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EXTENT OF COVERAGE
The equipment described in this section
is the auxiliary equipment used for the accomplishment of the drone mission.
This section does not include a description of the special tools and test
equipment required for the maintenance of the drone.
MOTOR-GENERATOR
The motor- generator is an auxiliary
power unit which supplies electrical power to the drone, prior to launching,
through the AFC set umbilical cable. The generator is similar to the one
installed on the drone and may be of the adjustable or nonadjustable type. The
auxiliary generator is driven by an electric motor and variable speed drive.
Generator speed is controlled by an external crank handle on the drive unit, and
is monitored by a meter calibrated in cycles per second.
Nominal output of the generator is as
follows:
115 volts, 400
cps, phase A, B, C.
22 volts, 400 cps, phase 1, 2, 3.
26 volts, 400 cps, phase A, phase A-90 degrees.
The motor -generator is started and
stopped by a local START-STOP control, which incorporates a circuit breaker.
LAUNCHER-RETRIEVER SYSTEM
During heavy weather
operations, the drone is transported between the hangar and the launching and
landing area by means of a launcher -retriever system. The system includes
restraint cables, restraint roller assemblies, handling wheels, towing cables
and bridles, and a towing winch. (See figure 1.) The restraint roller assemblies
are attached to the four corners of the drone landing gear and pinned in place.
The restraint cables (two per drone) pass through the restraint rollers. The
cables are secured to the after end of the flight deck by quick release hooks
and are stretched taut by tensioning devices in the hangar. The handling wheels
are installed at the midpoint of the skids, and the skids are jacked clear of
the deck. The towing bridles attach to the shafts of the restraint roller
assemblies, one forward and one aft. The towing cables pass from the winch in
the hangar, through sheaves on the deck, to the towing bridles. The electric
winch is provided with two drums, each one serving alternately to tow and snub
the drone, depending on whether the drone is being moved away from or toward the
hangar. The drums are controlled by levers: one lever clutches the towing drum
to the motor drive; the other lever serves to brake the snubbing drum. To tow
the drone in the opposite direction, the levers are moved in the opposite
direction, and the functions of the two drums are reversed.
When the drone
reaches the launching area, a tie down device with a remotely actuated
disconnect mechanism is rigged. The quick release hooks are tripped, and the
cables slacken. The towing bridles and restraint roller assemblies are removed,
and the restraint cables are looped back toward the hangar. The drone is turned
on the handling wheels to the required launching angle on the deck. The skids
are lowered to the deck, the tie down cables are tightened, and the handling
wheels are removed.
After the drone has
landed on the deck, the launcher - retriever system is re-rigged and the drone
is towed back into the hangar.
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1. Restraint cables
2. Handling wheel
3. Struts
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4. Towing bridles
5. Quick release pins
6. Skid
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7. Restraint roller assembly
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Figure 1: Restraint Rollers, Towing Bridle, and Handling Wheels Installed
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ORIENTATION LIGHTS
The drone is equipped
with orientation lights for night operations. These lights consist of an amber
light forward, bracket mounted to the engine compressor case, two green lights
mounted on the right-hand landing gear struts, two red lights mounted on the
left-hand struts, and a white light aft, attached to the flotation case assembly
mounting shelf.
When used, the lights
are turned on prior to launch and turned off following landing. No in-flight
control of the lights is provided. The switch is mounted on
a transformer located on the after side of the avionic panel. To turn the lights
on bright, move the switch lever fully forward; to turn the lights on dim, move
the switch lever fully aft. To turn the lights off, move the switch lever to its
center position.
ARMAMENT SYSTEM
The weapons are
suspended in Mark 8 Mod 4 bomb shackles. When two Mark 44 torpedoes are carried,
the bomb shackles are attached, side-by-side, to lugs on the transmission and
fuselage support casting. When one Mark 46 torpedo is carried, its shackle is
attached to the central lugs. The left-hand release solenoid cable is connected
to the shackle release solenoid in a center installation.
The
Mark 44 torpedoes are equipped with Mark 64 suspension bands and Mark 24 Mod 2
air stabilizers. The Mark 46 torpedo is equipped with Mark 78 Mod 0 suspension
bands and a Mark 31 Mod 0 air stabilizer. The air stabilizers are of the
parachute type. The function of the parachutes is to stabilize and retard the
torpedoes along their trajectories from the drone to water entry. As each weapon
is dropped, a static line tied to the airframe opens the parachute cover
allowing the parachute to open. When the torpedo hits the water, the
decelerating forces actuate a release mechanism which uncouples the parachute
from the torpedo.
The suspension bands
must be installed so that the center of gravity of the Mark 44 and Mark 46
torpedoes, with air stabilizers installed, is 2.7 ± 0.25 inches forward of the
mast centerline.
The weapon drop
envelopes for Mark 44 and Mark 46 torpedoes are shown in the “Performance
Data” section.
 WEAPON SKID
The weapon skid is government furnished equipment and is used to transport
weapons from the torpedo stowage house, adjoining the hangar, to the drone in
the hangar. The weapon skid is a four-wheeled dolly equipped with
handles, which have dead man brake grips. (See figure 2-left.) The weapon rests in
chocks and is secured with a quick release strap.
The skid is constrained on the deck by a
T-shaped track and follower arrangement, and by a radius arm, which permits the
skid to make the 180-degree turn between the torpedo stowage house and the
hangar. The track follower is capable of limited vertical travel to permit the
skid to be tilted with the front or rear wheels serving as a fulcrum.
The
weapon, with suspension bands installed, is loaded on the skid in the torpedo
stowage house and is transported to the drone in the hangar (figure 2, detail
A). When the torpedo is positioned under the drone, the forward end of the bomb
shackle is released from the drone and lowered. The handles of the skid are
raised and the shackle engaged with the suspension band lugs (detail B). The tie
down strap is released, the skid handles are pushed downward to raise the
forward end of the torpedo and shackle, and the shackle reattached to the drone
(detail C). The skid is removed and the suspension band release wires attached
to the sway braces (detail D).
A
section of the track entering the hangar can be moved to guide the weapon skid
into the left, center or right-hand weapon position.
CONTROL MONITOR
The
control monitor is installed at the deck control station and is used to start
the drone engine and monitor drone and AFC set operation prior to launching. All
signals between the control monitor and the drone pass through the engine and
AFC set umbilical cables.
The
use of the control monitor is covered in “Normal Procedures” section. The
function of the controls and indicators is described in the “Description”
section. The instrument markings are explained and illustrated, where necessary,
in the “Operating Limitations” section.
Prior
to launching the drone the umbilical cables are remotely disconnected from the
drone by the actuation of a switch on the control monitor panel.
 EMERGENCY FLOTATION SYSTEM
The
emergency flotation system (figure 3) is an independent, self-sustaining device,
which permits recovery of a drone
that has crashed at sea. The system consists mainly of an inflatable flotation
bag with a flashing beacon at its top, an air tank to inflate the flotation bag,
a salt water activated battery to supply power to the flashing beacon, and a
hydrostatic release assembly to activate the system. The flotation bag, air
tank, and battery are housed in a styrene container, bracket mounted on the rear
of the avionic panel. The container is held to its mounting by a retention
harness secured at one end by a locking device on the hydrostatic release
assembly. A nylon line (painter assembly) is attached between the drone
structure and the flotation bag to prevent the drone from sinking beyond the
length of the line.
In
the event of a crash at sea, the drone submerges to a predetermined depth. At
this depth the hydrostatic release assembly trips the locking device, which
frees the retention harness and the styrene container floats free of the drone.
When the container is clear of the drone structure, a lanyard on the nylon
painter assembly trips a valve which releases the air from the air tank to
inflate the flotation bag, preventing the drone from sinking beyond the length
of the painter assembly. The flashing beacon, which is above the water surface,
guides a retrieval crew to the location of the ditching.
End of Auxiliary Equipment Section
           
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