ralphkern
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
- Messages
- 1,156
This is an aircrafts avionics bay (the area that governs the electronics on an aircraft). It strikes me there are plenty of dramatic opportunities for a hero to be cutting red wires or yellow wires there.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(Qantas)/Boeing-767-238-ER/1351262/L/
A VC-25 isn't capable of being flown without what is known as fly-by-wire (eg in a light aircraft, the yoke is directly linked to the control surfaces, ailerons and elevator and peddles to the rudder). The drone-link would need to be cut, while the main controls maintained. Some poor fellow might have to go into the avionics bay, pull out the manual to figure out what to do and then cut the link. They would then have to restart the aircraft avionics (maybe a few seconds/minutes of no control at all). If it was bad, having someone sat there with a laptop directly plugged into the avionics flying it (Now that would be dicey as the pilot was shoting down commands as s/he was looking out the cockpit windows).
I don't like your idea of using an EMP pulse. AF1 would likely be so hardened to that kind of attack as to make it virtually impossible short of detonating a nuke next to it. Even if they could, they wouldn't have any systems left to take control of in the aircraft - even if AF1 were to structurally survive.
The caveat is that the VC-25 is highly classified in its capabilities. You can almost literally add anything you want onto the aircraft and it not be preposterous.
An educated guess would be that it is hardened to nuclear bomber (B1B/B52) standards and has a full self defense suite including EM/Flares/Chaff. It would never be out of reach of something with Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability (These days an Arleigh Burke/Ticonderoga class destroyer/cruiser) which has a secondary goal of shooting down satellites. It wouldn't surprise me if it has been upgraded with a laser defense capability used by the US Navy/Air force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Tactical_Laser
http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/air-force-one-has-new-defensive-systems-antennas/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(Qantas)/Boeing-767-238-ER/1351262/L/
A VC-25 isn't capable of being flown without what is known as fly-by-wire (eg in a light aircraft, the yoke is directly linked to the control surfaces, ailerons and elevator and peddles to the rudder). The drone-link would need to be cut, while the main controls maintained. Some poor fellow might have to go into the avionics bay, pull out the manual to figure out what to do and then cut the link. They would then have to restart the aircraft avionics (maybe a few seconds/minutes of no control at all). If it was bad, having someone sat there with a laptop directly plugged into the avionics flying it (Now that would be dicey as the pilot was shoting down commands as s/he was looking out the cockpit windows).
I don't like your idea of using an EMP pulse. AF1 would likely be so hardened to that kind of attack as to make it virtually impossible short of detonating a nuke next to it. Even if they could, they wouldn't have any systems left to take control of in the aircraft - even if AF1 were to structurally survive.
The caveat is that the VC-25 is highly classified in its capabilities. You can almost literally add anything you want onto the aircraft and it not be preposterous.
An educated guess would be that it is hardened to nuclear bomber (B1B/B52) standards and has a full self defense suite including EM/Flares/Chaff. It would never be out of reach of something with Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability (These days an Arleigh Burke/Ticonderoga class destroyer/cruiser) which has a secondary goal of shooting down satellites. It wouldn't surprise me if it has been upgraded with a laser defense capability used by the US Navy/Air force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Tactical_Laser
http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/air-force-one-has-new-defensive-systems-antennas/
