From: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V2 #63 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Tuesday, 26 January 1993 Volume 02 : Number 063 In this issue: RE: F-22 Sidewinder Firing Air Force commercial Sidewinders for F-22A Re: F-22 Fwd: News to be posted to sci.military See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the skunk-works or skunk-works-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dnadams@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dean Adams) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 02:26:41 MST Subject: RE: F-22 Sidewinder Firing gt6745b@prism.gatech.edu (Michael David Knight) writes: > I realized that Sidewinders aquire their targets with their own >seeker heads before launch, but I don't know what provisions will be made >for internal carriage. I haven't seen any evidence of an IR seeker on >the F-22, but I could be wrong. I haven't either, but for the AIM-9 it would need something. Either that or it would require the "trapeze" arrangement to allow the missile's seeker to lock-on before firing. >I can't see downloading info to the seeker head before launch. The >IR seeker on a Sidewinder is a pretty simple electronics package. Well, it has been upgraded many times... but i'm not aware of any such capability existing at the moment either. However, for a Sidewinder to be ejected in that fashion by operational F-22s something along those lines would seem to be required. I'm pretty sure the AMRAAM at least is a little better suited for internal carriage. kuryakin@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Rick Pavek) writes: >I'd doubt that all of the production systems would find their way >to a preproduction prototype, so if there is an internal IR sensor >it could merely be absent from the YF-22. Lots of a/c have them, >though. F-14, F-101B, etc. Even the YF-12A. Yea, it had TWO of 'em! The MiG-29 also happens to be equipped with an air-to-air IR sensor (and laser rangefinder). Maybe we will be taking cues from the Russians this time? :-> >I don't personally know where it would go, but it's obvious that since >the weapons are stored and fired from an internal configuration, there >must be an IR device on the a/c somewhere. That is certainly my impression at least... - -dean ------------------------------ From: tom@gordian.com (Tom Ambrose) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 10:01:56 PST Subject: Air Force commercial I can't remember who brought it up originally, but I saw the Air Force commercial with the SR-71. When it was first mentioned, it was seen on the ABC Sunday Night Movie's showing of Running Man. It was aired again last night during their showing of Heartbreak Ridge at approx. 11:04PM PST. The commercial showed shots of the SR-71 and CAD drawings of a hypersonic vehical. The CAP drawing was first show as wire-frame and then filled it in with a black skin. The dialog was recruiting for high-tech projects. - -tom ------------------------------ From: What's that thing on Hilary's head? 25-Jan-1993 1314 Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 13:35:07 EST Subject: Sidewinders for F-22A Regarding the discussion on the F-22/AIM-9 combination, the AF and Navy have begun development of the next generation of the Sidewinder, the AIM-9X. This version is intended for the F-22 and AX. It's supposed to have a non-circular body and different control surfaces, a new seeker, different fuze, an improved warhead, and a new motor. Other than that, though, it won't be any different :-) . Two of the objectives of the -9X are improved stealthiness and more efficient space utilization when stored internally. The ATF program did specify an IR search and track system, which was deleted, along with the thrust reversing nozzles, in order to save money in the development cycle. Development was restarted later, with an eye towards retrofitting the system during a mid-life upgrade. Now, with the new IOC pushed out to the turn of the century, I believe the IRST has been brought back into the baseline F-22A spec. It's a GE/Martin Marietta program (I guess that's redundant now.) On another subject, have folks been watching the Network Projects/Discovery Channel "X-Planes" series? There are some interesting film clips and the narration is passable. Does it bother anyone that Yeager was talked about rather than interviewed? Maybe it's a contractual thing, since everyone else still around, from Everest to Crossfield, appears in the show. Also, I thought it interesting that the Ulmer leather thing was more or less glossed over in the X-1 and X-2 episodes, even though Jay Miller's book, upon which the series is based, discusses the Ulmer leather problem in detail. George George Allegrezza "The fuel gauge shows how much fuel is Digital Equipment Corporation in the tank." Littleton MA USA -- 1993 Mazda RX-7 owner's manual allegrezza@tnpubs.enet.dec.com ------------------------------ From: gwh@lurnix.COM Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 11:02:09 -0800 Subject: Re: F-22 >Nice. But, the way Sidewinders are used on today's aircraft is that the >seeker acquires a target *before* it is launched. I guess the F-22 will >need to download targeting data into the missile before firing. It would >also require the aircraft to have its own IR seeker. The current ones can download target pointing information from the launching aircraft for lockons when the target isn't straight ahead. I would imagine that the F-22 simply gives the missile that information, then opens the door and waits until the missile gives tone (indicates it has the target) then fires it and retracts the arm. This could be done very quickly (0.5-1.0 second for the position download, lockon, and launch). - -george william herbert ------------------------------ From: Christopher Paul Diehl Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 10:08:11 -0500 (EST) Subject: Fwd: News to be posted to sci.military I found this interesting post on sci.military today. It has interesting tidbits about a Top Secret AF recon plane and other SAR projects. Thought you all would be interested... Chris - ---------- Forwarded message begins here ---------- From SYSTEM@batman.bmd.trw.com This article concerns recent discussion on SR-71 replacement aircraft. The paragraph related to this is possibly the one labeled (92-110). Stan Subject: DOD INSPECTOR GENERAL finds classified programs are poorly run. Posted: Tue, Aug 18, 1992 8:35 AM PDT Msg: ZPJC-5058-6064/20 To: aerospace.daily/TRW Subj: DOD INSPECTOR GENERAL finds classified programs are poorly run. Pentagon Inspector General finding classified programs poorly run Audits of highly classified programs by the Pentagon's Inspector General over the past two years indicate such programs don't get adequate oversight and in many cases are either redundant or unaffordable. IG reports on some 15 to 18 programs indicate that managers, unfettered by adequate congressional or internal Pentagon oversight, often ignore the Pentagon's acquisition rules and guidelines and persist with efforts that field users don't need or which are already obsolete. Though the audit reports-classified from "Secret" all the way to "Top Secret/Special Access Required" (SAR) aren't available to the public, synopses of their findings are included in a list of audit reports issued every other month by the Pentagon. The IG audited one classified program in 1990, seven in 1991 and five more in the eight months of 1992, with four in the past two months. A Pentagon official said the IG office has put more attention on classified programs in the past two years as a result of its own initiative, requests from Congress, requests from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and "hotline" allegations. Two of the audits-accounts of what went wrong with the canceled Air Force Short Range Attack Missile II and Tacit Rainbow anti-radiation drone-were released in "sanitized" form. The IG reported in those cases that the AF had gone ahead with full-scale development before setting requirements, and had circumvented the normal DOD oversight system (DAILY, Aug. 9, 1991; April 1, 1992). On only one audit-a followup on a highly classified Army program-did the IG find that improvements had been made since it previously was found to be inadequately managed. Among the reports, and the IG findings: -- "Navy Counter-Low Observables Programs" (92-117): The Navy went ahead with "an advanced radar technology" project in the absence of a stated requirement. "The demonstration used outdated technologies, has limited growth potential, and does not meet user requirements," the IG found. The information obtained was "of little use to the Navy," but its proponents are nevertheless pursuing a "follow-on project which intended users indicate is of no value to their programs." -- "Army Small Aerostat Surveillance System (SASS)" (92-114): Apparently used in monitoring airborne drug traffic, this program's "contribution...has been minimal." Its ability to add to the U.S. monitoring capability in the Caribbean is "limited", and it will be "redundant...when the Relocatable Over-the-Horizon Radar (ROTHR) and Caribbean Basin Radar Network (CBRN) become fully operational." -- "An Army Special Access Program" (92-111): This program was canceled during the audit, which found the Army was "not always" providing the Pentagon acquisition chief with "complete and supportable information" on which to make decisions. The service was restructuring the program, and "no longer developing an affordable system to meet the defined threat" when it was killed. -- "Top Secret Program" (92-110): This program, apparently an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft used in the Gulf War, was audited "to determine if (it) was responsive to contingency requirements" and to evaluate its management in peacetime. The IG found "improvements were needed in transitioning from peacetime operations and for approving peacetime reconnaissance flights." Also, the AF overstated its budget for "one aircraft type" by $14.4 million over the six-year budget plan ending in FY '97. -- "Island Sun" (92-075): The IG found in this Top Secret/SAR report that "the Joint Staff did not provide for measuring the system's progress and spent almost triple the amount originally planned through FY '92 to acquire and increase the capability of the system." Though funded with research, development, test and evaluation money, "the funds were used mostly for non-RDT&E purposes, which is a violation of the DOD Budget Guidance Manual." The manual "requires both procurement and O&M (operations and maintenance) funds for efforts such as Island Sun." The audit also "disclosed that Island Sun was omitted from the DOD Internal Management Control Program" and therefore never assessed for fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement. The IG couldn't provide the Secretary of Defense with "reasonable assurance...that adequate internal controls are in place." -- "Audit of Several Navy Special Access Programs" (91-084): The IG determined that the Navy never set appropriate cost estimates for research and production costs on two programs. Also, "there was strong evidence that the program costs had increased to a point where they met the dollar threshold necessary to be managed as major acquisition programs." -- "Army Submunition" (91-024): The IG found that the program office made "materiel changes" in the system without getting approval. The changes would cause it to "duplicate the mission of another special access program that has already been approved and funded." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stan Smith, Vax System Manager |ssmith@oz.bmd.trw.com (801) 625-8163 | TRW, Ogden Engineering Operations +-------------------------------------+ 1104 Country Hills Drive | Opinions expressed, do not belong. | Ogden, Utah 84403 | Defense, so we can have our Space. | +-------------------------------------+ If we couldn't laugh, then we'd all go insane. | Jimmy Bufffet (Changes in Latitudes) | +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V2 #63 ******************************** To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "listserv@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu". 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