Can smaller AIM-9s be carried in the under-fusalage recessed bays, or any other missiles?
No. Those recessed stations were designed to accommodate AMRAAM and Meteor missiles. However, other stations could be wired to carry A/A missiles if the need was there. A double launch rail was fitted to a Spanish Typhoon for extra IRS-T missiles but nothing else has come of it.
Its possible that Faith and Hope have the gun loaded and therefor will only have 2 AMRAAM loaded to Stns 9 and 12 (Not visible).
Initially, during Operation Ellamy RAF Typhoons carried a full load of A/A missiles (Six in total, and eight when they weren’t operating with A/G munitions) with their four Paveway IIs, later on in the campaign that figure dropped to two A/A missiles, one ASRAAM and one AMRAAM, because the threat from the air had dropped to next to nothing, there for there was no need to carry the full amount in a Multi-Role configuration. It’s most certainly the same situation on The Falklands, the air threat from Argentina isn’t significant enough to carry a full A/A load as they do here in the UK. The Typhoon with the live AMRAAM probably has an ASRAAM on the other side. Typhoon stationed on the islands is very much a deterrent.
Sign In
