Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!decwrl!shelby!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: gwh%typhoon.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Intelsat VI right thruster cluster)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Stealth missile HD-2
Summary: Some more info
Keywords: missile stealth
Message-ID: <1990Oct11.051354.743@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 11 Oct 90 05:13:54 GMT
References: <1990Oct2.234914.22975@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military-request@att.att.com
Organization: The OCF Gang: Making Tomorrows Mistakes Today
Lines: 46
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: gwh%typhoon.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Intelsat VI right thruster cluster)

In article <1990Oct2.234914.22975@cbnews.att.com> cga66@ihlpy.att.com (Patrick V Kauffold) writes:
>Development of the HD-2 is believed to be the reason the US withdrew
>from the ASRAAM program (to replace the AIM-9).  HD-2 may be a
>"black" program which exceeds the ASRAAM performance specs.

Simply untrue.  HD-2 is a technology development program, not a prototype
missile.  ASRAAM was cancelled because it was over 5 years behind schedule,
not oging anywhere, and someone pointed out that the Sidewinder could be made
to do everything ASRAAM was going to, for cheaper...

>higher radar energy from the target to detect the low cross-section 
>missile.

Umm...no.  Missiles in general are too small to pick up on radar.  It's
stealthy so the plane carrying it doesn't show up better with the missile
attached.

>HD-2 is "stealthy" due to combination of shape and use of radar-
>absorbent materials.  HD-2 has a flat underside, and is to be carried
>above, rather than below, the fuselage(?).  The flat underside provides
>some degree of lift.  Upper sides are flat, giving it a triangular
>...
>[mod.note:  Regardless of the orientation to the wing, the missile's
>underside faces the ground.  A flat underside would then fit flush
>against the upper side of a wing.  To fit flush beneath the wing,
>the *upper*side would have to be flat. - Bill ]

the 'above the fuselage' stuff is inaccurate...there were discussions 
about it that were abandoned due to seperation difficulties.

The missile is carried upside down.  It's not triangular, it's trapezoidal...
horizontal top and bottom and sloped sides. 

Aviation week had a longish article on it.  Basically, they're hoping to 
develop a new generation of technologies and equipment, and need a testbed.
The have dash is the testbed.

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