There’s a great quote in Pederson’s new book Top Gun. Paraphrasing, he says, Why do we spend billions on new technologies when we turn around and write rules of engagement that don’t allow us to use the technologies.
We’d be better off training our asses off in good jets than squeezing in minimum training hours on great jets. The number one element of success in big aerial battles is situational awareness. They lost it, or in actuality it was lost amongst many other bits of information, and he paid the price. There’s also a mindset of “needing permission.” If the guy who had him on radar, and knew what it was, had been better trained to solve the problem that MiG would have been on our side of the Talley board. The F-18s at that time we’re still relatively new, and were mostly attack pilots lacking the training in large scale A/A scenarios. Training matters. Only after taking part in NUMEROUS large scale events does everything start to slow down in your mind where you can hear and process all the information being thrown at you, and then prioritize and act upon it.
We actually did a pretty good job of training to this in the years afterwards. Of course post 9/11 the missions changed and the focus was on strike/CAS (understandably). I’d be concerned about a similar A/A scenario today. Though in conversations I think they are aware and attempting to address the training shortfalls. Making a multi mission jet is easier than making a true multi mission pilot. I envy the F-15C and F-22 guys in that regard.
Thanks for sharing.
The problem is, the politicians and generals don't want to WIN, they just don't want to lose. That's a poor recipe for success, in any endeavor.
