A-10 pilots should have an edge next time they go downrange

[unhappycamper]

1st Lt. Stephen Bowen, with the 81st Fighter Squadron out of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, shows a new targeting pod attached to the wing of an A-10 Tuesday. By the time the unit deploys early next year, commanders hope all 18 of the unit's A-10 aircraft will be equipped with the new technology.


A-10 pilots should have an edge next time they go downrange
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, November 22, 2007

SPANGDAHLEM, Germany – Tracking and pursuing enemy forces on the ground should be easier for A-10 pilots with the 81st Fighter Squadron when they go downrange early next year.

By the time they deploy, leaders hope the unit’s 18 aircraft will be outfitted with new targeting systems. Three already have been installed with six more on the way.

The technology allows pilots to deploy laser-guided munitions, pursue moving targets at night with infrared imaging and stabilize points on the ground while maneuvering. The information is routed from a targeting pod attached under the wing to a monitor in the one-man cockpit. Ground forces also have access to the images coming from the plane.

“It’s like a super-powered binocular,” said 1st Lt. Stephen Bowen, who will be deploying for the first time with the unit. It is still unknown where the squadron will be sent.

But Bowen and the other pilots are learning to use the new systems with caution.

It’s apparently easy to get caught up watching the tracking screen, jokingly referred to as the “drool cup.” So pilots are learning to strike a balance between using the targeting system and their tried-and-true technique of simply looking out the window.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50453



uhc comment: Like Hog pilots need another edge when strafing 'insurgents' with 30MM depleted uranium ammo.