"Doug "Woody" and Erin Beal" wrote...
SNIP
The alternative is to spend a LOT of time training for dumb bomb
deliveries that you'll probably never do: a waste to resources when
you could be training for something more useful.
Or not train for dumb bomb deliveries enough, and if you have to do it,
not be competent enough which is a risk all it's own.
SNIP
I understand (never having flown the thing) an F16 with its ring laser
gyro INS, laser/radar(?) ranging and continuous computing bomb
computer can achieve quite amazing accuracy in dumb dive bombing,
circa 10m accuracies.
SNIP
You're bringing back my A-6 memories. I have a lot of time on iron sights.
Don't miss it.

All valid points. Substantially less time training to dumb bomb deliveries
when it's so easy to get a good hit.

Since we have gotten to the time when aircraft systems are reliable enough to
count on in the short hairs, you have a valid point. HOWEVER, I believe it is
still a "good idea" for an air-to-mud pilot to understand the basic principles
behind what the computer is doing for him.

With about 1700 hours each in the A-4 and A-6, including an instructor tour in
the A-4, I've seen a lot of reasons in the past for a pilot to be able to "feel"
when the computer is about to do something bad -- like release a load of Mk 82s
a mile short of the target. I got to be really good at dive bombing from the
back seat of the TA-4, using the clock as a gunsight (no self-respecting SNA
would DARE to NOT hit the pickle when I said "Pickle," even if it did cost him a
beer). Later, when flying with newbie B/Ns (and an occasional weak "old guy")
in the A-6, I could often sense well ahead of time when things weren't going
quite right, and had to make use of the planned manual backup. Then there are
the times when rolling in for a CCIP or General Boresight attack, a press on the
Attack button decided to cause general hate & discontent in the computer, and a
quick slap of the gunsight button to Manual allowed a good hit in spite of it.

Then there's the case for "airmanship" and "air sense." Being proficient at
manual bombing means a pilot is proficient at detecting and correcting for
errors in real time, as well as getting himself to the proper point at the
proper time in the first place. Also, while the computer may make up for a
suboptimal delivery profile and get the bomb on target, it cannot make up for
the loss of Pk when the impact angle is suboptimal in a delivery against a hard
target.

Some of these considerations are no longer totally relevant when dropping a JDAM
from a Hornet, but when going back to CAS with dumb bombs, it's still "a good
thing" to be able to support your Grunt buddies even if the computer craps out
at the last minute. They may not have the luxury of waiting for the backup...