Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: why F-4's as Wild Weasels?
Message-ID: <1991Feb5.044941.7360@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 5 Feb 91 04:49:41 GMT
References: <1991Feb4.072034.23521@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Lines: 41
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller)

Just some educated guesses:
> 
> From: clements@cs.utexas.edu (Paul C. Clements)
> 
> Can someone fill in the blank in the following sentences?
> 
> (1) "The F-4 makes an ideal aircraft to carry out the
>     Wild Weasel mission, compared to other a/c in the USAF
>     inventory, because _____________________."

(1) They are pretty high performance but getting old and expendable.
                                                     ^^^^^^^^^^
(2) They will carry lots of missiles, and have space for an equipment
    operator so the pilot's loading is tolerable.
(3) Their reliability and problems are well-known quantities. One 
    wouldn't want to be flight testing one's aircraft in front of
    multiple SAMS..... 

> 
> (2) "The F-117 ___________________ (would, would not) make a
>     good Wild Weasel platform."   (If not, why not?)

(1) Because it can't tempt radars that can't see it.
(WW missions are mainly SAM suppression by shooting the radars)
(2) It's too expensive to use as a decoy
(3) We might lose one! Sheesh!


Historical note: The Navy's original "Iron Hand" mission was like the
Wild Weasel of the Air Force except that they first used the A-1( if 
I recall this correctly).
According to Nichols (NAVAL AIR WAR in VN; US Naval Institute Press)
there was no way to train for this so the new guys were given an
overwater orbit to work from so that if he got "bagged" he had
a safe bailout. Now THAT'S OJT!!! (On the Job Training)

Ron