"No trembling in the knees": the United States is introducing a new mode of landing on aircraft carriers

The US Navy is completing a full transition to Precision Landing, which allows even young pilots from shift squadrons to significantly reduce the amount of work required to land on the deck of aircraft carriers.

This is stated on the pages of the USNI News, citing the words of Captain Dan Catlin, commander of the 106th Strike Fighter Squadron, who tested the new Precision Landing Mode (PLM) landing system on Super Hornet aircraft, both day and night. The new mode was first tested in 2015, after which, due to numerous failures, software revision was required. This task was successfully completed at the end of 2020.

After a night landing on a beginner's aircraft carrier, you can easily see his white knuckles, trembling knees and an unforgettable facial expression

- said Kathleen, pointing out that this is now a thing of the past thanks to the confidence that the PLM system gives.

According to him, before the introduction of the new landing mode, the pilot made an average of about 300 small adjustments during the last 18 seconds of the landing approach - he had to control the aircraft flight speed, glide path, ship movement and the angle of approach to it from the stern. With PLM, the number of transaction data can be reduced to single digits.

The pilot manually enters travel speed and then the PLM automatically calculates the correct 3,5 degree glide path for a safe landing. If the plane goes too high or low, then PLM itself controls the throttle [in the hydraulic system], maintaining the desired flight path.

Landing on an aircraft carrier is the most dangerous maneuver in all aviation... Landing on an aircraft carrier at night, with a swinging deck and after a long 6,5 hours of combat flight - a difficult feat

- says the captain, noting that now "no tremors in the knees threaten the pilots."

In this regard, the US military hopes that the fleet it will be much easier to find pilots for your aircraft carriers.

Comments

[kit88]

And we will look for pluses for ourselves from this information.
PLM is probably a wonderful, currently advanced semi-automatic landing system for a potential enemy. Even an untrained pilot is able to "... place the velocity vector in the place where you are going to land the plane and that is where you will get ..."
However, the questions are of interest - what is the noise immunity of the ship-to-plane radio link? Through which the entire adjustment of landing maneuvers takes place.
Probably there is a promising field for the activity of enemy electronic warfare systems, that is, for you and me, however.
Can you imagine what the "young pilot from the shift squadron" will think about when it is necessary to land, and PLM does not plow, and cannot do it manually.

[Aerodrome]

Quote: kit88

Probably there is a promising field for the activity of enemy electronic warfare systems, that is, for you and me, however.

however, who will allow you to get closer to the AUG, the carriers of electronic warfare equipment ... ?

[Sergey M. Karasev]

And what is the range of our electronic warfare systems? I am afraid that this system should be so close that for the carrier-based aircraft during its operation, it will not be relevant to land, but just take off, because the enemy is somewhere nearby. And the system media will be quickly destroyed.

[Victor_B]

Quote: Sergey Mikhailovich Karasev

And the system media will be quickly destroyed.

Moreover, it will shine in an active mode like a Kremlin star.
Yes, brighter, however, a thousand times!

[Alexey from Perm]

in my opinion not relevant .. for us there are no advantages here. And they do everything correctly, and it would be nice for us to have an analogue of such a system ... Only it took amers 5 years, but will they do it all for us?

[Alien From]

Their pilots must be given their due, they have gained tremendous experience.

[Civil]

And then how to plant unmanned systems. Although the adversaries are already imprisoned.

[Vol4ara]

Quote: kit88

And we will look for pluses for ourselves from this information.
PLM is probably a wonderful, currently advanced semi-automatic landing system for a potential enemy. Even an untrained pilot is able to "... place the velocity vector in the place where you are going to land the plane and that is where you will get ..."
However, the questions are of interest - what is the noise immunity of the ship-to-plane radio link? Through which the entire adjustment of landing maneuvers takes place.
Probably there is a promising field for the activity of enemy electronic warfare systems, that is, for you and me, however.
Can you imagine what the "young pilot from the shift squadron" will think about when it is necessary to land, and PLM does not plow, and cannot do it manually.

EW operates at a distance of 500 km? And I thought that the radiation power falls in proportion to the square of the distance ... Armenia's rabbit showed itself in the fight against drones ... Uh, no way. AND! I forgot. These are stupid Armenians, they cannot be trusted with technology, just like the Syrians, Egyptians, Libyans, etc., they are not what we are, so if we were on the slave then we would be daaaaa, but no.
And we also have khibiny, yeah :)

[Real Pilot]

The question is precisely the inability to sit down by hand.
What can lead to consequences ... Electronic maps with GPS are a good example when a smartphone or even a military tablet sat down. And a lot of that, these are "smart" sights, etc.

There is no need for electronic warfare. All vaunted American naval pilots will turn into self-confident amateurs

[vadim dok]

The PlM system does not interact with the aircraft carrier - This is an AUTONOMOUS aircraft system! Read, not dream!

[rotmistr60]

They made the pilot's work easier and partially removed the psychological stress, which means they think not only about the pilot and his condition, but also about the future, i.e. are intensively preparing for a possible war. With whom (a rhetorical question)?

[orionvitt]

All this is of course wonderful, but there is a small but. Overly trusting technology, pilots will lose their qualifications and then, in the event of a hypothetical system failure (this happens with any technology), they simply will not be able to land. For example. Not a single Western officer, without the help of a computer (in extreme cases, a calculator), can no longer calculate the parameters of artillery fire. You quickly get used to good things, you relax and in case of an unfavorable coincidence of circumstances, you find yourself helpless.

[vadsonen]

Overly trusting technology, pilots will lose their qualifications and then, in the event of a hypothetical system failure (this happens with any technology), they simply will not be able to land

For one case of equipment failure, there will be much more emergency landings.
In addition, automation can have advantages over humans. An example is a vehicle stabilization system. With all the desire, the driver will not be able to operate with 4 brake circuits at once, but ESP can.

[orionvitt]

Quote: vadsonen

If desired, the driver will not be able to operate with 4 brake circuits at once

There is no need to fly on the roads, and then you can perfectly operate with all four "brake circuits".

For one case of equipment failure, there will be much more emergency landings

The conversation is not about that. No one argues that automation is a worthwhile thing. But it is enough, as you say, to damage the system once, and that's it. Nobody sits anywhere anymore. During the conduct of hostilities, you know, anything can happen. It seems that the aircraft carrier is still afloat, but no one can land, because they are accustomed to good and the skill of manual piloting is lost during landing.

[Free wind]

To begin with, they train on cheap simulators, well, just at the computer, then on real ones, then flights, and at first the automation will help, And suddenly the pilot is injured, the same will help.

[yehat2]

I would not want to land on an aircraft carrier or on a huge airfield at night.
I flew at night only on simulators - the sensations are such that I definitely don't want extra ones.

[yehat2]

Quote: kit88

Can you imagine what the "young pilot from the shift squadron" will think about when it is necessary to land, and PLM does not plow, and cannot do it manually.

they will probably be taught to sit down by hand
the problem is in the routine - to perform not 1, but 50 such landings - this is a huge psychological load.
In addition, it will take a significant amount of time to take a break from such fun and be ready for a new flight.
I don’t know about ordinary pilots, but I really don’t like instrument flights.
therefore, if I repeat flights, it will be low and in a clear sky.

[yehat2]

Quote: orionvitt

No Western officer

somehow strongly said.
I recently listened to an interview with an American self-propelled gunner (howitzer). He says that among the experienced, many practice counting without a computer.

[motorized rifle]

Even with this landing system, won't go anywhere

white knuckles, quivering knees and an unforgettable facial expression

A person will still be in tension, especially since he will realize his complete dependence on this incomplete control. For example, flights in the terrain bend mode cause a lot of stress, and in the case of a certain combination of speed and altitude (the first is high, the second is low), the flight is possible only in auto mode (the reaction time of a person does not allow to fly safely). So, studies have shown that flying in auto mode does not lead to a decrease in the tension of the canopy, but, on the contrary, to its increase, and if the pilot's reaction was sufficient for a safe flight, then no pilot "in his right mind and sober memory" would have resorted to it ... The same is with the aforementioned drawdown system, it is important to make it with the maximum guarantee, and whether the young pilot's knees shake or not, the command does not really care, but PR ...

[Stone]

Ask pilots of modern fighters about how they feel when landing in automatic mode according to ILS in the UMP. No white knuckles, no trembling knees, and the most satisfied expression on his face. Also, on a bomber jacket with a bend over the relief, from feelings, besides fatigue, there is also complete delight.

[petrol cutter]

"In this regard, the US military hopes that it will be much easier for the Navy to find pilots for its aircraft carriers."
Staff turnover is certainly a good thing ...
However, you will have to teach the fighters all the same - in full. Otherwise it will be a suicide club.
At any time, your fuse will blow / the wires will short out (it is especially not surprising to find such non-harassments while turning from a combat flight) and swimming in the Barents Sea is guaranteed to you. And bathing in such conditions is not healthy for the body even in summer.

[Givi_49]

Deck drones must autonomously take off, fly in close formation, land and refuel in the air.
Similar automation should be at the pilot's disposal.