Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Armor Distinction
Message-ID: <1991Jan18.003653.8668@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 18 Jan 91 00:36:53 GMT
References: <1991Jan15.022235.24834@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 18
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
>From: seichi@wheaton.UUCP (Gregory S. Ota)
>Visually, there is really no accurate way to determine the nationality of a
>vehicle, especially at 3000 meters.  In most scenarios the traditional way
>has been to identify the vehicle be the silouette...

Overwhelmingly, in practice, anything coming from the wrong direction is
assumed hostile until proven otherwise.  Sometimes even if it's coming
from the right direction.

This is particularly true for aircraft, where there is no consistent
"right direction".  Smart pilots treat "friendly" AA batteries as only
slightly less dangerous than "hostile" ones.
-- 
If the Space Shuttle was the answer,   | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
what was the question?                 |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry