OAT for RADAR on fighters?

On 19 Jun 2006 07:50:02 -0700, "Don McIntyre" wrote:

While reading through Hans-Heiri Stapfer's "Walk Around MiG-21 Fishbed
Part 1" (Squadron-Signal), he makes mention of a temperature probe
mounted low on the nose on an MiG-21F-13. Why would a radar rangefinder
need to know the OAT?

Dunno about MiGs, but every high performance tactical aircraft I ever
dealt with had an OAT input to the Central Air Data Computer (or
whatever it was called on a particular system.) Air temp is a
component of density and that is a factor that impacts range of a
weapon.

Since dum**** fighter drivers don't like numbers the presentation on
the radar screen would be little lines indicating min and max ranges.
When the radar gets a range, the computer whiz-bang calculates how far
the gizmo can get at the current density altitude.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com