New Stealthy Lockeed UCAV

[Scott Ferrin]

This weeks AW&ST has an article on a new UCAV that Lockheed is working
on that would be launched from an F-22. It would have a range of a
thousand miles, landing gear etc. etc. It would weigh about 7500
pounds and each fighter would carry two. My question is this: The
published information I've seen lists the F-22's pylons as being rated
at 5000lbs so how would it carry a 7500lb munition? Would they just
severly restrict it's G loading when carrying it? Use some kind of
adapter that attaches to BOTH hardpoints on a wing and carry it in the
middle? Or would they beef up the wing?

[Chad Irby]

In article >,
Scott Ferrin > wrote:

> This weeks AW&ST has an article on a new UCAV that Lockheed is working
> on that would be launched from an F-22. It would have a range of a
> thousand miles, landing gear etc. etc. It would weigh about 7500
> pounds and each fighter would carry two. My question is this: The
> published information I've seen lists the F-22's pylons as being rated
> at 5000lbs so how would it carry a 7500lb munition? Would they just
> severly restrict it's G loading when carrying it? Use some kind of
> adapter that attaches to BOTH hardpoints on a wing and carry it in the
> middle? Or would they beef up the wing?

Are you sure it said "launched," and not "controlled from?"

If it really meant "launched," maybe they mistyped "750 pounds."

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

[Scott Ferrin]

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 03:14:39 GMT, Chad Irby > wrote:

>In article >,
> Scott Ferrin > wrote:
>
>> This weeks AW&ST has an article on a new UCAV that Lockheed is working
>> on that would be launched from an F-22. It would have a range of a
>> thousand miles, landing gear etc. etc. It would weigh about 7500
>> pounds and each fighter would carry two. My question is this: The
>> published information I've seen lists the F-22's pylons as being rated
>> at 5000lbs so how would it carry a 7500lb munition? Would they just
>> severly restrict it's G loading when carrying it? Use some kind of
>> adapter that attaches to BOTH hardpoints on a wing and carry it in the
>> middle? Or would they beef up the wing?
>
>Are you sure it said "launched," and not "controlled from?"
>
>If it really meant "launched," maybe they mistyped "750 pounds."



". . .The low-observable, 7,500-lb. unmanned aircraft will be
physically small enough that one can be carried under each wing.

The initial concept of operations is that a two-ship formation would
launch and control four UAVs. Since F/A-22s have only one crewman,
it's likely that one pilot would monitor the UAVs while the other
maintained situational awareness of threats on the airborne
battlefield. Nonetheless, the pilot workload is expected to be less
than that required for an AIM-120 air-to-air missile launch.

Minion is to have a range of up to 1,000 naut. mi. so it can fly back
to a forward operating base where it alights on its own retractable
landing gear.

Each UAV is to have a weapons bay large enough to carry four 220-lb.,
precision-guidance, small-diameter bombs. . ."

[Chad Irby]

In article >,
Scott Ferrin > wrote:

> ". . .The low-observable, 7,500-lb. unmanned aircraft will be
> physically small enough that one can be carried under each wing.

That's... interesting. Especially since the Minion is 3/4 the size of
the X-45.

That "use two pylons" idea from the first post is probably right, then.
Or maybe they're going to make a special rig to replace the pylons with
a single release point?

We definitely need pictures.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

[Scott Ferrin]

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 04:28:27 GMT, Chad Irby > wrote:

>In article >,
> Scott Ferrin > wrote:
>
>> ". . .The low-observable, 7,500-lb. unmanned aircraft will be
>> physically small enough that one can be carried under each wing.
>
>That's... interesting. Especially since the Minion is 3/4 the size of
>the X-45.
>
>That "use two pylons" idea from the first post is probably right, then.
>Or maybe they're going to make a special rig to replace the pylons with
>a single release point?
>
>We definitely need pictures.


It's wings fold like those on the JASSM. I'd think that if they
wanted to do it with no modifications they'd use a bracket that
attached to the two hardpoints on each wing and then attach the UCAV
to the center of that. Depending on clearances they could probably do
something similar on the F-35- barely.