Weapons
Hydra 70 rockets
Unguided 2.75 inch rockets from 19-tube pods. The pylons elevate for range; you point the aircraft for azimuth.
Rocket types
| Type | Short code | Warhead | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| M151 HEDP | 6PD |
10 lb high-explosive, pre-fragmented | Light vehicles, personnel. |
| M255A1 FLEC | 6FL |
Over 1,000 flechettes | Personnel in the open. |
| M261 MPSM | 6MP |
Nine parachute-retarded submunitions | Personnel and light armour over an area. |
| M257 IL | 6IL |
Parachute flare, visible light | Lights up about a square kilometre for about 100 s, about 3.5 km out. |
| M278 IR IL | 6IR |
Parachute flare, infrared | As M257, but seen only through night vision and thermal sights. |
Pods and zones
Each pod holds 19 rockets in three zones, and each zone can be loaded with a different type:
| Zone | Rockets |
|---|---|
| A / C | 12 |
| B / D | 4 |
| E (centre) | 3 |
The pylon loadout sets which type is in which zone: see Rearm and refuel. The WPN page lists up to five types loaded, with the count of each, and shows the pods.
Firing
- Action the rockets with WAS Rockets2.
- On the WPN page, choose the type (
L1–L5) and the quantity per trigger pull (R1QTY: 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 or all). - Set a range. Actioning the rockets starts you on your last manual range, so enter one with MANRNG before you need it, or lase with the TADS. See Range.
- Look at the target with your sight. The pylons elevate to the solution for that range.
- Turn the aircraft to put the rocket steering cursor on your helmet reticle. The rockets only fly where the nose points; the pylons do not turn sideways.
- Pull the trigger. Rockets in a volley leave 0.09 s apart.
After a launch, the HAD counts down the time of flight to the last volley’s arrival as RTOF=nn.
The pylons move from 4° up to 15° down in the air, and only 5° down on the ground. Outside that the HAD shows PYLON LIMIT; in the air it is only a warning, on the ground it stops the launch. With utility hydraulics failed the pylons cannot move and the rockets are inhibited (PYLON ERROR). Rockets will not fire beyond 7.5 km, or below 0.5 G. See Weapon action switch.
The solution leads a moving target you are tracking with the radar.
Cooperative firing
When both crew stations action the rockets, with the CPG on the TADS and the pilot on the HMD, the rockets are fired cooperatively (COOP). The CPG aims with the TADS and lases; the pilot flies the aircraft onto the steering cursor using the CPG’s range.