AIM-9 Sidewinder coolant bottles

• lionnoisy

  14 Aug 06, 09:31

  Defense Security Cooperation Agency,US
  NEWS RELEASE
  
  US may sell 12 AIM-9 Sidewinder coolant bottles, 105,000 20mm cartridges,etc for F 16 C/D
  

  Singapore – Pilot Training Program with Munitions, Services, and Support
  Washington, July 28, 2006 - The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Singapore of pilot training with munitions, services, and related support. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $301 million.
  
  The Government of Singapore has requested a possible sale of continuation of Continental United States (CONUS) pilot proficiency training program for PEACE CARVIN II and munitions, services and support for F-16C/D aircraft which includes: 12 AIM-9 Sidewinder coolant bottles, 105,000 20mm cartridges,aircraft modifications kits, maintenance, participation in joint training exercises, fuel and fueling services, supply support, flight training, spare/repair parts, support equipment, program support, publications, documentation, personnel training, training equipment, contractor technical and logistics personnel services and other related elements of program support. The estimated cost is $301 million.....

  2.This essay in Chinese sais the coolant is to cool the then navigation head.
  Any one can share more here?
  
• touchstone_2000

  14 Aug 06, 11:28

  IR sensors needs to be cooled to provide the best performance, eg discrimination between heat sources.
  
  Same as the Stinger manpads. Note for the Stinger, once you charge the seeker with coolant, the missile is a write off.
  
  The number of coolant bottles seems to be low. This is installed on the aircraft?
• Shotgun

  14 Aug 06, 13:42

  Yeah, the pilot can manually cool the seeker head of the sidewinder from the cockpit.
  
  IIRC, sometimes the seeker head maybe ineffective if it somehow gets warmed up for whatever reason. (Atmospheric? Not sure)
  
  
• Moonstriker

  15 Aug 06, 08:50

  Originally posted by Shotgun:

  Yeah, the pilot can manually cool the seeker head of the sidewinder from the cockpit.
  
  IIRC, sometimes the seeker head maybe ineffective if it somehow gets warmed up for whatever reason. (Atmospheric? Not sure)
  
  

  air friction when flying? or does it use the same chips or smthing as the Dell laptops?
• Shotgun

  15 Aug 06, 13:22

  Hmm, atmospheric heating or adiabatic heating or cooling could be a possible cause. I would think that this might happen if the aircraft descends from a higher-altitude (cooler) to a lower-altitude (warmer) environment? Or perhaps when the aircraft penetrates a warm-cloud?
  
  If air-friction is the cause, then I think the sidewinder would have very low-pk since it has to propel itself above mach-2 (which is a hell lot faster than its carrier's typical flight speed), causing exponential increase in friction.