More CUDA Info

[popcorn]

This missile is BAD..

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... le-382670/

Details emerge about Lockheed’s Cuda missile

More details are emerging about Lockheed Martin's prospective Cuda hit-to-kill missile system.

According to a company product card being distributed at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, the weapon is a medium range air-to-air missile with a multi-mode seeker.

"Cuda is a highly lethal interceptor that defeats targets by direct body-to-body impact," Lockheed says. "At impact, Cuda sweeps its mass directly through the target at a selected point of vulnerability."

The company claims the Cuda will be a low cost weapon that will support "360° coverage", expand beyond visual range engagement zones and improve within visual range no-escape zones. It will also have extremely high-g maneuverability, Lockheed claims.

The company says the weapon will be effective against enemy warplanes, unmanned aircraft and other air threats. The Lockheed product card seems to indicate that the weapon might have some air-to-surface and anti-ship applications in addition to its air combat role.

With a length of 70 inches (1.78m), fifth-generation fighters like the Lockheed F-22 Raptor or F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be able to potentially double or triple their air-to-air missile load-outs. That means, Lockheed claims, US and allied forces would be able to achieve air superiority "at a substantially lower cost per sortie."

F-22 pilots in particular have been asking for greater beyond visual range weapons capacity since the Raptor first entered operational testing about a decade ago.

[KamenRiderBlade]

I like the physical design of the missile, very simple and elegant

[maus92]

Hmm, small fins. TV?

[popcorn]

Hmm, small fins. TV?

Presumably via attitude control motors i.e. those round dots below the nose,section. The same arrangement employed on LM's PAC-3.

[gtx]

It will be interesting to see the performance specs, even the unclassified ones.

[uclass]

Awesome. Very important development for the F-35. Any word on range?

[aceshigh]

Awesome. Very important development for the F-35. Any word on range?

They already said it could reach beyond visual range. Somewhere between the AIM-9 and the AIM-120? It would be incredible if it could mach the AIM-120 but how realistic is that?, new propulsion technology?

Very exiting and promising indeed. Good for the F-35, more firepower while maintaing stealth

[popcorn]

Sgt. Mac did an analysis of CUDA and came to a conclusion that CUDA could very well approximate the range of AMRAAM. Just scroll down his blog till his 11Dec2012 entry.

http://elementsofpower.blogspot.com/

[count_to_10]

What I like most about this is the possibility that you could mix-and-match A2A and A2G weapons on the SDB quad racks.

[hobo]

Hmm, small fins. TV?

The small fins are to reduce drag. Like a Patriot PAC-3 CUDE uses solid fuel thrusters near the nose of the missile to execute high-G maneuvers.


[quote=uclass] Awesome. Very important development for the F-35. Any word on range? [/quote]

AMRAAM class...

[aceshigh]

Sgt. Mac did an analysis of CUDA and came to a conclusion that CUDA could very well approximate the range of AMRAAM. Just scroll down his blog till his 11Dec2012 entry.

http://elementsofpower.blogspot.com/

Great info, thanks!

[hobo]

With CUDA, loadout options are also greatly expanded.

The obvious loadouts would be 12 CUDA or 4 CUDA and 2 2000lb bombs.

You could also hypothetically go with 3 Meteor (2 in one bay, one on the air to air station in the other) and 4 CUDA. (7 total missiles)

... or you could go with 2 Meteor (air to air stations) and 8 CUDA. (10 total missiles)

Anyway, it is a big step forward.

[bigjku]

Awesome. Very important development for the F-35. Any word on range?

They already said it could reach beyond visual range. Somewhere between the AIM-9 and the AIM-120? It would be incredible if it could mach the AIM-120 but how realistic is that?, new propulsion technology?

Very exiting and promising indeed. Good for the F-35, more firepower while maintaing stealth

You could do it with a very fancy motor (ie some sort of high thrust, mutli-pulse rocket engine). Use the first pulse to kick the thing into a ballistic trajectory. Have another pulse to keep it at altitude and moving and then a final pulse to provide energy in the end game.

Of course if you have that kind of motor an AIM-120 being bigger could have even more range if you upgraded its back end. The question is how much range can you practically use and do you need to have to leverage the capabilities of the F-35 and F-22. By the look of most things both aircraft should be fairly safe at 50-60 miles out. So if CUDA is highly effective at that range then it will be more than good enough.

My guess is they won't go to the cost of building a fancy motor and trying to beat AIM-120 in terms of range. The goal will be the best NEZ they can get at a range of around 70 miles.

[uclass]

[popcorn]

I can't wait to see how APA reacts to CUDA.