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THE DIGITAL SUCCESSOR
After retirement of the RF-4, the reconnaissance tasks will be performed by F-16s equipped with recce pods. Captain Sofologis compared the RF-4's recon capabilities to the DB-110 reconnaissance pod under the F-16. The main difference is that the DB-110 pod takes digital images: “It is fully autonomous and has the ability to take long range photos. Images are recorded on a solid state hard drive. It is great because it can take pictures in the infrared spectrum using electro-optical sensor technology during night or day operations to see extra details on targets that we need.”
Nevertheless, the RF-4 still enjoys a few advantages over the F-16. 'Sophos' explains: “In the F-16 you must plan the exact route on the ground and you have to follow that specific route. When I get to a specific waypoint on my route, the camera opens automatically and shoots photos from these areas, like a box with overlaps.” This means there is a small window of opportunity with the F-16, and it cannot match the flexibility the cameras aboard the RF-4 have.
In the RF-4, the co-pilot is the primary user of the camera, and he can operate the camera to take the pictures at his command. “The backseater is the main operator of the cameras. The pilot in front has two means of detecting where he's taking pictures. In front there is a viewfinder, and on the sides you have circles. If the target you wanted is inside the circle, that is the frame. In the Phantom, we can take a photo of anything we want.”
With the F-16's DB-110 recce pod there is a possibility to send small pictures via a datalink to a ground station. For the full download the aircraft must land, as these images are too large to transfer via wireless communication.
2nd vs 4th generation aircraft
The RF-4 is an aircraft that has been in service for a very long time, but it is getting harder to operate in a modern environment. The captain states: "Generally speaking, its a great aircraft, but the big disadvantage is that it lacks electronics. Nowadays, we are trying very hard to follow new tactics with the 2nd generation Phantom, while a big part of the air force uses 4th generation aircraft. If you want to use the RF-4 to the limits, you must try very hard."
Missions
The primary role of the 348 T.R.S squadron is to perform tactical reconnaissance according to the needs of all three branches of the Hellenic military. “The experience from recent combat situations has shown that the success of modern operations does not depend on the amount of armed forces, but on the effective combination of methodical and efficient reconnaissance” says squadron commander Papadimitriou. “The ability to perform reconnaissance missions gives substantial strategic advantage to a country by providing invaluable information for mission planning and target recognition. The planning of combat attack missions largely depends on the amount of information collected by aircraft during recce missions. (Continued on Page 57)