Um, “Fox-1” is the call for firing a radar guided missile, “Fox-2” is the call for firing an infrared guided missile.
Unlike, say, any of the hosts of “The View,” Sam’s derrière is not big enough to be radar reflective, but it is certainly hot enough to attract a Sidewinder.
Well, that’s what happens when you sacrifice flight training hours to make your crews attend Sensitivity and Awareness classes. Ghu forbid a pilot uses the wrong pronoun when calling his wing-man, er, -person.
Zar Belk!
July 7, 2023 at 8:00 am
Coolhand77
Specifically, Fox 1 is semi active radar homing missile [AIM-7 Sparrow] where the firing aircraft has to keep the target illuminated with their radar and guide it in.
Fox 2 is IR homing [AIM-9 Sidewinder], which is shorter range but is fire and “forget” [26. “Fire and Forget” is fine, provided you never actually forget. – The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries]
Fox 3 is active radar guided [AIM-54 Phoenix or AIM-120 AMRAAM], which can be guided by the firing aircraft but once it hits terminal phase it self guides with its own radar [called “Going Pitbull”]
And then there is the call truly favored by real fighter pilots: “Guns, Guns, Guns!”
July 8, 2023 at 2:54 am
pyrodice
Mylar has one HELL of a radar signature. Makes a damned fine balloon too.
Saw the chaff launch on my ship once from outside… unimpressive… Then from CIC where the radar fallout was MASSIVE. It’s just mylar confetti, basically.
Fox 1 – Semi-active radar guided missiles, such as AIM-7 Sparrow
Fox 2 – Infrared homing missiles, such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder
Fox 3 – Active radar guided missiles, such as the AIM-54 Phoenix or AIM-120 AMRAAM
Fox 4 has been replaced by the simpler and more intuitive “GUNS!” for firing guns at air or ground targets.
For sure. Maybe MACAIR crossword the airplane last time it was in for depot?
July 7, 2023 at 2:02 am
larryarnold
Of course, when shooting down “weather” balloons guns would be by far the most economical ammunition, and bullets have the advantage of not destroying whatever package the balloon was carrying, so it could be studied.
But what’s the fun in that, when jet jockeys get so few chances to launch a half-million-dollar rocket?
Canadians actually tried that with a Hornet way back when. Balloons don’t have enough resistance to detonate the cannon rounds, so all you get is a whole bunch of 20mm holes in both sides…and the balloon in question took DAYS to drop back to the ground as it deflated. A standard fragmentation warhead will do the trick. A little more expensive, and a Fox 2 would be the cheaper of the missile options IIRC.
Theres also the issue of how close you have to get to effectively get a guns hit. With the speeds an F15 goes, he’d have to veer off immediately after firing or risk hitting the balloon. If you have a thermal signature, the effective range is measured in miles, not yards.
July 7, 2023 at 8:50 am
markm
Maybe you don’t need ammo at all. Could the shockwave from a supersonic close flyby shred the balloon?
July 7, 2023 at 6:02 pm
Coolhand77
Likely no. If the material can take being punched by 20mm cannon shells and still stay aloft for days, a shockwave is probably just going to push it around. Missile warheads are like fragmentation grenades. You not only get a cloud of fragments, but the shockwave at the same time, at higher than the speed of sound. This combined cutting AND shockwave to push at the cuts would cause additional tearing of the irregular holes. Also, you have to get pretty close for supersonic shockwaves to do any damage and that again risks midair collision
July 7, 2023 at 12:43 am
Kafiroon
Note: The Gubmnt ignores actual spy balloons from actual enemies of this country but, makes an ass of themselves to shoot down an innocent best looking balloon most Americans would be proud to be behind.
We Canadians also experimented with using an AIM-7 on an Iraqi boat during the first Gulf War, once hosing it with 20mm was ineffective.
Continuous rod warhead didn’t really matter much, the 40 lbs of HE in it plus the 400 pound missile itself hitting at mach wholebunch, did a decent job 😉
The proximity fuze on an AIM-9 would most probably work on a balloon, the one on an AIM-7 operates a little differently but would likely be triggered as well.
Neither one would even have to lock on or track, a ballistic trajectory could hardly miss such a magnificent target and just the fins going through would tear her a new one large enough to make the bikini meaningless.
There was also an IR AIM-7 in the works when I retired, maybe it’s in use in this world and explains the initial ‘Fox 2’ ?
Or maybe the pilot was just referring to the target as a fox too ? 😉
My final assignment in the F-4 was being the safety chase during live missile shots. Saw a LOT of Sparrows and Sidewinders come off the aircraft. For Sidewinders, the drones would have propane burners on the wingtips so that the missile wouldn’t guide on the engine. No warheads, just telemetry packages. A close miss and a fuze pulse counted as a “kill.” There were kinetic kills as well. You could watch the missile fly out and know the drone was doomed. I have great memories of that tour.
28 Comments
Um, “Fox-1” is the call for firing a radar guided missile, “Fox-2” is the call for firing an infrared guided missile.
Unlike, say, any of the hosts of “The View,” Sam’s derrière is not big enough to be radar reflective, but it is certainly hot enough to attract a Sidewinder.
He called Fox 2 but fired a Sparrow.
Well, that’s what happens when you sacrifice flight training hours to make your crews attend Sensitivity and Awareness classes. Ghu forbid a pilot uses the wrong pronoun when calling his wing-man, er, -person.
Zar Belk!
Specifically, Fox 1 is semi active radar homing missile [AIM-7 Sparrow] where the firing aircraft has to keep the target illuminated with their radar and guide it in.
Fox 2 is IR homing [AIM-9 Sidewinder], which is shorter range but is fire and “forget” [26. “Fire and Forget” is fine, provided you never actually forget. – The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries]
Fox 3 is active radar guided [AIM-54 Phoenix or AIM-120 AMRAAM], which can be guided by the firing aircraft but once it hits terminal phase it self guides with its own radar [called “Going Pitbull”]
And then there is the call truly favored by real fighter pilots: “Guns, Guns, Guns!”
Mylar has one HELL of a radar signature. Makes a damned fine balloon too.
Saw the chaff launch on my ship once from outside… unimpressive… Then from CIC where the radar fallout was MASSIVE. It’s just mylar confetti, basically.
Sam, you’re special, but these days, Teh Gooberment gives it to EVERYONE right up the ass. Dry. Without even a reach-around.
Sam,
At least the Gummint gave it to you right up your ass with a “Continuous Rod” warhead.
“Fox” missile brevity codes
Fox 1 – Semi-active radar guided missiles, such as AIM-7 Sparrow
Fox 2 – Infrared homing missiles, such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder
Fox 3 – Active radar guided missiles, such as the AIM-54 Phoenix or AIM-120 AMRAAM
Fox 4 has been replaced by the simpler and more intuitive “GUNS!” for firing guns at air or ground targets.
Called a tone, called Fox 2 but fired a Sparrow.
For sure. Maybe MACAIR crossword the airplane last time it was in for depot?
Of course, when shooting down “weather” balloons guns would be by far the most economical ammunition, and bullets have the advantage of not destroying whatever package the balloon was carrying, so it could be studied.
But what’s the fun in that, when jet jockeys get so few chances to launch a half-million-dollar rocket?
Canadians actually tried that with a Hornet way back when. Balloons don’t have enough resistance to detonate the cannon rounds, so all you get is a whole bunch of 20mm holes in both sides…and the balloon in question took DAYS to drop back to the ground as it deflated. A standard fragmentation warhead will do the trick. A little more expensive, and a Fox 2 would be the cheaper of the missile options IIRC.
Theres also the issue of how close you have to get to effectively get a guns hit. With the speeds an F15 goes, he’d have to veer off immediately after firing or risk hitting the balloon. If you have a thermal signature, the effective range is measured in miles, not yards.
Maybe you don’t need ammo at all. Could the shockwave from a supersonic close flyby shred the balloon?
Likely no. If the material can take being punched by 20mm cannon shells and still stay aloft for days, a shockwave is probably just going to push it around. Missile warheads are like fragmentation grenades. You not only get a cloud of fragments, but the shockwave at the same time, at higher than the speed of sound. This combined cutting AND shockwave to push at the cuts would cause additional tearing of the irregular holes. Also, you have to get pretty close for supersonic shockwaves to do any damage and that again risks midair collision
Note: The Gubmnt ignores actual spy balloons from actual enemies of this country but, makes an ass of themselves to shoot down an innocent best looking balloon most Americans would be proud to be behind.
“…would be proud to be behind.”
As the cigarette commercial (LSMFT) said, “so round, so firm, so fully packed.”
The fastest way to have brought that balloon down was to have told Hunter it had premium Blow in it…
If anyone would enjoy Teh Gooberment giving it to them up the ass, it would be Anderson Cooper.
One alphabet agency sticking while another beats up on the rest of the body
“Enema target acquired…”
Waiting for the outcome in tomorrow’s (or later) strip for the “Oh, shit!” moment. We’ll see…
Gummint’s a pain in the ass for everyone. Except, of course, for those running it and their families and friends.
We Canadians also experimented with using an AIM-7 on an Iraqi boat during the first Gulf War, once hosing it with 20mm was ineffective.
Continuous rod warhead didn’t really matter much, the 40 lbs of HE in it plus the 400 pound missile itself hitting at mach wholebunch, did a decent job 😉
The proximity fuze on an AIM-9 would most probably work on a balloon, the one on an AIM-7 operates a little differently but would likely be triggered as well.
Neither one would even have to lock on or track, a ballistic trajectory could hardly miss such a magnificent target and just the fins going through would tear her a new one large enough to make the bikini meaningless.
There was also an IR AIM-7 in the works when I retired, maybe it’s in use in this world and explains the initial ‘Fox 2’ ?
Or maybe the pilot was just referring to the target as a fox too ? 😉
My final assignment in the F-4 was being the safety chase during live missile shots. Saw a LOT of Sparrows and Sidewinders come off the aircraft. For Sidewinders, the drones would have propane burners on the wingtips so that the missile wouldn’t guide on the engine. No warheads, just telemetry packages. A close miss and a fuze pulse counted as a “kill.” There were kinetic kills as well. You could watch the missile fly out and know the drone was doomed. I have great memories of that tour.
With AIM-4D’s a ballistic hit was about your only chance, that’s why the VooDoo fired both at once 😉
Man there is a lot of interesting knowledge and experience here…❤️
Federal election interference!!
Zed heard her yell and kept his mouth shut. Smart man.