The 2009 air weapons integration conference was as one would expect a natural progression from the inaugural conference SAE-UK had chaired in 2005. Four years on the familiar themes were in attendance with SAE’s project UAI once again taking centre stage. Perhaps the only thing missing were the corporate solution providers – this is an industry that has refused to reform over the last decade which is no slight on the hard efforts of the individuals in attendance but rather a judgement on the failure of NATO governments to properly interface with the private sector which in that time has spawned giants like BAE into global commerce and spun off companies like Airbus from EADS. The private sector delivers where politicians fare badly, this is the fate of Air Weapons Systems Integration. It might sound like a less than critical factor yet the platform is but one of the considerations in developing an effective airborne capability, the combination of arms and platforms is critical.
There were rumours in the camp about the performance of some of the NATO wide projects which include integration, the F-35 is currently experiencing various difficulties; perhaps worst of all is the fatigue life performance of what can be described as - its bonnet - which flips open to reveal the vertical takeoff and turbine blade mounted centrally in the plane. One assumes this is an attempt to thwart the only weakness of the yet to be replaced Harrier. Its almost impossible to fly vertically. I didn’t say impossible, but anecdotally, pilots refer to the Harrier as being quite simply both the ultimate plane and the ultimate challenge at the same time. Requiring a talent that really calls for the best in pilot skills and natural ability. This is a system that pre-dates a lot of the computer assisted flight controls and systems of today’s Eurofighter for instance. A collection of analogue control systems