Re: [GZG] [OFFICIAL] Question: was Re: [SG3]: What if?

On Feb 7, 2008 1:23 PM, Binhan Lin <binhan.lin@gmail.com> wrote:
> Airspeeds of a WWI aircraft are well into the range of modern
helicopters,
> and the general consensus is that helicopters are easy pickings for
modern
> jets.

And this all begs a question: what's the tactical or strategic reason
for engaging the WWI aircraft in the first place?

The biplane can't do a thing, essentially, to the Raptor. The Raptor
can drop anti-personnel and anti-fortification munitions on troops
with pinpoint accuracy, at least compared to WWI artillery standards.

The point I'm making is that whether or not a Raptor is the best
weapons platform for taking out biplanes is moot. For that matter,
with modern smart weapons you don't even need Raptors to be effective
against a WWI technology. Use something old, like a B-52, with modern
munitions. You can let the biplanes fly all you want while you take
out the ground troops at altitudes and/or speeds the biplanes can't
touch. Only part of your force needs to be truly advanced.

> Technology will force human action
> to higher and higher levels of decision making - the minutae will be
handled
> by computers, so issues such a communication lag, communication loss
etc.
> are moot - the computer knows what it needs to do and will do it, it
doesn't
> need to be micromanaged.

Funny enough, that's the same thing I was arguing on this list a
decade ago. At the time, most list members argued against it, partly
because they like the sci-fi idea of humans in the cockpit, but there
was all sorts of touchy-feely "humans are special" and "computers are
predictable" comments, too.

I think we're seeing a sea change. You can't deny the fact that UAVs
have made an important impact. Regardless of whether or not they are
about the same price, or size as a manned aircraft, there is one very
important factor: there is no pilot at risk in a UAV! This has a huge
impact. UAV pilots actually learn from mistakes that would have been
fatal in an aircraft.  The physical requirements of a UAV pilot aren't
as great as an aircraft. (Besides the fact that a UAV pilot doesn't
have to be in such top shape that he can survive an 8g turn without
passing out, you don't have to turn down a UAV pilot because he's 6'
7", 250 lbs.) If a UAV is downed, you don't have to send in a recovery
team, nor does your opponent gain a political benefit from parading
airmen before cameras. I'd love to see a study on the morale of troops
attacked by unmanned vehicles.

-- 
Allan Goodall		 http://www.hyperbear.com
agoodall@hyperbear.com
awgoodall@gmail.com

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