CHAPTER 8 - TARGETS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT

Aerial targets and associated equipment are used in gunnery, rocketry, and for missile practice by ships and shore installations. They are also used in air-to-air firing exercises. Firing at targets that simulate moving aircraft improves the battle efficiency of the Navy and provides useful information for evaluating armament control/weapons systems under development for operational use by the fleet.

Target systems are divided into three categories: aerial targets, land targets, and tow target systems. Table 8-1 depicts a matrix of targets by category and type. In the following paragraphs we will discuss aerial targets and tow target systems.

Tow target systems are divided into two subsystems: aerial tow reeling machine and launchers and aerial tow. Both systems are discussed in the following text.

TOWED TARGETS, SYSTEMS, AND EQUIPMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify towing systems and associated equipment to include external gunnery tow systems, tow target reeling machine-launcher systems, and tow cables and associated equipment. Describe the operating theory of the external gunnery tow system.

There are two basic classes of tow targets-textile and rigid tow targets. Textile tow targets are flexible targets woven from a synthetic fiber, such as nylon.

Rigid tow targets are made of a rigid material, such as fiber glass. They are shaped and constructed to prevent drag and withstand severe air loads when towed at high speeds. This type of target is normally fin stabilized. All rigid targets provide an auxiliary aid for the radar fire control system in the attacking aircraft.

Table 8-1.-Target Categories and Types

TEXTILE TOW TARGETS

The TDU-32A/B and TDU-32B/B aerial banner tow targets (fig. 8-1) are effective low-cost devices for air-to-air and surface-to-air gunnery training. They are constructed of nylon fabric and are rectangular in shape. The TDU-32B/B is laser retroflective, while the TDU-32A/B is radar reflective.

The TDU-32A/B and TDU-32B/B banner tow targets have a weighted steel tow bar and bridle assembly attached to the rectangular fabric panel. There is a 60-foot safety nylon webbing bridle attached between the tow bar and tow cable. Both nonradar- and radar-reflective panels are 7 1/2 feet by 40 feet. For visual tracking, the panels have a 12-inch orange border and a 48-inch orange bull's eye centered on the white portion

The targets, attached approximately 1,800 feet behind the tow aircraft, are launched from the runway by standard drag takeoff procedures. Target recovery is accomplished by dropping the target in a recovery area following the mission.

RIGID TOW TARGET

A rigid target is specially designed to simulate high-speed aircraft in speed and maneuverability. It can be towed by jet aircraft at speeds within the attacking ^{range of jet fighters.} The target is aerodynamically designed to reduce drag and limit the performance of the tow plane as little as possible. A rigid target can be used for air-to-air and surface-to-air gunnery and guided missile training.

The TDU-34/A aerial tow target (fig. 8-2) is a training device that will replace other tow targets now in use, with the exception of the banner targets discussed in this chapter. Its primary purpose is for air-to-air and surface-to-air missile and gunnery training.

The TDU-34/A is a passive radar target. It can be adapted to carry other payloads internally. It consists of a reinforced aluminum tube body, four aluminum fins, a steel towline adapter, and radar-reflective nose and tail sections. The nose is a thin, fiber glass shell with four aluminum corner reflectors and a lead ballast weight bonded inside. The tail section is a short ABS plastic tube with a single aluminum comer reflector riveted inside. The dimensions and weight of the target are shown in figure 8-2.

The TDU-34/A can be towed by any aircraft capable of using the A/A47U-3 or A/A47U-4 reeling machine-launcher systems.

Figure 8-1.-Characteristics of the TDU-32A/B and TDU-32B/B aerial banner tow target. 8-2

Figure 8-2.-Characteristics of the TDU-34/A aerial tow target.

A/A47U-3A AND A/A47U-4 TOW TARGET REELING MACHINE-LAUNCHER SYSTEMS

The A/A47U-3A tow target reeling machine launcher system (fig. 8-3) is an airborne weapons training system. It is used to tow aerial targets for gunnery and aircraft missile firing exercises. The system is a semiautomatic tow-reel and target-launching mechanism externally mounted on the aircraft.

Figure 8-3.-A/A47U-3A tow target reeling machine-launcher system.

The A/A47U-3A system consists of an RMK-19 A/A47U-3 reeling machine launcher, a PEK-84/A47U-3 reeling machine-launcher control, and the applicable interconnection cable assemblies. The system uses saddle-mounted aerial targets from 7 to 12.5 inches in diameter that weigh up to 225 pounds. Target towlines, which have constant diameters or stepped diameters with combinations of monofilament and/or stranded wire, are used. The system operates with various towline splices, ranging in diameter up to 0.250 inch and with flexible lengths up to 106 inches. Typical towlines consist of 10,000 feet of 0.190-inch diameter 3 by 7 stranded steel cable (5,400-pound tensile strength) or 42,000 feet of 0.097-inch diameter 1 by 7 stranded steel cable (2,060-pound tensile strength). The reeling machine-launcher system has a nominal reeling speed capability of 3,500 feet of towline per minute. Adjusting the power unit blade angle limitations increases the speed to a maximum of 5,000 feet per minute.

The system is manually controlled by the operator, and it provides launcher up/down, brake on/off, and reel in/out functions. You can control target reeling and recovery speeds by manually adjusting the power unit blade angle. Operation of the system is controlled from the PEK, which is located in the cockpit of the launching aircraft.

The A/A47U-4 tow target reeling machine-launcher system is identical to the A/A74U-3A except for weight and size. The lighter weight and smaller size design of

Figure 8-4.-Cross-sectional view of tow cables.

the A/A47U-4 was developed to adapt this towing system to a variety of aircraft.

If you want more information on the A/A47U-3A tow target reeling machine-launcher system, refer to

Tow Target Reeling Machine-launcher System A/A47U-3A, NAVAIR 28-10A-16.