"Thomas Schoene" wrote ...
jokoch wrote:
What's the maximum no. of AMRAAM FA2 can carry? It has 2 wing pylons,
and if it uses 2 double rail pylons, that would be 8 on 2 wings.
However, I've seen drawings with 2 AMRAAM on the fuselage. That makes
10 AMRAAM altogether!!! Wonder what other plane carry more AMRAAM than
FA2 apart from superbug?


The Sea Harrier FA.2 can't carry anything like 10 AMRAAM; the twin rail
pylon is for Sidewinder only. My understanding is that the max missile
load is more like 4 AMRAAM (2 on the fuselage in place of the gun pods and
two on the outer wing stations) or 2 AMRAAM (on the fuselage) and 4
Sidewinder (twins on the outer wing stations).

The inner wing stations are almost invariably loaded with fuel tanks. I've
never heard of them hanging missiles there; those pylons may not even be
wired for AMRAAM.

Unfortunately, pictures of real Sea Harriers with live missile loads seem
to be rare as hen teeth.


Rumor has it that aside from the blue, inert exercise "concrete" versions,
the budget only stretched to a couple of dozen, held in a secret bunker
somewhere in Yorkshire, plugged in like recharging cell phones, awaiting the
summons to Armageddon...

I suspect an actual weapons load of two per a/c is about all the acquisition
budget will stretch to, but the big occasion is Mess Night, when the active
pilots draw lots to select the lucky individual chosen to fire this fiscal
year's single training round, one of the half dozen spares in inventory.

TMO