Quote:
Originally Posted by JA Boomer
Thank You wabpilot...very interesting!!!
Was the bombing capability of the Tomcat simply built into the airframe and software because Grumman engineers could do it...and then hidden because this was not part of the aircraft requested by the Navy, or did it remain dormant for so long for another reason?
|
YVW.
The bombing capability was included in the software on the AWG-9. It was crippled at the factory because Grumman and the Navy didn't have time to complete the flight testing needed to clear it. We needed a fleet air defense fighter. While the F-4J addressed all the B model's problems it did not deal with the problem that the Sovs could launch a massive number of missiles at us. Only the AWG-9 and AIM-54 could solve that problem.
Quote:
|
One other thing I have always wondered about...how far can the infra-red search and track system, and the onboard closed circuit television camera be used effectively. And how useful were these systems in operational deployments?
|
Those numbers are still classified. But, performance depended on a lot of factors including weather, temperature and the skill of the operator. I personally found the IRST to be very useful even if it was not all that reliable. There is a story in
Red Storm Rising about using the IRST at some distance to bag a Backfire or a Bear. The story was fiction of course. Well, sort of fiction.