Forum: F-35 Armament, Stores and Tactics

Joking aside, why does a dummy missile have thrust vectoring?
I thought they just sat on the wing.

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The dummy may be a fully functional blem.

AIR-LAUNCHED GUIDED MISSILES AND GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHERS

http://www.ordnance.org/designat.htm

"...NONSERVICE MISSILES: These include all types of missiles other than service or tactical. They are subdivided as captive air training missiles (CATMs), dummy air training missile (DATMs), special air training missiles (NATMs), and practice guided weapons (PGWs).

Some practice and training missiles are used for actual launching. They contain live propulsion and guidance systems with inert loaded warheads. They are fitted with pyrotechnic fuze indicator signals and/or tracking flares that give a visual indication of missile/target impact. These missiles can also be fitted with a telemetry-type warhead, which transmits electronic signals to a monitoring station. The monitoring station displays the missile's in-flight performance and missile/target hit. Some types of exercise missiles contain explosive-destruct charges so the missiles destroy themselves in flight. These explosive-destruct charges, when installed, are used as a safety measure so the missile does not travel beyond the established target range.

The CATMs are used for pilot training in aerial target acquisition and aircraft controls/displays. They have both tactical and training components. The DATMs are ground training missiles used to train ground personnel in missile assembly/ disassembly, uploading/downloading, and handling procedures.

The NATMs are used for pilot training during fleet weapon training exercises.

The PGWs are used for stowage procedures and techniques. All components are completely inert. Service missiles are fired as practice or training missiles when approved by proper authority. Normally, approval is restricted to missiles that are obsolete or to missiles that have exceeded their normal service life. Guided missiles used in naval aviation include air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. Air-to-air guided missiles are fired by one aircraft against another aircraft. Air-to-surface guided missiles are fired from an aircraft against a target on the land orwater surface. For further information on the classification of guided missiles, you should refer to United States Navy Ammunition Historical and Functional Data, NAVSEA SWO10-AB-GTP-010, and Identification of Ammunition, NAVSEA SW010-AF-ORD-010.

MISSILE DESIGNATION
The Department of Defense established a missile and rocket designation sequence. The basic designation of every guided missile are letters, which are in sequence. The sequence indicates the following:

1. The environment from which the vehicle is launched

2. The primary mission of the missile

3. The type of vehicle Examples of guided missile designators common to the Aviation Ordnanceman are as follows:

AGM- Air-launched Surface-attack guided missile
AIM- Air-launched intercept-aerial guided missile
ATM- Air-launched training guided missile
RIM- Ship-launched intercept-aerial guided missile
A design number follows the basic designator. In turn, the number may be followed by consecutive letters, which show a modification. For example, the designation of AGM-88C means the missile is an air-launched (A), surface-attack (G), missile (M), eighty-eighty missile design [88], third modification (C).

In addition, most guided missiles are given popular names, such as Sparrow, Sidewinder, and Harpoon. These names are retained regardless of subsequent modifications to the original missile...."
_____________________

Oman to Purchase AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Missiles in Potential $86 Million Deal

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/3647 ... 1c7e8dc1ab

"June 14, 2012 WASHINGTON | The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S: Congress on June 12 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Oman for 55 AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER All-Up-Round Missiles, 36 AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER Captive Air Training Missiles, 6 AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance Units, 4 AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missile Guidance Units, 1 Dummy Air Training Missile, and other related equipment. The estimated cost is $86 million...."

Quote:

The CATMs are used for pilot training in aerial target acquisition and aircraft controls/displays. They have both tactical and training components. The DATMs are ground training missiles used to train ground personnel in missile assembly/ disassembly, uploading/downloading, and handling procedures.

Well, that makes sense. If it's to train the ground crew, it has to look like the real thing close up, instead of just having the aerodynamic properties of the real thing.

aceshigh wrote:

Does it make any tactical sense to put the Aim 9x missile in the weapons bay if you have to sacrifice room for a Aim 120, or does it fit in addition to the two pr. side bay? (current air to air configuration as I understand it) Otherwise, are there any news on the missile capacity front in the F-35?

AIM-9 missiles have always been rail-launched, this one included. I've read somewhere that they're designing a new mechanism to launch these in the same manner as the AIM-120. Otherwise the only way for an F-35 to mount and launch AIM-9x's is externally.

If and when this happens, it's likely that F-35's will only mount one AIM-9x for every five AIM-120's it carries internally.

count_to_10 wrote:

Well, that makes sense. If it's to train the ground crew, it has to look like the real thing close up, instead of just having the aerodynamic properties of the real thing.

Its not to train ground crew. Its to train everyone, simulating the actual checks required of a live missile. From the weaps folks all the way to the pilot.

Forum: F-35 Armament, Stores and Tactics

Raytheon upgrade AIM-9X air-to-air missile extend its range