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What kind of pod is it?



 
 
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  #11  
Old February 22nd 05, 11:56 AM
Ralph Savelsberg
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wrote:

Yes, but it has just come to my mind the datalink pods were to be
carried on the centerline station (as seen on the bottom of this page:
http://www.voodoo.cz/hornet/arm.html ), or inboard wing stations, but
the outboard stations were usually "reserved" for large weapons like
SLAM or Walleye itself. So, maybe these pods are also a kind of
"luggage" this time?

Marine FAC-configured F/A-18Ds use the outboard stations also for
LAU-10 4-tube Zuni launchers - and hence my suspections. But this is
definitely a Navy aircraft, and the USN has some reasons to NOT love
Zunis.

Regards,

Jacek




It's a mystery to me.
I don't think I have ever seen an unguided rocket pod with these
aerodynamic fairings on them, but then again, the only station on the
Hornet I have ever seen the AAW-somenumber (the AAW-6 was replaced by
the AAW-9, and that perhaps has been replaced as well) datalink pod was
on the centerline. As I wrote before, carrying two of them outboard
seems somewhat strange. The typical configuration on the Hornet indeed
would be seem to be Walleyes/SLAM on the outboard wingstations, external
fuel tanks in the inboard ones and the datalink pod on the centerline.

This photo stirs up a whole bunch of questions for me.
Would it be common practice to have another aircraft than the one
launching the weapons carry the datalink, as Joe Delphi suggested?
And talking about Walleyes; those aren't in service anymore, are they? I
seem to recall reading about how the JFK's A-7Es during Desert Storm
used quite a few of them, because they were going to be retired anyway.
Might as well use them for something worthwhile. Is the AGM-84E SLAM
still in service, or have all of those been rebuilt to AGM-84H SLAM-ER
already? Does that use the same datalink.


Regards,
Ralph Savelsberg

  #12  
Old February 22nd 05, 12:10 PM
Ralph Savelsberg
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Mike Kanze wrote:

Jacek,


"personal pods"


Referred to as "blivets" during my day (1969 - 1974). They were not as
frequently used then as in later years, I understand.

The "straight" (non-KA-6D) A-6 had enough space in the Etensible Equipment
Platform (the "birdcage") for the crew's hanging bags of civvies and shaving
kits. The T-2 had enough cube in the nose cone for 3 - 4 cases of Coors
Beer, very popular in the Meridian, MS of the late 1960s when you couldn't
buy it outside of Colorado.



Of course those personal pods/ travel pods had their own, probably
little-used, designation : MXU-somenumber

Though not a naval aircraft (well, not quite anyway) on the F-111A and E it wasn't uncommon for aircrew to use the internal weapons bay to store their stuff. The AF doesn't travle light.


Regards,
Ralph Savelsberg


  #13  
Old February 23rd 05, 09:53 AM
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Yesterday I had a pleasure of having in my hands a book of MAG-31
Hornets of mid-1990s. That is really amazing what a beautiful mixed
weapon configurations the Marine guys can attach to their F/A-18Ds!!!

There I saw a Hornet in the following configuration:
2 x AIM-9 (wingtips)
1 x Walleye (port/outboard)
1 x data link pod (starboard/outboard)
1 x 330USGal. fuel tank (centerline)
plus FLIR and LST/SCAM on the nacelles, both inboard pylons empty.

As for the data link pods - www.globalsecurity.org or www.fas.org
describe a little the whole series of them (AWW-7 thru AWW-14), but no
pictures are included.

Surely that is quite a common practice to use one aircraft to
laser-designate the target or control the weapon via data link, whereas
another is actually dropping/launching it - as far as Paveway/Laser
Maverick or Walleye/SLAM are concerned.

AGM-62 Walleye was retired, indeed, so the pods must be used now only
for SLAM. The same as you, I have no reasonable idea why carry two of
them;-)

Have a nice day,

Jacek

 




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