Forum: Technology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LouqEIBLTzU

Anybody know if this went anywhere? (Starts about 6 minutes in.)

I remember sitting in an MSIP meeting around this time where the presentation was an interconnect between FLCS and FCS. There were some "twisty" ladder displays on the HUD and a switch that DISCONNECTED the FLCS from FCS (the default was to have them coupled). There were several Viper pilots in attendance and the response from all of them was no.

"No" as in they didn't want it or "no" that it never got implemented?

The wingless bomber at 03:22 looked interesting. Lifting body maybe?

Fisk, the non-wings-level A-G delivery was tried several times on F-16XL in 1982, using the standard CCIP mode. It worked fine. Those were Mk-82 dumb bombs. The fire control computer was not coupled into flight controls. Later, in 1985, AFTI F-16 successfully demonstrated automatic tracking of air to air targets, with simulated gun firing at the proper time. The pilot simply designated the target and became an observer to all the maneuvering, meanwhile depressing the trigger so the gun would fire at the proper time. Another AFTI trick was automated ground attack. Here again, the pilot would designate the target and hang on. The airplane would roll inverted, and pull hard toward the ground. Based on the all-aspect radar altimeter, it would then roll out and fly a turning flight path into the target, releasing the bombs at the right time. Again, it worked fine.

I wouldn't say the pilots were initially overjoyed to fly those missions, but starting high and gradually going to lower altitudes, they gained confidence in the system until it became almost routine. Doing something like that in a rigidly monitored and controlled flight test is much different from operational use. I don't blame operational pilots for not wanting it, as it is their butt on the line, not the engineer. Fortunately, smart bombs have made all that unnecessary.

Not wanting the computer to completely fly the airplane must be universal. In 1990, we had developed an automatic maneuvering system for the Taiwan IDF fighter flight test. It would fly perfect roll maneuvers, at any g level, time after time. The purpose was to get better test data and eliminate the need to repeat maneuvers due to incorrect stick inputs. Normally around 50% of the rolls had to be repeated. The pilots campaigned hard against the system, but eventually agreed to try it. It worked perfectly of course. Before the test program ended, several pilots told me we should have programmed all the maneuvers, not just rolls.