Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: jumper@shumv1.ncsu.edu (Michael Lanham)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Su-27
Message-ID: <1990Sep24.001326.22785@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 24 Sep 90 00:13:26 GMT
References: <1990Sep12.014855.29015@cbnews.att.com> <1990Sep14.042620.1299@cbnews.att.com>
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From: jumper@shumv1.ncsu.edu (Michael Lanham)
ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Allan Bourdius) writes:

>...the original F-16A, an aircraft that was never designed for air defense in
>the first place.

Maybe I am misinterpreting what you mean by an air defense plane, but...

The F-16A was originally intended as a tactical air superiority fighter with
no all-weather capability, no radar, no hard spots for bombs or other ground
ordinance, and without numerous other **improvments** the Air Force Systems
Command has so ladened the bird with.

The A version of the plane was several feet shorter than the current version,
had a smaller wing span, high turning rate, faster climbing rate, and was
all around what it was supposed to be---a dedicated air superiority fighter.

Systems command got a hold of the bird and careers started getting attached to
such a grand design.  A brand new "high tech" radar was added in to make it
have better interdiction capabilities.  But to accomplish adding in the radar,
an air conditioning unit for it also had to be installed.  Then lift 
allowances called for a larger wing span and fuselage.  Once they had that,
Systems Command saw unused wing capacity so added additional hard spots for
bomb racks and ground sights.  But then the bird was too heavy so they
added a bigger engine.  Consequently we now have a plane that is *multi-
purpose* but no longer the superb air fighter it was, the Isralies 
have found that it makes a poor tactical bomber, and it now costs (in real 
dollars adjusted for inflation) some 4 times as much then was intended.


Sources: The Pentagon and the Art of War
	 Author: forgot but it is in our library
--
He who will not reason, is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool;
and he who dares not is a slave.      --- Sir William Drummond

What is morality in any given time or place? It is what the