Does the internal gun have a place in todays air supriority fighters?? I believe that a big gun is a must have for all mud movers (especially concerning the A-10), but with the advent of high technology in the areas of BVR (AESA radar, R-77, AIM-120, IRST) and WVR (IRST, JHMCS and variants, R-73, AIM-9X), the necessity for a gun in a strictly air to air fighter is severely limited.
Will 4+, 5th generation aircraft really be able to get close enough for the ‘knife fight in a phone box’ scenario anyhow? And if the gun realy is necessary, what technology can it be improved with so that it’s battlefiled utility really comes into play?
p.s. I realise that this question was raised in the 60’s and was thoroughly rubuked by airforce a while after, but my point is that technology has advanced to a point where that argument may be no longer feasible.
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September 15, 2008 at 2:16 am