MIL-STD-1760 Aircraft/Store Electrical Interconnection System defines a standardized electrical interface between a military aircraft and its carriage stores.
Carriage stores range from weapons to drop tanks such as GBU-31 JDAM to pods and AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN to drop tanks.
Before adoption and widespread use of MIL-STD-1760, new store types were added to aircraft using dissimilar, proprietary interfaces. This greatly complicated the aircraft equipment used to control and monitor the store while it was attached to the aircraft: the stores management system, or SMS.
There are several main groups of MIL-STD-1760 signals such as the MIL-STD-704 power connections that provide the store with access to 28 VDC, three-phase wye 400 Hz, 115/200 VAC and 270 VDC aircraft power. Normally, only one of the last two supplies are routed, however, if both are made available, then they are never made active simultaneously.
The MIL-STD-1760 interface provides power through the primary interface (two off 28 VDC and either one or both 115/200V VAC and 270 VDC), where it is routed to the store along with all of the other signal types. The standard also allows for an optional auxiliary power interface (1 off 28 VDC and either 115/200 VAC or 270 VDC) for stores with more demanding power requirements.
The auxiliary power interface includes its own interlock discrete signals so that the aircraft can determine whether the store’s auxiliary power connector is attached to the aircraft.
There are also two sets of discrete signals. The Interlock discrete is used by the aircraft to determine whether the store is attached to the aircraft. This interface uses two signals, the Interlock and the Interlock Return.
These signals are simply connected together within the store, and when the store is released from the aircraft this connection is broken on the aircraft side. The aircraft determines the presence of the store by measuring the continuity between the two signals.
Some stores, typically weapons, may be commanded into modes that can be hazardous if not managed properly, such as the arming of a warhead. Activation of the Release Consent discrete signal is used to ensure that the store will only accept such a command when it is authorized to do so.
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