ADVANCED ARMAMENT STUB WINGS FOR MARINE ATTACK HELICOPTERS

THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DESIGN A NEW ARMAMENT STUB-WING FOR AN IMPROVED USMC AH-1W ATTACK HELICOPTER WITH TWO ADDITIONAL WEAPON STATIONS, AND SIMPLIFIED CONTROL WIRING FOR MULTIPLE WEAPONS, WHILE MINIMIZING WEIGHT AND DRAG. THE USE OF UPPER WING WEAPON STATIONS FOR SIDEWINDER, SIDEARM, AND STINGER MISSILES WILL BE STUDIED. DESIGN OF ALTERNATE LANDING GEAR SYSTEMS WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED. THE DESIGN WILL CONSIDER THE IMPROVEMENTS PRESENTED AS AN AH-1W BLOCK UPGRADE, AND WILL BE FULLY INTEGRATED WITH THE CURRENT AIRCRAFT AND USMC OPERATIONS. THE STUB-WING STRUTURAL DESIGNS AND MATERIAL SELECTION WILL YIELD A LIGHTER, MORE SURVIVABLE, AND HIGHER STRENGTH WING. AUXILIARY CONTROLS IN THE WING WILL BE CONSIDERED TO ENHANCE AIR COMBAT MANEUVERING. THE PRODUCTS OF THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDE WEIGHT ESTIMATES, WIRING SCHEMATICS OF THE WEAPON CONTROL HARNESS, STRUCTURAL LAYOUT, MATERIAL SELECTIONS, VEHICLE PERFORMANCE, AND A WRITTEN REPORT OF THE DESIGN STUDY CONCLUSIONS.