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From: daveg@prowler.clearpoint.com
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Air to Air F-16 vs. F-18
Message-ID: <1991May23.063202.18031@amd.com>
Date: 21 May 91 12:25:07 GMT
Article-I.D.: amd.1991May23.063202.18031
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From: daveg@prowler.clearpoint.com


From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen)

AJM> This brings to mind a minor (near) historical event.  Iran & Iraq both
AJM> had F-14's, They both also had Anti-Ship missles from various sources.

Wrong.  Only Iran purchased F-14s.  Currently they seem to be used
only as radar platforms, and approximately a dozen are expected to be
flying due to lack of parts and qualified maintenance personnel.  Iran
purchased 87 F-14s, of which 86 were delivered.  (the actualy number
might have been 83; it's been a while since I looked it up) Iran is
the only other country in the world to have F-14s besides the U.S.

Iran has (large quantities of) Silkworm missiles, and Iraq has been shown
to have Exocets.  Iraq may also have Silkworms.

AJM> A little later the 'real' truth did finally get published, that they
AJM> DID have a delivery system for EVERYONE of these classes.  What our
AJM> safety margins were was the low 'skill' level of the pilots, the
AJM> failures of the 'manual' launch system, and the high effeciency of our
AJM> air crews, ageis cruisers, and radar operations.

You could most likely adapt the weapons points on an F-14 to carry anything.
Hacking up a firing system isn't all that difficult either.  What IS difficult
it providing targeting and steering information to the missile if you don't
have the proper "black boxes".  THAT is what the Navy, etc. has said.  Many
missiles can be fired blindly, and seek their own targets -- I think Exocets
can do this, and would suspect Silkworms can too.

By modifying the missile system as you suggest, you certainly DO lower the
safety margins involved.  The F-14 in its present incarnation is not designed
to be an attack aircraft -- it can do it, but it's not in the manual.  Tomcat-21
(or some of the other variants) will allow full attack capability.

--
"Look, folks, you can't save everyone. |  Dave Goldblatt [daveg@clearpoint.com]
  Just try not to be living next to    |  Software Engineering (Subsystems)
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             - Dennis Miller           |  35 Parkwood Dr., Hopkinton, MA 01748