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Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Future of America's Eagles Part II

Image 1: A pair of F-15Cs over Okinawa Japan. Image credit: U.S. Air Force by Master Sgt. Marvin Krause

The Future of America's Eagles Part I

The Raptor was intended to replace the F-15C/D as the principle air superiority platform for the USAF. The cancellation of Raptor production in 2009 ensured the continued service of the Eagle. Despite its immense set of capabilities, a meager 184 Raptors does not come close to fulfilling the USAF's aggregate air superiority needs. The USAF will retain and upgrade 176 F-15C's in an attempt to retain significant air to air capabilities into the future. Although these upgraded F-15Cs do not come close to the Raptor in terms of  air to air capabilities, these heavily modified F-15's will comprise a significant portion of the USAF's total air to air assets in the Pacific. The Pacific will be the heart of America's strategic and economic interests for the next few decades. As such, the Pivot strategy seeks to ensure America's continued hard power influence in the region. Despite what State Department officials might say, the clear intent of the Pivot strategy is to offset China's increased military capabilities. China is a strategic competitor to the United States (China recognizes and has stated this fact itself ). However unlikely a conflict between the two powers is, multiple fighter squadrons (FS) will be placed at China's doorstep to ensure American interests and act as a deterrent. This article will examine the placement of operational Eagle units in the Pacific and their strategic impact on the region.


Image 2: United States airbases in proximity to China. Red aircraft icons represent PLAF bases. Image credit: RAND, 2008.

Fighter aircraft are most effective when land bases are within 500 nautical miles of the area of operations (AO) (RAND, 2008). Kadena is the only USAF base within 500 nautical miles of the Taiwanese strait. Although the Eagle has a combat radius in excess of 1,000 nautical miles, Eagles based at Kadena will have a longer loiter time over the AO in addition to being able to rearm and return to the AO faster due to the close proximity of Kadena when compared to Eagles operating from more distant bases. Kadena is also located in close proximity to the disputed Senkaku Islands / Diaoyudao Islands (located in between Okinawa and Taiwan). If a conflict between the United States and China does occur, forward deployed units at Kadena will likely be the United States' first line of defense.

Due to its aforementioned strategic significance, nearly a third of America's future Eagle fleet (54 aircraft) will be stationed at Kadena AFB. These Eagles will be flown by some of the most lethal pilots in the entire USAF. The 18th operation group at Kadena is comprised of the 44th FS and elite 67th FS which operate 24 Eagles each (Global Security, 2013). The 67th FS has the distinction of earning the highly coveted Raytheon trophy award, the most prestigious award given to fighter squadrons in the USAF.

"Units are graded on air defense and air superiority mission performance; operational mission performance; organizational readiness inspection results; training exercise participation; unit achievements and awards; individual achievements and awards; and unit incentive programs." - USAF, 2012

The following video shows the 67th FS practicing their visual range combat skills. The Raytheon 2012 award video below is, in my opinion, the best F-15 video online and has some excellent mock dogfight footage.



In an air war with China around 2020, the principle adversary of the F-15 will be the J-10, J-11B,  Su-27SK, and the Su-30MKK. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) will only be able to field a few dozen 5th generation J-20 aircraft by 2020 and they will almost certainly have software and post-developmental issues during the first two to three years of deployment (similar to initial Raptors). Of the 4th generation aircraft accessible to the PLAAF, the Su-30MKK is the most capable. The PLAAF received a total of 76 Su-30MMK aircraft between 2000-2003 and the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) received 24 advanced Su-30MK2 aircraft in 2004 (Sinodefense, 2013).


Image 3: PLAAF Su-30MKK. Image retrieved via Sinodefense

Despite its age, the F-15C airframe still delivers excellent maneuverability performance. During training exercises at Nellis, American F-15Cs consistently defeated the more advanced Indian Su-30MKI in visual range engagements. The Indian Su-30MKI Flankers are more advanced than the Su-30MKK variant flown by the the PLAAF. Furthermore, American Aggressor Squadrons routinely replicate the Su-30 during mock combat exercises. The combination of both topnotch visual range combat skills and the upgrades specified in Part I, will ensure that American F-15C pilots will provide an effective air superiority capability to the USAF for decades to come.



Image 3: F-15C at Kadena.


Sources
  1. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/5af.htm
  2. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/18wg.htm
  3. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/67fs.htm 
  4. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/44fs.htm 
  5. http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/fighter/su30.asp 
  6. http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/default.asp
  7. Air Combat Past, Present and Future by RAND, 2008
  8. Modern Millitary Aircraft: Eagle by Lou Drendel, 1992
  9. F-15 Eagle in action by Lou Drendel, 2002
  10. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123290989
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Monday, March 18, 2013

Blog Updates 2013


Image 1: Happy Saint Patrick's day (from North Korea). Clearly bright green camo is best suited to dead grass foliage environments. Apparently North Korean troops do not have basic marksmanship training either. If the intention is to hit a target, one does not generally shoot from the hip (unless its Hollywood). Image retrieved via Reuters 2013: http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTR3F1R9#a=2

I'm pretty busy but here's my agenda:
  • Canada and F-35 Updates: plan to added more information and new proposal options to both parts I and part III. Got a lot of good feedback as a result of F-16.net forums, thanks to those who contributed. Planned additional information includes: UAI, CF-18 life maintenance and life extension possibilities, CF-35 electronic warfare capabilities, and more. I'll post an update once the modifications have been made. 
  • New Articles in progress: The Future of America's Eagles Part II, The Uncertain Future of America's Raptors Part I, The Future of America's Strike Eagles
  • Planned Articles: What would an American Strike on Iran Accomplish?; America's Next Generation Bomber Part II (LSRB); The State of the NATO Alliance; The Importance of C4ISR; What Would a War Between The US And China Look Like? - analysis of air and sea assets
As always, let me know if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns in the comments.

Blog Articles by Topic 

Sorry about the North Korean silliness. I'll be more professional in the future (probably).

North Korean Air Force propaganda video: (gotta love the translations!)






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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Future of America's Eagles Part I


Image 1: USAF F-15C. Image Credit: USAF

This article is a continuation of the future of the USAF article series. USAF plans for the F-15C will be examined.

The F-15 was envisioned to be the ultimate purebred dogfighter with the following as its design emphasis: "not a pound air to ground". The F-15A defined the characteristics of an entire generation of subsequent fighter aircraft: high maneuverability, powerful radar, and large air to air missile load.The first F-15A Eagles were delivered to the USAF nearly forty years ago. Since its deployment, the F-15 has earned a global reputation as one of the most successful fighter designs in history. The F-15 maintains the highest kill ratio of any fighter aircraft in history, 104-0 (Source 1). Despite the development and procurement of 5th generation aircraft like the F-22 and F-35, the venerable fourth generation F-15C will remain in service with the USAF until at least 2030. A core of 176 F-15C's will undergo an extensive $3 billion dollar upgrade program. A series of comprehensive structural upgrades will allow the F-15C's airframes to remain viable until 18,000 flight hours have been reached (Source 2). Other planned upgrades for the F-15C include APG-63(V)3 radar, improved electronic countermeasures, minimal drag infrared search and track (IRST) pod, mode 5 IFF, Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II, improved data link capability, improved data sharing, satellite communications (SATCOM) radio, and Sniper targeting pod integration (Source 3 & 4). These upgrades and the added capabilities will be discussed in this article (Part I). Following the discussion of these upgrades, the important role of the F-15C will be discussed in regards to America's pivot to the Pacific (Part II).

UPGRADES 

Structural 

Image 2: Planned structural upgrade program during  programmed depot maintenance (PDM). Image credit: Major Richard Van Slyke & Russell Ewan (Source 6).   

The USAF plans to add an additional 6,000 service hours to the 12,000 hour rated F-15C airframe. These upgrades are desperately need if the USAF realistically desires to continually operate the F-15C past its original 9,000 service hour certification. Boeing will extend the life of 176 F-15C's as demonstrated by the image above. Areas of the airframe that tend to experience high structural stress, such as the wing, will be either replaced or strengthened to insure structural integrity during high g maneuvers. Structural fatigue testing of the new components should be completed by 2014 (Source 12). 

Radar


Image 3: AN/APG-63(V)3 radar. Image credit: Ratheyon

The AN/APG-63(V)3 is a 1,500 element actively scanned electronic array (AESA). The APG-63(V)3 represents a significant increase in capabilities for the F-15C. Added benefits from the APG-63(V)3 include: greatly increased maximum detection range, improved reliability over previous generation electronically scanned arrays (ESA), improved target tracking, and electronic warfare capabilities (Source 4). The addition of an AESA array will also keep the F-15C competitive against the newer generation of Russian Flanker designs which feature either a highly upgraded ESA radar or an AESA radar. Furthermore, the addition of the APG-63(V)3 will greatly aid Eagle pilots detect low observable targets such as the J-20 (Source 4). The USAF plans to equip 150 Eagles with the APG-63(V)3 (Source 20).

Although the F-15C is set to receive a number of sensor and radar upgrades, the Cold War era cockpit remains an issue for pilots. Dave Munjumar reported that F-15 pilots will not be able to take full advantage of their new avionics with their old cockpit interface (shown below).


"You have these phenomenal subsystems, but if you can't provide [sensor data] in a meaningful way to the operator, it doesn't matter." - former Eagle pilot, source 2


The 53rd Test and Evaluation Group is currently testing the addition of two modern liquid crystal displays in the F-15 cockpit. These changes are sorely needed (e.g. current radar display is a four by four inch screen). 



IRST


Image 5: F-15C with Lockheed Martin SpectIR pod mounted on station 5. Image retrieved via Defense Industry Daily

The USAF plans to acquire 100 IRST pods for its F-15C fleet beginning in 2015. The new IRST pod for the F-15C will likely be an evolved form of the Lockheed Martin built Tiger Eyes IRST system supplied to Korean F-15K's. The SpectIR pod shown above is an Lockheed financed development project to fulfill the USAF's F-15C IRST requirement. The SpectIR pod is also compatible with the F-16 and F-18 (Source 17). Despite its placement on the lower fuselage, the SpectIR pod is capable of looking up 5 degrees.

The addition of a low drag IRST system to the F-15 is vital. As I've mentioned before, both the Russian and Chinese stealth fighter designs lack IR signature reduction engine nozzles. The inclusion of  SpectIR will aid Eagle pilots in visual range engagements with 5th generation opponents. The Eagle is already capable of employing off-boresight missiles (e.g. AIM-9X) and features the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). Furthermore  the addition of an IRST will also aid the F-15 detect incoming missile threats.

Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS)

 The Northrup Grumman built Eagle/Passive Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) grants the Eagle significantly increased survivability against missile threats. Without stealth, Eagle pilots will have to rely upon EPAWSS in conjunction with traditional missile defeating maneuvers to survive in a high threat environment. Before the inclusion of EPAWSS, the  F-15 electronic counter measure system was comprised of three 1980s era systems.

"The aircraft now rely on three ageing systems for self-defence - the ALR-56C radar warning receiver, ALQ-135 jammer and ALE-45 countermeasures dispenser." - Stephen Trimble

EPAWSS requirements can be found here.

Continue to Part II 


Sources


  1. http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/February%202008/0208reformers.aspx  
  2. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-plans-f-15-modernization-but-pilots-want-better-displays-375612/ 
  3. http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/10/air-force-f-15-upgrades-aim-double-service-life-102912w/ 
  4. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-may-convert-some-f-15cs-to-radar-jammers-340532/
  5. http://www.wrcoc-aic.org/archive/rs/rs09/rs09_03.pdf 
  6. http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR528.html 
  7. https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=578b5e3200c1a48922a9449c15a3bc25&tab=core&_cview=0
  8. http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsusaf-likely-to-modernise-its-f-15c-and-f-15e-fleets
  9. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/singapores-rsaf-decides-to-fly-like-an-eagle-01141/
  10. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-investigating-new-displays-for-f-15c-eagle-383308/
  11. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2011/11/32000-hour-f-15.html 
  12. https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=adf7dcdf27ab12fb1780405de8fa2f8f&tab=core&_cview=1
  13. http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/EPAWSS/Pages/default.aspx
  14. http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2013/AirForce/stamped/0207134F_7_PB_2013.pdf
  15. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/InfraredSearchTrack.html
  16. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/f-18-super-hornets-to-get-irst-03429/
  17. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-adds-irst-pod-for-f-15s-332380/
  18. http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/f-15cd-eagle-upgrades-are-a-moving-target/
  19. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123290989

Image 6: F-15C from the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. Image Credit: USAF 
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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

News: F-35 Rear Visibility Issues


A leaked DOD Directorate of Operational Test and Evaluation report stated major new issues with the CTOL F-35A. A major issue the report cites is a lack of rear visibility.

"All four student pilots commented on the out-of-cockpit visibility of the F-35, an issue which not only adversely affects training, but safety and survivability as well. One rated the degree to which the visibility deficiencies impeded or degraded training effectiveness as 'Moderate;' the other three rated it as 'High' or 'Very High.' The majority of responses cited poor visibility; the ejection seat headrest and the canopy bow were identified as causal factors. 'High glare shield' and the HMD cable were also cited as sources of the problem. Of these, only the HMD cable has the potential to be readily redesigned. In three cases, student pilots explicitly cited visibility-related impacts that could be directly applicable to the Block 1A syllabus (a largely benign visual search environment); several other implicitly did so. One student pilot commented, 'Difficult to see [other aircraft in the visual traffic] pattern due to canopy bow.' Another stated, 'Staying visual with wingman during tactical formation maneuvering a little tougher than legacy due to reduced rearward visibility from cockpit.' - Operational Test and Evaluation Report, 2013

While avionic systems (e.g. DAS & HMD) will mitigate the effects of low rear visibility, the inclusion of both a conventional bubble canopy design and situational awareness enhancing avionics is preferable. Ensuring that the pilot has good visibility has been a mainstay of good fighter design for decades. The F-35 still has a lot of design changes (particularly software) to undergo but the lack of rear visibility will likely persist. Its odd this design oversight hasn't been mentioned prior to this report considering its presumably been part of the JSF design for a while. While this development is certainly a major concern, it is not worth cancelling the entire program over it.

As a side note, its important to bear in mind these reports are supposed to be hard on the evaluated aircraft.  A problem must not be sugar coated so that the necessary action is taken to remediate the issue. Immature designs always have issues that have to be ironed out over time. The software issues mentioned by the report will likely be fixed given enough time in a similar manner as the F-22's initial software problems. Its also important to note these are new pilots, arguably test pilots have a better understanding of the limitations of the aircraft (spazsinbad, 2013). Furthermore, not all the complaints among the new pilots were unanimous e.g. touch screen interface issues (Defense News, 2013).


Sources

  1. http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130306/DEFREG02/303060011/F-35-Report-Warns-Visibility-Risks-Other-Dangers?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
  2. http://www.pogo.org/blog/2013/03/20130306-air-forces-f-35a-not-ready-for-combat.html
  3. http://theaviationist.com/2013/03/07/f-35-visibility/
  4. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/6/report-super-fighter-will-get-pilots-shot-down/
  5. http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=23118&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15&sid=2f758d75517e434618d7de85aa255247

Image 2: F-35A cockpit (image credit: Darin Russell, retrieved via Code One)

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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Blog Articles by Topic AUG 2015

Given the poor quality of Blogger's drop down menu, a supplemental article index by topic is necessary. If there is something specific you'd like to search for, please use the search bar below the viewer count.


F-35

News: F-35 Rear Visibility Issues 

F-X & F/A-XX - Sixth Generation Fighter Aircraft 

America's Sixth Generation Fighters: The F-X and F/A-XX - I
America's Sixth Generation Fighters: The F-X and F/A-XX - II
America's Sixth Generation Fighters: The F-X and F/A-XX - III
America's Sixth Generation Fighters: The F-X and F/A-XX - IV Works Cited
Japan's Domestic Stealth Fighter Ambitions - Assessment of the Proposed F-3

Fighter Aircraft Employment Doctrines 

 Divergent Thinking: How Best to Employ Fighter Aircraft
Divergent Thinking: How Best to Employ Fighter Aircraft - The American Approach Part I
Divergent Thinking: How Best to Employ Fighter Aircraft - The American Approach Part II
The American Approach Part III: Future TTP - Network Centric Warfare & Cyber weapons
The Importance of Aggressor Training Part I
The Importance of Aggressor Training Part II
The Future of 4th Generation Aircraft in the 21st Century

F-15 Silent Eagle


Foreign Stealth Aircraft

 Threat Analysis of Foreign Stealth Fighters Part I: Chengdu J-20
Threat Analysis of Foreign Stealth Fighters Part II: Sukhoi PAK FA
Threat Analysis of Foreign Stealth Fighters III: Emerging Threats (Announcement)
J-31 Preliminary Report Part I

Opinion

 Deal or No Deal - The Case for Diplomacy with Iran Part I
Deal or No Deal: The Case for Diplomacy with Iran Part II - Assuaging Gulf Allies & Bolstering Regional Deterrence
Opinion - Syria: A No Win Situation for the United States?
What Would an Israeli Strike on Iran Accomplish? Part I
Rising Fighter Aircraft Costs
Oversized: Russia's Obsession with Massive Military Equipment
The Future of the USAF
The Future of America's Eagles Part I 
The Future of America's Eagles Part II
F/A-XX 6th Generation Aircraft
Black Widow vs. Raptor: Did the USAF Choose the Wrong Jet?
Red Flag 2012: Did the Raptor Seriously Just Get Owned?
X-47B Carrier Takeoff

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Importance of Aggressor Training Part II


Image 1: Aggressor F-16

Continued from part I. (current Red Flag discussed, importance of Red Flag & Aggressor training into the future discussed)

Although Red Flag was originally developed to re-institute dogfighting skills among USAF pilots, it has become much more comprehensive. Current Red Flag exercises encompass surface to air threats, air to ground strike missions, space warfare and information warfare elements (e.g. electronic based attacks to GPS and cyber threats). The addition of these new elements will be critical to future conventional conflicts. The United States Military is heavily reliant on space based assets. The disruption and destruction of space based assets is a very real threat U.S forces will encounter in future large scale conventional wars.

Electronic warfare can be carried out through the use off-the shelf technology at low cost. For example, denying the use of the Global Positioning System is a fairly easy task to accomplish but would greatly diminish the effectiveness of many precision guided munitions (PGUs), navigation, and drone control. In 2011 North Korea jammed GPS signals along the border during the Operation Key Resolve, a joint South Korean - American military exercise (Source 1). GPS jamming and other simple electronic warfare tactics enable a less sophisticated force to more easily engage a higher tech. force. Preparing American and allied forces with the skills necessary to overcome electronic based attacks is imperative. To that end, the 26th and 527th Space Aggressor Squadrons replicate attacks to Blue space based assets at Red Flag. Dave Majumdar explains:

"During the present day Red Flag exercises, Toth explains that the Space Aggressor units simulate threats against Blue Force space based communications and navigation systems by jamming Global Positioning Systems (GPS) signals, satellite communications (SATCOM), and a host of radio signals."

Information and cyber warfare have become increasingly important aspects of training at Red Flag Nellis. The 57th and 117th Information Aggressor Squadrons launch cyber attacks on U.S facilities to prepare trainees for cyber attacks and test vulnerabilities of U.S bases. The combination of the information aggressors and space aggressors is a realistic threat environment.

"...the Information Aggressors simulate attacks on Blue Force computer networks and information systems. At the same time the 57th and 177th Information Aggressor Squadrons (57th and 177th IAS) might attempt to infiltrate Blue Force bases- including their dorms- to search for intelligence useful to the Aggressors during the simulated war. Combined with the aerial Aggressors flying the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters, these Aggressor forces mount a coordinated offensive against the Blue Force during exercises...
Similarly, in order to replicate the very real danger of computer network infiltration attacks the 57th and 177th Information Aggressor Squadrons stage elaborate attacks on various USAF installations in order to test their defenses...Toth said that due to the serious nature of the threat, the simulated attacks have to be very realistic. The bases that are subject to a simulated network attack by the Aggressors are not given any prior warning, Toth stated. He added that only a few seniors officer are given prior notice of these 'stimulation exercises' in order to ensure that the Aggressors tactics are not mistaken for an actual attack on the USAF network." - . Dave Majumdar


Image 2: F-35

Red Flag will continue to play an important role in preparing U.S pilots for war. F-35 pilots in particular must learn how to exploit the capabilities of their aircraft to their advantage. It is imperative tactics are developed to most effectively utilize the stronger aspects of the F-35's maneuverability characteristics (e.g. good transonic acceleration and high AOA) while avoiding maneuvers that would play to an opponents advantage (e.g. F-35 has comparatively poor turning radius).

The USAF must also learn to effectively operate a mix of both older 4th generation aircraft in conjunction with its newer 5th generation aircraft. Hundreds of F-16's and F-15's will remain in service until at least 2030. For example, compatibility issues with communication systems and data transfers remain problematic.  Test and evaluation squadrons will likely experiment with mixed generation force tactics.

Since the start of Red Flag, the United States has yet to face a adversary with pilot training on par with its own. It is probable that within 10-15 years United States might not be able to take its training advantage for granted. In addition to rapidly upgrading the quality of its aircraft, China has also instituted a number of initiatives to increase the quality of its pilots. Around 1999 Chinese pilots logged an average of 100 flight hours per year. Chinese pilots now fly well over 100 hours per year and advanced fighter aircraft are flown close to 200 hours per year (RAND, 2011). In comparison  USAF pilots regularly fly between 250 to 300 hours per year (Source 16).

"Based on recent trends, these changes are likely to accelerate in the future, so that, within another decade, the capabilities of China’s air force could begin to approach those of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) today. USAF capabilities will continue to improve as well, of course, so that it will still enjoy a significant qualitative advantage, but a conflict with China might not be the lopsided contest it likely would have been in the late 1990s." - RAND 2011

China has also improved the quality and scale of aerial combat exercises. China's Red Sword / Blue Sword combat exercises involved 14 combat regiments. The exercise is closely modeled after Red Flag and makes use of aggressor aircraft (Axe, 2013). Evidence of the PLAAF's increasing professionalism can be found in ordinary Taiwan strait intercepts.

"In 2008, PLAAF made over 1700 flights to but not past the middle line of the Taiwan straits. RF-16 used to occasionally go past middle line to get more intelligence on PLA installations, but is now getting locked on before even getting there. In some cases, PLAAF takes off in response before RF-16 even does so. It shows improved reaction time and professionalism in PLAAF." - Feng, 2011

It is paramount that the United States continues to fund and maintain training exercises like Red Flag to ensure a qualitative advantage. Current Aggressors under represent the threat USAF pilots will face.

"Right now, when an aggressor F-16 is replicating an enemy fighter like a Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker, it does not have an onboard system to simulate a weapon like the Vympel R-73 (NATO: AA-11 Archer). 'We do not have an IR [infrared] weapon on the aircraft that is similar to an Archer,' Barker says. 'So the F-16 pilot will use visual references that he has memorized to determine when the adversary airplane is in range and within the appropriate look angle.' Using the current configuration, there is no electronic system that tells the aggressor pilot if he is within the correct parameters for a valid missile shot. The shots have to be reviewed on the ground to ensure they are valid--even if they are called in real time during the training sortie. But the current system does not work well. 'Without a helmet--or at least a 9X CATM [Captive Air Training Missile]--the pilots have to basically spit-ball the threat WEZ and it is highly inaccurate,' one highly experienced USAF pilot says, 'So inaccurate that the feedback for training is useless most of the time.'' - Dave Majumdar




Image 3: Red / Blue Sword exercise with J-10

Sources 

  1. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/north-korea-jams-gps-in-war-game-retaliation/
  2. http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/05/north-korea-pumps-up-the-gps-jamming-in-week-long-attack/
  3. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-seeks-information-on-connecting-4th-and-5th-gen-fighters-382396/
  4. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/06/darpa-gps/
  5. http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/02/23/air-force-retrains-pilots-confront-high-tech-enemy/8ZSwUe4IPREnLgDcxQqjRJ/story.html
  6. http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:1253fb8a-3b45-4f68-b273-fff9b8f2f73d
  7. http://www.pixel-moments.de/8.html
  8. http://www.examiner.com/article/the-aggressors-someone-has-to-play-the-bad-guy-part-one
  9. http://www.examiner.com/article/the-aggressors-someone-has-to-play-the-bad-guy-part-two
  10. http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/12/airforce_aggressors_121309/
  11. http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/f-15-eagles-were-the-deadliest-birds-of-desert-storm/
  12. http://www.eielson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123102438
  13. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/4311433
  14. http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2000/November%202000/1100flag.aspx
  15. http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG915.pdf
  16. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-16-life.htm
  17. http://www.informationdissemination.net/2011/08/evolution-of-plaaf-doctrinetraining.html
  18. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/02/china-mock-air-war/all/
  19. http://www.offiziere.ch/?p=10556
  20. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-air-force-hopes-to-upgrade-aggressor-f-16s-381625/
  21. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/01/upgrading-the-aggressors.html
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