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Phoenix666 writes:

The United States Air Force has successfully networked its F-22 Raptor and F-15 Eagle aircraft under the "Talon HATE" program.

The F-15 first flew in 1972 and has been in service since the late 1970s, while the F-22 entered service two decades later. The latter aircraft had some data networking capabilities, but the F-15's vintage means it lacked that ability and some of the sensors that are standard kit on the F-22.

Both aircraft are still flying and it's assumed that will be the case for decades to come. But tactics have moved on and it's now assumed that military aircraft will be able to exchange data in real time to allow better battlefield management.

Hence the Talon HATE program, which adds new sensors to the F-15 plus the ability to send data from those devices, and the plane's other systems, to facilities on Earth's surface. The new kit resides in a pod carried beneath the craft.

How many times do we have to re-learn this same lesson? Stick with the Viper Mark VII's.

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