Forum: Modern Military Aircraft

1) How long does it take to prepare a modern military aircraft to launch into battle? I'm assuming here all the basic conditions are fulfilled - pilots awake and on the premises, fuel and armaments stockpiled in vicinity (as base infrastructure allows) in expectation of a possible conflict.

2) Let's take the heat a notch higher: We are in a very nervous situation, sort of like in lead-up to the final battle of "Top Gun." Wink

(In our conditions that would be: ship drifted deep into North Korean waters, carrier with F-18s gives cover.)
So command requests that a couple of fighters be ready for immediate launch: fuel tanks full, AIM-120s and AIM-9Xs attached, pilots playing cards 30ft from their aircraft in full gear, etc.
So how long can a fighter remain in such a state of readiness? (I know for instance that heat-seeking missiles need to be cooled down before launch and can stay cool only for certain time.)

Of course I realize that answers vary depending on aircraft types, and that accurate numbers are secret, but I'm looking for approximate times and a general list of things that need to be done.

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Forum: Modern Military Aircraft

Aircraft readiness for battle