Title: Weapon systems officer | Military Wiki | Fandom
Headings: Weapon systems officer
Weapon systems officer
Contents
Overview
Training
Primary
Intermediate
Advanced
Graduate training
See also
References

Content: In the now retired F-111 Aardvark strike bomber, flown by the US Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force, and EF-111A Raven airborne jammer flown by the USAF only, the WSO was seated directly to the right of the pilot/aircraft commander. The WSO integrates with the pilot to collectively achieve and maintain crew efficiency, situational awareness and mission effectiveness. In the U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, the WSO can pilot the aircraft when required although this is typically during non-tactical portions of the mission (e.g., returning to base). When designated mission commander (MC), the WSO is also responsible for all phases of the assigned mission. In the British Royal Air Force, a WSO (formerly navigator) is a commissioned officer that operates aircraft mission systems on the Tornado GR4 amongst other platforms. Non-Commissioned aircrew can serve as a WSOp (Weapon Systems Operator), an umbrella term for the various specialist aircrew responsible for assisting the pilot in operating the mission systems of the aircraft (e.g. linguists, loadmasters, crewman). Contents
1
Overview
2
Training
2.1
Primary
2.2
Intermediate
2.3
Advanced
2.4
Graduate training
3
See also
4
References
Overview
WSO mission duties in fighter aircraft were historically rigid because of the displays and controls in the front and aft seats of fighter cockpits. However modern fighter cockpits using programmable multi-function displays allow assigned roles to be more flexible than previous generation aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruder, or F-14 Tomcat. In the latest fighters either aircrew can be responsible for detecting, targeting and engaging air-to-air targets or ground targets, performing communications, operating data-link or defensive systems based on the tactical situation. This provides the flexibility for pilot and WSO roles to be customized based on experience, expertise, workload, tactics, and weapons being employed.