KSingh wrote:Your AUW definition is correct at the bottom but I think you’ve misused it in red.
What we are trying to figure out are payload figures based on pictures I guess. So he largely agrees with what we’ve seen in Boeing’s own promo and the spotter snap, basically the summation of these 2 tweets:
https://twitter.com/ksingh_1469/status/ ... lYJJEfT5PA
Rafale work 4.3T in external stores, SH with 1.4T. No idea where the 1.8T additional figure came from as the SH in this configuration isn’t using drop tanks.
The Rafale M during SBTF test reportedly carried 1.2T of weapon payload & add. 3.2T of drop tanks. While F/A-18 NH411 in the U.S was tested with 1.4T of weapon payload and appx 1.8T of add. fuel. But here it didn't carry any drop tank though had same weapon payload.
Pictures were always going to be assumptions, as we don't know the specifics. When I calculated the AUW, I am referring to the internal fuel being carried + external stores (weapons + drop tanks). Am I incorrect in that calculation or am I misinterpreting the definition of AUW?
By way, another tweet (which you replied to in your twitter feed) mentions the same figures....
https://twitter.com/VinodDX9/status/155 ... ZM1_QbyuCQ ---> The Rafale M during SBTF test reportedly carried 1.2T of weapon payload & additional 3.2T of drop tanks. While F/A-18 NH411 was tested with 1.4T of weapon payload and approximately 1.8T of additional fuel. But here it didn't carry any drop tanks, though had the same weapon payload.
https://twitter.com/VinodDX9/status/155 ... ZM1_QbyuCQ ---> Yes, here it can be seen with two drop tanks, but in this picture it can't be concluded if was carrying a weapon payload of 1.4T or higher, so didn't mention.
*Focus was on spot with maximum payload.
*Is that really the max payload of the F-18SH from a ski jump?
KSingh wrote:All of this is a little redundant as we can’t possibly know internal fuel so can’t possibly calculate AUW, we can only guess they are full of fuel but that’s ambitious considering SBTF doesn’t generate the same headwind component as a carrier plus we all know the limitations of STOBAR. All we can estimate are external stores and so far we haven’t seen a picture/video of SH operating with anywhere near the same external stores as Rafale did from SBTF, in fact Rafale carried 3X as much externally based on the above 2 configurations
Again this was purely a snapshot and we can’t tell much from this as they ran an entire testing cycle trying out different external and internal capacities for sure.
But it is interesting that Boeing leaked(?) to the press that they took off from SBTF with 2xAsHM plus fuel but in their own PR they’ve only shown a relatively light payload meanwhile Rafale was spotted with a very reasonable and representative load out (AShM, AAM, drop tanks).
All valid points.
https://twitter.com/VinodDX9/status/155 ... ZM1_QbyuCQ ---> Rafale payload explained well, though that's not necessarily will be the
*final maximum payload.
*What? It can go even higher?
https://twitter.com/RafaleAddict/status ... ZM1_QbyuCQ ---> So in this configuration:
• 2 x 2,000L drop tanks = 3,200 kg
• 4 x MICA = 450 kg
• 1 x Exocet AM-39 = 670 kg
* Total Payload = 4,320 kg
• Rafale M empty weight = 10,200 kg
• 100% internal fuel = 4,700 kg
* Takeoff weight = 19,220 kg (
which is the sum of the empty weight + internal fuel + total payload).
]
Or is this something that can be done in house? So plug and play? We have a decent stock of Harpoon AShMs with the P-8I purchase.