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I have heard a lot of talk about UCAV's, (Unmaned Combat Air Vehicles), will they take over the job of the fighter pilot, or is the fighter pilot here to stay??

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ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US

just a matter of time but most pilots wont admit it, defences are getting too good, politicians too squimish.

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

The Joint-Strike-Fighter may be the last manned combat jet, or so I've heard.

Defenses are getting too good?

Which defenses are those exactly?

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle, and quick to anger."

Patriot and the soviet "double digit" SAMs, SA-10 can kill a HARM from 20 miles away.

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

I ought to point out that it's <i>claimed</i> SA-10 can do this.

It hasn't done squat in actual combat....so far it's just another one of the Russian boogie man weapons we've managed to hypnotize ourselves with over the last 50 years.

Then, of course, we realize it's junk, just like the Mig-29, 31, 25. Or the once greatly feared T-72, or HIND, etc, etc.

The detection zone for the top dome fcr of the SA-10 should be as limited vs stealth as the rest of the radars out there.

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle, and quick to anger."

One thing to think about, in 10+ years of Northern and Southern Watch over Iraq, no US aircraft were shot down. I think some 400 SAMs were shot at US aircraft over this time period. Says to me that we're doing something right.

no SA-10s in Iraq, and it's our own AF making the HARM claim (yeah I remember the AF and the soviet "bomber gap" that never existed). Actually I feel if an SA-10 shoots down a HARM it's doing US a favor since HARM cant score against a modern netted defence anyway they are just wasting SA-10 missles, I beieve there were hundreds fired in Bosnia and 1 hit, thus the active seeker "Quick bolt" upgrade going on now.

Snipe? what combat has SA-10 seen?

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
<img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/atengun2X.GIF" border=0>

_________________
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

but UAVs are good, they do have drawbacks, computers crash and radio can be jammed. didnt that global hawk crash because of a computer glitch??

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ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US

[quote]
Defenses are getting too good?

Which defenses are those exactly?

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Well the Patriot seems to work well on air breathers. I have read some on SR-71s cruising over Nam. They have claimed up to 1,000 SAMs shot at them. They loved the light show. They can stroke it up to Mach 3.4 plus too.

IMO, the push to UCAVs, it keeps the pilot out of the loop as an actual eye witness to some event.

Seen the claim on the JSF being the last manned fighter and at an estimated 200-300 billion taxbuck program. No doubt the MIC will suck up some profits.

Personally, I don't see taking the human out of the combat loop for the next few generations or so.

Time will tell. The manpower needed to support UAV/UCAVs is still pretty intense.

Moi always thinks of my Windows powered software and the amount of hard boots it requires to keep running, regarding UAVs.

Jack

at leaste 1 of the CIA A-12s came back with missle shrappnel in it's tail, god only knows what the heck they were doing LOLOL
Man will always be in the loop for UCAVs, even if it's just a "shoot-no-shoot" decision.

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
<img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/atengun2X.GIF" border=0>

_________________
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

SA-10 hasn't been fired in anger....at least not that i know of.

Anyway, while it does look good on paper, it has yet to prove squat.

That's my real point here.

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle, and quick to anger."

ok but remember these missles are using a different guidance idea than the older command system

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
<img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/atengun2X.GIF" border=0>

_________________
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Yeah, yeah, call me a skeptic.

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle, and quick to anger."