Ordnance release

[forthbridge]

Peter's superb description of A/G target practice has got me onto another question..... ordnance release.... here we go...

What effects do Cannon/Rocket release have on the smaller jets like the Venom? Anything noticeable?

SAme question for droptanks and other ordnance? Presumably on release the aircraft goes through a config change, how severe is this, and to what extent would/does the release of ordnance effect fatigue? (For instance, if Aircraft A and B flew the same hours and mission profile with, say two 250lb bombs ubder the wings, and only aircraft A released them, would aircraft A suffer more wing fatigue due to changes in loading in flight? Or would it balance out?

[Chris Trott]

Well, on bombers such an effect is quite noticeable. It is as well on transports during air drops and LAPES extractions. One thing I've been told by an ex-B-52 pilot is that it was impossible to retrim the aircraft during a drop to compensate for the change in weight and CG. As such, the bombing computer was configured to account for this during the drop sequence by reducing the delay between releases as the bombs came off the racks. This is noticeable in film taken during Vietnam. The aircraft will gain as much as 1000 feet during release before the airplane can be re-trimmed to fly level.

C-130 and C-17 pilots also comment how difficult it is to keep the airplane at the proper level during LAPES extractions due to the large shift in CG and weight as the vehicle or pallet moves down the cargo bay and out the aircraft. There have been more than a few accidental tail ramp strikes and even a few nose wheel touches when the pilot over-corrected for the nose-up moment as the drop reached the rear of the aircraft.