> > > Barnhart wrote:
 > > >
 > > > While working with B 52s for a short while, they mentioned they would
 > practice the "sam slip" or "sam maneuver" where they evade sams over
 > unfriendly skies in southeast Asia.  Any idea how that went?
 > > >
 > > > Barny

 > Hi Barny
 >
 > I flew EB 66s in Southeast Asia and flew B-52s during the "Cold War" as an
 > Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) and have a degree of familarity with SAMS.
 > The SA-2 SAM system predominately used by the NV during the war
was an older
 > Soviet Design (but with a big 400KG warhead).  Its principal intercept
 > algorithm was based on constant velocity of the target.  Therefore any
 > "Acceleration" that could be introduced to the problem degraded its
 > accuracy.  This short coming resulted in maneuvers designed to introduce
 > varying acceleration factor into the guidance equation and thereby degrade
 > the SAMs accuracy.  Together with jamming of the SAMs radar and dumping
 > "Chaff" it would hopefully degrade the SAM sufficient for a miss.
 >
 > Later in the war, there was a lot of controversy over whether the B-52
 > performing SAM maneuvers was effective.  The argument went that it exposed
 > the B-52 longer, that it caused the aircraft's Jamming pattern (foot print)
 > to be less effective due to the shifting geometric footprint due to the
 > aircraft's unusual attitude, etc.  In fact, there was a letter published by
 > one of the B-52 units which threatened disciplinary action to B-52 crews
 > which took evasive action.  You can imagine the roil that created.
 >
 > Fighters (and EB-66s) would do the same thing with more radical maneuvers
 > such as turning into the SAM or going into a steep dive, hard turn.
 >
 > I can verify that the maneuver if used properly and at the right time could
 > save your butt.
 >
 > Ed Anderson
 > Matthews, NC

Hi Ed:

        I had heard that maneuvering worked because the A/C could turn harder
than the SAM ( when it was close ) due the small control surfaces,
speed, etc. Thank
you for sharing your first-hand knowledge.

Regards,
James

 
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