The “Vipers” of the 343 “Star” Squadron will become 4 in the next few hours and step by step the first Viper Squadron of our Air Force is being “built”. Already last week, the test flights of the two fighters upgraded by the Hellenic Aviation Industry had been completed, with the aircraft in turn taking a Southern route to the 115th Fighter Wing in Souda, which will be their next “nest”. . There they will meet the first two “Vipers” that have already been flying non-stop for two months and have given the possibility to almost all the 343 pilots not only to get a “taste” of Viper, but gradually to decode their capabilities in practice and “unlock” their secrets.
The “hawks” of Souda having already “written” hours in the Hi Tec cockpits of the two Vipers unequivocally emphasize that they have a new fighter in their hands. Which has not changed in the way it flies, but all its other characteristics and above all its network-centric character, the unprecedented amount of information it provides to the pilot, its intelligent functions and the ability of the fighter itself to set priorities make it it differs to a very large extent from the block 52. Survivability and lethality are the two concepts that encompass the Viper’s character and make it a weapon of supremacy in aerial combat over the Aegean and beyond.
As Newpost has already reported, the first impressions of the Greek pilots from the use of the new AESA APG83 electronic scanning radar speak of the great advantage of the Viper, which turns it into a fast and effective “predator” against the “preys” that have much subordinate mechanical scanning radar. Although the distances it “scans” remain one of the secrets of the 343 “hawks”, it is clear that the AESA sees and at the same time “reads” and targets enemy fighters before they even spot the “predator”. In addition, the network-centric ability to gather information through the most modern Link 16 version transforms the fighter into a computer that has a complete picture of the field of operations. Thus the Formation Leaders can immediately separate the roles with the practical result that not a single air-to-air missile goes to waste. Especially in situations where there are a large number of fighters in the air, the benefit for the organization and execution of air combat is enormous, as experienced pilots typically emphasize.
The huge digital screen in the center of the cockpit as well as the ability for the operator to see the necessary information through his headset are two new features that Viper pilots should familiarize themselves with. In other words, in the possibility that they have all the data necessary for the battle gathered together, such as the radar image, i.e. the tactical situation with friendly and enemy fighters, the battle computer, the image from the aiming spindles that direct the weapons to ground targets, the armament available to the operator, aircraft functions and systems.
Information which in block 50 either does not exist in such a complete form, or requires time for the flyer. The advantage is multiplied when dozens of “Vipers” fly over the Aegean at the same time, cooperating with a common goal. To make the Archipelago inaccessible to any uninvited “guest”.
