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Old 9th Jan 2011, 09:12
  #207 (permalink)  
BEagle
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Posts: 26,817
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I suggest that no further details of the DAS fitted to aircraft operating in theatre are posted here - those who Need to Know will know; those like you and I who have no need won't and will simply have to STFU!

However, knowledge of the likely threat and suitable detection and/or countermeasures available is vital.....

Years ago we had 2 x VC10Ks and 2 crews based at Antalya in the summer. The crews flew on alternate days; the rest of the time we lounged around the Sheraton pool - it was hell, I tell you. We had one K2 which had very poor 2-blower air conditioning and a knackered fridge pack but which had been fitted with a Radar Warning Receiver for Gulf War 1 and one K4 which had superb 4-blower air conditioning, fully serviceable cooling - but no RWR. It was pure luck which meant that one crew sweated their nuts off in the old K2, whilst the other stayed cool in the comfort of the K4.... Then one of the jets went tech for a day, so the 'hot' crew looked forward to flying in comfort for once now that the sequence had altered in their favour.

But they'd reckoned without the leadership skills of the DetCo who, to preserve his anonymity, I shall merely refer to as 'Daisy'... Now Daisy, being something of a thrusting tw@, had discovered that it was some terrorist anniversary on the date in question, so ordered that due to increased likelihood of tension, the crew were to fly the K2 instead due to the fact that it had the 'extra protection'...

When I later asked Daisy what use a radar warning receiver was against terrorist infra-red SAM-7s, he didn't really have much of an answer.... Prat!

DAS is tailored against specific threats. What those might be and how it achieves defence is something you will only find out if you are actively involved in operations. If not, don't ask as you won't be told!
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