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From: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: why F-4's as Wild Weasels?
Message-ID: <1991Feb12.021119.12280@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 12 Feb 91 02:11:19 GMT
References: <1991Feb4.072034.23521@cbnews.att.com>,<1991Feb9.034717.5511@cbnews.att.com>
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From: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney)
In article <1991Feb9.034717.5511@cbnews.att.com>, tohall@mars.lerc.nasa.gov (Dave Hall (Sverdrup)) writes:

>|>(2) "The F-117 ___________________ (would, would not) make a
>|>    good Wild Weasel platform."   (If not, why not?)
>
>		Would not! The wild weasel must be able to "tease" ground
>based radars into transmitting. This provides a signal for weapons like HARM
>to lock on to.

You can just as easily tease ground-based radars into activity with the 
non-stealthy aircraft in your strike "package." Or, alternately, use cruise
missiles or RPVs (a la Bekka Valley in '82) to get the emitters to emit.

>The F-117 makes a living by being invisible. Another major
>problem with the F-117 is that all of its weapons are carried internally.
>This won't work with any of the wild weasel weapons (HARM, Shrike, Maverick).

Doesn't matter. As a previous poster noted, HARM can be launched on a "target
of opportunity" mode or a "briefed" mode, neither of which would require
external carriage. You could easily fit in a Maverick or two into the bomb
bays of the F-117; Maverick can be fitted with a laser tracker. I personally
prefer the 2000lbs bomb approach. Even if you don't get a direct hit, you will
get their attention :-)

>        If the next wild weasel does happen, the USAF is proposing an F-15G.
>Funding is not likely to occur. The Air Force will not be able to afford
>very many airplanes for "Dedicated Missions" like defense suppression in
>the future. 

They got money for the F-117 in the first place. Money will be found if the
mission is important enough.  

 Doug Mohney, Operations Manager, CAD Lab/ME, Univ. of Maryland College Park
	        *       Ray Kaplan for DECUS president     *
                          SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU