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Fighter jets crashes in Pacific off Hawaii coast


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3 hours ago, Whiskey said:

This article didn't state what it was however follow up ones said it was a contracted Hawker Hunter as @GreyGhost pointed out. 

Pilot was hurt but is alive.  

 

Out of curiosity, what benefit do we get from using subsonic, 65 year old aircraft as adversaries?   I know it’s a much more economical solution, vrs using front line jets but unless we are planning on invading Albania, how does a Hawker Hunter (or for that matter a SAAB Draken, A-4 or T-38) provide truly beneficial adversary training?  

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1 hour ago, 11bee said:

Pilot was hurt but is alive.  

 

Out of curiosity, what benefit do we get from using subsonic, 65 year old aircraft as adversaries?   I know it’s a much more economical solution, vrs using front line jets but unless we are planning on invading Albania, how does a Hawker Hunter (or for that matter a SAAB Draken, A-4 or T-38) provide truly beneficial adversary training?  

 

From what I understood is that they being used to imitate adversary ECM aircraft.

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Note last part of this from Popular Mechanics article, ". They’re also used to augment U.S. military jets flying in the aggressor role, provide close air support in exercises, and even simulate incoming cruise missiles."

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a25574604/hawker-hunter-crash-hawaii/

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14 hours ago, southwestforests said:

 even simulate incoming cruise missiles."

 

 

That's all well and good if the USN is still trying to figure out how to defend against large, non-stealthy, non-agile, subsonic cruise missiles like the ones back in the 60's.  How fast is a Hawker Hunter at sea level?  

 

Given that most our potential adversaries are using supersonic (some are even claimed to be hypersonic), agile anti-ship missiles, I just wonder how beneficial the training is using an aircraft like this as a cruise missile surrogate. 

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48 minutes ago, 11bee said:

 

That's all well and good if the USN is still trying to figure out how to defend against large, non-stealthy, non-agile, subsonic cruise missiles like the ones back in the 60's.  How fast is a Hawker Hunter at sea level?  

 

Given that most our potential adversaries are using supersonic (some are even claimed to be hypersonic), agile anti-ship missiles, it makes me wonder if we are still trying to figure out how to win the last war, not the next one. 

 

Yeah, we have a whole lot of hypersonic aircraft laying around to simulate cruise missiles of that velocity.

The Hunter was most likely being utilized in an EW role.

 

-Gregg

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23 minutes ago, GreyGhost said:

 

Yeah, we have a whole lot of hypersonic aircraft laying around to simulate cruise missiles of that velocity.

 

Thanks Gregg, I'm aware of that fact.  Would hope the Navy has some supersonic missiles or RPV's available to provide their air-defense crews with at least a somewhat challenging  training scenario.  

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On 12/13/2018 at 12:55 PM, 11bee said:

Pilot was hurt but is alive.  

 

Out of curiosity, what benefit do we get from using subsonic, 65 year old aircraft as adversaries?   I know it’s a much more economical solution, vrs using front line jets but unless we are planning on invading Albania, how does a Hawker Hunter (or for that matter a SAAB Draken, A-4 or T-38) provide truly beneficial adversary training?  

 

Cheaper, they can fly different profiles such as that of a cruise missile.

 

It free’s up front line fighters to conduct their own DACT. I know the pilots in my Hornet squadron didn’t like flying cruise missile profiles, they preferred the more challenging training missions.

 

A high school friend of mine and former squadron mate brought the Hunters to North America. As far as I know, he is no longer involved or part owner of the Hunters. He returned to the Middle East to train pilots there.

 

I didn’t know this pilot, although I know many of the pilots flying Hunters, A-4s,and Alpha jets as adversaries and ECM jets as private contracts now. Hopefully the pilot will be OK, he underwent surgery today. Sounds like he had compression injuries from the ejection.

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