This automated system is expected to be a key weapon in a sophisticated game of hide and seek with the enemy. The Air Force Reserve is playing a key role in the system s development. The aircraft flew 28 missions at test ranges in Germany and France to gather valuable data on the automated system. This data will assist computer programmers in developing software that is designed to prolong the life expectancy of the pilot during wartime, said Col. Gerald Werth, 917th Operations Group commander. The A-10 s current chaff and flare system works manually.
Flares act as decoys for heat-seeking missiles, while chaff is used to confuse enemy radar.
It takes a lot of the guess work out of the pilot s hands and gives him a huge increase in confidence. The missions in July were the final phase of a three-part testing program designed to acquire the necessary data to write the software programs for the new system. The first phase of tests took place at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, Brunke said. We used a calibrated radar to take cross-section measurements of the aircraft. Phase two included testing of a new flare system that is invisible to the eye.