Nose down JDAM release

[Gloomshadow]

This isn't necessarily in regard to the simulation, but a question about the use of JDAMs.

 

My question is:

 

If you release a JDAM at a relatively high angle of attack and correspondingly high speed, does this effect how quickly or powerfully the JDAM will impact a target?

 

Is there any situation in which this would be useful, instead of releasing at level flight? How would this effect the weapon and it's accuracy?

 

Just a few fun thoughts I was pondering.

[luza]

Try it out....

[159th_Viper]

Would Terminal Velocity not find applicability here?

[EtherealN]

Depends a lot on altitude and such. At a drop altitude of 1 thousand feet AGL, sure. At a release altidude of 30k feet AGL I'm not sure it would matter. I don't know the typical terminal velocity of JDAM munitions (though they should be the same as for normal iron bombs, possibly slightly slower) or how long it takes the bomb to achieve that, but I'd imagine you don't have to climb very high to guarantee terminal velocity.

 

For accuracy I don't think it would have any effect, and the envelope where I'd expect it to affect any of the other types of performance relevant to the weapon I see no use. The one case where it might possibly be useful would be in very steep terrain - but then again, might as well well just toss-bomb (nose-up) it with CCRP in that case, and thus deliver the weapon without ever getting in direct line-of-sight to the target.