Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!amdahl!amdcad!military
From: jln@portia.Stanford.EDU (Jared Nedzel)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Air Combat
Message-ID: <27213@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Date: 12 Sep 89 07:47:50 GMT
References: <27188@amdcad.AMD.COM>
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Organization: Stanford University
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From: jln@portia.Stanford.EDU (Jared Nedzel)

In article <27188@amdcad.AMD.COM> randy@ms.uky.edu (Randy Appleton) writes:
>Why do our fighters have to be so manuverable? Given that a good
>air-air missile can knock out an enemy aircraft from 20 miles away,
>why do we spend all the time/energy/money on manuverability as opposed
>to other things, like IFF.

Because they can't :-). The long-range radar guided missiles have 
generally had a much poorer kill rate than close-range infrared
missiles. While I don't have the numbers at hand, the kill rates in
Viet Nam for the Sparrow (long-range, well, really medium-range, radar
guided missile) were pitiful. The kill rates for the Sidewinder (short-range
infra-red missile, 1-3 mile range?) were better. (Yes, newer missiles
are, presumably, much more reliable.)

There are other factors which effect the kill-rate. In Viet Nam, the
US pilots were required to get visual identification of the target before
firing, thus negating much of the usefulness of the Sparrow. It is likely
in many future conflicts that similar restrictions would apply.

But even if you have no such restriction, what happens after you fire
all your radar-guided missiles? Hopefully, you've got most of the bad 
guys, but what if some get through? Well, with an "all-aspect" Sidewinder
(AIM-9L and later, I believe (is there a later model?)), you may be
able to get a head-on shot as well. But what if that misses too (or, what
if you're terribly out-numbered)? Now you have to manuver to get another
shot, either with a Sidewinder or a cannon. In addition, by this time you'll
probably have to manuver to avoid your opponent's missiles. If you can't 
manuver with you're opponent, then you're SOL (Sh*t-outta-luck).

>I know very little about ECW, so maybe the answer is that.

Well, that's certainly one aspect. A radar-guided missile can be jammed.
An infrared missile can be decoyed. But it's hard to jam or decoy a 
cannon round. 

-- 
Jared L. Nedzel
e-mail: nedzel@cive.stanford.edu
        jln@portia.stanford.edu