aircraft as weapons platform

Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......

grasshopper wrote:

Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......


Think of the difference in speeds of the launch platforms.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:42:29 -0500, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:

grasshopper wrote:

Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......


Think of the difference in speeds of the launch platforms.




I don't see a problem here. Think about a modern ejection seat.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:40:02 -0500, grasshopper
wrote:

Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......

The AGM-78 Standard ARM was programmable by the Weasel Bear and could
be directed toward emitters in any quadrant. On launch it cleared the
aircraft forward then turned upward to apex at over 100,000 feet. In
about 90 seconds it would come back down and follow the programming to
the memorized location, re-acquiring the emitter in the process.

Almost got hit by one on the way down during one mission.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
www.thundertales.blogspot.com
www.thunderchief.org

In article ,
grasshopper wrote:
Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......

Wasn't this one of the concepts considered for the BAe SABA project in the
later 80s? I know there were several with dorsal or ventral gun turrets,
some with dorsal or ventral rotating hypervelocity missile mounts.
Vertical or fixed launch (exiting via the dorsal or ventral surface) could
well have been considered, though there might have been a penalty in time
from launch to impact...

--
Andy Breen ~ Not speaking on behalf of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)

grasshopper wrote:

I don't see a problem here.


Then you have poor vision.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:40:02 -0500, grasshopper
wrote:

Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......

No - the unstable firing orientation speaks against it.

Brian W

On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:15:43 -0500, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:

grasshopper wrote:

I don't see a problem here.


Then you have poor vision.




Lol. Perhaps so. :-)

grasshopper wrote:
Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......



I like the thought process, The execution needs work. A VLS needs a
space not filled by engines, fuel, or controls. Pehaps if you had a
Blended wing Or flying wing it would work? The easy solution is a small
stinger sized missle in the tail to protect the rear in a horizontial
fashion.

On Sep 11, 9:40*am, grasshopper wrote:
Has any military experimented with vertically launching missiles from
the back of an aircraft for 360 degree targets?

Think missile sub concept......

I'd think the problem with that would be the slipstream. If you're
having the missile come out of a tube vertically, the slipstream's
vector will be perpendicular to the velocity vector produced by the
missile's motor. That's going to push the missile's initial
trajectory sharply towards the aft end of the aircraft. Once the
missile gets enough of its own velocity it may not matter much, but
I'd worry about it being blown into the tail in the first few seconds
after launch.

As Mr. Rasimus points out, some missiles do go vertical after launch
to acquire a target or extend their range- he mentioned the Standard
ARM, and I think the AIM-54 Phoenix did it as well. Not really the
same thing, though.

-JTD