Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: How Many B-2's Are Enough ???
Message-ID: <8479@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 21 Jul 89 04:09:40 GMT
References: <8347@cbnews.ATT.COM> <8413@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Lines: 23
Approved: military@att.att.com

From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)


>... Infa-Red Search and Track (IRST) and the soviets were not the first
>to use them. We used them a long time ago (F-106) but found they weren't
>useful and dropped them. The problem is that the pilots are just too busy
>and don't have time to monitor another sensor. ...

Oddly, the Air National Guard pilots who were the last ones actually flying
IRST-equipped aircraft disagree, and are very unhappy about losing the
IRSTs in the transition to modern fighters.

As for the pilot not having time to monitor another sensor, the obvious
answer to this is that an air-defense interceptor (as opposed to an
air-superiority fighter -- the two are *NOT* the same thing) needs a
crew of two, one for flying and close-up gunnery and one for sensors
and long-range missiles.  Assorted fertilizer about cockpit automation
notwithstanding.  The Brits got this one right on the air-defense variant
of the Tornado.  Ditto with the USN on the F-14.  But the USAF hasn't
built an interceptor for 25 years, and has forgotten how.

                                     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
                                 uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu