Exint pod

Last updated

The exint pod was a design for a man-carrying, under-wing pod capable of being fitted to the underwing weapons pylons on military fast-jets and military helicopters. The concept was conceived by the former Acton, London based aircraft consultancy AVPRO U.K. Ltd as a method of inserting and extracting special forces operatives. According to Flight International magazine, in the late 1990s the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency test fitted a prototype pod to a BAe Sea Harrier at its Boscombe Down research facility. [1] The pod was also certified for use on Israeli AH-64 Apaches. [2] The Harrier has now been retired from RAF and Royal Navy Service. McDonnell Douglas also produced models of a GRIER (Ground Rescue Insertion Extraction Resupply) pod for the AV-8B. [3]

Problems have been cited with using weapons pylon mounted pods to ferry personnel on fast jets in particular. Excessive engine noise (in the case of the Harrier, due to proximity to the rotating jet nozzles of the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine), high g-forces during roll due to the distance of the pod from the aircraft's axis of roll, as well as the discomfort of travelling at fast-jet speeds have all been listed as limitations.[ citation needed ]

The concept of ferrying passengers in or on modified fixed and rotary wing combat aircraft has many historical precedents. During the Second World War, "body-bags" (fabric bags mounted on the upper inboard surfaces of Spitfire wings) were used to carry people. The Luftwaffe also experimented with people-carrying wing-mounted enclosures on the Stuka dive bomber and Bf 109 fighter. Modified versions of the P-38 Lightning were capable of carrying people in underwing, perspex fronted pods. Versions of the De Havilland Mosquito operated by BOAC were used to ferry passengers in modified capsules in the space that would have been the bomb bay; the most notable being Danish nuclear physicist Niels Bohr. [4]

Among more contemporary aircraft, it has been suggested that the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot is capable of carrying underwing pods to self-deploy, which can also carry a crew member if necessary. [5]

What appear to be US Marines have been photographed strapped to weapons bay doors on Marine Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters in Afghanistan. This extraction and insertion technique is understood to be one of several practised by Marine Cobra pilots. [6]

External Passenger Pods (EPS), comprising open framework, have been fitted to US Army MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, allowing up to six soldiers to be transported externally. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker Siddeley Harrier</span> British ground attack aircraft

The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is a British jet-powered attack aircraft designed and produced by the British aerospace company Hawker Siddeley. It was the first operational ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities and the only truly successful V/STOL design of that era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell AH-1 Cobra</span> Family of attack helicopters

The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attack aircraft</span> Tactical military aircraft that have a primary role of attacking targets on land or at sea

An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pressing the attack. This class of aircraft is designed mostly for close air support and naval air-to-surface missions, overlapping the tactical bomber mission. Designs dedicated to non-naval roles are often known as ground-attack aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V/STOL</span> Aircraft takeoff and landing class

A vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft is an airplane able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft are a subset of V/STOL craft that do not require runways at all. Generally, a V/STOL aircraft needs to be able to hover. Helicopters are not considered under the V/STOL classification as the classification is only used for aeroplanes, aircraft that achieve lift (force) in forward flight by planing the air, thereby achieving speed and fuel efficiency that is typically greater than the capability of helicopters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanchang Q-5</span> Chinese jet ground-attack aircraft

The Nanchang Q-5, also known as the A-5 in its export versions, is a 1960s-design Chinese-built single-seat, twin jet engine ground-attack aircraft based on the Shenyang J-6. The aircraft is primarily used for close air support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D</span> French nuclear and conventional strike aircraft

The Dassault Mirage 2000N is a variant of the Mirage 2000 designed for nuclear strike. It formed the core of the French air-based strategic nuclear deterrent. The Mirage 2000D is its conventional attack counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Aerospace Sea Harrier</span> British VTOL jet fighter aircraft

The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered service with the Royal Navy in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS1 and became informally known as the "Shar". Unusual in an era in which most naval and land-based air superiority fighters were large and supersonic, the principal role of the subsonic Sea Harrier was to provide air defence for Royal Navy task groups centred around the aircraft carriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-15</span> Soviet interceptor aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-15 is a twinjet supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union. It entered service in 1965 and remained one of the front-line designs into the 1990s. The Su-15 was designed to replace the Sukhoi Su-11 and Sukhoi Su-9, which were becoming obsolete as NATO introduced newer and more capable strategic bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Kenyas military

The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or Swahili: Jeshi la Wanahewa is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JP233</span> British submunition delivery system

The JP233, originally known as the Low-Altitude Airfield Attack System(LAAAS), is a British submunition delivery system. It consists of large dispenser pods carrying several hundred submunitions designed to attack runways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird</span> Attack helicopter used in United States special operations

The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor. The newest version, the MH-6M, is based on the MD 530F and has a single, six-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. helicopter armament subsystems</span>

The United States military has developed a number of Helicopter Armament Subsystems since the early 1960s. These systems are used for offensive and defensive purposes and make use of a wide variety of weapon types including, but not limited to machine guns, grenade launchers, autocannon, and rockets. Various systems are still in use, though many have become obsolete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardpoint</span> Location on an airframe designed to carry an external or internal load

A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points on the airframe of military aircraft that carry weapons, ordnances and support equipments, and also include hardpoints on the wings or fuselage of a military transport aircraft, commercial airliner or private jet where external turbofan jet engines are often mounted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne</span> Canceled US helicopter program

The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne is an attack helicopter developed by Lockheed for the United States Army. It rose from the Army's Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) program to field the service's first dedicated attack helicopter. Lockheed designed the Cheyenne using a four-blade rigid-rotor system and configured the aircraft as a compound helicopter with low-mounted wings and a tail-mounted thrusting propeller driven by a General Electric T64 turboshaft engine. The Cheyenne was to have a high-speed dash capability to provide armed escort for the Army's transport helicopters, such as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-30MKM</span> Malaysian version of the Su-30MK multirole combat aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-30MKM is a twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is a variant of the Su-30 series fighters, with many significant improvements over the original Su-30MK export version. The Su-30MKM was developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and is based on the Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force. Both aircraft have common airframe, thrust vectoring engines and a digital fly-by-wire system, however the MKM version differs from the MKI mainly in the composition of the onboard avionics. It can carry up to 8,000 kg (17,637 lb) payload over a 1,296 km un-refueled combat radius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System</span> American 2.75-inch precision guided rocket

The AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) is a design conversion of Hydra 70 unguided rockets with a laser guidance kit to turn them into precision-guided munitions (PGMs). APKWS is approximately one-third the cost and one-third the weight of the current inventory of laser-guided weapons, has a lower yield more suitable for avoiding collateral damage, and takes one quarter of the time for ordnance personnel to load and unload.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changhe Z-11</span> Chinese light utility helicopter

The Changhe Z-11 is a light utility helicopter developed by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC). According to the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation website, it is claimed to be the first indigenously-designed helicopter in China. However, it is largely based on the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armed helicopter</span> Military aircraft

An armed helicopter is a military helicopter equipped with aircraft ordnance. Most commonly, it is used for attacking targets on the ground. Such a helicopter could be either purposely designed for a ground-attack mission—in which case it would be more specifically categorized as an attack helicopter—or may have been previously designed for other uses, such as utility, air cargo, aerial reconnaissance, etc., with the weapons mounts being modifications, rather than part of the design of the helicopter. The purpose of the modification to an armed helicopter configuration can be field expediency during combat, the lack of military funding to develop or purchase attack helicopters, or the need to maintain the helicopter for missions that do not require the weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navalised aircraft</span>

A navalised aircraft is an aircraft that has been specifically designed for naval use, in some cases as a variant of a land-based design. An aircraft based on an aircraft carrier is called carrier-based aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi S-6</span> Type of aircraft

The Sukhoi S-6 was a design proposal for a two-seat tactical bomber which was developed in the Soviet Union. Roughly based on the Su-15U, further development eventually led to the Sukhoi T-6-1 and via the T-6-2 to the Sukhoi Su-24.

References

  1. "UK test fits Avpro Exint pod on Harrier". Flight Global website. Flight International. 23 September 1998. Retrieved 30 August 2011. (Archive copy)
  2. Unknown, Unknown. "Exint cleared for AH-64 as production starts". Flight Global website. Flight International. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  3. Oliver, David (23 June 2000). Warplanes of the Future. Salamander books. p. 163. ISBN   1-84065-085-0.
  4. Kennedy, P. J.; French, Anthony Philip (1985). Niels Bohr : a centenary volume. Cambridge, Mass. London: Harvard university press. pp. 280–281. ISBN   0674624157.
  5. Goebel, Greg. "The Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot"". Federation of American scientists website. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  6. Murphy, Jack. "My other ride is an AH-1 Cobra". Kit-up. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  7. Rangers - MH-6 Helicopter Fast-Rope Insertion, American Special Ops. (Retrieved 12 August 2023)