henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (07/24/89)
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) >... just imagine the glee of the Libyans had they shot down a >B-2. Could the Air Force afford to take a chance on this? This is a generic problem with first-line air forces fighting minor wars, in fact: if they use their best equipment, they risk having it fall into enemy hands in a relatively unimportant war, jeopardizing its potential use in more crucial conflicts. As I recall, USAF aircraft in Vietnam deliberately did *not* carry the then-latest IFF systems for this reason. Of course, this means that the poor guys who actually have to *fight* said minor war are fighting with one foot in a bucket... Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
bash@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (thomas.w.basham) (07/26/89)
From: bash@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (thomas.w.basham) >From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) >>... just imagine the glee of the Libyans had they shot down a >>B-2. Could the Air Force afford to take a chance on this? >This is a generic problem with first-line air forces fighting minor wars, >in fact: if they use their best equipment, they risk having it fall into >enemy hands in a relatively unimportant war, jeopardizing its potential >use in more crucial conflicts. As I recall, USAF aircraft in Vietnam >deliberately did *not* carry the then-latest IFF systems for this reason. Wasn't the government originally reluctant to supply the Afghani rebels with Stinger missiles for this reason, then learned that the Soviets already had obtained classified info on these? I've also read (I believe it was in the giant book, "The Great Book of Modern Warplanes") that equippment scavenged from the wreckage of F-4's shot down in Viet Nam contributed greatly to modern Soviet radar technology. This was probably speculation--I doubt the Soviets would admit to it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tom Basham AT&T Bell Laboratories (312) 979-6336 att!ihlpb!bash bash@ihlpb.ATT.COM If you can't beat 'em, infiltrate and bash@cbnewsd.ATT.COM destroy them from within. -- Tom Basham AT&T Bell Laboratories (312) 979-6336 att!ihlpb!bash bash@ihlpb.ATT.COM If you can't beat 'em, infiltrate and bash@cbnewsd.ATT.COM destroy them from within.