General Trivia on the F-16
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G’day all! Got a couple questions for the more technically minded.
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what is the difference between the MRL and the MRLW option select buttons on the MFD?
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similarly, between the LNCH and LNCHW?
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These are AA missile launcher rack selections for the SMS inventory
MRL :LAU-129 Modular Rail Launcher
MRLW LAU-129 Modular Rail Launcher with track adapterAIM9 launchers
LNCH
LNCHW with track adapter -
Now see, I had actually extracted that information from the M2 OCU upgrade document about 5 minutes before posting the thread. I confess I was sort of hoping for some expository information about what difference the track adapter actually makes, and why the SMS needs to know. After a few hours browsing the web, I cant even find any documentation that describes the existence of a track adapter for those rails, let alone its purpose. LAU-129 or 16S210, dont both of them fit to the weapon they are intended to?
Does the selection of MRL over MRLW affect the weapon options shown? Does it change the calculated drag index for pull up calculations? Likewise, the LNCH/LNCHW?
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If a track adapter is installed , the HUD will display the SRM seekerhead position accurately at all times until launch occurs. If the AIM-9L/M or the AIM-9P with the special track adapter is the selected missile, the MMC receives signals from the missile that indicate where the seekerhead is looking and positions the diamond accordingly on the HUD. The MMC also adds compensation for wing twist.
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(Disregard!–I was wrong)…
(Yes, what Leech said about the track adapter)…
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The LNCH has a drag of 0, and LNCHW a drag of 6, so yes drag changes. Also the weights are different–72 lbs vs 98. Similar numbers for MRL/MRLW (heavier). I don’t think it affects any weapons options shown. AFAIK, LNCHW just indicates to the SMS that the launcher has the adapter and it’s on station 2, 3, 7, or 8 (whichever the pilot chooses). But I don’t know for sure…
Alright, I’ll run with that for now. Thanks, both of you.
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No, I was wrong. The LNCHW can also be loaded on 1, 9 as well. The W is to indicate the tracker adapter is installed… Leech got it right… The “adapter” i was talking about is the additional bit of pylon needed to attach it to 2, 3, 7, 8 (and extra weight/drag)…
Alright, I’ll run with that for now. Thanks, both of you.
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It sounds like either way, its not affecting the menu layouts between the track adapter being present or not. So that works.
Im curious now, are there pictures of what this adapter looks like? Are they just standard on modern jets the way LAU-129 is?
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Can anyone show me a picture of this track adapter? Or possibly documentation on it? I’m very curious about how it attaches, and why its not mentioned in documents about the 16S210 and LAU-129.