Dornier - Alpha Jet KWS

[fightingirish]

Over the weekend I got the copy of the German magazine Flug Revue, January 1987.
On the second page there was an advertisement for the Dornier - Alpha Jet KWS (Kampfwertsteigerung/engl.: combat efficiency improvement or mid-life update (MLU)).
Here some Info of the possible upgrade program:
-engine upgrade
-missiles launchers at the wingtips
-single piece forward canopy
-new MFD's and HUD's probably
-FLIR
-A/G radar
-chaff & flare dispenser
-radar warning receiver
-AGM-65 Maverick
-AIM-9 Sidewinder
-sub-munitions dispenser
-vertical weapon system (?)

Folks, can you confirm or complement my information?
Sources:

• Flug Revue, January 1987, Advertisement Dornier on page 2
• Flugzeugforum.de - KWS Alpha Jet

 

[Trident]

The vertical weapon system was a podded anti-tank weapon which fired projectiles downward as the carrier aircraft overflew the target, proposed for the Tornado IDS as well. Basically, a modern take on the Schräge Musik principle, applied to air to ground missions - I think the rectangular dispensers on your image actually show the system. The obvious flaw in the concept was the requirement of direct overflight over the target, of course - a suicidal proposition against contemporary tactical airdefences. Predictably, somebody realised the force of this argument eventually and the concept was binned.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, I don't have access to the FlugRevue issue where I recall reading about it...

 

[Jemiba]

May there have been parallels to the Lancier ?
Seems to have a greater span and the one-piece windshield ... ???

 

[Speedy]

Hi
(sorry for my English)

The vertical weapon system was a podded anti-tank weapon which fired projectiles downward as the carrier aircraft overflew the target, proposed for the Tornado IDS as well. Basically, a modern take on the Schräge Musik principle, applied to air to ground missions - I think the rectangular dispensers on your image actually show the system.

I think it's rather MSOW/SR-SOM/MoBiDiC - a more conventional cluster weapon, glide-type dispenser - than VEBAL. I remember some pictures of this "vertical weapon" (called VEBAL, VBW or Syndrom) - the early dispensers were more streamlined, with round or elliptical cross-section, the late model were rectangular but more flat than these on photo, and have many holes on upper surface for gas exhaust (the projectiles were rocket-propelled grenades). I try to find these pictures and write something about VBW later.

 

[Voltzz]

some stuff on SR-SOM/MoBiDiC

 

[H_K]

Sounds a little like a German equivalent to Thomson Brandt’s BM400 / CASCAD? (Close Air Support Cargo Dispenser)

This was a 390kg glide/rocket boosted dispenser with 3x 90kg modules for fragmentation charges/submunitions, 5-10km standoff range in toss bombing attack)

 

[Voltzz]

Some Dornier Post articles on SR-SOM and Alphajet KWS:
Do-Post_84-3
Do-Post_85-2
Do-Post_90-3

 

[boxkite]

Image from inside the archive. It appears to be the shorter version (SR SOM 1).

 

[stever_sl]

I spent a couple of years working for Stencel Aero Engineering in Asheville NC, where we made the ejection seats for the German (but not French) Alpha Jets, so it was nice to see this topic pop up in my notifications this morning. One of my first jobs there was to write the manual for maintaining the seats. I was fresh from several years at depot-level maintenance facilities for USN/USMC (mostly) aircraft, so this was a cinch. Stencel's seats were mainly going into Harriers, the German application was interesting though. I've kept that manual for nearly half a century now, so luckily I can share a few pages with everyone here. Model builders - I can provide much more detail if you want to super-detail your German Alpha Jet cockpits!