F-16 question

[Lunatik]

In this photo why aren't the AIM-120s attached under the wings next to the Harms and AIM-9s at the wing tips? Doesn't it help to have the center of gravity as close to the mid section as possible?

With the current configuration I think when he fires one of those AMRAAMs the plane will become pretty unstable and temp to roll to the other wing with the other heavy wingtip.

Is there a tactical gain that I'm missing?

 

[Fox]

I guess it's all about balance. Once you're in the dogfight or anything, drop the tanks first. I think.

 

[Lunatik]

Yes Fox, that's what I meant; the problem here is balance. When you put your bigger missiles on the tips and fire one, the other end will be too heavy and the plane will tend to roll. F-16 isn't aerodynamically stable anyway and this kind of thing is offset by computer, but still, I fail to see why you'd put your AMRAAMS there and AIM-9s under the wing. I think AIM-120 and AIM-9s should switch places. Weigth should be kept closer to the center as to maximize flight stability for the entire aircraft.

Israelis seem to do it right.

Heavier items are closer to the center of the aircraft. As you move toward teh tips, your weapon load gets lighter.

 

[c/Commander]

This is pure conjecture, but could it have something to do with the relative engagement ranges of the AMRAAMs vs. the AIM-9Xs? The AMRAAMS are generally going to be the first weapons off the rails in an air-to-air engagement, with the Sidewinders held as reserve for close-in fighting should it become necessary. This keeps the weight closer towards the wing roots.

 

[A Can of Man]

c/Commander's probably close to the answer on this. Dunno, we seem to lack pilots in this forum.

 

[AFSteliga]

As a pilot, I guess I'll offer my input here.

Mounting the AIM-120s on the wingtip rails does seem odd (our CF-18's are loaded with the AIM-9s on the tip rails), but in reality, it won't affect the flight characteristics of the aircraft to such a degree that the pilot will have trouble maintaining straight and level flight, and if you're close enough that you've got to pull excessive G's, you'll have already launched your 120's

This is due to the Fly-By-Wire control systems in the aircraft. Gone are the days where the stick and rudder are attached by rods and wires to the control surfaces. Nowadays, pilots are assisted by computers in flight (pilot pushes stick left, computer tells plane to roll left, etc...). Computers also control the trim controls which allow an aircraft to maintain unassisted level flight, and are always self-adjusting to do so.

As far as tactical gains go...c/Commander has a good idea. The 120 is a standoff weapon, so the pilot is most likely to use those at the maximum effective range in order to minimize risk to themselves. That'll keep the COB (Center of Balance) closer to the longitudinal axis so when one of the 9's is launched, it won't offset the aircraft at a critical time.

...or we could all be completely off, and some ground crew screwed up on weapons loadout.

 

[Lunatik]

Thanks for the input Steliga. With today's advanced fly-by-wire features, I'm now guessing it really doesn't matter that much anyway. As it's been pointed out, 120s would have been launched far before close range high-G dogfight maneuvers.

Beauty.