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To: BenLurkin
Why not put wings and a tail on the bomb and tow it to the target?

As a (no longer active) glider pilot, I have a lot of experience with aerial towing. Anything that you want to tow by aircraft that has its own wings and aerodynamic surfaces requires either a pilot on board (probably not a good idea in this scenario) or some type of autopilot to keep it under control.

To use sailplanes as an example, from the ground it might look like the glider pilot has nothing to do but fold his arms and let the towplane drag him around the sky, but that’s not accurate at all. The sailplane pilot is very busy constantly adjusting pitch and airspeed to make sure that slack doesn’t develop in the towline, as well as carefully determining when to begin a turn after the towplane does so, to prevent tracking outside or inside of the towplane’s turn and thereby initiating an aerial version of “crack the whip.” Flying the tow is the single most difficult thing a new sailplane pilot learns to do. And I haven’t even gone into how the two aircraft become airborne at different points in the takeoff run.

Unless some very advanced automation was developed, I don’t think it would be possible to just tow any large bomb.

87 posted on 06/18/2025 1:46:55 AM PDT by noiseman (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.)
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To: noiseman

No need for some crazy sail glider.monstrosity....

Israel has C130J the newest ones they can lift 44,000lbs...They could put one of these GPS guided monsters in the cargo bay on wheeled pallets attach a drag chute to the back end and fly it at FL300 over the target. Once inside the GPS glide angle cone they open the back ramp , pop that.chute and pitch up into a climb. MOP and plane part ways just like we did with a C5 Galaxy and a live Minuteman 80,000+LB ICBM which was then test fired into space from that drop so we know the technique works.


91 posted on 06/18/2025 2:50:17 AM PDT by GenXPolymath
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To: noiseman

This is how they drop it without a B2. It’s the exact same physics. You just let the bomb go from pallets it’s nose down already. The GPS.fins do all the work for you then. You just need to be inside the elliptical cone that the fins can steer the MOP to be on target and vertical.at impact.

C5 dropping and launching a live 80000+lb missile.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xr2_cKfr8Sk

I would be good hard money if we don’t use our B2 they do this exact thing with a C130J


92 posted on 06/18/2025 2:55:58 AM PDT by GenXPolymath
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To: noiseman

Interesting


98 posted on 06/18/2025 5:42:54 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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