Code One, Volume 1, Number 3, Summer 1986 Page: 7
35 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Penguin missile, being
tested at Edwards AFB.
tant to many air forces as the AMRAAM. The Penguin is a
medium-range, anti-ship missile designed for over-water or
over-land launch, and for operation in a fjord-clutter back-
ground. Developed in Norway by Kongsberg, the
Penguin being evaluated for the F-16 by the Royal
Norwegian Air Force is an adaptation of the operational
ship-launched version currently installed on the frigates and
fast-attack aircraft of four navies. The missile is a "fire and
forget" weapon that uses inertial navigation for the flight to
the target and relies on passive infra-red homing for the final
attack. Before launch the seeker may be programmed to
overfly a given number of targets or to avoid distractions
such as fires on damaged ships and IR decoys. The missile
system software has been integrated with OCU-related air-
craft avionics, using the XFCC and XCIU for control and
operation. Targets may be acquired through the aircraft's
radar, or in a completely passive mode via the head-up
display. The missile is drop-launched from the aircraft and
will skim the water's surface, or climb for terrain clearance
when launched over land. With a range in excess of 40
kilometers, the Penguin provides a stand-off capability
against sea-borne targets. Beginning in 1987 the USAF, in
agreement with the Royal Norwegian Air Force, will con-
duct a weapon evaluation program utilizing the Penguin.
* MISSION DATA LOAD CAPABILITY - The data
transfer unit (DTU) developed under the MSIP Stage II
program will be incorporated into the OCU. The DTU is
comprised of a data transfer receptacle (installed in the aft
right-hand cockpit console) and the data transfer cartridge,
with which the pilot can load such information as steer-
points, targets, weapons inventory, weapon delivery profiles,
and bingo fuel. The cartridge greatly reduces aircraft setup
time, and can record fault maintenance data, thereby facili-
tating aircraft maintenance actions. The data transfer system
is fully compatible with the Royal Netherlands Air Force's
Mission Planning System (CAMPAL) - the first fully inte-
grated mission planning system in the F-16 program. It is
now in use in The Netherlands.
* INTEGRATED LOW-ALTITUDE WARNING SYS-
TEM (LAWS) - This system is comprised of three elements
(a barometrically based altitude penetration warning, a
radar altimeter, and a modification of the existing "ground
clobber" subsystem) integrated into a total system for
enhanced situational awareness.
Operation of the first element, sometimes referred to as
"line in the sky" (see Code One, Vol. 1, #2), depends on a
pilot-entered mean sea level (MSL) altitude in the FCC. If the
aircraft descends through the preset MSL altitude, "line in
the sky" gives the pilot three visual warnings and (in the
event that the pilot's attention is directed outside the cock-
pit) an aural warning.
The second element, a combined altitude radar altime-
ter (CARA), provides above-ground-level (AGL) warnings
to the pilot. This element operates during all mission phases,regardless of whether the pilot is engaging in air-to-air,
air-to-ground, or simply navigating from point A to B. The
CARA constantly measures AGL altitude and compares this
value to the one preset by the pilot. Again, when the aircraft
descends through the preset altitude, the system triggers
visual warnings; but instead of a simple, aural tone, the CARA
has a voice that says "warning, warning."
The third element involves a modified "ground
clobber" system. The previously assumed one second pilot
delay has been removed and the vertical velocity trigger has
been changed from a descent rate of 3000 feet per minute or
greater to any descent rate. The system operated according
to certain priorities: CARA altitude, radar ranging height
above target, and system altitude height above the selected
steerpoint. This system is predictive in nature, and its calcu-
lations include data on aircraft angle-of-attack, airspeed,
gross weight, dive angle, temperature, normal accelerations,
and bank angle. The warnings are activated when the FCC
receives a negative CARA altitude rate and it predicts that the
pilot must pull four g's within two seconds to avoid the
ground (by ten percent of the altitude lost during the pull-
up, plus 50 feet). Warnings are given earlier if aircraft bank
angle is greater than 45 degrees or if airspeed is insufficient
for the aircraft to pull four g. This system also includes visual
warnings and voice messages.
When a Voice Message Unit is installed by retrofit in
1987, the line-in-the-sky's tone will become the voice mes-
sage "altitude, altitude," the CARA's message will change
from "warning, warning" to "altitude, altitude," and the
ground clobber system will tell the pilot to "pull up, pull up."
. AIRCRAFT/RADAR SOFTWARE UPDATES - Modi-
fications will include a major software update to the APG-66
radar, XCIU, and XFCC. This software will contain Block 15S
capabilities as the baseline and will incorporate changes
required to support OCU systems (AMRAAM, ASRAAM,
Penguin, mission data load with DTU, and LAWS). Also
included will be modifications to interface with the new
computer hardware, and a rewrite of the XCIU operational
flight program that will improve efficiency and reduce total
memory requirements.
The XFCC and XCIU software will also incorporate data
to enhance the operational capability of existing weapons.
These changes include (1) an improved algorithm for
weapon separation effects; (2) updated separation-effects
data for CBU-58, MK-82 Snakeye, MK-20, BL-755, and MK-
82; and (3) delta bomb range corrections. Weapon-carriage
flexibility will be improved through the expansion of air
combat maneuvering instrumentation capability to all six
missile stations and the LAU-3 rocket launcher capability to
four air-to-ground store stations.
The OCU program is progressing on schedule. The
development program has met all major milestones, as
has the flight test program being conducted by the
Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif. A major
program milestone was achieved in early August when the
modification of two F-16A/B aircraft was completed. These
aircraft will be tested in an operational environment at Nellis
AFB, Nev.
The program's scope continues to increase. The EPAF
have incorporated OCU enhancements into their produc-
tion follow-on buy aircraft beginning in October 1987 and con-
tinuing into 1991. Additionally, USAF and EPAF planning
calls for OCU retrofit of their F-16A/B Block 10 aircraft. And
baseline capabilities, to the extent allowed by USG security
regulations, are now part of the common FMS F-16A/B
configuration. u
CODE ONE/7
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General Dynamics Corporation. Fort Worth Division. Code One, Volume 1, Number 3, Summer 1986, periodical, Summer 1986; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1103332/m1/9/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.