Police scanners?

some Tomcat squadrons used modified "Fuzz-buster" automotive police radar detectors mounted ad hoc on the pilot's glare shield to detect threats not handled by the ALR-45/50.

To go along with the rifle scopes to PID bogeys.

Gentlemen I salute you!

I hope this is an option on A cat... Like a clicky enable "fuzz buster" and rifle scope option in the options menu. I also want to have an enable mooostache button so I can be an accurate 80's aviator ;).

For that you just need a mustache and a facemask. The looks is less than the feel of whiskers squashed into your skin by an airtight rubber seal. Bonus points for loading the room full of fresh cut onions.

What sort of radars did they pick up that the ALR didn't?

Most police radar guns work(ed) on the X/K/Ka bands. So presumably spot freqs in the 9-10 ~24 and 33-36ish GHZ range where the police radars were... The ALR-45 worked broadband from 2-18ghz. So generally higher frequency band coverage would be the reason for the fuzz busters. Not sure which SAM radars operated on which bands.

Generally speaking here are bands/freqs

L 1 - 2 GHz

S 2 - 4 GHz

C 4 - 8 GHz

X 8 - 12 GHz

Ku 12 - 18 GHz

K 18 - 27 GHz

Ka 27 - 40 GHz

They did this at Tonopah with the Red Eagles as well. The early Mig21's they had either didnt have a radar detector, or it was so mediocre they supplemented it with these. If nothing else, it gave an indication when something was locked onto you.

Blows my mind a pilot with $$$ dollars of training flying a jet worth $$$$$$ dollars defending $$$$$$$$$ dollars aircraft carrier is depending on off the shelf equipment!

Reminds me of the story of NORAD mistaking the rising moon as a soviet ICBM launch, and all that saved us was a Canadian general recalling seeing Gorbachev in Washington on TV that night.

Stories of “duct tape” mods made in field, troops up armour hummvs in theatre with scrap steel, awesome just awesome!

The millennium falcon is probably the most realistic sci fi vehicle.

Nearly every T-38 cross country that comes through the old Williams AFB east of Phoenix (now Mesa-Gateway Airport) sports a Garmin 496 on the glare shield in the rear pit. I presume it's there so the IP can tell just how lost the student actually gets?

Nearly every T-38 cross country that comes through the old Williams AFB east of Phoenix (now Mesa-Gateway Airport) sports a Garmin 496 on the glare shield in the rear pit. I presume it's there so the IP can tell just how lost the student actually gets?

Nah, that's what an iPad mini + Foreflight are for.

That's actually surprising that they'd have that. All of the AETC T-38s are C-variants now which have GPS/INS and an MFD.

Blows my mind a pilot with $$$ dollars of training flying a jet worth $$$$$$ dollars defending $$$$$$$$$ dollars aircraft carrier is depending on off the shelf equipment!

 

Reminds me of the story of NORAD mistaking the rising moon as a soviet ICBM launch, and all that saved us was a Canadian general recalling seeing Gorbachev in Washington on TV that night.

 

Stories of “duct tape” mods made in field, troops up armour hummvs in theatre with scrap steel, awesome just awesome!

The millennium falcon is probably the most realistic sci fi vehicle.

It really shouldn't. These patches are to address new and emerging threats that wasn't a factor at the time the A/C were designed. Aerospace as an industry has a very hard time adapting new components into any certified system ad-hoc. Mainly because its a safety thing and so many systems interact with each other, so you need lots of testing to validate that it doesn't adversely affect operation of the vehicle. You can't pull over mid-air. But that doesn't support in-theater aircraft that need a solutions ASAP. And sometimes its not worth going back and integrating that component into the A/C. Just like cars its not always worth integrating a GPS system in a 1980s car. Easier to stick an external unit on the windshield, or nowadays just a phone holder. Actually I'm amazed that so many drivers with fairly new cars with in-dash gps still have phone holders to navigate, presumably because the software on your phone is just that much more adaptable and up to date, than the car mfg software.

It really shouldn't. These patches are to address new and emerging threats that wasn't a factor at the time the A/C were designed. Aerospace as an industry has a very hard time adapting new components into any certified system ad-hoc. Mainly because its a safety thing and so many systems interact with each other, so you need lots of testing to validate that it doesn't adversely affect operation of the vehicle. You can't pull over mid-air. But that doesn't support in-theater aircraft that need a solutions ASAP. And sometimes its not worth going back and integrating that component into the A/C. Just like cars its not always worth integrating a GPS system in a 1980s car. Easier to stick an external unit on the windshield, or nowadays just a phone holder. Actually I'm amazed that so many drivers with fairly new cars with in-dash gps still have phone holders to navigate, presumably because the software on your phone is just that much more adaptable and up to date, than the car mfg software.

An external sat nav system let's you move it from an old car to a new one, and keeps going when someone is fiddling with the infotainment system to get their phone connected :)

For that you just need a mustache

Wasn't that the entry requirement for getting the Tomcat module in the first place?

Blows my mind a pilot with $$$ dollars of training flying a jet worth $$$$$$ dollars defending $$$$$$$$$ dollars aircraft carrier is depending on off the shelf equipment!

Just like the B-2 drivers bringing their own $7.99 US cot to sleep on in the back of the 'pit...

While we're at it: We need a pencil for those MCs to speed up rewinding

An external sat nav system let's you move it from an old car to a new one, and keeps going when someone is fiddling with the infotainment system to get their phone connected :)

I had not considered that, but then again that's good way for "someone" to loose some digits while I'm driving. :music_whistling: