PAVE SPIKE electro-optical targeting pod

[TomcatViP]

Thanks for the welcome! Let me know what you're interested in, and I'll make something up.

Well, why not start by the beginning with your experience with the Pave Spike pod? I am sure a bit bit of hand-on story would be greatly appreciated by many.

 

[kmrumble]

Well, why not start by the beginning with your experience with the Pave Spike pod? I am sure a bit bit of hand-on story would be greatly appreciated by many.

Pave Spike was the first program I was assigned to, and I moved on to the next about six months later, so I really don't have a lot of stories or interesting info that isn't generally known. Spike (AN/ASQ-153) was an electro-optical targeting pod carried in the Sparrow missile well of F-4D's and E's. The first units were produced in 1974 and rushed into service in Vietnam. I've heard people claim they were never actually used there, but I'm quite sure they were used to good effect. We used to view footage and respond to pilot concerns/complaints. A lot of this was "I sparkled the front cab of a truck and hit the damn cargo bay instead". Considering the contract requirement was 30 ft, we were pretty happy with performance. There was one single contract with Westinghouse Electric, about $80M bucks for 100 plus pods on a fixed price incentive firm target basis. At the time I left, we were trying to incorporate an autotracker, but I don't think that ever came to fruition. Somewhere in my boxes of stuff, I've got a Pave Spike mug and patch...I'll try to find those and add a pic.

 

[TomcatViP]

@kmrumble :Thanks. Much appreciated.
At that time a Phantom was priced roughly $2M, so I guess the contract would have been a high priority.
The precision issue b/w marker position and lazing point is also a great detail.

But how you guys managed to repack it so tightly relatively to the Pave Knife pod?

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Pave Knife had (rudimentary) night vision and an autotracker as well, Pave Spike did not.

Moved to own topic.

 

[Bruno Anthony]

Pave Knife had (rudimentary) night vision and an autotracker as well, Pave Spike did not.

Moved to own topic.

Overscan said, “I’ll remember for you.”