Miniaturised weapons for a a notional Next Generation Fighter of the 2020's

A NATO paper published in the late 1990’s put forward a case for miniaturised precision-guided munitions to be used by a notional Next Generation Fighter of the 2020’s.

However, as all of us know, the F-35A was still designed around the requirement to carry two bulky 2,000lb Mk84 bombs.

Below is part of that paper.

An important adjunct to the NGF would be miniaturised precision-guided munitions (PGMs), using high-accuracy terminal guidance and more effective warheads. The goal is to reduce the volume and weight compared with the current Mk82-84 500-2000 lb bomb family, thus allowing internal carriage in larger numbers. Weapons miniaturisation is a critical technology for future combat aircraft, it is discussed further in the next section.

(snip)

Modular/Conformal Airframe

Having a single aircraft family to perform the full range of tighter missions will require a modular airframe, able to incorporate several options and variations, such as:

– A single or two-seat design,
– A single-seat STOVL version,
– Conformal fuel packs,
– A carrier-borne version,
– Variable-geometry outer-wing panels,
– Internal weapons carriage, augmented by conformal weapon packs,
– For ESM and SEAD, versions using conformal packs.

The basic airframe, together with all possible combinations of conformal packs (for fuel, weapons, electronics, decoys, jammers, et cetera), should be designed for stealth, combined with aerodynamic and structural efficiency – a rewarding design challenge.

Weapon Miniaturisation

Accepting that internal weapons carriage is essential for stealth immediately leads to a high priority on weapons miniaturisation. The investment in miniaturising weapons may be more efficient than reducing weapons numbers, which requires more sorties for the same mission; and is more cost-effective than trying to increase airframe size, which raises cost. The weight of bombs in use today is the same as more than fifty years ago. Weight reduction should result from both advanced explosives and precision guidance. New munitions are being developed that can be as effective, with a smaller mass, as traditional explosives. Advances in sensors and guidance should be used to not only place the same amount of explosive close to the target, but to reduce the amount of explosive required. A balanced investment in weapons miniaturisation and high-volume, low-observable airframes could provide a stealthy weapons capability comparable to aircraft with external stores.