Armed PC-9 pictures

[pilatus]

how many rounds of ammo does each gun pod hold?will only the 7round rocket pods be aquired?iv seen pictures of sloveian aircraft with 21(i think) and 7 round rocket pods fitted at the same time!? '>

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there
A Slovenian aircraft might have the Russian 57mm pods, which have slightly more rockets per pod than the Western equivalent.
regards
GttC

[pilatus]

no im nearly sure the pods are not russian!the russian pods have a sort of pointy edge on them if you know what i mean?these looked like our ones but they were 21shot while also carrying the same pods that we use!il try and get a picture of one up here!

[Silver]

From: AFM European Air Power Survey, August 2001.
Re : Slovenian PC-9's

"Part of the fixed wing squadron is a combat air unit, with nine upgraded PC-9M Swifts, which now have been declared combat ready. A Slovenian engineering team, working with the French firm Alkan, Israel's El-Op/Radom and Belgium's FN Herstal, has developed a system which enables the PC-9 to use a variety of modern weapons. In combat configuration, the upgraded PC-9M Swift is capable of carrying up to 2,292lb (1,040kg) of armament on six under-wing pylons".

(Unfortunetly, the article doesn't give specific weapon details).

Hope this helps.

Silver.

[pilatus]

there is a picture of one of the swifts armed with the rocket pods accompanying that particular article!?but im sure there are no russian systems used!

[Viper]

I've asked this question before, but here goes again. Does anyone know what other stores the PC 9's can/will carry? Will they use the Vinten recce pods from the Marchetti's, or smoke pods in the future?

[Taj]

Smoke pods are a no no due to the high cost of purchase.
There are no current plans for additional armament types although there may be a time when a little experimentation with the weapons load takes place, ie four gun pods or four rocket pods instead of a mix of both.

Taj

[Viper]

Thanks for the info Taj, maybe in the future they'll look into buying smoke pods. Does no additional weaponry mean that the recce pods are gone post-Marchetti?

[Silver]

It was mentioned on the board that apparently smoke pods cost c.€250,000 per pair !!...........so little chance of getting any soon I reckon !

.......unless 'pre-owned' pods can be sourced  '>

[Bigwillie]

I wouldn't say smoke pods are a 'no no' Taj. The aircraft were 'plumbed' for smoke during construction and all associated systems are in place. It's just a matter of purchasing the pods at some stage in the future when the Minister warrants such expenditure.

[Taj]

All you have to do is take a look in a PC-9 cockpit(not just an Irish PC-9) to know that they are plumbed for smoke pods. That is not relevant.Due to the cost involved in actually purchasing the equipment(250k per aircraft-spot on Silver) it was deemed that they were unnecessary. Maybe when more pressing matters have been funded, but for now(medium to long term) Bigwillie-definitely a big no-no.

[Silver]

Surely it must be possible to purchase a few sechondhand pods from somewhere around the world ?

Perhaps a swop involving a Fouga or Marchetti could be arranged ?
(This may be more acceptable to the DoD than actually having to sign a cheque!)

[Taj]

You would think so Silver but it would all boil down to compatibility and whether a certain type of pod has been certified for use on PC-9. Sourcing one or two pods would be possible but for a four aircraft aerobatic team eight secondhand pods of the same type plus a spare would be a nightmare to find. The total cost to purchase new pods for a four ship team would be a minimum of €1m which does in fairness seem excessive for an item that has none other than aesthetic use and would only get a few outings a year. For an already cash starved force it would be quite downright stupid to look for that money when it would buy a Cessna Caravan plus spares.