Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: gwh%headcrash.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: variable geometry wings
Summary: Giving Away Data, and good book
Message-ID: <15389@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 10 Apr 90 02:02:26 GMT
References: <15318@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: gwh%headcrash.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert)
In article <15318@cbnews.ATT.COM> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:
>From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
>>From: gwh%typhoon.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert)
>>... Changing the wing sweep in maneuver allows the pilot to trade off drag
>>for lift potential, allowing the pilot to choose between speed and turning
>>ability.  The Tomcat has an automatic system that can control this...
>
>One negative aspect of automatic variable sweep, pointed out in Shaw's book
>on air combat, is that you can tell quite a bit about your opponent's speed
>and energy (maneuvering potential) by watching his sweep angle.

This is a good clue...until the VG pilot suspects it's being used.  There was
a short spate of SUCKER-bang kills on top gun instructors a few years back
when the trainees figured that the instructors were relying a lot on the wing
sweep.

The book, Shaw's _Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering_ is excellent, and
has been discussed here before.  Anyone wanting to know about actual combat
air-to-air maneuvering and tactics is reccomended to buy a copy.


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George William Herbert     JOAT For Hire: Anything, Anywhere: My Price
UCB Naval Architecture undergrad: Engineering with a Bouyant Attitude :-)
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