What kind of pod is it?

[[email protected]]

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1009.0;id=9987

A very nice photo, indeed, but could anyone point out what are the pods
attached to the outboard wing stations?

I would guess these are so-called "personal pods" used for ferry
flights, but as far as I remember they should be a bit larger (more
similar in size to an external fuel tank). It may also look like a
7-shot FFAR or 4-shot Zuni launchers, But the caps should be removed
for flight, shouldn't they?

Kind regards,

Jacek Zemlo

[Ralph Savelsberg]

They look very similar to the data link pod associated with the AGM-62
Walleye / AGM-84E SLAM, though I can't think of any reason to carry two
of those pods without any of the weapons. AFAIK the pods used for
luggage are 'fatter'.

Regards,
Ralph

wrote:

> http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1009.0;id=9987
>
> A very nice photo, indeed, but could anyone point out what are the pods
> attached to the outboard wing stations?
>
> I would guess these are so-called "personal pods" used for ferry
> flights, but as far as I remember they should be a bit larger (more
> similar in size to an external fuel tank). It may also look like a
> 7-shot FFAR or 4-shot Zuni launchers, But the caps should be removed
> for flight, shouldn't they?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Jacek Zemlo
>
>

[Mike Kanze]

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.

--
Mike Kanze

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

- Napoleon Bonaparte


> wrote in message
oups.com...
> http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1009.0;id=9987
>
> A very nice photo, indeed, but could anyone point out what are the pods
> attached to the outboard wing stations?
>
> I would guess these are so-called "personal pods" used for ferry
> flights, but as far as I remember they should be a bit larger (more
> similar in size to an external fuel tank). It may also look like a
> 7-shot FFAR or 4-shot Zuni launchers, But the caps should be removed
> for flight, shouldn't they?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Jacek Zemlo
>

[[email protected]]

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


Ralph Savelsberg wrote:
> They look very similar to the data link pod associated with the
AGM-62
> Walleye / AGM-84E SLAM, though I can't think of any reason to carry
two
> of those pods without any of the weapons. AFAIK the pods used for
> luggage are 'fatter'.
>
> Regards,
> Ralph
>
> wrote:
>
> >
http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1009.0;id=9987
> >
> > A very nice photo, indeed, but could anyone point out what are the
pods
> > attached to the outboard wing stations?
> >
> > I would guess these are so-called "personal pods" used for ferry
> > flights, but as far as I remember they should be a bit larger (more
> > similar in size to an external fuel tank). It may also look like a
> > 7-shot FFAR or 4-shot Zuni launchers, But the caps should be
removed
> > for flight, shouldn't they?
> >
> > Kind regards,
> >
> > Jacek Zemlo
> >
> >

[John Miller]

Mike Kanze wrote:
> 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.

....and when you bought a case, you'd get change back from a $5.00 bill.
Those *were* the days.
--
John Miller
In Dallas, at the time

[Tex Houston]

"John Miller" > wrote in message
...
> Mike Kanze wrote:
>> 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.
>
> ...and when you bought a case, you'd get change back from a $5.00 bill.
> Those *were* the days.
> --
> John Miller


Even in the early 60s Coors was distributed in sixteen Western States.

Tex

[Mike Kanze]

>Even in the early 60s Coors was distributed in sixteen Western States.

....But not in Mississippi, a place decidedly east of Colorado.

--
Mike Kanze

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

- Napoleon Bonaparte


"Tex Houston" > wrote in message
...
>
> "John Miller" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Mike Kanze wrote:
>>> 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.
>>
>> ...and when you bought a case, you'd get change back from a $5.00 bill.
>> Those *were* the days.
>> --
>> John Miller
>
>
> Even in the early 60s Coors was distributed in sixteen Western States.
>
> Tex
>

[Joe Delphi]

"Tex Houston" > wrote in message
...
>
> Even in the early 60s Coors was distributed in sixteen Western States.
>
> Tex
>
>

Not in Nebraska, although Nebraska is thought of more as a Mid-Western
state, than a Western state.

JD

[Joe Delphi]

"Ralph Savelsberg" > wrote in message
...
> They look very similar to the data link pod associated with the AGM-62
> Walleye / AGM-84E SLAM, though I can't think of any reason to carry two
> of those pods without any of the weapons. AFAIK the pods used for
> luggage are 'fatter'.
>
> Regards,
> Ralph
>

I think the nomenclature for that pod is AWW-7 Data Link pod. If it is
possible for this pod to control AGM-62s or AGM-84s that were launched by
other aircraft, then maybe that explains it.


JD

[[email protected]]

As far as I can remember it from a book about the "Flamboyant Markings
1965-1975" by Rene Francillon, the Coors beer was so popular, that its
trade mark became the official insignia for one of A-4 Skyhawk
squadrons.

Best regards,

Jacek


Joe Delphi wrote:
> "Tex Houston" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > Even in the early 60s Coors was distributed in sixteen Western
States.
> >
> > Tex
> >
> >
>
> Not in Nebraska, although Nebraska is thought of more as a
Mid-Western
> state, than a Western state.
>
> JD

[Ralph Savelsberg]

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

[Ralph Savelsberg]

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

[[email protected]]

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