Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site resonex.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!pesnta!amd!resonex!tggsu
From: tggsu@resonex.UUCP (Tom Gulvin Root)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: warplanes (arming AWACS)
Message-ID: <250@resonex.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Mar-85 14:55:09 EST
Article-I.D.: resonex.250
Posted: Tue Mar 12 14:55:09 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Mar-85 03:45:52 EST
References: <750@amdcad.UUCP> <471@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Resonex Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 31

> > Seems like everyone here wants to talk about improving their flying
> > technique. Does anyone want to talk about warplanes and dogfights
> > and such? Questions like, wouldn't an AWACS with a bunch of Phoenixes
> > (which are reputed to have a range of 100 miles) be able to control
> > the sky even against F15s?
> 
> Odd you should mention that.  I saw some of the output from an unclassified
> study, here at Boeing, where an armed AWACS 747SP was examined as a fleet
> defense aircraft.  It had an AWACS rotodome on top, and two rotating
> missile launchers (a la bomb bay in B-1) mounted internally fore and aft,
> each with 18 Phoenix missiles.  This would give it the firepower of six
> F-14s, in a mission where maneuverability is not critical (although what
> it would do agains Libyan SU-22s is anyone's guess :-)   ).  Never saw
> any of the data that resulted from the study, just happened upon an extra
> drawing  on someone's desk and asked about it.  The folks at the
> commercial aircraft division just love it when we at BAC come up with 
> another use for their aircraft... witness the mini-shuttle air-launched from
> a 747, etc...
> 
> 				    Ron Wanttaja
> 				    (ssc-vax!wanttaja)
> 
> "Faith, sir, 'tis true... you have the looks and manners of 
>  a hangman..."

AIM-54A/C - wonderful missle. Hughes - wonderful company. In the mid to late
seventies, the Navy complained that the missles cost too much. ~$500,000.
Hughes said don't worry - we'll redesign a 'much-lower-cost' version - AIM-54C.
Production started about 1982 - AIM-54A still cost about $500,000 then. Go read
Aviation Week - we just bought a truck load of AIM-54Cs for >$1,000,000 each.
	Tom Gulvin - Resonex, Inc. - Sunnyvale CA.