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Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Side Arms For Fly Boys.
Message-ID: <1990Nov4.205511.2717@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 4 Nov 90 20:55:11 GMT
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From: p2.f7.n391.z1.fidonet.org!Robert.King (Robert King)

In a message to All <02 Nov 90 05:36:00> Mary Shafer wrote:

 MS>>RE jet pilots with sidearms:
 MS>>I heard that the revolver is a quick way of destroying equipment if
 MS>>your plane is downed.  In WWII fighter pilots carried them.  In
 MS>>case of a forced landing, one or two shots into the fuel tank
 MS>>produced a nice raging inferno.  I imagine that one or two
 MS>>shots into electronics would be effective as well.

 MS> You don't make forced landings in modern fighters; you eject.  The
 MS> impact will destroy any electronics.

 MS> The B-52, B-1, and B-2 also have ejection seats.

Then of course there is the matter of the thermite charges and high G
impact fuses located in all the more sensitive electronics boxes.  After
you jump out of your bird, the impact will set these off and pretty well
vaporize anything you don't want the bad guys to find in the wreckage.

Robert King