ALE-43 Chaff Cutter and Dispensing System
The AN/ALE-43 (ALE-43) chaff cutter dispensing system provides the electronic warfare operator with the option of selecting, while in flight, various tuned dipole lengths to meet changing threats in frequency ranges from A- to K-band. The concept of cutting chaff from a continuous supply to various dipole lengths, while in flight, has numerous advantages. The limitation in utilizing the 'cutter' concept for chaff countermeasures prior to the ALE-43 was the lack of a suitable chaff supply material.
The ALE-43 is designed for two types of installation: an external pod or an internal mount. For either installation, the system consists of a chaff roving supply, chaff cutter assembly, and a cockpit programmer. In the external pod installation, the chaff cutter assembly is mounted on a structural bulkhead at the rear of the pod center section. In the internal installation the cutter assembly is mounted directly to the aircraft structure. A control unit allows the pilot to select dispensing programs and to start and stop dispensing sequences. The pod has mounting provisions for standard NATO 14 in and 30 in stores suspension hardware and can be mounted conveniently on existing stores stations.
Sources and Resources
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/an-ale-43.htm
Maintained by Robert Sherman
Originally created by John Pike
Updated Saturday, January 09, 1999 10:27:01 AM