contingency plans

what contingency plans does the US have if one of their experimental air craft or some other air craft was to be stolen by a renagade pilot whos been paid off.

I highly doubt that would happen...BUT, hypothetically...I'm not sure, but I would guess that if its an important plane, Like the B-2 Bomber, they would use all there assests to track it down, and would likely try and get it back, and i'm sure plan B would be simple...blow it the hell up.

It wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't a destruct device some where in the aircraft that would respond to a coded radio signal. It doesn't have to be a bomb a valve on the main fuel line would work just as well. There was thought a few years ago that an Air Force pilot had stolen a fully armed A-10 and there was nothing more than a huge search.

Originally posted by JIMC5499
It doesn't have to be a bomb a valve on the main fuel line would work just as well.

ahhh no.
I think your missing the point.
If Joe Schmoe steals a F-22 and covertly flys to China...the chinese wont fly it, so your little valve will do nothing. They will pick it appart to reverse engineer it. So the best option (other then recovery) it to just blow it up.

Blowing it up is the most viable option. Although I can't give any evidence, because it is no doubt classified, I'm sure that these planes have a tracking signal that cannot be disengaged. Therefore all the U.S. would have to do is follow the breadcrumbs and just blow the hell out of it before the Chinese get their hands on it. If they even could that is. I'm pretty sure that if a U.S. military jet was stolen, 1st, someone would notice, 2nd, planes already in the air would be scrambled to force it down.

Originally posted by Murcielago
ahhh no.
I think your missing the point.
If Joe Schmoe steals a F-22 and covertly flys to China...the chinese wont fly it, so your little valve will do nothing. They will pick it appart to reverse engineer it. So the best option (other then recovery) it to just blow it up.

By the time the F-22 hits full production the Chinese won't have to steal one they will already have the data that they need. You are not going to put a destruct device in an operational aircraft anyway because if the enemy can get the code they can destroy all of your planes.

I was referring to someone stealing an experimental plane during the testing phase. if you shut off the fuel he is going to have to land or crash.

Originally posted by JIMC5499
By the time the F-22 hits full production the Chinese won't have to steal one they will already have the data that they need. You are not going to put a destruct device in an operational aircraft anyway because if the enemy can get the code they can destroy all of your planes.

I was referring to someone stealing an experimental plane during the testing phase. if you shut off the fuel he is going to have to land or crash.

oh...then a valve thingy would work.

BTW...The F-22 is in full-production, I highly doubt the Chinese have all of its top secret...secrets.
and I didn't mean a bomb built into the plane.
The USAF could use another F-22 or a B-2 to bomb it where ever its being held...even if thats smack in the middle of China.

What makes you think they would be able to fly it to china and hide it before anyone notices it's missing?

If it's a test or experimental aircraft there will be number of chase aircraft, numerous data recorders and it will probably be videoed the whole time as well.

You can't just jump in a plane and fly it off without anyone noticing either, You'd need a bunch of people just to get it prepped and started.

What about the range? A b-2 could probably just make it (might need air refuelling though which would be very difficult) but an F-22 certainly wouldnt have the range on internal fuel.

Then there is diplomatic disaster that would happen if it somehow did transpire that a top secret aircraft was stolen.

On the other hand, plenty of times in the past it has been tried.
I have posted this article before, maybe you would find it interesting
www.acig.org...
(Best to cut and paste into Word or something so it's easier to read, green text on black, what were they thinking?)