Download Cargo Pod fact sheet (pdf)

APPLICATION

The Airspeed cargo pod offers a Military Off The Shelf (MOTS) solution for the carriage of pilot personal equipment and aircraft deployment items on military fast jets.

The Cargo Pod is from the same stable of Airspeed pods including the Low Drag Electronics Pod and Supersonic Camera Pod that have been successfully certified and operated on Boeing F/A-18 ‘Classic’ and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, General Dynamics F-111, BAE Systems Hawk and Pilatus PC-9.
 
 
 

WEIGHTS, DIMENSIONS, CARRIAGE LIMITS

The pod offers wide carriage limits up to M1.5 and 735 knots calibrated airspeed (KCAS) and has an all up weight of 160 pounds (72.6 kg) when loaded with its maximum payload of 80 lb (36.3 kg). Design load factors up to +12 ‘g’ Nz have been considered in accordance with MIL-A-8591H. The pod is 94.9 inches (2410 mm) in length with a diameter of 15.6 inches (396 mm).

 

INNOVATIVE DESIGN FEATURES

The cargo pods provide a safe means of carrying pilot personal equipment and aircraft deployment items in a military aircraft.

Individual stowage bags within the cargo pod each provide 35 lb (15.9 kg) of stowage whilst an additional compartment in the nosecone can be used for soft items such as chocks and canopy covers.
 
The advanced aerodynamic shape employs laminar flow technology and provides a generous internal volume with the aerodynamic drag of a much smaller store. Drag index information is available for a range of operating aircraft.
 
 
 

RAPID INTEGRATION PHILOSOPHY

The key to the rapid integration philosophy for the Cargo Pod is the highly refined aerodynamic profile employing natural laminar flow principles to ensure that the carriage of the airborne equipment pod does not generate shock waves or affect the aerodynamic streamlines at adjacent pylon stations or aircraft structure. This avoids expensive requalification flight testing when, for example, the airborne equipment pod is added to an existing aircraft configuration including external stores such as ordnance and fuel tanks.

 

PROVEN TECHNOLOGY

The Cargo Pod has been rigorously and formally qualified to MIL-STD-810F including the following environmental tests: Blowing Sand & Dust, Salt Fog, Blowing Rain, Vibration, Tropical Exposure and Temperature, Altitude and Humidity. Copies of the test reports are available upon request.

The Airspeed Cargo Pod offers a low-risk, rapid integration path for any military aircraft with the military standard 14″ pylons. Compatibility Data Packages (CDP’s), fulfilling the requirements of MIL-HDBK-1763 and addressing all pertinent certification areas have been prepared for a variety of pod configurations and aircraft types including Boeing F/A-18 ‘Classic’ and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, General Dynamics F-111, BAE Systems Hawk and Pilatus PC-9/A. The Airspeed pod has recently been certified for operational use on the RAAF’s new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft and the RAAF have deployed internationally with this capability.

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