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A hardpoint is an attachment location on a
structural frame A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...
designed to transfer
force In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a ...
and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the
airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...
of
military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are ...
s that carry
weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
(e.g.
gun pod A gun pod is a detachable pod or pack containing machine guns, autocannons, revolver cannons, or rotary cannons and ancillaries, mounted externally on a vehicle such as a military aircraft which may or may not also have its own guns. Descriptio ...
s and rocket pods),
ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense * Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Uni ...
s (
bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
s and
missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket ...
s) and support equipments (e.g.
flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
s and
countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...
s,
targeting pod Targeting pods (TGP) are target designation tools used by attack aircraft for identifying targets and guiding precision-guided munition (PGM) such as laser-guided bombs to those targets. The first targeting pods were developed in conjunction with ...
s or drop tanks), and also include hardpoints (also known as pylons) on the
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
s or
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
of a
military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply ...
, commercial airliner or private jet where external
turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
s are often mounted.


Aircraft

In aeronautics, the term ''station'' is used to refer to a point of carriage on the frame of an aircraft. A station is usually rated to carry a certain amount of payload. It is a design number which already has taken the rated g-forces of the frame into account. Therefore, point loads on the structure from externally or internally mounted stores, engines, equipment, passengers, and payload are simply the weight of the item and any pylons, seats, mounting brackets, etc. multiplied by the maximum load factor which the aircraft will sustain when these items are carried. Chapter 7 In civilian aviation a station is usually used to carry an external engine or a fuel tank. As engines are usually a fixed installation, operators usually refer to them with the designation of the engine. Therefore, the term is mostly being used for load points meant for non-fixed installation. In the military, a station can also be called ''weapons station''. Unlike civilian aircraft, NATO aircraft frame strength is required to remain without detrimental deformations at 115 percent of the limit or specified loads, and without structural failure at ultimate loads.Airborne Stores, Suspension Equipment and Aircraft-store interface (carriage phase)
MIL-STD-8591, 12 December 2005
Most stations on a military aircraft serve to carry pods or weapons. A minor number of stations can also serve to carry external fuel tanks. These stations are called ''wet'', a general aeronautic term referring to usage of fuel like ''wet thrust''. The term ''wet'' is also carried over to the adapters, such as a pylon. Wing stations require pylons to carry objects. Stations on the fuselage may not necessarily require a pylon, such as the fuselage stations on the
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
, while other aircraft need pylons for certain stations in order to provide clearance for the landing gear retraction sequence (like in
F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experi ...
) or to provide necessary item space (like in Mikoyan MiG-27). While wing stations are usually of underwing design, some aircraft use hardpoints mounted on the top. For example,
SEPECAT Jaguar The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force. Originally ...
has had some versions fitted with overwing hardpoints for air-to-air missiles directly above the innermost wing pylons, instead of putting them on the wingtips. Swing-wing aircraft that mount pylons on the moving portion of the wing (such as the General Dynamics F-111 and the
Panavia Tornado The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (inte ...
) must include a mechanism for swiveling the pylon as the wing sweeps fore or aft, in order to keep the pylon and store facing directly forwards at all times. The F-111's outermost pair of hardpoints do not swivel, and can only be used while the wing is fully extended. This restricts the aircraft to subsonic flight only while these pylons are fitted, usually fitted with fuel tanks during ferry flights. The pylons are automatically jettisoned if the wing sweep moves past 26 degrees, which would mean that the aircraft is accelerating towards
transonic Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at a speed that generates regions of both subsonic and supersonic airflow around that object. The exact range of speeds depends on the object's critical Mach number, but transoni ...
speeds. Stations may be numbered for reference or not at all (
F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and ...
). The numbering is not necessarily consistent and may originate from elsewhere like station 559 on the B-52. There is not necessarily an order in which numbers are assigned. The order can be for example from left to right (
F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now pa ...
) or vice versa (
F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American Twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather Air combat manoeuvring#Tactics, tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States ...
), or mirrored and from outboard to inboard. The often unique centerline (CL) station is no exception.


Pylon

A pylon serves to connect the frame of an aircraft to an item or object that is being carried; hence, it is an adaptor."The Weapons File "
Air Armament Center
The use of a pylon is necessary to clear the carriage item of control surfaces as well as prevent undesired disturbance of the flow of air toward the wing. Pylons are usually designed to be aerodynamic to reduce air resistance (drag). There are many different forms, sizes and designs of pylons distinctly termed accordingly like a ''wedge adaptor'' or ''stub wing pylon''. Stealth aircraft like the F-22 or
F-35 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
can use jettisonable pylons to retain stealth and reduce drag. While most pylons are part of a modular system which is compatible with numerous stores, certain weapons and aircraft can require special pylons or adapters to carry a specific load. For example, in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the " Wild Weasel" defense suppression version of the F-105 Thunderchief, the F-105G, could carry the usual AGM-45 "Shrike" anti-radiation missile on a standard pylon and launcher, but the newly developed
AGM-78 Standard ARM The AGM-78 Standard ARM was an anti-radiation missile developed by General Dynamics, United States. It was built on the airframe of the RIM-66 Standard surface-to-air missile, resulting in a very large weapon with considerable range, allowing i ...
required a specially designed and unique "LAU-78/a" launcher which was unique to that missile.


Military

NATO suspension equipment (pylons and other means of carriage) and stores are standardized in MIL-STD-8591. A military pylon provides carriage, deployment, and the ability to jettison external ''stores'' – weapons, pods, fuel tanks or other
ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense * Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Uni ...
. Pylons have a modular bay to mount other adaptors and carry a wider variety of stores. These adaptors can be ''bomb racks'', ''launchers'' or other types of support structures each with their own provisions for mounting all other assemblies.


Racks

Racks carry, arm, and release stores. Racks are either part of, or can be inserted into, the modular bay of a support structure such as a pylon. A rack can mount a store or another piece of suspension equipment, for example, numerous bombs being mounted onto a single pylon, such as was done on F-105 Thunderchief missions over Vietnam, or the large external pylons on the B-52 Stratofortress, which can carry 12 unguided bombs in four triple ejector racks mounted to a single pylon. Alternatively, using the same pylon, but different racks and adapters, 9 air-launched cruise missiles can be carried. Using modular racks and universal adapters makes it much easier to configure the desired load. The store is mounted by locking the store's lugs with L-shaped suspension hooks in the rack. Depending on the mass of the store there can be a single lug or a number of lugs on the store separated by a certain distance. The distances are standardized. For NATO there is the 14-inch suspension for a lighter or 30-inch suspension for heavier stores. Depending on specific stores from 1000 lb upward 3 or 4 lugs can be used within the defined suspension range. For Russian stores there is the standard 110 mm suspension for helicopters or the 250 mm suspension.Jane's Russian Air Launched Weapons
/ref> To keep stores from rocking sideways as the aircraft maneuvers, sway braces are provided to steady the stores. Sway braces are bolted to the rack frame. These may be automatically or manually adjusted. A rack can release a store via gravity or by ejection. Ejection utilizes an impulse cartridge, a pyrotechnic device which provides jettison capability by igniting and supplying an ejection force to safely propel a store away from the rack and aircraft. Some racks contain an auxiliary cartridge in the event that the primary cartridges fail to fire. The rack will also have accessories such as a Zero Retention Force Arming Unit, a
solenoid upright=1.20, An illustration of a solenoid upright=1.20, Magnetic field created by a seven-loop solenoid (cross-sectional view) described using field lines A solenoid () is a type of electromagnet formed by a helix, helical coil of wire whose ...
to pull arming wires from fuzes, ports for data, video or electrical fuzing. The MIL-STD-1760 Aircraft/Store Electrical Interconnection System defines a standardized electrical interface between a military aircraft and its carriage stores. The term "rack" is also being used to refer to some support structures. In popular culture, "racks" usually refer to bomb racks or racks mounting bombs which covers everything from a support structure to its associated racks. A ''Multiple Ejector Rack'' (MER) usually refers to a support structure which enables the carriage of six stores. A ''Triple Ejector Rack'' (TER) refers to a support structure which enables the carriage of three stores.


Guided missile launchers

Guided missile launchers provide the mechanical and electrical means of suspending and air-launching a guided missile from an aircraft. The housing assembly is the main structural member of the launcher. It is an extruded, machined aluminum member that provides structural rigidity to the launcher and includes provisions for mounting all other assemblies. It also includes provisions for mounting the launcher to the aircraft. Some launchers (LAU-7/

have a nitrogen receiver assembly which stores the high-pressure nitrogen used to cool a missile's IR detector in the guidance system. All receivers contain a charging valve (for refilling), relief valve, and a pressure indicator mounted in the aft end of the cylinder. Power is applied to the missile guidance control system through the umbilical plug. An actuator-operated safety device prevents inadvertent firing of launcher cartridges. Missiles use ''hangers'' to mount to a rack which, in cross section, resemble either a T-bar called an internal ''T-shaped hanger'' or resemble a horseshoe called an external ''U-shaped shoe''. Ambiguously, hangers are also often referred to as lugs or hooks. The majority of launchers can also be referred to as ''rail launchers'' because of the use of external rail flanges, a guide for the missile suspension hangers during firing. Aircraft such as the
F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and ...
, the F-18, and the
Panavia Tornado ADV The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) was a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979, and it entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 19 ...
have semi-recessed fuselage stations to reduce drag. These stations have internally mounted launchers (LAU-116/A) that use ejection for launching. The rapidly expanding gases, created by impulse cartridges, actuate ejector pistons and release the missile from the launcher.Patent US 8353237
/ref> The missile is propelled to a safe distance before it ignites its rocket motor. Stealth aircraft such as the F-22 use extensible launchers that are pneumatically actuated and are either rail (LAU-141/

or ejector (LAU-142/

types. Stealth aircraft such as the
Chengdu J-20 The Chengdu J-20 (), also known as ''Mighty Dragon'' (), is a twinjet all-weather stealth fighter aircraft developed by China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-20 is designed as an air ...
use retractable launchers which moves out on rails allowing the weapons bay to be closed while still hanging outside.


Rotary launcher

A rotary launcher is a rotating suspension equipment mounted inside the bomb bay of a bomber. Rotary launchers have stations of their own and offer the ability to select certain stores within the bomb bay for release. The disadvantage of a rotary launcher is a slow release of stores. The rotary launcher of the B-1 for example requires 7 seconds until the next store is rotated into release position."The B-1B Bomber and Options for enhancements"
Congressional Budget Office, August, 1988


Bomb rack

In contrary, a conventional bomb rack of the B-52 would have mounted stores in vertical columns making individual store selection and release impossible without releasing all stores ahead in the column line. The advantage of a conventional bomb rack is a prompt release of all stores in short order. Bombers like the B-52, the B-1 or the
B-2 The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying w ...
use custom designed bomb rack support structures with their own designation e.g. Common Bomb Rack (CBR), Common Bomb Module (CBM), or Smart Bomb Rack Assembly (SBRA).


Store release control

Aside from the release options of a rack a pilot can select release mode for releasing one or multiple stores. Stores can be jettisoned selectively in single mode or ''ripple mode'' or ''salvo mode''. The term ''ripple'' applies to the single- or ripple and single- continuous release mode from one or from mirror stations. Salvo release mode applies to a combination of several stations together e.g. adjacent stations. For multiple store release an interval timer can be set to release stores in fixed time steps. For an external store emergency release there is for example a ''emergency jettison button'' in the
F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and ...
, a feature found on all naval aircraft in case an engine or catapult fails during launch; in such cases, a pilot can press the "panic button", and jettison all stores, reducing weight and hopefully allowing the aircraft to avoid hitting the sea, and to climb away to decide on further action. Land-based aircraft often have a similar feature, for similar reasons, although the situation is generally not quite as critical as a failure during a catapult launch.


Example station designation

The
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...
F/A-18A/B/C/D family has nine weapons stations: *1 & 9, at the wingtips, have a single rail launcher for an AIM-9 type store. *2, 3, 7, & 8, located under the left and right wings, have mounting points for SUU-63A or SUU-63A/A pylons. The pylons in turn support a BRU-32/A ejector rack, to which various stores or launchers are attached. These stations may have a bomb loaded directly upon them, or have a multiple-ejector rack with several stores, or various rail-type launchers for air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles: :A LAU-115 rail-type launcher for an
AIM-7 The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces a ...
br>
:A LAU-115 with two LAU-7 or LAU-127 launchers, one bolted to either side, for two AIM-9 or AIM-120sbr>
:A LAU-117 for an AGM-65 Maveric

:A LAU-118 for an AGM-88 HAR

*4 & 6, which are located on the sides of the fuselage, are LAU-116 ejector-type launchers for AIM-7 and AIM-120 missiles. Station 4 can also support a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) pod for detecting and marking targets. *5, which is on the centerline underneath the fuselage, mounts a smaller SUU-62/A pylon and a BRU-32 rack, and many of the same stores as the wing pylons. The exception is anything rocket-powered, to avoid endangering the nose landing gear. *3, 5, & 7, are 'wet' feed fuel to and from external fuel tanks.


See also

* Bomb bay * Aircraft Armament Equipment


References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Aircraft weapons