Yugoslavia - INJ-22M Orao Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft (Ericsson SLAR) - armed variant

[nuk92]

DB Selector

DB3K

DBID to Copy

1653 J-22 Orao 1

Hypothetical

Yes

Name

INJ-22M Orao -- Yugoslavia (Air Force), Maritime Reconnaissance, Armed, Yugoslavia 1992+

Country

Yugoslavia

Service

Air Force

In Commission

No response

Number in Service

No response

Sensors

1x Ericsson SLAR (sidelooking: arcs PMF1, PMA2, SMF2, SMA1)

-remove generic visual reconnaissance camera

Mounts

No response

Loadout Options

unarmed reconnaissance loadout -2x 500 liter Drop Tank (optional)

armed reconnaissance loadout -2x RB 12 Penguin Mk3

Other Changes

change crew to 2 (twin seater) change length to: 15.36m (twin seater) wingspan: 9.3m height: 4.65m add: Bombsight - Advanced Navigation (INS/GPS) (It had an INS navigation system with a doppler radar ground speed and roll angle sensor which was necessary for the SLAR radar recordings.)

Yugoslavia got very close to purchasing Penguin missiles for Mirna class patrol boats and INJ-22M Orao maritime surveillance aircraft. Unfortunately this never happened because of the war. There are some sources which claim that a dozen or so missiles were actually purchased for trials.

I selected the Penguin Mk3 since this is the air launched variant. Usually the Orao can carry larger missiles like the Maverick and Grom only on it's outer underwing hardpoints. If carried on the inner hardpoints the missile's flame would burn the horizontal stabilizers/elevators which should be avoided. The Maverick or Grom is mounted on a launch rail and activates it's rocket motor while on the rail. The Penguin however is first released from it's hardpoint and a second later the rocket motor is activated. For this reason it shouldn't be a problem for the Orao to carry 4 Penguin missiles on it's underwing hardpoints while the Ericsson radar is below the fuselage occupying the centerline hardpoint. Weightwise (~370kg) it also wouldn't have been a problem in contrast to the RBS-15 which at over 800kg is too heavy for any except for the centerline hardpoint. This would also be contrary to the idea of launching salvos if ASMs.

https://i.imgur.com/1CVGlVQ.png https://i.imgur.com/wDnLex7.png https://i.imgur.com/mkkGrQC.png

Sources

Ericsson SLAR radar visible under the centerline behind the air brakes: https://www.mycity-military.com/slika.php?slika=157102_158552718_Orao%20Yu-38.jpg From "IAR-93 and Orao Balkan Warrior": https://i.imgur.com/4DGrCTa.png https://i.imgur.com/6IYAEPF.png

This wasn't just a test project like it is stated here. The maritime reconnaissance Orao remained in service, together with a maritime reconnaissance Jastreb until at least 1992.

post by Istria 052 and conversation before that: https://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php?topic=3114.msg493763;topicseen#msg493763

Has the procurement of some air to surface missiles been considered? Say the Penguin or Kormoran missile?

As far as I know, there used to be talk of Penguin missiles for Eagle (*Orao) planes. Maybe they would put RBS 15 on planes too.

There was also talk of procuring Penguin for the PC. type 171 - Mirna, that's what they told me in Škorpik (*Naval Base) back in 1985.

The truth is, the purchase of Israeli-made (*Norwegian) Pinguin rockets was considered, and there was a lot of progress in that.

(RBS-15 missiles are too heavy for all hardpoints except one centerline hardpoint of the Orao. This could be the reason why they went for Penguins)

https://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php?topic=598.msg56660;topicseen#msg56660

I just read on the aviation forum about the purchase of Penguin missiles for Eagles (Oraos), so I remembered that I heard a long time ago that Mirna should have had the possibility of installing Penguin missiles in their basic version of surface to surface. I think that the FCS for Penguin is neither complex nor large in size, so it had a place to be located, although I don't remember the schedule on Mirna the best. I also heard that the installation of Soviet or Swedish-made anti-submarine torpedoes was considered, most likely 2 devices. This is especially having in mind Simrad's sonar.

https://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php?topic=3569.msg19308#msg19308

OK, we have managed with the data about the plane, the question remains about the possible purchase (about 15 pieces) of Rb12 Penguin (which means Penguin) of these Norwegian missiles for JRV. And since this rocket could also be fired from a helicopter, it might have been considered to equip a helicopter with them.

There were plans to buy Penguins. This rocket has good properties in closed seas such as the Baltic, the Adriatic, is quite light and has several times greater range than Maverick.

wingspan and so on: https://www.vojnaknjizara.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/8.jpg

[nuk92]

1060

[nuk92]

Loadout reduced to two Penguin missiles. It turns out that the maritime recon Orao is much heavier than the standard versions because of the additional equipment, the radar, the magnetron and so on. Four missiles might be too heavy. Also it only has two inner pylons one on each wing.

[nuk92]

So... the Penguin missile was definitely on the shopping list of the Yugoslav Air Force but in all likelyhood the modernised J-22M would have received this missile and the necessary equipment in the completely modernised cockpit. (I posted the same sources in the J-22M request). It's more reasonable. There is no reason for a recon jet with underpowered engines to be armed and this was a bad idea and I should close this request before it gets added to the DB and can't be removed anymore. There was allways this myth that it would eventually be armed with anti ship missiles and it should remain a myth.

Turns out the INJ-22 twin seat recon trainer version was completely unarmed, it had no weapon installations. Being a maritime recon aircraft the INJ-22M has allready enough tasks to do. It shouldn't carry any weapons (it couldn't). Let's keep it that way. Originally a flight of four maritime recon INJ-22Ms were planned in the 353rd recon squadron at the Mostar Airbase. Four antennas were bought but only one aircraft modified (which just left the factory)... it's unclear why. So no need to glorify it, the modernised Orao can have the hypothetical weapons.