. The aero stuff is still challenging, but the nav/guidance/sensor technology is way beyond what many of us envisioned.
In the late 70's we all laughed when the troop from DARPA or Systems Command advertised a 15 meter sphere for position accuracy using the "secret" P-code we military folks had, and then Selective Availability. So 25 years later, and having worked on the original JDAM ops demo in early 90's, I sat on my deck and waited for the clock to reach 1200 when the SA went away. My Magellan handheld unit's position settled down and I had at least the 15 meter position accuracy we were told about using just the coarse acquisition sfwe we civilians had
Gums sends...
Sorry, Bob, I should have given credit to Dale. I actually thot of it before he published "Flight of the Old Dog" and many following techno-thrillers. And I bought the book just after it came out when a fellow pilot/engineer had a son flying Buffs and recommended it.
The technical problems of launching missiles from the big boys are not as challenging today as they were when Dale wrote his first book. The aero stuff is still challenging, but the nav/guidance/sensor technology is way beyond what many of us envisioned.
In the late 70's we all laughed when the troop from DARPA or Systems Command advertised a 15 meter sphere for position accuracy using the "secret" P-code we military folks had, and then Selective Availability. So 25 years later, and having worked on the original JDAM ops demo in early 90's, I sat on my deck and waited for the clock to reach 1200 when the SA went away. My Magellan handheld unit's position settled down and I had at least the 15 meter position accuracy we were told about using just the coarse acquisition sfwe we civilians had
Gums sends...
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Lightning F.6Single-seat fighter (an improved longer-range variant of the F.3). It featured new wings with better efficiency and subsonic performance, overwing fuel tanks and a larger ventral fuel tank, reintroduction of 30 mm cannon (initially no cannon but later in the forward part of the ventral pack rather than in the nose), use of Red Top missiles. A total of 39 built (also nine converted from F.3 and 15 from F.3A).
I rest my case, M'Lud.
Salute!
With the new nav stuff for the missiles and the possibility of active and useful GPS at launch, I like the idea. Hell! Get those 747's outta storage and have them fly about during times of international tension.
Having a transport drop a cruise missile on a drougue chute is no big technical challenge.
Gums sends...
With the new nav stuff for the missiles and the possibility of active and useful GPS at launch, I like the idea. Hell! Get those 747's outta storage and have them fly about during times of international tension.
Having a transport drop a cruise missile on a drougue chute is no big technical challenge.
Gums sends...
The beauty was it wouldn't take much development on the aircraft side - the only real technical challenge would be a side cargo door that could open in flight - the existing cargo handling system could handle moving the rotary launchers around (I don't recall what the plan was for the crew when they depressurized - to keep the flight deck pressurized or simply have the crew on O2). Plus, if tensions were low, the aircraft could still be used as a conventional freighter.
Salute!
Never thot of the 747 release configuration too much. I was just thinking about total payload by the beast. So maybe another big platform... hmmmmm. C-5? Maybe DC-10 or L-1011. Internal carraige, then push the suckers out the ramp.
Our new 130's here at Hurlburt can easily load a handful of SDB's and/or Hellfire missiles. And they are now configuring to do so. They just have to have a reasonable threat environment. Plus, they have practiced pushing the MOAB and others of it ilk out the ramp ( saw the second test from about 5 miles to the nortrh)
Gums sends...
Never thot of the 747 release configuration too much. I was just thinking about total payload by the beast. So maybe another big platform... hmmmmm. C-5? Maybe DC-10 or L-1011. Internal carraige, then push the suckers out the ramp.
Our new 130's here at Hurlburt can easily load a handful of SDB's and/or Hellfire missiles. And they are now configuring to do so. They just have to have a reasonable threat environment. Plus, they have practiced pushing the MOAB and others of it ilk out the ramp ( saw the second test from about 5 miles to the nortrh)
Gums sends...
Gums,
during the Falklands War we had a set up to drop sea mines from our C130K so another one of the many roles for the a/c. Earlier we had an RAF C130K 'gunship' fit but that's another story.
during the Falklands War we had a set up to drop sea mines from our C130K so another one of the many roles for the a/c. Earlier we had an RAF C130K 'gunship' fit but that's another story.
Salute!
Good reminder, T28
My neighborhood rife with USAF and other spec ops folks.
So guy across street dropped two of the big boys outta his Talon herc during Desert Storm. One night they even had poor radio traffic and had scheduled two of them and folks were talking about the "Blu's Brothers", yep one called Jake other Elwood.
Gums sends....
Good reminder, T28
My neighborhood rife with USAF and other spec ops folks.
So guy across street dropped two of the big boys outta his Talon herc during Desert Storm. One night they even had poor radio traffic and had scheduled two of them and folks were talking about the "Blu's Brothers", yep one called Jake other Elwood.
Gums sends....