Taurus cruise missile

[Daryl J.]

Could a pair be lofted by a second generation Harrier carrying fuel, gun pod, and a pair of IRIS-Ts?

I'm trying to think of uses for the ex-British GR.9 and putting them into the UN to help contol recent Asian tensions is a scenario under consideration.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

According to the data available at this link: Wikipedia - Taurus KEPD 350

Click on html or thumbnail image to view Wikipedia entry for this weapon.



The Taurus KEPD 350 is not a small weapon by any means.

Weight       1,400 kg
Length       5.1 m
Diameter       1.08 m

Based on this data I leave it to you to decide if you want to arm a Harrier with a pair of these things :)

[GTX_Admin]

If the Harrier II's payload capacity is supposedly just shy of 6000kg and the KEPD350 (photo below for those not familiar with it) is around 1400kg + the IRIS-T is around 87kg and the GAU-12 is around 120kg (not including ammunition) then you are getting to a load out (without fuel jugs) of around 3100+kg already.  Therefore could the Harrier II lift it?  Probably - though I would suspect that would definitely require a rolling takeoff.  It would certainly be a heavy load out.

I would probably be more concerned with the length of the KEPD-350 though.  At 5.1m long it may prove too large (length wise) for the Harrier II.

Maybe go with the smaller 4.5m-long, 1,060kg KEPD 150?

KEPD-350:

[elmayerle]

*sigh* Where's the AGM-137 TSSAM when you could use it?  'Twas an all-aspects stealthy conventionally-armed cruise missile with excellent sensor fits.  It wouldn't be that difficult to scratchbuild (let me know if you need more info that is readily available online).

[LemonJello]

I'll take any and all info on the AGM-137.  I have intentions of cobbling together some ALCMs and Tomahawk masters to cast, so I can add the TSSAM to the list as well.

[GTX_Admin]

I'll take any and all info on the AGM-137.  I have intentions of cobbling together some ALCMs and Tomahawk masters to cast, so I can add the TSSAM to the list as well.

What scale?

[LemonJello]

I'll take any and all info on the AGM-137.  I have intentions of cobbling together some ALCMs and Tomahawk masters to cast, so I can add the TSSAM to the list as well.

What scale?

Why, the one true scale...1/48, of course.

[GTX_Admin]

Good man!!!

If you are going to make multiple copies I will sign up for a few of each.

[Daryl J.]

Me too.    I can always invent some story to drop the unit cost later. 

Re: Taurus...I'd not thought of the length concerns with a Harrier.   I just saw the Swedish involvement and have some Swedish ideas for Harriers.   .   Maybe the Germans will need a very dark green Eurofighter sporting a pair of them.

[elmayerle]

Good man!!!

If you are going to make multiple copies I will sign up for a few of each.

Same here.  Though I wouldn't sneer if such were available in 1/72 also.

[scorchio]

At 5.1m long it may prove too large (length wise) for the Harrier II.

Pretty sure that the RAF had assessed Storm Shadow as being a feasible option for Harrier GR.9, and SCALP/Storm Shadow is also 5.1m in length.

However, I believe there were concerns with the bring-back weight when carrying Storm Shadow at sea (which was kind of the point of integrating it on Harrier), so the MoD revised down the requirement to just Tornado and Typhoon, and it never materialised after that - with the missile later being used as part of the justification for keeping Tornado instead of Harrier.

I imagine all that would largely hold true for KEPD 350 as well.