don't you military fools have your long extensive system of codes and passwords and secret ID's. ?

i was merely brainstorming alternative ideas. never did i assert they are absolutely viable.

the principle still stands that assuming a plane is an enemy because its little box didn't say the right thing is a little off.

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"Brainstorm"?

Man, that was barely a squall...

For someone who''s never served his country, I can see how you would reach that conclusion.

It's not "off" at all. One of the reasons IFF was developed was because waiting until you can actually see the plane is a stupid idea...

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Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.

I have served my country in a way far more meaningful than the military sheep have.

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Yes, and when we get done with basic training, we're all issued a super-secret decoder ring, too.

Your "military fools" name calling is not appreciated, although it does illustrate your disdain for people braver than you...

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Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.

Bullshit. You're a lib. Accordingly, the only one you wish to serve is yourself...

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Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.

then i shall make a fine american.

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what the hell does doing whatever your told have to do with bravery?

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You're in the pathetic position of never being able to understand anything about bravery...

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Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.

Remember, you have also been tracking it.

But if an aircraft is comming at you ar Mach 2, without IFF identification, you assume it is hostile. Because for one, friendly aircraft will not be comming in that fast. They will also have IFF active.

We are talking about an engagement that happens so fast you probably can't fully understand. If Iran was to launch one of their SCUD variants, we have roughly 2 minutes from acquisition to engagement. On an aircraft going at Mach 2, you have about the same amount of time.

And it should be obvious, if it is going that fast, it is a military aircraft. And the friendlies should not be comming that fast anywhere near your own assets. Because there are designated "air lanes" above an engagement space. Friendly craft know the correct cooridor to use. And if they are violating it, they had better be calling down to us, telling us why they are in restricted airspace. With IFF off.

As for calling them, there is no time. And visual verification? That thing is comming in at you balls to the wall, at 15,000 feet. The Hellfire and related missiles can shoot you from 5-25 miles. And that missle is also a Mach 1.3-2.3 missile. Before you can see it, you are dead if it is hostile. Before you can get his attention and call 3 or 4 times to verify it is not friendly, call down to the Battalion and Battery, he has already launched his missile and is going the other way.

This is no longer World War II, where Air Defense was machine guns and 40mm cannons going against 300 mph prop driven planes that can only fire machine guns or drop bombs. In most modern engagements, the pilot never actually gets "eyes on" with the target. They use radar and long range targeting like FLIR and TV cameras to verify and launch attacks.

Shhhhhhh... He's just trying to cover all the bases...

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Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.

Uhhh, yea... right.

Tell me, when was the last time you spent months or years away from your family, in a hellhole. And I do not mean Cleavland.

I am on my 4th deployment. In a place where the day temperature is often 120+. I have served my country for over 11 years directly.

Oh, but I have had other jobs too. Boeing, Hughes, even Disney. But I returned to the one I love best. Where one minute I can be at work doing paperwork, then the next I may be in Louisianna or Mississippi, cleaning up after a Hurricane. Or in California, helping recover from an Earthquake or putting out a wildfire.

Or in Malaysia, helping recover from a tsunami.

So please excuse me, as this "Military Sheep" kindly and respectfully suggests that you "Know Yourself", in the Biblical way.

Yes, actually we do.

One of them is this nifty little box. It is a radio transponder, that only reacts when the correct code reaches it. Then and only then, it sends out another little code, identifying itself to the other unit.

It is very sophisticated, relying on complex cryptography, with a key that changes on a daily basis. And every box has it's own special code and ID.

It is called an "IFF Unit".

Well played, Sir. Well played, indeed...

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Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.

yes but wouldn't you want to rely on several different layers of codes and security, and not one little unit to define reality for you?

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If you had even the slightest clue about what you're talking about, you would know that other factors; many of which have already been discussed, are definitely considered.

You wouldn't know that, though...

__________________
Science flies you to the moon.

Religion flies you into buildings.