Forum: F-16 Armament & Stores

Now that we have beaten to death the whole Adversary Chin Pod thing, here's a question that shouldn't be as classified in nature.

On the small-mouth Vipers there is a three-hole hard point above where a Targeting/Litening Pod would go. I have asked several people and nobody can come up with a good answer on what that hardpoint was/could be used for. Confused

Ideas anyone?

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I'm wondering why to "waste" an hardpoint for a pod if you can put it on the intake.

It is on the intake, just above where the Targeting Pod goes on the right side.

To my knowledge its meant for a Pave Penny pod.Thats the same thing found on the A-10.

The mount is also found on block 10 air intakes and these have no hardpoints at all (except some modified MLU Vipers).

That's what my suspicions were, but I could never verify anything. I remember the block 10 in the museum at Hill not having the hardpoints (I used to voulenteer there part-time and take care of a couple birds).

If you look at the F/A-16 under versions on this site you can make out the pod--it states that it is a Pave Penny pod , but there are no good pictures of the pod on the aircraft. Anybody have any pictures of an F-16 with the Pave Penny pod, and did it go on the upper right hardpoint?

Check out this link: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/

Scroll down to Targeting pods and it is the first one listed AN/AAS-35. It says that is can be carried on the F-16. I am still working on a picture.

Also found this:

Block 15 aircraft represent the most numerous version of the more than 3,600 F-16s manufactured to date. The transition from Block 10 to Block 15 resulted in two hardpoints added to the chin of the inlet. The larger horizontal tails, which grew in area by about thirty percent are the most noticeable difference between Block 15 and previous F-16 versions.

O.T.

Jay Miller's book has a close-up pic of the Pave Penny mounted on the right side, it looks like one of the mount bolts is directly behind the right nav light housing. Sorry, I'm on the road and don't have a scanner handy - anyone who has the book (and a scanner) can check on p.71 of Miller's Aerofax book.

Forum Veteran Joined: Nov 07, 2003 - 09:12 PM Posts: 901

hey guys, I was running thru' the Isradecal F-16C/D reference. It states "The Pave Penny laser tracker and its special adapter. This adapter is identical to the one used by the USAF for the HTS operational with its Block 50/52 F-16s". In habu2's thread of Adversary/Aggressor Chin Pod Designation, you can clearly see the hardpoint mohody referred. The Isradecal has an excellent pictures of the adapter (cannon plug view). I compare the 3 mount points of the adapter against the hardpoint, and we have a match! Hence, I guess any Viper picture equipped with the HTS pod will answer our query. Wink

cheers,

Forum Veteran Joined: Nov 07, 2003 - 09:12 PM Posts: 901

ummm......after looking at some HTS pictures, it doesn't seem to be like what I have in mind. Am I looking at the wrong hardpoint or the block 50/52 Vipers just have their right hardpoint (non-TGP) shifted down? Confused

Active Duty aircraft don't use the pave penney. We do however use the HTS, its function shouldn't be disscussed in this form. It does mount on the right hard point. I does not however use the same mount points as the Targeting pod.

I don't think anyone is discussing the function of the HTS in this thread, although the acronym itself pretty much tells the story. The question is what mounts where - not what does what.

HTS = AN/ASQ-213

Forum Veteran Joined: Nov 07, 2003 - 09:12 PM Posts: 901

okay, I've made a walk thru' the walkaround on ARC. And I've realised not all Viper has the upper mount point.... Confused

.

Check out the 2 photos. Both from ARC.
Photo 1 without
Photo 2 with

Now I wonder how does the right hardpoint(s) of F/A-16 or the IAF F-16A/B that have employed the Pave Penny look like? Sad

What is the designation of that mount point or hardpoint by the way? 5B/5R too?

If you were to pan out from your pictures a little bit Pumpkin you would probably find that your first picture is of a Big Mouth and the second is of a Small Mouth. Doesn't Ft Wayne fly block 42s? All small mouth birds I have come accross have this 3-point hardpoint, while none of the big mouth birds I have come accross have it.

I think that we can agree that the hardpoint was probably used for the Pave Penn pod---which was never really actively used. The real question is, can anyone once and for all substantiate this with facts and pictures?

Forum: F-16 Armament & Stores

Right hardpoint on intake ?