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weak extinction
weak extinction Cessation of combustion [the flame
goes out] because of inadequate supply of fuel in a gasturbine
combustor.
weak link Point at which structure, esp. hold-back tie (eg
on aircraft about to be catapult-launched), is designed to
break when normal operating load is applied. Catapult
launch ** resists full thrust of aircraft engines but breaks
when catapult thrust is added. Occasionally a safety
feature fracturing only on overload.
weak mixture Fuel/air ratio for piston engine below
stoichiometric; economical for cruising but engine runs
hot. Hence ** rating, maximum power permitted for
specified conditions cruising with **; ** knock rating, fuel
performance-number grade under economical-cruise
conditions.
weak tie Structural weak link designed to fail in normal
operation (eg holdback on catapult takeoff).
weapon-aiming system That governing launch trajectory
of unguided weapon.
weapon bay Internal compartment for carriage of
weapons, esp. of varied types, eg AAMs, ASMs, NWs,
free-fall bombs, guns, sensors, cruise missiles etc. If for
one type of weapon preferable to be more explicit.
Derived terms include ** door, ** fuel tank, ** hosereel
pack.
weapon control system Avionics and possibly other
subsystems (eg optics) built into launching aircraft to
manage weapons before release and release them at
correct points along desired trajectories. Should not be
used to mean radio command or other form of guidance
system of missile.
weapon debris Residue of NW after explosion; not
usually well defined but generally means all solids
(assumed recondensed from vapour) originally forming
casing, fuzing and other parts, plus unexpended Pu,
U-235 or other fissile material.
weapon delivery Total action required to locate target,
establish release conditions and maintain guidance to
target if required (ASCC).
weaponeering Process of determining quantity of
specific weapon necessary for required degree of damage
to particular (surface) target. Takes into account
defences, errors, reliabilities etc.
weaponized Modified to carry weapons (USAF UAVs).
weapon line See bomb line.
weapon-replaceable assembly Any item, not necessarily
related to weapons, that can be quickly removed and
replaced, such as a PCB.
weapons assignment Process by which weapons are
assigned to individual air weapons controllers for an
assigned mission (DoD).
weapons of mass destruction For arms-control purposes,
strategic NW, C, B, R devices with potential of killing
large numbers of people, but exclusive of delivery systems.
weapons recommendation sheet Defines intention of
attack and recommends nature of weapons, tonnage,
fuzing, spacing, desired mean points of impact, intervals
of reattack and expected damage.
weapons state of readiness In DoD usage, lists of
numbers of air-defence weapons and reaction times:
2 min, 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 3-h, and released from
readiness.
weapon system 1 A weapon and those components
required for its operation (DoD, NATO). This could
weathervane
simply be a part of a manned aircraft, eg radar, HUD,
WCS.
2 Composite of equipment, skills and techniques that
form instrument of combat which usually, but not necessarily,
has aerospace vehicle as its major operational
element (USAF). As originally conceived in 1951,
includes all type-specific GSE, training aids, publications
and every other item necessary for sustained deployment.
weapon-systems physical security Concerned to protect
aerospace operational resources against physical damage.
weapon/target line Sightline (straight line) from weapon
to target.
Weasel See Wild*.
weather Short-term variations in atmosphere, esp. lower
atmosphere.
weather advisory Expression of hazardous weather
likely to affect air traffic, not predicted when area forecast
was made.
weather beam Emitted by radar operating in weather
mode, conical pencil of approx 5° total angle projecting
horizontally ahead (thus filling whole troposphere about
100 km ahead).
weather categories 1 Traditional **, eg US cat C
(contact), N (instrument) and X (closed), common today
in many countries.
2 Precise measures of DH/RVR as they affect arrivals;
Cat 1, DH 60 m/200 ft or better, RVR 800 m/2,600 ft or
more; Cat 2, 60–30 m/200–100 ft, 800–400 m/2,600–1,300
ft; Cat 3a, 0 along runway, 200 m/700 ft in final descent
phase; Cat 3b, 0, 50 m/150 ft; Cat 3c, 0, 0, (visual taxiing
impossible).
weather central Organization collecting, processing and
outputting all local weather information.
weathercocking Tendency of aerodynamic vehicle to
align longitudinal axis with relative wind; note that this
affects pitch as well as yaw. Effect is felt in flight and when
taxiing.
weathercock stability Basic directional stability of air
vehicle or re-entering spacecraft; in CCV (eg modern
fighter) this is degraded to ultimate degree and replaced
by synethetic * applied by avionics linking sensors to
flight controls.
weather forecast Prediction of weather within area, at
point or along route for specified period.
weather map Shows weather prevailing, or predicted to
prevail.
weather minima Worst weather under which flight operations
may be conducted, subdivided into VFR and IFR;
usually defined in terms of ceiling, visibility and specific
hazards to flight.
weather radar Airborne radar (less often, surface radar)
whose purpose is indication of weather along planned
track; traditional ouput is picture of heavy precipitation,
but modern * can indicate severe turbulence (in meaningful
colours) even if precipitation absent.
weather reconnaissance Flight undertaken to take
measurements (traditionally = thum = temp + humidity)
at specified flight levels up to near aircraft ceiling; today
rare but also includes all forms of weather research.
weather report 1 Broadcast * by national weather
service, eg each hour.
2 An actual, transmitted by airborne flight crew.
weather satellite See met. satellite.
weathervane US term for weathercock (eg on building),
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