U.S. EE Lightnings

[Hobbes]

You need to congratulate the fine folks at English Electric, for the Lightning really did use overwing drop tanks - no room for them under the wing.

No room? Would the landing gear be in the way, then?

[Oli]

People my age will remember the Mk.56 publicity shots (ground attack) with a pair of 1000 lb bombs under each wing and a single 1000 lb in place of the tanks. And I found that there was a proposal to replace the forward end of the belly tank with a weapons pack to carry a pair of Bullpups on pylons sticking out sideways. This is going to be used in my wargames campaign but with an air-air load of 10 AMRAAM and 6 ASRAAM - how's that for combat persistence?!
Oli

[Hobbes]

16 AAMs and fuel for five minutes' flight? How useful is that?



Cool idea, though. I've been playing with the idea myself (on a different aircraft)...

[nev]

Yeah, the versions we sold the Saudis & Kuwaitis could carry a bomb or rocket pod outboard of the gear under each wing.  They also could carry a pop-out rocket pod in the fwd fuselage (where all the missile guidance would normally go IIRC)

Meanwhile I found the piccie of that Saudi bird in desert camo, from "Desert Fist" by Ian Black (former Lightning & Tornado jockey)

[elmayerle]

People my age will remember the Mk.56 publicity shots (ground attack) with a pair of 1000 lb bombs under each wing and a single 1000 lb in place of the tanks. And I found that there was a proposal to replace the forward end of the belly tank with a weapons pack to carry a pair of Bullpups on pylons sticking out sideways. This is going to be used in my wargames campaign but with an air-air load of 10 AMRAAM and 6 ASRAAM - how's that for combat persistence?!
Oli

I've also seen similar publicity shots of dual Matra pods under each wing and the ovewing tanks each replaced by dual rocket pod/fuel tank units from Matra (the though of a "hangfire" makes me cringe a bit, but the risk of that could be mitigated by careful design).  The dual carriage adapters used for the overwing position look like they could carry other things than the pod/tank units.

[Captain Canada]

I dunno, the Lightning just doesn't look right in that sand camo....

Too bad I didn't have a digital camera back in the day when I built my CAF low-viz bird, same as a Hornet. It didn't look right either, so I repainted it in the same camo as RAF birds, only with CDN markings. I think i gave it to a freinds kid, to shut him up, and that's the last I saw of her !

 

[John Howling Mouse]

This is great, Tim!