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MW-1 Munition Dispenser



ORIGIN: (Real World)
Germany

GAMES FEATURED IN:
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies

COMPATIBLE AIRCRAFT
Tornado GR.1 / Tornado IDS

OVERVIEW:
MW-1 is Germany's munition dispenser equivalent to British JP233. This multi-purpose dispenser is used to laterally disperse cluster munitions. Luftwaffe Tornadoes use a conceptually similar to JP233, but different in detail, sub munition dispenser, the MBB-Diehl "MW-1" (where "MW" stands for "MehrzweckWaffe / Multipurpose Weapon"). This weapon looks something like a big bathtub strapped onto the belly of the Tornado, with sub munition launch tubes facing outward on each side of the tub.

The MW-1 actually consists of four sections joined together, each with 28 launch tubes on each side, for a total of 112 tubes on each side. The sub munitions are blasted out of the tubes by pyrotechnic charges, with the dispersal pattern determined by the size and firing order of the charges.

The MW-1 can carry combinations of different types of sub munitions:

* The 0.6 kilogram (1.3 pound) "KB44" anti-armor munition. This is a simple long cylinder, 44 millimeters (1.73 inches) in diameter, with a conical nose and containing a hollow charge. Six fins pop from the base and a standoff detonator pops out of the nose. The MW-1 can store 4,704 KB44 sub munitions.

* The 3.4 kilogram (7.5 pound) "MIFF" anti-armor mine. This munition looks like a can 13.2 centimeters (5.2 inches) with a set of spring-metal legs that spiral out around the base to set it upright. It is set off by pressure, or by the magnetic influence of a vehicle passing overhead. The MW-1 can carry 872 MIFFs.

* The "MUSA" and "MPUSA" munitions have a similar appearance to the MIFF sub munition and have the same diameter, but are slightly taller and heavier, weighing 4.2 kilograms (9.25 pounds). The MUSA is a fragmentation bomb that detonates as soon as it rights itself. The MPUSA is an area-denial weapon that is acoustically triggered by an aircraft taxiing over it. It also has a variable-length self-destruct time fuze. The MW-1 can carry up to 672 MUSA or MPUSA sub munitions.

* The 17 kilogram (37.5 pound) "STABO" runway-cratering sub munition. This is a long cylinder with a popout standoff detonator and a parachute retarder. STABO is a two-stage weapon, with a penetrating charge followed by a cratering charge. The MW-1 can carry up to 224 STABO sub munitions.

* The "ASW" shelter penetration submunition. This is similar in size and appearance to the STABO sub munition, and like the STABO uses a parachute and a two-stage charge, but also includes a rocket to allow it to drill through the earth on top of a shelter.

Payload configurations can be defined to fit specific missions. For example, 4,500 KB-44s can be carried by a single MW-1 dispenser to saturate an area covering about 180 x 500 meters (590 x 1,640 feet). The entire payload can be ejected in about 0.6 seconds. Head-on photographs of a Tornado spewing sub munitions its MW-1 are impressive and fearsome.

Initial deliveries of the MW-1 to the Luftwaffe began in 1984. The MW-1 was originally tested on Luftwaffe F-104G Starfighters and then F-4 Phantoms, but as with the JP-233, the Tornado is the only aircraft that carries it operationally.


Source
VectorSite.net

*Original Article by MenAce (Ribbon-Vermilion)