Super Hornet Block II - IRST mounted in a fuel tank

[[email protected]]

According to the following link from Boeing, in future Super Hornet is
gonna receive an Infra-Red Search and Track device to be built in a
standard 480 US Gallon fuel tank. The idea of the device looks very
interesting:

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q3/070702a_nr.html

The sensor-fusion in combat jets nowadays becomes impressing - with
separate helmet-mounted sights for each crew member and multi-sensor
detection they really keep up with what was seen before only in attack
helicopters...

Best regards,
Jacek

[David Powell]

they are using the tank for testing.....please read again and below
Boeing will conduct a prototype flight demonstration in the first quarter of 2008, using a modified 480-gallon centerline fuel tank to house the IRST system. The modified fuel tank provides a cost effective, software-only integration approach, requiring no structural or wiring changes to the aircraft. This supports potential integration of IRST on existing and future F/A-18E/F/G aircraft.

> wrote in message oups.com...
> According to the following link from Boeing, in future Super Hornet is
> gonna receive an Infra-Red Search and Track device to be built in a
> standard 480 US Gallon fuel tank. The idea of the device looks very
> interesting:
>
> http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q3/070702a_nr.html
>
> The sensor-fusion in combat jets nowadays becomes impressing - with
> separate helmet-mounted sights for each crew member and multi-sensor
> detection they really keep up with what was seen before only in attack
> helicopters...
>
> Best regards,
> Jacek
>

[Henry J Cobb]

wrote:
> According to the following link from Boeing, in future Super Hornet is
> gonna receive an Infra-Red Search and Track device to be built in a
> standard 480 US Gallon fuel tank. The idea of the device looks very
> interesting:
>
> http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q3/070702a_nr.html

Don't you mean a sub-standard 350 gallon fuel tank?

-HJC

[[email protected]]

Yeah, they wrote: "Boeing will conduct a PROTOTYPE flight
demonstration in the first quarter of 2008, using a modified 480-
gallon centerline fuel tank to house the IRST system."

So I assume they use the bigger, F/A-18E/F tank for tests (not a 330-
gallon tank used on F/A-18A...D - sorry, but I neither have any idea
about the 350-gallon one, nor it is mentioned in the text).

But also - later on: "The PRODUCTION system will contain more than 330
gallons of fuel in addition to providing the IRST capability."

That makes me think the idea is a bit similar to ARS ("buddy refueling
store"), with a device placed inside a tank, and empty space filled
with fuel cells.