Page 15 - Tron Warfare.pages

The P-61 “Black Widow” was an early attempt to put radar on a night fighter, and the
Germans tried a rocket plane against B-17 formations. The Italians Germans, Brits and,
ultimately, Americans experimented with early jet engines. The German ME-262
changed the dynamics of combat. Although, the Germans employed it in an inefficient
manner in following Hitler’s call for it to be committed to an air to ground role.

After WWII, the jet engines started the same dynamic seen in the prop years –improved
airframe system performance by improving speed, range and maneuverability.

But two new dynamics were added both related to “payload.”

For a fighter in WWII, the “payload” was simple –what caliber and how many machine
guns or cannons fit the design to give the pilot enough “deadly bursts” to kill several of
his opponents.

In the jet age, the complexities of adding airborne systems and improving the weapons
carried, changed the technology vectors of design considerations and introduced two
more synergistic, but relatively independent research and development paths.

Airborne radar and sensors were added to fighters and those systems helped the pay-
load—guns and early IR fire and forget missiles became more efficient with the AIM 9
sidewinder series.

But then, concurrently, independent performance was put into the payload by improv-
ing missiles and linking long-range (BVR) missile shots to radar technology. At first,
radar guided missiles needed continuous guidance from the fighter but eventually even
radar guided missiles became BVR self-contained “fire and forget.”

So unlike WWII research and development, where research on airframes and engines
was the mantra, in the jet age there were two other huge design factors at work.

The first was always questing to improve the radar systems in the fighters and, second-
ly, as technology allowed independent designs could improve the weapons carried. Yet
again, the art of aeronautical design had to work in partnership with the science of mili-
tary R&D.

Second Line of Defense December 2014

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