Patriots on F-15s

tankee1981 SG

U.S. Tries Putting Patriots on F-15s
By KRIS OSBORN

U.S. fighter jets laden with Patriot missiles may one day help shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, Lockheed Martin officials said.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is working with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to put Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles under the wing of an F-15 fighter, said Mike Trotsky, the divisions vice president.
The firm is working under a contract from 2005 worth roughly $2 million. A new contract, expected to be worth about $3 million, will start work with other fighter planes.
Were looking at the F-16. F-22, F-35, F-15, said Trotsky.
Developers say the PAC-3, which is normally fired from ground launch tubes, could be fitted on fighter jets, whose speed and maneuverability can put them in a better position to fire upon incoming missiles. Trotsky outlined various threat scenarios under which a PAC-3 on an aircraft would be in a position to take the shot.
Another advantage, Lockheed officials say, is that PAC-3-equipped tactical aircraft could intercept an approaching threat in a much less expensive fashion than diverting Aegis ships or Patriot battalions for the mission.
The program, called Air-Launch Hit-to-Kill (ALHTK), is being developed for boost phase intercepts as well as for homeland defense against cruise missiles or tactical ballistic missiles.
A statement from Lockheed developers said the weight of the PAC-3 and any associated launch container will be well within the capabilities of the aircraft mentioned.
The planes sensors would feed fire-control data to the missile, developers said.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2458572&C=america

Wonder if our future F-15SG will be able to fire PAC-3 missiles? Very Happy

khaiseng SG

this begining to sound like the plane from Dale Brown's book Battle Born http://www.megafortress.com/12.htm where they test AIM-120 and other weapons for ABM purposes. and one step further, they put the planes on a profile similiar to SEAD, intercept the missiles during booster stage

beavan SG

the book is good. and it is an innovative idea.

Rockhound SG

actually the megafortress was written for the first time n one of his earlier books in 1987 therabouts...entitled 'The Flight of the Old Dog'....part of the DREAMLAND series..

it wasnt really recent...ppl were dreaming big a long time ago

Shotgun SG

Reminds me of the Iranian tomcats with carrying Hawks.

LazerLordz SG

The F-15C was configured to carry ASATs in the 80s. There was a trial done.

The ASAT missile was nearly 18 feet in length and weighed 2700 lbs, small enough to be carried on the centerline pylon of an F-15. It consisted of a Boeing Short-Range Attack Missile first-stage motor, a Ling-Temco-Vought Corporation (LTV) Altair III second-stage motor, and an LTV miniature homing vehicle.

The delivery aircraft would be launched into an area below the path of the oncoming target satellite. Pulling up into a steep climb, the F-15 would release its weapon into a small launch "window.'' If all went well, the homing vehicle would vector itself directly into the target's path and destroy it by smashing directly into it. At the extremely high closing speeds of the two objects, no explosives would be necessary.

Following the first captive-carry flight in 1982, test sorties continued systematically. The first ASAT launch from an F-15 took place early in 1984 and was directed merely to a predetermined point in space, as a test of the missile's propulsion system.

Maj. Doug Pearson's exacting Launch, at precisely 38,100 ft., 1.9gs, and .934 MachBy September 1985, all was finally ready for a test against an orbiting satellite. On Sept. 13, Maj. Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson, the director of the F-15 ASAT CTF, took off on a crucial mission that required him to fly an extraordinarily exacting profile in order to arrive at a precise firing location at exactly the right time. Flying at Mach 1.22 some 200 miles west of Vandenberg Air Force Base, he executed a 3.8g pull-up to a climb angle of 65 degrees.

The missile automatically launched itself at 38,100 ft. Minutes later, orbiting peacefully 345 miles above the Pacific Ocean, an obsolete satellite named P78-1 was suddenly shattered into pieces. Pearson had become the world's first pilot ever to shoot down a satellite. To this day, now Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson remains, as Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Lester Lyles recently observed, the first and only "space ace."

http://www.edwards.af.mil/moments/docs_html/85-09-13.html

LazerLordz SG

The F-15 is an amazing bird. Never shot down in combat, first fighter platform to be able to shoot down satellites, the only fighter platform that can accelerate continuously in a vertical climb.

duotiga83 SG

we doesnt even have a PAC-3 so dont bother thinking abt integrate it....btw even if we CAN whats the purpose? Rolling Eyes

khaiseng SG

yup, i had almost the entire series of his books, many of the ideas in the series are still highly applicable in a modern environment like UCAV capable of automonus attack and in flight refueling & rearming of UCAVs. Well, even the idea of virtural cockpit will be useful for countries like singapore.