3 ms·
Why would such a plane even allow firing a gun when not in air?
by pingec 8y ago
Why would such a plane even allow firing a gun when not in air?
- dragonwriter 8y agoBecause any system which attempted to prevent that would have a nonzero chance of preventing shots while in the air, and it's quite easy to imagine the cost of that being much greater than what is saved by the intended effect. That's not to say that there shouldn't be safety systems that would prevent accidental firing, just that “never shoot if system thinks we're on the ground” is very likely not a good one.
- chx 8y agoBut there _is_ such a system, there's a weight-on-wheels switch they needed to override. Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/technician-accidentally-fires-f-16-cannon-and-destroys-another-f-16-on-the-ground-in-belgium.74660/page-2#post-13766279 https://www.resetera.com/threads/technician-accidentally-fir... and many more.