AAM Basics & History
What does AAM stand for?
What is a Air to Air Missile
What is the main structural part of an AAM that provides its aerodynamic shape?
What is the Airframe / Missile Body
What happens when an AAM begins it's launch phase?
Hint: 3 steps
The missile separates from the aircraft pylon, the propulsion system fires, and guidance begins operating
What does Fox 2 refer to?
A classification for a missile equipped with an IR Infrared Seeker for guidance
Name one engineering field/discipline that air to air missiles use.
What is Aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance & control, sensors, or computer systems.
What is the main purpose of an Air-to-Air Missile?
A guided projectile launched from one aircraft to intercept another airborne target.
Which component provides the thrust needed for flight?
What is the Solid Rocket Motor
What are the four major phases of flight discussed in the lesson?
What is Launch, Initial Flight, Midcourse Flight, Terminal Phase
What type of energy does a Fox 2 seeker detect?
Why are solid rocket's useful for air to air missiles
What is solid rocket fuel doesn't have to carry it's own oxidizer separately?
During which decade did operational guided missiles begin appearing on fighter aircraft?
What is the 1950's
What component detects of tracks the target?
What is the Seeker
Why is efficient flight important during the midcourse phase?
Due to the missile having a limited amount of energy
In Fox 1 guidance, whose radar seeks the target?
What is the launching aircraft's radar?
What 3 recourses create major engineering tradeoffs in a missile design?
Mass, volume, and Energy
What major technological advances in the 1980s–2000s increased AAM capability?
What is Digital computers, IR Seekers, and Advanced Propulsion
Why must a missile's airframe be able to withstand high aerodynamic loads and rapid changes in direction?
In a situation of high maneuvering within close proximity or extreme aircraft angle of attack
During which phase do the missile's sensors play an increasingly important role in determining the target's position
What is Terminal Phase?
What is the key difference between Fox 1 and Fox 3 guidance?
What is using the launching aircrafts radar to track targets versus using the missile's own internal radar for guidance.
Why is an onboard computer useful for a missile?
It processes sensor information and helps the guidance and control system determine how the missile should fly
Fill in the blank:
AAM development evolved from shooting at where the target ___ toward using sensors and computers to guide a vehicle toward a ___ target.
"is" / "moving"
Other than controlled aerodynamic fins or control surfaces, what is another way some missiles can rapidly change direction while manuevering?
What is Thrust Vectoring
Why does a missile's propulsion system affect more than just it's speed
Allows energy to be expended for maneuvering or maintaining it's trajectory
What is the term used for a missile that uses external guidance (Fox 1's)
What is No Terminal Self Guidance
A designer wants more maneuverability, range, and electronics. What fundamental limitation creates a tradeoff between these features?
Limited mass, volume, and energy. Increasing one capability can require resources that could otherwise be used elsewhere in the system.