Jack Peacock wrote:
> > Hotze wrote:
> > Yeah, that's why all the newest Soviet fighters and bombers
> > used vacuum tubes
> > even into the early 1990's. I'm sure they invented this and
>
> Not so fast, there are very good reasons to use tubes instead of solid
> state on certain types of military electronics. Look up "EMP" sometime.
EMP - ElectroMagnetic Pulses. This is the electrical wave that is the result
of a nuclear detonation. Vacuum tubes aren't the only way to "harden" a
curcuit against this. The usual and practical way to protect against this is
to armor the electronics and all connecting cables. I worked with the Short
range Attack Missile (SRAM), Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), Sea
Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) and Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) for many
years. I'm all too familiar with using a megohm meter to check resistance
between the body and covers of equipment made to protect against EMP. Vacuum
tubes are good at a distance.
> This was a deliberate design decision on the part of soviet avionics
> designers. They do have workable solid state devices. In fact, the
> later Sukhoi and MiG models had very sophisticated interlocking radars
> at the squadron level, a capability US forces do not have. Yes, overall
> the US made much better avionics and electronics in general, but when it
> was important enough the soviets could produce very good military
> equipment.
Stress the word "later", much later. Those planes came about way too late
and were still heavy iron rocks. Well made but probably too well made as
they stress cracked, broke up, etc in the middle of when it counted. Their
irfrared missiles could be fooled into following a flare dropped from a
fighter, something the US Sidewinder has fixed since 1977 using upgraded
electronics and an argon cooler.
> Off topic, but I much prefer Russian assault rifles to US
> ones. I keep an AK47 at home, I would not trust an M16.
Many vets of Vietnam can tell you what they think of the 16 as well. I had
to qualify with them yearly and I'm not sure if I'd trust my life to either
one. The 47 is a much better built weapon but it still has it's flaws. The
sources for the ammunition, particularly those with corrosive primers, leave
a bit to be desired when having to depend on the unit to protect your life.
> I wouldn't care to run a business with a Russian built computer though...
I'm starting to wonder about Taiwan made as well....
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Received on Wed Apr 15 1998 - 20:46:55 BST