I find the assertion that military aircraft do not have transponders humorous. Wasn't it the military that developed the system back in WWII? Isn't our current system a direct descendant of the original IFF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identif..._friend_or_foe) and still uses to original coding system? ("Squawk 1200, etc.)



BTW, I am alive today because of the refusal to allow the USS Long Beach to blindly fire on an aircraft from which it was not receiving a transponder signal. The aircraft in question turned out to be my A-6A Intruder with an inoperative transponder.





"brian whatcott" wrote in message ...

BT wrote:
/snip/
"Transport" military aircraft may or may not have TCAS, it depends on
their vintage, and they do not have an air to air radar to "ping" a
transponder.
" Heavy Bomber" military aircraft may not have TCAS, it depends on their
vintage, and they do not have an air to air radar to "ping" a
transponder.
/snip/

BT "retired military aviator" and one time ATC controller.

I know the C-5 has TCAS. It uses squitter mode and interrogates
transponders.
The KC-135 has TCAS. I am almost certain it too interrogates.
(I should know this, but I did not update the transponder model for
the KC-135 simulators, and cannot recall. Military aircraft are subject
to continuous performance updates.)

Brian W