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From: pixar!good@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Craig Good)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: C-5 LAPES (was Re: C-17, F-14 vs FA-18)
Message-ID: <1991Mar25.064753.29063@amd.com>
Date: 25 Mar 91 06:47:53 GMT
References: <1991Mar18.132459.14027@cbnews.att.com> <1991Mar20.032310.29056@cbnews.att.com>
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From: pixar!good@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Craig Good)
In article <1991Mar20.032310.29056@cbnews.att.com> ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Allan Bourdius) writes:
:
:The C-5A/B has a rear cargo door but the aircraft is not equipped for
:any type of parachute drop, including LAPES.

A friend of mine saw footage of a C-5 experiment dating back to the mid-70's
or so.  I guess you could call it a HAPES, since it happened at high altitude.
A 'chute was kicked out the back door during cruise, and out came a missile.
If I recall correctly it was a Minuteman, but the point is that it was a big
ICBM which is normally land-based.  The rocket engine ignited during free-
fall, and away it went.  The launch was evidently a success, but the AF
decided for a number of no-doubt very good reasons not to try for a fleet
of flying submarines.

I don't know for sure what would be required to turn this into a LAPES
capability, but I suspect that having to handle wild CG shifts at low
airspeeds could be a significant problem.

--Craig

-- 
...{ucbvax,sun}!pixar!good
No legitimate government fears an armed citizenry.