Military Avionics Systems

9Weapons Carriage and Guidance

9.1 Introduction

Thus far the technologies associated with the overall integration of the avionics system and all the associated sensor technology have been described. In this chapter, exemplar platforms will be described along with the weapons they carry. By this means the concept of the total integration of avionics system, sensors and weapons will be outlined so that the reader can gain and understanding of the entire weapons system. To set a historical context and to illustrate the breadth of typical weapons systems, the following systems are described:

• F-16 mid-life Update and subsequent developments;
• AH-64 C/D Longbow Apache;
• Eurofighter Typhoon;
• F-22 Raptor;
• Nimrod MR4;
• F-35, formerly the joint strike fighter (JSF).

Figure 9.1 shows a comparative timescale for these developments. There are some interesting observations that may be made:

1. The relative ease of modifying an existing platform, especially where there are a large number of aircraft manufactured – the F-16 (>4000) and AH-64 (>1000) are good examples. The huge investment in developing and purchasing aircraft in these numbers means that there is an inducement to modifying existing platforms instead of buying new airframes. There is a limit to this, as eventually the aircraft will run out of fatigue life and will have to be replaced.
2. The Typhoon and Raptor have both suffered from political factors. Both platforms are very capable aircraft that were conceived as air superiority ...