Flubke wrote:

A little question, below the cockpit of the A10 for example, there has been
painted a fake cockpit. Maybe it sounds a little stupid but I don't get the
military use of that. Can anybody explain me why they do that. I've seen it
a dozen times and I simply don't get it.

At medium distances, it makes it hard for an adversary (or a wingman) to tell
whether the a/c is upright or upside down, or turning towards or away. The
object of the false canopy is to interfere with the "Orient" phase of an
opponent's OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) Loop, slowing down decision and
action. Even a few seconds in air combat can make a big difference. IIRR
Canadian F-18s were the first a/c that used this, after an idea by (I think)
the aviation artist Keith Ferris. Some countries like it, some think it makes
training and close maneuvering by wingmen too dangerous (the wingmen can be
just as confused, and ISTR there have been collisions due to this).

Guy