<text id=introw><title>Introduction - Air Force Weapons</title>
<history>US Air Force: Weapons</history>
<article><hdr>Introduction</hdr><body>
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<p>Ever since an Italian pilot threw a large grenade from his cockpit at a Libyan oasis on 1 November 1911, airplanes and their weapons have been dedicated to the proposition that the 'Bad Guys' of the world seem to behave best with a knee on their chest and a knife at their throat. Today, warplanes are the knee, their weapons are the knife. There is nothing 'nice' or humane about these tools—their job is to destroy things and people. Precision-guided weapons were not developed to conduct more humane warfare, they simply enable more targets to be destroyed more quickly with fewer aircraft. Cluster bombs specialize in killing and maiming large numbers of people who happen to be outside shooting at airplanes or friendly troops.
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<p>A warplane without its weapons is useless. This is why the questions, "How fast does your airplane go?" or "How far can it fly?" usually elicit a reply of "It depends," from a pilot. Just like the family car can not go as fast or far as the salesman said it would when it is loaded with Mom and Dad and the kids, and a luggage rack on the roof, neither will a warplane ready for the business of war. How many weapons are carried, what kind they are, what altitude they are delivered from, what defenses have to be penetrated, what other kinds of aircraft are in the strike package, and even which fuzes are being used are typical of the factors evaluated for their impact on a given mission (and aircraft performance).
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<p>It is important to realize that just because an aircraft is able to carry a given weapon does not mean that it actually trains to employ it operationally—and commanders are extremely reluctant to send their aircrew into combat with weapons they have not trained with. Two examples: while A-10s are authorized to deliver laser-guided bombs, they never do—Mavericks are their forté; on the other hand, F-111Fs are authorized to employ Maverick, but they never touch it—preferring their trusty LGBs instead.
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<p>It is interesting to note how warplane design is affected by weapon performance. For instance, during the Vietnam War air-to-air missile performance was abysmal. This, combined with the inability to positively identify aircraft as friend or foe until they were within visual range, resulted in numerous dogfights. It is no coincidence that every fighter produced since that war has had a gun and incredible maneuverability. But, with airborne warning and control system (<hi format=bold>AWACS</hi>) airborne radars to identify the bad guys and the increased lethality of air-to-air missiles, almost all aerial engagements during the Gulf War were over 'before the merge' (when dogfighting begins), leaving both the maneuverability and gun virtually unused for their intended purpose. This is even more interesting in light of the recent selection of the advanced tactical fighter, when the engine/airframe combination with the lowest thrust and highest drag was selected, at least in part because of a perception that it will be slightly more maneuverable in a slow-speed dogfight—something good fighter pilots avoid like the plague, despite what the film 'Top Gun' might lead one to believe.
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<p>This article 'demystifies' weapons designations as much as possible. Most of the prefixes and suffixes which append the nomenclature have simple meanings. For instance, the prefix '<hi format=bold>AF/</hi>' indicates an item used only by the Air Force, while '<hi format=bold>AN/</hi>' means one used by both the Air Force and Navy. Using the current weapon designation system, an '<hi format=bold>/A</hi>' indicates the device remains attached to the exterior of the aircraft, a '<hi format=bold>/B</hi>' suffix that it is released from the aircraft to do whatever it is designed to do, and a '<hi format=bold>/C</hi>' is retained within the bomb bay. While the original design has just a numerical designation, subsequent models are indicated by a letter following the number (e.g. GBU-12<hi format=bold>/B</hi>, -12<hi format=bold>A/B</hi>, etc.).
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<p>Dropping and firing live weapons is something done infrequently during training, and most of the time training ordnance is used. For missiles this means rounds with working seekers, but no rocket motors, warheads or guidance sections. Where a live missile would display black (guidance), yellow (warhead), or brown (rocket motor) bands, training rounds display either blue bands or paint the entire section blue.
