From the earliest days of aviation where the pilot would dropsimple bombs by hand, to the highly agile, stealthy aircraft oftoday that can deliver smart ordnance with extreme accuracy,engineers have striven to develop the capability to deliver weaponsagainst targets reliably, safely and with precision.

Aircraft Systems Integration of Air-Launched Weaponsintroduces the various aspects of weapons integration, primarilyfrom the aircraft systems integration viewpoint, but also considerskey parts of the weapon and the desired interactions with theaircraft required for successful target engagement.

Key features:

• Addresses the broad range of subjects that relate directly tothe systems integration of air-launched weapons with aircraft, suchas the integration process, system andsubsystem architectures, the essential contribution that open,international standards have on improving interoperability andreducing integration costs and timescales
• Describes the recent history of how industry and bodies such asNATO have driven the need for greater interoperability betweenweapons and aircraft and worked to reduce the costand timescales associated with the systems integration ofcomplex air-launched weapons with aircraft
• Explores future initiatives and technologies relating to thereduction of systems integration costs and timescales

The systems integration of air-launched weapons with aircraftrequires a multi-disciplinary set of engineeringcapabilities.  As a typical weapons integration life-cyclespans several years, new engineers have to learn the skillsrequired by on-the-job training and working with experiencedweapons integrators.  Aircraft Systems Integration ofAir-Launched Weapons augments hands-on experience, therebyenabling the development of subject matter expertise more quicklyand in a broader context than would be achieved by working throughthe life-cycle on one specific project.  This book also servesas a useful revision source for experienced engineers in thefield.

About the Author