Exint pod
Under-wing personnel pod for special forces insertion and extraction.
The Exint pod was a concept for a manned pod mounted under the wing, designed to attach to the weapon pylons of military fast jets and helicopters. It was developed by AVPRO U.K. Ltd, a former aircraft consultancy based in Acton, London, as a means to insert and extract special forces personnel. According to *Flight International*, the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency fitted a prototype to a BAe Sea Harrier at Boscombe Down in the late 1990s for testing. The pod was also approved for use on Israeli AH-64 Apaches. The Harrier has since been retired from British service. McDonnell Douglas produced models of a similar pod, called GRIER (Ground Rescue Insertion Extraction Resupply), for the AV-8B.
Several drawbacks have been noted for using weapon-pylon pods to carry people on fast jets. These include extreme engine noise—on the Harrier, due to the pod’s proximity to the rotating nozzles of the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine—high g-forces during rolls caused by the pod’s distance from the aircraft’s roll axis, and the general discomfort of traveling at high speeds.
The idea of transporting passengers on or in modified combat aircraft has historical precedents. In World War II, fabric “body-bags” mounted on the upper inboard surfaces of Spitfire wings were used to carry people. The Luftwaffe tested wing-mounted enclosures for carrying personnel on the Stuka dive bomber and Bf 109 fighter. Modified P-38 Lightnings carried people in underwing pods with perspex fronts. De Havilland Mosquitoes operated by BOAC ferried passengers in modified capsules in the bomb bay space; the most notable passenger was Danish physicist Niels Bohr.
Among more modern aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot has been suggested as capable of carrying underwing pods for self-deployment, which could also carry a crew member if needed. Photographs show what appear to be US Marines strapped to the weapons bay doors of Marine Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters in Afghanistan, a technique understood to be one of several practiced by Marine Cobra pilots. Additionally, External Passenger Pods (EPS) made of open framework have been fitted to US Army MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, allowing up to six soldiers to be carried externally.
- Conceived by
- AVPRO U.K. Ltd (Acton, London)
- Test fitted to
- BAe Sea Harrier
- Test location
- Boscombe Down research facility
- Certified for
- Israeli AH-64 Apaches
- Also modeled for
- McDonnell Douglas AV-8B (GRIER pod)
Lore & Background
The Exint pod was conceived by the former Acton, London based aircraft consultancy AVPRO U.K. Ltd as a method of inserting and extracting special forces operatives. According to Flight International magazine, in the late 1990s the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency test fitted a prototype pod to a BAe Sea Harrier at its Boscombe Down research facility. The pod was also certified for use on Israeli AH-64 Apaches. McDonnell Douglas also produced models of a GRIER (Ground Rescue Insertion Extraction Resupply) pod for the AV-8B.
Problems have been cited with using weapons pylon mounted pods to ferry personnel on fast jets in particular. Excessive engine noise (in the case of the Harrier, due to proximity to the rotating jet nozzles of the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine), high g-forces during roll due to the distance of the pod from the aircraft's axis of roll, as well as the discomfort of travelling at fast-jet speeds have all been listed as limitations.
The concept of ferrying passengers in or on modified fixed and rotary wing combat aircraft has many historical precedents. During the Second World War, 'body-bags' (fabric bags mounted on the upper inboard surfaces of Spitfire wings) were used to carry people. The Luftwaffe also experimented with people-carrying wing-mounted enclosures on the Stuka dive bomber and Bf 109 fighter. Modified versions of the P-38 Lightning were capable of carrying people in underwing, perspex fronted pods. Versions of the De Havilland Mosquito operated by BOAC were used to ferry passengers in modified capsules in the space that would have been the bomb bay; the most notable being Danish nuclear physicist Niels Bohr.
Reader's Guide
The Exint pod is notable as a specialized design for transporting special forces operatives via underwing pylons on fast jets and helicopters, a niche capability with significant operational limitations. The article notes that the pod was test-fitted to a BAe Sea Harrier and certified for Israeli AH-64 Apaches, but the Harrier has since been retired from RAF and Royal Navy service. Problems cited include excessive engine noise from the Harrier's Pegasus engine, high g-forces during roll due to the pod's distance from the aircraft's roll axis, and the discomfort of high-speed travel. The concept has historical precedents, such as WWII Spitfire 'body-bags', Luftwaffe wing-mounted enclosures on Stuka and Bf 109, P-38 Lightning underwing pods, and De Havilland Mosquito bomb-bay capsules used by BOAC. More contemporary examples include the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot's potential for underwing crew pods, US Marines strapped to weapons bay doors on AH-1 Cobra helicopters in Afghanistan, and MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird External Passenger Pods. The Exint pod represents one approach in a broader history of adapting combat aircraft for personnel transport, though its specific operational adoption remains unclear from the article.
Did You Know?
- The Exint pod was conceived by AVPRO U.K. Ltd, an aircraft consultancy based in Acton, London.
- A prototype was test-fitted to a BAe Sea Harrier at the Boscombe Down research facility in the late 1990s.
- McDonnell Douglas produced models of a GRIER pod for the AV-8B.
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