Best dogfight gun?

I have been setting up some scenaries with the LO-MAC "Lock On- Modern
Air
Combat" Sim/Game,
involving A-10s vs Su27/33, and it often is not too pretty for the Su's
in
a
head on merge..The A-10s gun does a good job of reaching out and
touching
someone But if the Su survives that, then the A-10 is at a bad
disadvantage.

I have to get that game myself, but it brings up an important point.
What are the avionics behind the gun? I'd imagine that an A-10 would lack
an accurate a-a mode for aiming its gun. The same thing applies to the
other guns mentioned in the debate. A gun's merits are important, but
they
don't mean squat if it's impossible to hit anything with it! The
laser-rangefinders on the latest Russian jets (e.g., Su-27 series, Mig-29
too I believe) stand out as an excellent example of using superior
avionics
to make a gun more effective. Anything similar on the Rafale, Grippen,
Raptor?

Superior avionics do not make a superior pilot.

The A-10 uses three different A-A sights, and these sights use pilot inputs
of enemy aircraft airspeed, wingspan, and fuselage length. These inputs are
usually set up pre-mission (they can be set in the air as well, just
time-consuming) and the pilot can cycle through the presets in flight. All
three sights are displayed on the HUD at the same time.

The reason for the three different sights is the required lead isn't
computed by a radar, so depending on aspect (simplified definition:
difference in fuselage alignment between the two aircraft) the pilot must
choose the proper sight to use. It just so happens that if the A-10 pilot
is pulling the proper lead, and is 'in plane' with the target (two of the
three requirements for a gunshot to work), then the proper sight picture
usually develops and the high-aspect and medium-aspect sights will line up
over the target (those are the two most commonly used sights, since your
target will most likely be maneuvering).

Smart A-10 pilot will pull slightly too much lead, open up with the gun,
then ease off slightly on the lead to 'rake' bullets through and reduce
inaccuracies in the sight. Hammer down until the enemy aircraft explodes,
just like you see in WWII gun camera footage.

A-10 pilots who go through weapons school and get to shoot at the dart
(towed target) say the gun is deadly accurate out to the A-A tac effective
range, which is a lot farther than an M61A1. Granted, it's not a
maneuvering target, but it does prove the sight(s) works.

ATTACK!

Superior avionics do not make a superior pilot.

Certainly not, but all else equal, they make a superior weapons system!

The A-10 uses three different A-A sights, and these sights use pilot
inputs
of enemy aircraft airspeed, wingspan, and fuselage length. These inputs
are
usually set up pre-mission (they can be set in the air as well, just
time-consuming) and the pilot can cycle through the presets in flight.
All
three sights are displayed on the HUD at the same time.
A-10 pilots who go through weapons school and get to shoot at the dart
(towed target) say the gun is deadly accurate out to the A-A tac effective
range, which is a lot farther than an M61A1. Granted, it's not a
maneuvering target, but it does prove the sight(s) works.

My take on this would be that you're using gun sights that are 40's-50's
era in their accuracy against maneuvering targets. I would think that would
put you at a serious disadvantaged (especially when couple with the lower
a-a training of attack pilots vs. fighter pilots). How flexible would the
preprogrammed sites be for fighting a Viper vs. a Turkey or Eagle (with much
larger wingspans and lengths- or a Mig-29 vs. Su-27)? Also, assuming he'd
be slashing from the vertical, what would that do to lessen the range
difference (his bullets with gravity, yours against?).
I appreciate that a good pilot is worth more than a
super-duper-great-jet, and I also appreciate that there are circumstances
when a Hog could be a nasty opponent. I just think that against an equally
good pilot in a fighter jet, the Hog would be in serious trouble. But
that's just an opinion from an armchair pilot with no time under his ass in
either a Hog or a fighter. Thanks for your comments Hog Driver, they're
most appreciated. Regards,

Tony Volk

p.s.- 74th squadron or not, all Hogs should have shark mouths (or hog
tusks)!

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 13:06:31 -0500, "Hog Driver"
wrote:

Superior avionics do not make a superior pilot.

But crummy avionics can make things difficult enough to have an
effect. Look at the original F-16 LCOS, that often caused a PIO.

Mary

--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer