True, but a manned plane wouldn't be doing 80 knots

Current Events » in reply to A lot more disposable than a human pilot would be...

Larry J — 9/25/2001 5:32:40 PM (archived)

We got rid of our O-1 Bird dogs during Vietnam. Today, the Air Force uses OA-10s for the FAC mission and recon pods on F-16s for faster missions. Not only can an OA-10 absorb a lot of punishment, it can shoot back with deadly effectiveness.

The Predator was designed for moderate altitudes, up to 25,000 feet, and long loiter time. It's proving very vulnerable to ground fire, so more capable UAVs like the Global Hawk might be required to do the job.

The whole thread (8 posts)

'Disposa-Planes' Groomed for War . . . - D. Spires - 9/25/2001 3:26:21 PM
- At over $2 million each, I hardly consider them disposable - Larry J - 9/25/2001 3:34:30 PM
  - A lot more disposable than a human pilot would be... - Tom Brosz - 9/25/2001 5:22:46 PM
    - True, but a manned plane wouldn't be doing 80 knots - Larry J - 9/25/2001 5:32:40 PM
      - Re: True, but a manned plane wouldn't be doing 80 knots - Tom Brosz - 9/25/2001 5:44:06 PM
- Re: 'Disposa-Planes' Groomed for War . . . - SDAI-Tech1 - 9/25/2001 11:43:42 AM
  - Re: Unless there's data . . . - D. Spires - 9/25/2001 12:04:52 PM
    - Re: Unless there's data . . . - SDAI-Tech1 - 9/25/2001 1:26:08 PM

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