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From: orpheus@reed.UUCP (P. Hawthorne)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: SUPERTOMCAT/ATF
Message-ID: <1991Feb7.021044.4709@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 7 Feb 91 02:10:44 GMT
References: <1991Feb4.071106.22819@cbnews.att.com>
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From: orpheus@reed.UUCP (P. Hawthorne)
. wwy@vax5.cit.cornell.edu writes:

. There are rough, proposed plans for a Tomcat 2, but the DOD is currently
. more interested in the development of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF).
. Prototypes are currently being tested. Top Secret [Eyes Only] Project.


  With four contractors on two sides of a development campaign and the
other major military contractors taking sides and providing assistance to
one side, this project has an enormous profile for the media.
  Decent photographs of the prototypes are widely available. Certain
sections do seem to be missing from the overall pictures, but this is
probably an oversight by the photographers.
  The most glaring lack of information available to the media has been
the capacity of the weapon bays, but that can be guessed. 

  I suspect that the reason the YF-22 and YF-23 are so much more public
than the F-19 or the F-117 is because the Soviets clearly do not have
the resources to duplicate these advancements from what is relatively
sketchy information. Materials and componants are well classified.

  Now that the Navy is not going to get the A-12, I wonder if either of the
contractors is working on a variant for carrier duty. 

  Estimated radar cross sections for both protoypes are significantly
higher than on the F-117. Is there something on the prototypes that the
estimates are not taking into account, like the electronics suite?
I read that Lockheed experimented with transmitting background clutter from
below the aircraft upwards for the benefit of orbiting radar planes.
It sounded promising.


  orpheus@reed