FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1960
1960 - 1059.PDF
..$••• FLIGHT, 15 July 1960 A/though essentially depicting an AA.20, this drawing serves equally well for the AS.20, since the most significant difference between the two is the only part which we are precluded by security from show- ing: the proximity fuze, not present in the AS missiles 0 W B £ £ R. Suscainer motor nozzle 2 Boost motor nozzles 3 Trace flare 4 Four vibrating spoilers 5 Solenoids controlling W 6 Quick-release connectors 7 Safety systems 8 Relay (guidance pack below) 9 Cordite-driven gyro 16 Steadying spigots 11 Boost motor charge 12 Sustainer/boost separator 13 Pyrotechnic ball relay valves 14 Star-centred sustainer charge 15 Sustainer motor tube 16 Body machined from light-alloy forging 17 Refractory motor case 18 High-explosive frag- mentation warhead 19 Power pack (Andyar batteries) 20 Wing anchorages 21 Bonded sandwich skin 22 Wooden core 23 Radio receiver aerial (opposite wings) 24 Symmetrical-section wings 25 Light-alloy ogive nose 26 Main pylon attach- ment lug 27 Production breaks in airframe 28 Electric ducts around motor case which became operational with No 1 GWDS at Valley at about thesame time. However, the French programme was pressed through in a more wholehearted manner—this is no reflection on Fairey,who did more than was asked of them, but on the policy of restricting the British weapon to a token "indoctrination" role—and there is no doubt that even today AA.20 can in many situations be most valuable. It is in wide service, it is cheap, many hundredsof pilots are trained to use it and it is extremely reliable. Nevertheless it can never escape from its basic shortcomings.Not only is the need to watch the target visually a grave handicap but the very act of flying both a fighter and a missile at the sametime is one which makes fairly severe demands on a single pilot— indeed it would be all but impossible were the AA.20 missile notso "smooth" in its response to control. In an effort to overcome these limitations Nord evolved the 5104 missile, with the servicedesignation of AA.25. Although very similar in appearance to the AA.20—apart from being slightly shorter—the improved missileis guided by a self-contained radar system. Details remain classified, but it is obvious that the parent aircraftmust carry a search and tracking lock-on radar which can then form a beam down which the missile can ride. Such an arrange-ment should have all-weather capability. Originally it is likely that the AA.25 system was tied in with the CSF Cyrano as part ofthe Mirage III weapon system, but the future of the programme appears uncertain. More recently, Northrop included the missile as part of the Rapiere weapon system3 which is based on the NorairN-156F equipped with Hughes Taran radar fire control. This radar contains major circuits from the MG-13 now in service withthe F-101B intercepter, and is said to be well matched to the Nord missile. For the future, however, Nord appear to be concentratingheavily upon air-to-surface applications. It is several years since it was first appreciated that the visual command guidance of theAA.20 could with advantage be employed against ground targets, and early flight trials confirmed all that had been hoped. Theresulting AS.20 (air-sol) is superficially identical to the air-to-air weapon, apart from the fact that the latter has a grey ring roundthe forebody denoting the presence of a proximity fuze. No such fuze is needed against surface targets, and a further advantage isthat, since the trajectory is always downwards, and in dense air, launch weight can be higher without penalty in flight perform-ance, and the extra weight and space have enabled the warhead to be increased in size. The standard charge is 731b, and contact-fragmentation, ground-proximity fragmentation and penetration high-explosive heads may be employed at will. Operation of the AS.20 is identical in principle to that of theAA.20, and to that of the American Bullpup which it so closely parallels. Bulk production was put in hand at the big missileplant at Bourges, near the centre of France, more than a year ago, and many thousands of AS.20s are now on order. It seems likely At far left is the AAIAS.20 equipment carried in the air- craft; in front of the launcher are (from left) range computer, control stick, aerial, transmitter (two packages), co-ordinating transformer gyro and co- ordinating transformer. The other picture shows the con- tainer (6171b empty), with lid compartments for power pack and fuze and support frame for the missile body and warhead
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
