veeneman@mot.com (Dan Veeneman) (11/20/90)
From: veeneman@mot.com (Dan Veeneman) > From: rocket!llee@uunet.UU.NET (Leonard Lee) > > I believe the Hellfire homes in on a laser spot projected by a forward > observer or the launching vehicle. By the way, I've seen an AH-64 with > 16 Hellfires mounted (no FFAR's or other ordnance except for the > cannon). I remember reading somewhere that the weight limit for > ordnance depends on the air temperature. The weight limit (generally referred to as "useful load") for anything carried by aircraft always depends on air temperature, among other things. Basically, the warmer the air the less dense it is, and therefore less able to support a given weight. Cold air is more dense, and gives the rotors (or wings, if airplane) more to "bite" into, generating more lift for the same power output. Also, air density decreases as altitude increases, thus (for example) hovering at sea level requires less power than hovering at an elevation of 5000 feet, given the same temperature. The Desert Shield helo ops should be interesting, as the heat will drive the pilots to use the upper end of the performance tables -- where the ships are not supposed to be able to carry a full load of fuel and ordnance. It was quite common in Vietnam for helicopters to fly in an overloaded condition, that is, the total weight of the loaded aircraft was more than the maximum allowable weight for the prevailing weather conditions. -- Dan veeneman@mot.com