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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!wanttaja
From: wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: warplanes (arming AWACS)
Message-ID: <471@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 2-Mar-85 13:29:14 EST
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.471
Posted: Sat Mar  2 13:29:14 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Mar-85 20:14:15 EST
References: <750@amdcad.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, WA
Lines: 24

> Seems like everyone here wants to talk about improving their flying
> technique. Does anyone want to talk about warplanes and dogfights
> and such? Questions like, wouldn't an AWACS with a bunch of Phoenixes
> (which are reputed to have a range of 100 miles) be able to control
> the sky even against F15s?

Odd you should mention that.  I saw some of the output from an unclassified
study, here at Boeing, where an armed AWACS 747SP was examined as a fleet
defense aircraft.  It had an AWACS rotodome on top, and two rotating
missile launchers (a la bomb bay in B-1) mounted internally fore and aft,
each with 18 Phoenix missiles.  This would give it the firepower of six
F-14s, in a mission where maneuverability is not critical (although what
it would do agains Libyan SU-22s is anyone's guess :-)   ).  Never saw
any of the data that resulted from the study, just happened upon an extra
drawing  on someone's desk and asked about it.  The folks at the
commercial aircraft division just love it when we at BAC come up with 
another use for their aircraft... witness the mini-shuttle air-launched from
a 747, etc...

				    Ron Wanttaja
				    (ssc-vax!wanttaja)

"Faith, sir, 'tis true... you have the looks and manners of 
 a hangman..."