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Aviation History
1965
1965 - 2474.PDF
FLIGHT International, 20 May An airplane that is designed to protect and support ground forces is called a tactical fighter. A tactical fighter must pre- vent hostile aircraft from attacking tactical targets. It must be able to intercept, outmaneuver and shoot . fl. ' down any intru- der which pen- etrates at low enough altitude to be a threat (anywhere from the treetops to 30,000 feet). To do this it must have su- personic speed, rapid accelera- tion, a very high rate of climb and outstanding maneu- verability. It must have greater endur- ance than its antagonists. It must carry cannon as well as air-to-air missiles. A tactical fighter mustbe able to attack and destroy military targets on the ground while surviving in the air. It must car- ry a variety of exter- nal weapons —mis- siles, bombs, rockets, napalm, dispensers — and must provide a stable launching plat- form for them. It must maneuver easily and safely at low alti- tudes with a heavy load of stores. If attacked by defending aircraft ii must be able to counterattack. 3 8 4 A tactical fighter should be able to operate from dispersed fields and hastily prepared strips close to the combat zone — rough sod, packed earth, pierced-metal planking.lt must be simple to rearm and refuel so it can turn around quickly between missions.
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